Having collected the necessary things with him, the engineer once again scrolled through the list of everything that needed to be taken from the ship in order not to return here again. After making sure that everything was collected, he, along with a group of newfound allies, moved towards the airlock. Holding the detached workbench with a kinesis grip, he walked behind everyone so as not to interfere with the others, since the table was of considerable size. After passing through another corridor, they almost reached the last door, behind which there was a gate separating them from the cosmic void.

- Isaac, and what was behind that blocked passage, next to which we were passing now? - Shepard broke the silence.

- It leads to the compartment with the nuclear reactor. - he replied. – Most likely it was automatically locked for security purposes when the ship's scanners an increased radiation background was recorded. I advise you to wear appropriate protection when you investigate it further.

- I'll take it into consideration.

Suddenly Clark stopped, and slowly let go of the workbench on the floor. Not a loud sound of the table touching metal did not escape from the people walking in front. Those who turned around at the noise saw the engineer standing with his head down.

- What happened? - John asked. – Don't tell me you forgot to take something with you.

- It is. It won't take long, I'll quickly go to the reactor compartment and pick up something.

- What could you possibly have forgotten there? Carver replied, puzzled.

- I need to pick up the hyperdrive.

- Why do you need it? We won't be able to use it anyway. You said yourself that it was faulty.

- Exactly. It's faulty. And those people, - he pointed in the direction of the locals. - it's still useful.

- Okay, okay. We'll be waiting for you at the entrance. - the sergeant said, taking the workbench into kinesis, and after a couple of seconds turned to Shepard and clarified. - It's okay, isn't it?

She threw it as a sign of approval. Catherine, like the rest of the team, watched the conversation between the two men. She was wondering how the engineer was going to pick up the FTL drive. Although she understood that their technologies were different, she had no idea how she could take the whole engine with her. "He must be of considerable size, how is he going to do it at all? Can his device lift even such heavy things? - Commander thought to herself. Deciding to trust Isaac, she turned towards the airlock and gave the order to move forward.

After a couple of minutes, they found themselves in an intermediate room and stopped to wait for Clark. At that time, the Cerberus operative was carefully examining a potential comrade, namely, his unusual weapon and device on his left hand. As the head of the arsenal, he had a great interest in every kind of weapon, and he could not help but pay attention to the unique equipment in this galaxy.

- Are all the soldiers in your army equipped with a similar device? Jacob asked, pointing to the wrist module.

- No. It is usually issued to engineers, such as Isaac. By the nature of their activity, they are often forced to work in space, and in order to protect themselves, they need a kinesis module to deflect past passing asteroids. However, their use is not limited to this. With its help, it is quite possible to throw large objects or launch projectiles at a target with great speed. I served in the DB2 special unit, which carried out rescue missions. Our equipment was more advanced relative to ordinary infantrymen. A useful thing with a wide functionality, I'll tell you.

- Telekinesis in one word. - Taylor summed it up.

- You could say that.

Just as Jacob was about to ask about the rifle, he fell silent. He decided not to draw Shepard's attention, remembering how she had interrupted Mordin. Nothing, on the ship you can ask about everything.

- I forgot to say something. - Catherine began a little guiltily. - The shuttle has a limited number of passenger seats. We'll have to do two flights.

- If your ship gets close enough to the airlock, then I can approach it myself. I have jet engines in my suit.

- I don't see them.

- They're on boots. - he lifted his leg a little .

- At least now it is clear why they are so big. - Garrus commented.

- Okay, I'll give the command to the pilot to fly closer.

At the same time, Isaac was walking in the opposite direction. Fortunately, he realized in time that it was not worth leaving the hyperdrive on the ship. Remembering that it would be further investigated, he realized that scientists, having stumbled upon this device, would hardly be able to repair it. Not that he thought they were ignorant. It's just that this technology was extremely complex in its design, and after talking with that xenos, he realized that in this reality, people, like all other races, had not yet discovered a Unified field theory. Those faced with a hyperdrive will most likely simply not understand how it works, let alone how to fix it. At the moment, he was the only being in the entire galaxy who understood this technique and could repair it. If everything is left to chance, then in the worst case, the researchers will try to launch a ship that will send them to no one knows where, as happened to him and John.

Finally, approaching the door with an orange digital lock, he gave the unlock command via the RIG, which was still connected to the ship's systems, which made it possible to control it. As soon as the passage opened, a dense stream of air soaked in gamma radiation blew into it. Fortunately, he sealed the armor in advance. Warnings about extremely elevated radiation background and recommendations to leave the compartment immediately appeared on the chest display. Fortunately, his suit gave good resistance to this kind of radiation, although he was not going to delay it and test the limits of his equipment, it was better to do everything quickly. Entering the bridge, in the center of which was located a nuclear reactor, he activated the locator. Casting a glance at the reactor, Isaac saw the dilapidated protective skin, after all, the overload was making itself felt. Approaching the hyperdrive, he found cracks on the body, but this was not the worst. The right connector was fused and tightly bonded to the device. "We'll have to act carefully." - the engineer thought. Taking out a plasma cutter, he used the voltage regulator to set the lowest power. Having finished with the settings, the man aimed at the melted connector and fired, releasing the necessary thing. Fixing the mechanism on the side of his belt, he moved to the exit, communicating with Carver in parallel:

- John, are you still there? I'll be there soon, wait for me.

- Did you take everything? Okay, and we'll also have to fly through a vacuum, since they don't have enough seats in the shuttle.

- Nothing. This is a common thing for us. You can tell them they can move out.

After finishing a short dialogue, he ran down the corridor towards the airlock. A couple of minutes later, he found himself in an intermediate room, meeting only one sergeant.

- Okay, we can get out of here. - Isaac said, spinning the rotary dial.

The open airlock gave way to the cosmic vacuum, which began to mercilessly pull all the air out of the room. John was the first to step onto the platform, holding the workbench in front of him, followed by the engineer. They saw the same elegant ship that they had seen through the hologram, but in person it looked even more beautiful. "The person who developed the design of this ship honestly worked his bread." - Isaac remarked, looking at the ship with a share of delight. Approaching a sufficient distance, he noticed the opening ramp of the ship, to which he immediately moved. The room they got into was apparently a warehouse. In the center of the room, not far from the shuttle, Shepard was already waiting for them.

- Welcome aboard the Normandy. - Catherine greeted them. Although they saw each other a few minutes ago, it's still worth officially meeting them.

- Thank you, Captain. - Clark replied with a nod, looking around the hangar.

- So this is the device that allows you to travel at superluminal speed? To be honest, I expected it to be... maybe a little more. - She glanced at the top hat hanging from Isaac's belt. "How does it work at all, and why the hell is it so small? He's no bigger than a rocket launcher." - flashed through her mind.

- Yes, it is. In truth, there are different hyperdrives. They can be built-in and portable, like this one for example. - He tapped his belt lightly. - It is designed for small ships.

- I can get it for further research, right?

- It was damaged in some places. I'll give it to you as soon as I fix it, okay?

- Okay, I get it. - she raised her hands and continued. - The place where we are now is a warehouse for heavy equipment. - she began to explain the structure of Normandy. - Follow me. I'll show you your cabins. Do you have any preferences?

- We are not whimsical, an ordinary bed and at least a small table are enough.

- I understand you, then follow me.

The two of them followed Shepard. After passing a small corridor, they stopped near a wide gate, which actually turned out to be an elevator. After entering it and climbing one level, three people found themselves in a spacious hall.

- This is the deck intended for the accommodation of the crew of the ship. There is also a dining room and a sick bay, as well as your cabin.

Isaac and John looked around, studying the interior design of the decoration. In front of them was a dining room, judging by the people eating, and a long corridor in the center. The engineer noted to himself very clean walls and white floor. He had never met anything like this in his world. He was accustomed to the dark and cold decoration of the corridors, which made up an atmosphere of longing and apathy. This was especially evident when he was surviving alone on Ishimura. Here it was different. Seeing new people, the local crew constantly looked back at strangers in strange armor. Shepard, watching them, noted the engineer's very unhealthy attention to the ventilation grille. He constantly looked back towards the bulkheads and looked at them for a long time without looking away. She made a mental note to send Kelly to them a little later, when they got used to it.

- Everything is very beautiful here. - Clark looked around. - Our ships were not distinguished by good taste in terms of the design of the corridors.

- For this, we need to thank the engineers of Cerberus. - Catherine replied. - And now let's go to your cabin. - she went towards the door with a green holographic lock.

- There is one two-story bunk, as well as two desks. Each of them has a terminal for accessing the extranet. Later, Jacob will give you omnitul for better interaction with local equipment and convenience. You can place the workbench in the arsenal.

- And what is an Extranet? - John asked, letting the mechanical table fall to the floor.

- It's something like a galaxy-wide network. A huge source of information that is available to every living being.

- An analogue of our Internet. I see.

- If you want to take a walk around the ship, you can always turn to EDI in case of anything.

- And EDI is...? - Isaac continued questioningly.

- I am the artificial intelligence of Normandy. The team prefers to call me EDI. - a blue sphere suddenly appeared from the side. From such a surprise, the men jumped back.

Clark looked at her warily. In his universe, the very idea of creating such a thing was completely banned, since everyone was rightly afraid that artificial intelligence could get out of control at one moment and turn against its creators. No one wanted to take the risk. "However, for some reason, EarthGov began to create obelisks that are much more dangerous than AI." - he noted to himself the strange behavior of the native government.

- And you are brave people, since you use such a "high-tech". - The sergeant looked at the blue sphere warily. - Aren't you afraid that at one moment she may start to be wayward? - he hinted at danger.

- If you think that I will rise up against people, then don't worry. There is a limiter built into my system codes. - EDI explained.

He accompanied her with a skeptical look, but did not say anything. It's not for him to meddle in other people's orders.

- Okay, you can settle in for now. Before you tell me how you got here, you will need to be examined in the infirmary. It is on the right as soon as you exit the elevator. Dr. Chakvas, the ship's doctor, will meet you there. When you're done with everything, I'll be waiting for you in my cabin. It is located at the highest level. Come one at a time.

- We're all right, Commander.

- And yet, in order to avoid unforeseen situations, I would like you to go to the doctor.

- Ok. - Isaac conceded.

-Then I'll leave you two alone. New things on the bunks if anything. The shower is in front of your room. - said Catherine as she left the cabin.

After the captain left the two of them alone, both began to lay out weapons and things on the tables. Isaac, having finished unloading far from easy weapons and changed into a local uniform, flopped down on the lower bed. "Finally a normal bed." - he thought with pleasure. However, the short happiness did not last long. With annoyance, remembering that he needed to take a shower, he called Carver along with him, got up from the bed with great reluctance and, taking a towel from the table, left the room walking towards the bathhouse. When the hot water began to flow down his exhausted body, he leaned against the wall of the shower stall with pleasure. Finally, he will stop feeling dirty and wash off the sweat that has become ingrained in his skin. Their adventures on Tau Volantis did not give them time for such pleasant things. Having finished with the water procedures, the men went towards the medical bay. As soon as they entered the office, they were met by a light-skinned woman of fifty with slightly gray hair.

- I assume you're Isaac Clarke and John Carver? - Chakvas asked. - The Commander has notified me of your imminent arrival.

- Yes. - the engineer answered shortly.

- Then undress and sit down on the bed. I will quickly take blood samples and make a quick diagnosis.

- Do we have to take off our clothes? Don't you have something like a scanner?

- I have what you are talking about, but I would like to examine you in more detail. As Chief Medical Officer of the Normandy, my responsibility is to take care of the health of the crew, as well as screening new crew members. Don't worry, the process won't take long.

Those, without arguing, began to take off their outerwear until they were left in boxers. Karrin, examining them while they were changing, noticed on the backs of the patients a strange metal device, as if implanted in the flesh, in the center of which was a thin holographic strip that ran along the spine. When both patients had finished, she became interested in this and decided to ask a question regarding this strange technique:

- May I know what technique you have on your back?

- It's RIG. - Isaac explained.

- RIG? - Chakvas answered incomprehensibly.

- I mean. - Isaac mentally slapped his face. Of course, she will ask again, since she has never heard of him. - It's an Resource Integration Gear. A kind of system for collecting and managing information about vital signs, in addition, it also allows a person to better interact with technology.

- Strange. Never seen anything like it. - she looked thoughtfully at their backs. - Any new development in the field of medicine?

- Well, something like that. - John replied with a hesitation. Looks like Shepard didn't tell her who they really were.

Karrin, having heard the answer, looked at them suspiciously, guessing that her interlocutors were hiding something, but later she simply waved her hand and, taking a medical device, approached them, at the same time examining their bodies for external injuries. Using a device in her hands, the doctor scanned them for internal injuries. After completing the process and looking at the display, one could tell that they were generally healthy, but there was one oddity - the cell division rates were noticeably faster. Considering that their DNA was not modified, everything indicated that they used some kind of substance for extremely strong tissue regeneration, but the most amazing thing was that no side effects were observed for the body.

- I can tell you're completely fine. - began Chakvas. - However, I found traces of an unknown medicinal preparation in your blood. - finished, looking at her patients with a look, waiting for an answer.

- It's just a first aid kit. - Isaac said.

- If you don't mind, could you show it? This is the first time I see such good regenerative properties. I would be interested to look at this substance and explore it.

- I don't have it with me right now, I can bring it a little later.

- Yes, sure. It would be nice. I will inform Shepard that you have successfully passed the medical examination, and now I dare not detain you., and now I don't dare to detain you.

Those, nodding goodbye, left the medical room and moved towards their cabin. When they returned, they decided to put on their armor. Of course, the local uniform was good and comfortable, but in his own suit it was still more familiar.

- We still need to go to Shepard. - the sergeant reminded his friend, who was donning his armor. - It looks like she wants to arrange a mini-interrogation for us.

- I know, John. And I doubt it will be a "mini interrogation" as you said. This conversation will definitely not be for 15 minutes, at least for the one who goes there first. Most likely, she will start asking us about everything she can. This is not surprising, given that we are people from another dimension. Her interest is understandable.

- Another dimension, damn it. - repeated the words of Engineer Carver. - We only found out for 10 hours that we had miraculously survived after the fall of the moon, and now we got into an alternative universe where people coexist with living xenos. Too many incredible events in such a short period of time. This can really drive you crazy.

- I agree with you.

- I also suspect that this damn AI is watching us everywhere. - John said with some annoyance.

- In my defense, I respect the privacy of crew members. - EDI popped up. - I can report to the commander only suspicious actions of the individual. The rest remains with me. - having finished the speech, the "spirit" of Normandy immediately disappeared.

- Well, at least I'm sure now. - the bearer of the red armor sounded.

- It was unexpected. - Clark grinned and continued a little later. - Okay, then I'll go first.

John answered with a nod, sat down at the table and tried to turn on the terminal to access the extranet. Isaac, at that time, left the cabin towards the elevator. Reaching it and going inside, he clicked on the uppermost level. A slow pull came over him lightly, making him note that the gravity here felt... different. He could not find another word to describe his feelings. Something here was not right compared to his "native" ships. When the elevator reached its destination, he pushed those thoughts aside and exited, finding the only door glowing green. Figuring that this is most likely the captain's cabin, he went to the lock and pressed it. The door opened and presented him with a spacious room with luxurious decoration. Comfortable and comfortable at first glance, the bed, the glass ceiling behind which, through the blue flashes of energy flowing around the ship, a gorgeous view of space and a white sofa, on which Shepard was currently sitting with a holographic tablet, opened. "She does not deny herself anything. What does she work with, since she allows herself such a ship?" - said the man, going down the stairs.

- Isaac, is that you? - she lifted her head forward. - Have a seat. - Katherine pointed to a seat next to her.

"It will be quite a long dialogue." - once again noted the engineer to himself. He really has a lot to say.