May 12th 2184 CE 20:49
Her mind swirled fiercely. Thoughts, like waves, crashed against the confines of her skull. Only a few short months ago, Jimmy had been alive. All this time she thought he died in a futile attempt to save her. It had been a difficult burden to bear. Then, in a fraction of a second, he was stolen. She needed to drink up every detail. What killed him? How did he die? And what was so daunting, so powerful, that it overwhelmed the sole person who survived Mindoir a free man?
As shocking as the revelation had been, what completely floored her was the steel-predator. In sharp contrast to the lethal killing machine she'd witnessed on The Ubralle, he seemed to care a great deal about her brother, about her. And he wasn't above shedding blood, that much was for certain. With luck, he'd tell her who murdered Jimmy. And heavens help those who took his life. She would come for every last one. A dark, creeping part of her almost laughed at the absurdity of that thought. Even if she became proficient at fighting, it'd be a long time before she could pursue a quest of vengeance.
The kind woman with silver hair had helped her shower. Being clean was a luxury she hadn't experienced in ages. Yet, as the water clashed against her back, she cried out despite her best efforts to suppress such weakness. Medi-gel could only do so much. Somethings only time could heal.
Presently, she was sitting in a med-lab while a brown and white salarian raced from moment to moment. White plaster accompanied by metal braces sat atop his workstation. Curiosity overcame her and she found herself stealing glances at the contraption.
"Want to see yes? Translator should be working now."
She nodded.
"Name is Mordin. Here." As he held up the object, bits of a powdery white substance dribbled down his lengthy fingers. "Cast and brace for leg. Apologies. Don't have better equipment. Could have leg healed faster with nanites or blorix. Have neither. Do what I can."
She watched as he raced from task to task, humming to himself as he readied the equipment. Eventually, he addressed her again.
"Trust Archangel?"
"Who?"
"Man who brought you here with Nalah, my nurse. Grey haired woman. Helped you clean up."
"My brother did."
"Mmmm."
As he lifted her leg, she winced. "Yes. Not surprised. Bad break. Must be painful. Have analgesics. First need to talk though."
"Okay."
"Have omni-tool for you. Here." He slid the orange gizmo onto her arm. With two nearly imperceptible flicks of the finger the object sprung to life. "This my number. Have problems, call me. Have questions, call me. Will see you again. One week. Also, need surgery to remove biotic inhibitor." Seeing her excited look, Mordin quickly pressed on. "Need to rest for now. Not yet. Not yet. Patience. Will have biotics again soon. Know how to use?"
"Been awhile but yes."
"Formal training?"
She hesitated.
"Need to know. Biotics dangerous for user if not properly educated."
"Sort of. But not by humans. It was some sort of batarian experiment."
"Mm. Concerning. Still, can't leave in. Will cause neural degeneration."
"I'll be fine. I just want it out so no one can mess with me."
"Understandable. Still, advise caution. Now. Need to set leg. Very bad break." Using his omni-tool, he brought an x-ray up to her eye level. "Broke here and here. Need to set. Will not be pleasant. Need analgesic. Ready?"
"Do your worst."
"Will do best."
As the painkillers flooded her veins, her senses became sluggish, dull. Her mind floated towards the ceiling, watching the doctor as he straightened then secured her leg. She clutched at the table. Razor sharp pain shot up through the appendage, radiating throughout out her body. Then it left as quickly as it came. And she embraced the darkness.
When the world finally came back into view, soft light danced behind baby blue curtains. She was in a large, smooth bed clearly not made for batarians; or humans for that matter. A considerable, circular pit was dead center in the mattress. She had sunk into the oddly shaped chasm, curling around the strange form with her bad leg propped up against several pillows.
The previous day's events flooded back into memory. She was alive. She was free. And some long lost friend of her big brother had come for her. It was a lot to wrap one's mind around. But for now, there was an undeniably delectable smell emanating from the next room. Grasping the crutches that were resting against the bed, she slowly made her way to the door. It was the dawn of a new day, a new life, and she wasn't about to miss a second. More importantly, her stomach seemed to remember it was still alive. And she was famished.
Notes: The chimney sweep came today and my house is no longer 48F. THANK FREAKING GOD. Now I can actually type lol. My fingers were not too happy about the temperature before. I love winter in the mountains. Curling up in front of the woodstove with a good book is one of my favorite past-times.
