DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MASS EFFECT OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO BIOWARE AND EA GAMES.
A/N: Wow it's been a while for both me and my beta. We've both been busy these past few weeks. Him with finding work and me working my ASS off at my job because I am considered an essential worker in my state. That is what happens when you work in a hardware store. You supply the goods to the guys keeping the house from falling down. So they work us to the bone leaving me with less time to write unless it is the weekend. So I am exhausted most of the time and the writing I am currently doing is just updates on my other stories. This one is no different so I will leave it at that.
Anyhow we are now heading back to Earth from the moon. Where we last left off we just returned to Earth's orbit and are now making preparations to return to the planet itself. So ends the first act of Part one. Now we move on to the second act of part one which mostly takes place on planet Earth. So hold your horses we are going to be in for a ride.
Ok on with the story….
Mass Effect the Immortal Series Part 1: Flight of the Normandy
Chapter 23: Earthbound
"OK EDI, how do I enter the atmosphere of Earth? Because unlike the Moon or Mars, Earth actually has an atmosphere that is rather thick," Martha said to the floating orb beside her. She was feeling nervous as the large blue planet loomed below her with swirling clouds and a large ocean.
"Usually, that depends on the speed of entry, and whether the mass effect field will negate the planet's gravitational pull. For the approach you are planning, aim the belly of the ship towards the planet. That way, you will have maximum surface area to slow the descent," EDI said to her.
Martha input the information into her console, ready to use.
"Good, now make sure that all shields and kinetic barriers are at maximum," EDI said, and Martha quickly checked her data to ensure that everything was where it supposed to be. She made a few adjustments to make sure that it was at maximum.
"Alright, shields and kinetic barriers at maximum," she said to her.
"Now take her down towards the planet. When you feel or see the front of the ship become lit up with the fire of reentry, wait for our altitude to reach 20,000 feet above the planet's surface, and then use the main engines to break the descent," replied EDI as Martha adjusted to reentry.
The ship was angled in such a way that it pointed straight at the planet. The entire ship heard Martha talking to EDI while it happened. Everyone was holding their breath as they loomed closer to home. Martha was the most anxious as she saw the planet get closer and closer like something out of a movie. When it finally got close enough, she was so scared that she wanted to cry. It was then that she felt the jolt of reentry.
She immediately pulled up to where the belly was facing the planet. The ship shook from the added friction, but she quickly adjusted the inertial dampeners to accommodate the change in motion. Martha held the controls as the ship ceased shaking from the other areas but the bridge. Martha felt it shake still in the controls and seat.
"You got this Mart," said Lucas, offering nervous encouragement, but Martha did not hear him. Instead, she concentrated on the meter next to her that was highlighted on the display. She kept her fingers ready till the meter said 20,000 feet, and input the orders in the controls to turn the ship and fired the landing boosters. She felt herself press into the seat as she fired the main engines, the ship slowing down considerably. Then, as soon as she did, the fires in front of the ship slowed and they were free and clear.
"Well done," EDI said. Martha relaxed, sighing in relief as she panted heavily from the exertion.
"Everyone, welcome back to Planet Earth," said Micheal on the intercom to everyone else. Whoops and cheers could be heard from all around as Martha adjusted the trajectory towards the planet. As the last of the flames died down, she could see clouds around her as she steered the ship.
"EDI, where are we, exactly?" Martha asked.
"We are in the southern hemisphere of the planet, near the continent of Australia," EDI said to her.
"Alright, did you hear that Dr. Alenkov?" Martha asked through the intercom with a smile.
"I sure did. Micheal, contact the Australian Space Agency and New Zealand Science Center, and ask for Jean Bethune. I will be sending you the contact information now," she said and the line went dead.
"Alright, here we go," Martha said and began her descent further into the planet's atmosphere. There was a storm dead ahead, but EDI's reassurances of the ship's capabilities quelled any fears she might've had about it. Martha held firm even when the ship started to vibrate.
"Alright folks, no need to panic, that is just some turbulence due to entering a storm," Martha said as she adjusted the controls to make it through it. As she flew through the storm, she saw mountains on the holographic screen. They were off to the left side of the ship. But they were miles away from any sort of land. Looking at the map, they were just a few hundred miles from Indonesia.
"OK, on the left, we have nothing but ocean, and we are about... six minutes out from the western coast of Australia," said Lucas, checking his map.
"Australia? I've always wanted to go there," said Ichigo as Martha saw the coastline in sight.
"Dr. Alenkov, should I engage stealth?" Martha asked her.
"Negative, we don't want to cause a panic, and if you encounter any sort of military, ask them where to land," the last one was directed to Micheal whom complied.
Martha held onto the helm as they made their way across the ocean, coming closer to land.
"Unidentified aircraft, this is the Australian Air Defense. You are entering Australian airspace, identify yourself or be shot down immediately," came a signal from the comm unit.
Martha smirked as they thought they could shoot her down, but she complied. And given what she was flying, she wasn't even curious about their aggressiveness. Hitting the comm button to respond, she simply told them what they were, "This is the U.N. space vessel Normandy, requesting permission to land, over," she said over the comms unit.
"Stand by for identification Normandy… confirmed. Please follow us, we will escort you to a specially designated landing zone. Do not veer from the flight vector and you will be fine," the airman said to Martha as she steered the ship to follow them.
It took about twenty minutes till she saw the sight of a city. On the map, it read as Adelaide. It was on the southern side of the continent, much farther from where they entered the country. There, a red dot appeared, designated the landing zone told to them by the Australian military. As she steered the ship using the holographic systems, she saw where the landing strip was going to be. Following the area, she saw the flag person running back towards the building, surprised at how the Normandy was going to land, not expecting it to not need a runway.
Others began to run as Martha steered the ship to land just outside of the terminal. When she was close enough she engaged the ship's landing struts and began landing procedures. Luckily for her, she had plenty of practice on other planets. Earth made no difference.
As she landed, she could feel the ship hit the ground, before easing on the controls. With a relieved sigh, she began to shut down the engines, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Planet Earth and Adelaide, Australia," Martha said over the intercom. The chorus of shouts and cheering she got in response made her smile. Looking out the window, she could see the runway crew coming towards them to help them off.
"Alright, everyone, before we go off into the wind, I want to take a headcount of all crew members. That means I want everyone in the mess hall except the bridge and engineering teams. You will continue to finish shut down procedures until the Normandy is completely shut down and locked down. I don't want anybody coming in here and messing around with the systems. That means, EDI, you need to hide your door when we leave. That means no one is allowed in, except us, understood," Dr. Alenkov said, with chorus of affirmatives from all decks.
Dr. Alenkov smiled as everyone started to head towards the mess hall. Many of them were eager to leave, but not before doing the proper shutdowns of the systems on the ship. The only ones not present were the engineering and bridge crew, who were doing last checks that there was no damage from reentry, and make sure that the ship was in proper lockdown before departing. She made sure to let her people know this.
"Alright listen up! I want groups of three to depart in ten second bursts. That means people will be departing with their belongings in-hand. If you don't have anything to take with you off this vessel, I suggest you walk out with your hands at your sides at all times. EDI will make sure that the ship is properly secured once all crew members are off. We will have the security teams transport the rest of your personal items from the cargo hold. But, we will be departing through the main entrance near the bridge, so if you have any questions, please say so now," she said and some raised their hands. She pointed to one person who was in the back. The person was one of the maintenance personnel who had come onboard from the Ocean Odyssey.
"What about the equipment that we can't take by hand?" he asked.
"They will be taken to the cargo hold to be transported off the ship," she said and the man nodded.
"When will we use this ship again?" asked another person, this time, a woman from the laboratories. Dr. Alenkov sighed, knowing she was going to hate the answer to the question.
"That will depend on the politicians," she said briefly.
"Do we have to find another pilot or will we use the same one as before," said a person from the front.
"Martha is the only one qualified to pilot the Normandy.Any others will have to be subjected to the same amount of scrutiny as Martha did. For no other pilot has the mental capacity that she does and, more than that, are restricted in training by the limited capabilities of Earth craft," EDI replied.
"We will miss you, EDI," said Dr. Jackson off to the side, and many people nodded in agreement, having grown used to the A.I.
"I am sure the technology that I have supplied to your species will allow me to communicate with you better. And you also have your omni-tools, should a need arise," EDI replied to them. "I will miss you, all of you. You will always be my crew, and the Normandy will always welcome you should you need us again. For now, I am just happy to be able to see civilization again," EDI said.
"Will you be giving a tour of the ship, because we will leave the door open for others to come in and view the ship," said Dr. Alenkov.
"I will leave the lights on, if that is what you are asking, and yes, you can still use the bathroom and get a drink while here. However, there are a few places that I will hide, such as Martha's quarters, because it is for her use and hers alone. The weapons lockers will also be locked. However, I will provide models that look authentic, but won't function, for the viewing public," EDI said to them.
"What else will be changed while we are gone?" asked Dr. Kimber.
"The AI core will be hidden. I don't like it when people I don't know tamper with my systems. I don't want to become another angry psychotic AI and wipe out the human race. It is against my programming, and it makes me look bad," she said and when she got numerous confused looks she replied, "That was a joke,"
"So you will be locking key systems to prevent tampering, is that correct?" asked Dr. Kimber.
"Affirmative," was the reply.
"Ok, that is cleared up if we need to return. We are ready to go! Remember: groups of three in ten second intervals through the airlock," she said and they formed up with their things, including Dr. Alenkov, who had her suitcase with her. Her things had been packed and placed in boxes to be loaded through the loading docks. EDI was efficient in hiding the room to make it look less lived-in unlike how it was before. It suited her just fine to know that things could be kept secret from others. The kitchens and the other facilities had been transformed to be like those of an alien vessel, marvels to her. To adapt to the species that inhabits it... It was amazing. She marveled at such technology as each and every terminal went offline to show that people were indeed leaving the vessel.
As they walked out of the elevators – the rest taking the stairs – towards the main exit, she could see Martha, Lucas, Ichigo and Micheal, shutting the last systems on the ship down. Everything else was done, and they were the last still working on it. She turned her gaze to the groups that were leaving, led by Major Lawoski and Major Reynolds, to ensure that security protocols were being followed.
Dr. Alenkov then turned to look at the now-dark ship for the first time in months. Its lit halls now ghosts and echoes of the once proud and well-lit ship. The air vents and the hum of the engines had all gone silent. There was not even a flicker of light save for the lights coming from the bridge as Martha and the bridge crew had gotten their bags. Martha, surprisingly, only carried a duffle bag and her backpack. She smiled sadly at the girl, for soon, they would be swamped with news media and all sorts of things. Poor Martha would probably have to undergo numerous tests before she was allowed to go home. She now took in a deep breath before exiting the ship, along with everyone else.
BRIDGE
Martha sat there alone, looking over the now dark and empty bridge. Her seat now vacant and cold, and the monitors were silent and empty. Micheal, Lucas and Ichigo had already left, leaving Martha to herself. In front of her, not one single holographic interface was active, save for EDI, whose orb floated beside the pilot's chair. The overhead shutters had been closed, sealing the view ports above and alongside the ship. It made the bridge dark and ominous, as if it was dead all along.
"Do not be afraid. You can always talk to me whenever you like on your cellphone or your omni-tool," EDI said to her and she smiled softly. "Thanks," she said before picking up her stuff.
Slowly she walked alone up the long runway towards the main entrance into the airport. As she neared the doors, she could hear the shouts and screams of news media. The flashing of many cameras filled her vision with spots, blinding her. As she walked towards the end, she met up with Major Lawoski and Major Reynolds, the last two to leave the jetway. Their team were working along with the local security to keep the media back. But Martha, being the last, was the only one needing extra protection.
"Ready helmsman?" asked Major Lawoski. Martha silently nodded as he opened the door to the outside world. She looked back towards the long tunnel to the Normandy, but sighed, knowing that there was no going back. Taking a deep breath, she was led into the terminal.
Already, there were people screaming and yelling when she entered the building. Holding her hand in front of her eyes, she was overwhelmed by the amount of light coming from the flashing lights. Major Lawoski and Major Reynolds held her shoulders each and guided her towards the exit. People from all around cheered and yelled for Martha as they led her towards the exit sign. There, several police officers and military personnel were waiting by an SUV with tinted windows.
When she entered, she had both Major Lawoski and Major Reynolds in uniforms sitting by her sides. But she knew that underneath was some protection gear. As they drove down the streets of Adelaide, she could make out the tall skyscrapers outside of the window, but she was feeling claustrophobic in the cramped car. The two men on either side of her made her feel closed in and scared. She started to hyperventilate. Fortunately, Major Reynolds noticed her shaking and went to open the sun roof.
"Sir, I would advise against that," said the man in uniform.
"For God's sake, man, the girl is claustrophobic, she has trouble breathing," he said.
Martha was then pushed towards the skylight by Lawoski, who then helped her see outside. Once she lifted her head to look around, she felt much better. She looked up to see the many birds fly by and it was then that it finally hit her: she was back on Earth in another country. It wasn't something she had ever dreamed about, but then again, going into outer space and dying had not been on her list either. She was wide-eyed in wonder at the sights and smells of Australia. Then, as she looked up, she saw something she thought she would ever see outside of a Youtube video.
The sights of bright colorful parakeets filled the air as they flew past. Their mixture of greens, blues, reds and yellows filled the skies with a rainbow of colors. Before she could get totally lost, she felt a tug on her leg, telling her that she needed to get back inside. Sighing in defeat, she allowed herself to return to that smelly hole that was the SUV. When she settled down again, she realized they were probably nearing the place that they would be held in. The hospital they arrived at was a very large building. The only hospital she had seen that large was the Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu.
Martha had never felt or seen such a hospital in a while. When the SUV entered the parking lot, they were escorted with security towards the elevators Martha's face was blinded by the flashing lights of the cameras as many people again tried to see her. When the doors closed behind them, and with far less people around her, save for the security team, she felt much better.
4 HOURS LATER
Never in her life had Martha felt poked and prodded like she did today. She wanted nothing more than to go back to her cabin on the Normandy and curl up in bed. But now that she is back on Earth and in a hospital for quarantine, she wanted to explore. Instead, she felt like a prisoner once again. They took samples of everything, from tissue to blood and even stool samples, which was really uncomfortable. But she was home on Planet Earth. If only she could get a ticket to go back to Hawaii.
It was then that she felt something pinging from her pocket. Pulling out the cell phone, she saw Aaron's name on it. Hitting the answer button she put it to her ear.
"Aaron?" she said, her voice choked.
"Martha! Oh my God! I heard you came back to Earth, how are you?" Aaron's voice was just as choked as hers. In the background, she could hear many voices of people asking the same question as she suddenly realized that he was not alone.
"Aaron, who is that I hear in the background?" she asked.
"Um, me, my parents, your parents and siblings, my brother and his family pretty much all the guys from both our work places- or your former work place. They had been hanging out at our place since they found out you flew an alien space ship," he said rather sheepishly.
Martha had to laugh because she could hear his embarrassment in his voice. The phone she was given to replace her destroyed flip phone had all of her contacts and kept her old number. What got her laughing even harder was that it was a smart phone, something EDI could easily hack into. She would not be surprised if EDI was listening in along with the government.
"So, everyone are you listening to this?" she asked and was met with a series of yes's on the other side. She rolled her eyes as she heard this and laughed.
"So, dear, when are they going to allow you to come home?" Aaron asked on the other end, sounding excited that she was coming home.
"As soon as I pass all the quarantine requirements, but I don't know how much longer that can take," Martha replied with a shrug even though they couldn't see it.
"Is it true what we heard? That you have alien DNA in your blood now?" the voice of her brother said over the shouting of the others.
Martha had to again roll her eyes, "Why, would that bother you, bro?" she asked. And his excited voice filled the speaker and she had to move the phone away from her ear.
"You are part alien now, cool! Hey, can you climb walls like Spider-Man or do the laser eye thing like Superman. Do you breathe underwater? Can you lift things with your mind? Or do you do control minds, come on, tell us!" her little thirteen year old brother's voice was excited and eager for answers, but the voice of her step mother stopped him.
"Koa, stop that, now! Your sister is not an alien," she said sternly and he quieted down.
"Your sister is a biotic, of course she could probably lift things if she had enough juice to do it," her father said to him. Koa looked back up, excited again, only for the sound of something slapping his arm to reach her ears.
"Hey sis, how does it feel to fly an alien space craft?" the voice of her oldest step brother filled her ears and she turned from embarrassed to excited.
"It is really cool! You should have seen it! We went to Saturn and then landed on Mars," she said over the course of excited voices. Many of them shouting while Martha just simply pressed a few buttons on her phone to send photos and video that she took.
The sounds of their voices grew more excited as they looked through the videos and the photos. The children there loved it – she could tell by the sound of their voices. It was then that she got an incoming alert with a video chat on display. She then switched the phone to video and saw all their faces crowding whatever it was they were using. It turns out from the reflection behind Aaron that they were using the T.V. with a camera on it.
"Hi everyone," she said, laughing. Everyone started laughing and cheering at seeing her again. Her parents must have flown over from Molokai to visit them and all the people she knew at work.
"Wow, I see that everyone missed me," Martha said, tears already welling in her eyes as she wanted to start crying. Their smiles were all that she saw as they all wanted to see her, especially after the news broadcasts that showed the Normandy in action. She was shocked by such footage and the firepower that she unleashed on the Odyssey.
"So, sis, when are you going to let me drive the ship?" her step brother asked her.
"You are going to have the ask the ship's AI," Martha replied
"The ship has an actual AI, like in the movies?" asked her real mother. The woman looked aged despite being only 53 years old. She was glad the woman was on her side as she looked at the screen in excitement.
"Yeah, EDI was a great help in the battle," Martha said. It was just as they started to really get into the discussion with Martha's adventure, when the door opened and one of the nurses entered.
"I'm sorry, but Dr. Anderson wishes to see you," she said and Martha nodded.
"Well, we wish we could talk more, but I guess you are now the center of attention," Aaron said and Martha sighed knowing that she has to end the call.
"I know, and maybe sometime tomorrow, I can get a hold of you again," she said to them.
"Maybe we can see you on T.V. again? And hopefully, you can convince them to let us ride the space ship?" said her sister, making Martha smile. After saying her goodbyes, she hung up the phone, and followed the nurses out. The woman on the other side of the room guided her out as she closed the door. That left her phone behind, along with her other stuff, to be thoroughly searched by security officials.
MEANWHILE, ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE BUILDING
The door opened to allow Dr. Alenkov into the room. There, seated behind a desk, Dr. Jean Bethune sat with a cup of coffee in her hand as she waited for the Russian woman to have a seat. When she sat down in the chair, Bethune was in the middle of a sip with her dark lips, enjoying the drink. When she put the cup down, Dr. Alenkov finally got a good look at the woman in front of her.
She looked like hell, with even darker circles going under her eyes, and bags that were very prominent, showing how little sleep she had gotten. Worried about her colleague, Dr. Alenkov sat straighter. Bethune put down her drink before she addressed Dr. Alenkov.
"Elenna, how have you been?" she asked slowly, and from her weary look, she was indeed exhausted.
"Jean, how are you?" she asked her, turning the question back to her. The other woman sighed as she looked to her cup in disdain.
"I could have been better, given the situation with the media," Bethune replied as she sipped the drink. Her dark skin indeed looked paler than it should have, and Dr. Alenkov was worried.
"But I need to emphasize what you had done Elenna. What were you thinking?" she said, looking at the Russian woman with worry and- was that anger?
"Look, Jean, I know you are angry with me, for taking such a huge discovery and going off into space…" Dr. Alenkov did not finish that sentence, when Bethune exploded.
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU HAD DONE!" she said as she launched herself out of her chair with both hands on the table.
She was glaring daggers at Dr. Alenkov, who, for once in her life, looked afraid as the dark-skinned woman in front of her glared at her with such intensity that it made her squirm in her seat. Bethune sat back down in her seat after that outburst and put her head in her hands, showing how tired and weary she was, resting it on her hands.
"Look, Elenna, I have been hounded day and night by the news media and the governments of the world, demanding to know when you would return and why you took the Normandy. They want answers and I had to do a meeting with three of your former crew members to temporarily satisfy the science community. But it was hard, as many ethical questions began to pop up that I don't know, Elenna. They need answers and they need them soon. But thankfully, the doctors here are holding them at bay for now, stating that everyone needs to do a required fourteen day quarantine until they are cleared for travel." she said and Dr. Alenkov seemed to nod in agreement, that it was for the best.
"Another thing I wanted to ask about was your pilot," she said and Dr. Alenkov's head lifted up in alarm and her stance became defensive. "What about Martha?"
"I had gotten reports from various sources, namely your crew, and those who came onto the Normandy after the Odyssey battle. They said that your pilot was exhibiting strange behaviors," she said concerned.
"Martha has ADHD, so the behavior is expected," said Dr. Alenkov. Knowing about Martha's quirks makes it easier to deal with.
"Not those, I am well-aware of those, I am talking about her more alien quirks, such as shape shifting, perhaps?" It was more a statement than a question. Dr. Alenkov sighed as she sat back in her chair, defeated, and knowing that she can't get out of this no matter what happened.
A FEW HOURS LATER
Dr. Alenkov now knew how tired Bethune was, as she wearily stepped into the cafeteria. It was filled mostly with patients, able to walk freely about as they pleased. She went immediately over to the coffee machine to get herself some coffee. As she sat down to enjoy her drink, not far from her, she could hear the laughter of some of the patients. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Martha there, enjoying some time with a few other members of the Normandy crew. Probably waiting for the day when she could go home to the family that waited for her. She looked down at her cup and sighed, knowing the shit storm about to hit the news media.
She looked at herself in the reflection of the coffee and knew that she has to do something to ensure their safety. But for right now, she was powerless until she looked at her left hand and remembered her omni-tool.
"EDI?" she whispered.
"I can here you loud and clear Dr. Alenkov," was the response to her via her earbud.
"Is this line secure?" she asked.
"Yes, doctor," EDI replied.
"Good. I want you to keep an eye on our crew members, especially Martha, keep them safe for me," she said.
"It is in my programming to protect all crew members, whether they are on the ship or not. So I am doing my best to keep the crew safe. I even diverted several news agencies from knowing which hospital the crew is staying at, as well as several men who looked rather suspicious from the video feeds," EDI replied.
"What suspicious men?" she asked curiously.
"I had informed the proper authorities about two men who appeared to be armed in front of the hospital. After analyzing their records they are both wanted men from other countries. I've made the proper phone calls and the police have apprehended them. I made sure the evidence is absolute so there is no escape from the law," EDI replied and Alenkov breathed a sigh of relief.
She had known that someone is going to come after the crew. If they were who she suspected they were, then Alexandria Wilcox was well-aware that the ship had landed.
"Keep the ship secure. Scan anyone coming onboard. I want to know more if anything else happens to the ship. Also, do not be surprised when someone tries to hack into your systems, if they hadn't done so already," she said.
"Several attempts have been made, but none has been able to penetrate. Had I been any other system, then their attempts would be able to get through. But my programming is far too advanced for even their best hackers. So I should be fine as far as ship security. I follow your orders, Doctor and so far, only the security teams have been onboard, along with some of the world scientists taking tours. I had kept vital rooms hidden as per your orders, including Martha's room and my core. That should keep them out of the more important areas of the ship," EDI replied which made Dr. Alenkov sigh with relief.
"Good, keep it that way," she said and terminated the connection.
When she looked up, she saw everyone was eventually leaving to return to their rooms. She hoped things would be smooth enough for them to leave for their separate homes. Instead of following them, she walked towards the food bar to get something to eat, noting that the food here was more diverse than on the Normandy. Then again, the Normandy was limited by the amount of supplies that it was given from the Odyssey. She hoped she can get a full supply onto the ship for their next departure.
If they get one.
As she looked to her cell phone, she noted that several messages had been left for her. Looking them over, she realized she missed several text messages from her children. Scolding herself, she began to text them back, asking them when would be a good time to hear their voices again. She had only been disappointed to not get a message from her husband, whom she misses greatly.
But she was not surprised, given that he was currently in space and missed their departure and arrival back on Earth. Perhaps one day, she could get Martha to take them to the space station. It would be a long shot, but to her, it would mean everything to see her husband again. Closing the phone, she made her way out towards the private quarters of the hospital residents. She and the other members of the Normandy crew were staying there until their quarantine was over. Sighing, she had a long way to go before she was ready for anything.
As she walked towards her room, a scuffle was heard down the hallway. Shouting was echoing in the halls as two security officers hauled three men out the door. One of them had a camera, so Alenkov assumed they were press trying to get an interview. She shook her head, at least security here was not slack in the least. When she made it back to her area, she went right back to bed once again. She thankfully had enough rank to keep her own clothes. The others, such as Martha or Dr. Jackson, did not have such luxury. But that was excepted, given what they had been through. When she once again looked outside at the city of Adelaide, she could see the hustle and the street below. It was still daytime out, and so she decided that now would be a good time to see if her children were up for a chat.
MEANWHILE
Outside of the hospital, two men sat in a rental vehicle, watching the hospital with interest. One man was busy with a camera out, looking through the lens at the many people in the hospital. The camera itself had special equipment made to see biotics. Instantly, the screen changed to show blue all around, the sign of electricity or static electricity. What they were looking for were people who are biotic, since they have amounts of electricity higher than normal on a person. The technology was new tech that their boss had managed to procure from somewhere.
As they checked, they saw the many people in the hospital who were biotic and those who were not. The biotics shone a lot brighter than others. But one in particular was the brightest of them all. Standing alone, a single figure was being watched from the other side of the building.
"There she is, right on the other side of the building," said the man with the camera. His partner, the one in the driver's seat, double-checked it with him and the photo he had of their victim.
"Early thirties, five foot three, nearly ninety nine kilos when last weighed. Biotic readings are through the roof according to this," he said, showing the cameraman.
"Yeah, but according to these images, she's lost a lot of weight," said the cameraman as he relayed the image to the driver.
"Oh yeah, that is her alright, boss said that she might have lost some weight being underwater that long," said the driver.
"When do we nab her?" asked the first man.
"We don't. The boss wants her intact for now, until they have the facility ready. So for now, we watch and we wait," he said and the first man packed up his camera and left, not knowing that they themselves were being watched by an unknown person.
JUST UP THE ROAD
Just around the corner from where the two men were watching the hospital, an unknown figure sat, watching them from a window in his apartment. He held a camera of his own, taking pictures of the license plates of the car they were renting, as well as the color and make of it. He also took note of the technology that these men were using. Putting his tools away, he watched as the men took off towards the streets. As they left, he used satellite footage to keep an eye on the car and to report anything back to him.
Slowly, he reached for his own cell phone and dialed a number. He heard three pings before a person picked up on the other end.
"This better be good," the person said on the other line. He sounded tired and annoyed, probably having been woken up.
"Sorry to disturb you, but we have a problem," he said, and the man he could hear was instantly alert.
"I spotted two of Wilcox's thugs just outside of the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia. Looks like they were spying on the Normandy crew. Orders sir?" he asked.
"Find out who they are targeting and report back to me if you got any eyes on Wilcox. I have a feeling the bitch is up to something and we need to track her down," said the voice. The man gave an affirmative before hanging up.
"Talked to the boss? What does he have to say?" said a rather metallic sounding voice. The man turned around to see his partner; a figure that would have sent nightmares to most people if they saw his face. But the man is not human, that is what he can tell.
"Boss said to keep an eye on the two thugs that we were watching - they might be Wilcox's men - and to ensure that the crew of the Normandy are safe," he said. The other man lowered his hood and four large glowing eyes appeared.
"The crew of that ship must be protected. I fear that time is running out, and if the data our agents have sent us is true, then this ship could be a link that the Watchers are looking for," he said to the first man.
"Yeah mate, the boss will love this! Tell Tiak and Minnius that the targets are heading in their direction. Then we will head out to secure this place better. We can't let those assholes know we are here," he said. The other person nodded before leaving his partner to collect their things and leave the apartment.
MEANWHILE
Martha stared out the window once again, as security and police kept the media and people at bay from the hospital. She could see the people watching from the park across the street where the construction workers were still working on the parts that had not been finished. She was in a part of the hospital designated to them for quarantine. But as she sat there, looking at the strange sights and smells of the Australian hospital, she could not help but feel as if this was not how a hospital should look like. But, then again, she was used to the hospitals back home in Hawaii that were either filled with trees or the sights of the city of Honolulu.
The other strange thing was the sight of birds and – she hates to say it – bats, coming to her window. She could hear them at night sometimes, and often, she could hear one or two crash into her window. The things were quite large, and when she asked the nurses about them, she was told that they are fruit bats. So she had some of her fruity meal placed just outside the balcony of her window as she watched them. With the lights out, she could see the bats coming to her window and some tended to get stuck.
She took this time to practice her biotic powers, given that touching bats is against the law unless you are a vaccinated and trained professional bat rescuers. She saw one head towards her window at a high rate of speed. She knew that if the bat hit, it would break bones. So, she took deep breaths to calm herself before she focused on the bat. At the back of the room was a small television that she had been using to watch movies and one of the movies was the Original Star Wars trilogy, suitably giving her the idea for calming herself.
"OK, little one, I don't want you dead, so here goes nothing," she said and tried to will herself to be calm and collected as she tried her best to control her powers. She only wanted a small amount, and as the bat came closer, she tried to will it to stop. But nothing happened.
"STOP!" She shouted and, almost instantly, the bat froze in midair. Martha looked up in shock as the bat was suspended there. It was frozen in mid-flight as if floating.
"Holy shit," she whispered to herself.
The bat was glowing blue, just like she was, and she instantly tried to turn the bat around. What ended up happening instead, was that the bat shot out away from the hospital faster than she anticipated, and with that shock, Martha released her hold on it and prayed that it was safe. Breathing hard, she tried to calm herself down before the blue light disappeared. When it did, she turned around to find a nurse there with a tray of food all over the floor. The woman was shaking and so was Martha.
Then she started to scream, which made Martha panic as she held her hands to her ears to prevent the noise from getting into her brain. But already, the shock and the scare from the nurse forced her to release a massive shockwave, which destroyed the walls and the windows in the room. The window leading outside was shattered, glass raining down to the street below.
When security and doctors rushed into the room, Martha was seen holding her hands to her head. She was on her knees, trying to block the sound of the screaming, and she was glowing blue. This alerted doctors Alenkov, Zenger, Shenoy and Amari who rushed in to see what the explosion was about, only to find Martha on the ground, holding her head and shaking. All of them converged on her and held her close, trying to bring her back to reality. The nurse, on the other hand, had been thrown into the other room, where she was motionless, but still thankfully alive.
"What happened here!" a doctor said as he rushed in to check on Martha after seeing to the nurse. He was stopped, however, by Dr. Shenoy, who held up a hand in warning.
"I would not come any closer, she might discharge again. We are trying to calm her down so no one else gets hurt," he said to him, his voice barely above a whisper. The security officer was forced to relent when they saw that the group was able to calm Martha down. When the blue light faded back to normal, she was shaking and crying.
"Doctor, the nurse is going to be fine, just a concussion and a dislocated shoulder, but thankfully, one of the beds saved her life," said a nurse. Martha could barely hear them as they cleared the debris, all she could mutter was, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" over and over.
TWO HOURS LATER
"How is she?" asked the lead Doctor to Dr. Amari. The man was tired, that much they could tell. And when the Arab man sat down, he looked just as tired, even though he himself was a patient.
"Martha will be fine, just shocked and scared that she had killed someone. How's the nurse?" he asked.
"She has a concussion, a few fractured ribs, and a dislocated shoulder, but other than that, she will be fine with some rest and pain meds. What the fuck happened?" the doctor asked.
"I take it you don't get many biotics in this hospital," Dr. Amari said, more a statement than a question.
"Biotics? No, there aren't many here in Adelaide. Maybe Melbourne or Sidney, but here? No, we don't get many biotics. Shit!" he said with his head in his hands. A comforting hand was put on his shoulder by the Arab. "Don't worry so much, my friend. Martha is going to be fine, she was just scared by the nurse when she screamed. Martha has PTSD from what happened in the Marianas Trench," he said.
"I see, I should have read the file on her and should have had the nurse read the warning on the door." he said, making a note to himself to be more cautious about biotics.
"Do you have a ward for biotics?" Dr. Amari asked him noting the tiredness of the man.
"No, that part of the hospital is still under construction. So it will be a while before we have an official ward for them. That was why we had her in the isolation rooms. That way, if she does any biotics, we thought it would be safe. We were wrong," he said.
"Where will Martha be placed now?" Amari asked him.
"She will be placed in another room since we don't currently have a place for her yet. Do you have any other biotics that I should be worried about?" asked the doctor.
"We gave you the list, or did your administration not tell you?" Dr. Amari replied incredulously. Even if their being there was short-notice, what excuse could they have for not reading patient files or warning signs on doors?
"I will look over the files tomorrow, but you lot will be moved to another part of the hospital, since that girl practically tore part the room and the walls around it. That is going to need extensive repairs," said the head doctor.
"We apologize for it," Dr. Amari said and got up to leave.
"Wait?" the Doctor said and Amari turned to look at him, "Tell that biotic girl that we are sorry for disturbing her," he said and the man nodded before walking off.
ANOTHER PART OF THE HOSPITAL
Dr. Alenkov did not need this right now, as she looked over at the now sleeping Martha. She was hooked onto IV's and her breathing was even. They had to give her a sedative just to calm her down and allow her to sleep, while the rest of them, or at least the biotics, were moved to a more secure part of the hospital. When she sat down on her bed to rest, her phone began to beep. She looked at it and saw that her husband had left an email for her. It was, of course, passed on through Russian channels, but she was able to get it. Opening it up, she was relieved to hear from Ivan again.
Elenna,
My Aurora I am so relieved to see you alive again! I was so sick with worry when they told us of the hijacking of the alien vessel. Then I was told that you had found a way to reactivate the ship? Elenna as usual you gave me a heart attack! That part of the letter made Alenkov chuckle with humor at her husband's antics. The man can be over dramatic at times.
Then I hear about your tour in the ship around the solar system. Elenna why didn't you invite me? Now his writing sounded like a child being angry his mother didn't let him ride on the amusement park rides. Dr. Alenkov found this amusing. Of course her husband would do this to her just to make her sound guilty, which half the time, doesn't work.
So when I watched the news of your return I wish I could be there to greet you. All of us do. But I am in space on the M.I.R.A. and unfortunately am unable to be there. However when you return to the motherland the children will be there to greet you. I will not be back for another six months or so. Oh Elenna how I miss you so! I wish I was there with you holding you in my arms again and kissing you. That is how much I love and miss my beautiful wife. My Valkyrie of the stars! I have to make this short since my shift is to start pretty soon and transmissions will no longer be available. So I leave this message for you to enjoy upon your return. I love you Elenna and I will always be with you no matter where you go just look up (or down) wherever you are and I will be there in spirit.
With that, the email ended with Ivan at the end, leaving Dr. Alenkov to cry when she saw it. She was in tears as she sank to the floor and muttered things in Russian. Not far, she could hear others speaking their own languages as they talked or wrote to loved ones and she wanted nothing more than to hear her children. But given her status, she would have to wait. She looked at the calendar on the wall and thanked God that there was only one more week until she can go home.
SOMEWHERE FAR AWAY
With a puff of smoke, Alexandria Wilcox stared at the monitor before her. Her poise was that of a warlord looking for any sort information on her current targets. As she stared at the monitor she could see the many people walking to and from the hospital. For some reason, she could not access the information in the hospital. That included any transmissions made to and from the hospital that were about the Normandy crew. She was growing frustrated. However, the people she had sent to monitor the hospital had been more successful. She had received their transmissions without any problems and saw the explosion from a camera not too far from the hospital. She watched the single girl stand there glowing blue and her lips turned upwards in a sinister smirk.
"There you are, my little troublemaker," she said and pushed a button.
"Get me Danford and Jinx, I have a job for them,"
TBC
A/n: Whew! Things have been getting intense since I landed the crew. They are now in the hospital going through a quarantine as required for any sort of space traveler. Since Normandy has artificial gravity the normal amount of time spent in the hospital is less then what one would expect. That is because normally a person who returns from space has to go through weeks of rehabilitation just to get their lost muscle mass back. But since the Normandy Crew doesn't need it I would do a normal 14 day quarantine just to be safe. But yeah the plot is thickening and the transitioning is about to begin. Hope to see you in the next chapter and remember no FLAMES, LORE MONGERS OR BASHINGS PLEASE! In your reviews thank you.