Chapter 55

Garrus came in carrying a container of trail mix. Melanie looked around, "Grandma, Solana, Liara, wanna play bridge?" They all agreed and filed out to the lounge. Dr Chakwas said she would go down for breakfast. Garrus brought a tool tray over next to the chair, and put the trail mix on it. He put his hands gently on either side of her head, leaned in and kissed her. She responded in kind. She said, "I missed it all, but you most particularly."

He straightened up and pulled up a chair. "We are expecting a visit from Sways in the Currents and Campbell." "Who are they?" "The two asari Spectres that Councilor Tevos sent to lead the hunt for you. They helped move the rocks off you." EDI said, "Sways in the Currents and Campbell request permission to come aboard, Advisor." Garrus said, "Permission granted. Direct them to the med bay, please." He got up and moved his chair so he was at Cassidy's side, facing the door. He said, "Once we get their report, then we'll head back to the Sol System, return Dr Freilich and her shuttle, get Melanie set up on the Phillipines." She asked, "Is Dr Freilich's shuttle in the cargo bay?" "Yes." "Oh, I didn't notice." "Well, you had other things on your mind at the time."

EDI announced "Spectres Kira Sways in the Currents and Prawel Campbell are outside the med bay." "Open the door," said Cassidy. The two asari entered and Garrus said, "Kira, Prawel, good to see you again." Kira said, "You too, Garrus. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Captain." Kira extended her hand to Cassidy. Cassidy shook it. Cassidy said, "I understand you were sent by Councilor Tevos." Kira answered, "That is correct, Captain.

Kira continued, "We interviewed the girl, Pauline Benson, then tracked down two of the young people that instigated this incident. An asari, Jana Sederis, and a batarian, Yevo, were hiding out in another Prothean ruin on the far side of the volcano. They resisted, but we took them into custody. We searched their omni-tools for further information, some of which we will be pursuing further. We found remnants of your clothing and omni-tool in the campfire. Your pistol was there." Prawel handed the pistol to Garrus. Kira went on, "There were a couple vids on the omni-tools. We checked the operating systems carefully and determined that the vids had not been copied or sent. We transferred them to this OSD and destroyed those memory sectors. We are certain that this is the only copy." Prawel handed an OSD to Cassidy.

Cassidy said, "I take it there's something disturbing on here." Kira nodded. Cassidy took a deep breath and then put the OSD on the table. She said, "Did you find a ring?" Kira answered, "No Captain, there was no indication of a ring, neither on the detainees nor in the vicinity." "Is there anything else?" "No, Captain." Cassidy said, "Thank you both for returning these items and for your fine work so far and your efforts to come. May the Goddess go with you." "We'll be in touch, Captain. Advisor." They left.

Cassidy looked at the OSD. "Dr Freilich, will you come to the med bay, please?" Garrus looked at her with a question in his flanges. Cassidy said, "Dr Chakwas is too close to me to see whatever's on here. I want to limit the emotional damage as much as I can." "So, you don't intend to view it yourself?" "No, and I would rather that you didn't watch it either." "I don't know that my imagination wouldn't be worse, but I can see your point."

Dr Freilich came in. "What can I do for you, Captain?" Cassidy handed her the OSD. "The asari Spectres took a couple vid files off of a couple of punks that were in the same place where my clothing was found in the fire. The asari say its disturbing stuff. I need someone not so emotionally close to me to view the vids and advise Dr Chakwas what she needs to do, if anything. Go find a private place to view that, please." "A wise decision, Captain." Dr Freilich left. Dr Chakwas came in. "Cassidy, something I should know?" "Do a detailed pelvic scan, please. Clear out anything that shouldn't be there. Garrus, get me up on one of the medical beds."

EDI's voice, "Advisor, Sways in the Currents and Campbell have left the ship." Garrus said, "Jump us to the Sol System then."

Garrus moved the table out of the way and Dr Chakwas got the IV holder off the chair. Garrus placed Cassidy on the bed Dr Chakwas indicated. Cassidy took Garrus' hand while Dr Chakwas inserted the internal scanner and set to work. After a bit, Dr Chakwas said, "You might feel a jolt." Then she pulled the scanner out. "I initiated a shedding. You'll cramp and bleed for a while." Cassidy said, "Dr, put a pad on the chair then Garrus put me back like I was." Dr Chakwas said, "So that OSD was something you asked Liz to look at." "Yes, I figured we didn't need to look at it if we didn't have to." Dr Chakwas got a message on her omni-tool, which she checked, then typed an answer back. "That was Dr Freilich. Sit up, Cassidy, I need to look under your splint on your back." Cassidy sat up, and Dr Chakwas opened the splint and took a scanner to her back. She got a scalpel and an injector. She anesthetized a spot back there, then cut into the skin. She handed the injector to Garrus and asked for some small forceps. Garrus found them and handed them to the doctor.

Dr Chakwas wrestled with something in there a bit and used the scalpel and finally pulled out a synthetic something. She handed the forceps to Garrus, "You can figure out what that is programmed to do, if you want." She got the medi-gel and closed up the cut on Cassidy's back and re-secured the splint.

Garrus looked at it and said, "Looks pretty crude, definitely not something Miranda would have done." He cleaned the implant up, then stuck it in a pocket of his armor.

Dr Freilich's voice, "Captain, what do you want me to do with the OSD?" "Destroy it, please, doctor." "Yes, I agree that would be best., Captain."

Dr Chakwas worked on cleaning up. Garrus returned the table with the trail mix to Cassidy's side. He returned his chair to face her. He asked, "Cassidy, are you ok?" "Just feeling tired, Garrus." "Dr, she's gone all pale again." Cassidy slumped unconscious. Dr Chakwas came over and took a quick blood reading. "Damn it, her glucose has cratered again." The doctor called down, "Samesh, prepare a direct liquid high-glucose nutrition package and send it up." She handed a control unit to Garrus, "Attach that to the pole on her chair."

The doctor set up the tubing from the control unit, into Cassidy. Parveen arrived with a tall container. The doctor took it and poured it into the control unit. Dr Chakwas chided herself, "I should have set this up as soon as she got up here. Bone treatments, emotional shock, shedding, surgical extraction. I should have known better." Garrus asked, "Emotional shock, what do you mean?" "Even if she didn't look at that video, she knows something happened, and even the military training can't completely neutralize her visceral emotional feeling of violation. She suppressed it, but that sort of control takes energy."

Dr Chakwas thought about the treatments coming up in the next couple days and made a decision. "Garrus, I'm going to keep her in a medical coma for the next couple days. I need to do the final bone treatments tomorrow and the skin work. I need to get more calories into her than she could comfortably eat while getting enough sleep. I need to keep her energy consumption to a minimum to build up her stores. Look at how gaunt her face and arms are. I should have noticed, damn it."

Garrus said, "I'll go let Hannah know." "Don't let Melanie hear anything about those vids." "Yes, you're right. I'll be sure to talk to Hannah in private." He left.

He went to the lounge where Liara, Solana, Melanie and Hannah were playing bridge. "How's Cassidy?" asked Solana as he dragged a chair to the table to observe. "Dr Chakwas has put her under for the next couple days. Needs to build up her reserves again, which were apparently dangerously low." Liara said, "She seemed alert earlier, what happened?" Hannah said, "You know her. If she's awake, she's making an effort to do something, even if its figuring stuff out. Mental effort takes energy, too." Garrus nodded, "We couldn't get her to relax enough."

They finished the game, with Melanie and Solana winning. Melanie said to Liara, "It's almost lunch time. I'll meet you in the mess, OK? I want to take a quick shower." Garrus said, "Go ahead upstairs to use ours." "Thanks, dad. I will." Melanie left. Garrus said, "Hannah, I need a minute of your time." Liara and Solana got up and left for lunch.

Hannah said, "What didn't you say about Cassidy? There's more to it, isn't there?" "Yes, Kira and Prawel came to give a report. They found a couple punks in a cave where bits of her clothing were in the fire." Hannah leaned back in her chair. "I don't think anyone ever said what she had on when she was found. How was she dressed when you found her?" "None of us but Clowder saw her before we got the thermal blanket on her. Her exposed arm was bare, so I guess I knew she wasn't in the same top she had been to start with, but I wasn't really thinking about that, just on how to get her warm and out of there. When the rocks were off, the doctor and nurse insisted on being the ones to turn her over, under the blanket. I caught that her shoulders were bare but for some straps made of dirty thin material and a cloth bundle tied to one strap. They lifted her biotically, blanket and all, into the carry frame."

Hannah said, "So, what else?" "Kira and Prawel returned her pistol and gave her an OSD they had with vid files they had taken off the punks' omni-tools. Kira told her the vids were disturbing. Cassidy insisted that the only person to look at them be Dr Freilich." "Hmm, well, that's just flies on the shit. We are trained to expect it in capture situations, but its still hard to think of it happening to my daughter. Damn. I'm glad she had the sense to keep those vids out of her head as well as yours, mine and Karin's."

Garrus paused a moment and then asked, "I know, academically, that rape is bad. I mean that I used to hear older turians talk about forcing female humans as a means of humiliation. And in C-Sec we were taught to be credulous and protective when female humans made that accusation. But I don't really get it. Turian females can't be forced, so there's nothing in our culture about it. Can you help me understand better what might go through her head when she wakes up?"

Hannah thought for a minute. "One of the things that rape does is rob the person of her, or his, psychological safety net. We go around, expecting that, in general, things are going to be OK. That I can sit here with you safely and walk among the crew safely and even go into a store on Illium and, in general, be safe. But now, for a while, Cassidy may be, deep down, distrusting of everyone, or maybe of males in general. She might be body shy with you for a time. This feeling of distrust might embarrass her, who has made a point of trusting so many. She might also feel like her body still carries a taint from the violation, so that she may feel disgusting to herself and maybe to you."

Hannah continued, "Think about how you felt when the Reapers first invaded Palaven with troops on the ground. Didn't you feel a sense of violation of your home? A 'how dare they'?" Garrus thought about that and said, "Yes, there was anger and indignation and yes, violation, especially when the turians converted to marauders started showing up." "Well, now intensify that from an 'its happening to us' to a 'its happening to me, personally, inside'."

Garrus shifted uncomfortably in his seat as his stomach did a slow roll. "I think I understand a bit better now. Thank you. But how do I help her without invading her bruised boundaries?" "Stay as close as she will let you. Give her time, but don't back away altogether." Garrus nodded. "Well, shall we go down to lunch?" Hannah got up and walked with him down to the mess.

Lunch was underway, when EDI announced "Docking with the Philippines now. Advisor Vakarian has authorized six hours of leave. Admiral Hackett extends an invitation to all Normandy crew to board and make use of their facilities." Dr Chakwas made a consultation appointment with Dr Handyside, the Philippines' resident psychologist.

Garrus elected to stay with Cassidy while Dr Chakwas went aboard the Philippines. He brought some tools with him and set to hooking it up for diagnostics. EDI offered to do the analysis, but Garrus asked her to let him be. He pulled up the source code and began pouring through it.

Dr Chakwas and Dr Freilich went to see Dr Handyside. "Brian, nice to see you." "Karin, Liz. How are you? Please have a seat. Would you like some tea?" Karin said, "Black tea, please." Liz said, "Do you have chamomile?" Dr Handyside started the teapot and pulled a couple canisters out of a cupboard. He put the canisters and teacups and saucers and spoons and a sugar jar on the table. When the teapot whistled, he brought it to the table and poured three cups.

"So, what are we consulting about today?" Dr Chakwas said, "Captain Cassidy Shepard Victus. She was with her daughter, mother and sister-in-law in a cab when it was involved in an accident. Cassidy was kidnapped from the rescue site while the other three were transported to the hospital." Dr Freilich said, "She was unconscious when kidnapped, and was kept unconscious through drugs after. She was raped and had a synthetic chip embedded in her back." Dr Chakwas continued, "She was then dumped down into a deep cave." "Two days later she was rescued from under a rockslide, in a different part of the cave system."

Dr Chakwas said, "I have completed two of a series of three bone treatments for neck and rib fractures. I have her under a medical coma to restore her glucose reserves with direct liquid nutrition. She still needs skin treatments for friction burns over 40% of her body. She is a powerful biotic."

Dr Handyside pulled up Cassidy's public records. "Her spouse is Advisor Garrus Vakarian, a turian. Where is he currently assigned?" Dr Chakwas said, "He is in command of the Normandy while she is on medical leave. They live on the Normandy." "What does she know about the rape?" Dr Freilich said, "She knows that something happened and that the chip was embedded. She insisted that I be the only one to watch the vids of the incident." "What happened to the vids?" "Destroyed, on her order."

Dr Handyside looked at Dr Chakwas, "You are consulting me because you want her to finish her treatments here on the Philippines?" "Yes, Brian. She crashed in hypoglycemic shock because I didn't restore her nutrition as soon as I should have. I put her under the medical coma, then it occurred to me that she might recover from the rape better here, as well as have better facilities for physical therapy. Also, her daughter, Melanie, will be on this ship at Grissom Academy. If I treat her on the Normandy, she will need to deal with Garrus immediately, she will miss saying goodbye to Melanie and her mother."

Dr Handyside looked at Dr Freilich, "She will be under your care for her physical needs?" "Yes, I will stay and treat her as long as I'm needed." Dr Handyside steepled his hands and thought a minute. "You mentioned that she was insistent that she not see the vids, but she knew where the vids were from?" Dr Chakwas said, "Yes, the Spectres that delivered the OSD told her the vids 'were disturbing'." "What did you observe of her demeanor after learning about the vids?" "She got what I call her 'determined' look and called for a pelvic sweep, then Liz let me know about the chip in her back and I removed that." "Was her husband with her the whole time?" "Yes, he was with her during the Spectres' report and all the way until she collapsed and I put her under the medical coma."

Dr Handyside said, "I'd like copies of all the reports from the Spectres, you two, the rescue teams, Admiral Shepard, Advisor Vakarian, . . . Is there anyone I'm missing?" Dr Chakwas said, "Primarch Adrien Victus was with her in the hospital and back up to the ship before he returned to Palaven. He is her adoptive father." "Noted. Anything else, you want to add, Karin?" "No, Brian. If I think of anything, I'll send a message back."

Dr Handyside said, "When do you plan to revive her, Liz?" "I'm going to follow Karin's prescription, continue the nutrition feed for another 44 hours now. Tomorrow morning I will do her final bone treatment so we can get the splints off. Then I can start the skin work." "I would like to speak with Advisor Vakarian. Will you introduce me, please, Karin?" "Let's go on over then, I need to prep Cassidy for her transfer." The three of them headed to the Normandy.