The war was over. Or at least that had been the idea. In a herculean effort, the united species of the galaxy had defeated the Reapers and ensured their survival. It had come however at an immense cost, as planets had been ravaged, populations decimated and some pushed to extinction. And yet, some had even found a future, once more being able to repopulate. It would take time and effort, but eventually the galaxy would heal its wounds and enter a new age of prosperity only dreamed of before.
As for Commander Shepard, the grand hero of the galaxy, she had finally gotten some well-earned rest. In truth, it had not been as much rest as a long medical treatment. She had miraculously survived the end of the war on London, and she had quietly been retrieved by the Alliance to immediately be put in medical care. It had taken months, but she was up and running once again, although this time she was a civilian and occasional freelancer. She had been discharged with the highest honours from the allied military, and her ragtag team of heroes had gone its separate ways. Garrus back to the hierarchy to help rebuilding, Liara and Javik were writing some book last she knew, Vega was still in the army, Ashley had re-enlisted, Miranda worked under Hackett… However, her former pilot, Joker, had not had such a good ending. He had been completely devastated by the loss of EDI, the ai being lost in the destruction of the reapers along with the Geth. The bond between them was known to many, and her loss caused him to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

However, it had been some time she had last heard of him, so she had decided to check on him personally. Now here she was, standing in front of an apartment door in Illium. Honestly, she did not expect Joker of all people to end living in the Terminus Systems, mainly due to his medical condition.
Seeing there was no answer, she tried again, this time the door opening but no one showing up. The place was barely lit, the dim lighting coming from the dusky skies of the city. No sign of the man.

- Joker? You in there?

No answer. The place was what could be considered tidy and clean, with the exception of alcoholic bottles everywhere and some pictures of EDI in a datapad. The poor guy didn’t seem to bode well, and his anguish had most likely only gotten worse.

- God damn it Jeff…

Movement on the balcony caused Shepard to react, the woman quickly reaching for her sidearm and slowly approaching the balcony. There was definitely someone there, but the noises that came from it didn’t sound like an organic being at all, and definitely didn’t sound like a mech that were so widespread now.
When she came out, her pistol, ready, she was left speechless and unable to react. In the balcony, leaning on the handrail, was someone that the last time she had seen her it had been prior to the battle in London. Her synthetic body gleamed in the setting sun, while her eyes, hidden under a blue visor, scrutinized the city below. However, she was very aware of the other woman’s presence.

- EDI? How-

Shepard was not able to continue, as the one she considered a close ally immediately launched a kick to her face, the redhead woman barely managing to react in time, protecting her face with her arms. However, this caused her to lose grip on the handgun, which went flying into the house. Blocking attack after attack, she realized that there was no way to reason with the gynoid, and also realized what had driven Joker to Illium.
Seeing an opening, Shepard landed a solid punch on the gynoid, causing her to stagger and fall. She still had it. However, she didn’t have time to celebrate as she sat on top of her adversary and punched her once, twice and thrice.

- Where. Is. Joker.

Her tone immediately gave away she was not in a joking mood, but as an answer she only got a tiny smug smile from the gynoid, as the gun’s muzzle was pressed against the back of her head. Shepard froze, the woman standing immobile while she evaluated her options. She realized how out of shape she was when she had not bothered to check for any more enemies and directly taking advantage of the fallen foe, now paying for such a rookie mistake.

- Right here Shepard.

She was probably being fooled, as the voice was clearly feminine, but she didn’t have the opportunity to face the second opponent before she felt a blunt hit on the back of her head, her consciousness going out immediately and dropping dead on the spot.
With Shepard down, the second opponent helped the gynoid up, then picking up the unconscious redhead and swiftly making their way to their ride, leaving the apartment behind as if nothing had happened.

&&

When consciousness returned, Shepard found herself in a place and situation that were eerily familiar to her. A pristine room, an unknown room, but this time she was cuffed to a smooth metallic surface. She was also completely naked, her scar-marred body visible to no one but herself. The ambient was quiet, not even the lights of the room making the smallest sound, and this allowed her mind to start working. Knowing her current location was top priority, as well as trying to gather as much information possible and try to find a way out. Also, something to cover herself would be much appreciated.

However, the room was very much empty, with the exception of the surface she was handcuffed to and a strange cylinder with three legs, the tripod being attached to the wall in front of her. It was familiar and terrifying, but her mind wasn’t completely up and running yet, and as the door opened, she realized the terrible situation she was in. Three new inhabitants entered the room, two of them were gynoids, one of them a very recent acquittance, and the other was someone she hoped never to see breathing again. The man had fair skin and closely cropped silver-grey hair, his overall presence having improved leagues since the last time they saw each other, although the scars in his face and neck gave away the recent past. He was dressed in one of his iconic suits, and his steely blue eyes were completely fixated on her.

- We meet again Shepard.

- Never thought I would ever see you again.

- Not surprising considering the…circumstances of our last encounter. But as you might have concluded, I am not that easy to kill.

- How?

- Truth to be told? It was sheer luck. It wasn’t my best shot; I have to admit, but I’ll take the hand I have been dealt.

The Illusive Man spoke calmly, puffing the cigar in his right hand every now and then. She didn’t seem to mind her naked state, as he read her face and then directed his sight somewhere else.

- Honestly, I wasn’t completely expecting for the events to unfold like this, but I’ll take it anyway.

- What-

- But, before we continue, allow me to present to you your captors and future colleagues, and my two most trusted agents. -He waved at the first of them. An almost identical copy to EDI, with the distinction of the blue visor where she had orange.

- This is the new and updated EDI.

- Wha-

- Please Shepard, do not interrupt and I’ll make sure to explain everything. As you know, EDI was… killed in the end of the reaper war, you should better than anyone else. -She kept her poker face on, but god damn that hit home. – So, we recovered the body and worked on bringing her back.

- We?

- You underestimate how far someone will go for their loved ones Shepard. - With that the terrifying implications started to sink in.- Humans are such a complex species, well this can be also applied to the turians, the quarians and krogans, but the point stands. So far that one could help their former enemy if that mean seeing them again, and knowing that she had one particularly strong bond… well, it didn’t pose much of a challenge.

- God damnit Jeff…

Silence followed, as she took it all in and worked with it. The Illusive Man kept quiet, not so much for gloating but out of respect. One could say that he was shady, a convinced xenophobe and even a terrorist, but gallantry, respect and education were things he had dominated.

- When we brought her back, her memory was gone, an unforeseen turn to say the least, but considering that I was the one that built her body in the first place its only fair to reclaim it.
But it didn’t end there, since we got a hold of quite the technology, one that will help me get back on my feet and even give me ground to stand on.

Stepping aside, and almost reacting to him, the cylinder on the wall extended a long metallic pole that reached all the way to her, touch her bare skin on her belly button. She had managed to keep the façade, but her mind was terrified once she had identified the thig. Of course it was familiar, and with good reason. It was a dragon’s teeth, the poles the reapers had used to create husks. Her eyes must have betrayed her fears though, as her captor spoke once again.

- The Reapers, the bane of this galaxy. They almost drove us to extinction, but our grand heroine saved us all. It was a joint effort, no doubt about that, since they wouldn’t have been exterminated otherwise, but you were the key to it. Now the galaxy rebuilds, and humanity has the place it deserves among the stars.

- Not thanks to you.

- Perhaps. But that doesn’t matter anymore, the war is over and both of us have completed our roles.

- And what was yours? The reapers’ marionette?

- Do not test my patience and goodwill Shepard. – His tone made it clear he had taken offense to the comment. – But in a way you are right, we played our roles, and now we will gradually fade into myth and legend. But you, you still belong to me.

- Not a chance.

- You are not in a position to oppose me. I brought you back, I gave you what you needed, I will take back what’s mine. But this time, you will obey.

With those words the metal spike perforated her body, making her writhe in pain. She would have cursed and probably snapped his neck if he was in her range and her arms were free, but she was completely at his mercy.

- Using reaper technology, she came back, and I found other… applications shall we say. With theories to prove and a thankful partner, I had all set for the next stage. And it was successful.

Shepard looked at the other gynoid. She could be considered EDI’s twin sister by her appearance, which was completely identical with the exception of the colours she wore. Where EDI had a blue visor, she had a bright orange, a colour that was shared by the body where the first had black.

- He asked for few concessions, and I saw no problem capitulating to them. In a romantic way, they could now start from scratch and never be apart. My two most trusted agents, but two of them aren’t enough for my next project, which is where you come in. You have fulfilled your purpose as saviour of the galaxy and grand symbol of humanity. It is time to start anew.

She couldn’t look down, but Shepard could feel her body changing.

- Oh, and don’t worry, the concessions will apply to you too. - The man turned to leave the room but stopped next to the gynoids- make sure the process is thorough, once we part there will be not going back.

- Yes sir.

As both gynoids answered he left the room, leaving Shepard with two gynoids that had previously been the trusted AI of the Normandy and the pilot of the ship. She hated to admit it, but she had seen the problems of their relation arise for a while, and yet she had kept quiet. The Illusive Man, in his sick and twisted nature, had found a way to reunite them both, a live example of her future.
The change picked up the pace, as it moved through her body, changing her. Spreading from where the former reaper tech had stabbed her, her body changed from organic to synthetic. Muscle, organs and water in her body were changed and reshaped, turning into metal, circuitry and cybernetic parts. Her body, as it became mechanical in nature, took on a stylized shape, alloy and metal. However, this did not mean she it didn’t possess beauty of its own, as the metal was a flexible alloy that could mimic the texture of skin without any trouble. As the change progressed, she could feel her ass become more pronounced and completely decorative, while her most intimate area was replaced by a synthetic replica, no more changes happening to it. Her legs became slender and lean, giving her a taller and more stylized figure while her feet hardened and became boot-looking, her toes fusing together and solidifying.
Upwards, the change spread both swiftly and painfully, reshaping for her new existence and purpose. From her lower torso the change went up, turning muscle and bone into alloy and robotics, making the process painful all the way through. It was only then that she completely understood the visions all the way back in Eden Prime, and a vision didn’t do justice to it. Her skin turned into the same flexible alloy as her lower body did, although her breasts, bigger than EDI’s, remained as such, as a final insult to her situation. As the change approached her head, she realized too late the other implications of her change. As her neck and lower jaw turned into alloy, her memories started to fail, fading. She tried to hold on to what she could recall, names, places, events. Garrus Vakarian, Urdnot Wrex, Liara T’Soni, Tali Zorah, Earth, Tuchanka, the downed geth battleship, the duel between the reaper and the threster maw… But as much as she tried, as her head hardened and changed, her facial features turning into those of the other two gynoids and her hair taking the same helmet-like appearance as EDI’s, the memories eventually faded away, the new gynoid staring blankly forward as a visor formed in front of her eyes. Commander Jane Shepard was no more, in her place standing an inert gynoid.
A bolt of electricity jolted her into action, as the spike retracted and allowed her synthetic body to heal, which it did immediately, but she did not move not break her pose. Waiting patiently, the other two gynoids approached the third, new robot, freeing her from her shackles and allowing her to move freely. They stared at each other in silence.

- Unit 03- spoke EDI- you are to follow us and report to the master immediately.

- Unit 03, acknowledged.

With that said, the three gynoids made their way to their destination. Through the way, Unit 03 did take a look around, noticing the red colours on her body and visor and other interesting features about the place. It was structured less like a station and more like a ship of notable proportions, and the crew seemed to be entirely mechanical, consisting mainly of common mechs.

&&

From his seat, the Illusive Man watched the gynoids make their way to him. He watched Unit 03 look around the ship, a testament of the will of her previous self that she retained the tiniest glimpse of curiosity not seen in Unit 01 and 02. He had come to a decision, and as the gynoids walked behind him and stood at attention, he spoke.

- Your objective remains unchanged, bring what is needed. Discreetly. -He said emphasising the last word- For this, Unit 03 will take command as she demonstrates a more autonomous though process.

- Understood. -Answered the three gynoids.

As they left, he turned his back on them. Preparations were almost complete. With the rebuilding process, the galaxy would be quite busy for the next decades until they did so completely, and more time would be needed to achieve the previous prosperity. Meanwhile, he would head into the Perseus Veil. Now that the Geth were gone, he would lay claim to the new opportunity, where he would enact his plans and do his biding without opposition. And if there was opposition… well, it would not matter, since it would come from a race inferior to the humans and their allies, one he would subdue with his mechanical force. If worse came to pass, he could count with his new right hand and her two accomplices, who would obey no matter the order.