Chapter 2; Adjusting to the Trek Life.
December 31st, 2185
Ex-Cerberus Vessel; Normandy SR 2
Omega Nebula, Sahrabarik System
Enroute to Omega for much needed repairs.
How they were still flying at all was anyone's guess. Being knocked around by an EMP pulse from when Joker had used the Normandy's main cannon to rip apart the same cruiser that had destroyed the old Normandy, as well as the drones that had chased them all over the damn Collectors' airspace before they had carved a path through the base itself, destroying that as well. It was amazing they still had a ship by the time it was over, not to mention the fact that they had all made it back. "That's the last time I go on a suicide mission." Joker grumbled from his pilot seat, but he was honestly glad it was over despite the fact that predictably, he was down an arm until his shoulder healed up not just from using a rifle, but also from taking a slug to the same shoulder he had braced the weapon against. This is really going to put a kink in my extranet viewing pleasure...and I'm not about to ask EDI to help me look stuff up on there either.
"Hello Joker..." Joker nearly jumped out of his seat as the quiet voice behind him interrupted his unsavory thoughts. How he hadn't grown eyes in the back of his head to compensate for everyone sneaking up on him was anyone's guess.
"Oh, sorry I scared you...Jeff." Tali was wringing her fingers together, yet again, as she watched him settle back into his leather seat. Turning the seat around so he was facing the quarian mechanic, Joker smiled despite the fact she had about made him piss his pants...again. That girl needs a cow bell or something! Having Kasumi scaring the crap out of me is bad enough.Still, at least with Tali, Joker didn't have to worry about parts going missing from the ship anytime they docked at the Citadel.
"Hey Tali, what's up? What can this handsome one armed pilot do for ya?" Joker couldn't help waggling his eyebrows at the young woman, who suddenly had a hard time looking him in the eyes. Ha! I can almost imagine the blush on her face right now.
"Well...I have been meaning to...ask you something. I thought it was best to wait until after the mission before I bought it up." She wasn't sure where to even begin since like most of the crew, she hadn't been sure if they were going to make it back or not. Still, fear and embarrassment of possibly being rejected had held her back, but now that they were home free, so to speak, Tali wasn't going to delay any longer. The Reapers were still coming after all, and tomorrow might not come when they finally did appear.
Hearing the serious tone in her voice Joker was suddenly a lot less interested in being funny. "What is it Tali? You can ask me anything, you know that right?" Damn, this doesn't sound good,I have to get her to open up before she decides I'm just going to be a jackass, like usual. "Whatever it is, I'll help you any way I can, Tali."
Tali sighed and seemed to have come to some kind of decision as she finally spoke. "Seeing you...almost fall out of the ship the other day made me realize something Jeff. I care about you...deeply. We've known each other for more than two years and it was only when I watched you almost die that I realized just how much I...I..." Joker was stunned, but despite his usual antics of keeping people at arm's length through his snarky comments and some would argue bad sense of humor, he wasn't without his good qualities. The fact that it was Tali spilling her guts out to him of all people was strange enough on its own though.
"O...kay, can I say I wasn't expecting that in the least without sounding like an ass?" On the inside, Joker was a complete mess right then. Oh crap! How the hell am I supposed to handle this?! I mean, she's nice and all, and sweet...and kind. Huh...
"Say something already! Please..." As Tali shouted at him, Joker couldn't have been more shocked if Tali had pulled a grenade out of one of her many pockets. Despite the physical risk he took even so much as getting to his feet most days, Joker still took the chance anyway, knowing the action wasn't lost on the quarian as he stood before her a moment later.
"You just caught me completely out in left field there Tali. I...I just need some time to think about this, okay?" Joker wanted to kick himself but he really did plan to give it some thought since he didn't want to screw this up if he did take a chance for once in his life. Flying a ship with brittle bones didn't exactly make for good conversation pieces at most dinners, and then there was the fact that Tali herself had her non existent immune system to worry about. Even so, if Shepard could make it work even with a war going on, then why couldn't he?
"Field... what field?" Tali tilted her head in confusion, having no idea if this was going well or if it was going terribly.
"Human expression, don't worry about it. The point being that you just caught me by surprise is all Tali." Joker was quick to explain, but he felt he owed her a little more than that. "I guess I hadn't let it catch up to me yet but hanging out of an open airlock was a bit more than I'm generally used to. I'm more surprised you chose me over anyone else since I'm used to being a jackass all the time, and well the whole glass bones thing."
"Jeff... I, of all people, can understand being... different. I hope that you can maybe see past this." She motioned to her visor, as well as the suit itself that was as much a part of her as Jeff's brittle bone disease was for him. Before she could speak further though, Joker had taken a step closer and shook his head, feeling like an ass for even making her think that he was worried about her own problem she had to contend with.
"That's not it at all you, what's that word you use, stupid bosh'tet. I'm just worried about screwing this up. Besides, what's a few broken bones?" Joker replied, earning a relieved chuckle from the woman in front of him. "Seriously though Tali, I've never done this before and I'd put money on the fact you probably haven't either. If anyone can make this work out though, it'd most likely be us." Or I'll be in traction for a month, and she'll be stuck in the med bay with some god awful illness.
"How's everything up here Jok-" Shepard noticed just how close Tali and a surprisingly upright Joker were to each other. They moved apart a second too late as they looked to their Commander, obviously embarrassed at being caught doing... something. Did I just interrupt a tender moment between them? Ah Hell. Looks like I owe those two some privacy. They certainly took their sweet time though. Almost as bad as me and Jack. "Sorry for interrupting you two. I can come back later." The damage had been done, but she still felt it was necessary to ask anyway.
"No... that's alright Shepard, Jeff has some thinking to do anyway." Tali was quick to reply, waving her hands in front of her frantically, and both Joker and Sara could practically hear the embarrassment behind the visor.
Shepard couldn't help smirking as Tali walked back towards the CIC. "Jeff? I suggest you think long and hard Joker. Most of this crew is about as close to family as you could get." The not so subtle warning didn't need to be set in stone or lit up in big neon letters for Joker to see. There was no way in Hell he'd piss off Sara Shepard. "But..." Joker wasn't sure what to expect, and was relieved that it wasn't more veiled threats on his life if he did screw up. "if you do decide to pursue this, I'm sure you can make her happy, just don't take too long in deciding one way or the other. Oh, and that's an order... Jeff." Joker couldn't miss the slight smile threatening to burst out of Shepard any second now as she quickly left the cockpit.
"Yes ma'am! Or is that Mrs. Psychotic Biotic?" He shouted cheerfully at Shepard's back, earning a laugh and a one finger salute for his trouble before he turned the chair around. He had much to think about, but at least it was something good for once in a sea of so much crap. Saren, Sovereign, and now the Collectors, and they still had the rest of the Reapers to worry about. Compared to what we've seen already, a broken bone or two would be a small sacrifice if it meant having a few moments of peace and happiness.Jeff thought as he looked out to the sea of stars in front of him. EDI had been strangely quiet this whole time, and while any other time he'd have been worried, he was glad she hadn't said anything during that whole awkward bit between himself and Tali. "I know you're there EDI, just spit it out since I'm sure you have a few 'jokes' lined up by now."
"Jeff... I highly suggest you do not upset Tali in any way. I control the gravity on this ship, and you might have an accident if Tali's feelings were to be hurt." Joker was stunned since EDI was the last person he had expected to threaten him. As if to make sure he understood how serious she was being, EDI quickly added more to her previous statement. "Just so we are clear, that was not a joke."
"I'll uh...keep that in mind." And here comes the Overlord. Joker thought with next to no humor since now it seemed he had his ship after him. It was a sad day in a pilot's life when one's own ship started making death threats in defense of another crew member's feelings. But EDI wasn't quite done with him as she removed some of the hidden intent behind her earlier words with a less threatening statement a moment later, which made Jeff breathe a lot easier.
"I would also like to say how happy I am for the two of you, you will make an excellent couple in my opinion. I'll try and remember not to record anything between you two and post it on the extranet. If I did, it'd probably end up on Fornax's webpage."
"Not funny EDI, but at least you have good taste I'll give ya that." Joker had to roll his eyes at the image that brought up, but at least EDI wasn't threatening to end his life with an untimely fall down the stairs or a mysterious showering accident. That would not look good on the obituary page.
The Med Bay
The last thing Brooklyn expected to see when he opened his black eyes was the young tattooed woman he had briefly seen earlier. Oh crap.She wasn't exactly who he had wanted to see so soon after waking up, but when she caught him staring, Brooklyn felt his cheeks turn a shade darker as he tried to look anywhere but at the woman in front of him.
"What the fuck are you looking at Red?" he certain hadn't missed the fierce look in the woman's brown eyes. She almost reminded him of Demona in a way since both had that same fierceness about them, but of course, they were about as different from each other as he was from the insane female gargoyle that had once been part of Goliath's clan.
"Probably the same thing I do on a regular basis Jack." Sara said from the door to the med bay, earning a slight blush from Jack which she quickly tried to hide by looking away from both of them. Brooklyn noticed the way Jack had looked away so quickly, wondering if there wasn't something between them.
"So this thing really pulled that cripple pilot's ass out of the fire huh? He looks like a pussy to me." Jack had to say something to regain a measure of her former attitude she presented to everyone, otherwise people would start to wonder if she was going soft. Sara knew better, but this guy didn't, at least not yet anyway, and if Jack had anything to say about it, she'd keep it that way."
"Jack... be nice to Brooklyn, well as nice as possible for you anyway." Sara earned a scowl from the biotic but she knew what Jack was really like. Underneath the attitude was a mostly good person who had been through Hell and had somehow still held onto some of her humanity despite her best efforts to try to say otherwise.
Brooklyn jumped back as Jack hopped up on the end of his bed to get a better look at him. "Yup... definitely a pussy."
Much to Jack's surprise though, Brooklyn's eyes flashed and remained a bright white as he glared daggers at the woman that was practically on top of him, a deep growl emanating from deep in his chest which quickly turned to pained coughs due to his injuries. So much for appearing tough. Brooklyn thought weakly to himself as he slowly managed to settle down again, but Jack had gotten the point nonetheless.
"I heard you helped the Doc out down here and then helped Ms. Buckethead pull Dumbass..." Jack motioned over her shoulder at Sara. "back onboard, so maybe you're not a complete pussy. Still, I wouldn't get any ideas Red, she's off the market."
"Whoa what? I just got here lady, and while she's not bad on the eyes, you clearly haven't noticed I'm not human." He had to bite his tongue though when he remembered that Goliath and Elisa were a couple, and while, far as he knew anyway, that they hadn't gone past kissing, they had still most likely gotten to the rest eventually. "An..anyway, I ain't interested, so cool it."
"So what? All you need to know is where to stick it... "Brooklyn was blushing profusely by this point. "oh, maybe you don't even know that much, eh Red?" Jack all but grinned as Sara facepalmed herself at the woman she had somehow ending up falling in love with while Brooklyn shook his head profusely. How could this get any worse? Brooklyn thought to himself as Shepard sighed and decided to step in before one or both of them did something that they'd regret later. She never got the chance though as someone else stepped in before she could.
"That's alright Brooklyn, being a virgin is nothing to be ashamed of." Brooklyn gasped as he realized that it hadn't been Jack that had said that, but Kelly as he turned his head and saw that she had woken up in all the commotion. Oh, that's just great. Maybe Joker can tell the whole ship while they're at it. Still, at least it got Jack to jump off of his bed, small comfort as that was for the gargoyle at that moment.
"Umm... thanks? I guess." What else could he say after being embarrassed as thoroughly as he had in such a short amount of time? At least he had one person on his side, he hoped, noticing that Shepard was almost as red as he was on a normal basis.
"Jack, Kelly up and out. I think we've managed to mortify poor Brooklyn enough for tonight." Unfortunately for Shepard, Chakwas entered the med bay before she could execute their tactical retreat. She would have gladly faced the human Reaper again rather than Chakwas' wrath.
"Commander? Jack? What are you doing in... Brooklyn are you alright? You look as if you have a fever." Doctor Chakwas had noted the extra red tint to the gargoyle's face and was immediately at his side just as Kelly had gotten out of the way despite her own worry for his health.
"No no, nothing like that Doc. Just uh...let's just forget the subject shall we?" Brooklyn hoped that would be the end of it, but then if that happened, his day might not have been so weird to begin with.
"I can delete my recordings of this conversation if you would rather not have the crew know of your virgin status, Brooklyn." EDI 'helpfully' added a few seconds later.
"Someone please turn me to stone now. I don't care for how long." Brooklyn groaned as Sara finally had to stop biting her tongue and let out the suppressed laugh she had been keeping contained up until then. "Thanks for the support, jerk." Sara somehow managed to stop laughing as she stood on Brooklyn's other side, curious as to what he had meant, and apparently she wasn't the only one.
"Stone? Whatever do you mean Brooklyn?" Chakwas' curiosity was peaked instantly. It wasn't everyday that she got to meet a new alien species after all.
Brooklyn was kicking himself for blurting that out. The 'stone sleep' was the most vulnerable part of a gargoyles life. He didn't know if he could trust any of these people enough to explain it to them, especially Jack. He'd probably get smashed into little pieces around her, and with the way his day had been going that wouldn't surprise him if it happened. Not that he would care at that point.
Kelly was astute enough to catch the pure fear in Brooklyn's eyes that he was clearly trying to hide now. "I think we should let Dr. Chakwas talk with Brooklyn alone for a little while." While she sounded pleasant, Shepard could see that Kelly definitely wanted everyone to give Brooklyn some space. She wasn't a shrink for nothing after all, and besides, it was probably better if only he and the doctor were alone anyway since Brooklyn still had a bit of a road ahead of him yet.
"Good idea Ms. Chambers, I'm sure Jack and I can find something else to do in the meantime." Even though Jack crossed her arms and apparently had no intention of leaving, she was dragged out of the room shortly thereafter by Sara. Oddly enough, the slightly unstable biotic didn't put up as much resistance as usual.
Brooklyn was able to breathe a little easier as the room emptied out, save for the doctor and himself anyway. "We don't have to talk about it right away if you're afraid to tell me Brooklyn, I'm nothing if not patient. Just know that anything you tell me will never leave this room. It's part of being a doctor that we never speak about our patients, in most cases." That got a curious look from Brooklyn since while he knew some things about the human world he had been pulled out of, he didn't know as much as he'd have liked, mostly because he wasn't treated too well like the rest of his clan. It didn't bring up too many opportunities to ask questions.
"So...let's just say um... a friend of mine has this very odd way of sleeping. Only problem is he turns to solid stone in direct sunlight, and if it get's damaged at all during the day..." Chakwas understood all too well why Brooklyn hadn't wanted to share such a fatal weakness. Being completely helpless during the day? That was not something that she'd have imagined, but oddly enough, it fit given most gargoyles she had ever seen were stone regardless of the time of day.
"Well... your friend... certainly would have the right to be worried about what happen to him while he's sleeping." Karin didn't know what else to say, but then she smiled and continued. "But... If he happened to be on this ship, I think he would be perfectly safe if he needed to take a proper nap."
"Even with Jack running around? Err... I mean could he really trust everyone on this ship that much?" Brooklyn's voice couldn't help but have a bit of hope that the doc would put his fears to rest, and he wasn't disappointed.
"Yes Brooklyn, not even our resident criminal would ever be allowed to hurt you." Chakwas leaned in close as if sharing a secret with him. "Jack doesn't want to hurt you Brooklyn, she's just so used to having to appear vicious to those around her is all. With the kind of life she's been forced to live however, I imagine that it was the only way she could have survived." Which was very unfortunate since no one deserved what had been done to her, but that wasn't her story to tell.
"Wait, you said Jack is a criminal? I had a friend that put people like her behind bars. What's she doing on this ship then?" He wasn't trying to be rude since he was the last person to judge a book by its cover, but Brooklyn was curious nonetheless. Besides that, he had no idea how long he'd be stuck in this universe, so he might as well get whatever information he could now. "Or is that one of those things you can't talk about doc?" He just now realized it probably was, but he had to try all the same.
"Jack is the first to boast about her less than legal acts, so I don't see the harm. But, I believe it's more apt to say that she was a criminal. It seems that the Commander has had quite the beneficial effect on her since Jack joined the crew."
"Just don't let her catch you saying that since she'd never admit she's going soft." Garrus said from the door, smirking a little as he casually leaned against the door as if he'd always been there, but he had only just gotten there and had just heard the part about Jack. "Sorry doc, just wanted to get a closer look at our newest member of the Normandy. Being under fire from Collectors didn't give much of a chance to say hello."
"Um... hello? Wait... you helped to carry me down here, didn't you?" Brooklyn remembered the strange alien's flanged voice from the other day and was honestly glad to finally get a chance to thank him. At least, he thought the...alien was a guy anyway. "I owe ya one. You really pulled my tail out of the fire."
"Don't worry about it, you stay on this ship long enough, everyone saves everybody else eventually, some of us multiple times I might add. Just part of the job of saving the universe, twice now." Garrus smirked despite the fact he was telling the truth, something that even he found hard to believe at times but that was the way of things.
"Ha! You're a funny guy, you know that?" Brooklyn had a feeling he was going to get along well with this guy. Huh, I don't remember his name. "Name's Brooklyn, and you are?" The alien reminded him of himself already, and Brooklyn had a tendency to get along with everyone just about. It seemed that the same could be said of the guy in front of him.
"Call me Garrus, and by the way, I wasn't joking. This ship and crew have done some amazing things. Stick around long enough and I'm sure you'll see us in action. You look capable in a fight yourself, now that I think about it. That could prove useful, with some training anyway. Well, get some rest, and don't let big bad Jack scare you so easily. I'll check in with you later, I have some calibrations to work on now though." Garrus nodded to Brooklyn and then sauntered out of the med bay. Brooklyn was looking forward to it.
Brooklyn yawned, then quickly caught himself but not before Chakwas noticed. "Hey Doc, I could really use some... um what do you call it? The brown liquid stuff that's supposed to keep ya up... Coffee! Haven't had any for...wait, what's the year anyway?" Somehow he knew he wasn't going to like the answer.
"What year do you think it is Brooklyn?" A concerned frown appeared on Chakwas face.
"Um... since I'm on a spaceship, I'm going to guess it's not 1998 anymore?" He asked more than stated, that feeling that he wasn't going to like the answer only growing the longer the doctor hesitated. "Give it to me straight doc, how far into the future have I wound up?" I plan to kill Puck the first chance I get regardless. No matter how cool some of the stuff on this ship looks, I didn't ask to be here.
Chakwas paused for a moment then decided to simply tell Brooklyn the truth. "I'm afraid you've somehow been sent approximately one-hundred and eighty-eight years into your future. Tomorrow is the first day of 2186, going by the old Earth calendar." Chakwas was afraid that he wouldn't take the news well, and it seemed she was right as the gargoyle looked ready to throw up.
Brooklyn's head started to spin. "I think I'm gonna be sick." Brooklyn had been expecting maybe twenty years at least, but almost two hundred?! This even worse than when he had first awakened in New York with the rest of his surviving clan. At least he wasn't alone that first time. "Oh, not again... not again! Ok...ok, just calm down, this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Uh...long story." He said to Chakwas' confused and highly concerned expression. Brooklyn took a few deep breaths, and while he was still upset over the news, he was able to at least accept it for the moment.
Chakwas placed a hand gently on one of his still heaving shoulders. "I don't pretend to understand whatever has happened to you Brooklyn, but please know this, nothing will be allowed to happen to you while you are under my medical care and the protection of this crew." He sighed and nodded, still not entirely sure he liked how this had happened again, but at least he had a couple of allies if nothing else.
"Thanks doc. I might not like the fact I'm outside of my own time again, but at least it seems I won't be the only outsider anymore." Considering he was among aliens, it might not be so hard for him to blend in with these people, at least, that's what Brooklyn was hoping for anyway. On the other hand, he had been played the fool a few times, same as most of the Clan had at some point or another, so he would wait and see how things went first.
As he stifled yet another yawn, Chakwas gave Brooklyn a kind yet stern look. "Brooklyn...I do believe you're very tired. I'm sure EDI could properly replicate Earth's sunlight for you. If it would make you feel better, I'm positive I could get at least a dozen highly trained individuals to guard you while you sleep. After everything you've already done to assist us, not to mention saving Jeff, I'm sure they'd jump at the chance to help you." Brooklyn seemed thoughtful since he wasn't used to having such a huge number potential allies willing to defend him, if what Chakwas said was true. Guess there was only one way to find out.
And if it goes well, my sleep will heal me anyway so I'll be able to get out of this really uncomfortable bed all the quicker. "Well, if you're sure doc, then who am I to argue?"
"I'm always watching over the entire ship, Brooklyn. You needn't worry, you'll not come to harm as long as you are inside me." EDI replied, having been listening the entire time, although that was natural for her since she was part of the ship. "If it makes you feel better, I can have Justicar Samara stand guard while you rest. I'm sure she'll want to meet you as well."
"Um...ok?" Brooklyn wasn't sure what was weirder, the way EDI said that bit about staying...inside her or potentially meeting someone else so soon. A few moments later, the most amazing looking woman Brooklyn had ever seen silenced any concerns he might have had as she gracefully entered the med bay. Whoa...He had no idea what to think since she was something else entirely, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing in his opinion since she just seemed to radiate calmness, although there was something about her that also told him she was extraordinarily dangerous as well. Maybe it was the way she instantly sized him up as if judging his strengths and weaknesses in case she had to disable him...permanently if it came to it.
She gave Brooklyn a slight nod of her head. "Greetings, I am an asari Justicar and you may call me Samara. I'm sure you are highly confused right now, but all you should know at the moment is that I have been asked to protect you. Because of the Code I serve nothing shall be allowed to harm you, short of my death allowing them access to do so." Her voice was just as cold and tranquil as her stance suggested, and while it did relax him a little, it also made Brooklyn a little nervous as well.
"Um...thanks, I think. Can I just say you creep me out without you getting offended?" Brooklyn had to say something, but Samara only smiled slightly which only increased his unease for some reason. He shrugged it off though since he was glad that she hadn't decided to smash his face in. "Still, thanks Samara, I owe ya one. Guess I can't stall any longer. Alright EDI, let's see if this works out." At least if they kill me I won't feel it.
"Adjusting lights for typical Earth day cycle." EDI replied and the lights above Brooklyn changed in their intensity, seeming to match a day on Earth at high noon.
Chakwas almost had EDI stop immediately when she saw the look on Brooklyn's face as his skin started to solidify, but she stopped herself went it was obvious he wasn't in any form of pain. Within seconds the gargoyle had become completely solid stone, and a grinding noise could be heard shortly after. This suddenly caused a problem that hadn't even occurred to Chakwas when she had been far more concerned for her patient. The medical bed that Brooklyn had been laying on was almost instantly crushed by the massive weight of it's newly solid stone occupant. "This is...an interesting development." Samara said aloud, having not expected anything of the sort, nor had Karin even though she had been told to expect it.
Seeing the shocked Justicar and Doctor, EDI spoke up. "As I am a vital part of this ship I would be happy to take responsibility for the damages, Doctor. Though, I would suggest caution when talking to Commander Shepard the next time she is in the vicinity of the med bay."
Even Samara nodded her approval of EDI's plan; she found Sara to be trying, especially when something unfortuitous happened to the Normandy. Considering they had just survived the trip through the Omega 4 Relay, they were quite fortunate to still be alive. Still, now that things had calmed down, Samara had a feeling that once they got the repairs they needed, Sara would become picky about the ship again.
Eight hours later...
"Samara... you canna be serious. I need to get out of here and go to the bathroom! Ma bladder canna take no more woman... well you know." Samara just glared at Kenneth as he tried for the seventh time to escape from the med bay at all costs. "Would it help if I swore not to bring back a sledgehammer?" Kenneth asked, hoping for a chance that her Code could be used in such a manner. He was sorely disappointed by her simple answer.
"No, it would not." Samara replied, making Kenneth groan as he danced in place. She took her Code quite seriously, and even for a friend, she would not bend in her devotion to it.
"Damn it girl! Ma kidneys are about to explode!" Kenneth shouted, which he shortly realized might have been a very bad idea since she might take his shouting as a threat. If she did that, from her understanding of her Code, any threat made to her or those under her protection would be met with deadly force.
Samara activated her biotics and Ken cringed at what was coming. He didn't exactly expect a bedpan to float into his hands a moment later. "Ahh! Ya canna be serious woman!" After he thought about it for a moment though, Kenneth knew she was very serious and sighed. "Of all the times I had to get injured..." He went into the back of the med bay and into the server room, only to realize too late that their resident geth was still there. "Ah bloody hell!"
"Hello Donnelly, Kenneth you appear to be leaking fluids. Do you require assistance?" He didn't need to use the bathroom anymore, needless to say as the presence of the geth...Legion, had scared the piss right out of him, literally.
"I canna believe this!" Ken pointed at the confused A.I. in front of him. "Tell no one about this ya bucket of bolts! Not even yer damn Consensus! Especially not Gabby!" He shouted at the synthetic in front of him, red in the face from abject horror and embarrassment.
"I will also refrain from sharing this information Kenneth." If there was ever a time when EDI sounded mirthful, it was today and Kenneth was not in the mood for it as he quickly rounded on her projector.
"You do know that I could fry your circuitry right?"
"You are causing a loud commotion and disturbing the other patients Mr. Donnelly. Get back to your bed please. Now." The blue glow illuminating the server room from Samara's biotics was more than enough to get Ken moving, right at the Justicar rather than away from her as was probably wise in any other instance.
"Are you serious? You wouldna lemme go to the bathroom, and now you're giving me orders?!" His earlier concern about being turned into a red smear on the floor had long since flown. "I oughtta..."
He never got the chance to finish as a loud roar and the sound of stone cracking resounded through most of the crew deck as Brooklyn woke up. Samara had since turned her back on Kenneth and had rushed back into the med bay, having not been sure what to expect. Seeing the gargoyle healthy and whole however made her lower her guard, just in time for Kenneth to give a friendly wave to Brooklyn as he ran out of the med bay to get himself cleaned up. Her job was over and the Code had been served so he was no longer her concern.
Karin Chakwas had been asleep at her desk this entire time, but when Brooklyn had woken up, she had jerked upright and saw that the gargoyle was completely healed. "This is amazing! Your wounds, they seemed to have completely healed in the eight hour cycle EDI ran! Wait...you knew this would heal you, didn't you young man!" Chakwas proceeded to lightly whack her now fully healed patient in the back of the head while he smirked at her.
"Um oops...sorry for not mentioning that earlier doc." Brooklyn had been more concerned surviving the night and had completely forgot to mention that part. "It's part of who we are. While we're at our most vulnerable, we make up for it for healing overnight from even the most severe of injuries." Brooklyn chuckled and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. Karin smiled and shook her head in amusement, just glad he was alright. "So, any chance of some food around here doc?"
"I believe we can find you something, unless you want to try to eat with the rest of the crew?" Karin suggested, not wanting Brooklyn to get himself into the habit of hiding in the med bay the entire trip. Then a thought occurred to her. "Um...what kind of food do you eat exactly?"
"Huh? What's with the weird question? I eat anything a human does." Brooklyn was honestly confused since he had never once considered his dietary needs before.
Samara smiled and chose to explain why Karin had asked the question, although she rightfully expected that he wouldn't understand the finer points of dextro and amino based foods. "Some of us are unable to eat certain foods from the other races of this universe, Brooklyn. If we were to try, it could be fatal."
"Well, that will certainly make things alot easier then, and yes, Samara is right. I would be careful and check anything you eat before you actually eat it for that very reason. Avoid anything marked 'Dextro', 'Garrus' or 'Tali' completely, chances are dextro based food would effect you just as badly as it does humans. Oh... um forgive me, you of course wouldn't be able to read any alien text... I seem to remember we have a spare omni-tool and a translator implant stored away. Let me try to find them for you."
"If you think it'll help. Why do I get the feeling this is going to hurt?" Brooklyn had that funny feeling again, and it had served him well before during past battles. Something about the slightly guilty look on the doctor's face had been hint enough on that end. But if he had been looking more closely as she turned away, he would have noted that she had a slightly pained expression on her face as well.
Karin would never hurt another being purposely, and the few times she ever had to was in their best interest in the long run. Setting bones for example was one of those necessary evils, and implanting the translator was similar in that regard. If Brooklyn happened to ever get lost or was on his own for some reason, at least he would have an understanding of what was going on around him.
Chakwas returned shortly, but set down some equipment and quickly exited the med bay. Less than a minute later she returned with Kelly by her side and Brooklyn noticed that Samara had stayed in the room as well. Okay...my gargoyle sense is really starting to tingle now... "Um...maybe this isn't such a good idea. I'm sure I'd be uh...fine without it." He was running out of room as he backed up just as Samara, Kelly, and Karin kept coming forward, and it was only then did he notice the strange and rather big device in Karin's right hand. "Please tell me you aren't planning to stick that in me."
"In the back of your neck actually. I'm sorry Brooklyn, I won't lie to you this will hurt, but the pain will subside within a few minutes, I promise." Karin replied sadly, really not looking forward to this about as much as Brooklyn himself, but it was better to do it now and get it over with.
"Um... would you stop if I said 'no thank you'? Oh boy..." Brooklyn sighed and turned around, knowing from the looks on their faces that they didn't plan to back down from this plan of theirs. "Fine, just get it over with before I change my mind doc." Pulling his white hair out of the way, the gargoyle felt a hand on his right shoulder and saw it was Kelly who had touched him. "Thanks, I could use a friend right now."
"I am going to use an immobilization technique called Stasis so that you are perfectly still. I'm sure the good Doctor does not wish to accidentally harm you if you were to move involuntarily at the wrong moment. Do you understand?" Samara asked, and while he still didn't like where this was going, at least he wasn't trying to run any further or resist for that matter.
Brooklyn nodded his head and a moment later his body started blowing a light shade of blue as he felt a slight tingle from whatever Samara was doing all across his skin. "Whoa, this is...weird." There was no other way to explain it, but sure enough, a moment later he couldn't move at all save for his mouth. Was it from her wish to keep him breathing or was it just not able to work on his beak? Either way, Brooklyn wasn't really concerned about it, scared as he was about what was about to happen.
"Shhh... it's alright, okay here we go." Kelly softly spoke to him as she nodded to Chakwas and the doctor pressed the implant injector against the upper part of Brooklyn's neck. The next instant, Brooklyn couldn't help letting out a startled scream as a white hot pain spread across the back of his neck and beyond as it filtered down his entire spine from what he was feeling. But just as the doctor had said, it started to dull almost as quickly as it had started, although Brooklyn wasn't too keen on moving around much if he could help it.
"The worst is over Brooklyn, just take it easy for a couple of hours and it should settle soon." Kelly said as the Stasis field disappeared a moment later, releasing the gargoyle who quickly slumped against the wall since his world was still spinning a bit from what had just happened.
"You bore that well, adults rarely receive implants since usually this is done at a very young age so that the child will not remember the experience." Samara told him as she and Kelly slowly placed him on another bed. Brooklyn was glad for the help since he was in no shape to do it himself.
"Can't imagine why." Ouch! The Doc wasn't kidding when she said that was going to hurt!Still, at least it was over and done with so he hopefully wouldn't have to go through that again...ever.
"Just relax Brooklyn, I need to run a few tests, but your implant looks to be working perfectly." Brooklyn didn't exactly like the fact that Chakwas was shining a bright light into his eyes at that moment, but after a few seconds she seemed satisfied with the results.
"Um... is this a bad time to tell you I can't read that well?" Brooklyn oddly enough felt ashamed to have to admit it but he had never really gotten into the habit, unlike Lexington, Hudson or Goliath for that matter. That and he hadn't learned either since there had always been something else to keep him busy or entertained. Riding motorcycles, riding in a helicopter...crashing both at least once before they were rebuilt, and of course fighting to protect himself and his clan from many enemies. "Let's just say that there was a lot going on and I never really got a chance to settle down long enough to try to learn. Eventually I just forgot about it."
"Well we're going to have to change that." Kelly perked up, and despite the overly cheerful look on her face, Brooklyn found he didn't mind the idea of being taught how to read, especially if she was the one doing the teaching. "After you get something to eat and rest anyway, we can start whenever you want."
"Sounds like a plan to me Kelly." Before he could say anything more however, Brooklyn saw the med bay door open and revealed the grizzled old human with two different colored eyes standing in the doorway. He remembered the mismatched eyes and immediately thought of Hudson.
"Well if it isn't the big guddamn hero! Having fun in here with the lady folk? Can't say I blame you, especially with your blue ass in here Samara." As a frown appeared on her face and Samara ignited her biotics, Zaeed laughed in her face. "Temper, temper; Shepard would be upset if she found you bleedin' out on the deck."
"Touch her and you won't have to worry ugly." Brooklyn countered, his eyes glowing brightly as he narrowed his eyes to dangerous slits. He hoped that the big guy couldn't tell he was bluffing since he was still in no shape to fight, but Brooklyn wasn't about to watch him insult the same warrior that had guarded him in his sleep either.
"Well, looks like your balls are still made of stone, boy. Come on, you look like you could use some guddamn lunch. Get your red arse out of that bed and let's go."