Ouch... that physically hurts my heart. Damn. Very well done. I loved everything about this. The progression went at a great pace, and I don't think you could have had a better ending. It was sad for the Meta to notice that Wash wasn't all right- that he wasn't the same as he was before Epsilon. All of Wash's little quirks were great. And this part: "Wash used to have an AI, he had the scars to prove it. He had been lost in a sea of medics and blood. You didn't visit." That was so impactful, despite how simple it was. Great job!

*deep breath in through the noseout through the mouthrepeat until sane* Thank you

Good work. I thought that Maine could have been a interesting character as he was a bit underdeveloped. The AI he was given makes me think it was more of corruption tlrather than being pure evil. You write with a unique way of challenging Maine's mind. The one lined sentences get the job done on the odd thoughts he thinks of. I'm curious how this'll develop in your story. Good work.