DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MASS EFFECT ONLY MY SELF AND THE PLOT OF THIS FIC...I AM BROKE PEOPLE!
A/n: This is a reminder that this is an A.U. Fic that takes place in the year 2012 so no flames. You have been warned!
Warning Author Insert
MASS EFFECT THE IMMORTAL SERIES PART 1; FLIGHT OF THE NORMANDY
Chapter 3: The Abuse of Power
HILTION HAWAIIAN VILLAGE, WAIKOLOA, HAWAII
"Was that really necessary, Alexandria? The girl is a civilian, not some sort of terrorist!" said Dr. Alenkov on the phone. Her voice sounded rather agitated at hearing the report Alexandria had submitted.
"I am sorry ma'am, but the girl was being difficult, so I had to do what is necessary to bring her in," Alexandria stated.
"By forcing her employer to have her fired! Are you stupid!? Remember: the United States has labor laws, and if she were to go after them..." Alenkov stated on the other end.
"She won't," Alexandria replied calmly, "How do you know?" Alenkov asked sounding skeptical.
"Because she is rather prideful and predictable. I know her type, she'd rather just suck it up than seek help from any government entity. I've read up on her profile. Two of her younger step-brothers are criminals and the third is in the military. She's got four sisters -two are married, and the other two are still in elementary school- and one half-brother in junior high. Someone like that, who comes from a low income family, will not go complaining to the government about their problems. Don't worry, doctor, she will come to us." With that, Alexandria cut off the conversation.
Alexandria smiled as she hung up the phone. Her wording could not come as any more confident than it did. She loosed her hair from her bun, and slowly took off her bath robes, before lowering herself into the hot tub. Allowing her muscles to relax, she smiled at the thought of ruining someone's life to get the job done.
Damn Biotics she thought.
OCEAN ODYSSEY, OFF THE COAST OF THE MARIANA'S
Alenkov sighed as she looked at the phone in her hand. As much as she wanted to crush the thing, she knew she could not. It was government-issued, so she was unfortunately stuck with it. She does not like some of the methods that Alexandria uses to bring people onboard. Half of what she does is questionable and other half downright immoral. But Alenkov had to admit, it gets the job done. The amount of recruits that she receives is phenomenal and the results are ecstatic. The only thing she does not like about Alexandria's methods is the questionable route. Sometimes, she gets in test subjects that are wanted by other countries. Either that, or she bribes the government officials to arrest them, and force them to come to the Challenger Deep. Either way, they become Alenkov's problem, and she tries to make it where they can at least see their families.
She turned towards the two new recruits in front of her. They are the subjects from Japan. She remembered Bethune's list well as she looked at their names. Checking them off, she looked up to see the two students, eager to meet up with her. Her two subjects that had recently come voluntarily from Japan were students at the University of Tokyo. As they looked up at Alenkov, she could see the enthusiasm that they both shared at the opportunity to study the vessel deep beneath the sea.
"I am Dr. Elena Alenkov. Welcome to the Challenger Deep Project," she said in perfect Japanese. They both bowed to her as she led them towards the two minisubs that would take them down.
KAILUA KONA HAWAII
Aaron Stene watched his girlfriend, as she showed her rage by screaming at the top of her lungs. Her scream sounded like Godzilla on a rampage; that is how angry she was. Martha normally keeps her composure, but tonight, after she called him to tell him what happened, he rushed down to where she said she would be thinking that she might try killing herself. Driving down to a public beach park known as Old Airport, Aaron was afraid he might be there to see the worst. But when he got there, he saw that she had not killed herself, nor had she considered it. She just wanted to listen to the sound of the ocean and cool off for a bit. Even if that meant listening to her shriek loudly.
After hearing her shrieking he heard her sobbing. That, in turn, made him angry, and he wanted to rush over to Home Depot and beat the crap out of her supervisors, or at least yell at them till their ears are shot.
But Martha warned him to stay away from them; she showed him the contract that Alexandria had given her. He read through it and looked at the test results that were given. He was shocked and amazed that such a woman could be so cruel to anyone. He looked to Martha, but her eyes were on the ocean, looking at the now-setting sun. It was still summer, so the sun wouldn't set till around seven in the evening. The Old Airport Park would be closing soon.
"Mart... do you know what they are asking you?" he asked softly, his mind reeling at what was written.
"Yeah. Basically, I am their science experiment," Martha replied without looking at him.
"They are asking you to travel to the other side of the Pacific and be part of their team," he said
"I don't want to be part of their team; I want to be here with you," she said, distraught; the sounds of sniffling could be heard.
"You make it sound like you have no choice," Aaron stated.
"That is just the thing: I don't. Now that everyone knows I am some sort of mutant, that bitch made it so that I can't get hired anywhere else. So the only option left is to accept the job. I don't want to, Aaron!" she said as she started to cry.
He embraced her, "Those bastards just want you to be their science experiment! If you decide to go I just want you to know that I will be waiting for you here," he said and kissed her gently.
"I know you are...It's just...I'm scared," Martha replied. Aaron held her even tighter, afraid to let her go.
A FEW DAYS LATER
Aaron and Martha sat at her apartment, looking at her paperwork again. They tried for the fifth time to get Martha a job, and each time they tried, they were always turned down. What made matters worse was that all the job sites seemed to get the same memo. It seems as if the government was forcing her to take their job offer by preventing her from getting a job elsewhere. To Martha, that is unfair, and Aaron knows it, because they are trying to force her to sign on to this job. All he could do, was offer support, even though her cash was slowly running out. She just spent the last six hundred dollars on rent. That alone was sending alarms to Aaron's mind, because she only had enough till the end of the year for the rent, and not much else afterward.
Hell, she didn't even have enough for food.
Sighing, he looked through the paperwork again, and found that the amount of money being offered by the United Nations for doing this job was quite high. They also offered medical insurance, which Martha needed the most. Her face showed her fatigue as she tried again to log into a job site to apply for a job...even if just to be a janitor. Her fingers were sluggish as she typed in her information for the umpteenth time. Dark circles had made their mark on her face, and from the way her head was drooping, she was nearing her breaking point.
"Mart we have no more options left! There's only two days left before you are to report your answer to that lady. No one in Kona is going to hire you...hell, no one in Hilo, Waimea, and anywhere else is going to hire you because of the fact that you have Element Zero in your blood." Aaron said worriedly.
He had never seen Martha so broken before, so depressed. He knew the woman who was once proud of doing her own accomplishments; working hard to achieve her goal. She was happy for the way things were because it was something she had done without help. It made her feel like she had earned her accomplishments, and it made him smile to see her so happy. Now, however, she's being shunned for fear of her new found abilities, that she never once demonstrated. She had fallen from her mountain, and he tried to help pick up the pieces. Her glasses slipped from her nose and he watched her unconsciously use her finger to push them back up again. He could see the tears flow from her eyes; It was depressing to see her so broken.
He could only hope that they can find a solution.
WAIKOLOA, HAWAII
Alexandria was proud of herself. Using her power as a government official, she was able to hack into several job sites to inform them of Martha's potential Biotic Powers, telling them about her high levels of Element Zero, and her potential to be violent. It was proving to be a success. Her bank accounts were easy to hack into as well showing the money in her savings and checking accounts dwindling slowly. Soon, the woman would have no choice but to sign the papers.
"Don't you think that is just a bit much Alexandria?" a voice asked, and Alexandria turned to her open laptop to see the face of an American Military man on the screen.
"General Willson. Pleasure as always," Alexandria greeted him.
"Agent Wilcox. I wish the feeling was mutual," Willson said his voice is grim.
Alexandria raised a delicate eyebrow at the screen, "What has you calling me at this hour, General?"
"It has come to my attention, Agent Wilcox, that you had used your powers of authority to force a retail company to fire one of their employees. Is that true?" The General was not too amused at receiving the report. Alexandra only smiled before she leaned back and crossing her legs.
"I was doing what was necessary to obtain the target sir," Alexandria replied calmly.
"She is a civilian, not a military target, Wilcox," the General replied.
"The target has very high levels of element zero in her DNA. I am surprised she has not shown signs of psychic changes. There are minor physical ones, but not so much in the psychic department. By forcing her to come to us, we can assure the science teams that Martha will be ready for research." she said, looking smug.
"Research? She is a human being, not an animal, Wilcox! You need to remember that the next time you are going after a potential volunteer. There are international laws, as well as local laws, that protect civilians from this sort of act. If you get caught, I can't help you," the General replied, his voice showing his annoyance at Alexandria.
"Who says I have to play by the rules? We need someone like her. Besides, I've already gotten the two other candidates without too much trouble," Alexandria replied.
"That is because they are drowned in their government's propaganda about how joining this expedition will help improve their status. As for your current subject, we don't want her being tipped off by your risky actions. You need to be more careful when extracting people, because not everyone is as lenient as I," the General stated.
"I am careful, General. At least I can use my hacking skills to ensure that Martha does not get a job. By forcing her to not be able to get a job, I can get her to eventually come to us out of desperation," Alexandria replied.
"I still don't like your methods. This is to remain off the records," he said before cutting the connection.
"Yes General," Alexandria replied as she closed the laptop and sighed.
KAILUA KONA HAWAII
Martha was at wit's end. No one in Kona was offering her work, and her financial savings ran out. It seemed as if everyone in Kona refused to hire her. Despite her résumé or credentials, she could not land a decent job. She was so desperate, she was forced to have dinner at Aaron's place, because she no longer had money to buy food. As broke as she was, she was not so desperate as to sell her body into prostitution on the streets of Ali'i Drive, or beg for money from the tourists. She had too much pride in herself for that.
As she sat in her apartment, she looked down at the papers in front of her. It was already Thursday, and tomorrow was the day she had to give her answer to the woman, Alexandria. Aaron put his hand on her shoulder, offering her support, as she finally gave in, and took a pen and wrote her name on the dotted line. She hated giving in so easily and she felt like she was signing away her soul.
Aaron stood with her as she reread her contract. She had not had any contact with her fellow former coworkers or her so called friends. They had been forbidden from speaking to her from what she could tell. No one wants to be around a potential biotic; they were a danger to society. She also heard the chatter on facebook about her and the rumors going around. At least she still had some good friends who kept in touch with her everyday. She told them that she finally signed the papers, seeing as she could not find a job in time, and her week-and-a-half was up. Taking a deep breath, she walked to the bathroom, to get ready for bed. For tomorrow, she has to meet Alexandria at the address she was told to meet her. Feeling a sob escape her, she succumbed to uneasy sleep.
THE NEXT DAY
Alexandria waited patiently for Martha to show up. Bubba Gump's restaurant was the only place close to the ocean, where she felt that Martha would be most comfortable. She looked across at Hugo's on the Rocks and saw that it was too rich and expensive for her tastes. This place was more down-to-earth and worn. It was someplace where Martha would feel less crowded. She took a table that was closest to the exit from the ocean side: something that would deter her demophobia, and allow Martha to be at ease when the transaction was complete. Her plans to ruin the woman in a week was a reality and she smirked to herself, as Martha was seen from the door to the restaurant.
Perfect, she thought.
OUTSIDE BUBBA GUMP'S
Martha stood outside, her body shaking slightly from all the people around her, but she kept her composure. Aaron had to work that day, and she was forced to do this alone. The hostess was there to greet her as she approached, "Hello, do you have reservations today?" she asked, "Um, I am here to meet someone," Martha said. The woman looked at her, and then down at her list.
"Can I have your name?" she asked.
"I'm Martha Kahalewai."
"One moment please." The woman then looked back down at her list. She ran her hand over her tablet for any early reservations. Her finger was working rather quickly, till at last, she found what she was looking.
"Are you here with an Alexandra Wilcox?" the girl asked.
"Yeah, I was supposed to meet her here," Martha replied as she looked around.
"Your friend arrived just before you did, right this way please," she said, and led her inside to where she could see Alexandria.
At least she is by an exit door, Martha thought as she sat down on the other side with her papers in-hand.
"Ah, Martha, so good to see you," Alexandria spoke, her dark red lipstick shining in the sunlight that filtered through the leaves of the tree outside.
Martha saw how she was dressed for business, while she was dressed in nothing more than an old pair of faded jean shorts and a threadbare t-shirt. She handed the papers over to Alexandria, and her glowering look did not go unnoticed.
Alexandria quickly took the papers into her hand and read through them." Everything seems to be in order," she said
"Yes, thanks to you I had no other choice!" Martha said through gritted teeth, but that made the woman smile even more pleasantly.
"You don't have to worry yourself too much, Martha, soon you will be with others like you, and will be well-paid. It is better than being paid a lousy worker's wage, filling shelves all day," Alexandria said.
"I bet you never worked a labor job in your life," Martha said, as the waitress appeared with drinks in hand.
She poured them some water before leaving with their orders. Martha had chosen a salad while Alexandria had a grilled steak. She had to admit, even with a week's worth of hardship this woman had a strong spirit. It was no wonder that she never gotten any psychic abilities; maybe she unconsciously held herself back, who knows.
When the waitress arrived with their food, the table was silent as they ate and Alexandria paid the bill.
"Since you signed your life away, I might as well give you the details about what you are going to be doing," she said, pulling out a folder after their plates had been cleared, and the waitress tipped handsomely.
She then handed Martha the envelope that held all the information that she would need. "You will leave here tomorrow on a private jet that is scheduled to leave at noon. All your things will be placed in storage, except for your computer and things you will need for your trip. I believe that you are an artist, is that correct?" she asked.
At Martha's nod, she continued, "I have a few sketch books also, along with your more personal items. Aaron will have the key to your storage unit and everything is paid for by the government. I have made arrangements for you at the hotel King Kamehameha and a taxi will pick you up in the morning. Any questions?" she asked.
"Can I at least say goodbye to Aaron and my family before then?" Martha asked.
"You only have tonight to speak to them, and then in the morning, your plane departs where your cell phone has no service," she said, smirking.
"Thanks for the tip," Martha grumbled while muttering curses under her breath.
"I will also be briefing you on what is to come," Alexandria said.
"I hate you for ruining my life, you know that," Martha spat. To add emphasis she, hacked a glob of saliva into the ocean, much to the disgust of other restaurant patrons.
"Now, now, there is no need for that." With that, Alexandria stood up and made her way out, leaving Martha to finish her lunch.
Martha watched her leave, and as much as she wanted to punch the woman in the face, her bodyguards could easily take her down. She watched as they left their post just outside of the restaurant, and followed her to the car that was waiting on the street. Standing up, she went towards the bathroom to wash her hands, and then headed out herself. Her car was parked just outside the public library and she wanted nothing more than to be out of there.
LATER THAT NIGHT
Martha hung up the phone and sighed. She had talked to her sister back on Molokai, and it turned into a rather lengthy conversation. She spoke to each and every member of her family, including her cousin, in Hilo, on the other side of the island. She was not happy about it, but she was told to say her goodbyes. Aaron had been another lengthy conversation, and they both spoke about it over dinner at Big Island Grill, which was just down the street from King Kamehameha Hotel.
It was a rather sad affair, seeing as he insisted on paying the bill. Martha spent the last of her money on her college loan payment. Fortunately, it was the last one, before the government took over the payments. She did not like having to answer to bill collectors.
"So, I guess this is goodbye, then," Aaron said as he dropped her off at the hotel.
"I can still e-mail you on facebook," Martha said, trying to sound enthused.
"Will you tell me what is going on then?" he asked.
"Yeah, if I have the time. According to Alexandria, they are going to be doing some extended research into their new guinea pig," Martha said before kissing Aaron goodbye.
SOMETIME LATER
Martha was standing in her hotel room overlooking the ocean. The dark waters were churning and spewing foam into the sky. It was something she thought she'd have to live with. But now, from what she was forced to do, she has to dive beneath it. The bottom was no place for someone like her. She heard from Alexandria that they got some cold weather clothes for her to wear while down there. She was not so sure she would like the cold so much, but she had little choice in it.
She had read about it online: The discovery of the alien vessel at the bottom of the Marianas Trench. The ship was around 325 million years old. It was the source of much of the technology today, from iPads to portable computers and cell phones. Or, at least, the inspiration for them. The vessel itself answered many questions about whether man was alone in the universe. It proved that aliens existed in the universe – that much they could deduct pretty quickly. It was where the problems with element zero started, because they found an area where the engines were leaking. From what she read, that leak had stopped over the years with some repairs to It, but the source was too dangerous to handle. The local wildlife was unaffected by it, but it proved some theories about certain species in the ocean. Deep diving dolphins, for example, have a very high concentration of it in their DNA, so it proves that their intelligence came from an unlikely source.
Or, so the scientists argued.
Then, there was the fact, that she would be alone in this mission. No family, no friends, no Aaron... she was on her own. Being forced to do this by a cunning bit- woman, in a high government position, spoke volumes on what is going on. Even if Martha wanted to sue Alexandria, she could not, because from what she read on the woman, she has diplomatic immunity, meaning: she is untouchable.
And that is what pissed Martha off the most.
Sighing, she closed the window to her penthouse suite and returned to her room. Closing the door, she was surprised that Alexandria would go this far to give her some luxury. It was just too bad she couldn't share it with someone. The fancy room did not feel right to her, considering it was effectively her indoor prison till tomorrow morning. Looking at the time, she walked over to the bed. Having already showered and dressed in her sleeping clothes, she crawled into the overly soft mattress, and slowly closed her eyes into an uneasy sleep.
THE NEXT MORNING
The next morning, Martha awoke to the sound of her phone alarm going off. It was about 4 a.m. Groaning, she got out of bed and made her way towards the bathroom. She dreaded her flight, which was just two hours away.
After using the facilities and washing her face, she was certain that whoever made for her flight to be that early is insane. The flight from Kona to Guam would take about ten hours, so she had to catch the early flight out. Getting out of the bathroom she, was dressed and her toiletries and sleeping clothes were packed in her bag. Everything was ready, so she ordered breakfast to her room. Since she cut out on the rice and carbs she ate a salad and some steak. She then walked down to check out of the hotel and proceeded to wait for her cab.
She did not have to wait long since the cab was already there at about five o'clock. Getting in, she was surprised by the driver.
"Auli'i?" she said
The driver-who is dark skinned Native Hawaiian woman-turned around. "Martha?" she said in surprise.
Martha waved to her. "Yeah, last time I checked that would be me," she said. Auli'i pulled out of the hotel, her tab off on 'paid', meaning that someone already paid the taxi. Just as they pulled into traffic, Auli'i began to mutter away: "Fuck! When my boss phoned me to pick up some government personnel I did not know it was you," she said, sounding excited.
"Yeah, I was kinda forced into it," Martha replied, looking sadly out the window, watching the cars go by one last time.
"Shit, you too?" Auli'i replied back.
"What do you mean 'you too?'" Martha asked, turning around, surprised.
"I had a cousin who was asked to be part of whatever it was the government had in mind. Some woman comes to him at his work site, and offers the job; says he has element zero in his blood. I have to admit I was wondering about the whole 'read your mind' thing he has. But anyways, the guy was fired that day, and his life ruined. I had not heard from him in over two years. Then, he came back and he was messed up! Took him another five to recover. Kept having to visit a psychiatrist, because he kept hearing voices," she said.
Martha turned her head to face her friend, "Yeah the same shit happened to me too, except the part about the voices. I guess that comes later."
Auli'i turned onto the main highway, heading towards the airport. The long drive from the hotel to the main highway is ten minutes. When the light turned green, her car sped down the road to join the flow of traffic.
"Why do you have element zero in your blood?" she said.
"Alexandria said that I have a very high concentration of it; the highest yet. I don't know why, but she thinks that because I lack all the symptoms, it is something of note for studying," Martha replied.
Auli'i was stunned, "Damn it, girl! And here I thought I was fucked up. I bet she made you break up with Aaron," she said.
"No, I am too stubborn for that so we decided to message each other on facebook," Martha replied as they reached their second stoplight.
"So how much do I owe you after you drop me off," Martha said.
"Don't worry about it! The tab is already paid for, so you are basically riding for free," Auli'i replied.
"I wanted to live like anyone else and this is all I get! What did I do to piss off the higher-ups?" Martha said in exasperation as she leaned back in her seat.
"I have no idea, but we are nearing the exit," Auli'i replied as Martha spotted the last traffic light before the airport.
Auli'i turned in to the airport, but at the intersection, instead of turning right to the main terminals, she turned left to the private hangars. The sun had just started to rise when she pulled over. Martha exited the taxi and gave Auli'i a hug, before grabbing her stuff, and headed towards the two waiting Navy guards. The duffle bag was not that heavy to her, but to someone who was not working out, it probably was.
She walked towards the guards, who escorted her to the plane. The deafening sound of engines running was all she needed to know that the plane was ready to leave. Checking her phone, it was already a quarter-to-six, so she was on time. Somewhat to her surprise, she found the plane to be quite spacious inside. Indeed, the stewardess greeted them as she took a seat facing the rear of the plane. Her allergies from the VOG were in full swing as she sat down. Right across from Martha, smiling like it was Christmas day, was none other than Alexandria Wilcox.
"Ah, good to see you this morning Martha, glad you can make it," Alexandria said from her seat.
"Good morning to you, too, cheerful," Martha grumbled.
"Now that we are no longer in the eye of the public, I can fill you in on your real role on this trip," she said and opened her iPad.
"The real reason why you are here, is to serve a purpose, and that is to help us further our research into alien technology." she said, handing Martha the iPad.
"Why me?" Martha asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The technology down at the ship only activates to those possessing element zero in their blood. It seems to be the lifeblood of all things alien. We have gathered people from all around the world, offering them money to help further our advancement into the future," she said.
"You mean force them work with you by ruining their lives," Martha replied; her voice was harsh.
"I do whatever is necessary to make them come to me," Alexandria replied back, her voice was calm and serene.
"Alright, fine, we will play your game, so what do I have to do?" Martha asked begrudgingly.
"All you have to do is turn something on when one of the scientists asks you to. That is all. When we get to Guam, I will leave you there at the airport. You are to wait at the terminal for a man named Enrique: he will be your guide to the helicopter that will take you to the Ocean Odyssey. That is the research vessel that oversees supplies to and from the alien vessel. You will rest there for a day, before you make the dive to the Challenger Deep," Alexandria said.
"And where will you go?" Martha asked curiously. Probably to ruin someone else's life,
"Washington D.C., to report to my superiors of my latest recruitment," she said.
Martha said no more after that. She stared out the window as the plane took off down the runway and into the open sky. She watched as her home became smaller and smaller as they traveled away from Hawai'i Island towards the open ocean. Martha's last thoughts of home were of the one person that made her life worth living.
TBC
A/N: Whew! That was rough going through everything and rewording it. I never knew I made that much mistakes ever. Incase you are all wondering yes I do have a beta and this person is a HUGE help. I want to give a big shoutout to my beta reader you help has been humongous in getting this story the way I wanted to portray it.
Now in case you are wondering I will be trying to post a chapter as soon as I get it back from my Beta. I also started a new job so postings will be sporadic until I get everything settled down as far as life goes. But since most of the feed backs I had been getting are good I will continue on with the rewrite.
Until next time and remember to please leave a review and now, BASHINGS, LORE MONGERS, AND FLAMES PLEASE! This is an A.U. Author insert fic so have fun!