The artificial sun of the Citadel has set hours ago on a distinct human ward, modeling the city of London with many large brick buildings and a distinct representation of Big Ben. It is a common tourist attraction to aliens unable to visit Earth itself to examine the culture and architecture of the actual city. A large hotel near the center of the ward is the temporary home of an aging Margret Peters, a professional surgeon specializing in the application of cybernetics. A black figure creeps to the hotel window.
Ghost, lightyears from her usual hunting ground found one of her old job finders who had to run out of Omega because of 'reasons'. An anomalous source asked for this hit, offering a spectacular amount for her execution on the behalf that she knows too much and is starting to inquire. The source is also offering an awesome bonus for the information as well.
Ghost lands in the room swiftly, looking around only to find it empty. Putting her pistol back onto her hip, she starts to search. Opening her Omni-tool, she activates the search program, waving her hand around the room. The soft pinging slowly gets faster as she gets deeper into the room. It isn't an amazing room, a queen sized bed, desk, mini-fridge, and small bathroom, that's it.
As Ghost reaches the desk, she is convinced that the file she is looking for is in the pile that adorns the surface. Turning her Omni-tool off, she starts shuffling through the files, quickly finding the pad decorated with TOP SECRET, narrowing her eyes, a slight ting of pain rushes through her temples as she examines the report. The Artemis Project, Artemis… that kind of sounds like Temis.
A shock of pain rushes though her head as she nearly drops the pad, shaking her head, Ghost does her best not to pass out. She does her best not to scream and give herself away as she leans on the desk, gasping as silently as she can. Footsteps in the hallway cause her head to turn at a painful speed. Backing away, Ghost rearms her pistol as her grip tightens on the datapad. The pistol shakes slightly her her hand as Ghost tries to ignore the pain and aims the weapon at the door.
The door opens and a woman of African-American decent enters, stepping back in fear at the sight of Ghost. The woman's face is so familiar, bringing nauseating waves of agonizing déjà vu. Pain ripples through Ghost as she drops the pistol and pad, and lands on her hands and knees. Tears in her eyes, she lets out a slight whimper.
"W-who are you?" Margret almost screams, her voice shaking violently.
"Temis." Ghost says in a barely audible whisper, falling onto the ground as she loses consciousness.
"What happened to the girl that she needs so many cybernetics?" Doctor Peters asks Luther as he picks up the drowsy patient. Margret tasks off her mask, putting away her spare sutures and cleaning the needle.
"She was in a bad accident, I can't really say more."
"I want Mr. Bon Bon Luther!" The little girl whines, tightening her hands on Luther's uniform, tears in her eyes.
"It will be alright Temis. We are going to your room so you can go beddy-bye."
"That must have been a terrible accident, but the thing that I don't get is that she has no sign of injury besides her new surgery scars."
"She was exposed to a hazardous substance. It mainly affected her ligaments, reducing her flexibility, but also destroyed to tissue of some of her major organs and did some damage to her sensory organs as well."
Margret stares at Luther skeptically. If so much of her body was affected, then her nervous system and brain would have been also affected, yet she seems to have no mental deterioration. Not to mention the way Luther's explanation seemed much too rehearsed to be true, but the damage is done and she can't do anything that won't make the problem worse. With a sigh she removes her gloves and watches the man bring the child out of the room.
Margret carefully approaches the armored figure, unsure if the individual is still aware or not. Temis was what Luther called that little girl in the Artemis Project. Picking up the datapad the person dropped, she finds the very file she was thinking of. Scrolling down she finds the picture, if this stranger is Temis, they should bare resemblance. Turning the person onto its back, Margret finds the helmet's release latches and lifts them up.
A hiss is heard and the helmet is detached from the rest of the armor. Slowly sliding the piece of armor off, Margret half expects long auburn curls to roll out. As she shakily removes the helmet, she drops it in shock. A human for sure, with sort auburn hair brushed to a point above the head and obviously feminine features. Freckles group on the bridge of her nose and dust the rest of her paling face.
The figure groans, shifting slightly, but doesn't wake. The fluttering of her eye-lids indicates REM sleep. She's probably having vivid delusions, but that is good sign for she isn't completely comatose. Laying a hand on the girl's head, Margret finds she is fighting an intense fever.
She is definite match to the girl in the pictures, but why is she here? With a sigh, Margret picks the girl up and lays her on the bed, slowly removing the constricting armor. The girl shifts a couple more times, but still doesn't wake. As Margret starts to undo the clasps of her right gauntlet, Temis screams loudly and starts to writhe violently, her back arching and tears running down her cheeks. It stops as soon as it started, but it makes it quite obvious that she is having some kind of nightmare.
Margret backs away quickly in surprise, running to the back the room. She grabs a pack from the closet, and runs back. She opens the pack, taking out a needle and bottle of sedative. Putting in a small dose, she presses the needle into Temis's skin. The sedative doesn't seem to last long after it takes effect as the girl starts to shriek and squirm once again.
Looking at the bottle and reading the label, Margret glances at the pad. She grabs the pad a skims it, suddenly realizing the problem. Temis needs a higher dose because of the cybernetics in her kidneys and liver filter out larger amounts out of her blood as it passes through. Taking that into consideration, she takes another dose from the bottle, hurrying before Temis as another attack and alerts the neighbors even more. No doubt she will have C-sec at her door soon.
Finally calming Temis, Margret finishes removing the girl's armor. With a sigh, Margret examines Temis for infections that can be causing the fever. Finding nothing, she deduces that it can be illness or physical stress. With a sigh, she reopens the pack and gives Temis an anti-viral and antibiotics. She goes into the bathroom and moistens a cloth with cold water, wringing it out and reentering to room to place it on Temis's head.
Sitting at her desk chair, Margret sighs, putting her head in her hands. Why is Temis here, now? Why was she in armor and carrying a pistol, and why did she pass out at that time. Did she know she was feverish, or did the fever just started to occur? So many questions and the answers are all held by an unconscious teenager with a high fever.
She looks at the girl again, and slowly stands. There is another place where there can be answers, Temis's Omni-tool. Cautiously lifting the girl's wrist, Margret removes the device and puts it on her wrist. Opening it, she finds a pretty secure allotment of files and internet bookmarks. Opening her browsing history, Margret finds many different searches made over the last few days.
She has been searching around for her old caretaker Luther, but also some other names like Maria White and an assortment of searches for Temis. She also has been searching a lot for records of extensive cybernetic surgeries, accidents that require large amounts of cybernetics were needed to keep the survivor alive, and cybernetic procedures for young children. She lately has been searching up the Collectors and the missing human colonies, visiting human news sites about the rumor that Commander Shepard is still alive.
The searches don't follow any real order, all random and sporadic, but Margret can make a guess to what could be happening. Temis wants to know who she really is, and is trying to figure it out. Much like Margret herself when she stole the datapad the day she did the procedure.
A knock on the door draws Margret's attention, opening it to see a Turian C-sec officer. Glancing back into the room towards bed where the girl lies, she looks back at the alien with a weary expression. Rubbing her tired eye, she gives a mild yawn.
"Any problem officer?"
"I am here to investigate a noise complaint, something about screaming coming from this room."
Margret sighs, pushing her hand through her hair and letting it fall through to her shoulder, "Yes, I'm so sorry. A dear friend of mine had me keep an eye on her sick daughter, and the poor dear had some intense nightmares from her fever. She is alright now, her fever broke some time ago and she has calmed down. She is getting better and there should be no more screaming."
The Turian inspects her, his eyes peering over her closely. Satisfied with her explanation, he types down some notes on his datapad and clears his throat.
"You are in the clear for now, but I better not have to come back, you hear?"
"Yes officer." Margret replies as the officer nods and leaves.
Closing the door, Margret sighs in relief. Turning around, her eyes land on the bed as she stares at Temis. Making an internal decision, she moves the datapad and takes off Temis's Omni-tool. With a heavy sigh, Margret ties up her hair and puts on a light jacket, leaving the room and locking the door behind her.
Temis wakes up, seeing the roof to the room in the old Cerberus base. With a sigh, she sits up in her bed, her muscles screaming in protest. Groaning, she puts her head in her hands. Moving her hands to her lap she blows away the few stray hairs from her face, only to have them land right back. Groaning, she pushes them out of her face and lifts herself out of the bed.
Popping her aching back she goes to the window and stares out lazily, her eyes shifting to the wall of burgundy lines above her bed. Each made out of blood, countless but nowhere near the 16 years she has spent as Cerberus's genetically modified test monkey. Narrowing her eyes at it, she sticks out her tongue and continues to gaze out the window.
Temis wraps herself in her arms, even though the bleaching lights aren't aglow, the strangling antiseptic smell of the room give her no relief from the feeling of imprisonment. Glancing back at the wall of marks her gaze continues, the light falling in from the window lighting her eyes from the side, causing to seem to glow as they focus on the shadow cast on the marks. She had many a time imagined her shadow as a portal to another realm that she has yet to unlock in her youth, but her broken spirit threw it away long ago.
Closing her eyes, the world swirls around her as time passes in a wink. Her eyes open to a room all so familiar, her body tensing in an intense wash of fear. The chair under her body presses into her skin as the metal clasps on her wrists, ankles, waist, and neck hold her still. Staring ahead a figure emerges from the light of the whooshing door, consumed by shadow. She sits in the desk centered a few feet in front of her.
"Hello Maria, nice day it is today." The figure mutters with a chuckle.
"Fuck off." Temis growls from her position her eyes a lite with hate as she glares at the other.
"Watch your language young lady. We do not accept such behavior, you know this correct?"
A jolt of electricity pulses through Temis's body, stiffening it as she bites her tongue to stifle off a yell of pain; blood in her mouth and her body tingling painfully she grunts, fisting her hands and gritting her red stained teeth as she hardens her glare at the other.
"You will go to Hell for this Veronica."
The other woman leans back in her chair and smirks, "Wrong answer."
The world fades as Temis is hit with an even larger jolt of electricity. Her eyes flutter open in a large white room. Here mind is foggy and her body numb, exhaustion her only feeling, but she is too curious to sleep. Carefully turning her head, she finds a definite pain in her neck that soon spreads to the rest of the body. The pain is hot and searing, intense to the point of pushing tears into her eyes. Letting out a low hiss, her fists clench and she bits her lip.
"Ah, you finally woke up."
Temis whips her head over to the other in the room, ignoring the flood of agony erupting from her spine and every muscle around it, she glares at the woman. The blonde smirks, her grey eyes simmering in mutual revulsion. Gritting her teeth, Temis tests her limbs, unsurprised at the chains binding her to the bed.
Veronica hushes the young girl, pushing Temis back onto her back with little resistance. Kneeling to the girl's side, the scientist grins. Leaning close to the girl's ear she whispers.
"They are purging the Artemis Project," Veronica chuckles, "You are to be dead by nightfall."
The stick of a needle in Temis's neck cuts off any response from the red head as she falls under once again, vaguely aware of the whooshing open of the room's door.
White's eyes finally open after multiple hours of feverish sleep. Sweat lacing every inch of her skin, the assassin stares up at the ceiling. Her body is numb, her brain at a standstill.
Mustering enough energy to turn her head, she finds the room to be empty. The nightstand is lined with medicines and used needles. On the very edge is her Omni-tool on top of a datapad. Lifting the datapad, letting the tool slide off of it onto the floor she sits up and turns it on. The light of the device lights her face in a haunting way, lining the developing creases on her face as she reads.
