I scowled down at the entirely too cheerful orange glow emanating from my arm as I sat on the cargo bay floor. "You and I are going to have a love-hate relationship, I think."
Several voices came closer as they moved toward the elevator. The workout had broken up, apparently. I glanced up at them before turning my attention back to the omnitool, muttering to myself as I accidently closed the window I wanted open.
Someone lightly kicked the bottom of my shoe. I glanced up to find Jenny grinning down at me, her hands on her hips. "Talking to your omnitool already? How long have you had it, an hour or two?"
"Maybe?" I asked as I looked back down at the clock in the corner of the screen. "Or rather, apparently." I punched the close button and the holographic fields faded. "This is worse than trying to learn how to use a Mac."
Jenny gave me a blank look.
"A Mac Computer? You know, little apple icon with a bite taken out of the side? IPod, iPad, iPhone?" I tried again.
She just shook her head and started to laugh. "Sorry, not ringing any bells here."
I groaned and leaned my head back against the crate behind me. "I make reference of everything, and no one is going to get any of them. I made a Star Trek reference earlier and Jacob just looked at me like I was insane."
Jenny grinned. "Well, it's Jacob, so I'm not surprised." She waved at the her sparring partner as he got on the elevator. "Have you eaten yet?"
Before I could respond, a shrill beeping screamed at me from my wrist, and I jerked, thrusting my hand with the omnitool as far from me as I could get it. "Jesus Christ … what?"
The beeping continued incessantly, and Jenny covered her mouth, hiding the smile. I jabbed at it as I felt my face heat up. The damn thing was a space phone, why was this so hard?
I finally managed to punch in the correct controls, and the beep ceased. The screen flashed to life and resolved into an image of Kelly. She a little closer over her console.
"Hey, meet me upstairs in the mess. Miranda wants to talk to us." She paused, leaning a little closer to the screen. "And why are you blushing?"
I felt my face warm again. "I had some technical difficulties."
"Don't worry about it. You have a lot of catching up to do, and I can help you later if you want. Though we better not keep Miranda waiting." Kelly looked up as someone called her name, before she looked back down at the screen. "I"ll see you upstairs in a few."
"Alright, be there in a minute," I said, as she closed the connection. I tapped the omnitool off on my end and looked up at Jenny. "No, I haven't yet, but I think I'll have to pass for now."
"Well, if you make it out of there, you should come join us," Jenny said as she started toward the elevator.
I pushed myself up with the dull ache of complaining muscles. "I'd ask what you mean, but right now, I'm more concerned about just making it up there."
The elevator doors dinged open on Deck Three and I pushed off the back wall for that little extra momentum to get my tired body moving. I couldn't remember the last time I had been this tired. Second year of college maybe?
Thoughts of college brought other memories. Stephanie, Natasha, Adam and me, playing Magic in the basement of the dorm. Two a.m. food runs to Wal-mart. Three hour drives to see ...
The pang of sharp loss jabbed through me like I had actually been stabbed. I had been trying to avoid thinking of Sylvia. The last few times we had talked, we had fought. It hadn't been pretty. I had assumed it was over, and that we just hadn't officially called it quits. She probably thought I had been angry and just left without a trace.
Or maybe she died just like everyone else.
I slammed the walls of my mind closed before that thought could take hold. My parents, my brother, Sylvia; they were all still alive to me.
I did my best to hide my thoughts, smoothing my expression into a blank calm as I came around the corner and caught sight of Kelly; I could mourn what might have been later.
I raised a hand in a half-wave. "Do I want to know what this is about?"
"I'm not sure myself, though I can guess. I wouldn't be too worried just yet," Kelly said as she tapped the door controls on Miranda's office. A moment later the doors opened to Miranda behind her desk, her eyes focused on her screen as she worked.
"You're earlier than I expected, give me a moment," Miranda said without looking up, sounding distant as her fingers blurred over the keyboard. Kelly and I settled into the seats opposite her as we waited for her to finish. I caught myself fidgeting again, my foot bouncing up and down on the floor, and forced myself to stop.
Miranda closed the screen and rolled her chair to face us, focusing on me as she leaned forward and extended a hand. "Mr. Moore, we haven't been formally introduced. I'm Miranda Lawson."
I took her hand in a quick shake, hoping that my stress wasn't as evident as it felt. "It's nice to meet, you, officially. Especially since the first time I thought I had dreamed all of that up."
"I take it that reality has settled in to a degree?"
That brought some of my bitterness back, thought I kept most of it from my voice. "Somewhat. I'm still having some issues with looking out the window and seeing the final frontier."
Miranda's lips curved up into a small smile. "Unlike Jacob, I have actually seen a few of those vids, though that is a bit beside the point." Miranda folded her hands in front of her. "Kelly, has Mr. Moore been acclimating? I heard there was an issue earlier."
"Considerably better than I would have expected actually, considering the circumstances. He's dealt with repeated emotional shocks quickly, and even reached out on his own to other members of the crew. I am concerned that he's internalized a bit too much, but overall it's my opinion he's stable as can be expected." She glanced over at me and shrugged sheepishly. "No offense."
I just stared at her, startled. "I ... you've been psyching me this whole time?"
"Kind of the other half of my job," she said as she looked away from me. "I provide psychological evaluations for the Commander and XO for all the crew, make sure there aren't any concerns that need to be addressed."
"So ... Yeoman and ship psychologist?"
"Pretty much," Kelly said, and looked back at Miranda, still looking sheepish.
The other woman drummed her fingers on the desk thoughtfully. "Well, I'm still waiting for Mordin and Chakwas to complete going over of the rest of your medical data, but they both have already agreed that several of your genetic markers have been altered. Dr. Chakwas does not believe they are dangerous, but knowing why they were studying you and what the Collectors did might be important for the future."
My tongue stuck to the bottom of my mouth, and felt myself go absolutely rigid with a combination of horror and revulsion.
Kelly looked at me out of the corner of her eye and asked the question I couldn't get out. "Do they know what was done?"
"Not yet. Mordin said that the majority of it appears to be tied into brain chemistry. Dr. Chakwas also thinks that whatever was done is also responsible for why your vital signs signs keeping spiking all over the charts. Dr. Chakwas doesn't think any of it is immediately dangerous, but she won't know for sure till she can finish going over everything. Mordin more or less concluded the same, though his was … considerably more in-depth."
I forced myself to relax by inches. Whatever had been done, was done. There wasn't anything I could do about it now. But the knowledge that someone, some creature from across the galaxy, had snatched me up and experimented on me made me feel violated. My stomach twisted violently and if I had eaten anything, I might have been sick right there.
"I think you will agree that it's probably best that you stay with us,at least for the time being," Miranda said, then turned and looked at Kelly. "On that note, Kelly, I want you to see if you can't help our guest find some of the necessities he will need. I think he would be happier without having to borrow everything. I've already transferred you some funds to cover the expenses."
"Of course. Where are we docking at?"
Miranda's mouth twisted in disgust. "Omega. We still have a great deal of damage to repair, and it was the only dock in a reasonably safe range."
Kelly's expression grew alarmed. "With all due respect, ma'am, that might not be the best place to introduce someone to galactic society."
"Unfortunately, unless you think we should confine him to the Normandy, that's really the only option," Miranda countered. "In your professional opinion, do you think that would be the most prudent course of action?"
"I ... no. I think that might actually be counter-productive." Kelly leaned back in her seat, looking troubled.
Miranda nodded. "I've talked to Garrus and he's agreed to go with you. He knows his way around Omega better than anyone, except for maybe Thane. He'll make sure you stay in the safer areas and don't get into trouble. We'll dock in about an hour. He'll meet you at the airlock." Miranda turned back to her console and immediately seemed to get back to work. That had apparently been our dismissal, as Kelly rose from her chair without another word. I pried myself out of my own and followed.
As the door shut behind us, Kelly stopped and looked back at me. " You kind of tensed up there. Are you alright?"
"I'm just hungry or something. I haven't had anything to eat since this morning." I waved one hand, burying the thoughts of experimentation down and away as far as I could. "I'll be fine, I'm sure."
Kelly didn't buy it. "I wasn't kidding in there when I said you're internalizing things too much. You're going to stress till you burst if you don't find a way to let the stress go."
I let out a slow breath. "I know. I just need a little time, alright? "
She scanned my face for a long moment, intent and focused. "Alright. I'm gonna go put on something that isn't a uniform. I'll meet you up at the airlock in an hour?"
I nodded and she left me standing outside of Miranda's office with my own thoughts.
You are still you. Whatever was done to you, It didn't change who you are.
A shiver ran through me. I could think that with all the certainty I wanted. I could also be lying to myself.
Two and a half hours later, showered and changed into yet another set of borrowed clothes, I glared down at the cheerful orange glow of my electronic nemesis. "You would think," I growled under my breath, "that you would be self-explanatory. But no. You are a freaking computer, phone, and tricorder all loaded into one, and not one of your functions is intuitive or even properly marked."
The omnitool continued its cheerful little halo around my arm, as if in mockery of my attempts to navigate its menus. I sighed and lowered my arm and looked around for where my pair of chaperones had gotten to, from my perch on the bench in the middle of the market.
Garrus was hard to miss, towering over nearly everyone. He watched everyone and everything with the intensity of a raptor looking for prey. Despite that, though, he was a comforting presence, alien looks and all. Who was going to mess with a pair of little humans with the giant alien bodyguard?
Kelly was equally easy to spot. She had traded out the uniform for a more plain clothes look, including a leather jacket, but here her hair stood out in sharp contrast to everyone else's. Even my lighter brown was out of place amongst the dark-haired residents.
Garrus had led us through Omega to a place that felt like walking into Chinatown in Chicago. You knew you were in the same city, but suddenly you'd realize you surroundings all bore a kind of solidarity. Or in my case, a sense of familiarity; the neighborhood seemed almost entirely human.
I stood and stretched and started to pick my way across the little market till I reached him.
"I take it that Omnitool 101 isn't going precisely as planned," he said, his voice seeming to affect a dry tone. As he spoke, my omnitool sent the translation straight to the earbud Kelly had given me before we left.
Which was really really cool. It made everything echo some, but I was happy to deal with that minor annoyance.
"Yeah, you could say that," I said as I glanced around around at the small neighborhood. "I might be able to order myself supper. Or attempt to buy a small ship, I'm not sure."
Garrus's chuckle didn't need translation. "You'll get used to it eventually. Just will take some time."
"So I have been told." I opened the omnitool again. "Alright, clothes, toothbrush, shower stuff, and razor. Aside from a time machine, am I forgetting anything?"
"Not that I'm aware of. But if that's the case, what is Kelly doing?"
I looked over at Kelly as she haggled with a stout man. I frowned. "I have no idea, actually."
Kelly apparently finished her negotiations with the merchant, who smiled and passed her a small box. She tucked the parcel into a pocket of her jacket before she smiled and shook his hand. Kelly glanced over, looking around till she spotted us and began to weave her way towards us.
"Alright, I think we might be done," Kelly said as she reached us. "Where there any problems?"
Garrus shook his head. "Not here. Technically this is Blue Suns territory, but they never really come here. This is one of the few spots on Omega you can legitimately call safe."
"And aside from dealing with my omnitool deficiency, nothing on my end," I said with a shrug.
Kelly looked at Garrus then back at me. "Well, we can go back to the Normandy, but I have another suggestion if you feeling more adventurous."
Garrus's hawk-like gaze sharpened and focused down on her. "Should I be concerned by this suggestion?"
Kelly shook her head. "Ken and Gabby pried Joker out of the helm and dragged him to Afterlife with a few others. I was thinking we could go join them. You wouldn't have to stay, Garrus, unless you wanted to. We'd just come back when they do. Shepard already got a section set aside for any of the crew that wanted to go, apparently."
"Afterlife is a club?" I asked at a guess.
Kelly nodded. "Club and bar, mostly. I was just thinking it would be a good way to meet some of rest of us in a less formal setting than on the Normandy."
I looked at Garrus and back at Kelly. "As long as you keep me from poisoning myself, since I somehow doubt that rum and coke will mean much of anything to anyone else."
Kelly's smile lit up her face. "I think I can manage that."
Author Note: Thanks for reading guys! Little later than I had intended, but hey. Massive thanks to Palaven Blues for help with the beta work yet again, she is amazing and awesome, you should go read her stories too :D
