DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MASS EFFECT ONLY MY SELF AND THE PLOT OF THIS FIC...I AM BROKE PEOPLE!
A/n: OH man I thank you all so much for your support of this story! It means so much to me as well as to my ever awesome beta reader who helped me a ton with my grammar problems thank you so much!
Now as you all know that last chapter is a bit long and it took a bit lengthening the scenes to let you know that there is so much going on at the same time. I wanted to show different scenes at once to let you take in the scope of what our characters in the Challenger deep are going through. It also lets you know what the effects are to the people around them. So without further a do the scene you've all been waiting for in…..
Mass Effect The Immortal Series pt 1: Flight of the Normandy
Chapter 12: Its Name is Normandy
The air was dangerously thick and almost impossible to breathe when the darkness hit. Like a thunderclap, the generator finally gave out, causing the entire ship to go dark and the cold to start coming in waves. The heat generated by the generator made living here at the bottom of the ocean almost tolerable. But now that it finally died, the cold darkness of the abyss was finally starting to make its final move on the crew.
Dr. Alenkov was doing her paperwork in her office when the darkness finally hit. Her laptop instantly switched to battery mode, allowing her only three hours on full power before going dead… for good.
She reached under her desk to pull up an emergency flashlight that was reserved for such an occasion. Turning it on, she could see her breath, as her arctic parka was already on and wrapped around her. The coffee cup that would normally be full was now empty and had been for a long time. There was nothing in it that would warm her up. So, getting up, she went to check up on the crew of the ship to make sure that there was no chaos. It was something she was dreading for a while now: the mass panic and confusion of the crew.
What greeted her as she entered the hallways was the silence. There was no sound of panic and no outcry for blood or survival. She in fact found it very strange and very eerie as she moved throughout the ship. Then she could hear it...the sounds of talking, of people talking in excited tones as if something good is about to happen. Dr. Alenkov made her way towards the mess hall where a faint light was flickering. It nearly drowned out the sound of the surrounding ocean outside but Dr. Alenkov was curious to see where the sounds was coming from.
When she entered the mess hall she was shocked to see all the staff there chatting among themselves in excited mutterings. Her tall frame allowed her to see a bit over the sea of crowded people. The heat and the stench of many sweaty bodies made the air suffocating to Alenkov as she forced her way towards the center of the room. In the center of the mess hall was Martha along with Hilary, Lucas, David, Ichigo, Major Lawoski, Major Reynolds and several others pouring over drawings and charts of the alien vessel so far. Along with the charts on the table before them were the books she loaned Martha. It was Martha's alien device that was providing all the light.
"What is going on here?" asked Dr. Kimber as she ran up to Dr. Alenkov. Despite her injuries, Dr. Kimber was going to be fine.
"I don't know," replied Dr. Alenkov, curious to see for herself what was going on.
"What is going on here?" Dr. Alenkov asked, repeating Dr. Kimber's question as they both came close enough for the people in the center to hear her. All heads looked up from where they were talking, surprise on their faces.
"Reynolds has solved the dreams!" said someone from the crowd. The voices all carried a form of excitement as many cheers went up.
"Major Reynolds did what?" Dr. Alenkov asked her eyebrow raised up in confusion.
"Don't give her that horseshit I only helped, it was Martha who actually solved it," Major Reynolds shouted back.
"What did Martha solve?" Dr. Alenkov asked curiously.
"She solved the riddle in her dreams, she figured out how to activate the ship!" he said.
"She what?!" Alenkov called out in shock, her hands shaking as she tried to absorb all this. The amount of air going into her lungs was not enough and she started to feel lightheaded. Dr. Jenkins, who was one of the other scientists in the room, quickly rushed to Dr. Alenkov's side and quickly guided her to a chair.
"Here, Doctor, have a seat, you look ready to pass out any moment now," he said. Others quickly moved out of the way to allow her to sit. Feeling lightheaded and trying to process it all was a bit much for the Russian as she was placed on a decently-sized chair. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions as her brain was trying to process it all.
She solved it? She solved what everyone took nearly forty years to find?
All that could come out of her mouth was a raspy "How?"
"I will let Martha herself explain it, Doc," Major Reynolds said to her.
The crowd parted to allow Martha to come closer to her. Her steps were erratic and she had to be helped by Hilary who held her up.
"What happened?" Dr. Alenkov asked.
"Don't mind me I had an episode when I was figuring it out," Martha replied as she, too, sat down in a chair just across from the Russian woman. She took a deep breath and Alenkov saw how nervous she is.
"Martha, how did you solve the riddle?" she asked her accent was very prominent in her voice yet it was also very shaky when she said it.
Martha herself looked rather nervous when she said it but she began to explain, "It started with Major Reynolds's stories. He was telling stories about his grandfather in World War 2 and how they invaded Europe on D-Day," Martha said as she looked down at her feet.
"Go on," Dr. Alenkov said.
"Well when he was telling the story the dream came at me again, this time I was wide awake when it happened. It was as if the ship itself was telling me the hints and the clues." Martha replied
"Wait? The ship spoke to you?" she said.
"In a sense yes," Martha replied.
"Alright, say that the ship did speak to you, what else led you to believe that you know the answer?" Dr. Jenkins asked this time.
"Dr. Alenkov's books, the second part of the riddle named three kings. One in the North, One in the East, and One in the South. Now the first part of the riddle derives the event that took place, the war. So I had to start thinking out of the box for once and do something that no one else has thought of," Martha replied.
"Oh and what is that?" asked Dr. Alenkov.
"I had to think about it in terms of events. You said so yourself Doctor that the riddle could mean any war in our history or the history of the ship." Martha said as she stood up on shaky feet and began to pace. People parted to allow her to speak.
"Alright Martha talk what do you mean events?" asked Dr. Alenkov.
"Well when Major Reynolds here was telling his war stories that was when the visions started. It was like a trance that I felt when I was pulled to the middle of the room. The next thing I knew I was in the dream again. It was Hilary's voice that woke me up so when I as looking up at her that is when I knew I fell to the floor. From the floor that was when I started thinking in terms of events in human history and not in alien history. I mean why would the ship tell us a riddle that would come in terms of aliens. We have not met any aliens in our history, or that which we don't know about. So I had to think in terms of human history." Martha said, her voice more excited and cheerful than those of the scientists on the vessel. Her excitement made her talk so fast that Dr. Alenkov had a hard time catching every single word and most of it sounded as if Martha had degraded to that of a child.
Martha then darted over to the nearby table. Dr. Alenkov followed her, her footsteps rapid to keep up with the younger woman. There, Dr. Alenkov could see a large piece of paper that laid on it, surrounded by her books. Martha's alien device glowed bright enough to allow her to see what was on it. From there the riddle was written out to its fullest, but each phrase was marked with notes and sketches and more notes. It literally was a mess to look at but on the notes each and every portion was analyzed and looked at. Some of the writings don't even match meaning that others had added their own opinions into the chart.
"Martha what is this?" Dr. Alenkov asked in confusion.
"It is the map of the riddle. A comparison of the lines in the riddle vs the events in human history that match the lines in the riddle," Martha said, nearly jumping up and down from her spot.
"What she means to say Director is that the riddle itself has many meanings but only one answer. If one were to look at the lines as events in human history or historical figures in human history you can see a pattern," said Dr. Jackson who was recently released from the medical ward.
"My specialty is Space Exploration, Military Science and Administration, not History, Doctor," Dr. Alenkov replied.
"I know, but you have an interest in history as I recall," Dr. Jackson replied looking at the director with a curious look.
"Yes, I do have an interest in history - mostly military history and the history of war," Dr. Alenkov replied.
"Well, then, why don't you listen to what the lady is trying to tell you before she reveals her answer," said Dr. Jackson as he sat down next to Dr. Alenkov with a look of delight on his face as well. He had already been here when Martha made her announcement that she had solved the riddle. Now he wanted to hear how she had gotten the answer.
"Alright Martha, you have my full attention, and this time go slowly please, for those of us whose first language isn't English," Dr. Alenkov said to Martha in a scolding fashion. This caused the young lady before her to smile sheepishly and rub the back of her head like a cartoon character.
"Sorry," was the reply.
"Now then, Martha, the riddle," Dr. Alenkov repeated herself.
Snapping out of it Martha leaped up, "Oh right! As I was saying, the riddle..." she said and when she pulled up the paper someone had the sense to bring a white erase board.
"Here, use this," said Ichigo as he and David sat down. The board had obviously come from the side of the mess hall for there was a schedule for food. Martha was handed the eraser and she immediately erased the board before writing the riddle in place of the food schedule.
"Ok, let me see if I can explain this clearly enough for you," Martha said before writing all her diagrams on the board.
"Alright here it is. The riddle was given after I came out of the E.Z.C. and confronted the ship in my dreams. It then showed images of what it probably looked like millions of years ago. So when I said that we don't know its name and there is no way we could figure it out without a clue it gave us the riddle. Now the riddle itself is insignificant unless you look at it from a view point in time," Martha said and drew a timeline on the bottom of the board.
By now everyone backed away from the area to give Martha some space as she drew the time frame.
"Ok, imagine this is the timeline in which the riddle takes place. The beginning talks about war or a war. Now, anyone who is a history nut knows that there was a ton of wars back in the day. And any one of them could be the war that the riddle is talking about. But here is the catch," with that Martha began marking the lines along the timeline.
"This is a timeline of all the wars in human history. All of them speak of one or two kings wanting to duke it out over territory or religion. The riddle speaks of West vs East in the beginning. Now, any one of these wars," and with that Martha took her marker and circled each one along the timeline from the earliest to the latest. "...could mean West vs East with the most obvious one being the Crusades or the Boxer Wars," Martha said.
"Wait, wait 'Boxer Wars?" someone asked laughing.
"China vs Great Britain back in the 19th Century," replied Dr. Alenkov.
There was silence in the room and Martha puffed up her chest, trying to get brave enough to speak. Her hands were shaking when she continued on.
"Before I was rudely interrupted, the first part could have meant the Crusades or the Boxer Wars where West fights East, or as Dr. Alenkov said, Great Britain vs China. But here is the other clue: the second part of the line speaks of three kings rising from depression's ashes. Now here, here and here," Martha said as she marked the lines on the timeline, "are times when something happened that caused a depression such as a plague or fire, such as the fires of London or the destruction of Pompeii. It could also mean the destruction of the Aztecs, Incas, and Maya at the hands of the Spanish Conquistadors, but there is an inconsistency with that. And that the three civilizations were destroyed in different times. The Incas were first, then the Aztecs and then the Maya. All three were not at war at the same time. So that rules them out. The other war with three kings is the Battle of the Three Kings or the Battle of Alcácer Quibir In Morocco. Are you getting me so far?" Martha stopped and there were several hands that went up with questions.
"Where the fuck did you get that information from when communications was limited to emails and phone calls only?" asked one person.
Martha held up a book 'History of Warfare.' "Dr. Alenkov let me borrow some of her books," Martha replied.
The voice was instantly silent and that gave Martha the courage to go on.
"Alright, here is where this one was eliminated from the list," she said and pointed out the three names she wrote down. "Now these names I am not going to say because I can't pronounce then other then the King of Portugal. But both of these guys," she pointed to the two Arab names along the line, "are both vying for the throne in Morocco, but only one of them had an ally in Europe. But the third clue was in the same line about the three kings, One from the East, One from the North and One from the South. Now, the two kings here are both from Morocco, so they don't count as one of the kings mentioned from the riddle. So that eliminates them from the list," Martha said and erased their names off the board.
"Alright if they are not the three kings, what other wars involved three kings at the same time?" asked Dr. Zenger, who was sitting down next to Major Lawoski.
"I am getting there," Martha said.
"Now, the second war involving three kings was of course the War of the Kingdoms in the United Kingdom. But because of the second clue, we are going to eliminate that war," Martha said, crossing that out.
"When the second clue mentioned where the kings are located - one in the East, one in the North and one in the South - things get a bit complicated. You see all the wars that involve three kings are all either near each other or in the same area. Either through rebellion or conquest and not talking about events that happen at the same time." Martha said.
"So, what you are trying to say is that, with all the wars in history, none of them mentions kings in other kingdoms from three different regions fighting at the same time?" said a man who was sitting on the other side of the table from Dr. Alenkov.
"Exactly, none of them were from different regions. Maybe one of them or two of them were from a different region. But none of them were all three originated from a different part of the world. This leads us to the third clue which is the third part of that first line. The North declared that he is God, the East declared that he is Emperor and the South declared that he is King. Now, that raised some eyebrows for me because it could mean something further back or forward in history. Because many kings declared themselves gods such as the Pharaohs of Egypt or the Hawaiian Chiefs. But then again, it got me thinking that...what if the riddle was not talking about actual kings?" she said.
"What the fuck do you mean?" asked another scientist.
"Shut the fuck up and listen Wilson!" Major Reynolds scolded the man by the door. The man glared at the Major who returned it in kind. It was a staring contest till Wilson, a man in his mid thirties, backed down. Taking a deep breath, Martha explained.
"What I mean is that what if the riddle was not talking about royalty at all?" she said and then circled two wars closer to the end of the line.
"The World Wars?" asked a woman this time.
"Yep, the two world wars where many leaders vouched for leadership of the nations of the world, so to speak," Martha replied.
"OK, why the World Wars?" she asked curiously.
"Well, I had to read about it but the answer is simple: multiple leaders wanted to rule more than one nation in the world. But here is the catch: the First World War was mainly in Europe. However, it was this one that was the main culprit and the answer to the fourth clue," Martha said. She circled the words 'World War 2' on the time line.
"How do you know it was World War 2 that holds the answer?" asked Dr. Jenkins as she sat down next to Dr. Jackson.
"Because of the next line, 'The North declared that he is God, The East declared that he is Emperor and the South declared that he is king'. And that was followed by the other line that followed which locked it in by, 'The North killed the first race, The East killed the Oyster, and the South killed Democracy," Martha replied.
"That still doesn't answer the question," Dr. Jenkins replied annoyed.
"Yes it does," said Dr. Jackson as he turned to his colleague, "The answer to the time period is there. Think about it: Who was the main culprits of World War 2?" he asked her.
"I only know Hitler," Dr. Jenkins replied.
"Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito," replied Major Reynolds as he stood up, "To answer the question of the riddle, only one who knows World War 2 can know of what the three did, which was answered in the line that was mentioned. Hitler killed the Jews otherwise known as the 'First Race,' since their religion predates the Christians and the Muslims in the Middle East. Fuck, it's as old as civilization itself. That was the first hint," he said.
"Hirohito bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii pissing off the Americans," said Ichigo from where he sat at Martha's table.
"And Mussolini killed the Italian Democracy, declaring himself dictator," said surprisingly Dr. Alenkov. Many heads turned to her as she stood up.
"Are you trying to say Martha is that the ship's name came from this time period in human history?" Dr. Alenkov said to the young lady at the dry erase board.
"Yes," Martha said hesitantly, "Yes, the ship's name is from World War 2 it named itself and it wanted us the speak its name to activate it."
"It can't activate itself?" asked Lucas. He leaned forward his hands in front of him and his chin resting on his fingers. It was a sign that he is interested but at the same time bored.
"No, it is probably another safety protocol programmed into it by whomever built the ship." Martha replied to him.
Lucas leaned back and indicated with his hand that she should continue. That earned him a slap on the shoulder from Jessica and Lucas turned to glare at her. Jessica glared back at him and Martha sighed at their antics before she continued.
"Now, the final part of the riddle was the most confusing, but the simplest clue of them all. 'On the sixth day of the sixth month of the fifth year of the fourth cycle the West rose from the sea to fight the three kings the West fought the East and became victorious.' That was confusing at first until you look at it in terms of time. Now, if you are thinking of time periods, then it makes sense," Martha said to her audience.
"The West? Who was the West? I mean we know that Hitler or Germany was the North, Hirohito or Japan was the East and Mussolini or Italy was the South who was the West? And why did it give that part of the riddle?" asked Wilson yet again.
Martha this time smiled mischievous as she looked at him, "Who was the one nation that was last to enter the war? Who was the one that turned the tide in favor of the Allied Nations in World War 2?"
"The United States, Franklin Roosevelt, that was the West," said Major Lawoski.
"Really?" asked someone else.
"Yeah, After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, the U.S. entered the war. They were pissed that Japan dared to bomb their sea port in Hawaii. When that happened all hell broke loose," replied Major Lawoski.
"That doesn't answer the other part of the riddle," Wilson replied.
"Yes it does," said Major Reynolds standing up and walking towards the board.
"Think about it, mate, America is on a completely different continent to Europe and Asia. It is West of Europe, they and Great Britain are the only two nations in the Allied forces next to Canada and Mexico that are in the West." said Major Reynolds.
"What is with all the suspense, why not just tell us the fucken answer already!" shouted someone from the surrounding area, interrupting the entire conversation. That was followed by several immediate call backs from the crowd. Mostly within a tightly closed group. The rest wanted to know how Martha had gotten her answer. They had listened so far, but the small group began to mutter among themselves and that grew into a growing background noise.
"Who said that?" demanded Dr. Alenkov.
There was silence in the room when she stood up facing the crowd of muttering folks who were starting to grow impatient with the suspense and the dramatics. She eyed them all, demanding them and daring them to say anything. She was surprised that they didn't start eating each other or going crazy so far. But then again, things like this demanded hope. And hope was very fragile at this stage, so she hoped that she could help. But she didn't know how long it could last before it suddenly shatters.
"Anyone?" Dr. Alenkov demanded.
It was met with silence. Her glare was enough to keep everyone quiet so far, but how far before desperation really kicks in? So far, they had been lucky with being able to speak to family and friends. It was what tied them to the ground and helped keep hope alive. But for how long, she didn't know, and when the power went off for the final time, well... Things had been tense, to say the least. At least Martha's lecture was enough of a temporary distraction that it could help them. And if she truly did solve the riddle of her dreams and figured out how to activate the ship... then hope has rekindled for them all.
Turning back towards Martha, Dr. Alenkov nodded, allowing the woman to speak. Clearing her throat, Martha began to explain once again, this time with a smile.
"What was the one event that shaped the war to the Allies favor?" Martha asked. She held her hand up to the two majors and Dr. Alenkov, hoping everyone would see if anyone else has figured it out. There was silence, which gave Martha more time to get excited again. She rushed to the board and circled the lines once more, showing them the events as they unfolded. She then erased everything on the board and began to write out a calendar of sorts. The months and days of the year. Then she began to circle them.
"The sixth day of the sixth month of the fifth year of the fourth cycle. Now, mind you, it took some time to figure out what cycles meant, but then I realized that it meant decades. So, which year? I had to think, and then it hit me: the year 1944 in the 20th century. The ship is probably thinking in terms of time. It is describing the time period in the riddle during the beginning with World War 2. That is the time frame with the three kings, meaning the three main powers during the war, Germany, Japan, and Italy. Now when it described the date which is here..." Martha was again interrupted, this time by Dr. Shenoy the medical officer.
"I am sorry to interrupt, Martha, but you said 1944. The riddle says fifth year, doesn't that mean 1945?" he asked.
"Not if you include the 0 in the decade. The riddle is including the zero in the decade, so if you include 1940, in the alien's terms would probably mean 1 where we just say 0. Their concept of time must be different than ours. The first year of the decade must mean 1 to them while we state it as 0. So if you think about it in alien terms the forth year in the decade would mean 5 in alien. So the fifth year would actually be the fourth in human terms." Martha replied.
"So, the part of the century that the ship would speak of the 1940's would be the fourth cycle, because it is not including the 0 years?" Dr. Shenoy said to her.
"Yes, it is not including the zero years, because it has no concept of zero. To it the zero years such as that of 1900 to 1910 would be considered as either 1 or 10 not 0." Martha replied.
The doctor leaned back satisfied with the answer.
"So what does June 6th of 1944 have in common with aliens?" asked Dr. Jenkins.
"D-Day," Martha replied.
"Operation Overlord," said Major Reynolds standing up, "The day the Allies came upon the beach in Normandy, France, and freed the country from German occupation."
"So what does that have to do with the ship?" asked Wilson.
"It's the ship's name," Martha replied with a gleeful smile, her short pointy canines showing. To her shrunken face, it made her look scary to those watching her. As if she had gone mad.
"The ship's name?" asked Wilson.
"It's name, the ship's name is Normandy. It named itself Normandy! That is what it was trying to tell us! It was trying to tell us its name! It wants us to find the terminal that would activate it!" Martha said, bouncing up and down in childish excitement.
"But we don't have any terminals to type it into!" Dr. Jenkins said from his seat. The other folks muttered among themselves, knowing that the scientist was right. Mutterings came from the crowd that grew louder until one voice interrupted them all.
"Yes, we do," Dr. Kimber said, standing up from where she was sitting on the other side of the room. Her walking stick was evident in her hand along with Dr. Amari who helped her to stand.
"Where?" asked Dr. Jenkins.
"Over near the shaft that leads down here. We found it years ago during a routine check on the generator. One of the boys went to see why one of the lines was not working and that is where we found it," Dr. Kimber said as she walked back towards her chair.
"Even if we found it we don't know how to turn it on so we can activate it?" Dr. Jenkins replied his irritation was known. Others began to mutter behind him as well agreeing with his statement.
"We don't have it personally, but I know someone who does," Dr. Kimber said and pointed to Martha.
"Her! She is nothing more than a piss pot that got herself burned in the E.Z.C. where she had no business going into!" Dr. Jenkins said, outraged.
"You watch your fucking mouth, Rupert, or so help me God almighty I will kick your ass from here to the Earth's core!" Dr. Kimber replied, also standing her ground, and the room began to erupt into a hell storm of noise until….
"ENOUGH!" The roar was enough to silence the room once more. Everyone turned to see Dr. Alenkov there, standing with anger clearly on her face. "Sit your asses down NOW!" She said. Everyone did as they were told, for no one wants to deal with Dr. Alenkov when she was angry. The military woman stood her ground when they all were seated down once more.
"Now then, before this ruckus had gotten started perhaps it is time for our young friend to do us all a favor and activate the ship?" Dr. Alenkov said to Dr. Kimber.
At this everyone voice their agreement.
A FEW MINUTES LATER
"There is nothing here," Martha said to Dr. Kimber.
"Yes, there is," Dr. Kimber replied, "years ago we found this computer terminal that we thought is nothing more than a piece of scrap. It would barely stay on, unlike the ones in the lab." Dr. Kimber then led them to a spot near the shaft that would take them to the Mess Hall and the labs. Martha saw nothing at first but rock and bits of ancient coral. There was some fragments of deep sea bones that some fish left behind, but other than that, nothing.
But upon closer inspection, she could make out a strange metal item buried in the rock. Coming closer still, she could barely make out the appearance of what appeared to be a frame of some sort. Then, when she was directly in front of the rock face, she could make out the shape of the computer terminal. The metal only outlined the frame of what would have been the screen, but it was dark and shattered. The rest of it looked as if age had succumbed to it.
"Once we tried to turn it on but it would flash and then flicker out," Dr. Kimber said.
The thick air and high humidity caused by all the bodies in the small alcove made it difficult to breathe. Martha felt her chest compress with the thickness of the air and the lack of filtration in the room. Dr. Kimber managed to squeeze her way in front to stare at the blank terminal before Martha.
"We had other people try to turn it on, but the power would fail. Perhaps you might be able to fix it." Dr. Kimber said to Martha.
Martha looked at the terminal in front of her. The screen was cracked and broken, and the rock around it looked as if it was growing around the screen. The metal that formed the frame looked to be corroded and rusted in many places.
"When I looked up the history of the expedition, it mentioned that there was water in the ship? Perhaps through leakage of some sort. The terminal might have gotten damaged from the sea water that came into the ship, just like the other terminals that littered the vessel. But because this one is so close to the entrance, it might have gotten damaged from the sheer volume of water that might have gotten in before the ship finally closed its doors?" Martha stated as a matter of fact.
"That could be a possibility, but why still have power in some of them? That part I never understood," Dr. Kimber said.
"Maybe there was residue power in the systems. I see it quite often when I fix laptops back in Kona. Sometimes, even with the battery and the power cord out, there is still power in the machine. You have to do a certain routine to drain the rest of it out before you can work on the device. Maybe that was what was happening to the computers here," Martha replied as she stared at the empty dark screen.
Then, as if on cue, the screen started to flicker for a bit, as if struggling to turn on, before it died once more. The faint light from her alien device helped to illuminate the rock and the computer. It repeated several times, each time getting longer, before going completely blank and staying that way. Martha stared down at her left hand where the device was currently glowing to provide light. As she looked at it, something seemed to click in her mind. Slowly, she reached out with her left hand, the alien device hovering over the dead terminal.
Taking a deep breath, Martha held up her hand and nothing happened. Disappointment seemed to flow into the crowded room. Martha looked down, discouraged as the terminal remained dead and quiet. She held it there, but nothing happened still and she started to get irritated.
"I think you need to touch it," said Lucas, breaking the awaited silence in the crowd. Others stared at him in the faint light of the alien device. Martha turned to him curiously and figured it was worth a shot.
Martha placed her hand on the terminal, and there was nothing. She even tried running her fingers over it and still there was nothing.
"Nothing's happening!" she called to Lucas.
"Maybe you need to direct your mind to the device. I think I recalled seeing it in a T.V. show, where the guy had to focus his mind on a task for the machine to do it. He even had to do it to start a space ship, which I thought was cool." Lucas replied.
"What T.V. show was that?" asked David, looking rather irritated.
"I think it was Stargate Atlantis," Lucas replied to David.
"Can we focus on the here and now please?! Not on some sort of televised debate," scolded Dr. Kimber.
"Maybe you need to tell the device to repair the computer?" said Ichigo.
Everyone turned to him in bewilderment. "What? I am only stating it since, after all, Martha's device seems to work when she thinks about something. It responds to her thoughts both unconsciously and consciously. So, perhaps if she were to concentrate on the repairs of the terminal, it might help us get out of here?" Ichigo responded.
"You are a fucken retard!" shouted Jessica.
"But it is worth a shot," said Dr. Alenkov as she stood beside Martha. Her presence alone quieted the crowd. She then put her hand on Martha's shoulder. She could feel her bony shoulder and it was currently shaking from fear. She knew that the woman was going through a panic attack with so many eyes look at her. She would feel the same if she were in Martha's shoes.
"It's alright Martha, just focus on the machine not, on the people," she whispered into Martha's ear.
Shakily, Martha put her hand on the machine, her mind going in many different directions. Her body was shaking in fear, but Dr. Alenkov's hand was still on her shoulder and it held firm, "Focus Martha, don't pay any attention to the people around you. Focus your mind on the terminal and only on the terminal," she stated.
Martha's eyes went to the terminal and willed her mind to focus, but instead it plunged them into darkness. Her device lost its light as it vanished from her hand. She slowly reached out to touch the broken keyboard once again. Or what she thought might be a keyboard, as it was nothing more then a flat surface, smooth to the touch. She then reached out with her other hand and felt along the surface. She tried with all her will to focus.
But all the focus started to leave her the minute her mind heard a sound. Songs from various music genres started to play and repeat certain aspects. The images in her mind started to appear as she willed herself to concentrate. But she could already feel her mind slipping as her foot began to tap on the ground and her finger beat on the keyboard. But the feeling of Dr. Alenkov's hand was enough to anchor her mind.
FOCUS! She willed herself to focus on repairing the computer.
Taking deep breaths, she started thinking about something that would help her mind focus. She started to think about home and her family, about how she ended up here, at the bottom of the ocean. She thought about how she died and how she was brought back to life again. She thought about Aaron and all the people she left behind, as well as all the people here on this station. All the lives that depend on her solving this riddle.
Please, she begged as tears started to form at the corners of her eyes, please help us!
The darkness was overwhelming, choking the life from her. The sounds of people breathing and crying filled her ears as the darkness began to overtake her. The cold of the ocean started to seep into her bones as well. The overwhelming feeling that came with suffocating and drowning. Her mind started to play tragic soundtracks from various movies. It was overwhelming. She could feel tears start to form in her eyes as she begged in her mind. Hundreds of sounds played all at once outside and inside her head. She nearly passed out from it.
It was then she heard beeping as her device came to life. It lit up, providing light in the room once more. Shocked, Martha stood still as the device started to move on its own. Then the sight and sound of something spraying onto the terminal nearly caused her to jump as a gray substance was sprayed onto the device. Her hand shook from where she stood as it suddenly started to repair itself. The rust disappeared and the cracks seemed to miraculously repair itself. She was shocked to see this.
It was just like what happened to her when she died. The device administered something into her as well, causing her body to heal. This time, it sprayed something onto the terminal, causing it to repair itself. It took nearly ten minutes before it was fully repaired. When it was done, there was silence.
A holographic image suddenly formed above her arm and data began to transfer into the terminal. The computer screen came to life as it was receiving the data. It lit the room in a brighter glow than the device. People moved away in shock as words scrolled across it at a faster rate than they could hope to read. A shocked Martha watched the device move on its own. It then showed an image of a human figure, which then split in two to show both male and female.
Dr. Alenkov and the others watched in fascination as the data was being transferred. It then flashed, sending a wave of light throughout the ship. This also counted for multiple images being shown at the same time across the screen. It showed the image of the ship and multiple dots in one area.
"What is it doing?" asked Dr. Jackson intrigued by what was going on.
"I think it is taking an account of all of us. As if it is doing a diagnostic of the ship," said Dr. Kimber curiously.
"Martha how are you doing?" Hilary asked. She was only met with silence.
"Martha?" Hilary asked again.
Martha began to glow bright blue as something was happening. Hilary watched Martha's fingers as they moved around the keyboard. The amount of data being transferred from her device to the screen was a lot, and she saw images of things here and there, as if the ship was communicating with Martha directly now.
"Martha? What is happening to her?" Hilary asked Dr. Kimber who was the expert on alien technology.
"I think it is transferring information from Martha's mind to its database. As if the alien device was taking a hold of her. The amount of data being transferred from her hand to the computer is incredible! I think it needed to see through someone else's eyes before it can make the connection that we are not a threat," replied Dr. Kimber.
"But why must it do this?" replied Dr. Jackson.
"I think it wants to communicate with us but in order to do that it needs to understand our biology, physiology, and psychology. I think the reason why so many people have gone mad here is because in order for it to communicate with us it needed to transfer some sort of data packet. I think the aliens who built it communicated telepathically, that is why the test subjects had the dreams. It was its way of communicating with us. But our minds are not built to understand what it was saying….unless you think differently like how Martha does." Dr. Kimber replied.
"ADHD," said Dr. Zenger from off to Dr. Kimber's right.
"Yes, I think that might be it. Martha's natural disability and artistic ability allowed her mind to process and understand the ship's message. I think this ship is still alive somehow, but it can't activate itself. It must have some sort of safety protocol when it crashed, like a power switch." Dr. Kimber said with some excitement. The discovery of the century was right here at her fingertips. What she viewed as junk years ago was now proving to be the most valuable asset of them all.
"Guys, I think it's over," said David from the left side of where Dr. Alenkov was standing.
Sure enough, Martha's glow began to subside. The alien device ceased to function on her hand as her concentration waned. With her eyes rolled back, Martha started to fall from where she stood. Major Lawoski caught her before she could hit the ground. Her breathing was ragged and her body was shaking and weak.
"What the fuck was that?" asked Major Lawoski.
"Dr. Amari, Dr. Shenoy!" said Dr. Alenkov.
The two doctors quickly rushed to Martha's side and began to do a check on her. They checked her pulse and her vitals to ensure that she would be fine. Confirming it, they both let Major Lawoski carry her to a spot where she could sit down. Feeling lightheaded, Martha began to slowly recover her strength from her ordeal.
"Martha? Martha can you hear me?" asked Dr. Kimber as she crouched down to Martha's level. Martha's breathing was still heavy, but it was not spastic as it was when she first fell.
"I can hear you Doctor," Martha replied between breaths.
"Martha, what happened?" Dr. Kimber asked.
"I don't know, all I know is that the system suddenly started attacking my brain. It was as if it wanted something from me while it was repairing itself. I could not move when it did this. I felt as if a thousand needles are going through my body," Martha replied.
"I think the computer wanted to know more about your biology. Since it seems aware that there are other creatures trapped on its vessel it wanted to know about our species. I think when it took you it activated your biotics. I saw it myself and so did the others. We even saw your device display images of our D.N.A. our biology, our physiology and more. I think it was studying us," Dr. Kimber said to Martha.
"Studying us? As if we are guinea pigs?" Martha asked.
"No, I think it wanted to learn more about us before it could acclimate its systems to human use," Dr. Kimber replied with curiosity.
Just as she finished saying this the computer came back to life it showed the words 'ACCESS TO SYSTEMS REQUIRES PASSWORD, PASSWORD IS REQUIRED!'
Martha turned towards the others unsure of what to do.
"Go ahead you dumb ass type the password in already!" yelled Major Reynolds with impatience running through his voice and his mannerism. Martha glared at him before giving him the finger. She turned around and looked at the screen again. The words were ominous as they were her salvation. It was as if she was going to drink the holy grail in an old temple. Slowly but surely she walked towards the screen to see the message played out in full view in front of her.
'ACCESS TO SYSTEMS REQUIRES PASSWORD, PASSWORD IS REQUIRED!'
Martha reached out with her right hand and put her left arm in front of her. The alien device glowed back to life once again.
"Here goes," Martha said.
As she said this she typed the password with the keyboard that appeared on the alien device. Her fingers were shaking with nervousness and the sweat on her forehead was a sign of the silent prayer she sent to God.
N-O-R-M-A-N-D-Y
As soon as she hit 'ENTER' the screen went blank. The only thing that illuminated the screen was the small words processing.
"Ok, now what?" asked David.
They waited for what seemed like forever. The silence was as thick as the air they were breathing. Martha's device had long since went dead also as if sensing it was no longer needed. The wait was a bit long.
AN HOUR LATER
"What the fuck is it doing?" asked Wilson.
"I don't know," replied Martha.
The screen remained black showing nothing but the small message in the very corner that said, processing. Everyone had grown board and wanted to leave but none did. It was as if their last ray of hope was in those small letters.
"Maybe it's frozen?" asked Dr. Jackson.
"No, I don't think so," said Dr. Alenkov as she came closer. Martha could hear her footsteps as she neared the barely illuminated screen. The words remained stationary but from the small amount of light Martha could see her face deep in thought.
"I think it is rebooting," Dr. Alenkov said.
"Rebooting?" asked Dr. Kimber and just as she said it the words on the screen changed.
PASSWORD ACCEPTED
The sound of something humming alerted the group as the room suddenly was shown in a blaze of bright light. Many screams of pain came around everyone as the lights had proven too intense for their eyes. The rocks suddenly disappeared, leaving the room filled with nothing but a vast space. Surprised and in pain, Martha walked backwards to escape the intense pain in her eyes and went to lean on what she assumed was a rock wall. But the wall that was originally there was gone and Martha fell on her backside.
Scrambling to her feet she and the others watched in amazement as the ship seemed to open up around them. The stone and coral that they grew accustomed to disappeared in the wave, leaving a fresh hard metal barely reflected off the yellow glow. More people seemed to be struggling with this new environment as they all seemed to stand on shaky feet.
Dr. Alenkov watched as the ship suddenly came to life around her as the sound of humming engines and energizing systems suddenly came online.
A wave of fresh air started flowing in through the vents above them. The temperature started to get warmer as if the ship was accommodating them. Many people were cheering and shouting in both surprise and joy and started taking in deep breaths. The shouting and the cheering was so loud that Dr. Alenkov went deaf by listening to it.
Martha was amazed by the terminal in front of her: it was the exact terminal from on her dreams! When her eyes finally adjusted to the intense light the holographic form of the ship came to life as it appeared before her. This shocked many other people as they slowly adjusted and upon recovering began to explore the ship. Martha, on shaky feet, walked towards the words NORMANDY on the side of a new door that appeared before her. The wall of rock and the small tunnel going up and down was gone. Instead, in front of her was the exact same door from her dreams. The one leading to the elevator.
"Holy shit!" said Major Lawoski as he looked around the room, his eyes roaming over the many terminals and seats on the far walls.
"Wow!" Martha said as she looked around. Her gaze could not help but look at the now wide space around the room. The lights were bright enough, but the room in front of them was spacious and clean. As if time had not touched it. Her eyes were wide with wonder as she took in the sight of the space ship in its entirety.
"You did it!" someone shouted. Then, suddenly, Martha was being hugged from over a dozen different people, all of them smelling worse for wear. She struggled to get them off of her, but she was trapped in the growing mound of smelly bodies, all of them wanting to touch and thank the new hero. People were hugging and crying at the same time, thanking whatever deity they were worshiping for the return to their grace.
Martha had to get away from them as her demophobia took over. The overwhelming feeling of being trapped took over as she backed away till she was at the entrance to the elevator. Her breathing was raspy as her throat tightened from her fear. She began to hyperventilate and her head began to see stars. As she was walking backwards and away from the crowd she failed to hear the door behind her open.
She tripped over the now opened door and fell once again on to her backside. The doors then suddenly closed forcing people out. Shocked Martha looked at the now-closed door. Breathing a sigh of relief, she slowly stood up from where she fell over. Suddenly, she felt a jerk as if she had landed on something unstable. Then, as if by chance, she felt herself rising upwards. Shocked and a little shaken, Martha then felt the elevator stop after only a few seconds. The doors then suddenly opened with a gust of air and she found herself in a very familiar hallway. Getting up, she took a few tentative steps forward.
The same familiar door stood in front of her. The same circular holographic image just in front of it. Her breath was shaky to say the least as she looked around. The hallway, as usual, was empty, with only the very short walkway and the elevator behind her. Slowly, she walked towards the door. The circle was red instead of the green in her dreams. Martha looked at it curiously, then slowly reached out with her left hand. The alien device came to life. As it glowed, a few clicking sounds were made and the door opened with a small rush of air.
She was shocked to find her stuff on the floor next to the desk. Slowly, she reached out and picked up her sleeping bags and her things from the floor. Holding them in front of her, she looked around to see the transformed room around her.
The room was exactly like in her dream! The large queen-sized bed with the empty fish tank on the left. The ship models in the glass case and the empty cage off to the side. Her mind was in nostalgia as she wandered around the room. Lost in thought, she came across the couches and the table. She reached out and touched them softly. The feel of leather graced her hands as she went about the entire length. The helmet was still on the desk next to the bed. The silvery spherical shape decorated the table. It was like a hotel room with all the luxuries one could pay for.
"Holy Shit!" said a voice and Martha jumped in surprise. Hilary stood at the door, her eyes just as wide as Martha's as she took in the room. Her once-deep dark skin was shallow and pale, making her look like a zombie. And her body was thin, bony frame adding to the undead look.
"Um... hey Hilary," Martha said hesitantly.
Hilary walked about the room, her eyes taking in everything. She looked down to see the familiar terminal and the empty cage behind it. Looking up, she reached out to place her hand on the glass case where the many ships were.
Martha stood there, watching her as she looked around. Her mind was filled with white noise, her thoughts blank as she watched Hilary approach. When she came down the stairs that led to the main part of the room, she stopped in front of Martha.
"Holy fuck, Martha, this is just like your drawings!" she said as Martha nodded. Then Hilary gently pushed her to the side when she finally noticed the bed.
"You fucken lucky bitch, you got the good bed!" Hilary complained as she came in and leaped onto the bed.
The bed melded with her body as she relaxed in to it. Martha shook her head as she watched her friend roll around on the bed. Walking up the stairs again, she came in front of the desk behind the glass case. The two holographic terminals in front of her were alive and glowing. Right beside them was her laptop. The cord the led to the now dead power circuit running away from the terminal. She slowly pulled out the power cord from the extension. Holding it up, she saw a familiar-looking socket in the wall.
"What the fuck?" Martha said out loud. She turned on her laptop and after powering up, there was a warning sign to plug in her computer or risk shut down. She looked at the computer and saw the familiar empty battery icon flashing with a warning sign. Sighing, she took the risk and plugged in the computer. As if getting a sudden boost of energy the computer suddenly became brighter as a new feed of energy was rushing into it. The battery icon changed from a flashing battery to one with a lightning bolt inside meaning that it is charging.
Breathing a sigh of relief Martha turned to see Hilary rolling around like a little girl on the bed.
"I want this bed!" Hilary said, laughing as she gave sighs of content while she rolled around on the bed.
"I claimed this room first so scram, bitch!" Martha said laughing.
"Lucky shit," Hilary said as she leaped off of the bed.
"I was here first so I claimed it first so back off," Martha laughed at her.
"Man, you suck! I wish I had a room like yours!" said Hilary as she spread her arms out to encircle the room.
"I like it, It even has its own shower and toilet!" Martha teased.
"What?!" Hilary said and rushed past Martha to where a smaller door was behind the desk. Opening it up, she gasped at the sight of the bathroom in front of her. Turning she glared at Martha as she stormed right up to her. But from the quivering of her lip she could not hold it and started to fall into Martha laughing.
"You, you have to be the luckiest bitch there is!" she said between bouts of laughter.
"Why, because I have my own bathroom?" Martha said to her.
"Because you have the best room in the entire ship!" Hilary replied before grabbing Martha's hand.
"Hey, what….?" Martha protested as she felt herself being pulled towards the main door.
"Come on let's explore there is so much to see! Plus we could both use some time to explore," she said to Martha.
Smiling, Martha didn't hesitate to follow her out of the ship. She too was eager to see more of the ship.
TBC
A/n: Now you've all been wondering where is the other part of the story. Well I decided that the rest of the this chapter should be in it's own little section. So I ended the chapter here and moved the rest of it to a separate chapter of its own. That way it doesn't take away the feeling of discovery when they activated the ship.
Anyhow thank you all for getting this far and enjoying this story if you like it please leave a review and no BASHINGS, LORE MONGERS OR FLAMES PLEASE thank you!