Mass Effect the Immortal Series part 1: Flight of the Normandy

by black dragon

A rewrite of one of my older stories: The Challenger Deep is the deepest part of the ocean, and for millions of years has kept its secrets for itself. In the year 1960 a team of scientists made the first dive to the Challenger Deep. What they discovered was something that would forever change the course of human history.

6. The Alien Wreckage

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, LORE MONGERS, OR BASHINGS PLEASE! And once again a big shoutout to my proofreader Schazmen you are a big help with proofreading thank you so much!

And to the person who reviews and mentioned this to be an EARTH drama. Let me tell you that this is a rewrite of part one. If you are looking to the actual AU version you should read part 2 Legacy of the Dragon.

And if any of you are wondering why I am reposting this chapter I had to fix a major error that only now I notice.

Warning author insert you have been warned!

Mass Effect The Immortal Series pt 1: Flight of the Normandy

Chapter 5: The Alien Wreckage

CHALLENGER DEEP, MARIANA TRENCH, PACIFIC OCEAN

It was about two hours into their dive and still another ten minutes till they would get to their destination. The temperature had dropped to about four degrees now and it was near freezing. Martha could see her breath coming out of her mouth and was glad she wore a parka. At the moment, though, she wished she was more adapted to the cold more than the warm tropical climates of the surface. The ride was quite eventful on the way down. She watched as they rode the strong currents that flowed through the trench. There was one that flowed north, leading to Asia, she was told, and then further down, one that went south towards New Zealand. The ride was bumpy as their submarine was tossed due to the strength of the currents. Martha had begun to feel a bit motion sick from it, and not even the Dramamine that she had taken before the ride was helping.

Throughout the ride down, Martha watched the fish that had made themselves known to them. Besides the whales earlier, other creatures came and went. Flashes of light and the sounds of something swimming were fascinating to her, allowing her to hear what's going on, and filled her imagination with monsters from old stories.

Just as she could make out the bottom, the sound of the currents and the straining of the engines, stopped. The sounds of the ocean filled her ears, but the feeling of being tossed was gone. Instead, there was absolute stillness in the gloom, and the silence was only penetrated by the sound of the submarine's twin propellers and the constant beeping of electronics.

"We are almost there, Senorita; you are in for a treat," Enrique said from his position in the driver's seat. Martha could only nod as she gazed at the ocean floor. The sights of several fish swimming past was something that Martha could not imagine. Already, there is life at the deepest part of the ocean.

It was also where she spotted the trace amounts of something glowing on the bottom.

"What is that?" she asked Enrique, pointing to the glowing rivers along the bottom.

"Element Zero, a highly radioactive substance; it leaks from the engines of the alien vessel, and has been doing so for millions of years." Hilary replied from her seat in the front. "When we get to the alien vessel Dr. Alenkov will be meeting us at the entrance. She is the head of the project and she can better explain the Element Zero leakage to you."

"OK," Martha replied.

"Relax, Senorita. Dr. Alenkov hates Alexandria Wilcox just as much as you do; they argue all the time on the comms!" said Enrique with a smile on his face.

"Challenger, this is docking subs One through Four with needed supplies and passengers, requesting permission to dock. Over?" came the voice of their group lead.

Both Hilary and Enrique turned back to their job on the consoles, "This is Challenger Control, you are free to dock along the main hatch. Sub Four will take the lead, followed by Subs Three, Two and One," said a thick accented voice.

The voice sounded like someone from England, that much Martha could tell. The person was probably used to procedures, so he sounded a bit bored. Martha wanted to laugh at the poor man's predicament, for if he was that bored, then this trip would not be so bad.

"Hey, Senorita, you should pay attention to what is outside: you might like what you see," Enrique joked.

Martha then looked through her window as the lights began to make the ship known to her.

Ahead of her, along the ocean floor, a single solid object lay dormant. It was covered in oceanic debris, but the shape of it was unmistakable. It was a ship, that much Martha could tell, and it was HUGE!

"Holy shit!" she called out.

The submersibles lit up the hull of the ship, allowing her to see for herself as they passed it by. Even though she could tell it was halfway buried in the ground, it still held its nature like a proud eagle on its perch. She saw the marine life that had made the outer hull their home: crustaceans, mollusks, and some fish swam around the ship's exterior. Even in the near pitch black, she could see faint shadows of the deep-sea corals that clearly made this place their home. Their glowing bioluminescence made it look like something out of a movie. Martha knew from reading the manual that the ship was large, but to see it in person was something she found truly breathtaking.

The ship slowly passed by and Martha, strangely, could not help but feel as if she was coming home. The dark metallic hull reflected off the lights, showing off its metal exterior through the coral patches that glowed around it.

At last, they moved to the front of the ship, where Martha could see where the head of the ship was located. There, she could make out where it was cleared away to allow for boarding. There, on the left-hand side of the ship, was a single cleared area - a single patch of metal out of the heads of coral.

"I guess it took you guys a while to clear that out," Martha said.

"You bet senorita" Enrique replied wholeheartedly. "It took the guys nearly a year to find it and another year to get in. It took even longer to drain the water out. Back then, the technology was not very efficient, with all sorts of problems due to the pressure. Today, we just shoot it with sonic blasts to clean the growth off and get an industrial vacuum to pump the water out."

The final approach was done with two subs taking up flanking positions. Martha watched as Enrique expertly maneuvered the submersible to the side. Now she knew why there were two entrances to the submersible. Slowly, an extension emerged from the submersible to the ship, and a hiss was heard. Amazed, Martha got out of her chair to watch. She heard the water slowly draining from the hatch, which was then followed by the sounds of hissing as it was pressurized with air. Then, there was a beep, and the hatch hissed open. Slowly, she grabbed her backpack and reached behind her for her duffle bag. Walking out, she felt like she was boarding a plane.

Except this plane was at the bottom of the ocean.

She approached the ship - its silver hull glistened in the LED lights of the ship's hatch. She slowly reached her hand out and touched the surface. It was smooth! Then, she heard the telltale sign of an opening hatch. And slowly, she backed up as the hatch for the ship itself opened, revealing a door.

"Go on senorita, don't be afraid," Enrique said behind her.

Startled, Martha glared at Enrique as he laughed at her. Hilary was right behind, scowling at him for his rudeness, "Let the girl explore, Jesus!" she said to him.

"Do not say the Lord's name in vain, senorita Ballard," Enrique replied.

Martha paid no attention to their bickering. She slowly moved her hand up to the door. There was a light there in the shape of a circle. She placed her hand on it and the light turned like a wheel. The door then hissed before it opened on its own and Martha leaped back in surprise. Eyes widening, she was nearly knocked over by the jump, when a hand reached out to steady her. Looking up, she saw a rather tall woman with blonde hair and pale skin.

She pulled Martha up and the other girl sort of put her hand out behind her head sheepishly, "Sorry about that" she said.

"No need to worry: newcomers are always amazed by the front door." The woman spoke with a thick Russian accent.

"Dr. Alenkov, a pleasure to see you again," said Hilary as she shook the woman's hand.

"A pleasure Dr. Ballard. How are the latest samples of fish we sent up to the surface?" Alenkov replied.

"Those are really showing what the element zero deposits are doing to the fish population here," she said, and then noticed Martha.

"Oh, sorry Doctor, I was letting my mouth get the better of me. This is Martha Kahalewai, the 'w' has a 'v' sound to it," Hilary said.

Dr. Alenkov shook hands with Martha, "It is a pleasure Martha. I've read your profile and we have accommodations made especially for you to deal with that problem of yours," she said.

"Thanks," Martha replied.

"Now then, shall we give her the tour?" Alenkov asked.

"I wish we could, Doctor, but we have to help get this thing out so the others can start unloading their stuff," Hilary said sheepishly.

"Very well then, tell Enrique I said hi," she said as Hilary turned back towards the submersible.

Martha noticed that the a lot of the area seemed to be...well, a cluttered mess: It was full of coral deposits, making it impossible to tell how big the actual room was. It seemed as if a good portion of the wall was covered in thick coral limestone with deposits of other minerals. The old rustic look to the ship, along with the battery powered lamps and generators, gave the place an eerie look. In fact, the wall behind her, nearest the door, was nothing but rock.

"Right this way Martha, I am sure we can get you settled before we start the official tour," Alenkov said.

Martha could only nod in awe as she was led down the hallway. The ship itself was a wreck, as far as she saw: pieces of wires and consoles stuck out everywhere, while scientists worked on some of them with others like her. The hallway was crowded and she started to feel the effects of the closeness. Alenkov must have sensed it, as she turned down another hallway, this one a bit wider than the front. There was a slight rise before it settled in to another tunnel.

"Take this, and climb up here," Alenkov said, passing her her backpack and pointing to a tunnel heading directly up. Martha did not argue as she took her bag and began to climb. Alenkov was already behind her as she, too, climbed up.

When she got to the top, she was amazed at the small space up there.

"I figured this would be a good-enough spot for you to sleep in, since it is far enough away from the crew to give you privacy. And should you need it with your demophobia" Alenkov said, and started to head towards the ladder again.

"When you are settled in, come see me in the mess hall: it is just down the ladder, back through the main room and down another tunnel, which is on the right," she said before disappearing into the dark tunnel.

Martha pulled out the flashlight that she had in her backpack, and turned it on to glow stick mode. It was one of those emergency flashlights that she had bought from work. She carried about six in her bag just in case of an emergency. Turning them on, their blue glow added to the eeriness of the room. The small space was kind of tight, but Martha figured that she could maneuver through. The tunnel evened out to another area of her place. Walking towards the end, she was surprised that it opened up a bit. It seems as if this was her hiding place.

Walking in, she was shocked to find a platform-like protrusion from the wall. It was far too narrow to be her bed, so she pulled out her computer from her backpack and plugged it into the power strip that someone had placed up here. She also found a lamp, which she gladly lit, allowing the small hollow to be filled with a faint light.

When she looked around, she was shocked to find that the room itself was blocked by a wall of coral and debris growing off the walls. It was strange to see that air was kept even though the ship was sunk. She thought that part was a bit mysterious.

Maybe the ship has a life-support shield like on the Destiny in Stargate Universe, Martha thought.

Slowly but surely, she walked around her room. She was used to small rooms and seeing this one was no different. Maneuvering around, Martha began to set up her things the way she wanted them. When she was about to place her sleeping bag down, she noticed something unusual: there was some sort of rubber bracelet down on the ground.

Maybe one of the crew dropped it, Martha thought as she grabbed it.

It was light in her hands and, fortunately, not made of latex, which she was allergic to. She went to place it on the bench next to her computer. Looking at it again, she noticed that it was different to any bracelet she had ever seen.

As much as I would like to see that bracelet, I better report to Dr. Alenkov and find out where the bathroom is, Martha thought as she went back down the ladder again.

When she did, she failed to notice the bracelet give off an eerie glow before going dark again.

A FEW MINTUES LATER

"Alright, this is the main dining area. Not much to look at, but it is the least we can do on this ship," Alenkov said.

The so-called dining area was small, to say the least. Only a few set up tables and a makeshift kitchen filled the area. The air was stuffy, thanks to the amount of heat coming from the stoves. They had special air recyclers to allow the air to be cleaned and reused around the ship. Water was generated from the sea water outside and desalinated for use. Bathrooms were off to the right and for Martha, that was a good thing. She needed to go after spending nearly two hours diving.

After relieving herself, she was shown around the place more. Where she would be working, where to avoid and, most notably, the time table for spending time with the psychiatrist to ensure that she was mentally sound.

Returning to her room, Martha turned on the computer and thanked the gods that there was internet. There seemed to be a cable that went all the way up to the surface, and relays from a buoy to a satellite. From there, it instantly connects you to the internet.

Logging on, Martha began to make a letter to Aaron to tell him that she is alright.

Aaron,

You don't know how much I miss you! I just gotten here and already I want to go home! This place is dark and foreboding and it looks as if it could collapse at any moment. It is also very cold here. It seems as if nobody likes Alexandria very much. Good, that bitch is nothing but trouble anyways. So how are things holding up for you? I hope you are doing alright.

Love you always,

Mart

Closing the letter and sending it, Martha drank from her water bottle on the side, before taking out her journal and opening it up to an empty page. Taking out a pen she began to write.

March 16, 2012

Today started out alright with me getting sent down to the bottom of the ocean. I wanted so much to go back home and the way things were. I miss Aaron greatly and all my family. But I am here now thanks to that bitch Alexandria. She ruined my life by forcing my boss to fire me. She took away all means of me finding another job. Made me out to be a freak. Tears started to fall at this point. I want to go home! Yet I am stuck as some sort of science project! All I have are the clothes in my bag, my laptop and this stupid bracelet!

With that, Martha threw the bracelet away from her in anger as tears came streaming down her face. She wanted to die, that much she knew.

It was also then that the bracelet began to glow.

"What the fuck?" Martha said out loud.

The bracelet once again gave a brief glow as it transformed into something else...and then turned back into a bracelet.

Not even her first day, and Martha had found something of interest. Slowly, she stood up from her chair and walked towards where the bracelet lay on the opposite wall, drying her tears on her sleeve. Slowly, she bent down to pick it up and then looked at it again under the light of her lamp.

It looked like a rubber or plastic bracelet, the kind that children wear. Just an ordinary friendship bracelet that seemed ordinarily out of place on an alien ship.

Slowly, she looked it over and placed it back on the table. She decided then and there to sleep it off and hopefully, when she is coherent enough, report it to Dr. Alenkov. She slowly slipped into the sleeping bag and closed her eyes. Sleep came to her instantly as exhaustion took over her mind.

DREAM SEQUENCE.

Where was she?

The sense was overwhelming to say the least. She woke up in a hallway of some sort. Everything was blurry and hard to see with all the bright lights. Martha walked down the hallway, unaware of where she was going. She knew, though, that she was somewhere bright, but it was filled with dark shadows. She wished that she had her glasses, for everything was blurry. Normally, she would be dreaming of some strange things happening in elementary school, but she did not this time. This dream was different and she was not trying to fly away like a bird.

This time, she was in strange surroundings and cursed not having her glasses. It was hard enough trying to see through the mass of blurs. Martha walked around blindly, trying to feel her way around. The shadows were all around her, moving and her demophobia was starting to kick in. Try as she might, she could not help but feel something strange was going on. It was deafening to her as the voices that she could not make out was getting to her. There were many voices all around her.

It started to choke her, squeezing her in...

END DREAM SEQUENCE

With a yell, Martha lurched from her sleeping bag. Ragged breaths caught in her throat as she struggled to gain a footing on reality. Looking around, she noticed that the music her computer was playing had gone silent and the lights in her room had dimmed. Drenched in sweat, she pulled herself out of the sleeping bag and looked at the clock on the computer.

It was seven in the morning.

Not like it matters at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Getting up, she quickly got dressed and cleaned herself up. Getting down with her toiletries she got herself ready for the day. Going down the mess hall, she got herself something to eat while she looked at her new iPad, trying to see where she would be going.

Crew assignments: Wednesday October 22, 2012

Marine Environmental Laboratories station 1

Hilary Ballard; Chief Marine Biologist

Takeyoshi, Oyama : Research Assistant

Yuri Travoski: Research Assistant

Melina Tutopolis: Technician

Peter Tupola: Biotics Expert

Element Zero Research and Development Station 2

Robert Caradine: Chief Chemist

Yahiko, Shinji: Research Assistant

Pier, Lennox: Research Assistant

Mai-Yin, Qi: Technician

Makaela Lopez: Biotics Expert

Extraterrestrial Technology Research Station 3

Rebecca Kimber: Chief Research Annalists

Lennard, Marks: Research Assistant

Terry, Scotts: Research Assistant

Diego, Rodrigues: Technician

Martha, Kahalewai: Biotics Expert

The list seems to go on to other assignments, but it would seem that Martha is assigned to a Dr. Rebecca Kimber, head of Extraterrestrial Technology. She would be going there every day and then in the evening after the first week, she would start to see Dr. Zenger for psychiatric debriefing. Feeling alone, Martha dug into her meal, enjoying the powdery eggs and toast.

When she was done, she made her way towards the area she was assigned, which was down towards the bottom of the known explored areas of the ship. Climbing down the tunnel, Martha arrived in the area she was supposed to go. She felt uneasy with all the scientists involved. She could see more of the coral rock growths around the area making it hard to maneuver through. The rocks made the ship seem smaller, but after millions of years of decay, she could not blame them. Walking towards where she thought Dr. Kimber would be, she was suddenly hit from the side.

"Ow!" she complained, rubbing her ribs.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to... Hey, I don't know you, are you new?" asked a male voice.

Martha turned to find herself staring at a rather sheepish-looking guy. He was rail-thin with very pale skin from spending long periods on the ship. His hair was thick, dirty blonde, and he reeked of grease and metal. His clothes were covered in dirt and grime, giving him a filthy appearance.

"Sorry, I'm looking for Dr. Kimber? My name is Martha Kahalewai and I was told to meet her here," she said, readjusting her glasses.

"Martha, huh? Kind of a homely name, wouldn't you say?" the man said, helping her up. He winced at Martha's grip.

"You can call me Mart or Marty, a lot of people back home do," Martha said, looking sheepish when she saw him wince.

"I can deal with Marty, that sounds better than Martha... Geesh! You sound like an old 50's movie," he said.

"Well, tell that to my mom, who named me after my Aunt Mata Rei, who changed her name to Martha when she moved to the United States back in the day," she replied.

"Sorry, I didn't meant to insult you," the man said.

Then realizing that he had not answered her earlier question, he pointed. "Dr. Kimber is just down on the other side of the room with Dr. Jackson - just don't mind Jackson, he is a real asshole at times," he said and rushed off.

Martha was left alone to walk down narrow passages till she reached her destination at the end of the room. The room itself was not very big, and it was converted to a laboratory. Much of the room was still a rock wall of fossilized coral, but Martha kept walking further in till she saw some metal sticking out of the rock. There was one side of the wall that was bare, with computer terminals that she never saw before sticking out of the coral.

Or, at least, she thought they were. Hard to tell with alien technology.

Passing through the entrance and watching where she was going, she approached the terminals. They looked more like gutted computer screens than actual computers. Curious, she looked to see if anyone else was around, before coming closer. They all seemed dead and strange to her - nothing but a blank panel and computer parts.

That, is until the screens lit up in her presence.

"What the hell?" Martha said, surprised as she leaped back from the terminals.

"I have never seen terminals respond like that before," said a feminine voice.

Martha turned to find herself staring at a rather tall, petite woman with auburn hair and light gray eyes. Her lab coat made her stand out as the typical scientist, while her framed glasses shone in the dim light. Martha felt out of place with her burly shoulders and shorter, more masculine frame. She could not help it if she took after her father in body type.

The woman approached, "You must be Martha? I'm Rebecca Kimber, head of Extraterrestrial Technology Research Division. A pleasure to meet you," she said offering her hand.

"Pleasure," Martha said, and taking her hand in a firm handshake.

"My, you got quite a grip there," the woman said, and Martha flushed in embarrassment.

"Don't be shy about it, not all women have quite the strength that you have," she said and walked past Martha to the terminal station. Martha followed her to the terminals. Dr. Kimber took the time to take pictures and take notes on her iPad.

"I have been trying to get this thing to work for months. And only when you came in did it finally light up," she said, excited as she tried to go over it again. The screen proved too unstable, however and it blurred before it phased out.

"Damn it!" she cursed.

She then tried to find a way to restart the terminal, when Martha walked up to it again. When she did, the screen came up again. The words on it were still sketchy but at least the screen was on. Kimber looked up from her crouched position to look at Martha. The other girl shrugged as she stood there.

"Well, Martha, it seems to me as if you are going to be quite busy from now on," Kimber said with a smirk.

That was something that Martha hoped to avoid.

TBC