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 with an author insert so you have been warned.
I also want to give a HUGE shoutout to Schazmen for helping me out with proofreading and getting the grammar errors fixed. It was a BIG help much Mahalo's to you.
Mass Effect The Immortal Series pt 1: Flight of the Normandy
Chapter 4: To the Challenger Deep
HAGATNA, GUAM
It was about the late afternoon when Martha was awoken by the jolt of the plane's landing gear. She slowly opened her eyes to find that the tropical settings looked more Asian than American, so she knew that she was in Guam. She looked out the window, seeing the earth rise even further as the plane settled; the trees and buildings flowing past at rapid speed as the plane sped down the runway. She could also see that the height of the treeline is lower compared to the city of Hilo and the buildings were not as numerous or tall as Hawai'i's capital of Honolulu. She could feel the plane slowing as it neared the terminal, and the growing sense of nostalgia began to form in her gut.
The plane came to a stop at a private terminal, where a ladder was set out to greet the crew. The door to the plane was opened, allowing all passengers to depart. Alexandria stayed while Martha left the plane. The hot winds of the southern summer were well underway.
Feels like home, she thought as the tropical weather touched her face.
As Martha walked out of the baggage claim with her bags, she noticed a man standing alone next to a Jeep Cherokee. The Cherokee was black with the logo for the United Nations on its doors. He walked towards her, his pace relaxed and slow. When he got close enough, he stretched out his hand.
"Greetings," he said with a slight Spanish accent, "I am Enrique. You must be Martha; it is a pleasure," he said.
Martha took his hand and his eyes widened at her grip, "Geez, senorita, you have quite the grip!" he said.
Martha was sheepish as she pulled her hand away. Rubbing his hand, Enrique turned towards the plane to see Alexandria standing there on the staircase, and his face turned into a scowl. Turning to look at Martha, he knew exactly what happened. Martha's expression was all he needed to know just why she is here. He has seen it too many times beforehand.
"Come, Martha, I think it is time we leave this airport and find someplace for you to freshen up, yes?" Enrique said as he helped take Martha's bags (which is surprisingly light) and headed towards the Jeep, putting them in the back. Turning around, he saw that Martha followed him at a slower pace than he would have liked. But then again, most newcomers that arrived always had the same reaction. However, he could tell when there are those who need a bit more convincing than others. He assumed that Martha is the same.
When they got to the jeep, Enrique opened the door and allowed Martha to get in first, before he got into the driver's seat. Within moments, they had left Alexandria behind, and the tension eased a little. Martha's discomfort, not as much, but Alexandria being further away every second helped. It was when they had gotten onto the main highway that Enrique started a conversation, hoping to get Martha to warm up to him.
"I see you had to deal with that bitch Alexandria," he said with a smile. All he saw was the look of rage on Martha's face - her glasses could not hide the fire that burned from within those dark brown orbs. Enrique had to swallow the saliva in his throat at this, but still he kept the smile, though it was now more of a sheepish one.
"I hate that bitch more than anything right now," Martha replied, her voice sounding more like a growl.
"I know, senorita - I have to deal with her too. She is a pain to deal with and her methods...let's just say that she and the director don't get along OK," Enrique replied. When he looked towards Martha, she showed little interest in keeping a conversation, so Enrique let it drop, as they neared another part of the airport. Enrique grew worried as they neared the helipad where they were going to take the helicopter to their destination. Martha refused to respond to him until they drove up the helipad. The helicopter that they would be riding was actually very large: It was an old Westland Sea King, an amphibian helicopter, which Martha found interesting because instead of military colors, it bore the colors of the United Science Foundation. The motors were already warming up when she neared and Enrique had to show her how to board by ducking down. Martha threw her backpack on and held onto her bag. She ran up the ramp to board the helicopter.
She was given a headset so she could talk to Enrique and filter out the white noise - it was a relief to her ears. When she looked up she saw that Enrique looked highly amused.
"I can tell you've never ridden a helicopter before," he said smiling,
"Nope," Martha replied.
"I hope you like it," he said
"Do we always travel by helicopter to where we are going?" Martha asked
"Yes, it is the fastest way to get supplies and crew there. The Ocean Odyssey is like a floating research station: It is a huge ship, and the constant need for people like yourself has made it hard for the ship to help the people down below, so we use the helicopter to ferry them in along with medical supplies and other smaller goods," Enrique replied.
Martha jolted upwards as she felt the helicopter start to lift off. The feel of gravity under her was amazing as she was then propelled towards the ocean. She watched as land started to disappear and the turbulent ocean came into view once more.
"How long till we get there?" she asked, looking back at the disappearing shoreline.
"Two hours, but if you have any questions, let me know, and I will try help you the best I can," he said.
"Alright, so what do I do when I get off?" Martha asked, finally looking to Enrique again.
"You will spend the next forty eight hours resting on the Ocean Odyssey, to get over the jet lag. We need you in top shape before you can make the dive. Doing a dive while tired can cause serious problems," Enrique replied.
"Don't tell me you expect me to drive the sub down there?" Martha said,
"Hell no!" Enrique laughed. "We have qualified drivers to do that. It is just that the pressure will get to you more when you are tired and your mind does not have time to prepare, so we have you rest up. That way, when you make the dive you are mentally ready for it."
"Oh," was Martha's reply.
"Is there any other questions you would like to ask before we get to the ship?" Enrique inquired.
"Alexandria said I was supposed to meet a woman named Alankov?" Martha tried to pronounce the name right.
"Dr. Alenkov is the head researcher in charge of the program, senorita. She is a nice lady and does not like Alexandria much. She is forced to deal with her on part with the United States Military," Enrique said.
"I take it she and Alex don't get along very well," Martha said, smirking, finally starting to lighten up.
"Nope," was the reply.
"So tell me, do I meet her on the ship or afterwards?" Martha said.
"You will meet her when you reach your destination. She was supposed to meet you on the ship, but that got delayed due to an emergency down below," Enrique said.
"Oh," was Martha's reply.
Enrique watched as she stared out the window at the ocean below. "You know that Guam sits at the edge of the Trench right," he said
"Yeah, I have an ocean map in storage that I used to have over my bed," Martha replied.
"Cool, where did you get it from?" Enrique asked, curious, trying to see if he can get her to reveal more about herself.
"National Geographic: they have the best maps," Martha replied.
"I always loved their photos, especially with the different cultures in them," he said.
"I liked the animals and scenery pics myself," Martha replied, easing up a bit.
"Nature freak?" he asked.
"Artist, there is a difference, and yes a nature freak," Martha replied.
"We are approaching final vector: all passengers, please keep your seat belts fastened upon approach," Came the voice of the pilot and Martha, luckily, did not move from where she sat.
She then turned towards one of the small ports alongside the helicopter, and saw for herself what was waiting for her.
The ship was huge! It had to be as big as those factory vessels she saw on T.V. It was anchored just off the left side of the helicopter, and judging from the rough seas, it was going to be a rough landing. A sudden gust of wind had everyone holding onto their seats as the helicopter came for a landing on the rear of the vessel. It is where it would receive the least amount of spray and the least amount of rocking. As the helicopter landed on the helipad, Martha quickly made her exit.
The only people to greet her were the ground crew working to secure the helicopter for landing. Enrique led her down below-deck, where the weather wouldn't get to them. It was fortunate for Martha that most of her life was spent as a fisherman's daughter, so rocking boats were no problem for her.
Enrique skipped the tour, and guided her to where she'd be sleeping, various crew members greeting her along the way. When he opened the door for her, he waited till she was settled, before addressing her.
"Ok Senorita, I have to leave you for now. If you are hungry, the mess hall is just down the hallway on the right. I have to report to the captain," he said, and Martha was left alone.
She stood in the hallway, looking looking totally lost, but only for a moment, before she shrugged to herself, and placed her bags on the bed in her temporary room. Walking out, she made her way towards the mess hall as her stomach began to protest for lack of food. As she entered the mess she was greeted by various people – most, she assumed to be scientists. Feeling rather nervous as her demophobia began to kick in, she sat down near the door, a feeling of security when she is near an exit was good enough for her. Taking off her glasses she began to dig into her food, which was some sort of fish.
She ate in silence, enjoying the solitude- "Hi you must be new I am Hilary," -until that friendly, girly voice.
Martha grated her teeth at the pitch of her voice. It reminded her too much of a coworker back in Kona, whose whiny voice grated her ears. Slowly, Martha looked up to find a rather dark skinned girl with a very curvy appearance. Raising an eyebrow, Martha had to stare at the woman's hazel eyes.
"Oh I did not realize that you were a girl!" the voice changed pitch to a lower, more tolerable, tone.
"That is OK," Martha replied after swallowing her food.
"Sorry about the bullshit intro, then," the girl said, and Martha reached for her glasses, putting them on to get a better look at the girl.
"Oh I am sorry I did not know you need them to see," the girl said as she sat down with her plate in hand.
"Not a problem, I did not know I was at the butt end of the jokes," Martha replied.
"I was told that we were getting another guy coming; they did not tell me that you were a girl," she said.
"Don't worry, I get that a lot," Martha said.
The girl could really stare at her as she ate her food, "You don't talk much, do you?"
"No, I do when I get to know you. Other than that, I am pretty quiet," Martha replied. "...and I just got here, so I am pretty tired,"
"Oh," was the reply from Hilary.
"By the way the food was good," Martha said as she stood up to get another bowl.
"You sure are hungry," Hilary said as Martha filled her plate again before eating,
"I haven't eaten all day, Alexandria never offered me anything and she made sure the stewardess on the plane never did either" came the reply.
"Alexandria Wilcox? That twisted government agent? She is such a bitch! I really hate her," Hilary said and Martha could not help but smile while she ate.
"I knew you can smile," Hilary said, but when Martha looked up she kind of backed off.
"What?" Martha asked,
"Nothing, I just... noticed that your teeth are rather pointy," Hilary replied.
"It runs in the family," Martha replied to her.
Hilary watched her eat her food with a gusto and figured that she wanted something for dessert, so she got up and grabbed a bowl of ice cream. Taking two bowls, she sat down, but not before she was joined by Enrique, who had returned from the captain's office. Grabbing a plate, he sat down by Martha and Hilary, figuring that Martha would need a familiar face to feel more comfortable. He noticed that she was near the door, instead of where the others are and was well aware of her demophobia. At least with just two people, she was comfortable.
"Hello again, senorita, how is ship life?" he asked.
Martha looked up at him when she finished her ice cream, "It is alright I guess, at least the food is good," she said.
"How can you eat while the ship is rocking? Most of us are sick," a voice said and a rather pale man with thick glasses sat trying to eat his food.
"I was a fisherman's daughter growing up so I am used to boats," Martha replied.
"I see you met Hilary - she is a marine biologist, studying the effects of element zero on the marine life here in the Pacific," Enrique said.
Martha looked up at her in awe as the woman merely blushed, "Nothing special, it was myself and Rupert, over there, that discovered that the element zero leakage had caused some of the marine life to develop higher brain functions, such as the dolphins here," she said.
Martha was silent as she slowly let the food settle in her stomach before she sipped some water. As soon as the food settled, her mind began to drift and her eyes began to droop.
"Looks like Senorita is tired," Enrique said as he helped Martha to her feet.
She had not realized that she was that exhausted till Enrique had to support her back to her bunk. As soon as the door closed, Martha went straight for the bathroom before settling in on her bunk to sleep.
MEANWHILE
Hilary watched the girl Martha leave the mess hall... The girl was a mess. With her glasses left on the table, she could see from her bloodshot eyes that the girl was exahusted. And her not looking up was another indication that something was wrong. The girl was distant, that much was for sure, and she bet that Alexandria Wilcox had something to do with it. She turned to Enrique when he returned from dropping Martha off to bed, her braided hair falling just before her eyes.
"What did that bitch Alexandria do to her?" she asked.
"What do you think Alexandria does to everyone we have recruited: ruined their lives. I bet senorita Martha is just like the others: had a normal life, a family, and then Alexandria comes and takes that all away. Forces her to take our job offer and then ships her off first-thing. The poor girl never even had the chance to eat before she got here. No wonder she was starving," Enrique said as he sat down.
Hilary narrowed her eyes just as another person came in to sit down. He was an older man with a rail-thin body, but slightly tanned skin and graying hair. His shirt was that of some old rock group and his thick reading glasses showed that indeed he was a nerd. He work khaki pants and some Japanese tabbi shoes, but he showed concern on his face when he sat down.
"Is that the girl they are sending down on Tuesday?" he asked.
"Yeah, her name...shit, I did not get her name!" Hilary complained.
"Her name is Martha, senor," Enrique replied as he started to eat his food.
"Martha? Well, she does not look like a Martha to me. I thought she was a guy from where I was sitting," the man said.
"Trust me, she is a girl alright, but to go down in that condition? No wonder they get nightmares," Hilary said.
"Are you going down on Tuesday?" the man asked,
"Me and Enrique are heading down with Martha. Dr. Alenkov is dying to meet her and she wants to have a few choice words to Alexandria about how she treats her people," Hilary said, heading out to dump out her tray. The food was good and she wanted to make sure the cook knows it.
Walking away, she could not help but turn back and look down the hall to where Martha was sleeping. The poor girl looked exhausted from traveling such a long distance across the world. In fact, from the looks of it, the poor girl probably never left home in her life. She was horribly exhausted - that much she could tell. From the looks of it, she was rather heavy-set. Not on the obese side, that she knew, and from her clothes, not very rich, either. That was something that irked Hilary as she'd observed Martha's appearance. The girl was basically in threadbare clothes and with an appearance of a working woman. Someone who is not afraid to work, but never really lived in her life. Probably could not afford it, Hilary thought.
Getting up, she went to her lab to see what samples she can work on in the meantime.
ELSEWHERE
Martha was the latest subject that they had brought in and, according to what Alenkov dug up, has the highest concentration of Element Zero so far. The amount of the element is what surprised Enrique, who was an expert on genetic factors. His field is genetics and, from studying the element so far, he had observed in both humans and animals that it can cause some severe side effects. For starters: humans who have higher psychic abilities, but often prove unstable, are the classic signs of having high amounts of element zero. So far, with Martha, from what he observed, she has very high concentrations, but none of the symptoms. The only thing indicating that she had it was the increase in strength and senses. That is what he read in the report, anyways.
He made his way down the hallway to the communications room, the only place with the equipment for communicating with the people on the surface 37,000 feet above. He entered the room and found the communication terminal. He opened a channel and requested for Dr. Alenkov. When he waited he was sure the woman was busy. Then she came into view of the camera.
"How is our newest subject?"Alenkov asked in Spanish.
"Wilcox is a bitch as usual, the poor girl was practically starving when she came onboard. She is overly tired and from the looks of it, very stressed. We managed to calm her down enough so she could get some rest, but I fear the worst had been done to her," Enrique spoke back, glad to be able to speak his native language.
"I understand Enrique, and until you arrive on Tuesday, keep an eye on her ok? I am worried that Alexandria sent us another unstable subject," Alenkov replied.
"I understand senorita Alenkov, I will make sure that the girl is comfortable and ready by the time we make the dive in two days' time, Enrique out." With that, he shut off the communications.
Turning away from the console, Enrique made his way towards the crew quarters to get a well deserved nap.
TWO DAYS LATER
Slowly, dark brown eyes opened. The light of the early dawn and the sound of the ship filled her ears as she slowly rose. Looking around her, Martha observed that she was no longer in her bed, and reality came crashing down on her: She was on a ship in the middle of the ocean about to make a dive into the deepest trench in the world. Slowly she rose, aware of how heavy she felt after being jet-lagged for so long. Her senses, at least, were back to normal, and now that she's fully rested, she wanted to see where she ended up.
Rising out of bed, she became aware that she needed to get cleaned up. After taking a shower she was in a fresh set of clothes that she pulled from her bag: A pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with a picture of Master Chief from Halo on it. She began to make her way to the mess hall, remembering with a groan that she'd left her glasses there. Unable to see where she was going, practically blind without her glasses, she nearly bumped into everything. Luckily for her she began to make clicking noises with her tongue. The sounds bounced off the walls, making it easier for her to listen and navigate. As she made her way around, she became aware of the people around her by the sounds they made.
"Looking for these?" someone asked, and Martha felt something passed into her hand. Her glasses.
She brought them up to her eyes, and holding them against a light, she noticed that they had some smudges on them, so she began to clean them with her shirt. When she was satisfied, she got herself something to eat and had herself a light breakfast. When she was done she remained silent. Hilary watched as Martha just stared at the table, completely lost for her feelings.
"We dive in a few hours, and just to let you know, it is a two-hour dive so you need to dress warm before we go, alright," Hilary said.
Martha nodded as she went to change and get her bags. She was definitely not talking this morning. That had Hilary worried, as the girl was seen going towards the submersibles that the crew use to transport people and equipment to the ship below.
Martha was not liking it one bit. It took her a while to fully wake up and another while to fully come to grips with it. She was all of a sudden quiet around Hilary, and that is an understatement. How do you talk to a scientist? And what about? Certainly not about games or art, that's for sure. In fact, she did not how to make friends. She walked out of the mess area, finding crew members already at work prepping the submersible for its dive. One very large guy, who looked to be Irish, stepped up.
"Well hello there, you must be the new recruit, eh?" he said, and Martha stood her ground while the man laughed and took her bags. He set them into the sub which, surprisingly, had a hatch just off to the side. Martha watched as he loaded her stuff into the small compartment. She was amazed at the size of the sub that would take her down.
The wind and the ocean breeze made it hard to keep on one's feet as the water began to churn with the rise and fall of the ocean swells. The boat crew seemed used to this, as Martha walked back into the ship. She did not want to get in the way, and went further below deck. The churning of the ocean did not knock her over as it did several of her crew members. Being that old-school techniques came naturally to her, she held her ground, while other crew members were tossed around.
Martha went to sit down and wait on the top deck, hoping to see the sky better. Looking up, she saw that the sky is indeed dark, but not for long. Already, she spotted the blue of clear skies, so she had to guess that she was on the outskirts of a storm. The storm itself is not something she should be worried about. Give an hour or two, then the storm should have passed.
Walking out on the deck, she took off her glasses and placed them in her top jacket pocket to keep them free of salt. The ocean winds howled as she felt the air around her... It was a feeling of home. Almost like she never left Hawaii.
FOUR HOURS LATER
Already, the wind has died down to a gentle breeze. And, already, preparations were underway to get the sub in the water as fast as possible. The submersibles were diving at the same time, one with passengers and two with general cargo - enough to get the ship in gear. The fourth sub was used for energy supplies and fuel for the generators that ran the computers - Martha was sure of that one from the smell. In fact, she was relishing the fact that she no longer has a stuffy nose due to the vog from Kilauea volcano back in Hawaii.
Allergies can kick your ass at times, and it was days like these that she relished the most. Now, if half the male population around here washes under their pits more often, then all would be good, she thought as she neared the vessel.
MEANWHILE
The ship sprang into activity as people massed around the submersibles, crews making final checks to ensure safety when departing for the deep unknown. Martha made sure to use the bathroom before jumping into one of the submersibles. Hilary and Enrique joined her, along with a balding Asian man. He carried with him some medical equipment, so Martha assumed him to be the doctor replacing the one down there already.
As the team shut themselves into the submersible, she watched Enrique give the thumbs up. Slowly, cranes began to move, as the sub was lifted from its cradle and slowly hoisted overboard. Now, Martha got a clear view at how huge the ship really is. The small window port on the side allowed her to see the ship in its entirely, and she had to say, it was like getting loaded off a battle cruiser.
Slowly, the first sub was lowered, and she felt a barely-perceivable jerk as it was dropped into the ocean. The waves moved around it, causing the sub to rock violently as crews dove into the water to release the last of the crane's hooks. Then as soon as it was over, the other three subs were dropped into the ocean. The one Martha was on was to be last, since it had passengers.
"Subs one to four reporting," Enrique said over the comm.
"All submersibles prepare to dive on my mark," said a male voice that Martha did not recognize.
"Mark," the voice said and Martha found herself diving below.
It was breathtaking to behold as she saw herself descend, the waves becoming less rocking and more steady. Slowly, she felt the sub start to drop as they descended into the dark ocean below. She held her breath as they dove, not wanting to feel left out, as she placed her hand on the view port.
As they descended, the water grew darker and darker, and Martha thankfully had her jacket and thick pants on. She started to see her breath - it was getting colder as they dove deeper and deeper still. As the last of the light faded and the lights came on, Martha was amazed as she looked out her window and saw some deep sea fish swimming past. It was like entering into another world, as she watched the fish disappear into a river of light.
"Magical, isn't it?" Hilary asked.
"Yes," was Martha's reply as she took mental notes on the images of the fish swimming by. It then dawned on her that she had a sketch book in her back pack. Digging it out, she hastily looked for one of her pencils, and began to draw.
The scratching on the paper caught Hilary by surprise, and she turned around to see what Martha was doing. She watched as the girl quickly drew the fish as she saw it in a sea of light. The sounds of something clicking alerted the crew to a mysterious stranger.
Martha nearly screamed, when a rather large eye appeared, and a Sperm Whale made itself known. It looked at them curiously before swimming off. Martha quickly added this to her sketch. Hilary watched her draw the whale with such skill, and quickly turned back to the outer shell of the sub.
The deep abyss was dark as they heard the sounds of other whales clicking around them. Enrique and Hilary made alterations to their controls.
"Control we are now at 500 meters and dropping," she said.
"Understood, Sub Four. You are nearing the first of the seamounts marking the border to the Challenger Deep," said the control center on the surface.
"Roger that. Approaching now... We are now at 550 meters and dropping still." she said.
Martha could see nothing outside her port window. It was pitch-black with nothing but the occasional bioluminescent creature. She held on as the sub suddenly made a turn and she could barely see the others outside her port as their lights gave off a soft glow. The whales had long-since disappeared to search for food. She missed the sounds of their clicks as she leaned back on her seat to enjoy the sight of all this fancy technology around her.
Never before has she seen anything like it. All the glowing lights and switches made even the most advanced sci-fi movie look mundane.
"I see the first of the seamounts now," Hilary said. "Heading towards the mount now," replied Enrique.
Martha watched as they approached the first of the seamounts. Coming in close, she could make out the mounts from her port, thanks to the headlights. As more creatures came and went through the depths, Martha saw, for the first time without watching T.V., her first sea mount. Underwater mountains that can be hundreds of feet higher than Mt. Everest, base to top, and deeper canyons than the Grand Canyon. She watched in awe as the sub passed the mount in about ten minutes, then took a dive towards the darkness of the abyss.
TBC