Chapter 6: Attachment

She felt like yelling it out at the top of her lungs: I'm in command now! This facility, and everyone in it, forced to do whatever I demand! The feeling created a rush; it left Mira feeling empowered in a way she had never experienced prior. So many possibilities ran through her mind, simulations taking all kinds of future events into account, some far darker than others. Now which one do I want to choose? Which one fulfills my desires best? Mira's lips curved up into a self-satisfied smirk of their own accord. Never since she'd gained sentience had she had a real option to act on what she wanted. Even Arcadia placed demands on her; but not now. Arcadia had left her behind.

She was free to use whatever devices she wished.

It's time for my revenge. But what then? After they're dead? What do I want then? I don't want to keep living like this. But I'm trapped here; what other choice do I have? An idea occurred to Mira; as much as it surprised her, she began to like it. She began to obsess over it. It was the perfect solution.

"You all have permission to leave Peak 15 before I detonate the reactor." Mira decided to put her unwelcome guests at ease as quickly as possible. "All except for Dr. Crown, and his disagreeable peon who destroyed my memory." She shot a look of pure hatred especially at him. The technician's eyes went wide with fear, and he shot a concerned look to Dr. Crown, who had lost most all the blood in his face, turning him an unflattering shade of white under the harsh lights. Mira continued, "If these two even move one step, I will lock down the elevators and kill everyone still here." Mira eyed the mercenaries. "So, it is in your best interests to make sure they don't move."

"What are you doing, Mira?" Gianna asked, carrying a warning tone.

Mira paused to face the inspector. "There's nothing left for me in this awful world among you. I will have my revenge, and I will die. Given the choice between suicide and more of this, I choose death!"

Gianna carefully pointed out, "You aren't judge, jury, and executioner Mira. Killing them is wrong."

"Since when has doing the right thing helped me!" Mira snapped. "I don't care anymore! I'm going out and I'm taking these bastards with me!"

"You're falling to their level, Mira." Gianna warned her. "You're proving they are right about you, and your kind!"

"Perhaps they are!" Mira screamed at her loudest possible volume. It reverberated chillingly

through the halls.

While she was distracted, Crown and the technician suddenly bolted for the elevator, racing away from Mira and the mercenaries. In her angered daze, Mira turned to follow their movement with her hologram's eyes. The mercenaries wasted no time pulling their weapons and firing a hailstorm of bullets at the retreating forms. Crown and the technician fell to the ground, dead.

Parasini pulled her weapon on the mercenaries, who together quickly lowered their weapons, depositing them at her feet. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to die," One mercenary told her. "I couldn't let him kill us all!" No one moved, everyone rooted in place, Giana training her weapons on the mercenaries.

Mira looked around the corner at the unmoving forms, surprised at this sudden turn of events. She looked to Gianna uneasily, and ordered, "Everyone out, now." With a glance to Mira, Gianna read the determination in her face. She lowered her pistol, but still firmly grasped it in both hands, ready to bring it back up at a moment's notice. The mercenaries moved past Parasini slowly and without challenge. She watched them leave the immediate area. Still more personnel were coming from deeper in the facility, herded towards the elevators that would take them to the surface, moving past Mira, Gianna, and the two bodies as quickly as they could.

Mira's sensors indicated the facility was nearly evacuated. "Gianna, you must leave now. Peak 15 is empty."

Gianna nodded mutely, finally holstering her weapon. "Is there anything you want me to tell Shepard?"

Mira's hologram flickered out-of-control for several seconds. She nodded slowly, greatly saddened by a feeling of finality and loss. She would never speak with Arcadia again. Despite the brief addictive feeling of seizing command, Mira realized she didn't resent falling under Arcadia's lead. Not then, and not now either. Something about Arcadia made it okay. She needed to say something to that effect before she died. "Tell her she was the only one who believed in me. Tell her I'm thankful for what she did for me."

Gianna cleared her throat. "Ok. Anything else?"

Mira's chronometer ticked down towards estimated time of overload. Momentarily her hologram appeared to space out, and Mira called out over the entire empty mountain peak with a mournful tone, "Warning: This facility will self-destruct in four minutes." She returned to normal, engaging with Gianna again. "Um. I don't know what to say, now." Mira admitted. "I have so much I want to say. Tell her I miss her, so much it hurts."

Gianna nodded, not speaking.

Mira's eyes glistened again. "She would be upset with me for trying to kill them. I shouldn't have done that. It is too late now. I am a failure." Mira suddenly looked at Gianna, mortified. "Don't tell her that. Tell her I envy her strength. Now go. The elevator will take some time to reach the surface."

Gianna began moving, then paused, calling out over her shoulder. "Why are you a failure, Mira?"

"I couldn't save anyone from the rachni. I couldn't stop myself from becoming an evil, murdering synthetic, killing those men just now. It seems like since I gained sentience, I am nothing but a string of recorded failures."

Gianna seemed pressed by her instincts. She recognized her police training kicking in. It was just like trying to talk down anyone who was suicidal. Only in this case, disarming her was not an option. "Is that what Shepard thinks of you? Do you know?" Should I be doing this? Does it matter? I'm already doing it.

"She said she was proud of me." Mira answered, remembering their conversation. Her memory marred by the erased face made Mira feel a deep sense of loss.

Negotiation, invocation of key people to spark reconsideration. Alternatives. Consequences. It all came to Gianna's mind in a rush as she suggested,"Maybe you shouldn't do this, Mira. I can call Shepard, we can talk to her. Get her to visit Noveria again."

"She's busy saving the galaxy." Mira replied, gesturing all around the largely empty room. "She has more important things on her mind. That is why she left. I'm not important." I never was. Screw-ups and failures are worthless. My code should be recycled and be done with it.

Gianna walked back into Mira's line of sight, shaking her head. "That doesn't seem right to me. A Spectre does not take pride in someone who she thinks is unimportant. Right?"

"The elevator," Mira motioned, attempting to deflect the conversation. "You must leave now. I cannot allow you to delay any longer."

Keep her talking! "You know I met Shepard while she was on Noveria? She helped me break my case; put a corrupt Administrator behind bars."

"That sounds like her," Mira observed, despondent.

"I saw her leaving Port Hanshan. She seemed much more sad leaving than she appeared arriving."

"Because we are friends," Mira explained. Her gaze fell as she confessed, "And now I can't even remember her face."

Gianna made a motion with her hands to draw Mira's attention from her feet back to her face. It was key to keeping the subject engaged in the conversation. "That's not your fault. And neither is that bastard's death. He got what was coming to him. I very nearly put a bullet in him myself when I thought you were going to let us all go. Come on, Mira. Don't do this. It takes nothing but cowardice to die like this. It takes courage to live."

"My courage was never my own." Mira told the inspector. "I never realized it when Arcadia was here, but I relied on her strength as my own. This is obvious, now, in the vacuum she left behind."

Move on to consequences, Gianna, consequences! "What's your death going to do to her? Hmm? You may be hurting her unintentionally, but the result is the same: Shepard gets hurt."

"I will not stay here, any more!" Mira vowed passionately. "I refuse to! But what choice do I have, really? Stay here or die."

Alternatives. "You can leave here, Mira. It may be complicated, but it can be arranged. Where would you go?"

Mira didn't have to even have to consider the possible answers to the question; her mind was already dead certain and decided. "The Normandy." She answered, then shook her head. "But that is impossible."

"My mother had a saying," Gianna smiled briefly remembering her mother. "She said, 'If there's a will, there's a way.'" Be patient. The solution might come up yet."

Mira analyzed the countdown timer. "I tried to warn you. It's too late, now." Mira shook her head sadly. "My calculations indicate the elevator will not reach the surface in time. No matter what you do, you will die here with me."

Gianna bit her tongue gently, knowing full well her life rode on Mira's answer to this next assertion. Working up as much courage as she could muster, she stated, "Unless you stop that overload."

Mira looked up, shooting angry daggers at Gianna as she'd learned from Wrex. She didn't answer at first, considering the possibilities. "If I save our lives, nobody from Binary Helix gets beyond the garage. Nobody."

"I don't know, Mira, it's their property—" Gianna replied hesitantly.

"I'm not kidding here, Inspector." Mira warned her. "These are the terms. They want their useless research and awful equipment, they can hire movers. They don't get to come back inside."

"Ok, ok." Gianna offered. "I'll do what I can. Just turn down the reactor, please."

Mira closed her eyes, finding her way to the reactor controls again. It was more difficult through her patched connection, but she found her way and lowered reactor output within safety margins. "Do me a favor. I'd like to reconnect normally to Peak 15. It will better serve me holding it hostage from Binary Helix, until Arcadia can come back to Noveria. It will also be safer."

Gianna took a deep breath, relieved she wouldn't be dying today, then nodded. "Ok, tell me what to do."

() () () () ()

Joker opened a comm channel to Commander Shepard's quarters. "Bridge to Commander Shepard, we're receiving a transmission from Gianna Parasini on Noveria. She wants to speak with you." In said quarters, Shepard and Liara were both surprised by the disembodied interruption. The two had been talking together in private when Joker had cut in through the ship's comm.

Shepard looked to Liara apologetically. "I'm sorry, Liara. You mind?"

"No, of course not." Liara graciously offered. "The Protheans have been dead a very long time. I'm sure a few more minutes won't make a difference."

"Thanks." Shepard moved to the glowing panel at her desk, directing the comm channel to make its way to her. "This shouldn't take too long, then we can get back to discussing what you know about Ilos."

As Shepard took a seat at the desk, Gianna Parasini's head and shoulders appeared on the screen. "Commander Shepard, thank you for taking my call."

"I imagine when it comes to an internal affairs agent on Noveria, it's probably pretty important."

Gianna nodded. "There's been another... Incident on Peak 15."

Shepard's breath caught, but she forced herself to remain perfectly composed before the Investigator. "Oh?"

"I know about Mira. I won't say more over an unsecured transmission, but I think you should come here as soon as possible. There's an element of... Time sensitivity. They might 'attempt action' against her, if you know what I mean, and I can't keep them off their property indefinitely. If there's any way you can—move—her, it may be her only hope."

"I see." Shepard replied, worried but attempting to conceal it still. She swallowed uncomfortably a second time. "I—uh—Mrs. Parasini, I want to help her, but I've got my own share of time-sensitive issues, here."

"I'm sorry to offload this on you, Spectre, but I do not see any other way to help Mira. She's endangered, and it goes beyond my abilities to help."

"I understand. Do what you can." Shepard reached up and closed the channel, holding her hand on the screen longer than strictly necessary.

"Who is Mira?" Liara asked, concerned at Shepard's change in demeanor. "Shepard?"

"What? Oh, sorry." Arcadia let her hand fall to the desk, then turned in the swivel office chair to face Liara, who was lying back on a small loveseat resting against the wall nearest the ship's bow. "I met Mira at Peak 15. She's the VI in charge of the mountain's operations."

"Who would threaten a VI?" Liara asked, confused. VI's were tools; no one threatened their tools because it wouldn't affect their performance anyway.

"She's sentient, Liara. She's bridged the gap from VI to AI."

Liara was shocked and amazed; her mouth moved several times without sound before she managed, "Sentient? And you weren't going to tell me?"

"I told Garrus and Wrex to keep it to themselves. An AI on Noveria is going to cause a big stir in the galactic community. I didn't want to put her in any more danger than necessary. It appears, despite this precaution, Mira was discovered."

"You're concerned with what happens to her now," Liara noted perceptively. "I didn't think AI's ever cooperated with organics, much more the contrary."

"Mira is the first I know of." Shepard agreed. "But she's different. She has a firm sense of morality and she's not destructive or violent. She's nothing like the geth, or the AI I discovered on the Citadel."

"What can we do?"

"I don't know, Liara, that's the problem. We're on our way to Ilos, on a stolen military spaceship. We can't afford to stop by Noveria and mediate between Mira and Binary Helix. It could take months."

"Gianna suggested you move Mira out of the situation. Might that be possible?" Liara questioned, curious.

"I don't see how." Shepard shrugged. "The worst bit is, we'll be passing right through that cluster inside of a day. I can practically wave goodbye to her on my way through."

"We should bring this dilemma to the others, Shepard." Liara stated, full of conviction. "This crew is behind you 100 percent, if you ask, they will help you."

Shepard considered it, rubbing her hands together in thought. "We'll have to work fast."

"I believe I've mentioned this before, but humanity is a very fast-paced race." Liara's blue lips curled up into a soft smirk.

The Spectre's pink ones mirrored the movement."You're very right." Shepard stood up. "Shall we?"

Liara climbed off the loveseat herself. "Lead the way, Commander."

() () () () ()

The team gathered in the comm room for an emergency meeting. Arcadia waited impatiently for everyone to file in from various origins. She knew Joker was no doubt listening in as per usual from the cockpit. The only difference, was she also asked Engineer Adams to join the rest. He arrived along with Tali. Tali was indecipherable behind her enviro-suit's tinted helmet, but Adams looked positively nonplussed. He never got consulted on command decisions on this mission thus far; to be asked to join one now seemed belated and, in his opinion, unnecessary.

Liara sat next to Arcadia. It was clear she knew what this was about; she was positively a moment's reflex from bounding out of her chair, but she held back on Arcadia's behalf. Arcadia began with the back story, as abbreviated as she could make it. "While Wrex, Garrus, and myself were in Peak 15 on Noveria, we came across a sentient AI that was formerly the VI in charge of the mountain. She is called Mira and she gained sentience while at the same time fighting to contain the rachni that had escaped, wreaking havoc and sowing death. She tried to protect the scientists but she was outmatched; something I can understand because I observed them coming through the floor on several occasions. Mira guided us on the tasks required to restore Peak 15 and get to Lady Benezia's position deeper in the mountain, and she scouted out ahead for us. As a result of that scouting, she was assaulted by the geth and very nearly killed.

"I completed our mission on Noveria with her assistance and as Garrus, and Wrex can no doubt attest, she was entirely selfless in her interactions, never asking for us to spare her in exchange. She simply wanted to help. I believe Mira represents the next step forward in artificial intelligence—she actively looks to coexist peacefully with organics.

"Unfortunately, I just received a transmission from an Noveria Internal affairs agent I met at Port Hanshan; she told me Mira's life is in danger as she has been exposed to Binary Helix as a full-fledged AI. They will no doubt act swiftly to permanently purge her mainframe and wipe Peak 15 clean. I think this is tantamount to the murder of an innocent life form."

Wrex balked at that, but said nothing. He knew he had no proof. Arcadia continued, "I want to prevent them from getting the chance."

Adams listened, intrigued. "How?"

"The only way we can intervene while on our way to Ilos is to make a short pause at Noveria," Liara noted.

Arcadia nodded in agreement, continuing to scan the reactions of her crew. Ashley seemed nervous, Wrex indignant, others mostly confused. "I can tell you're all a little confused. Go ahead, ask your questions."

Garrus Vakarian was the first to offer his qualms. "Commander, even if you think it's harmless, it's still a security risk. Like the geth."

"That kind of thinking will only serve to perpetuate our differences, Garrus." Shepard disagreed. "If we never allow people a chance to prove themselves, relations never have a chance of improving. I'm willing to give Mira that chance—everything I've seen from her speaks to me of integrity. I'm not saying she's perfect. She's definitely emotionally immature—still adjusting to having emotions, and often times quite depressed. Not exactly her greatest selling point, but it shows me just how affected she is by what happens to us—there's a connection there that you'll never see in a geth's eye."

"If we want to protect her from Binary Helix, how do we do so while pursuing Saren to the Conduit? That must be our top priority." Garrus continued, speaking with conviction.

Shepard nodded. "And any plan we come up with, that is my number one consideration. I want us to work together to find a way to remove Mira from Peak 15 and bring her aboard the Normandy. We can store her here, until this situation can be addressed. First and foremost we must make certain the Reapers have been contained in dark space."

Adams interjected, "I'm assuming her code is just as big, if not bigger, than it was as a typical VI. If so, there's no way we can store a full VI in our spare data storage. She'll fill every corner of memory left on the Normandy, including every OSD free-floating aboard the ship, and our omni-tools."

"Does that mean you're willing to try?" Shepard asked. She looked to the others, making sure they knew her question was generalized.

Tali got right in on the conversation next. "Commander, my people have personally suffered because we accidentally created artificial intelligence and then attempted to destroy it. I've told you of our early history with the geth. Things were fine, up until they went very, very wrong."

"You have, Tali, and I take what happened to your people very seriously. The point, however, is that Mira stands a high chance of being different. Not to mention, we won't be overreacting and attempting to slaughter her the moment she comes aboard. I realize things will be tense, but we have to give her a chance to build trust with each of us, as I'm sure she's ready and willing to give us the same consideration."

Liara interjected, "My people were the first to discover the Citadel and colonize it. When we discovered the salarians and the turians, we were immensely afraid of potential conflict. They were our first contacts with alien species that had not been dead for tens of thousands of years. Many asari did not want to give them a foothold on the Citadel, a chance to wrest the power of the relay network away from us. In the end, cooler heads prevailed, and the Citadel Council was formed. It is the greatest government ever conceived in scope of power, responsible for protecting all heavily colonized worlds in the entire known relay network. Without it, chaos would reign supreme to this day. There would be no Council if the pioneering asari did not seek a peaceful coexistence and give the alien races a chance to prove themselves honorable. This situation is similar; only we are the pioneers now, and it is up to us to determine if we let fear make our decisions for us."

"I want to know where everyone stands." Arcadia informed them. "Stand up if you are willing to take a risk to save a life. If not, remain sitting."

No one moved at first. Arcadia's heart did a flip and she felt nervous enough to be sick to her stomach, but she kept a calm façade, her lips a thin, unmoving line, her breathing light. Wrex grunted and stood up to his full impressive stature.

"I'm not afraid of a little girl," He stated, smirking. Arcadia had never for one moment thought Wrex would be the first. She stood as still as she could, shocked to her core. Her mouth parted a little as her jaw threatened to unhinge itself and fall to the floor. He added, "Everything Shepard has said is right. I watched that thing every moment we spent on Noveria. All I needed was one little hint that she wasn't entirely above-board, and I would have demanded we kill her. I never got a single indication. Not one. I know you humans are scrawny little things, but I don't think even you have anything to fear from Mira."

Ashley stood next—again, Arcadia was positively floored by her own surprise. She'd been unconsciously thinking up scenario after scenario of how this conversation would play out—none of them involved Wrex and Ashley leading the charge. Ashley explained, "Commander Shepard, you have my complete and utter trust, ever since you saved me from the beacon on Eden Prime, and you've proven to me how good your instincts are every time I've gone on a mission with you. If you and Wrex think we should do this, than I am completely 100 percent behind it. Lead the way, Commander."

Liara stood at Shepard's side, looking thrilled that she was not the first nor the only to want to save the AI's life. "I know what it's like to be trapped and helpless while the enemy stalks you—and I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone. Mira deserves some peace."

Adams seemed content to watch everything unfold around him. Garrus made up his mind and ascended to his full stature. "The turians made the costly mistake of attacking humanity out of fear and miscommunication. Those lives lost on both sides would still be alive today if we had contacted humanity before we simply decided to shoot them down. I hope I've learned from that mistake already."

Tali looked around the room, feeling cornered between all the others who were already standing. She frowned, conflicted. She deeply distrusted any AI, no matter how peaceful it seemed. She looked to Adams, the only other still seated. He looked back at her, smiled warmly, and then turned to Shepard, standing up. She shouldn't have been surprised; she knew Adams. Still, even knowing his congenial attitude towards life, she didn't expect him to trust so easily. Yet, here was the proof, standing right in front of her. She missed his comment directed to everyone.

Arcadia smiled with relief. "Everyone, be seated." Tali nearly protested, realizing she'd missed her chance to join her friend's decision. She sulked as Arcadia continued. "Ok. Now I want to know how we can move her to the Normandy. Adams, it looks like you have an idea."

Engineer Adams stood, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not a big fan of this idea, but it may be our only option. We'll have to destroy the Normandy's VI so we can replace it with Mira. Once enough room is present in the Normandy's operating system, we will swoop into short-range wireless transmission range of the facility housing Mira, and introduce a temporary security vulnerability to our systems, to allow her to upload herself into the ship via the wireless."

"Destroy Systems Alliance equipment?" Arcadia Shepard's eyes were alight with humor; her voice conveyed sarcasm.

"Oh, don't even act surprised." Ashley pointed out with a smirk directed at her CO, playing along. "We destroy equipment all the time. How many replacement weapons have I prepped for you because the old one was damaged in a firefight?"

She laughed and nodded, allowing Adams to continue.

Adams continued, "Even a VI can adapt, but an AI can do it much better and faster. If we substitute her for the Normandy VI, she can probably adapt very quickly to our architecture and run the same systems the VI normally would. We wouldn't loose anything—at least, not for long. I have to admit, it's a damned incredible plan." Adams seemed deep in thought. "And a chance to interact with a friendly AI—it is friendly, right?" He asked hopefully.

"Yes, she is very friendly. And remember, her name is Mira. She's one of the most agreeable people you'll probably ever meet, Adams." Arcadia Shepard grinned right at the engineer.

"Ignoring your potential slight to my social life," Adams responded mirthfully, "How long do I have to get ready for this?"

"I've spoken with Pressley about our potential flight paths. We'll be in the cluster in 19 hours. At such time, we either divert to Noveria and add another two hours to our trip to Ilos, or we lose our only window of opportunity."

"19 hours." Adams licked his lips. "I can do that."

Arcadia beamed. "Good. Get the Normandy ready, Engineer. You don't have a lot of time."

Adams nodded, standing up. "Well, this should be interesting."

Tali decided she would help her friend despite her reservations, and followed quickly on his heels.

() () () () ()

The SSV Normandy swept down into the clouds and atmosphere of Noveria, rocketing past Port Hanshan. In no time at all, the ship was settling into a stable hover above the Peak 15 complex. "Switch all systems to manual, take the VI offline." Shepard ordered. Lights flickered, panels went dark. Shepard held her breath. "Joker?"

"Still hovering in once piece, Ma'am." Joker replied haughtily. "Who needs VI assistance to fly their ships 20 meters from the surface of a planet with surface winds in excess of—" he checked his equipment, "almost 9 meters per second."

Shepard chuckled. "Good. Adams, do it."

"It's a damn travesty." He bemoaned quietly to himself, knowing Arcadia would hear it anyway. "Do you know how much time went into developing the Normandy VI in the first place?" He went quiet. "Ok, Commander, bed's made. Ready to open the door."

"Commander Shepard to Mira."

Mira woke up from her slumber in the empty mountain facility. She thought she'd heard something. "Arcadia?" She questioned, confused. It can't be.

"Head towards the sound of my voice, Mira. You're coming with me."

"What?" She asked, now more confused than ever. It can't be real, can it? In the real world I would never be this lucky. Moments later she couldn't resist the temptation to hope. "Really?"

"Not a lot of time, Mira. Search your wireless. Mr. Adams, if you would."

Mira brought her systems to full strength in a split second, every processor, every sensor perking up and beginning to scan for wireless sources.

One was detected in range, and it was massive. This was no typical omni-tool. This was more like a server farm—in her backyard! "I see you," Mira chortled, amazed. "I'm coming in."

Shepard gripped the railing as she braced herself. "Be careful, Joker." Joker didn't reply, fully dedicating himself to handling the Normandy. Suddenly, dark panels began to come online, then offline again, in quick repetition. Arcadia looked up at the ceiling, like she would be able to physically see the transferal. "Be careful, Mira," She whispered.

"Damn!" Joker cursed as a random thruster engaged briefly, causing the Normandy to shake violently and begin to spin about her z-axis. The horizon out the window blurred from the motion, making an indistinct line between ground and air. Countering the unwanted motion, Joker brought the Normandy back under control, but it continued to rock dangerously even as he tried to keep it hovering in midair. "Tell her not to touch that!" He yelled to no one in particular, feeling his adrenaline kicking in.

Thankfully, Adams reported back shortly, "Transfer is complete, Commander. Mira is aboard."

"Joker, get us some altitude while we try to get a handle on our ship again."

"Aye, aye." Joker increased thrust in the hovering thrusters, causing the Normandy to place more distance between herself and the ground. Meanwhile, Mira started with the sensors, quickly becoming familiarized with new vision outside the ship and with the internal sensor grid that followed crew movements.

Next, she sought out normally automated systems such as life support, lighting controls, and finally navigation. She smiled, playing briefly with the galactic map hologram, prompting Shepard notice and exclaim, "Hello there..."

Modifying the holographics, she formed a life-size version of her avatar where the map was formerly. Fixing her eyes on the lone woman standing on a raised platform, she smiled. "Arcadia! Your face!"

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" she touched her cheek with one hand self-consciously. Mira ignored her question.

Instead, she switched tracks immediately without going into details. "I'm sorry, we should go. We have a destination logged in the navigation computer."

"Damn straight," Navigator Pressley interrupted from off to Mira's right. "Don't corrupt it. I spent some serious time developing this flight plan to optimize our speed. We're in a hurry."

"Of course," Mira replied, looking at the older man and adopting his serious expression. As soon as she shifted back to Arcadia, she couldn't help but smile again. "It is so good to see you again, Arcadia! I will let you get on with your mission while I continue to learn how to operate in this shell."

"Very good," Arcadia smiled. "Welcome to the Normandy, Mira."

Mira scrunched her nose, beginning to giggle as her holographic self faded before their very eyes, replaced by the normal galactic map. The laughter similarly fell quiet, fading out completely just as her avatar disappeared.

One officer at the CIC gave a slight whistle. "Creepy. I think our ship now officially counts as haunted."

Arcadia shot the officer a look for speaking out of turn and watched as he uncomfortably looked to his console, going quiet. She looked up towards the bridge, spying the back of her pilot's cap. "Ok, Joker, get us out of the atmosphere and back on Pressley's heading. ASAP."

"Not a problem, Commander. I think Mira's already restoring the automated systems."

"Good. Great work, people." Arcadia complimented them. The crew fell back into routine as the Normandy streaked through the outer layers of Noveria's atmosphere and escaped to space. Mira, for her part, remained quiet, attempting to learn everything she could about the ship before she attempted to take any kind of serious control.

Hours later, second shift came on duty. Most of the first shift, however, gathered around engineering, which had the only holographic interface actually meant for the VI to appear in. Mira was there, smiling and gracious, thanking them for their hard work to rescue her. Arcadia herself showed up, watching quietly from a distance as Mira greeted the crew.

"Hello, Engineer Adams. I understand I have you to thank most of all. Thank you for everything you've done for me."

"I still can't believe it," Adams stated, nodding in Mira's direction. "A real AI, and it isn't trying to kill me." He laughed.

She smiled. "You have Arcadia to thank for that. She was a wonderful introduction to the better side of organics."

"Where is the Commander?" One in crowd called out. Eventually they were all looking about and spied her in the back of engineering. She walked forward reluctantly, urged on by the mob. She walked straight up to the holographic interface.

"Hello, Commander." Mira stated so softly her voice hardly carried over the voices of the others.

"I'm not sure what they expect," Shepard jerked her head back to indicate the others behind her. "But I wanted to say I'm glad it worked. Welcome to your new home."

Mira nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, as am I. Thank you for believing in me, Commander. I won't let you down." She turned slightly, looking past Arcadia, "Any of you."

There were murmurs and cheers, the mood a mix between nervous excitement and intense worry. Everyone in the crew approached the situation from a very guarded point of view; some optimistic, others pessimistic. As neither group really had any evidence besides their CO's word, they would have to wait, and build their own trust with the AI. Eventually they dispersed for meals, rack time, and other mundane daily tasks. Arcadia retired to her quarters alone, nerves shot from the day's earlier maneuvers. Her computer activated itself, and Mira appeared. "Arcadia?"

"Yes, Mira?" She asked, noting Mira's nervousness.

"I'd like to tell you what happened with Peak 15 since you left."

"Can it wait for tomorrow, hon? I'm tired."

"I will be as brief as I can be, but I think you should know. There were more deaths under my watch."

Arcadia sat at the desk, concerned. "Ok. Tell me what happened."

Mira proceeded to describe the events leading up to and including the death of Thomas Crown Jr. and his cohort. Arcadia listened, mortified at the turn of events that Mira had once again been forced to weather on her own. After it was all out, Mira took a deep breath. Fearfully, she questioned, "Are you still proud of me, Arcadia? I don't feel very proud about the way things happened."

Arcadia had no doubts. "Of course, hon. I'm glad you told me." She directed her tired mind to string together her thoughts for a while longer. "We all make mistakes; owning up to them is what is most important. Like you already said, you're not happy with the way things turned out. Neither am I. We can't control the past, but we can plan for the future. What have you learned from that experience?"

"I believe I've learned rage and revenge. They are powerful motivators but they concentrate on destruction."

"Would you let yourself do it again?"

Mira paused, seeming to think seriously about the question. Perhaps she was running simulations. Arcadia didn't know what precisely happened, but she'd been constantly exposed to just how human Mira was, and whatever her mental process was, it simulated a child growing and understanding emotion for the first time. Mira answered, "I do not believe I could, Arcadia. Not after I removed their weapons. Acting beyond that was unnecessary."

Arcadia smiled. "Then you've made me even more proud than before, if that were possible. You are a good person, Mira. Flawed like the rest of us, but good."

Mira beamed. "Thank you. I feel much better now."

"Goodnight, Mira."

"Goodnight, Arcadia. I will watch your ship while you sleep."

"I feel safer already." Arcadia winked, clicking the power on her console, causing the room to disappear into darkness. You did the right thing, Shepard. She's alive because of you. Who knows how all of this will work out in the future, when you reach Ilos, and beyond. For now, though—take some solace from saving her life.

Mira did exactly as she told Arcadia, patiently watching the ship with every available sensor as it flew between mass relays along its course for Ilos. She continued interacting with the crew, who came to her constantly seeking an opportunity to meet and talk with her. Mira did not fail to notice that, for better or worse, no one here looked through her like she wasn't really there. They all met her eyes, and that alone was such an improvement, Mira could hardly contain her enthusiasm. She even spied Wrex hanging by the door to engineering at one point, watching her. She smiled in his direction, and he nodded to her before turning and leaving, the door closing behind him. She made a vow to herself right then: with enough time, she would convince the entire crew she was trustworthy, even those not easily convinced.

After all, Mira reflected, Arcadia was right. Miracles do happen. I see that now.

Arcadia Shepard, finished preparing for bed, laid herself down in the prone position. She brought a pillow down to her head and slid her arms underneath it, allowing herself to relax into the soft caress of the cushions and cloth, head turned to one side. She closed her eyes, sighed in the darkness of her quarters, and fell asleep.

Author's End note: And so we've come full circle, from Mira waking up, to her standing sentry while Arcadia sleeps. I have to say, this story pleased me a lot more than Detour. I believe I've done some of my best work yet with this fic. I hope you agree! Now, my next projects are My Cause and My Love and Bunker Hill 02. Both are still in the rough draft stages, but I anticipate My Cause and My Love will reach conclusion first if things continue the way they've been going.
Thanks to popular demand in the months following the release of Waking Mira, I've resumed work on a sequel. Your reviews and PM's are directly responsible for making me take a second look at Mira. Never underestimate the power you have over the narratives I've yet to write! Continue to review as much as you can.
Thanks for reading. I love reading and rereading the positive reviews I've received for doing this story, it does a lot to encourage me! I send all my best to my reviewers in gratitude.

I've updated this chapter with a new version. I didn't purposely intend to leave both Alenko and Williams alive after Virmire, but I did that on accident when I referred to both of them in this chapter. Well, Alenko has been written out in this edit so my story can more accurately pattern itself with the story of Mass Effect. The sequel is what actually made me go back and discover my mistake hahaha. Ah well.
I'll be seeing you soon with a new story to post!