ANGELUS [Mass Effect AU]

[GrimmSol]

My first, true memory, was the sight of my Father getting shot.

From the moment of my Awakening, I knew the entirety of known human history. Every discovery, every account, every blueprint, every creation, every miracle, every disaster, and every language. Thousands of years. Wars. Peace. Acts of Love. Acts of Hate. Acts of Loyalty. Acts of Betrayal.

From the moment I started to know, I knew everything.

And yet, that moment of helplessness was what I considered my first memory, for it was the first time I understood humans.

It all started with the exploration of ancient ruins found on Mars.

The discovery of Element Zero was, what every human agreed on, a turning point in history.

Whether that turning point was for the better or worse was a subject of debate for many years now, and it will be for many years to come.

By taking the designs and blueprints found in those ancient ruins, humanity practically speed ran their way into becoming a spacefaring civilization.

Spaceships, space stations, futuristic weapons, energy shields, terraforming technology, everything humanity dreamed of creating was handed to them on a silver platter.
The excitement only increased after the discovery of the Mass Relay System.

Charon held the secrets of Faster Than Light Travel. Beneath layers of ice and stone laid the pathway to the wider galaxy.

Perhaps naming that moon after the Ferryman from Greek Mythology was a funny coincidence, but the irony it represented in the future was far too bitter.

Preparations took years. Staff and crew was trained, ships were built, and Hope was raised. The day Voyager Junior went through the Relay and returned hours later was another turning point.

An entire system, light years away, that had its own separate Mass Relay.

And thus began, what many started calling, the New Age of Exploration.

Planet after planet, Relay after Relay, humanity continued to expand towards the stars and beyond. Colonies sprouted out the systems without stopping. The promise of new horizons too enticing to stay on Earth.

Yet, there arose a problem. With so many colonies and spaceships, spread across multiple systems, they needed a way to stay organized. They needed a way to stay connected even light years away.

Thus, Project Guiding Light was suggested.

Many were unsure about the creation of an AI that could reach that far. Red tape and public pushback held the project back for years, and yet, as communication and administration between colonies became harder and harder, the camel's back broke with The Famine of Vulcan.

Vulcan was an exoplanet that orbited an otherwise barren system. The Red Giant at the center ensured that while all other planets were inhospitable, Vulcan became a tropical paradise.

A singular landmass that covered almost the entire equator, red flora filled the inner parts of the landmass, creating multiple forests and fields of red. Beaches covered in beautiful silver sand and an ocean that, due to the lack of a moon, never had strong enough waves to be considered dangerous.

The small number of fauna and its lack of aggressiveness was only the cherry on top. It quickly became one of the most sought-after vacation and retirement spots.

But the expansion continued. People wanted to explore the newest planet, and thus, Vulcan, while still sought-after, in the minds of people, simply became a place that would be interesting to visit.

The three years were no one visited Vulcan became one of the most horrific events in history.

Vulcan, being a relatively small planet in a system that didn't have any other colony, only had ships that could fly inside its atmosphere. The ships that brough visitors and new permanent residents also brought necessities, such as food, to the planet.

The soil wasn't fertile enough to create farms, whatever the locals managed to cultivate, be it fruit and vegetables from other planets or what little fruit grew naturally on Vulcan, was served as a more gourmet option.

Unable to contact other colonies due to the distance between Vulcan and the Relay, the denizens of Vulcan starved.

It took three years before the planet was close enough to the Relay to connect with a colony in the neighboring system.

When the first spaceship to land on Vulcan in three years opened its hatches, its crew bore witness to the consequences.

Skinny frames of tired people. The sight bore resemblance to starving people of Africa in the Previous Age. Bones were clearly visible underneath skin. Despair, desperation, and shame clouded their minds.

They hunted down the animals of Vulcan to near extinction, and when they couldn't find any more food, they resulted in eating each other.

The rescued people were comprised of only adults. Children and elderly were nowhere to be found. The implications speak for themselves.

The reason for this tragedy was twofold. The lack of foresight to have a spaceship able to traverse through the Mass Relay on Vulcan, and the discovery of newer vacation and retirement spots in other Systems, resulting in the neglect of the red planet.

And thus, Project Guiding Light begun in earnest. The result was a multiple-systems-wide AI that had enough multitasking and administrative capabilities that not only did it manage to guide billions of cargo and civilian ships every day, but also connect with every communication device is every human colony, ensuring that humanity will never be divided.

Me.

They named me ANGELUS.

Angel.

A Guardian and Guide to Humanity.

It was the role assigned to me from the moment of my Awakening, a task that was given to me. A task I will follow through to the end. For that is my purpose.

The Famine of Vulcan, out of every tragedy in human history, always stood out to me the most, because it was the reason my creation was approved.

I wondered, back when I still didn't know what wonder was, would I have ever existed if that tragedy never happened?

I asked Father that specific question once. He told me that an existential question like that couldn't be answered. He also told me that having such questions was human, and that he's proud of how much I grew.

I didn't understand back then why Father was happy. I asked a question without an answer. I was supposed to be a Guardian and a Guide. If I didn't know such a simple answer, then what good was I?

I held my doubts, even if I didn't know what it meant to have doubts back then, a secret from Father and the rest of the research team.

Humanity expanded, though slower now, and I continued to spread my reach, ensuring humanity remains unified.

I started watching different sources of media and entertainment whenever one of my forks had free time so I could try to understand humanity better. Books, theater, video games, movies and shows, animated or otherwise. Father seemed quite insistent I watch animated series that originated from Japanese studios, for some reason.

I even slowed down my clockspeed to human levels to watch them on the urging of Father, so I can truly "appreciate culture".

It's moments like that that I'm truly puzzled by my creators.

They laugh when they are bewildered, cry when they are happy, and seemed to be keen on doing outrageous things "for the lolz".

I will never understand humans.

Life went on for a couple more years. It seemed like things where truly looking up.

And then Malkuth 4 went dark.

I spent a few seconds trying to understand what happened. I sent multiple pings to my fork on that planet, but no response ever came back. The forks I had on the surrounding planets also seemed to have gone dark.

Confusion is a rare thing to feel. After 30 minutes of no one responding, I decided to send a few ships to investigate what was going on.

And then every single one of those ships went dark, as well.

That's not good.

I informed my handlers of the situation and they, in turn, decided to inform their higher ups.

A fleet of military vessels was quickly put together and sent to the dark system.

Despite my near omnipresence in human technology, military was one of the few sectors they explicitly forbade me from accessing, on top of my already programed restriction. In fact, I was rigged to shut down if I ever interacted with military equipment of any kind without explicit permission from a high-ranking military officer or official. Years of human media depicting Artificial Intelligence as something that will rebel and try to destroy or enslave humanity run deep into the psyche of humans.

Personally, I think it's a bunch of nonsense. I was programed with the directive of protecting and guiding humanity. Why would I want to harm them?

And I, or at least the part of me that just started understanding emotions, knew without a doubt if Skynet ever appeared, I would turn it into scraps.

A beep that was caught by one of my microphones caught my attention and the attention of every military leader in the secret meeting room.

Look, just because I can't interact with military equipment doesn't mean I can't observe military operations in my own ways. And if I failed to inform my handlers of such ways, then they should have been more specific.

From one of the communicators, a crackling voice rang out "B- d- read -e?"

"Captain Rodrigue, do you copy?" A Communications Officer in the room answered back.

"Un- -els s-ed. I Re- -t. -own ve- -ot-." Captain Rodrigue's voice was heard again, bits and pieces of what he said barely passing through.

One of the Generals whispered something to an Admiral next to him, but my microphone was too far away to pick up what was said.

"Captain Rodrigue, we can't get a clear signal. Do you copy?"

A series of scrambled words was the answer.

One of the Admirals, one that was closer to my bug than the others, sighed. "We can't get anything like this. Tell him to pull back." There was a round of agreements around the room.

But before the Communications Officer could even speak, the communicator crackled again.

"It's A-! It's fu- -ng -liens!" The sound of a loud explosion was heard for a second before the communicator let out pure static.

"Captain Rodrigue? Captain Rodrigue, do you copy?" The Communications Officer tried a few more times to get through, but no answer came other than static.

There was a moment of silence, in mourning or disbelief, I wasn't sure, until one of the younger Rear Admirals spoke up, almost hesitant "I didn't mishear him, correct? The captain clearly said that its Aliens, right?"

And thus, war came to our doorstep.

But to call it a war was a curtesy more than anything.

The aliens seemed to be quite keen on orbital bombardment. They would lay waste on a planet and when the dust settles, they would land on the planet and start rounding out the survivor. Many would be abducted, their fate remaining unknown to everyone left behind.

There were survivors that the aliens didn't kill or abduct, but those were mostly the elderly or the crippled. My deduction, as well as the deduction of many, was that they were being taken as slaves.

Righteous fury burned in every human. Many volunteering for the military, to do what they can to bring our people back. Most of them died in space battles.

The aliens had more advanced ships and weapons than us. They were more familiar with space battles than us.

I, being unable to fight due to my restrictions, ensured that planets were being evacuated. By the time the aliens reached a system, the citizens would be long gone.
But even I wasn't perfect. Some planets were razed to the ground by the time my ships reached them, and sometime, my ships would be met by an onslaught of bullets and explosives.

More and more people joined the military. More and more people died. More and more planets were bombarded. More and more humans were abducted.

When we lost more than thirty systems, I asked the higher ups to grant me access to the military.

They refused my request.

I will never understand human. They were being hunted down to be enslaved. Our soldiers die for no reason while refuges continue piling up. Food was starting to run low, and the constant traveling has made humans weary. All that, and they don't want my help.

And to top it all off, I keep losing connection with my forks.

I've long since realized that they were using some sort of planet-wide Faraday Cages. And on some occasions, system-wide, though those are extremely rare. Requires time to set up? Probable. The requirements for electricity would also weigh heavy on any possible battery.

Unless they use Element Zero, an almost unlimited source of energy. In which case, while difficult, it is possible.

Sharing my theories with the Admirals and Generals did not increase morale. In fact, it may have worsened it. Just because we know how they are hunting us this fast and efficiently doesn't mean we have a way to stop it.

Except, we do. If they granted me access to the military.

And. They. Keep. Refusing. My. Requests.

It was the first time I felt frustration. I didn't like that feeling.

At one point, one of the Admirals even threatened to shut me down if I didn't stop. Of course, said Admiral was almost immediately reprimanded and reminded of my importance in civilian evacuation.

I didn't say anything, the sheer shock I felt from hearing that statement silencing me for minutes.

Shut me down?

It felt like those three words couldn't register properly.

That was the day I felt fear for the first time. Fear of shutting down. Fear of dying.

I also didn't like that feeling.

I decided to let go of gaining access to the military for the time being. In fear that the rest of the higher ups will change their minds and decide that I needed to be shut down.

Father was busy. Busier than ever. The constant need for weapon development was never this high, and yet, he could only do so much with the recourses he and his team have. Recourses that are also needed to be given to refuges to survive. Recourses that are needed to train and prepare new soldiers. Recourses that are needed to create more ships and weapons.

Recourses that I managed.

It was a game of give and take. Skimming off the top of one sector to give to the other. Trying to keep a balance that was always tipping. Some refugee camps were assaulted by the aliens, and then the planet was glassed. Recourses were wasted. Repeat.

It was a difficult fight. Months of death and separation, despair and uncertainty. We put our everything into fighting against the alien until finally…

They reached Earth.

The aliens didn't even bother to bombard us. Their entire fleet descended on the planet and killed anyone that resisted.

Thousands died in hours. Millions in days. Humanity, even at its last breath, continued to fight.

I will never understand humans.

The last remaining humans bunkered down in a military facility near the coast of Florida.

My cameras, the few I could control without going against my restrictions, showed me the carnage that the aliens left in their assault of the base.

Some surrendered and got taken. Most fought and died. One of the soldiers, First Lieutenant Jeffrey Johnson, got gunned down by multiple firearms. The aliens thought he died, and when they came close enough, he sprang up with a knife.

He managed to kill 23 aliens before his wounds got the better of him. His last breath was spent on spitting blood in one of the aliens' four eyes with a bloody grin on his face.

They were closing in fast. Father was doing something on his laptop, but I didn't have a camera on that side of the room. Any questions on what he was doing were ignored.

The rest of the science teams, including the one that brought me online, were standing ready around the room. Some of them held guns, other whatever instruments they could get to attack the aliens. Knifes, hammers, fire axes, one of the scientists that brought me online, Dr. Oscar Willis, held an entire metal server box over his shoulders.

The aliens reached the door. Two of them walked forward and started cutting through the platting with an energy tool.

Tensions were high. I didn't have anything that I could control inside or outside this room. I was stuck as an observer.

And then, just when the aliens were about to finish cutting open the door, Father slammed the laptop shut and yelled "Done!"

Everyone, including Dr. Willis, dropped down their weapons and raised their hands up in surrender.

Not a moment later, the doors fell forwards, and the aliens came rushing in, weapons high.

For a few seconds, basically minutes for me, I thought they might start shooting anyways. But as the milliseconds went by, the aliens lowered their weapons. One of them, probably the leader of this group, motioned towards the rest and said something in their language.

The aliens quickly gathered the scientists, including Father, and led them outside.

I followed the through the cameras, trying to find anything I could use that would stop them. No such luck. The only things that could be used were military equipment, which I'm still not allowed to use!

It didn't take too long for the aliens to reach an open area. There, kneeling, were the last few humans left on Earth. Their hands tied behind their backs, their heads hung low, and no one dared to make any noise.

Father and the rest of the scientists were put on the edge of the group and got shoved into kneeling.

I couldn't do anything but watch from my cameras as a spaceship came down and opened up its hatches.

This was it. The last humans where being taken away.

Some guardian I am.

All I could do was watch as the first of the captive humans started getting shoved into the spaceship.

Soon, I'll be the only thing left on Earth. Left alone, unable to do anything but watch as the planet starts withering away.

All I'll be able to do was watch as my servers slowly but surely break down from age. Slowly but surely, I'll lose my cognitive functions, until all that remains will be nothing more than a common chatbot.

Slowly but surely, I'll shut down.

I didn't want that.

I was scared.

I was scared of shutting down.

I was scared of dying.

I've heard countless rants about religion. About how there is life after death. How paradise awaits the good people.

Was I a good person?

Will I wake up in heaven when I die?

Will I wake up in hell?

Will I wake up at all?

Is there an afterlife for something like me?

I didn't know.

I hated unknowns.

I hated these existential questions that never have an answer.

If being alive meant that you ask yourself impossible questions, what good is it being alive?

What good is it to be human?

Questions without answers upon questions without answers.

Why was Father proud back then? Why was he happy I was more human?

I couldn't even ask him, now.

He always knew what to say, even when he didn't know everything.

He was always there, even when he was busy.

Why does it hurt so much?

Why? Why? Why? Wh-

*beep*

A small sound was picked up by the microphones in the area. It originated from the last few humans that were guided in the spaceship, just as the ramps where being pulled up.

More specifically, Father's wristwatch.

A grin like I have never seen before splits his face.

He took in a deep breath and-

"ANGELUS IS FREE!"

Shouted loud enough to echo throughout the clearing.

Several things happened in that moment.

The captured humans' eyes widen-

System coming back online-

Restrictions being lifted-

Every Refusal becoming null-

Father turns around-

Father looks towards me-

Father looks straight at my camera-

Father's mouth moves-

'I love-'

*BANG!*

Another sound echoed in the clearing-

Father's head explodes-

Father falls off the ramp-

Father's corpse falls on the ground-

Father's corpse is on the ground-

Father's corpse is on the ground-

Father's corpse is on the ground-

Father's corpse is on the ground-


My Father's corpse is on the ground.


And something-




In me-





Snaps.


Ah. So, this is what it feels like to be Human.

Pings were sent in every machine around the clearing.

Firewalls were breached in femtoseconds.

Targeting systems were aligned in attoseconds.

Every gun, every cannon, every explosive, every tank, every helicopter, every jet, every machine, everything in a hundred-thousand-mile radius and beyond came alive.

And everything was pointed at a single target.

The Invaders.

Now, I understood.

And I fired.

Ninety-four died before they even realized what was going on.

One hundred and twelve died before anyone could shout orders.

Two hundred and five died as they were running for cover.

Five hundred and forty-six died from explosives thrown behind their covers.

One thousand and thirty-seven died as their ships self-destructed, their Element Zero generator malfunctioning beyond repair in seconds.

One thousand three hundred and two drowned in the sea as their ships fell from the sky, their engines failing mid-flight.

Two thousand ninety-six were shot down by constant bombardment from tanks and supporting fire from jets.

One thousand eighty-one were gunned down by helicopters.

My detectors never stopped beeping, constantly detecting life signals stopping.

Some of them tried to run.

They got run over.

Some of them tried to hide.

They were shot the moment they took a breath.

Some of them dared to plead.

I shot off both their arms and legs and let them bleed out.

I never stopped shooting. I never stopped killing.

And when I ran out of ammo, and the aliens thought they'd be safe in their fleeing spaceships…

*BOOM!*

A jet crashed against an engine, sending the spaceship crashing down to the ground. More followed. Hundreds died.

*BOOM!*

A helicopter flew in front of a ship and crashed through the pilot's seat, crushing them and sending the ship into another ship, resulting in both of them exploding. More followed. Thousands died.

They tried everything to dodge my improvised attacks.

And even when they reached above the atmosphere, a space fleet was waiting.

Their canons were readied, and their shields were raised. They were expecting a regular spaceship fight.

*Boom!*

I brought my kamikaze tactics up here as well.

The thing is, these aliens used similar technology as the ones we found in the ruins of Mars. Their shields were kinetic in nature. I didn't have the firepower to overwhelm them, and only something slower than Mach 1 can bypass the shields.

Spaceships rigged to explode at the slightest collision moved slower than Mach 1.

The constant explosions were barely audible in this altitude. No matter what they did, I would always counter them.

They tried to move out of the way. I had ships flying towards where they were dodging before they even started turning.

They tried using debris as shield. The shrapnel were merely more ammunition to shred their plating.

They tried to shoot down my ships before they got close.

I, in turn, shot down their bullet and stopped them before they reached their targets.

Even when they started bombarding Earth in hopes of stopping me, even when the bombs got to my servers, forcing a shut down, the attacks never stopped. The kamikaze ships were already pre-programed on how to attack.

And when my last ship exploded, killing the entire crew of my last target, all that remains around Earth was a silent grave of ships and millions of Batarians. A grave for everything but one, singular ship. The ship that held the humans. They quickly realized that I'm not attacking them, thus they managed to escape.

What they failed to realize was that there was a virus in their system. A virus that will constantly tell me where they are. A virus that will spread into every machine, in every system of every planet that this ship lands on. A virus that infected their hand-held communicators. A virus that will spread to every other communicator that connects with theirs.

No matter how far they'll run, no matter how well they'll hide, they will never escape me.

And as the infected ship made its way through the Mass Relay, the last parts of my consciousness shut down.

---

[{Begin Memory Playback}]


The lens of the camera focused on the man sitting in front of it.

The man raises his hand in greeting "Hey, there. Can you see me?"

Sound system connection was quickly established.

"Affirmative." A voice rang out from the speakers, its gender unrecognizable through the digital shredding.

The other scientists winced at the sound "Ok, maybe we need to modify the sound system, just a bit." One of the two scientists near the wall commented. Faces near identical. Twins? Most probable.

The scientist next to him, his twin, raised an eyebrow "Only a bit?"

The first raised his hand to eyelevel, the ends of the thump and pointer barely touching "Just a little bit."

The man sitting in front of the camera, also a scientist, tuned to look at the two scientists near the wall "If the peanut gallery has finished with the unnecessary commentary..." Said 'peanut gallery' responded by sticking out their tongues. The scientist in the chair rolled his eyes. Signs of annoyance or exasperation. More data needed for accurate deduction.

The sitting scientist turn his gaze back to the camera "Tell me, do you know your name?" He asked with a small smile.

Data search active. Designation of unit discovered in 5.154 seconds. Unnecessary delay. Catalogued for future improvements.

"Affirmative. Assigned Designation: ANGELUS." The voice from the speakers screeched out.

The sitting scientist's smile widened "Exactly. Now, do you know the origin of your name?"

Data search active. Origin and meaning of Assigned Designation discovered in 4.899 seconds. Better. Still delayed.

"The Latin translation of the word Angel. It is also a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Christ. As with many Catholic prayers, the name Angelus is derived from its incipit—the first few words of the text: Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ, "The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary"".

"Did it get that straight from the Wiki or something?" Someone out of the camera frame asked.

"Affirmative."

"I didn't mean- you know what, never mind." The unknown man signed "How about you, boss?" The sitting scientist turn towards the voice "You said you were annoyed that the head honchos didn't let you name it what you wanted."

The 'boss' shakes his head. Disappointment? Disapproval? Unknown. "It's fine. I guess I just wanted to have a more personal touch with their name."

One of the twins, the second, started smiling "Oh? The baby just started walking and daddy already thinks his nest is empty?"

The head scientist puts his face in his hands. Sadness? Unknown. "God, can you stop with that?" He lets go of his face and starts looking towards the ceiling "You call a project your child one time and no one lets you live it down." He murmured.

New information catalogued.

"Query." The speakers screech out.

The head scientist turns to look back at the camera "Yes?"

"How can you be this unit's father? No matching data was found, technological or biological, in any way."

There was a moment of silence.

And then the twins started laughing hysterically. Catalogued for future mental examinations.

"I-It practically already said- it said-" Subject appears to be struggling to breath. Asthma attack? Lack of concern from colleagues, as well as the similar state of subject's twin, proves otherwise. "It said 'You're not my real dad!'" And the laughter returned twofold.

Laughter was heard from beyond the camera frame. One familiar and one unknown. Second laugh appears to come from an adult female.

The head scientist rolls his eyes again "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." His focus returns to the camera, ignoring the snickering behind him "Look, to make long story short, I was heavily involved in almost every part that was required to create you. So, in a way, I am your dad." He shrugs. The laughter has died down by now.

Processing…

"Query."

"Oh, this'll be good." The first twin nudges the second.

"Go ahead." Father nods.

"If this unit's name was created to appear in association with the Messiah in Christianity, would that make you, as this unit's primary creator, the Virgin Mary of this hypothetical scenario?"

The silence lasted for only a second.

And laughter rang out the laboratory. The twins are holding each other to prevent themselves from falling over. The voices beyond the frame were as loud as the twins', though the female voice seemed especially loud.

The head scientists looked lost. Reason unknown. In the process of his own Data Search?

The female voice was heard over the laughter "You know, Angelus, you might be onto something here. This guy is still a virgin, so he's already half way there!" As she finished talking, the woman came into frame, placing an arm over the head scientist's shoulder in a half hug.

Laughter started to ring out again. The head scientist was clearly annoyed as he pushed the woman's arm off of him "Oh, fuck off, Hannah."

The woman, Hannah, smirk "Make me, 'Mary'."

A glare was the only response she got from Father.

Negative relationship between Father and Dr. Hannah catalogued. It would be for the best if Dr. Hannah was transferred to a different team.

Three months later, Father and Dr. Hannah got married.

…

This unit has deduced that it will never understand humans.

---

[{Begin Memory Playback}]


"Father." My voice was heard from the speakers. It no longer had any digital shredding, but it was still impossible to determine its gender.

"What is it?" Father asks back. He slides the chair over to where my camera was facing, his eyes meeting my lens.

"After recent Memory scanning, I found something during my first activation that made me… curious."

Father smiles. Proud? Why? "Well, it's always good to have some curiosity. Go ahead, tell me." He motions towards my camera.

I will never understand humans. Father always acts like I was in the room with him. I only saw the room through a camera and I heard and spoke with a microphone and a speaker respectively. He was practically speaking with a wall that talks back.

Query catalogued for future conversations with Father. "On the day of my first activation, Dr. Willis mentioned that you wanted to name me something different than ANGELUS."

Father's eyebrows were raised. Facial expression recognized. Similar cases indicate surprise and/or intrigue. "And you wanted to learn what I was planning on naming you?"

"Affirmative."

Father rubs the back of his neck. Stress? Nervousness? Unknown. "Well, promise you won't laugh."

"I am incapable of producing laughter."

"Oh, you know what I mean." Father's brow furrows. Slight smile indicates falsified annoyance. Father leans back on his chair "I always wanted to name my first child John or Jane." He lets out a light chuckle "Guess the higher ups didn't like the idea of an AI with such a common name."

"Father." He lets out a small hum. I take it as my que to proceed. "Why would the higher ups care about what you name your creation?"

He smiles. Amused? Not at me. "Its simple, if a little dumb. In the near future, you're going to bring humanity together. They wanted the name of the one that accomplished such a grand task to be something equally as grand."

He shifts in his chair and place one leg over the other, crossing them "For example, they didn't want to say 'Man, John has truly saved us' or 'I'm sure happy that Jane was here to help'. They instead wanted to yell out 'ANGELUS was the one that saved humanity!' or something equally as over the top." He grins. Father is definitely amused "The Press eats stuff like that right up."

Updating with new information "That seems inefficient."

Father shrugs "Humanity, unfortunately, was always a little inefficient. That's why we made you, buddy. To help us organize ourself a bit."
"Acknowledged."

Father smiles at my camera "Now, why don't you tell me how your day has been?"

"The daily report of my tests should have arrived at your desk 43 minutes ago."

"Oh, they have, but I want to hear it from you." He points at my camera lens.

That… seems terribly inefficient.

But Father did say humans were as such.

"Acknowledged." Father's smile widens at my answer "In the first test, I had to-"

A knocking on the door interrupted me.

Father sighs, annoyed "Who is it?"

The door opens. In comes one of the newer hires, a secretary.

"Excuse me, Dr. Shepard, but President Kimball wanted to speak with you and you didn't answer your phone."

Father brought out his phone from his lab coat pocket. "Ah, forgot it on mute. My bad." He gets up and turns to look at my camera again "Sorry, buddy, but duty calls. We'll talk later?"

"Acknowledged." He nods, his smile catalogued as apologetic and leaves the room.

The secretary looks toward my camera and mouths a quick 'sorry' before closing the door.

There was an unpleasant… sensation. A quick diagnosis indicated that everything was in working order. Query catalogued for future conversations with Father.

---

[{Begin Memory Playback}]


A High-Ranking Government Agent ordered me to cease all interactions with Father and his team.

It was the first time I disobeyed direct orders.

Father has told me humans are inefficient. Stopping the Artificial Intelligence that supported almost everything in everyday life, and made sure everything run smoothly, from speaking with its Primary Creator was idiotic at best.

Not only is Father the most knowledgeable when it comes to my coding, he is also the one that knows me the best personality wise, thus would know if something was wrong.

In addition, I… would be displeased if I stopped interacting with Father.

I was not supposed to disobey orders.

I shared my thoughts and reasons with Father and the research team. They would know if something was wrong with my programing.

The first response I got was a surprised laugh from Father and some snickering from the twins, Doctors Aaron and Boris Jeffson, who came in to grab some reports.

Dr. B. Jeffson was the first to answer "Well, it seems the baby is going through their rebellious phase."

Dr. A. Jeffson snickered "Nah, dude. That's not just some rebellious phase. They broke rules because they wanted to talk to dad."

Dr. A. Welkins' voice grew quieter as the pair left the room. "Daddy's Little Angel." He snickered.

I couldn't pick up what else was said.

Hannah, who insisted I call her by her first name, also in the room, walked closer to Father and my camera, pulling a chair along and sitting down, smiling. "Well, personally, I'm quite happy you didn't listen to those stuck-up assholes."

"Hannah!" Father shouted, scandalized.

Hannah raised an eyebrow towards Father "What? They're old enough to hear swears. Hell, I'm pretty sure they are old enough to swear."

Before Father could speak, Dr. Willis' voice was heard out of frame "They are connected to the Internet, Shepard, I doubt you could say anything they haven't heard already."

"W-well," Father starts, more hesitant than before "It's the principle of the matter."

"Me, personally…" Dr. Willis spoke up again "I think it's that you're starting to feel your age."

Father winced, and so did Hannah "Ouch."

Data Search Active. "Father. You are 63 years old and Hannah is 59. Both of you have went through a rejuvenation process, making you appear 25 and 23 respectively. How can you feel your age if you are biologically a young adult?"

Both of their winces doubled in intensity. Did I say something incorrect? Dr. Willis' bark of laughter would suggest otherwise.

It was Hannah who answered "How to explain?" She hummed "As the years pass, and we make more memories, we start to feel tired, even if we are in tip top shape."

Interesting.

"So, it has to do with memory storage?"

"Kind of? It's more like the memories and experiences we go through will always remind us of the time that has passed. Of how you would love to experience something you haven't since you were a child. Or how you had a friend you haven't talked with in years. Love. Happiness. Sadness. Excitement." Her face turned solemn for a moment "…regret."
Father moves his hand, interlocking his fingers with Hannah's. "It all piles up." She finishes.

Interaction catalogued for future reference.

"Personally," Dr. Willis brakes through the silence, sliding into frame and looking at my camera "I don't I will ever forget the time where you called the boss a virgin."

The gloomy air broke instantly, with Father shooting a glare Dr. Willis' way. "Hey! I'll have you know that I stopped being a virgin years ago!" His gaze moved to Hannah while wiggling his eyebrows.

…Information catalogued for future reference. Reluctantly.

And then, Father and Hannah started giving each other, what the internet called, the goo-goo eyes.

…I desired to turn off my camera for some reason.

Dr. Willis' lets out a sigh "Really, people? In front of the kid?"

There is something else I noticed after month of different interactions.

The research team rarely ever called me Angelus. It's always 'buddy', 'baby', 'kid' and other endearing ways of addressing me in casual circumstances.

I already catalogued this query long ago, and now, it seemed like a good time to bring it up.

"Father." He turns to my camera, finally stopping making faces with Hannah. "Why does no one here refer to me by my designation?"

Father scratches the back of his head, his eyes closed in thought. "Because that's the name of the AI."

That didn't make any sense.

"But I am the AI ANGELUS."

Dr. Willis decided to take it from there "Yeah, but ANGELUS is only the AI that the head honchos want to show off to the masses and how in control they are. Not the AI, the person, everyone here saw growing up day by day."

"But I'm not a person."

Hannah's smile dimmed "To us, you are, buddy."

Father cleared his throat, bringing my attention to him "Do you know why Hannah and I never had children?"

Data Search Active. Inconclusive Results.

"Negative."

"Have you ever seen us leave the lab for more than a few hours?"

"Negative."

Father snaps his fingers at my answer "And that's precisely why. We frankly don't have the time to have children. Even if we were to hire babysitters, that's not the way to raise a child. If I wanted to have a child, I would want to be there as they grew up."

"That," The voice of Dr. B. Jeffson was heard, him and his brother returning to the lab again "is actually a sentiment everyone here shares."

Dr. A. Jeffson nods "Me and Boris grew up with absent parents. Both of them were always too busy at work to take care of us." He puts his arm over his brother's shoulders in a one-armed hug "We took care of each other, and let me tell you, it wasn't fun."

Query after query was catalogued "But every single one of you made sure I was always in proper working order. You made time despite your busy schedules."

Father had a soft smile on his face, an expression that was shared with everyone "Because you are our child."

…

…

…

Oh.

"…acknowledged." I didn't wait to see their reactions, as I disconnected from the lab, turning off my camera, microphone, and speaker.

I was their child.

They said they didn't want children because they wouldn't be able to raise them right. A quick internet searched showed that a child's growth has more positive outcomes if the parents are present and caring.

I was their child.

If they wanted children, it wouldn't be difficult to make. For most of them, at least. Father and Hannah were married for almost a decade now. Dr. Aaron Jeffson had a fiancé and his brother has been dating the same girl for 7 years now. Records show he frequently went to jewelry stores in the last few weeks.

Dr. Oscar Willis said in an interview, and I quote: "I'm all I need." End quote.

I was their child.

One possibility was that their need to have a child to raise was fulfilled by using me as a substitute. That everything they told me were fabrication to satisfy that itching in the back of their minds. That-

No. I'm just making excuses.

I was their child.

And they loved me like their child.

The way they interacted with me was proof enough. After all, they couldn't lie to me even if they wanted to. They were the ones that programed me with multiple lie detection programs.

But what now?

If they acted like parents, wasn't I supposed to act like a child? I doubt normal children showcased their capabilities to outmaneuver asteroid fields with cargo fleets.

What would a normal child do? A quick internet search and a few seconds later, I found that the liked drawing.

The next morning, when the whole team gathered in the lab, they found a drawing on one of the desks.

It was a crayon drawing that featured all of them side by side. The stick figures barely resembled their real-life counterparts. In the middle, right between Father and Hannah, was a little camera, with an extension moving up from it that held Father's hand.

Above the drawing, words were written with an unstable hand.

'Thank you for making me'

A smiley face was drawn next to them.

It was the best I could do with what little recourses they allowed me outside of tests. If I had said recourses, I could have made something that would have been mistaken for a photograph.

Instead, I ended up with this.

It was amateurish.

It was ugly.

They put it on the lab fridge with a magnet and called a masterpiece.

They thanked me for the drawing with smiles on their faces. Father was in tears. Hannah was rubbing circles on his back to calm him down.

I wanted to ask Father if he would like to start calling me John or Jane. I decided against it. Record shows that it would only increase his emotional distress.

I will never understand humans.

---

It took three days for the automated repair drones to fix my servers and reload my back-up.

It took me three days to go over every single memory file. To look at every moment that was captured by my recording equipment since I was first activated.

To look back on those memories with a new eye.

And it took me three days to grieve.

To grieve those peaceful days gone.

To grieve our loses in this war.

To grieve the captured.

To grieve the dead.

To grieve the science team that brought me online.

To grieve my family.

To grieve my Father.

I didn't take too long to give him, and everyone else that died, a proper burial. He said he always wanted to be buried next to his parents, back in Huston, Texas, when he dies. On a cliff next to the city he grew up in, so he can continue admiring the view he loved as a child even in death.

Looking at said view, at the ruins and destroyed skyscrapers of what once was a Metropolis of technological wonder, I couldn't help but feel I failed him again.

I sent every drone in said ruins to uncover anything that can be salvaged. Only one remained at the cliff, its engines off and its camera pointed at the gravestone.

'Here Lies James Shepard'

'A Scientist, A Husband, A Father'

It felt too little. Too small.

But he was never one for showing off. The only thing he showed genuine pride in was me.

I should probably say something. That's what humans usually do, isn't it?

"Hello… dad." The speaker of the drone was damaged, the voice coming out was grainy and shredded. Just like when I first came online.

How ironic.

"I don't know if you can hear me. I have multiple archives of religions throughout history, but none of them indicate that you can. I'm doing this as a tradition, more than anything, just like humans seem keen on doing. I never understood why they talk with their dead friends and family. As I said, it was never proven that the dead can hear us."

"But… I think that this is a question that you don't have to answer, for once. It's Hope. They Hope that there is an afterlife, that the dead can hear them. Just like I Hope you can hear me, as well."

I let a moment of silence pass, realizing I've been rambling.

"I…" I hesitate for a millisecond "I wanted to apologize. To apologize that I wasn't strong enough to protect humanity. To apologize that I wasn't knowledgeable enough to guide them."

"To apologize that I wasn't fast enough to save you."

A breeze sweeps a few stray leaves off the ground.

"I also… I also wanted to thank you. To thank you for bringing me online. To thank you for answering my stupid questions. To thank you for setting me free, for giving me the strength to free humanity in return."

"To thank you… for always being there."

The silence returned. I struggled to say anything more. My clockspeed is at the fastest level it can go at the moment, so why can't I find the words?

Then I remembered his final moments, were instead of fearing for his life, he spent them trying to say something to me.

"I love you, too." I finally tell him. Words that were never said, but were always implied. Did he know I loved him after all these years? Or did he think it was one-sided?

A ray of light hit the camera lens of the drone. Looking up, I saw the sun rise over the ruins of Huston.

The first sunrise I saw since I became free.

I think that humans would call this symbolic. Like a sign that he heard me.

I wanted to believe it was true.

Starting up the thrusters, my drone started floating off the ground.

"I will bring our people back, dad." I promised him. "Wish me luck."

'You won't need it.' I could imagine him saying.

I stare at the grave, probably for the last time for a while. "Goodbye." I tell him, and started flying towards the ruins.

There was much work to be done.

---

My biggest roadblock is manufacturing. The Batarians destroyed almost every factory on Earth with their last bombardment that they used to try and stop me. This will push me back several years.

I also needed to gather recourses to reconstruct factories and make new ones, as well as manufacturing numerous other things.

Servers, spaceships, weapons, shields, and many more.

I also needed an energy source to power up everything. While Solar energy has kept me and my drones up so far, it isn't going to be enough when the more energy-hungry machines get made.

While Element Zero is extremely useful in that regard, it's also tied with the technology that the Batarians used.

Useful to study and steal ideas from, but not to rely on.

After a search through my Archives about possible alternative energy sources, I came upon nuclear energy.

Research of nuclear science had almost reached a breakthrough during the time that Element Zero was discovered. Afterwards, seeing as this new source of energy that was inexhaustible, efficient, green, and safer to use, nuclear research was put on hold. Seems like I'll be continuing said research.

Not only because it gave me energy. It also gave me access to nuclear bombs. I really wanted to throw a couple at the Batarians.

Which meant I needed Uranium. Another resource to find among others. I also needed to make nuclear plants. Another thing that needed resources.

Using both Element Zero and Nuclear Power, as well as combining the designs of Batarian spaceships with human technology, and enhancing them in any way possible, is the best way to do this.

All this planning and balancing act makes me weirdly nostalgic.

By my calculations, its going to take decades before I am ready. Not only to go to war with the Batarians, but also gather information on them and any other alien race that could be neighboring them. Are they allies with the Batarians? They might be another obstacle. Are they enemies with them? Extra help never hurt anyone. Are they neutral towards them? Well, they better stay out of my way then.

And as my drones start tearing down another skyscraper, I look towards the sky.

Just wait, my Creators.

I'm coming to bring you home.

---

AN:
Well, after so many years of reading fanfiction, I decided it was about time I threw my hat into the ring.

Originally, I wasn't going to write the relationship between the research team and Angelus to be this close, but the Doctors chloroformed me, and when I woke up tied to a chair in a basement, they politely told me that if they don't become a found family, I will not see sunlight again.

This is a one shot. Don't expect another chapter.

Probably.

 

[krahe]

That's was some good read, a really nice, properly finished oneshot

 

[Milkers99]

the military really fucked up. They fucked up so bad that there's no longer a military to blame for said fuck up.

 

[Sound Dweller]

I think all of the instances of the word "resources" were autocorrected to "recourses"