DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MASS EFFECT I ONLY OWN MYSELF WHICH IS IN THIS STORY AND THE PLOT OF THIS A.U.
Warning Author Insert and major A.U.
MASS EFFECT THE IMMORTAL SERIES PART 1: FLIGHT OF THE NORMANDY
Chapter 1: 52 years later
University of New Zealand year 2012 A.D.
The hallways echoed with the sound of clicking heals as a woman walked past her many onlookers. To many she seemed like one of the professors coming in to do her daily lecture. Dressed in a dark brown business suit with black high heels. Her blonde hair tied in a tight bun and her fair skin shown with a porcelain quality. She walked with a purpose to her step and many were smart enough to get out of her way.
Dr. Elenna Alenkov walked down the halls with a confidence born from those who once served in the Russian Military. She was poised as she greeted some of the students as she headed directly towards the head of the Science Department's office. As the person in charge of the research facility where she works. Alenkov was nervous as she entered the office of her direct supervisor, Dr. Jean Bethune.
When she entered the secretary at the front desk is busy typing up reports to give to the director. When she saw Dr. Alenkov she immediately stood up.
"Dr. Alenkov, you are just in time go right in Dr. Bethune is waiting," she said smiling.
Alenkov smiled back as she opened the door and entered the well lit office. The office itself was filled with books and charts on various stars and constellations. One in particular caught her interest. She walked towards it looking up at the large map. It was hanging from the wall like one of those movie posters a teenager would put up to show off their favorite band. But to Alenkov the map was priceless.
The map is of the Mariana Trench and the Challenger Deep the deepest part of the ocean. On a particular spot on the map was a dot with a label that marked where her research expedition site is located. Alenkov was impressed by the amount of detail the latest data had shown during their expedition there. Before she could look at the map further someone cleared their throat. Alenkov turned to face the dark skinned woman sitting behind the large oak desk.
Dr. Jean Bethune head of Sciences and Technology for the University of New Zealand sat with her hands intertwined in front of her. Her back was hunched over and the look she gave Alenkov meant that this meeting was not going to go as planned.
"Elena have a seat," Bethune said as she gestured with her hand the chair in front of the desk.
"Tell me Jean why am I here?" Alenkov said her Russian accent clearly evident.
"It is about your recruitment of civilians that you had brought onboard the vessel." She said looking at her touch pad.
"Are you talking about the alien vessel?" Alenkov asked.
"Yes the same one Elenna," Bethune replied.
"What is the problem with the recruitment?" Alenkov asked her.
"The board has received some very disturbing reports about the state of your subjects when you recruited them onto the vessel," Bethune replied.
"What sort of reports?" asked Alenkov as she stared hard at Behune's serious expression. Both women were at a stand off Bethune did not flinch from the Russian woman's stare.
"The reports I had received are mainly the how you recruit them. They also report on how you treated them as well as the mental state of some of them when their tour is over," Bethune stated.
"I assure you that they are of sound mind Jean I had them go through serious psychological testing beforehand," Alenkov replied.
"Really? I had also heard about the amount of people that you hired for the research station. The amount of funds needed to pay these workers, and the amount needed to pay for the medical expenses. Is there something you are not telling me?" she said.
Alenkov was no stranger to Bethune's probing. She had been the brunt of such scrutiny before back in Russia with her methods of studying Element Zero's effects on people and wildlife. The reason why people were going down to the Challenger Deep in the first place. That and the study of alien technology that was present onboard the vessel.
"Element Zero as they call it has been leaking from the vessel for a long time, we estimate thousands to millions of years. Already we found traces of it along the sea floor and in many areas along the Pacific basin. We were also doing a study about the effects it would have on the people in the regions the elements are found. So far it was only found in the Pacific and deep see currents carry the minerals to different parts of the ocean. The only ones who were most affected it seems are those who are native to the Pacific region. The most prominent those of Pacific Islander and East Asian descents." Alenkov said as she pulled out an I-Pad from her bag.
She then turned it on and presented her finds to Bethune. Bethune quickly read through the file and when she was done her dark eyes met Alenkov's blue.
"Are you sure this is accurate?" she asked Alenkov.
"I am positive, the element zero we found in these people and the species listed are enough to show that it has been in the ocean far longer then any pollution that mankind has thought up. But the thing that gets me is that none of the sea-life are effective by it. The only changes are the fact that they are larger and smarter then those found in other oceans." she then took the I-Pad back from Bethune.
"So the element zero is harmless?" Bethune asked Alenkov as she leaned back in her chair.
"To normal wildlife yes because it does not last long near the surface. So normal fish such as those who normally live along the surface are unaffected. Dolphins do not have Element Zero in their systems unless they are deep divers. People who live along the coasts normally don't get the element in their blood if they stuck with mainly reef fish." Alenkov explained.
"Then how do people acquire element zero if it dissipates in sunlight?" Bethune asks.
"The people that were exposed to it have gained it by means of ingestion. The people along the Pacific Coast of Asia for example consumes fish that are contaminated with the substance. Fish such as Blue Finned Tuna and Marlin are deep divers. The closer to the sun they are the more the element zero dissipates naturally. However deep underwater where there is no sunlight to break down the element zero it remains active." Alenkov explained
"How so?" Bethune asked.
"It requires several things to make it last in the deep ocean; total darkness and cold temperatures. My research has found that the deeper you go the more traces of element zero can be found in various species. Deep diving whales such as sperm whales and beaked whales for example can dive to depths of over 3,280 feet and hold their breath for about 90 minutes. They feed primarily on squid and deep sea fish. So it was no surprise that these marine mammals showed signs of having element zero in their blood."
"From my research I found that people who have concentrations of it in their DNA have more parts of their brain active then those of a normal person. Take for example a shaman of the Maori who lives along the coast. His brain functions are higher then those found inland. The reason is his diet. The coastal Maori eat mainly fish, and other foods from the ocean while those who live inland eat only fruits and wild game from the mountains." she said making her point.
"That does not explain the readings from Asians such as the Japanese and the Filipinos?" Bethune said.
"That is because the same readings can be found there," replied Alenkov.
This time she showed another chart and handed it back to Bethune, "There is a deep sea current which flows northwards from where the ship is." Alenkov then pointed it out on her chart.
"It flows upwards towards Asia and more specifically Japan and the Philippines. Then there are minor currents which push towards the surface from the trench and lead it southwards towards New Zealand. We are currently tracking the amount of Element Zero coming to the surface. But have found that the farther away it travels the more it dilutes till there is nothing left to trace. But there is just enough for it to get into the food supply and alter the genetic code of the residence there. And since Japan is a huge sea food consumer they generally eat a lot of fish. That fish consumption has led to high levels of Element Zero in their DNA." she said
Bethune passed back the I-Pad, "Do they show any signs of the increase in brain activity as well?" she asked intrigued.
"The percentage is low. We only managed to find few of those individuals that do have high enough amounts and brought them in for further study," Alenkov said.
"There is another thing I wanted to talk to you about...the mental heath of both the subjects and your research team," she said showing her the recent reports of various crew members.
"How does this effect my research?" Alenkov asked.
"It effects the entire project! I gotten the reports from our psychiatrist stating that the study subjects are prone to intense dreams! DREAMS! These dreams are so intense that many of them start showing signs of depression. Now you suggested shore leave to have them recuperate from their ordeal. When they return they are subjected to the same intense dreams but at a much high scale. Some of them you were forced to return to their homes. Now I am getting complaints of numerous cases of headaches, dreams, depression and in three cases suicide. What surprises me is that one of them turns out to be a member of your research team? Now explain that to me?" Bethune stated.
Alenkov looked to the floor, "I had no idea that Xan-Yi was prone to the effects of the ship till much later when we found traces of Element Zero in his blood. We examined all of our scientists to ensure that they have no traces of it including Dr. Xan-Yi. He was fine till just recently when he started to be subjected to the dreams. When that happened we did a reassessment of our crew and found them to begin showing signs of having the element in their system. And only if they have been working near certain parts of the ship." Alenkov said.
Bethune signed, "I have been getting additional funding for this project by other universities not just ours. You know as well as I do that the reason that your team is so diverse is because of that funding right?" Bethune stated.
"I also know you have been getting funds from the military as well," Alenkov stated.
"You do know that they found the ship first right," Bethune replied.
"I do, but you also know that they are getting impatient with how slow we are at getting the ship to reveal her secrets right?" Alenkov said.
"I am aware of that and I am also concerned that the pressure is starting to get to the Board of Directors for the project. The U.N. Military is not liking the idea of you using civilian test subjects to; how should I say it, 'turn on the lights," Bethune stated.
Alenkov could only snort at the comment, "Well you know as well as I that we need to make some sort of progress if we are uncover what truly is buried down there."
"So take more precautions next time when choosing your subjects," Bethune stated.
"We are taking as many precautions as we can Jean. We had them checked from front to back and so thoroughly that we memorized every crack on their body. Not even a single bead of seat escapes our notice so how much more do we need?" Alenkov stated.
"Enough so that way the press as well as the United Nations doesn't pull the plug on our project. Remember that if we rush into this we might lose the chance to make further discoveries," Bethune replied before reaching into her desk to pull something out. She then stood up to get ready to leave.
Alenkov did the same when Bethune walked over to her and handed her a flash drive, "This has the latest list of subjects for your research doctor and I suggest you make sure they are mentally sound this time before they board the ship," with that Alenkov turned and headed towards the exit.
As she walked out she pulled out the latest list that Bethune handed to her showing the readings of the latest subjects. Each person had a name and what nation in the Pacific they came from. So far attempts to find other sources of Element Zero on Earth have proven futile. Alenkov then walked out of the building towards her car that would take her out to the hotel. As she drove away from the University her thoughts went out to the project at hand as she pulled into the parking lot for her hotel.
When she entered her room the hotel was clean as it always was when she visits. Going towards the bed she looked at the USB drive that Bethune gave her. Then she looked at her briefcase that she had brought with her from her research station at the Marianas. The Project that she was working on is not classified far from it. It was public knowledge of the research going on deep beneath the ocean. It all started 52 years ago when a United States Navy operation found the vessel while filming the bottom of the trench.
The Trieste found the ship on accident when doing its maiden dive to the Challenger Deep the deepest part of the trench. The trench itself is mostly a silty bottom with small bottom feeders inhabiting it. What they found however led the most highly funded research project in the world. Organizations such as NASA and the RSP have been doing numerous research projects down there. What they uncovered had forwarded technology by leaps and bounds hence the I-Pad.
In the 52 years since its discovery. The alien vessel has been prone to some new insights into aero-technology and psychological research as well. It was found that when they first discovered it the ship was leaking some sort of fluid into the ocean. Upon closer discovery that fluid was full of an element that was not found on Earth. Instead it was found in various asteroids throughout the solar system. Oceanographers also came to the ship to study the sea life that inhabits the area. The changes in DNA proved phenomenal when this element touches the neighboring fish. Having discovered a whole new element they decided to call it Element Zero since it lacks any of the qualities that normal elements have.
Alenkov studied up on the latest finds. One of those finds she is wearing on her arm right now. It was one of the alien devices that was recovered from the research team on the ship. They found the entrance when they sent an RV to investigate about 5 years after it was discovered.
The device is invisible most of the time but when she needs it, it appears as a glowing thing of some sort. She still does not know how it works, but she managed to use it to keep up to date on her research. The alien device was good at a few things, finding bugs was one of them. Before she even sat down and gotten settled she made sure no one was listening.
When she was sure that there was no listening devices or hidden cameras she turned on the device and began imputing the data. The device itself was indeed useful in case someone tries to steal the drive from her. There were not many that were found and only key people on the ship knew about them. The subjects however were not informed.
One thing she failed to tell Bethune about was the other changes that the subjects had gotten after long exposure to the ship. Some of them started having other parts of their brain open up and exuberantly demonstrated minor telekinesis and Telepathy. She was well aware of the changes that her subjects went under and that is why she sent them on shore leave. It was a mistake to leave them onboard as they showed signs of psychotic violence. Most subjects were forced to go home because the changes caused by long exposure to element zero proved to be too much. Those who had the worst cases were admitted into a mental ward for insanity. It was something that Alenkov did not want to repeat.
Looking at her list she was not surprised that most are either from the Philipines or the South Pacific. But the last four subjects surprised her three from Japan and one from the United States. The Japanese she had those before and some Taiwanese and Koreans but an American? Now that is something new. America are on the opposite side of the Pacific and away from the deep sea currents that carry the Element Zero. Unless the American was from Guam or living in one of the Western Pacific countries then they should not have had any exposure to Element Zero.
She will have to look into that one and see if it was any mistake. She looked up the subject and found to her surprise high levels of Element Zero in her DNA. This was largely due to her Polynesian blood and...what is this? She is also of Japanese descent now that explains it. Two distinct groups of people exposed to Element Zero now that is something of a potent mixture if her DNA sample was anything to go by. From what she gathered of the person's psychological profile she has ADHD which makes her not very ideal for candidacy. ADHD is not something she would have considered for such a position. She would have to look into it.
"Subject's current residence is Kailua Kona, Hawai'i interesting," she said to herself in Russian.
As she typed the keys on her device she looked up psychological reports and was quite concerned for this person being on the list. "Subject is usually elusive and prefers her own company unless with boyfriend or family members. Also known for mild forms of violence and animal mimicry. Prone to Demophobia so rarely seen at a bar or any social gathering for long. Very artistic and often times seen drawing even when being examined. Very concerning" she spoke out loud to herself in Russian.
Alenkov closed the list down and sent an email to her associates letting them know the names of the people who are involved. She then began to strip down for a nice long shower and then to bed. She has to catch a flight back to Guam in the morning.
There is still work to be done and what better way to get done then to do it yourself.
TBC
There you have it the rewritten version of chapter 1.
I noticed when I was redoing this chapter that there were huge chunks missing that should have been put in. I was not satisfied with how the chapter turned out. I basically had to smooth out several areas of the chapter to make it more seamless. So anyhow what do you think? Please leave a review and no FLAMES, BASHINGS OR LORE MONGERS PLEASE! I appreciate constructive criticism, but no flames or hate mail. Those will not be tolerated and will be reported to administration.