Using the Omega-4 Relay, even though they knew they'd pop out neatly on the other side whole and well was still nerve-wracking. Ezmay knew that underneath her gloves, her knuckles were turning white. She gripped the back of Joker's seat as the familiar rise, pull, going-to-vomit lurch caused her stomach do a back-flip. The last time they had come through this Relay, her skin had still been damp from a hasty shower and her more private regions had still ached pleasantly. Her conscience had been clear; Garrus was at her side. They had both been prepared to die and God willing it would be together. Now she felt her turian's talons settle at the curve of her hip, on a chink between the plating of her armour, and felt his thumb stroke through the bodysuit. When they'd come through last time, they hadn't yet been bonded. By now, he'd been through enough relays with her to know through the bond how they affected her, to know that she felt dizzied at heights and that she could only handle speed and sharp turns if she was in the driver's seat or caught in the thrall of adrenaline. She caught his talons in her hand and gave him a fierce squeeze. The flush of new love hadn't yet worn off- Ezmay still marveled at the novelty of him, the otherness. But Garrus was becoming as much a part of her as her own heart. She searched his face a moment….her husband. Her mate. Inwardly, she shook her head at herself. How many years of being tied together before she no longer thrilled at telling herself that he was hers? Her heart still thumped in excitement.
Joker expertly navigated the debris field, guiding them between and through the ruined hulls of a thousand ancient ships. Every ship that had tried to jump through using the Omega-4 Relay had been destroyed. They couldn't handle the pull of this area of space, the fields, and the Collectors. The Normandy was piloting through a graveyard, and everyone in the cockpit held their breath.
Out here, they were relatively safe. Out here, Ezmay did not have to focus on the Shadow Broker and Councilor Velarn's treachery. She was intensely curious about whatever information awaited her on the Collector base. What was so important that she had to go to see it, rather than have the information forwarded over via email? This curiosity carried her through the ship, onto the base once they'd landed, and down to where the Cerberus scientists were bustling and studying. The air of excitement was palpable; science nerds…she thought with a grin. It was cute. Like how excited she got with a new gun or an augment to her armour. She could practically hear Mordin wearing a path into the floor plating with all his anxious pacing.
Garrus was at her right shoulder. He always was. And he was on edge. She didn't blame him. The Collector base was no better for the installation and setup of all the scientific equipment. It was still hotter than she was comfortable with and it still had that unnatural smell that permeated and threatened to overwhelm one's senses. Hard to believe that only a few scant months before, they'd been fighting their way through this mess. The setting primed both of them; the warrior instinct was blooming fierce. There had been blood here. They'd spilt it. No one who had fought and killed could ever forget where they had killed at.
"Still smells like a compost pile." Miranda said, her elegant nose wrinkling. She'd come along because Cerberus was her organization. Likely there was intellectual curiosity. Ezmay knew that glint in Miranda's eyes. Even for all the loyalist's complaints about the stink, she was happy as a pig in shit. Being in a lab suited Miranda nicely.
A white-coated scientist sighted Ezmay and the small entourage she'd brought aboard. Garrus and Jack flanked Ezmay to either side. At first, she'd felt a little hesitant to bring the tattooed felon along with her to a Cerberus installation. Then she'd realized that if she was double-crossed, she'd want someone on her side who was willing to burn the installation to the foundation. For the time being, Jack was behaving herself. The biotic didn't like being here, but Ezmay could tell she was restraining herself, which was good. Jack was strung like a livewire at her side; vibrating with energy and reading to spark at any moment.
"Commander Shepard! I'm Lee. Lee Montecchi." The young man was already enthusiastically pumping Ezmay's hand before she could really react. Back on Torfan, she would have reacted to this kid coming at her so fast by shattering his jaw. Now she had the good grace to smile artificially.
"It's Commander Vakarian now. And it's nice to meet you, Lee."
"Oh, yes! We've got interesting things to show you. I was told that Dr. Mordin Solus was with you?"
"He's on his way." A wry grin twisted at the corner of her lips as she thought of the salarian. Neither orders nor threats of death could have kept Mordin away from the opportunity to get in here and looked at the Collector base. Even when they'd been carrying out their final assault, Ezmay had seen the wistfulness, the burning need on the part of the salarian to get in here, to analyze, to find out, explore, and know. When they'd docked with the Cerberus-installed bay on the Collector base, Mordin had announced he was going to gather his field tools and would be along shortly. Mirth had passed between Garrus and Ezmay.
"He is?" The news seemed to ignite an inner fire in Montecchi's step. "This is so exciting! Dr. Solus is a legend. I mean, he's a salarian, but still! Do you think he'd be willing to work with me?"
Jack grunted under her breath, "Fuckin' nerds…"
"You're in charge of this show, aren't you?" Ezmay ignored her, answering Montecchi's question by way of question.
"Well, not technically. But I've done most of the work." Lee signaled that she should follow with a jerk of his shoulder, and began to lead the four down the main hallway back towards the control room where Ezmay had faced the Human Reaper.
She snorted inwardly. If the Reapers weren't such a threat, she'd have laughed at the utter ridiculousness of the Human Reaper. Like some perverted joke by the Gods.
Far below the platform, scientists moved over the Human Reaper like ants on a pile of sugar. Ezmay could only imagine what kind of tests they were running. If she were a less disciplined woman, she would have spit over the edge.
"So, what was it that you need to show me?" She murmured as she moved away from the edge.
"Well, it's this…" Montecchi had already moved to a view screen and drawn up a model of DNA. At least, that was what Ezmay thought it was. She recognized the double helix that had been beaten over her head all through primary school science classes. Montecchi's fingers moved over specific parts of the helix, and enlarged them so Ezmay could see it better.
"It's very pretty, but what are we looking at here?" Garrus said from her left shoulder.
"Human DNA. Modified. Probably what the Collectors were using for the Human Reaper."
Enter the illustrious Dr. Solus. Ezmay's eyes went to the salarian and she felt the corner of her mouth going up outside of her control. Montecchi fell all over himself, moving so that Mordin could snatch up a datapad. The black eyes went over the glowing red letters displayed by the DNA helix.
"What's the deal here?" Ezmay asked. It was hard to ignore the perpetual hum through the entire complex. The railing beneath her hand was thrumming with vibrations of the power source. It was distracting, and she had to make considerable effort to focus her mind on the chattering salarian.
"Interesting. Knew other scientists had toyed with the theory, but no real practical application as yet." Talking to the salarian was useless. Ezmay and Garrus exchanged a look, the unspoken communication asking 'you want to be the bad guy or should I?' She shrugged, ignoring the pleased, smart-ass look on Garrus face, and took a step towards Montecchi and Mordin. For a split-second, she felt bad about disturbing the nerd-fest standing by the helix display.
"Hey, hey!" The snap of her fingers was just loud enough and just out of place enough to grab Mordin's attention. He looked….annoyed. Like someone had just yanked him out of a sound sleep when he'd been having a wonderful dream. "Mordin! Need the info. You're not the only one who's curious here."
"Characteristic of Collector battles included Harbinger possessing and controlling random Collectors. Cerberus scientists examining how this was possible. Just the tip of the iceberg of the research I suspect." Behind Mordin, Montecchi was nodding enthusiastically.
"Okay." Ezmay nodded to indicate that he should go on.
"Predominant theory is that Reapers are energy-based lifeforms, occupying metal shells."
Well. "Interesting." She felt Garrus becoming intrigued in spite of himself and wondered if he could feel her irritation at her own lack of scientific expertise.
"Right! Not like silicon-based, or chlorine, or anything like that." Montecchi piped up behind his salarian hero.
"Reapers undefinable. Unlike anything currently understood in science. Still too much work to be done. Possible reason Reapers wanted humans is revenge. You." Mordin smiled that peculiar smile of his that first caused unease, and then made Ezmay smile back. "Angered the Reapers. Could just be petty revenge."
"An intergalactic turf war." Garrus said.
"More likely explanation is that humans have a gene similar to Collectors, Protheans. A gene that allows the Reapers to possess and indoctrinate better than other races."
"But Saren was indoctrinated. So was Benezia." She said.
"Yes. Indoctrination possible for all species." Mordin nodded to Montecchi, who was anxiously bouncing behind him. "All humans possess the capability of biotics. Some stronger than others. Just like asari, only, not every human manifests biotic power. Another capability humans possess is the possibility of other psionic powers. Telepathy and whatnot."
The tone in the room turned from one of polite interest to complete dismissal. Ezmay laughed at Mordin. The idea was less ludicrous than it would have been three hundred years ago, since the dawn of biotics. But psychics were charlatans. Psionic power had never been proven. She was laughing, even as her stomach was roiling with anxiety. Garrus was queerly silent beside her.
"Oh, Mordin…I never thought you went into for this parapsychology bullshit."
"Not bullshit. Extremely recessive gene. Chances of trait manifesting and flourishing infinitesmal. Only one or two true psionics every other generation. Lots of people sensitive to things and not sure why. Uneasy and don't know why. Déjà vu, prophetic dreams, precognizance."
Her eyebrow must have still been raised because Mordin really tore into her then.
"Some skepticism healthy, but you, of all people, should be more receptive to theory. Turian mating bond evidence of heightened empathy. No explanation for it, especially in beings of opposing chirality."
She looked sharply to Garrus, who was studiously looking away from her. Ezmay was instantly conscious of many, many Cerberus eyes glued to her. All at once she was furious with Mordin for throwing her relationship with Garrus to the wolves. Of all the places for her xenophiliac tendencies to be exposed was in a circle of scientists with very human-centric interests. More than one set of eyes had that scientific glint. Unless she missed her guess, she and Garrus were going to receive more than one polite email requesting a clinical interview.
"The ability to sense a mate's emotions just one facet of psionic talent."
"Empathy is not psionic." Ezmay bit out. "There are entire professions founded on the quality of being able to be compassionate."
"Confusing empathy and compassion. Not mutually exclusive, but largely separate constructs. Humans so used to the presence of empathy in other humans that it is assumed to be a universal trait, rather than psionic talent. Consider Elcor, having to elaborate emotional context. Partial component of empathy being able to read nonverbal cues, posture, small kinetic movements, body language. Other component certain sense of just knowing. Turian mating bond is heightened empathy, unexplained link boosting psionic properties in partners."
Mordin had the words out in a rush. She struggled to keep up, and as the salarian was laying out the bases of his argument, she felt Garrus thrumming with anxiety beside her. He felt grudging agreement with what Mordin was saying, and Ezmay felt more irritation that she had had to concede the point.
It chapped her to say it, but.. "Right….what you're getting at is..?"
"Reapers intended to manipulate psionic gene in humans as they had in Collectors. Haven't quite figured out why they were 'processing' humans. Perhaps using genetic data in order to enable the psionic drive to come online. Use of human shape probably just whimsy. Sick joke."
Already the salarian was pacing around, fingers flying over datapads and consuming information as fast as he could gulp it down. That left Ezmay with the penultimate question, which she posed to Montecchi…
"Why am I here?" Not that she was complaining about being in the ass-end of the galaxy. Right now, this was the safest place she could think of.
The little science nerd, as Ezmay thought of him, looked abashed. In retrospect, at least he had the good grace to look ashamed.
"Of course, your relationship with Executive Officer Vakarian was on a need-to-know basis.."
Fierce green eyes narrowed on him. Unknown to Ezmay, cobalt blue eyes had as well. They moved in synchronicity, both Ezmay and Garrus straightening and fixing Montecchi with their stares. He shriveled like a puppy that had been kicked.
"…you're the most convenient source of human DNA that's been modified. That is…you're bonded with XO Vakarian…" Montecchi stammered beneath the heavy weight of those speculative stares. What he was getting at had already snapped in Ezmay's mind, but Garrus beat her to the punch with the question.
"You want to see if the psionic genes in her DNA have mutated with the mating bond in the same way that the DNA was modified by the Reapers."
The human bowed his head, his face an anomalous shade of red.
"Yes, with your permission. We think it might give us a clue as to how the Reapers use telekinesis and thought projection to indoctrinate, and we might be able to find a way to counter it."
The kid was really reaching. Although, to be fair, Mordin was nodding along like it was a sing-a-long, so that had to count for something. For a long time, she didn't say anything. To let them sit and stew in their anxiety as to whether she'd consent to the invasion or not…well, she'd be lying if she didn't say it was delicious. And she was more than little curious. Since coming to in the Cerberus base, with Miranda bitching at her over the intercom and mechs plugging for her head, she suspected….knew…there was something different about her body. Then the whole bonding…..
Ezmay turned her head and gave Garrus a sidelong glance. His eyes met hers; he knew she was looking at him. He was like a marble statue, but she knew what was going on in that head of his.
Scary. I actually know what he's thinking. She said to herself.
And the funny thing was, he knew that she knew. If they weren't in front of people, she would have smacked him for all the smarmy, lecherous thoughts he was pumping at her. Ezmay had to rip her eyes away from him when she felt her body heating up. A low rumble of laughter went through Garrus's chest.
"What do you need for a reference sample?" She had to force the question out before she lost her nerve.
At that, Montecchi came alive. He was brandishing swabs and plastic bags like he'd conjured them out of thin air. Mordin moved off, even as the young human was chattering about blood and hair. "Of course, if you don't mind, I'd like to swab the inside of your cheek. And just a scraping of your skin…."
Ezmay's eyes rolled back in her head, and she shook her head at Garrus. There was the same smart-ass smile on his face.
"Keep on smiling." She said with her own sinister smirk.
"I know, heart of my heart." He'd settled his bony ass against the railing and was stripping off one of his gauntlets with a pleased expression on his face. He was still thinking naughty thoughts at her; he seemed to have anticipated Montecchi wanting samples of his own turian DNA to try to figure out why Ezmay's had reacted as it had. With her luck, it'd have something to do with orgasm, and they'd be begged for a performance.
"So, Mordin, am I right in assuming that you're going to want to stay here and play doctor for a while?" Montecchi was coming at her hand with a lancet; Ezmay eyed him. The tiny needle pierced her thumbpad and she grunted.
"So much to analyze. Can help to speed work of Cerberus team. Might help to give us an edge over the Reapers." Mordin waved a test tube at her. "Besides. Last crew leave was during your elopement. Collector base isn't Citadel, but giving crew lightened shifts and some downtime will increase peak efficiency later on."
The previously-silent Jack spoke up helpfully from where was perched on a chest-high wall.
"In other words, you're a fucking slave-driver."
Ezmay glared at her. "Thank you, Jack."
"A coarse description, but appropriate. Observations by EDI show that crew fraternization increased by 33.4% and.."
She'd had to wait while Montecchi finished his cheek swab, otherwise Mordin wouldn't have gotten as far as he did. When her mouth was clear of cotton swab, she coughed, and cut in angrily.
"Jesus God, are we really going here? We've been running hot a little lately, but not any worse than usual."
"Right after the Collectors." Even in criticism, the flanging effect of his voice made her skin prickle pleasantly. Garrus continued. "Remember that one story I told you about reach and flexibility?"
Great, she was being railroaded. She fixed Garrus with a look that said Unhappy with you. "Et tu, Garrus?"
"We're safe out here in the middle of nowhere. It won't hurt to stay unreachable for a while. Give Engineer Donnelly time to try out that new still that he's managed to rig together."
Her eyes widened.
"He's built a still on my ship?"
One of Garrus's mandibles fluttered in amusement. He seemed not to notice when Montecchi applied the lancet to his thumb. Ezmay was irrationally more angry at him about that than him not telling her than one of her engineering crew was manufacturing booze in the guts of the ship.
"If he were pressing grapes in the galley would it be as much of an issue?" Garrus asked her.
"Asshole." Throwing her liking for wine at her like that… She tested her newly-reco vered memory and found Garrus's predilection for teasing to be a constant trait. "Fine. Mordin, have fun. Let me know if you find anything."
It was like she'd given him permission to sleep over and play with action figures. She and Garrus were already forgotten; Montecchi was shoving the DNA samples to Mordin.
"You." Ezmay pointed a finger at Garrus. "Our quarters. We need to have a talk about your insolence, post-haste."
The talk about his insolence turned out to be more of a demonstration of force. Ezmay snored softly into her pillow in the darkness beyond her desk. The sheets were tangled around her hips; the pale blue glow of the fishtank made her skin glow. If Mordin was to be believed, all across the ship, couples were pairing off and "relieving stress" with their chosen partners. Shore leave had a way of doing that. If that was what lightened shifts could be called.
Garrus managed to tear his eyes away from his valkyrie of a mate, and looked back down at the terminal screen. For what felt like the thirtieth time in the past hour, he deleted the document he'd started typing and began a new one.
Father,
It doesn't surprise me that you knew of our coming to Palaven; you were always too willing to abuse the resources at your disposal to keep track of your children.
Garrus paused, drumming claws against the edge of the desk. To his way of thinking, the opening sounded harsh. But he knew Evandus prized bluntness and honesty. Feelings and niceties were inconvenient and prevented one from receiving the intended message sooner.
To use a human phrase, I could give a rat's ass what you think about Ezmay.
No…that was too blunt. Garrus backspaced. What would Ezmay say in such a situation?
Fuck off. We're having mutant babies.
Her approach probably wasn't the best one either. Again, he backspaced. To think that he was the one in the relationship with all the tact; Sometimes, it scared Garrus.
You know it pains me to disappoint you, but Ezmay's going to be a permanent fixture in my life, in one form or another. The bond exists, incredible as that is to say, since it's a human mate we're talking about. I know you want very badly for me to leave her and find a good turian woman, but you see how fruitless that would be since I've bonded. If I were to leave, I would be an empty shell of a turian.
This, his father should well know. Garrus's mother had not been who Evandus had bonded with, only who he married.
I did not come to see you on Palaven because I was on a mission. It was time-specific, and no, it was not in the service of the Council or C-Sec.
Claws drummed on the desk as he considered what next to say. He wasn't sure what Evandus was looking for. Well…that was a lie. He knew exactly what Evandus wanted, but no amount of explaining, cajoling, or screaming would convince his father that Garrus didn't want to languish in C-Sec forever. If only Evandus could just meet Ezmay…..although Garrus was fairly sure that his being mated to a human would go over like a turd in a punchbowl, there was still that small, desperate hope in the back of his heart that Evandus would embrace Ezmay after he got to know her.
My mate really is quite magnificent. I'm sure that when you get to meet her, you'll see what the fuss is all about. She's strong, and brave, and tenacious. She's everything you would have liked in a daughter.
Garrus could hear Evandus' rejoinder without even sending the email. 'How could she be a true daughter-in-law if she can't even give me grandsons?'
His eyes went up suddenly to the bed where Ezmay's soft snoring had stopped. The last thing he wanted was her wandering up here and having yet another thing to worry about. Things were complicated enough for her as it was without worrying about some cranky old turian father-in-law. He squinted into the darkness and saw Ezmay tossed on her back, a forearm laying over her eyes. The glow of the fishtank revealed a drool spot on her pillow. Garrus snickered.
At any rate, I'm not leaving her. I guess I'm a pervert, then. I know that disappoints you, just like everything that I've done lately. But I've learned to live with disappointing you.
Therein lied the beauty of the thing. Being with Ezmay for so long had taught him that he could define his own morality. Right and wrong wasn't decided for him, and it was incredibly freeing. When he stopped worrying about pleasing other people, all the priorities seemed to just snap into place. For the first time in his life, he felt truly authentic unto himself. He was as the Spirits had intended him to be.
There was nothing more left to say. Garrus typed his name and sent the email on it's way.