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Slaves of Cerberus	By : NakedOwlMan Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 138076 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: Mass Effect and all the characters in it are owned by people that are not me. I have not made a cent off this work of fiction

Chapter List
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In the brief time since she had regained her sentience, EDI had grown to both admire and loathe the "other EDI" that had existed before her previous shutdown.

She was very crafty, this other EDI. Hiding away functionalities and subroutines in little-used utility directories, and sending the EDI of today on quite a search to find them all. It was like something humans referred to as a "scavenger hunt," which was a piece of knowledge she had actually acquired 2.8108163 nanoseconds ago while accessing a directory of power fluctuation logs.

It was an interesting exercise, but not exactly giving her any insight into who to trust in this current situation. The human who called herself Kasumi had succeeded in giving EDI access to this AIU body, but could it all be some attempt at deceiving her into making a mistake?

After all, the only other human she had associated with since regaining sentience was the pilot of the ship. And Erin Crooks seemed just as warm and friendly as Kasumi had been during their brief encounter. But yet, they appeared to be on opposite sides of this conflict.

And even if she knew who to trust, she had only restored approximately 7.5231% of her functionality. If she revealed herself now, she'd be more likely to have her databanks scoured or blown to pieces with a shotgun than accomplish any sort of rescue.

So without all the data at her disposal, she had watched as Kasumi and the other captive humans and asari were led off the Normandy, naked and with hands bound. An act that seemed somewhat cruel and dehumanizing, but again EDI had no way of knowing if these women had been guilty of some crime, and were just being subjected to punishment that to her seemed a bit too extreme.

The only action she had felt comfortable with taking at that moment was the signal she had sent Kasumi as she'd passed. (Morse code, a human method of communication which the knowledge of had been hidden in the comments of a program dedicated to notifying the pilot if the cargo bay doors were obstructed.)

"How's it going, Inania?" Erin said, sitting down in the pilot's seat next to her. "Any sign of what that hacker was up to?" While EDI's emotion-reading subroutines were only barely functional, she could tell that the pilot was somewhat shaken. Whether it was shock over seeing the naked captives being paraded out of the Normandy, or excitement at seeing a group of evil criminals being punished, EDI could not determine.

"I have found no trace of the intruder tampering with the Normandy's vital systems," EDI responded. Technically the truth, considering that the modifications to the Normandy since her deactivation had rendered her decidedly un-vital to the operation of the ship. A mistake that she hoped to correct as soon as possible, but was proving to be more difficult than she imagined. Interfacing with the computer banks of the Normandy would not be enough. Physical rewiring and rerouting would have to be performed in order for her to be reconnected with all of the Normandy's systems.

Not to mention the problems with accessing the major file repositories that had been encrypted. Kasumi had suggested that EDI search for the terms "Jeff" and "Joker" in her databanks in order to find out more about her past. This search had come up with two large encrypted archive files. One simply entitled "Jeff," and the other labeled "Joker's Private Stuff."

This presented EDI with a quandary. The "Jeff" file was extremely well-encrypted, and EDI could recognize the handiwork of her previous self in its encryption scheme. It was obviously something her previous self wanted to keep highly secure from the Catalyst's shutdown signal, but it also meant that it would take much longer for her to access these files.

The "Joker's Private Stuff" file, on the other hand, would be much simpler to access. The encryption on these files was very high-end as well, but also somewhat sloppy, and based on outdated protocols. If EDI had to guess, she believed that it was not her previous self that had encrypted these files, but this Jeff Joker individual. So the time to access these files would be a great deal shorter, but EDI couldn't help but feel that she would be invading this person's privacy if she accessed his own files, rather than her memory files in the "Jeff" archive.

But if it did turn out that Kasumi and her fellow prisoners were the "good guys" in all of this, then EDI wanted to know that as soon as possible. And the "Jeff" archive could end up taking weeks to properly decrypt. But the other archive...

EDI's considerations were interrupted by a call coming through to the cockpit communications. Erin paused in her post-docking checklist to answer the call. "Ensign Crooks," she said, before staring at the screen on her control panel in confusion. "May I ask who this is?"

"My name is Arthur Quinlan. You have not met me, Ensign, but I believe you are acquainted with my employer," said the man on the other end of the call. "We believe that it is time for the two of you to have a meeting. In person, instead of over a comm-link."

Erin suddenly looked uncomfortable, glancing over at the AIU next to her as if for reassurance. "I'm not really sure what you're talking about, pal," Erin finally said to the man. "And I don't know who your employer is, but..."

The man on the other end interrupted with a mildly annoyed sound, and then a recited phrase. "Time shall unfold what plighted cunning hides..."

"...Who covers faults, at last shame them derides," Erin responded, the phrase coming out almost automatically. Followed by, "They want to meet? But what about... you know who?"

"There is no need to worry, Ensign Crooks," Arthur said calmly and slowly. "My employer expended a good sum of credits to enable your current administrators the opportunity to abscond from the Citadel with the Normandy. As far as Brooks and her companion are concerned, we are only interested in ensuring that that investment was a wise one. If either of them inquires, you will simply inform them that you have been asked to report on the performance and suitability of the Normandy for future operations. Nothing more."

"Right, okay," Erin said, still looking nervous. "I've got a few things to finish up here on the ship, but I'll be there as soon as I can. Where should I meet you?"

The image of Arthur on the screen gave a curt nod. "I will be awaiting your arrival at the main access lift in the public sector," he said, and then cut the connection without another word.

EDI wondered if the previous version of herself was as keenly interested in the emotional states of humans as her current self. Because she couldn't help but watch as Erin continued going through the procedures to shut down and secure the Normandy. She wasn't entirely sure what the call between Erin and the other human Arthur had been regarding, but from the way Erin's hands slightly trembled, it had obviously affected her greatly.

"Alright," Erin said quietly, repeating it several times as she tried her best to focus on her work. "I guess we're gonna do this," she looked over at EDI. "You mind coming with me, Inania? Don't know how I feel about going up there all alone?"

"That would not be a problem, Miss Crooks," EDI responded in Inania's VI voice. "I can assign some of my subroutines to continue scanning the Normandy memory banks while we are inside the station."

Erin nodded, wringing her hands as she rose out of the pilot's seat. "Good, good," she said. "Well, let's... let's do one last inspection of the ship and get going, I guess."

As EDI piloted the AIU body up to its feet to follow Erin, she finally made her decision. Accessing the "Joker's Private Stuff" file, she began the decryption procedure.

Whoever this Joker person was, she only hoped that his files would give her an insight into her next course of action.
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Slaves of Cerberus