A/N: Hey peoples. So I'm very pleased with myself for getting this one out earlier than expected. Once again, I'll save most of the stuff for the end. Enjoy!
Doors, Doors, and More Doors
I open my eyes and—
Well that's interesting. I don't appear to be on Feros anymore. In fact, I can't really tell where I am at all. There's just what looks to be a long-ass hallway with doors everywhere. This looks really boring actually. Like, more boring than Feros. Never thought I'd ever say that.
As I look around this seemingly endless hallway, I see Shiala about five doors down. What the hell is she doing here? Wherever here is. Wait, what was I doing before waking up here? I get the feeling I was doing something important. Something that involved Shiala. Wasn't she about to meld with me? If she was, what the hell are we doing here?
…
Oh. I guess that would explain a few things.
So this is what the actual meld looks like. Cool. You never actually see the meld itself in the game, just the vision again every time. I wonder if it's like this every time. And what's behind these doors? Guess I might as well open one up and see.
I turn towards the nearest door and take a second to look at it. Hmm…that's weird. It looks just like the door to my room back home. Wonder why that is. Eh, no sense in just standing here trying to figure it out. With nothing else to do, I open the door.
I suddenly find myself in my room back home. But there's another me in here. Him-me is lying on the bed like I usually would, and I'm just standing off to the side. It's kinda weird because everything looks like it's been edited with that time-lapse photography. Him-me is jumping from task to task faster than I can really understand. He's just doing…normal stuff: watching TV, messing around on the laptop, playing Mass Effect.
Wait…
Shit! I leave the room as fast as I can.
Slamming the door, I just lean against the wall next to it, trying not to have a heart attack. I'm really, really glad that Shiala didn't walk over to see that. That would have ended any chance of my secret staying secret. Though…now that I think about it, even if she would have seen me playing Mass Effect, she wouldn't know the importance of it unless it was the scene with her in it. To Shiala, it would just be a normal video game with turians and asari in it. Speaking of Shiala, I see her walking over to me right now.
"This is amazing, Mr. Owens," she says as she gets nearer. "The lucidity of this meld is almost unheard of among most people. The strength of your mind must be incredible; though, the fact that you were able to handle the vision from the Beacon is testament to that. I will admit this is a fascinating change from a normal meld." I just kinda sit against the wall, looking at her with a bemused expression. Apparently I'm fascinating. That makes me feel like a science experiment.
"First off, if we're gonna be in here for a while, please just call me Dylan. Secondly, how the hell do you give me the Cipher?
"Oh yes, of course…the Cipher. First, we must find the vision itself. Each of these doors leads to a different memory or set of memories," she explains. Oh boy, this is gonna be a blast.
"So how do we figure out which door is the right door?" I ask, getting up off the ground. She actually looks a little embarrassed by the question.
"Well, um, you see…" I just give her a look. Not a regular look, but a look. One of those looks that manages to convey "you have got to be fucking kidding me" much quicker and nicer than words.
"You have no idea, do you?"
"Not at all," she replies. Well, at least she's honest about it. Props for that. "Why don't we just start opening up doors?" Really? That's her idea? Granted that's what mine was as well, but you'd think that the former disciple of a matriarch would have some better ideas than a teenage human male.
"If we go with that plan, I'm the only one opening any doors," I tell her, giving her a pointed look. Not the same as the last look, but similar. "I don't want a stranger rummaging around in my mind." Because god only knows what she'll find.
"That is more than fair," she says.
"Well then let's get going," I say, starting to walk down the hallway. I have no idea where I'm going, but anywhere is better than just standing around. Walking down the hall, I notice something strange about the doors: they're all different. I actually wasn't expecting that.
I come to a door that looks like the doors in my old high school. Hmm, it's even got a number next to it. Room 306. That was my AP Calculus class! Letting my curiosity get the best of me, I open the door for a quick peek inside. Just like last time, everything has that curious time-lapse look to it. There I am, sitting at my desk next to my friends, watching Mr. Achille teach us about integrals. Damn, those were fun times. I close the door with a smile.
I think I have a theory about these doors: I think that the doors in here look like the doors to the areas the memories take place in. It's happened both times so far. As far as I'm concerned, if it happens one more time, that's theory confirmed. With that in mind, I keep walking, Shiala following behind me.
An uncountable number of doors that I don't recognize pass by as we continue down the hall. Finally, after what seems like forever, I come to a door that I actually recognize. Surprisingly, though, it's my car door. Well…at least it stands out. I open the door and instantly see memories of cruising around in my Mustang, windows down, and Breaking Benjamin blaring from the speakers. I let out a contented sigh. Man, those were good times. Getting one last long look, I close the door and continue walking. Well, I think that proves my theory about the doors. Now that we know what to look for, I should probably tell Shiala.
"So I think I've figured out a pattern," I say, looking back at the asari following me.
"And what might that be?"
"All the doors I've opened so far have lead to a memory that took place in the room that that door leads to," I explain. "So we need to find more modern looking doors. Most of my childhood was spent with…older doors. So new doors will lead to more recent memories." And memories that don't allude to me being from a different universe.
"That…actually makes sense," she says, sounding surprised. Wow, that sounded kind of like an insult. Oh well, I'll let that one slide.
"Yeah, so we just need to find modern doors." I pause for a second. I can't believe I'm about to say this. "You take the doors on the left. Only open ones with modern doors." I stop, giving her the most pointed glare I can. "If you open any of the other doors, I will personally expel you from my mind. Are we clear?"
To her credit, she doesn't shy away from my stare. I wasn't really expecting her to, but she still gets some points in my book. "Of course," she replies. "If you're ready, we should continue on."
I hold my stare for a few moments longer before nodding and starting to walk again. This has been a strange experience.
After what seems like fifteen minutes (there's no way to tell time here) of walking down this endless hallway, we finally start seeing some modern doors. Actually, I wonder what the door leading to the vision will look like, seeing as I got it outside. The first door I come to looks kind of like the door to the med bay in the Normandy. I can't quite tell, though; all these doors look similar. Whatever. I hit the haptic interface and step into whichever memory awaits.
So it was the door to the med bay. I'm standing off to the side while other-me is laying on one of the beds. Him-me looks to be asleep. He's also the only one in here. If I had to take a guess, I'd say this was when I got the surgery for my foot and all that other stuff after the Citadel. This is weird though. How can I have a memory of this if I was asleep at the time? Suddenly, the door opens, and Ash enters. Him-me seems to wake up and look towards Ash. But I wasn't awake when she came in. Wait…oh no. That can't be good. From what I remember about twilight sleep, you can wake up from it but not be aware of it. It's like your body is awake, but your mind hasn't quite caught up. This might not end well.
"Hi Dylan," Ash says as she approaches the side of the bed.
"It's Ash!" him-me says, sounding, quite honestly, higher than a rocket. "I want to be a dragon!"
Did I actually say that? Shit, that's embarrassing.
"Yep, it's me, Dylan. Chakwas told me that you might not be fully awake yet and to basically disregard everything you say. So if you want to be a dragon, that's great."
"That's cool. Hey, hey, did you know that I gots a secret?" him-me asks, still sounding blazed out of his (well, my, I guess) mind.
"And what's this secret, Dylan?" she asks in response, getting an amused look on her face.
"I's from another universe!"
Oh fuck.
"That's great, Dylan. I'm so happy to hear that." She sounds like she's talking to a third grader.
Suddenly, something seems to change in him-me. He seems more…aware.
"Hey, Ash," he says, sounding a lot more coherent. "What're you doing here?" And that's where I remember waking up. I think I've seen enough of this memory. I quickly open the door and exit.
Holy shit, that was weird. So I actually told Ash that I was from another universe, but she didn't believe me because she thought I was uber-loopy from the drugs. That's about as lucky as can be. I just stand outside the door, looking around, when I see Shiala come out of one of the doors across the hall. I wonder what memory she just stepped out of. I still can't believe I'm letting her wander through my memories. Unfortunately, that's the fastest way to get this done. She apparently didn't find the vision because she quickly enters another door. I sigh quietly. I guess I should go into another door.
God damn it. That's five more doors I've gone into without finding the vision. Shiala hasn't either because she keeps going into more memories. I'm not really paying attention to my own memories at this point…that's probably a not a good thing.
Anywho, I just go ahead and enter the next memory down the line. I open the door, and I'm suddenly overwhelmed by the vision. The same images of death and destruction flash past my mind's eye at blazing speed. I manage to stumble out of the memory before I'm overwhelmed by the vision.
I stumble out into the hallway, leaning against the wall to support myself. Slowly, I slide down the wall until I'm sitting on the floor. I lean my head back, close my eyes, and take a few deep breaths to help calm me back down. I really wish the vision didn't kick the crap out of me every time. As I'm recovering, I hear a door open and footsteps approach me.
"What happened, Dylan?" Shiala asks, stopping a few feet from me.
"Found the vision," I say between breaths. "So how do you go about giving me the Cipher?"
"All I need to do is enter the vision," she explains. "From there, I can transfer the Cipher into your mind."
"That sounds easy."
"It is. The hardest part was finding the vision. The lucidity of the meld made that task more difficult than normal."
"Well then let's just get this over with," I say, still breathing a bit heavily. She simple nods and enters the vision.
My eyes shoot open, revealing the destroyed tunnels of the Thorian's lair. Holy shit that was some intense shit that happened in there. Shiala's still standing in front of me, but she's looking at me with an…odd look. It almost looks like she's suspicious. I mentally sigh. She probably saw something in one of the memories. Oh well, there isn't really much I can do about it.
Shiala takes a few steps back. "I have given you the Cipher, just as it was given to Saren," she says. "The ancestral memories of the Protheans are a part of you now."
"Are you ok, Dylan?" Jenny asks, sounding a tad bit concerned. Aw, it's nice to know she cares. "What happened to you?"
I turn back to look at her. "We spent some time gallivanting around in my subconscious," I say in a droll tone. "We had a blast."
"You have been given a great gift: the memories of entire people," Shiala explains. "It will take time for your mind to process this."
"You aren't looking so hot, mate," Ian says. "You should probably get back to Normandy."
"I am sorry if you have suffered, but this was the only way," the asari apologizes. "You needed the Cipher. In time, it will help you understand the vision from the beacon."
"So now that you're free of the Thorian, what will you do next?" Jenny asks Shiala, taking control of the conversation.
"If you allow it, I would like to stay here with the colonists," she answers. "They have suffered greatly, and I played a role in their suffering. I would like to make amends."
"That's very noble of you," Jenny says with an approving tone. "I'm sure the colonists will take all the help they can get."
"Thank you, Commander. May fortune smile upon you."
"Dylan, you look…pale," Liara says as we all sit down in the comm. room. "Are you sure you aren't suffering any adverse effects of the Cipher?"
"I should be fine, Liara," I respond, pinching the bridge of my nose. "That was just a hell of an experience. And I'm still not totally sure what everything means."
"Maybe I can help," she says. Oh boy…here we go. Hopefully this won't take nearly as long as the last one. "I am an expert on the Protheans. If I join my consciousness to yours, maybe we can make some sense of it."
I let out a small sigh. "Yeah, might as well give it a shot," I tell her, sounding tired. I slowly get up out of my chair and walk over to her. At least she's not on the other side of the table; she's only a few seats down. She stands as I approach. I close my eyes, already knowing what comes next.
"Relax, Dylan. Embrace eternity!"
…
And here I am back in the damn hallway. Once again, I sigh. This is only my second time here, and I already hate it. I look around and notice that I appear to be where the vision is. At least the doors look right. I also see Liara standing next to me, looking almost awed.
"Dylan, this is amazing!" she exclaims. "I have never experienced a meld such as this."
"Yeah, that's exactly what Shiala said earlier," I comment, still sounding tired. I take another look around and notice that the door right behind us appears to be the door to the vision. "If you want to see the vision, it's right through that door," I say, pointing a thumb over my shoulder. "I'm just gonna wait here." And with that, I lean against the wall and slide to the ground.
Liara looks at me with some surprise, and then looks at the door with some trepidation. After a few moments of hesitation, she steps through the door.
…
I open my eyes to the sight of Liara's stunned face. "That was…amazing," she says with a certain amount of awe in her voice. "All this time, all my research…yet I never dreamed. I'm sorry. The images were so vivid. I never dreamed the experience would be so…intense. You are remarkably strong willed, Dylan. What you have been through, what you have seen, would have destroyed a lesser mind."
"So what did you see?" Ian asks, cutting to the chase.
"The beacon on Eden Prime must have been badly damaged," Liara explains, slipping into "doctor mode." I'm pretty sure I'm not needed anymore, so I walk back to my seat and sit down. "Many parts of the vision are missing. The data transferred into Dylan's mind was incomplete."
"So what should our next step be?" Jenny asks, finally deciding to speak up.
"As I said, there are large parts of the vision that seem to be missing. Saren might have another Beacon that contains the missing information," Liara says.
"Well until we find get more intel about where Saren's hiding, the only option left is Noveria. But before that, we need to stop at the Citadel. So that's where we're headed. Unless anyone has something else to bring up…" she pauses to look around the table. She gets head shakes from all of us. "Then you're all dismissed."
I groan as I stand up. I just spent most of a day in combat. That includes a major injury to the ribs that has just decided to flare up in pain. I clutch at my side, knowing it won't do any good at all. I guess this is another trip to the med bay; though, I was going there anyway to see how Ash is doing. My trip down the med bay is a short one. The door whooshes open to reveal Ash laying on the far bed, sitting up and fully awake. Strangely, I don't see Dr. Chakwas. Oh well.
"Hey Ash," I say as I walk over. She looks over at the sound of my voice. "How are you doing?"
"I feel like shit, Dylan," she says with a rueful laugh. "That acid hurt like a bitch. Luckily, the doc was able to fix everything. Apparently she can even get rid of the scars."
"Well that's awesome, Ash. It's good to know that your immaculate beauty won't be tarnished," I add with a smile. She just reaches for a pillow…presumably to throw at me. I pretend to be scared and hide behind a bed.
"As fun as this is, why are you here, Dylan?"
"Well, I thought the good doctor would like to take a look at the ribs that that krogan decided to charge into."
"Oh shit. I forgot about that, Dylan. Are you alright?"
I shrug, ignoring the quick jolt of pain that decides to shoot through my side just then. "I think I got off easier than you did, Ash. So where is Dr. Chakwas?"
"She's eating dinner," Ash replies. "If you want to get her, she'll probably cut it short to look at those ribs."
"Naa," I say, making a dismissive gesture. "I can wait. Is there anything you want me to do for you while you're stuck in here?"
"I would love it if you could just check on my station. I trust you guys to put your stuff away, but sometimes people just throw their shit in there without actually putting it away." I just laugh at this. Even while injured, she takes her job so seriously.
"Yeah, I can do that, Ash," I tell her. With that, I give a wave farewell an exit the med bay. Sure enough, there's Dr. Chakwas, eating her dinner. I just slip by without bothering her, making my way to the elevator. A short trip lands me down in the cargo bay.
Exiting the elevator, I give a quick nod to Wrex, who's in his usual spot. Surprisingly, he returns my nod with one of his own. Holy shit, he actually acknowledged my presence in a non-negative manner. I think that just made my day. Walking by the hulking krogan, I come to a stop at Ash's usual place. I just stand there for a bit before I hear a quiet conversation going on over by the Mako. I turn around to see Ian and Garrus sitting on the ground next to the vehicle. Knowing full well that it's not right to eavesdrop, I listen in on the conversation.
"So my asperitalla was afraid of a plant?" Garrus asks with a hint of teasing in his voice.
"A big plant. Really big plant. With zombie minions. And tentacles," Ian dead-pans.
"But it's still a plant."
"It could talk!"
"So it's a smart plant," Garrus retorts. That was actually a pretty good one.
"I keep getting the horrible feeling you're missing the point of the story, fradu," Ian says, trying to sound serious.
Garrus suddenly gets a big grin on his face. "All I know is that my asperitalla was scared of a plant."
"Maybe we should've put you in there and seen how you coped. You wouldn't be like this if you were there, you know. That thing was terrifying. All you did was sit on the ship while the rest of us almost got killed via noxious acid." Hm…Ian's actually sounding a little vexed.
"A fair point. I'm sure it was absolutely terrifying," Garrus says, sounding quite sarcastic. Then he pats Ian on the head. Wow, that looked quite condescending.
"Wow, now you're just patronizing me. Really cute, fradu. You wouldn't have been laughing if that acid had messed up your pretty face."
Now Garrus' grin manages to grow even bigger. "Please, nothing can harm this wonderful face," he says, gesturing to his face.
"How about my fist?"
"That's what I like to see, asperitalla."
"You'd like to see me punching you, fradu?" Ian asks, sounding amused now. "It can be arranged."
"I can skip the punching, thank you. But I love seeing your fierceness show."
"You do?"
"Of course. Why else would I call you asperitalla?"
"You could just be taking the piss. It's definitely not beyond you."
Suddenly Garrus' grin, which had remained on his face throughout the conversation, disappears. "Not with this, little one."
There's a few seconds of silence before Ian speaks up again. "I know you're just having a laugh about the Thorian, but...it was pretty scary. Honestly."
"Well then I'm sorry I wasn't there," Garrus replies with all sarcasm gone from his voice. He sounds genuinely apologetic.
"I know. It's weird without you watching my back," Ian says, looking up at Garrus. "Two years at C-Sec, then this."
"I know. It felt wrong, not being at your side. I hope it never happens again."
"Yeah. Maybe I need to keep a tighter hold on you in that case, fradu." Ian gets a small smile on his face. Then, out of nowhere, he lays his head on Garrus' shoulder.
"I'll be here if you need me, little one," Garrus tells him, wrapping a talon around Ian's shoulders.
"Thanks, dimicato'fradu," Ian says, nothing but pure contentment in his voice. They just sit there, looking more peaceful than Gandhi himself. Damn, I think I just intruded on a major bro moment. It was actually heartwarming seeing how close they are. I really wish I had some actual morals like knowing when to not eavesdrop. To prevent any further intrusion, I quietly walk back towards the elevator. I think I'm just gonna wait around in the med bay till Dr. Chakwas is done.
As I'm leaving, I think I hear the faintest noise coming from next to the Mako.
It sounds like purring.
A/N: So that's that. Got two melds in that chapter and some limited interaction. Next chapter's gonna be more interactions and some other stuff that you'll just have to wait to see.
I want to thank iNf3ctioNZ (yet again) for all his help and support. I told you guys last chapter that he's helped me with some events in the story. Well this was the first of many. All of Ian's dialogue was written by the man himself. So thanks for your help, Ian, and thanks for convincing me to go down this crazy path :-)
On an unrelated note, Welcome to The family has hit its 100th review! So I want to give a huge thanks to all of my regular reviewers for helping me reach this milestone.
Anywho, that's it for now. I'll try to get the next chapter out as fast as I can. Probably one to two weeks. Either way, thanks for reading, guys, and I look forward to reading all of your reviews! Ta ta!