Chapter 37: Clinical
While sitting in the medical bay, both Samara and Legion watched as their friend remained still in her comatose state.
Legion said to the Asari, "Do you believe Dr. Solus will be able to find a solution to awaken Tali?"
Samara wondered the same question, but she didn't know the answer. "I believe there is a solution to be found. But perhaps this will give her an opportunity for a new life. I never knew Quarians were so beautiful beneath those suits."
Focused and to the point, the Geth responded, "What will this symbiote do when she is exposed to another planet. There are so many unanswered questions."
"We will not be answering them today, my friend," Samara said as she took one more look at Tali. Although her face remained impassive, Samara could almost feel awareness within and tried to reach out to the Quarian through her thoughts. When she did, the biotic became slightly woozy and stumbled just a bit.
Legion began moving to offer her balance, but she held her hand up to let the synthetic know she was okay. "I think I need some rest."
As she walked back to her chambers, she had thought about what the doctor told her when he first examined her for the headaches. While there were drugs he could administer to treat symptoms, biotic abilities were poorly understood especially amongst his people, and the best research suggested that what she would need to do is wait. Until her abilities came back, Samara felt like she couldn't contribute what she normally would, and wanted to take the time apart to meditate.
Neither Niala nor Ashley would ever see this, of course, as the years had taught her how to command her emotions masterfully. But she would be less available for the next few days as she went into her own dream state to clean up the mess that had been wrought on Palaven.
On the bridge, Mordin came up to speak with Niala, the captain of the vessel.
"When we get to Sur'Kesh, I will need to be dropped off at the Oceanic Institute for Advanced Study." He told her the coordinates, not going into the details of which university where it was located. Because they have photographic memories and complicated lineages, the actual Salarian names for things tended to be longer than other species could remember.
The Asari eyed him critically saying, "Will the patient be going with you?"
Mordin said, "It would be safer for her to remain here in stasis. I have the information I need, and sufficient samples. Where I am going requires a certain security clearance, so this will work best if I go alone."
Niala didn't know what to make of this request, but she understood security having undertaken a few missions of her own during her training. She knew the Salarians were meticulous about their intelligence services and wouldn't change their standards for anyone.
"Ash won't like this," she remarked.
"She already knows and has approved," he countered. Not quite a lie, it wasn't the truth either. But Solus had no desire to involve anyone else in the project he had chosen, and was worried about what might happen should he draw too much attention.
"Your call," she said dismissively.
A few minutes later, the Benevolence reached the mass relay and the ship emerged into the heart of Salarian space. Sur'Kesh was a world where there was water everywhere, and life sprung up amongst the islands and reefs. It favored the amphibian races who could move just as quickly in water as they could on land, and the native Salarians used this to their advantage.
Development on the planet was less located in large cities than it was in smaller clusters built closer to the ground and more spread out. For those who lived there, there were actually clans who lived together in circles based upon their closeness to the Dalatrass, or the matriarch of the clan. With nine males for every female, it was the process of imprinting that maintained the system as all the hatchlings were bonded to both their female predecessors, ensuring stability and continuity.
It was not a place where strangers were unwelcome, but nor did they visit as often as Palaven or Thessia. While Salarians were perfectly capable of interacting and sharing information, the homeworld tended to be a place of secrets and silence. Home to the vast intelligence apparatus of the Salarian Union, many of their species were employed in jobs they would not share even with their partners. This was common and accepted without hesitation as it might have been by other species.
In this world of shadows and questions, Solus had once been a key player. A decorated commando, highly trained scientist, he had also been a leader of the team to create the Genophage at the central university. Looking down on the globe from the heights of the Benevolence, where he intended to go today was somewhere that would draw much less attention. He had once been on the faculty at the Oceanic Institute and had kept both an office and a private laboratory there.
He turned to Niala and said, "Is there a shuttle available?"
"Yes," she replied. "Do you need a pilot?"
"What model is it? Asari standard?"
The captain nodded her head in confirmation. Mordin informed her he knew how to pilot such a vessel.
Taking his leave of the Asari crew, the Salarian scientist took control of the shuttle and began a descent towards his homeworld. Making sure to file all the correct flight paths, he identified his vessel using his personal verifications. It was common for Salarian agents to have several different identities they could use, but Solus did not want to draw the attention that using a false identity would bring.
It was a quick and uneventful flight to the campus of the Institute. Coming back brought many memories, especially those from a time before his work on the Genophage. Before that project, everything seemed a little simpler and more straightforward to Solus. It was an exciting time in his life, but now he was older and more wary.
He parked the shuttle within walking distance of the facility. As he arrived, it was the middle of the day at the Institute and there were students and other faculty members walking around. He headed toward his own office which was at the end of the university when he heard someone call out.
"Mordin? Is that you Mordin Solus?"
Turning, he saw the face of a colleague he hadn't seen in years, "Jasper Krillin, it has been too long."
They had been students together many years ago. Where Mordin had specialized in comparative anatomy and immunology, Jasper was a geologist who specialized in planet construction. His knowledge made him highly desirable to certain mineral extraction operations, and it wasn't uncommon for him to be contracted out if Mordin remembered.
"Would you care to have a bite to eat with an old friend?" he asked.
"I wish I could," said Solus. "Unfortunately, a close friend of mine is sick, and I will have to return to her shortly. I'm here to do an analysis at the old lab."
"That's terrible news," he said, "But going back won't do any good. Your lab was reassigned months ago as the university hadn't heard from you and space is always limited."
Frustrated, Mordin thought to himself he shouldn't be surprised. Any potential sources of information related to the last project were probably systematically removed.
"Do you have access to a lab I can use then?" he asked.
"If you promise me dinner before you go, it's a deal," he replied.
Mordin smiled in response, "Very fair. Can you take me there now?"
Assuming his friend's impatience was due to concern at the condition of this patient, Krillin took him into the medical wing of the institute. After speaking with one or two administrators, he came back to Solus and said, "The lab at the end of the east wing is all yours. The immunology department has had some nice upgrades over the last few years, so I think you'll be very satisfied."
Mordin was given a guest identification card that opened the relevant doors, and walking together, they entered a room that was exactly as the geologist had described. Featuring an integrated virtual intelligence panel, several different work stations with isotope centrifuges and genetic analysis markers, it was almost a replica of what was at the national headquarters.
"Thank you so much, Jasper," said Solus, and he went to work immediately. His friend stayed and watched him for but a moment before leaving, remembering all too well that once Mordin started working, he couldn't be stopped.
Mordin plugged a quantum data card into one of the stations, featuring the complete genetic readout for both Tali and the organism affecting her. The initial analysis confirmed what he suspected on board the vessel, that this lifeform was connecting itself to Tali. Time progression showed that the connection would grow closer over the passage of days, where the systems would become inseparable within seven standard days, if not sooner. With each passing day, the risk of removing the organism grew, and some two days removed now, it would be a dangerous procedure.
The more interesting information came from the analysis of the recorded brain waves. Although he was no expert in Quarian biology, the brain waves being expressed were common to those in a hypnotic drug induced trance. It seemed like not only was the symbiote secreting some substance to render Tali unconscious, but also she would experience this vividly as her brain was extremely active.
It was impossible to tell what she was seeing, but the virtual intelligence was fairly certain it would not be the inert sleep that appeared from the outside.
Looking for the key to unlock this puzzle, Solus tried to isolate which neurotransmitter was being used to place Tali in stasis. Checking the most commonly used organic agents first, he was puzzled when he learned that they were not present in her system, but also the lattice work had no ability to release such chemicals. It served as a filter both against new chemicals entering the system, which is why it might be so effective against infection, and released no triggers of its own.
After exploring different possibilities for the better part of the hour, expanding his search to include both organic and inorganic feedback loops, no solution was coming forward to what Tali faced. The lattice work itself had to hold the answer in its slowly undulating loops, but he couldn't study it without removing it from her. Should he do that, she might not survive. Frowning, Solus realized there was nothing more he could do at this lab and would have to return to bring Tali back.
Having exhausted his efforts for the first effort, now the Salarian undertook the second part of his mission. While on Tuchanka, he had begun using the research collected by Maelon to create the basis of his hormonal cocktail. While the Genophage was a form of genetic therapy, Solus chose not to create a permanent cure for several reasons, but instead synthesized a hormonal blend that would alleviate the impact of the conditions and allow for greater birth rates. While he had improved the number tenfold, not knowing the specific hormones used made it difficult to counteract the Genophage.
He had come here to regain that information. He had stored the information at his old lab on a secure terminal, but since that was no longer available, a riskier strategy would have to be used. Logging into the secure network through a terminal there, Mordin checked into his old intelligence account. It was not uncommon for intelligence assets to go into deep cover for years, so it remained active.
Once inside, he deployed a tracer to collect the data he wanted. While he was researching an article about something completely unconnected to the Genophage, the cyber worm entered the system seeking information regarding the blight. Instead of visiting highest classification files that listed the components of the genetic modifier, the worm cycled through academic papers related to the construction of the disease keeping a list of the most commonly listed items. Once these were identified, Solus believed he could reconstruct what was done in conjuction with the information Maelon had already obtained from his Krogan patients.
Downloading all the information, Solus decided to take the academic papers also, and logged out of the system. As he did so, he looked out the window and saw a vehicle land outside the building where three official looking Salarians exited. Looking at the twelve minutes that had elapsed, he didn't know what to make of their presence, so he watched as they moved toward the building where he was presently waiting.
Not wanting to chance anything, Mordin left the laboratory and began walking in the opposite direction of the entrance from which they would enter. Although this was a public facility, since there were secure materials and important research being done here, there was only a single main entrance. To exit, Mordin would need to pick his spot carefully.
Believing in safety in numbers, the Salarian walked until he reached a gathering public area. Finding his friend there, he said to Jasper, "Why don't you show me your laboratory?"
"Mordin, you never took an interest in geology before. Why now?" he asked in a teasing voice.
"I've seen many more planets, and have learned it is more useful than I once thought."
Delighted at his friend's response, Mordin was led up the stairs to another room where Krillin had a number of different models of planets. It was quite the collection actually, but Solus was more concerned with having the door close behind him than on what his friend had to say.
Observant, Jasper asked, "Is something wrong?"
"I don't know," Mordin lied. "I need to borrow your id card, old friend."
"What's going on here?" he demanded getting more concerned. "You aren't telling me something."
"You don't want to know. All I can say is you might be in danger if you don't listen to me right now."
"Where have you been, Mordin Solus?" asked Jasper as he removed the identification card from his outfit. While more secure facilities had retinal scanners or biometric readouts, the university maintaining an obsolete technology was the only chance Solus now had.
Using his own card, he swiped it in the door for the Geology department door as his friend watched dumbfounded. Then, taking his friend's card in hand, Solus said, "I will owe you a dinner and an explanation, Jasper." He walked away and went down the hallway to an area where he could see the room when peeking out, but on a wing separate from where the agents would be if they were following.
Sure enough, they came up the steps from two directions and moved toward the door where he had used the card. Using the opportunity for misdirection, Mordin walked down the stairs and out the building, using the card for Jasper Krillin to check out.
Walking parallel to the location of the shuttle, the former agent scoped out the scene near the vehicle and realized two people were watching it. Trying to get to the shuttle would be impossible under these circumstances.
Taking inventory of what he had on him, Solus recognized he had no desire to draw more attention to this incident than he already had and time was against him. Soon, the other agents would reach their counterparts and he would have no choice but to hide, knowing the longer this took, the more suspicious the government would become and his odds of success would continue to diminish.
The only asset he had is the two agents were focused more on the building than the shuttle. They were both about forty meters away as they were trying to appear innocuous. Working his way through the pedestrians, Mordin turned to the right putting the shuttle to his right. Behind the shuttle, there was a rocky ledge. If he continued this way, he could be atop it within moments.
Now obstructed from the view of the agents, Mordin broke into a sprint and came around the domiciles surrounding the institute. In under a minute, he was short of breath, but had successfully maneuvered himself behind the vessel. Crawling now, he went from the top of the rock ledge and jumped onto the top of the craft. Some eight feet above the ground, he landed with a clank on the metal drawing the attention of the two watchers.
As they turned and saw Solus, they ran at the same moment the hatch popped open
Jumping into the cockpit without even closing the door, he fired up the engines in about four seconds as they halved the distance. He took off moving forward before going upward to keep them away as he heard them yell. "Wait, we are agents of…"
Solus flew a short distance to an empty location and landed to close the hatch before taking off. He was wondering if his escape would be that easy. He quickly gained escape velocity and plotted a trajectory toward the Benevolence.
As the shuttle reached orbit, however, he found a different sight waiting for him. Three Salarian fighter craft had been deployed and now stood between him and the Asari vessel.
Two transmissions came in almost simultaneously.
The first was from the Salarians, "Asari vessel. You will dock with the station in front of you immediately and prepared to boarded or we will fire upon you."
The second, from an even angrier Asari woman asked, "What the hell have you gotten us into?"
Author's Note: I plan on being outdoors this weekend, so I'm trying to get a few chapters done early. I appreciate all the reviews.
I wish I made Solus into a better MacGyver. Anyway, as for the previous chapter, Shepard tends to like all the girls. Which is his problem. Were Tali to return without a bodysuit, however, I think she'd make a much more compelling case.
As a gag, I'm so tempted to do a Love Connection spoof with the women and Shepard.