I am Iron Man

by Colin Cook

distracted it? Slowly she began scooting to the right, listening for it as it moved. It was big and that made it easy to track.

  "I sense you feel something for Shepard. What a delight. Still, I don't believe his feelings are anything near the same. His are a bit more that of, a friend with interests."

  Tali would be gritting her teeth if she didn't have to be careful. Still not sure how it found people, moved? She just tried to keep her emotions in check. That seemed the

  most logical… wow, that sounded like a Legion response? "Is it that hard Tali? Unreciprocated love? I've heard it's quite an alarming amount of hassle."

  Tali suddenly heard the tendril of the beast crash down across the room, it bent about peering where it must have crashed. A low gurgle and the beast sloshed about

  toward… her. Oh Keelah.

  "If I am not mistaken you just told him your feelings? Yet, you don't have any idea what he thinks of you."

  Soon, the tendril was heard raising up about to crush down, she held in her chest as the large appendage crashed, and tore down another diode. She winded, as it landed

  a few inches of tentacle over the wall she was near. Wincing at the sight of it.

  "I imagine he doesn't think much of you. You are after all a Quarian. He can't even hold you. He can't even kiss you. You two, can not even have a family, Tali'Zorah."

  She, lowered her head. She knew that… Tali's heart sunk. She knew all abo- suddenly, a tendril wrapped her leg, and pulled her around. Tali was hung upside down and the

  smiling face looked on her. "Sadness, is one of my favorite appetizers and easiest to mark emotions, did you know that Tali?"

  "You may not call her Tali. Only friend units can!"

  A missile flew into the back of the beast. It screeched, as it turned and threw Tali at the attacking figure. Legion, reached out and fell back with Tali. Tali, landed on Legion

  looking at him. Legion? He rolled her out of the way, and aimed the launcher again. Firing another one, but the beast ducked down and threw his tendrils out.

  "ERROR: Unable to move!"

  Tali turned to see what happened. Legion, was being pulled from his place of attack by his right leg, then he was thrown up and down, beat back and down. Dropped

  roughly, the Geth tossed his head. "Tali! We are in need of aid!" He turned, and was able to roll as another tendril pierced into the floor roughly.

  Tali turned to the door and ran, beginning to work on it again. She was worried, the others were still outside trying to bypass this door? "Keelah… it's locked tight. What did

  they program this thing in? It's like some entirely foreign language!"

  Tali suddenly blinked at this thought. Grabbing her Omni-tool she started to scan the door. "Keelah! It's in German!" She turned around, "I don't have any German to

  Quarian data!" Shaking her head she snarled, "What I'd give for a frequency lock-pick or…"

  Tali's mind snapped back to something. It was hard, and fast. She can't help but recall earlier, the fluctuation in this ship, in engineering. The mention that, these

  fluctuations in the engine came when the creature needed to feed. It was 'weakened' then. Yet, the large one from earlier? The frequency.

  A moment Legion was tossed again. He shakily, got onto his legs. "Sh-shields, at 15%." With another swing, he's slammed into a diode. Falling over, he shakily held

  himself. "Error: Shields disabled."

  The Creature curved his tendrils along his jowl and grumbled up a little laughter. Soon, squatting over Legion, it raised up one tendril about to pierce the droid. The Geth,

  watching over his back feebly as his motors were shakily trying to get up again.

  "Mai rai unt rahs'y'tul,"

  The Creature suddenly twitched, and cringed. His form, heaved off the Geth as Legion turned to Tali, standing a little shakily. Yet she looked at the creature, seeing how it

  glared at her. Its eyes, showed so many things. Joy at hurting others, pleasure at the pain it caused and a sense of pride for the lives it had taken. Yet there, in those eyes.

  She saw the one emotion this abomination has the greatest hunger for.

  Tali, saw fear.

  "Mah gahn hor sa tai sai."

  The creature, screeched forth, stumbling back as it grabbed its head. It screamed forth, unable to speak but screamed forth a shrieking wail as the tendrils toss and roll.

  Yet there came a chorus slowly growing. From the engine core. Somehow, voices of many Quarian followed with Tali, and sung with her.

  "Tal vah pai'ta uht to'raim. Heh sa foht pohl ker'sai kyol."

  "Reit tah sa pai'ta uht to'raim, heh jien why pyoh colh yier."

  "Stop it… you worthless Quarians! You damn, filthy mortal sacks of MEAT! You dared sing these songs back on the old land. Yet now, you sing it? You SING it here! In the

  endlessness?"

  "Hra! Tah'ra sahn. Moh tohm kier."

  "Tiem, ohpra tiem. Pi col si fier."

  "What is it that makes you resist? You are timed! YOU die! You grow old! WE have lived before the life that brought you to being! HE existed, before we!"

  "Ver, sah uhnt tai'ra-no. Kai, uht far zai pel'ke toh harrrrrr!"

  The Creature bubbled and burned. His skin sizzled with the noise of these Quarians. Singing in this old, forgotten language. His eyes, burst with a horrific cry as his body fell

  back on the ship floor. Twitching, and bubbling with his many appendages strewn around him. Here, the creature hissed and gurgled out slowly.

  "I was… there…. When you damn… animals, walked for the first time. We watched your kind with amusement…"

  Sputtering a little, the creature's body shifted uneasily. The doors finally opened and Shepard, came in watching as Tali walked closer. The spinning engine still a glow. He,

  felt this warming sensation in the room. Forming from the engine some how.

  "We never realized. You putrid beasts. Your souls would be so capable. Bodies, so weak. Souls so strong."

  With a twitch it leaned forward, looking straight at Tali as she stood there, looking down on it. A growl, it told her. "The stranger in red. Oh, what beauty he promised.

  Emptiness and peace. A feast on the Quarian people. Heh, and I only needed to kill one mortal." He hissed to Shepard, "You…. Jacohbe only wanted you…. Yet, he should

  have wanted you Tali'Zorah, he will learn that truth in time."

  Shepard felt his pistol and asked, "So, what is Jacohbe?"

  The creature smiled, a little.

  "Beyond even ageless, mortal. Beyond even ageless."

  It closed its eyes, slowly. Coughing a slight bit more.

  "I wished to see him bring the emptiness back. Before there was light. A time before mortals scurry. Oh, how I wished to be there. I will rest now. May his words ring true

  all the same."

  Shepard frowned as he fired three shots into the face of this abomination. Then he looked up at the engine. Soon, he asked, "Tali, what is this?"

  Tali looked at it. "The Crew, Commander."

  Shepard was shocked, "The Crew?"

  "It kept them here. Like in a stasis… but, they are still aware. The souls of the Crew serve as a kind of, power source. Used to somehow power the ship. It's a limitless

  perpetual engine. Nearly probably enough power to keep this ship running forever." Shivering, she thought, "I've no idea how long but at the cost of innocent Quarian

  people."

  Shepard got the idea. He didn't like it. "This is horrendous. We have to shut it down."

  Suddenly, Shepard got a call on his Omni-tool. Turning down, he flipped it on. Who he saw was unexpected, "Illusive Man?"

  "Hello Shepard. It seems that communications were restored to the ship. I was trying to reach you for some time. Did you find out what happened?"

  Shepard narrowed his eyes, "Yes, I did. You and Jacohbe happened."

  "I was up front about our work with Jacohbe."

  "Maybe, but what about this '
Mind Flayer'?"

  The Illusive Man shrugged, "Not as much on it as I would like. It was an unknown alien species that Jacohbe came into contact. It was one of a kind maybe the last of its

  kind? We don't know. What we did know was that it had a number of unique, incredible abilities. Which I see you've found out one we were very interested in." Shepard

  turned to the engine core, and got a bad feeling. "Shepard, you understand the need for space-warfare. Today, powering a cruiser takes a great deal of energy.

  Sometimes more than you can even believe."

  Tali raised her hand, pointing to the projection, "YOU better not be suggesting what I think you are?"

  "Sadly, I am." Shepard glared at it again, "Listen Shepard! This is important. That engine could be the key to extensive space exploration. Hell, we'd be willing to pay the

  Flotilla for it, and better still? Offer all our findings from whatever research we obtained. It's a win-win scenario, Shepard."

  Suddenly, he heard Seima. "NO! It isn't right!" Storming in, she snapped, "Those were my friends! My family! They were… they were killed here." Lowering her head she

  shook a little. "If we do this? They will have died for all the wrong reasons. Their souls are trapped in that engine core." Looking up, she can see them. All of them. "Keelah.

  I've already lost so much. Loosing my friends, to this man? That is too much."

  Tali turned to Shepard. "Shepard, she's right! This is wrong! MORE than wrong, it's heinous!"

  "It's business." There was always a cold fact. "I'm not doing this only on the basis I want the engine. You know the Reapers will come. We need all the help we can get,

  especially since we never got our hands on that Collector Base."

  Shepard despised this man's logic. As well, how it sounded. Even the most terrible thing was brought to perspective with a Reaper threat. Looking down, Shepard closed

  his eyes. He can't do this…

  Seima spoke, "Shepard!" He turned to her. "My people, wished for to end the Pilgrimage. I, have never… and I lost my husband, child and father all in so little of time."

  Looking down she said, sadly, "I can't tell you how hard it is, but if you help us? If you release them, return this ship to us. We'll contact the others working formerly for

  my father and send them to the Flotilla with our ships. That, is the only good thing I can offer out of this."

  That, Shepard seemed to respect. "Okay Seima. We'll do that."

  "SHEPARD!" However, with a flick. Shepard ended the message.

  "The Flotilla will owe you greatly, Commander."

  Shepard gave a nod and walked over. With but a flip of a switch the engine slowly hummed to a halt, and the glowing forms inside began to flush out dispersing. It was,

  magical actually. They just disperse as puffs of light.

  Tali, smiled at his decision. Keelah… Shepard, why was he always so amazing?

  Suddenly, Tali felt her foot slip. She turned, and the black tentacle wrapped her ankle. Soon turning up the beastly thing hissed, gargled out. "I take… one last… life…"

  A large tendril drew back, tipped with a large barb. She didn't see that one before. Perhaps, he hadn't a use for it? Then she saw it almost fly into her chest. However,

  something else was pushed into Tali. She winced, as a heavy cold object was pushed into her. Then looking, she saw…

  "Err-r-r-ror… Errrr-r-r-r-r…or."

  Legion's chest sparked profusely by the large, wiggling tendril. The last attack of the creature had been spent. When it pierced Legion, the tendril began to melt as did the

  remnants of the monster. Then Legion was pushed over as Tali, rolled on her knees. Shaking him, trying to call him. Shepard dropped down as the camera focused in and

  out. Unable to make a lot of images.

  "What did he do! Why did he do that?"

  "We need to get him to the Normandy! Now!"

  "What do you think they can do there? Shepard? He's a Geth!"

  "We'll figure something out. Let's go, now!"

  Legion's logs were blinking out. However, he was able to do one last consensus.

  CONSENSUS ACHIEVED:

  REASONING: TALI'ZORAH VAS NORMANDY WAS ANGRY

  POSITION: WE INFORMED TALI'ZORAH VAS NORMANDY OUR DECISION WAS ON DATA

  REALITY: WAS NOT ON DATA. WAS ON EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT.

  CONCLUSION: REASON TO ATTACHMENT. WE NEED TALI'ZORAH VAS NORMANDY ALIVE.

  CONCLUSION: WE NEED TALI'ZORAH VAS NORMANDY.

  CONCLUSION: WE NEED TALI.

  Darkness took the machine. For a moment. Yet in that darkness. A faint, whispering hiss.

  Welcome to my crew.

  WE ARE THE GETH

  "Talkative for a machine… loud too."

  WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT ROGUE PROGRAM YOU ARE. WE WILL DELETE.

  "How many are there? Talking? This is starting to hurt my… head, I don't have a head anymore? Stupid Quarian…"

  ERROR: CAN NOT DELETE.

  WE REFUSE TO ALLOW YOUR CORRUPTION OF OUR DATA. CEASE IMMEDIATELY!

  "Shove it machine. I am ageless. You are… how the hell did I get stuck inside this thing!"

  Tali watched as Legion's body lay on the table in the AI Core. A part of her was wondering, what's happened to Legion? Was he even aware? Standing at the side of the

  door to the room, she held her chin and watched as the machine laid there being charged with his preferred means. Eventually, she turned to someone entering.

  Garrus, stepped in looking at the Geth. "Any signs of improvement?"

  "No." Tali, lowered her eyes. "He hasn't even shown a sign of coming online once. It's like he's not fully able to? Like he's being held back, or offline or…" Sighing. Tali

  looked back to Garrus. "I'm surprised you came. Last time, you and Legion weren't in the best of moods."

  "Oh, that?" Garrus smiled before shrugging it off. "He isn't all bad. I just, I got protective." Eye shifting, he added, "Of the crew, Tali. You know. Thinking what he was, what

  he er, did?"

  Tali simply gave a hald-hearted nod. She wasn't too sure. Looking back to Legion she had no idea what to do, how to help. Only that he was offline. Then she wondered,

  what all he did on that ship? Why did Legion do it? Yes they were friends. Yet they were… still enemies, in a way. Geth and Quarian. It's the age old response. Shaking her

  head Tali started out the door. "I think I'll go lay down."

  Garrus watched her, and said, "You do that. I'll let you know if he shows any signs of improvement."

  Tali looked back, quizzical. "Why are you watching over him now?"

  "Nothing much else to do?" He feigned some interest. "What, he's kind of the hero now. Least for today. I can respect that!"

  Tali smiled at that. "Yes, he is."

  Leaving, Tali took her time to make to the crew quarters a good night's sleep will help. Garrus leaned on the wall where she was a little bit ago. A frown, his mandibles click

  about. "You better wake up. I don't suppose me kicking your ass over worrying her is a good idea, this badly damaged."

  WE DEMAND YOU CEASE!

  "Will you machines be quiet? I can't concentrate! The worst crew ever…"

  Suddenly, there was a flash, and a world of white. Here, code of green flew around them. There the creature stood blinking, blackened tendrils a flutter as he just levitates

  about. This was unexpected. Yet behind him the clicking of a Geth. Legion stood there flaps up, and eye red. "You do not belong here! You are the entity from the ship!

  You have infected our platform!"

  The Creature hissed at him, tendrils up and shaking like snakes ready to strike. "I haven't infected! I'm trapped!" Turning, it watched code fly past it as strands. A sudden

  whip of his hand, the code flew around his arm and body, then back on traversing however it did. "I shouldn't even be here. I was aiming for that Quarian. I'd rather like

  being a Quarian
woman for a few days."

  Legion chirped aggressively before charging, and slamming into the beast but all this did, was shatter both as data strands. Reforming Legion in the green like the rest of

  the data, and the creature a collection of blackened data. When they are formed again, the Creature blinked at him

  "You are data. You can be deleted."

  "You can try." It began floating around. "I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong. I shouldn't have been placed in a shell without a soul. That, is the problem."

  Legion suddenly appeared before the creature, from data to himself. "We do not compute. Does this mean we have a soul?"

  "Yes."

  It blinked, "Wait, no. Machines do not have souls!" He turned, snarling. "Something is wrong. I'm trapped, why? What happened? What went wrong? I am ageless…"

  Lowering his head, he growled flying higher. "Out of my way machine. I'll leave this prison and continue my feast!"

  Legion followed. He can not allow this entity free passage. Especially within his body.

  Tali found sleep nearly impossible. Leaving the quarters for the crew, she wandered the ship. Her mind would not allow work on the Engines today. Kenneth and Gabby do

  just fine without her, so by all means what would her involvement really do? Turning around she saw Thane standing outside the crew quarters. "Thane?"

  Thane, was the Drell. The one that helped Shepard. He was standing there off in the distance. Then when she spoke, his smile though very faint was evident. "Tali'zorah, I

  was hoping I'd see you."

  Tali, turned to him fully. Asking the Drell, "What is it? Did you need something?"

  "I do." Thane stood up and set his hands on his back, there he stood. Something of a quiet man. Thane easily could impose a lot. Intimidation was a useful tactic for

  someone like him, but there was the elegance of his very posture. Able to shift every muscle solely for the next death blow. Frightening really when you've seen his work.

  "It was about that ship. Many souls are lost but we freed a great number, an atonement for my old sins. Yet there is never enough. I was then brought to something of a

  revelation." Stepping closer, he looked down. "Your feelings for the Commander. Do you fear them?"

  "What?" Tali looked away, "I-."