"You've made your point, Spectres." Councilor Tevos leaned forward across her desk, anger in every line of her body. "The council is not unaware of the potential danger facing Citadel residents. If at some point you have a suggestion of somewhere safer we could move them to, then by all means, bring the issue up again. Until then, we have another task for you."

Rhi caught Alenko's brief glance her way, but didn't meet it. All her attention was for Tevos.

"Our biggest unknown is indoctrination," Tevos continued. "As you both made quite clear yesterday, we don't know — we cannot know — whether Councilor Udina was indoctrinated. Thus we not only can't prevent indoctrination, but we cannot even tell who has been affected. Until — and in some cases even after — it is too late. This has seemed insurmountable — but we may have a solution."

That was interesting.

"There is an… artifact… on Thessia. Believed to be of Prothean origin. In light of what we now know, some of our experts believe that it might be able to assist in detecting indoctrination — or, failing that, at least provide the key we need to do so."

Tevos steepled her fingers. "We want you to go to Thessia and bring the artifact here."

Rhi raised an eyebrow. "Isn't there a ship at Thessia that can just bring the thing here? Or figure it out and and send us the answer?"

Tevos winced. "The reapers arrived at Thessia days ago. They need every ship that's there — and anyway, the Reapers are hardly allowing our ships free passage. The Normandy, though — it might be able to do it. As for asking… it's not that simple."

Nothing ever is.

—

Rhi tried not to let her frustration show as she stalked back to the Normandy. The talk with Tevos was only the last in a long line of useless back-and-forth debates over broad strategy and troop allocation. The asari had refused to commit weeks ago, holding back their forces to defend their own territory, and now they were locked into a defensive war. The krogan reinforcements she'd negotiated and fought for had allowed the turians to win back some ground, but victory on Palaven was far from a sure thing, leaving the krogan troops another committed force. And supposedly no one had heard from the Quarians, which Rhi found hard to believe. The Reapers were blowing comm relays, sure — it was the first thing anyone would do in galactic war — but a fleet the size of the Quarian Flotilla shouldn't be able to just disappear. Not when they relied on the mass relay routes like everyone else. She refused to believe that the they'd all been lost. She'd seen the wreckage of Arcturus station. Reaper weapons still left rubble.

It was even harder to believe that this new mission had developed so conveniently. More likely it was a wild goose chase cooked up to get a questionable Spectre and a Spectre who'd just shot a council member out of Tevos's tentacles for awhile. Or had the asari government known about this supposed 'artifact' all along, and waited until now to reveal it? With their penchant for long timescales, that seemed far too possible, and it was a possibility that had Rhi sliding from personal frustration towards outright anger.

It was not a good mood for finding Khalisah Al Jilani on her doorstep.

Only myself to blame for that one.

She stifled her frustration and met Al Jilani's fierce gaze with a cool look of her own. She was surprised to see the journalist had followed her instructions; only a single duffel rested at her feet. Damn it. There went the easiest pretext for sending her packing.

"You said I'd get the same personal effects allowance as the crew," Khalisah said, noticing the direction of her gaze.

"Yes. You want to ship with us, you'll live like us — you'll be bunking in standard crew quarters, too."

Rhi walked confidently toward the closed hatch, and the airlock which had remained firmly closed for Al Jilani opened for Rhi without her having to comm the ship. She gestured Khalisah inside, watching impassively as the other woman got the duffel strap over her shoulder on the second try, using momentum to make up for strength.

The bag must be full of equipment. Rhi'd been worried a broadcast personality like Al Jilani would have trouble fitting her wardrobe into a single bag; now she was more worried that Al Jilani might not have had room for a change of clothes. I invited a stinking journalist onto my ship, but I don't want her to literally stink.

She turned to face her 'guest' as the lock slid shut.

"I don't want you pressing anyone who doesn't want to talk to you, got it? I hear one hint that you're harassing any of my crew and you're off — whatever port happens to be closest. Other than that? Interview anyone you like, any time they're not on duty."

Khalisah returned her stare through narrowed eyes. "After you've briefed them on what they can and can't say."

Shepard shook her head. "No. I'm not putting that burden on my people. They have enough to deal with without worrying about what they say off-duty. I or an officer of my choosing will be reviewing your broadcasts. Anything that I think is risky gets cut. You'll have to save approved footage and send it out when I give you the go-ahead. A live broadcast over your normal channels tells the whole galaxy right where we are."

Khalisah was looking like she was thinking better of the whole idea, and Rhi had half a mind to let her run. She didn't want to deal with the reporter, but… she'd suggested this crappy idea for a reason.

"And if I think it's a good idea, I can hook your feed into the military QEC network and have your show in every hold-out base on Earth."

Khalisah almost jumped, looking like she would have stepped forward if not for the close confines of the lock, a parade of intense emotions changing too fast to be recognizable. "If you can do that —"

"I'll only do that if I think it's worth it, Al Jilani. And no video. Most of those units are audio only, and the few that aren't, I'm not going to jam the last of their bandwidth. Those QEC units are the only communication we have with the ground right now. I don't make this offer lightly. But when something happens — when we get a new ally, when we kill a Reaper, hell, if we find a magic weapon that turns 'em into jelly — I want people stuck fighting on Earth to know."

"You want a booster."

"Hell yes, I want a booster! This isn't some political squabble where you can show the other side of the story and compare sentient rights records and try for peace talks. We're fighting, all of us, for our lives. And a lot of people have already lost theirs."

The inner lock slid open, and Rhi nodded gravely towards the hatch. "Now. Welcome aboard Normandy."

—

Kaidan shifted his duffel to relieve the strain in his abused-and-repaired-and-abused-again shoulders. He wished he could resettle his mind as easily. The last few days… the last few days were something to think about once they were safely in FTL. Or maybe safely past the war.

Perhaps even safely retired.

Still, it felt good to be on a ship again.

The AI — EDI — had welcomed him aboard, and had ensigns waiting to take his armor case and duffel the moment he stepped out. His passage through the CIC got only the minimal required acknowledgement, all hands busy with the tasks of departure. EDI directed him to the engineering deck, and Shepard met him at the elevator.

"Welcome aboard, Major."

"Good to be here." They fell into step, headed to the port side. "Assuming I won't just be a passenger on the way to Thessia, Commander, what do you want me to do?"

Shepard paused before they reached the hatch at the end of the corridor.

"Liara's with us, running on-board intel and digging into whatever she found on Mars. She's got a lot on her plate, and I don't understand half of it. It'd be helpful to have someone keeping track of the tech end that speaks my language."

"I speak it?" Kaidan asked, stifling a grin.

"Keep the technobabble to monosyllables and cursing and I'm sure I can follow." Shepard's mouth smiled, but her eyes didn't. "Pretty pictures help. Seriously, though. T'Soni is dividing her attention in a million different ways; I need to you to help her keep her eye on the ball."

"Do we know what the ball is?"

She snorted. "Your first task is identify it. And may you have better luck with that than I have."

She slapped the access and strode in as the door opened.

"Liara," Shepard said, "We're headed to Thessia. Kaidan'll be joining us."

"Shepard!" Liara startled. "You could wait for a decent moment before barging in and interrupting my —"

"If I waited for you to have a break for conversation, I'd still be here next week. Thessia, Liara. Apparently there's a Prothean artifact there that might be able to detect indoctrination. You know anything about that?" Shepard's voice had an edge.

Liara had looked harried before Shepard dropped that bombshell. Now she looked shocked.

"What? No! You think I would've kept something like that from — no, I — no!" Shock quickly morphed into confusion, then outrage. "Why didn't I know about this? They kept something like this from me!? With all the time I spent studying Protheans, and the — the other thing — I — it can detect indoctrination? Are we sure? Did you ask the Councilor how long they suspected?"

"They're not sure it can, and no, I didn't." Shepard's smile had no humor in it. "I was afraid I wouldn't like the answer. And it's hardly relevant now."

Ah. That explains a lot. He'd taken the 'recent discovery' of the artifact at face value. Given how long the asari had lived on Thessia? Damned unlikely. Naive, Alenko.

Liara was thinking along the same lines. "It could be a recent discovery, but on Thessia it's improbable, and I should've noticed anything that turned up in the last year. A new development about something old, maybe… or secrets." Her frown turned into a scowl. "Unless this thing only showed itself when Reaper troops hit Thessia, I should have known. Damn it. But does that part matter?" She was talking to herself by the end, and started to turn back towards her monitors, scowling in thought.

Kaidan coughed, and Liara checked herself.

"I'm sorry. Kaidan. It's good to see you again. You are looking better than the last time I saw you."

"Speaking of which," Shepard interjected, "Since you've more than got your work cut out for you between the Crucible and your… other commitments, I thought you might like some help."

"Shepard!" Liara's affronted exclamation indicated the commander hadn't warned her about her new assistant. "I don't — I can't — I'm not used to working with other people!"

Ouch. Kaidan had always thought he'd gotten along well with Liara. Was it him, or her? He hadn't remembered her as this acerbic, either.

Shepard raised a reproving eyebrow at the asari. "Six months on that barge turned you totally antisocial? I would've thought it'd take more than that, with your lifespan. And Ness has been helping you, hadn't she?"

"Vanessa's help has been strictly limited in scope, Shepard," Liara's glare was as pointed as the eyebrow, and it pointed at him. "And it's work she's uniquely suited to. My… other work is sensitive. Kaidan's very bright, I'm sure he'd be more use elsewhere. I'm perfectly capable of managing by myself; I don't know how you expect me to sha — to make use of an assistant. I'm the only — I can be the only —"

Shepard sliced her hand through the air, cutting Liara off mid-babble. "Kaidan. Liara is the fucking Shadow Broker. Fucking Shadow Broker, meet Kaidan, who now knows all your secrets."

Kaidan's jaw dropped open in perfect synch with Liara's.

"Oh, stop looking at me like that. Liara, I know you get off on the whole power-of-secrecy schtick, but now is not the time, okay? If I thought it would help defeat the Reapers I'd put it on mass call, along with your underwear size and your favorite guilty pleasure vid choice. You two're on the same page now. Work it out."

With that command hanging in the air, Shepard nodded politely to Kaidan, turned on her heel, and walked out. Kaidan and Liara were left staring at each other in awkward silence.

He essayed an apologetic shrug. "Sorry," he said. "It's been a long day, but I'm still not sure what got into her there."

"Probably the impending destruction of all sentient life in the galaxy," Liara answered.

I know, he thought, work with me, here.

Liara had turned to her monitors again, but instead of diving back into whatever she'd been working on, she called the helm. "Joker? You've got Shepard incoming. She's in a Mood."

"Really?" Joker's voice held the same sly humor it always did.

"Oh, goddess," Liara said, exasperated. "She's already there, isn't she?"

"Nah, just playin with you. She just stepped off the elevator. Chill out, Bleuet." The comm clicked off.

"Shepard didn't say she was going to the helm," Kaidan pointed out.

Liara rolled her eyes — a trait she'd picked up from too much exposure to humans, and not one that looked good on her. "And she wants you to be assistant Shadow Broker? When you can't even figure that out?"

I've been on this boat five whole minutes. Cut me some slack! Kaidan had an uncharacteristic urge to bluntly cut through the deepening bullshit himself, Shepard-style, and ask her what the hell was going on between her and Shepard (and her and Joker, maybe Joker and Shepard, and hell, let's throw in that twinkly comm tech for good measure, surely she had drama with somebody), but he held himself back. Liara looked like hell, and someone had to remain calm and reasonable.

But why is that someone usually me?

Calm and reasonable.

"Shepard didn't say that," he said. "I don't want to horn in on your turf. She just wants a tech eye aboard who can devote themselves to figuring out the Crucible, and translate what we know from 'tech' to 'Shepard'." He smiled. "I may not be special forces, but I'm still pretty good at remembering what I'm supposed to notice and what's none of my business. Okay?"

Liara sighed and ran a hand over her head. "That… makes sense, I suppose. I'm sorry, Kaidan. It's just —"

"The impending destruction of all sentient life in the galaxy?"

"Yes," she chuckled, "that." A look of consternation crossed her face. "And damn her, I can watch what I want without feeling guilty. And she wouldn't know what it is, anyway."

"I know," said EDI from a speaker on the ceiling, "And I'd tell her."

Liara sighed. "EDI, next time I want to watch a show, I'm going to do it on my isolated systems in here where you can't pry. No offense meant."

"None taken. But I hope you don't do that. I would only divulge your secrets to Shepard if it was to stop the impending destruction of all sentient life in the galaxy. I enjoy our movie time."

—

Rhi shut the cockpit hatch as she entered. Joker's fingers were already moving over his panel, easing Normandy out of her Citadel berth. The gleaming arms of the massive station slid by them, docked war ships tiny against its bulk. Ahead, open space, and a short run for one of the relays out of the Widow Nebula.

"Liara said you were in a Mood," Joker said without turning around. "With a capital M and everything. I could hear it."

Rhi snorted. "Early warning system, huh? Quite a service. You pay 'er for that?"

"Nah, she's just overwhelmed by my charming nature. Lemmee guess: the Council is a bunch of asshats, we didn't catch any of the Cerberus jerks, and you're regretting inviting a reporter onto our ship. And I know you say you don't do regrets, but seriously, tell me you're not regretting inviting a reporter onto our ship."

She smiled. She had to. "I'm regretting inviting a reporter onto our ship."

"Can't reassure you on that one, babe. I'm pretty sure that was straight up nuts."

Rhi slumped a little.

"Oh, it's a really clever idea — serious psy op kinda thinking, keep people motivated and maybe blunt her edge at the same time. Brilliant. But it's probably going to be freakin' miserable. There's no way I can sneak out of quarters with a freakin' reporter in the top bunk."

"She won't be above your bunk. I do know what the assignments are. And I did think of that," an hour too late, "but… I can't let it change a command decision."

It. Us.

Joker was silent.

She quelled the urge to fidget. "We'll make it work." It sounded feeble, even in her own ears.

"You may not be able to, but I certainly can," EDI said. "As you are both members of my crew and I have an interest in maintaining your health and welfare. I am already monitoring Khalisah Al Jilani more closely than most crew members. Finding you time for intimate activities while she is otherwise occupied is not a significant challenge."

This time, the silence had a distinctly different quality. Finally Joker choked out "I, um, I'm trying to be appreciative and not find that creepy. I really, really am."

"As we have discussed several times, Jeff, there are instances where my behavior unwisely or harmfully flouts your social mores, and instances where your social mores should logically and ethically be adjusted to incorporate my existence and experience. I believe this is one of the latter times. I am of course willing to hear arguments to the contrary, provided they are non-circular."

Wow. It was good to know EDI wasn't just having those discussions with her. Rhi kept her trap shut, happy to have him handle it for a change. Joker took his sweet time thinking over his response. His face was probably a picture.

"Given the alternative," he finally choked out, "I think I have to agree with you, Eeds. It's just that I've never had a machine help me get nookie before. Uh, no offense meant with the 'machine' thing. Shit. And don't you dare take that opening! I walked right into it, I know, let's just leave the really stupidly obvious jokes unsaid, okay?"

"Does that apply to me, too?" Rhi asked.

He slapped at her ineffectually over the back of his chair, without turning around. Rhi smiled and slipped into the copilot's seat beside him, stretching out her legs. She had a few more minutes. She'd stay until the relay jump.

They sat a few minutes in silence, then Joker said, "Y'know, I don't envy the Councilors their dilemma."

Rhi shook her head in agreement. "There's just no safe place to put an extra 13 million people. Hell. It was 13 million before the refugees started flooding in. No idea how many people are there now."

"I cannot supply an accurate number, either," EDI volunteered. "I suspect even Citadel station authorities have lost track."

"Damn," Joker whistled. "I keep forgetting how huge a station it is. I mean, seeing it from the outside, sure, it's big. But your average station doesn't just adapt to an extra thousand people, let alone tens of thousands, y'know?"

Another time she'd have made a crack about the weird things spacer boys noticed, but with his home station reduced to hunks of twisted metal approximating its old orbit, it didn't seem right.

"It's big," she agreed. "And we don't have anywhere as big, unless you count planets. And I don't think there's such a thing as a planet the reapers won't hit."

"Only one they haven't hit yet," he agreed.

"Technically, the massed ships of the turians and asari could evacuate the Citadel," EDI said, "But only if it included military fleets, which are more needed elsewhere, and not for an indefinite time period. The Quarian flotilla might have the long-term carrying capacity, but only if emptied of many of it's residents. And they are entirely dependent on their ships."

"And we don't know where they are," Rhi added. It was an idea, at least. Of course, if the Quarians could live anywhere other than Rannoch, they'd have abandoned their flotilla ages ago. But something like the flotilla had to have some capacity to expand. The Quarians make ships out of nothing, right? And they certainly have more experience with long-term space habitation than anyone else. You couldn't count the asari occupation of the Citadel. They didn't even know how the damned thing ran.

She looked out at the streaking starfield. The relay wasn't yet visible. Soon. Soon they'd be on their way across the galaxy, headed on another mission she damn well hoped was vital. Special missions — what Normandy was built for, what she was trained for. But damn, until you saw some payoff, it was hard not to feel like you were running away from the real war.

Like we'd make a difference on the front lines.

"Starting to feel like the deck's stacked against us here," she said.

"Only starting?" Joker asked.

She shrugged. "Gotta keep hopin'. I hear the krogan are giving 'em hell on Palaven."

He nodded.

"I do not wish to further lower your mood," EDI said, "but I have had a concern I would like to discuss with you, and there has not been a more appropriate opportunity."

"Fire away."

"It is in regards to the Eva Coré unit," EDI said.

"Oh shit, she wants a body," Joker said.

"…that was not going to be my first point of discussion."

Rhi had been braced for something major. "Which means it was going to be a point of discussion? Do you mean a humanoid body? Do you want a new body, or do you want that one?" She thought for a moment, bogled by the possibilities. "Do you want a humanoid body, particularly? Or one with, like, extra arms?"

"While motor control would be an interesting new experience, and I see no reason to be limited to human or humanoid parameters, I do not think I could use such a platform effectively enough to validate diverting resources for its creation away from the war effort. The Eva Coré platform, however, is currently inert and serving no other use. It would be interesting and potentially useful if I were to have access to it."

"Can you even DO that? How does it work? Isn't her brain in there?" The questions tumbled out, but Joker interrupted before EDI could respond.

"THAT body?! You don't know where it's been!"

"If you refer to biological contamination, such concerns are not relevant to me, and the chassis has already passed through Normandy's decon procedures and thus presents no known threat to those aboard. If you refer to the possibility of digital contamination, that is a greater concern, but one I believe I can prepare for. If you refer to ethical contamination, I do not believe that the actions of one entity using the physical platform reflect on a second entity using that same platform — though I acknowledge that it might prove emotionally disruptive for organic crewmates who have experienced aggression from the first entity, namely Kaidan Alenko. I would not undertake such an endeavor without consultation with him, as a potentially affected party, and permission from the Commander."

"You've thought this through."

"It is my nature and my duty. I believe the potential asset of such a platform outweighs the risks, but you are the commander of this vessel."

The request itself was so out of her field of expertise it seemed nuts, but the format, the pros and cons, put it in a frame she could handle. Just like Nguyen with a procedural suggestion, or Traynor with some weird new tech thing she wants to try. Rhi didn't understand those either, but she still felt confident making the calls. It's just another weird tech thing. If the weird new tech thing is a second body. Right.

"So spell it out for me," she said, buying some thinking time. "What're the benefits?"

Joker was quiet. It was ship business now, not banter.

"The mobile platform could potentially allow me to serve as an extra crew member, most vitally at times when other crew members are not able to so serve. It is potentially combat-capable, with strength, dexterity, and endurance comparable or superior to our marine compliment. On a more tactical level, the platform would not be delayed by the need for suiting up in event of deoxygenation or depressurization, and would be able to act in that environment — a small risk, but a large potential advantage should that risk occur."

"What about limitations? I can see how it'd work on the ship. Would this let you leave it?"

"Theoretically… sort of."

Joker, who'd been being so good, snorted at that.

"Yeah, real specific, Eeds."

"Were I to take control of the mobile platform, I would first request Cheif Adams remove Eva Coré's bluebox, so the mobile platform itself could no longer be the locus of any artificial intelligence. Within the ship, I would control it via wireless link. At any distance to the ship, I would have to either be in constant communication with the platform or rely on a series of simpler directives — a simplification of my personality and a great reduction in my processing powers. But any data this extension of myself gathered would be added to the whole at reunion."

Rhi could feel her forehead wrinkling. Another of EDI's unique conundrums. "What if you didn't come back to yourself? Would that make TWO of you?"

"I am not certain, as such a thing has not to my knowledge been tested. However, I expect that the mobile version of 'me' would function more like a high-end Virtual Intelligence than an Artificial Intelligence. The ability to change and self-examine is in large part a function of the more complex processing routed through my bluebox — in more poetic terms, the spark of life. When disconnected from myself, the platform would be my tool. A facsimile, but not me."

"Huh."

"Of course, the geth have consciousness without the use of bluebox technology, and are inherently copyable, though whether they have done so is unknown. Given their example, I hesitate to make a firmer statement."

"What would be the risks?"

"She strangles us all in our sleep."

"While that is remotely possible, Jeff, as I have not vented all the airlocks or shut down life support systems to date, it should be evident to you that it is improbable."

"Yeah, yeah, or maybe you're just trying to lure us into a false sense of security so you can have the more visceral pleasure of strangulation with your own two new kinda creepy metal hands."

"You do make the possibility more tempting every time you open your mouth."

Joker practically bounced in his chair. "Oh, burn! What a dig! That was great, Eeds, you're really comin' along!"

"I submit that if I had control of the mobile platform, I could also high-five you at this juncture."

"Okay, I'm sold," he said. "Just gotta see what the boss says." He grinned at Rhi.

She controlled her laughter with difficulty.

"I need to know the risks, EDI. Serious ones."

"It is remotely possible that a virus or virii exists in the peripheral systems of the Eva Core platform. It is unlikely, as the self-destruct failsafes which scorched her memory beyond retrieval were quite thorough. Any trojan horse type defense would have to be located in the periphery motor systems, and thus intrinsically limited in scope. With the bluebox removed, I — my full self — cannot be reasonably challenged by any hardware remaining in the platform. Restraints such as those used for the interrogation should suffice for any transient difficulty in motor control."

"You already talked this over with Adams, didn't you?"

"I… might have mentioned it as a theoretical possibility."

"And he was like a kid in a candy shop. Right. Look, I trust your intentions, and I trust Adams' precaution. I need to think of the effect on the organic crew, though. It'll be a big change for them; gotta approach it right. For starters, you — I mean, the platform — would have to wear a uniform."

"Is that the extension of human modesty rituals to non-human life, or does it serve another purpose?"

It serves the purpose of not having the lowest common denominator act like complete jackasses, was her first thought, but the second was right on it's heels and far more convincing. "Crew cohesion. That's why we all wear uniforms instead of whatever happens to be comfortable. If you're using a shape like ours, acting as one of us, it serves the same purpose — unity. One of the Normandy crew, with a crew member's duties and loyalties. Should help the crew adapt to your new… self, too."

"Ah. That is sound."

"Also," Rhi added, "Uniforms have pockets. Have you seen how much we rely on pockets? You haven't been limited to two hands before. Pockets are incredible."

"I have noticed you make frequent use of your own pockets."

"Damn straight. Anyway, it's an interesting idea, and I tentatively approve. I'll want to talk to Adams before I give the go ahead, though. And we'll need to figure out timing. You are NOT to attempt any such thing when the ship is in a combat zone or personnel are on the ground."

"Of course, Shepard. And… thank you." EDI paused. "But, with that matter discussed, we are back to the concern I had wished to raise first."

"Yes?"

"The Eva Coré unit was a self-contained mobile platform. The blue box, data storage, and processors had to share space with the mechanical apparatus of locomotion — and indeed, certain sub-systems were entirely devoted to such functionality. While I spend some processing power on the Normandy's subsystems, the overall processing capacity allocated to me is vastly larger for obvious reasons of space."

"Sure. That's why you'd need a link to the body — you said. So?"

"Shepard. If 'Eva Coré' had had access to the amount and quality of processing hardware I have aboard the Normandy, or if she'd been more specialize to the task, or acquired more relevant experience prior to our confrontation… I might not have won."

Rhi paused a moment, translating from EDI's terms to her own.

"That's true in any fight, EDI. That's why we spend so much time trying to make sure we have more experience and better hardware than the other guy."

EDI's voice was quiet. "I do not suppose you need me to point out that we do not come out well when measured against the Reapers in those terms."

No, I didn't. "Yeah, well, sometimes you're outmatched. And then you have to count on determination, creativity, getting the good ground…" It sounded flimsy, cheesy, even as she said it. She was quiet a long while. "And sometimes you just have to hope your enemy makes a mistake."

"As this Kai Leng made a mistake?"

She sighed. "I'm not sure if his mistake worked in our favor. It's nice to have a name to stick on the hair, though."

Joker let out a long sigh. "Come on, Reapers," he said quietly. "You can go ahead and fuck up any time now."