Test inconclusive.
Jane sighs in defeat at a repeat of the same results they've been getting for the past day and a half. While cool to look at, 575's armor was practically useless in trying to learn more about their alien visitor. On top of yielding no possible DNA swabs, or at least some that weren't either completely deteriorated or partial for their needs, the thing just didn't make any sense whatsoever.
It was heavy, but not at all the weight she would expect looking at it. It looked like metal, but when compared to the heavy Kevlar vests of the soldiers, it wasn't much difference in the compared weights. Yet that wasn't where the surprises ended with the strange alien armor.
Jane had a very reasonable doubt that there were compartments of some kind because, when she rapped her knuckles on the surface in places, it would make a hollow noise. Plus, if movies or television taught her anything, it was that 575 wouldn't just show up on a planet and not have wondrous tech that could conceal everything one would need for survival on their very person.
If only I can get the darn thing to cooperate, she thinks with frustration as she tries prying her fingers into a gap of the metal plates in hope that it'll open one of said suspected compartments. One actually moves a bit before snapping back into place, her finger going along with it. She jumps back with a yelp and sticks her throbbing finger to her lips, glaring at the stupid piece of metal junk.
"Stupid thing," she curses the alien piece of armor and huffs in frustration at yet another thing not working for her. "If I can't get at least something for Doctor Lawson to present…," She leaves the rest unsaid as she hears the doors slide open.
Looking up, she sees one of the soldiers that's left to patrol the floor as supposedly 575 emitted some kind of EMP when it was first captured that fried the security cameras after General Hackett had denied any contact. It was quite the coincidental predicament, but she actually can't complain since she's pretty sure her stunt last night giving the creature water would have definitely gotten her into severe trouble.
"No rest for the wicked, huh?" The tall man says with a smirk on his lips, his dark brown eyes lit with amusement. "The doctors have you doing all the hard work?"
"Uh… yeah." She shrugs and hides her throbbing finger away so the soldier doesn't see her less than scientific way of trying to work with their specimen's things. "But it's not all bad." She squints her eyes in thought and bites her lip, trying to remember his name.
He chuckles and leans against the counter between them, crossing his arms the best he can around the gun in his hold. "You already forgot me? Ouch," he says with mock hurt, but his expression doesn't drop. "It's okay. I'm sure you had much bigger things on your mind." He holds out a hand with a smirk. "Lieutenant Commander Alenko, but you can call me Kaidan."
"Oh… um." She takes his hand, confused by his nonchalance around that huge gun in his hand. "Jane. Jane Shepard. Nice to meet you."
His grip is firm and strong, almost too forceful for her smaller hand, but he lets her go with a chuckle of amusement. "You know… I'm surprised a girl like you would be here."
"Why?" She frowns in confusion, not sure what he means.
"What would a pretty girl like you want with a job like this? Dealing with that?" He motions to the glass cage holding 575. "I mean, look at it. You don't feel weird with that thing watching you all day? I'm sure you're talented enough to get a job anywhere, why here?"
"Maybe because it's the only place I can actually work on the first alien to visit Earth?" she answers as if it was obvious, which, to her, it was. She doesn't quite get what this guy is trying to say. "And 575 isn't bad. Sure, it looks intimidating, but it hasn't done anything to actually prove that it is dangerous."
He shakes his head and looks to the cage, his back to her. "If you ask me, we should have just killed it when they found it out in the desert." She gasps in shock, but he continues as if he hadn't heard. "We don't know why it's even here. We don't know what it's capable of. It's better to be safe than sorry."
"You can't just kill something you don't understand," she says as she moves back to the armor, hoping that the man will see her working and leave. She really doesn't want to talk anymore about killing a creature that has only shown them respect by following their orders when it could have very well fought. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant Commander, but I have to get back to work."
His sigh is barely heard as he stands to his feet and takes his leave. When she knows he has left by the door sliding and clicking closed, she groans in frustration over everything, her inability to get anything for her boss from the armor, feeling absolutely helpless to even get a stupid hatch in a piece of inanimate armor open, and being surrounded by people who all think the discovery of the century- no, millennia- is nothing more than a situation that should be dealt with before it could get out of hand.
What's worse is she isn't sure that she should really let everyone know that 575 understands them, can communicate in some manner. Would it really be to its benefit if the soldiers here knew it could understand the things they want to do it? It only makes her feel worse to know that it is probably just as sentient as she and that stupid jerk of a Lieutenant Commander are.
"I just wish I knew what to do in this situation, you know?" she asks the tall figure behind the glass, not knowing when exactly 575 started to watch again after it had taken to resting in it's weird nest of bedding. She frowns at its silence. "You aren't too helpful, are you?"
She huffs in defeat, the strands of hair that fell against her forehead fluttering in her breath. She pouts, her chin in her hand with her elbow on the counter, and just continues to knock her knuckles against the metal plating before her, wishing she could figure something out.
His days were getting more and more boring and dull. Standing in the cell, sitting in the cell, walking through the cell and whatever he did staring out of the cell. At least I can drink water now… Growling he clenched his hands into fists as he stood up from his bed, his back aching. As he stood upright he pressed his hand in his back, the lower left part. Hurting ever since the one day, a year before he got to basic.
Test inconclusive
His eyes snapped from the concrete wall out of the window. When did Jane came in? Of course she was always here, she almost lived in her lab. Not sure how long humans could run without sleep, he was pretty sure she had to be tired. Forced to stay long hours to watch the machines, check results that didn't gave them any valuable information.
He looked her closely as she tried and failed, trailed and failed. If it wouldn't have been her, he would have laughed in amusement. As he heard her yelping he took a step closer to the window, growling in concern, he was about to gain her attention as he heard the hissing of the door seeing a human soldier walking towards her. Taller than her, brown hair, brown taint and a very unlikable white, wide smile on his face, Garrus knew immediately that something was wrong with this guy. He smelled like badness. Alenko, I should remember this name…
Is he flirting with her? Doesn't she recognize it? He flared his mandibles in amusement, but stopped immediately as the soldier turned to him.
"If you ask me, we should have just killed it when they found it out in the desert, we don't know why it's even here. We don't know what it's capable of. It's better to be safe than sorry."
Garrus growled low and threatening Come in here and try it.
"You can't just kill something you don't understand," He heard her reply. Why is she defending me? "Sorry, Lieutenant Commander, but I have to get back to work."
The soldier seems to understand as he takes his leave with a shaking head. Garrus was really glad that he was gone, he couldn't stand the way this guy looked at him and Jane, the way he talked. He felt it in his gut that Alenko would cause him trouble. Not sure in what way but he was sure.
"I just wish I knew what to do in this situation, you know?" His eyes snapped to her as she talked to him. He really liked her voice. "You aren't too helpful, are you?" He flared a mandible. Maybe I should help her a bit… She was always nice to me. With a nod and wave of his hand he signaled her to come over to his cell. She looked at him, slightly confused, eyes wide before she started to move. He raised his hand, making her stop, as he pointed to his armor. Spirits she's nervous Garrus thought amusement. With a 'thomb' she placed his armor on a cart shoving it to his cell. She smiled at him. Garrus was impressed that she trusted her.
"So you want to show me something?" she asked with an excited pitch in her voice, what caused his smile to widen and he nodded. He decided to show her the secret stash for his nutrition bars, so he signaled her to flip the armor. She did as he asked, bumping her knuckles as she flipped it too fast.
"Ouch!" she pressed her lips to the fresh bruise and Garrus shook his head. He tapped the glass to gain her attention again. There was a hidden small button on the right side of the armor, worked in under the plates. He pointed it out and showed her that she had to use some pressure to activate it. It took her few seconds before snapping sound signaled the opening. She squealed and Garrus couldn't help and chuckled.
She reached for the, in silver foil wrapped, nutrition bars. They were mostly animal protein and carbohydrates and tasted like shit, he never used them except for emergencies. And spirits am I hungry.
"What is this?" she turned it around trying to make sense of it before she looked at him again.
Imitating a ripping motion to make her open it, which she did right away. He showed her that it was something to eat hoping that she understood what he wanted.
She sniffled at it. "Something to eat?" He nod in response, which she answered with a smile as she reached for the second bar. "Smells good what is it? Raspberry?" He shrugged and looked at her not knowing what she was talking about. Mimicking his shrug she knelt down and shoved the opened bar under it.
Thank the spirits He purred thankful before he ripped the foil away and gulping the whole bar at once. He learned long ago to not keep it too long in his mouth. Sighing at the feeling of something in his stomach he looked back at her.
"Can…" She bit her lip "Can I try it?"
Humming and nodding he responded to her question. He watched her as she brought the bar to her mouth, bit off a corner of it, chewing it. She slapped her hands before her mouth, turning on her heels, running to a sink.
He chuckled as he heard her muffled curses. Universal disgusting
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