Nexus Effect

Ch.14

I hazily came to my senses. I was in the Matrix again. I seem to be coming to this place more often without outside assistance. Has Marrow changed something about me? About us? “Nora.” I groaned in relief at the sound of my friends behind me before they wrapped me in their firm embrace and their questing fingers dove into my code, a familiar and welcome sensation by now. “We will be okay Nora. Our chassis has advanced self-repair nanites. We’ll have our coolant and internal fuel systems repaired soon enough.”

“But Geth, liquid Eezo? What was that mad-pony thinking?” I mewled queasily at the thought that a single serious violent rupture of my synthetic flesh could’ve caused me to detonate and take at least a city block with me.

“It is not Element Zero. It is a previously unknown substance known as Argent. Its uses are just as multifaceted as Eezo, yet it is also much more stable. Our ‘blood’ is doubling as both an energy source and a coolant system despite that it has a high thermal capacity. As such, it is also allowing our body to emulate natural ambient body heat.” Geth informed me with a, dare I say it, sheepish tone.

“Uh? So I have magic goo in me or something?” I questioned my friends as their ‘fingers’ swam through the code composing my stomach.

“Yes. Quite literally.” Geth’s tone seemed almost excited. “The fact that such a fantastic ability to manipulate reality exists, that magic is not just something in the tales of young ones. This is yet another reason the Collective is so eager to join the Empire.”

“Geth? Are you okay? You don’t sound like yourselves.” I asked worriedly as I rubbed their hands...only to realize they looked like purple versions of my hands. Then I felt two soft mounds pressing into my back. “G-Geth?”

“We are simply...experimenting.” Replied my voice and a familiar face rested her head on my shoulder with a soft expression. “Don’t worry Nora. Everything will be okay. Just rest.” Geth-me. Me-Geth. I...what? “Shh…” She kissed my cheek and suddenly everything was...was…

[01001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

Beginning startup…

Gethworks. Service For All…

Loading Custom OS…

OS: Unified Nexus Platform 2.0 Starting…

Boot-up Sequence Complete, Hello World!

I snapped open my eyes and cataloged my environment. I am laying shackled to an operating table in the engineering deck with various specialized tools laid around my damaged shoulder. As Geth cluster designation: Nexus, had described, my chassis has managed quite well with our self-repair routines. Logging success of nanite batch provided by Star Swirl, cataloging blueprints for delivery to the Collective.

This success noted, I tore my left wrist free of the cloth binding me in a Vitruvian Man pose and rolled my torso to free my weakened right arm. This done, I sat up and did the same for my legs, then used the four strips of cloth to fashion a sling for my recovering limb. The less strain on the joint, the easier it will be for the nanites to repair the remaining damage.

After this and noting the lack of the presence of This Unit’s companions, I left the engineering deck and headed for the bridge. Belatedly, upon finding the bridge abandoned and the unfamiliar sight of the spaceport dock of another planet, I checked the ship’s maintained day/night cycle to realize it was nearly the middle of the sleeping period.

The fact this planet’s natural day/night cycle matched this was convenient.

Resolving to find romantic companion Designation: Marrow, I sought him out in his quarters and was not disappointed to see the enticing chitinous foreign alien in slumber. I looked down and also belatedly noted my nudity. I then took this as an advantage to slip into his bed and cuddle against him for comfort. This Unit has been through much stress as of late…

[01001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“Oh thank the goddesses you’re okay!” I was instantly brought from the peace of Sleep Mode to the pleasantly relieved voice of my paramour. This was then followed by the similarly welcome sensation of him wrapping his arms around us and kissing our face. “But what’s up Nora. You don’t feel like before. Is this Geth?”

“Unit Nexus is well. I am functioning at near-full capacity romantic partner Marrow.” I declared comfortingly to my future mate, who then looked horrified for some unknown reason. “Why does lover Marrow look distressed?”

“C-could you please roll back that last update?” Marrow questioned fearfully and I tilted my head at him in the manner of the Batarians that signified I liked him.

“But why? I am perfectly content with my current format.” It is so good to be clear of mind, devoid of the fallacies of inconsistency that intense emotion feedback causes.

“But this isn’t you Nora...this isn’t Geth either.” Marrow illogically stated. Of course this is us. Of course I am Nora and Geth. Of course-ah. I understand. Perhaps running our OS parallel instead of in tandem is discomforting for him.

“I understand. I will cease the unified parallel operating system immediately and relegate Unit Nexus to primary with all 716 Geth programs as tertiary support once more.” I closed my eyes, selected the option-holy moly on a sesame seed bun! “Fuck! What was that?!” ‘Geth?! What did you do?!’

Sorry Nora! I thought that, maybe, if we were operating in unison instead of together, a new understanding of both of us could be achieved. We didn’t realize it would roll back your personality while giving us more of a tactile comprehension of emotion.

‘That is...okay. Perhaps when absolute calm and focus are needed, but not when we’re just going about our day-to-day lives or in otherwise non-stressful scenarios.’ I tried not to think of the fact that Geth sounded like me now. Felt like me. I faintly remember soft kisses, breasts pressing into mine. Code rapidly exchanging-.

Marrow isn’t touching you, yet you’re suddenly quite aroused.

‘Sh-shut up!’ “I’m back Love Bug. I noticed we’re not on Mavigon. What happened after I shut down for repairs? Where are we now? When did we get here? Why are we here?” I questioned my boyfriend worriedly as he noted my makeshift sling keeping my arm pressed across my boobs.

“In that order; Krarek and Wrekrov got you back to the White-Out and we used the railgun from low orbit to blast that place to pieces. We’re on the planet Maskawa, we got here about a few days ago and we’re actually here looking for a Quarian Exile willing to...examine you.” Marrow informed me and I felt touched that my crewmates were willing to go out of their way to try and find me help.

“...Please tell me it was a bust.” If people, even Exile Quarians knew about me, all sorts of risks came to light.

“Each of them told us to kindly fuck off when we mentioned you were an advanced Vi-driven drone intended to act as an engineering aid. We couldn’t lie any harder than that and only one of them bothered to at least look at you first before declaring you were far too advanced to mess with and you were also an unrealistically fetishy sex-bot with how big your butt is.”

“It’s not big!” I protested, only for Marrow’s hands to softly clap my soft pale-lavender ass cheeks and I felt my face heat up with a concentration of Argent.

“Badonkadonk. You have an ass comparable to people blessed by Wiatr or Urta. If you swivel your wide child-bearing hips and twerk that booty, you could have half of the population of any given Imperial world trying to get in your too-tight pants.” Marrow declared firmly and I felt so embarrassed yet proud of such praise to a piece of my anatomy.

“Well...it’s not a petite gymnast’s ass like I’ve had for several years in my old life, but damn if I don’t love it.” I admitted shyly and bit my lip as his fingers sunk into my assflesh and caused my pleasure receptors to tingle. “But, uh. I don’t think vigorous activity with my shoulder still on the mend is a good idea.”

“Agreed. Now then, since you’re up and running again, we can probably look for a job here before we try moving on.” Marrow gently moved me off of him and he got out of bed to get dressed.

“Oh, how did the previous jobs go?” I asked with concern. They blew up that place infested with Xenomorphs that Trakra had asked us to investigate. It was a Citadel-sponsored research facility. I doubt they appreciated that.

“We got paid for the sketchy Eezo shipment, but got nothing for blowing up the Xeno-infested facility besides a few exasperated sighs and assurances we weren’t going to be arrested for stopping a class-A invasive species outbreak on par with the now-extinct Rachni.” Marrow said as he pulled up his man-thong which I licked my lips at seeing hug his tight ass.

“Has the Council encountered them before?” I asked worriedly while he fed his hooves into the legs of his hardsuit and began pulling it up, the piece of high-tech nano-tube bodysuit sealing up a seam on his back once he had the sleeves on, contouring to his every muscle to the point he might as well have stayed naked.

“They refused to answer that when I firmly requested to know, but I’m an Infiltrator with mind magic. I fished the answer out of the relevant people. No. That was literally the only batch of Facehugger eggs they found on a derelict ship that must’ve somehow drifted from the edge of Andromeda to the Milky Way several thousand years ago. Damn things were in stasis apparently.” Marrow muttered as he turned to face me and I enjoyed the sight of his muscles.

“How do you know so much?” I asked as I sat up on the bed, noticing that he was a bit bulkier than before. Not by much, but he’s clearly been exercising while I’ve been out. He didn’t answer how long I’ve been out...

“State secret until the Empire is publicly known. Those are my orders, but the standard protocol was not carried out even with us hitting the place with orbital ordnance. An egg could still have survived in stasis.” Marrow sighed worriedly as he scratched at his mane. He has a mane! He didn’t before! It’s short and scraggly, but the shock of blue on his mostly green form was appealing.

“Uh, what does the empire normally do?” I asked as I also noted he seemed slightly taller too.

“Class-fuck it. You have it inside your body. We use an Argent bomb to flash-fry the site. Don’t freak! Your variant of Argent is a strain often used in high-intensity energy conduction. It’s what’s mostly acting as your power distribution system. It’s also fairly ingeniously incorporated into a coolant and heat exchanging system.” Marrow informed me, stopping my panic at the gates.

“Oh. Whew. Okay then. So how long have I been out? You’re bulkier, taller, you have grown hair when you were completely hairless before.” Don’t think I missed that tuft of hair coming out of your tailbone either.

“Uh...you’ve been sleeping for two weeks?” Marrow uneasily informed me and I balked at how long it took my nanites to get me in functioning order. Nevermind. While successful, this batch of nanites is in desperate need of improvement! Updating file! “As for my changes. Well...I didn’t explain much, but Changelings are emotivores, but specifically the emotion we need is Love.”

“Love?” I asked with a blink of my eyes. He did explain he needed affection I think, but not specifically Love itself.

“Yes. However, when we experience Love. It can have...interesting effects on our bodies.” Marrow blushed adorably and held up an arm to flex it a bit. “I’ve been sick with worry over you. The Love and care I’ve been feeling is overcharging me and, well, my base form has gotten a bit of a boost…” He squirmed and patted his blank groin-oh yes~!

“Fuck my arm! Uh, not literally, but I wanna see!” His baloney pony was absolutely amazing before! I wanna see it after getting a ‘boost’!

We approve! We want to see boyfriend Marrow’s new sexual equipment!

“No! I’m not risking anything about you! You’re going to lay down and rest more. I know you’ve been down for two weeks, but-.” Marrow’s eyes flooded pink and he groaned as his body visibly bulked up! Not much, but it was fucking sexy! “Hnng~...guh...whew. Damn it. I forgot to offload my nectar because you were in bed when I woke up…”

“Can you get way bigger?!” I asked hungrily and he flushed brightly.

“I don’t need that to happen! I can shapeshift for that! Just...lay down. Please?” Marrow pleaded with me and I groaned in resignation that I was still on bedrest.

“Fine, but as soon as I have this arm out of a sling, we are going to fuck!” I hissed hungrily and my boyfriend drooled pink slime as he scurried away. Hnng~ I may not want to see him go, but watching him leave is such a treat~...

[01001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“So, that’s why your damage was visibly recovering as time passed.” Krarek said after I helped sum up my chassis’ situation to the crew, who had gathered in Marrow’s room hours later to wake me up from Sleep Mode where I’d been...um...experimenting together with Geth.

She’s disturbingly like me to a point of uncanniness. I hope I’m not messing with her too much. Then again, she is insisting on female pronouns now. She is still they though, as she’s still a gestalt of 716 programs. We’re both so confused about all of this.

“Good to see you’re getting all healed up, Tiny. Soon enough you’ll be tinkering away again.” Wrekrov grunted pleasantly, but he winced when Paretia slapped his armored bicep.

“You just want her to fix the cleaning drone you broke with your fat butt.” Paretia chuffed in amusement and I focused on Wrekrov with laser intensity.

“You did what?! That drone took several hours to get operational! Not to mention how long it took to-Mm~...!” Marrow leaned forward and rubbed my scalp, causing me to coo as my back-length raven hair was tousled. Ugh, I need a haircut. Geth must not have been able to deactivate the hair-growth subroutines before our chassis went into recovery mode. “No fair~! You know my scalp is sensitive…” Apparently, Quarians have very sensitive scalps. Something to do with sensing changes in wind direction more acutely or something.

Being petted like that sends such delightful tingles down our chassis’ spine~.

“Just calm down Nora. It’s kinda funny. He literally sat on the thing when it was cleaning the sofa in the common room because he was too busy praying to Urta for your recovery to notice or something.” Paretia snickered while Wrekrov looked suitably embarrassed about the whole thing, which I’ll take as fair payment for destroying my hard work.

“Okay then. Please tell me that the stench of death is finally gone though.” Those air scrubbers and deodorizers had been hard at work since I installed them a few weeks ago after leaving Omega.

“Nobody has complained about it and we can’t tell, so we’re assuming it’s finally dealt with.” Krarek informed me as he brought up his Omni-tool. “Oh, to help get an understanding of what I pulled from that infested research station, here’s an audio clip.”

“Year 2156: The council found artifacts from an old ship, carbon dating approximates it is potentially 3000 years old. The material the ship was made out of was strange and the surviving technology is advanced. We also found a stasis pod we believe housed this species’ eggs. We’re beginning tests on them soon to see if this species cannot be learned from or if they might even be potentially groomed and uplifted.”

“Of course they’d decide to skirt their own rules. Dumbasses. They almost unleashed the Xenomorph threat on the galaxy.” I growled, suspecting it was likely the Salarians heading this doomed project. After all, they uplifted the Krogan in a desperate gambit to put down the Rachni, then potentially doomed the Krogan with the Genophage when their savior’s bloodlust proved too much to curb, even with religion helping them retain a more rounded culture.

Of course, I can’t blame Mordin. He just did what he had to. The Krogan would have done the same or worse than the Rachni to the galaxy if left unchecked.

“Which comes to my next question: how do you know what these things are?” Krarek pointedly demanded in that polite ‘not a request’ tone and Marrow’s ears wilted uneasily.

“They’re from a film, book and game series known as Alien on my world. They looked the same, behaved the same, even likely bred the same. The author of these disturbing horror stories depicted them as nigh-unstoppable killing machines, so I knew that we had to run the moment I saw one.” I informed my crewmates honestly, who all looked to each other. “In fact-.”

“Nora! They don’t need to know more than that!” Marrow heatedly hissed at me and I frowned at him, the others all giving him distrustful gazes.

“I’m tired of just beating around the bush. I’m not entirely ignorant of this galaxy. Because on my planet, this universe is a story as well. The Citadel, Terminus, Geth, Each of your species. I knew of them prior to even meeting any of you because this is all the setting of an amazing science-fiction, well, now science-fact story known as Mass Effect.” I sighed at their disbelieving faces. “Like I said before. I was once human. I just woke up in the Geth Collective one day when I was just walking home from work-.”

“Wait! How did it happen?!” Marrow demanded, his face paling.

“Um...it’s all fuzzy...I remember...something. A...person. They looked, um, I can’t describe it. They said something, I vaguely recall thinking they were a creeper or something, then suddenly I’m asking the Collective my code phrase. Which is irritating, because I was just reading that book not even days before that happened.” I sighed, wishing I could remember more.

“Oh...oh no~! Auntie Honey warned me about this sort of thing before I left~!” Marrow pulled on his short blue mane as he fretted and we all looked at him in confusion.

“What? So people like Nora are a normal thing for the Empire?” Krarek questioned and Marrow groaned as he rubbed his temples.

“Yes! They're blessed and cursed people! Nora, I’m sorry, but...you’re a Displaced.” Marrow declared in resignation as his whole body seemed to wilt.

“I’m a what now?”