Onwards and Upwards

Ashley Williams was in the middle of her work out when she heard the door open. She didn't look up, assuming it was just one of the crew coming to use the gym. When she finally did, she found Jack standing there.

"Hi," Ashley said, her eyes narrowing. "What do you want?"

"What, can't a girl just come in and say hello?" Jack asked.

"Right," Ashley said. "You're here to say hello. You. Jack. Of all people. You just came in here to say hi."

"Wow, someone’s still got a broom up their ass, don’t they?” Jack replied, a sly grin spreading across her face. "Maybe I'm just in the mood for a friendly chat.”

"Right," Ashley said. "And maybe I'm in the mood to believe you. What do you want, Jack?"

"Honestly? I want to help you relax," Jack replied, moving closer. "You're so stuck up all the time. You need to chill the fuck out once in a while. Have some fun.”

"Great," Ashley said. "Thanks for the advice. Now get lost."

"Actually," Jack replied, her eyes glowing, "I think I’ll stay.”

Ashley was about to say something, when suddenly her mind went blank. All thoughts of resistance, of anger, of suspicion, all of it was wiped away in an instant. Jack's eyes glowed, and Ashley found herself unable to look away.

"There," Jack-Bot continued, her voice taking on a hypnotic tone. “Doesn’t it feel good to just relax? Let all those bitchy thoughts just disappear. Like your clothes. Show me your body. Show me everything. I want to see your tits, your pussy, your ass. I want to see all of you. Show me how comfortable you are now that you’re so relaxed.”

Ashley didn't hesitate, she removed her clothes with mechanical efficiency, as if she were a robot herself. She was naked before Jack-Bot, whose ocular cameras were transmitting the whole show back to Aria.

"Good," Jack-Bot said, with Aria’s approval. "Very good. Now, let's talk about the future. You will forget this encounter. You will return to your duties. Specialist Traynor will fabricate top-secret orders superseding Shepard’s authority. They are for your eyes only, and will be sending you to Omega for reprogramming and replacement. You will not question them. You will obey them without hesitation, and never speak of them to anyone. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress," Ashley said. Her mind was completely blank. She was completely under the spell of Jack-Bot and the mysterious woman in her head. The voice of her mistress echoed through her mind. She had no will of her own. She was a ****, a willing **** to her mistress, and her will was her mistress's will.

"Good," Jack-Bot said. "Now, get dressed and return to your duties."

"Yes, Mistress," Ashley said, putting her clothes back on with mechanical efficiency, her mind still completely blank. She left without another word, her feet taking her back to the crew deck, and the barracks. Her mind was still blank, but her body knew what to do.

***

As the shuttle approached the Normandy to take her to the nearby spaceport, Ashley’s mind was awash with conflicting thoughts. A part of her was screaming at her to turn back, to realize that something was wrong, but it was being drowned out by the chorus of obedient thoughts telling her to follow the orders she had been given. There was no question as to their veracity. She had received her instructions. She would obey them, and that was all there was to it. The shuttle landed and she disembarked, making her way to the port.

The shuttle bay was busy, with dozens of ships of all shapes and sizes coming and going. Ashley made her way to a terminal and scanned her omni-tool. It was programmed with her destination and the necessary information to make it happen. She didn't question it, she didn't even look at it. She had been given her orders, and she would obey them.

She boarded the ship to Omega, and the trip was uneventful. She didn't speak to anyone, didn't even look at them. She had no reason to, and she had no will to deviate from her programming. Once they reached the station, she disembarked, and made her way to the designated location.

She found herself marching into Omega, as her assignment commanded. She was to meet her contact at Afterlife and would receive further instructions from them. She wasn’t told who to expect, only that they would make the introductions.

She was not prepared for who actually met her. She felt a tap on her shoulder, turned around, and saw her own face staring back at her. She was about to say something when the other Ashley’s eyes glowed. Ashley’s mouth closed as soon as it opened. Her body stiffened, and her mind went blank. The other Ashley smiled, and led her to the back room.

...

A few weeks later, Aria was lounging on her couch at the top level of Afterlife, rolling her eyes as Jona Sedaris, head of Eclipse, was babbling at her across the table. Jona was one of the few mercenary bosses on the station who still gave her the slightest bit of lip. She didn't take too kindly to being bossed around, even by the Pirate Queen herself, and she was always trying to push the boundaries of what she could get away with. It was annoying, but Aria had to admit that she had a certain amount of respect for the woman. She wondered if it wouldn’t be worth brainwashing her too…

“Aria! Are you listening to me?” Jona snapped, and Aria snapped back to the conversation.

"No, I wasn't," she admitted. “I was thinking about more important things.”

Jona was furious. "You bitch!" she snarled. "I'm trying to negotiate with you and you can't even be bothered to listen to me?"

Aria laughed. "You're not negotiating. You're babbling. You're a fly buzzing around my head, and I'm trying to decide whether to swat you or ignore you."

Jona was about to reply when the door opened and an athletic woman in skintight white armor and a matching helmet walked in. She had a t-shaped visor on the helmet, glowing bright blue, obscuring her face. A cascade of walnut colored hair poured out from the back. The woman said nothing, simply walking forward with a dufflebag, which she dropped on the table in front of them.

“Thank you Vigilance,” Aria said, nodding as the woman took up position next to Aria, standing ramrod stiff and silent, with her arms folded behind her back. Jona glared at her.

“What is this? Who’s she?”

“My new bodyguard. She’s good. So good in fact she’s just finished collecting the heads of all your lieutenants.”

Jona’s jaw dropped. “She what?”

“Don’t believe me? Take a look in there,” she nodded to the bag. “She killed them all. One by one. Without a sound. They never even saw her coming. See? Not even a stain on her.” Aria gestured to Vigilance’s white armor. “And she did it all without a single complaint or hesitation. Now, that’s loyalty. That’s dedication. That’s what I expect from my people. That’s what I expect from you and yours Sedaris,” Aria grinned. “Now unless you want to join your subordinates, I suggest you drop the attitude, and leave. Oh, and take that bag with you.”

Jona snatched up the bag and stormed off, not even bothering to look inside. Vigilance followed her movements silently, and Aria couldn’t help but smile at her newest ****. Her obedience was perfect, her combat skills were excellent, and she looked great in that tight little suit. The former Ashley Williams had proven a most valuable asset. She didn’t even know her own name. All she cared about was protecting Aria and following her orders, like a good little toy soldier. Like a good little ****. A good little **** who would do whatever Aria told her to, without question or hesitation.

Vigilance had no idea that she had once been a proud Alliance marine, the second human spectre, a hero to her species. All she knew, or cared about, was that she was Aria's loyal servant, and that was all that mattered.