DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MASS EFFECT THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.
A/n: Well things are now starting to stir up in the world. Kudos to all my peeps protesting the Black Lives Matter movement out there for both George Floyd and for all people of colors and I am not talking about just Black. I am talking about all races representing in this protest. Enough is enough and even my cousins who are cops agreed with me change needs to be done. So Kudos to you all PEACE!
Ok going back to the topic of this story. So things are heating up now that the crew is back on Earth. Martha just blown a hole through a hospital and there are other parties interested in her and her alien DNA. They are also interested in her biotics. So that leaves the opening of act two in this story to begin.
So originally when I first was coming up with ideas to rewrite this story I had split the story into three acts. The first as you've already read takes place underwater and then ends with them in space. The second act starts when they return to earth and the repercussions afterwards. The third act you've read in the original story. When I wrote the original I ended up cutting out the second act completely which kind of kills the story. Like any story a second act kind of defines the plot a bit more. Gives it more depths as to why things are the way they are or why characters act a certain way. It also brings about major plot points in the story which helps to keep the audience interested take the original Star Wars Trilogy for example. The Empire Strikes Back is a major plot point in the overall storyline. The Rebels were defeated and Luke Skywalker finds out his dad is Darth Vader. Wow big shocker! So when you find that out it changes everything in the story. It drives a character to do things or it makes them doubt themselves in ways that make a person question their very existence. That is the point of a second act in any story. It is the driving point of the plot its what makes a story great.
So now begins my second act and I am finally glad I am bringing it on to this revitalized story. So without further a do on with the next chapter of….
Mass Effect The Immortal Series Part 1: Flight of the Normandy
Chapter 24: Repercussions
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
Slowly, her eyes opened, and Martha stared at the ceiling up above. It was a ceiling she did not recognize at all.
"Wh…" she barely made out.
"Oh, thank Allah, you are alive!" said a familiar voice, and she turned her head to see Dr. Amari there, along with Hilary.
"Wha..Hap..n" she slurred, her mind ready to go back to darkness.
"You overloaded and destroyed an entire hospital room," said Dr. Amari. Just as he said that, the door opened, and a doctor came in to check Martha's vitals. When he did so, she could feel a heavy weight on her again as she passed out.
It was several hours later that she woke again. This time, to find the sun had risen once again, and this time, her mind was not weighed down by pain or dizziness. The amount of drugs in her system made her a bit queasy, but that's as far as it went. So far, nothing seemed totally unusual for Martha. She felt at peace with herself, now that things had worn out. But the memory of the day before disturbed her. She remembered the nurse after she tried practicing on the bats outside.
She tried to get out of bed, but the drugs were still in her, so she was unable to move much, beyond some twitches and slight shifts of her heavy limbs. Then the door opened and a nurse came in to check up on her. She tried to get some words out, but the nurse just simply checked her vitals and then left. When she returned five minutes later, she was accompanied by a doctor. The doctor closed the door behind him as he sat down to assess Martha.
"Well, now, how is our 'explosive' patient?" he asked in his thick Australian accent. Unable to speak, Martha was wondering why she was still drugged, but thankfully, she could move better this time. Just feeling very weak.
"Th...e….n...u...rse?" was all she could say.
"Thankfully, still alive, but she was severely injured thanks your 'episode' last night. As well as taking out an entire hospital room and part of the corridor. You're lucky nobody else was hurt or killed, or they would have charged you for endangerment," he said, giving Martha a stern look.
The woman in question could feel her dread sinking further at his withering glare.
"However, in accordance to Australian law concerning Biotic individuals, you will be placed in a different hospital until your quarantine is over." said the Doctor.
"G….o…..H….me….?" Martha asked as her eyes drooped, once again feeling weak after that episode.
"That will be up to the doctors after the damage you've done," he said, and Martha knew no more.
MEANWHILE
Dr. Alenkov was not pleased when she heard the news that Martha and the other volunteers were being moved to another hospital in Sydney. It was hard enough to find a landing spot on the southern continent, but it was another to find out the crew was being separated. She and the other officers were going to remain here in Adelaide, while the volunteers were going to be moved to Sydney to prevent any more biotic discharges, like what happened with Martha.
Speaking of the poor girl, she couldn't even imagine what was going through her mind at the moment. The impact that she had done on that poor nurse. The doctor said that she was going to be fine and that the wall had taken much of the blow, but her injuries were serious enough to warrant a removal. Martha is just too powerful a biotic to handle, and with the rise of people becoming biotic due to over-fishing of the areas near the Marianas Trench, she knew it was only a matter of time before anyone else gained powers like that. But for her charge's case, the extreme should not be taken, for her mental health could be at risk. She should know, having to deal with many mental patients in her time as director.
Now, however, she saw as they moved Martha away, strapped to a bed and heavily drugged. Alarmed, Alenkov went to pursue them, only to be blocked by security.
"What are you doing to her?!" she said in outrage.
"Ma'am, this is for the safety of everyone here in the hospital," the security guard said to her.
"What has she done wrong?" Dr. Alenkov asked.
"She has blown up a room and injured one of our nurses. She is only being transported to a safer hospital in Sidney," the doctor said, and Alenkov watched as Martha disappeared through the double doors ahead. Her worry started to grow further upon seeing the woman who brought them home leave in such an abrupt manner.
Right behind Martha were Ichigo, David and Lucas. All three men where following Martha out, Ichigo being the closest to Martha, thanks to Hilary. He agreed to keep an eye on her as they traveled. But the nagging feeling of something was getting to her. She looked towards the room that was now blocked off due to the loss of its outer walls. And the room adjacent to it. There was blood on the wall from where the nurse had gotten hurt. She was currently recovering in the ICU. She needed to know more and there was only one person who could help. Excusing herself, she went back towards her own room, on the opposite side of the floor where Martha originally was being held.
Closing the door, she pulled up her left arm, watching as the omni-tool activated. It glowed a faint orange until she set it to a more stealthy mode. Tapping the options, she scanned the room for bugs. Rolling her eyes, she found several and had them dismantled with a unique EMP pulse. This kept them offline for now, as she could hear them overload. The pulse was only temporary but it bought her time.
"EDI?" she said into the monitor.
"Yes Dr. Alenkov?" the voice of the artificial intelligence replied.
"EDI, what exactly happened to Martha?" she asked the computer.
"Scanning data tracks from your current location… Martha had been in the process of protecting an aerial species known as Pteropus poliocephalus from hitting the window. Cameras from nearby buildings had been monitoring the activity and I have been able to capture what had happened. Martha was only trying to do what was best to both her and the animal. This animal in particular is a host for a deadly virus known as the Australian Lyssavirus and in order to prevent from getting infected one must be vaccinated according to native authorities." EDI said.
"So she was protecting a bat from getting into her room?" she asked.
"Yes, the bat, as you call this animal, was looking for food. It was part of a much larger group that started swarming after the sun went down. It primarily feeds on fruits and native flowers. So Martha was trying to keep herself safe by helping it away from the building. However, footage shows that the nurse who was injured walked in at the wrong time and the consequences are as you saw. What is curious is the amount of power that Martha used to generate that reaction. From what I've seen of your species in the past as well as now, such a powerful biotic pulse is not normal," EDI replied.
"That is not normal at all, no. I want you to investigate why she has so much power and compare it to others. Keep me posted on any new information and please be discrete," Dr. Alenkov said to her.
"Acknowledged." Alenkov made the omni-tool disappear again as she turned to look around. No one saw her as she exited the room and headed towards the facilities. The crew members were free to wander around their floor, but they were forbidden from leaving the area. She had to wait until EDI could fill her in on what was going on. Why were they transporting the others to another facility? From what she understood, this hospital did not have the means to deal with biotics. What in the world does that mean? Were there problems in the past with biotics in Australia? She would have to find out when EDI contacted her again.
"Hey Doc, do you know why they are taking all the volunteers to another facility," asked Major Lawoski from where he sat in the cafeteria. He looked ridiculous in his hospital gown, they all did, but they had to follow procedures. He was accompanied by Dr. Kimber, Major Reynolds and Dr. Jackson.
"The official word is that after Martha's explosion of power, she and the others are taken to Sydney to a facility there. We, on the other hand, are to finish our quarantine here until they deem us stable enough to return home," Dr. Alenkov said.
"I call bullshit," said Major Reynolds.
"I know, Major, but there is nothing we can do. Originally, they were going to stay at another part of this hospital, which is more secure than the rest. But word from the Australian Medical Association is that they want the volunteers moved to an area where it specializes in biotic charges. That way, if Martha has another discharge again, the building is designed for it," said Dr. Alenkov.
"I still call bullshit! Martha only did it on accident! What makes them decide that she has to move somewhere else just because she and the others are different?" Major Lawoski replied.
"My next question is, how is Martha able to generate that much power? Most biotics generate power and can take that room out, but not without effort. Martha did it easily. So the question I would like to ask is, how can she do it? How does she do it? Is it because she is part alien now? Who knows," asked another voice and the group turned to see Dr. Amari and Dr. Shenoy there with their trays of food, looking worried as both medical doctors sat down.
"I have no idea but my best guess is to ask EDI. She can hear us, remember? Maybe she might have an answer," said Amari. The amount of people glaring at him had him clamping his mouth shut.
"I can answer that Dr. Amari. Martha's body has been able to absorb huge amounts of power due to the change in her DNA. So far, the nanites in her body are helping her to control the vast amounts of energy that is being transferred around herself. Considering circumstances at the time, it seems likely she has absorbed a good portion of the element zero in the drive core," EDI's voice said softly through Dr. Alenkov's phone.
She held the device from her pocket. They were allowed to carry it in order to speak to their loved ones. However, thanks to EDI, their locations and their conversations are untraceable. Anyone attempting to hack into the phone would find nothing but old data. Nothing new would appear unless they went through the right security protocols. Which was far too advanced for them.
"So let me get this straight: Martha's body has absorbed a huge amount of element zero. That is dangerous even for a normal person. Why didn't it destroy her?" asked Major Lawoski.
"To clarify: Martha's body was already dying from radiation poisoning. The element zero was absorbed through her skin through her punctured suit. The nanites must have activated upon the moment of death when the body went into cardiac arrest. The omni-tool is designed to monitor the host's health, both physically and mentally. If a person is in immediate danger, such as in Martha's case in the Element Zero Core, it would sense that distress and react," said EDI
"That would explain the glowing blade we found when we recovered Martha from the core," Said Major Reynolds.
"I think you're right. So if that were the case, did the nanites do something to her body, besides change her DNA, to cope with the increased amount of Eezo in her blood?" asked Dr. Kimber. As she looked up from her plate of food. The amount of food the crew had eaten was a lot less than expected, given the situation they were all in.
"I think the omni-tool reacted to Martha's condition and did what was in its programming; to repair the damage done by the radiation poisoning. In order for her body to heal, it had to shut down, meaning it must have waited for her death before beginning repairs," said Dr. Jackson, joining the conversation.
"So the omni-tool released the nanites to repair her body, not knowing that she is a completely different species from the original owner?" said Dr. Kimber.
"My thoughts exactly," replied Dr. Jackson.
"If I may suggest another possibility," EDI interjected.
"What do you have to say EDI?" asked Dr. Alenkov.
"It seems that the programming for the nanites hasn't been set. That would explain the reason why they tried to repair Martha using DNA from the species that created me. After analyzing the DNA sample of Martha after the nanite introduction, I have concluded that the DNA that she has absorbed is not that of my creators," EDI replied.
"What?" said Dr. Amari.
"To clarify, Martha's DNA consists normally of 23 pairs of chromosomes, which makes the total number of chromosomes to 46 individuals. However, that was before the alterations done by the nanites. On the genetic level, Martha should have been like any other human. Instead she has a few changes done to her chromosomes that have significantly impacted the way she controls her biotics. Her body has developed natural biotic amplifying nodes to help channel the amount of dark energy given off by the element zero in her blood. Normal biotics would have a few in them to help channel biotic energy or dark energy. Martha's body has many more than the normal amounts in humans. And that is adding to the fact that she was biotic before she was brought onboard. The nanites only amplified it." EDI replied.
"Holy shit," said Major Lawoski.
"Yeah, that is a lot to take in," said Major Reynolds.
"As a medical doctor, I agree," said Dr. Amari, looking pale.
"How much energy can Martha absorb before she has to discharge?" asked Dr. Jackson. "Because if I understand it right, biotics have to discharge once in a while if they build up too much static in their bodies."
"It is difficult to say. Judging by the data shown to me by Martha's recent medical reports, once a week to once a month, if she has not used her powers or found a suitable discharge station. She would have to find someplace that is suited to her biotic needs. She also has to take in a lot more calories than a normal human to maintain her metabolic systems. Her metabolism has gone up significantly over the past few months, meaning, in order to maintain her glucose levels, she would have to consume more to keep up her metabolic rate. But that is if she is actively using her powers. From the security footage I have seen, Martha is only just discovering her powers. Without proper training, she could face some serious consequences," EDI replied.
"But we don't know how to train her! That is the problem," said Major Lawoski.
"Then we have to figure out how," said Dr. Kimber looking serious.
"How?" asked Dr. Jackson.
"We can start from looking at history of the peoples who had to deal with biotics. People of the Pacific Regions. People who had to deal with this sort of change in their bodies. They might have the answers. If we can look there and at new sources, then perhaps we can find a way help Martha control her energy and learn more about biotics in general," said Dr. Alenkov. The others nodded in agreement. Something had to be done soon before things got out of hand.
MEANWHILE
She was standing in the middle of an underwater street. Fish swam everywhere in every direction. But the shapes and appearances of these fish confused her. They didn't look like any fish species she was familiar with. The buildings didn't look like your typical buildings either, they were very large and ominous. The ruins of such buildings haunted her as she swam through them. She took note that she was different than the rest of the creatures. It was like something out of a cartoon or a movie.
Where am I? She thought as she saw the bodies of dozens if not hundreds of alien species.
You are on our home world said a voice.
Martha was startled by the sound of the voice. She looked around to see if she could find anything that would look suspicious, but there was nothing.
"Hello?" she called out.
We have been waiting for you for a long, long time said another voice.
Looking around, Martha didn't see anyone. She was confused. The dark buildings and ominous setting made her stomach turn at the thought of something going wrong. But as she turned back, she saw that there was some sort of culture here. On a gigantic wall just beyond where she was stationed, there was a pictograph. There, a giant creature was seemingly worshiped by some sort of civilization. Swimming closer to it, Martha could make out how small the other creatures were to the giant.
Reminds me of Cthulhu, she thought.
The idea of that being came from us said a voice, and Martha turned again and saw nothing in the dark waters around her.
"Who are you! Show yourself?" she said out loud.
Are you afraid of us Martha? We do not mean to cause you harm, the voice said and Martha turned again to where it was, but again, found nothing.
"I am afraid of you since you hide in shadow. But I will stand my ground if needs be," she said, holding herself up in the water. She was not surprised to be here since she sensed that it was a dream. For if it was real, then she would have drowned. She was still shaking, since the voice had a will of its own and not distorted like normal dreams. The visions and the imagery looked far too real to be that of any ordinary dream. And she waited for something to happen.
Then, from the shadow, it came – a dark and foreboding creature, straight out of a nightmare or a dark fantasy novel. It resembled an insect or a squid, with thick tentacle-like legs and a hard body. Its eyes were the pools of total darkness that reflected the light above. It was gigantic in form, towering over Martha, and were she not underwater, she would have wet herself a hundred times over.
The fear was evident, but she stood her ground. She had to face this creature, whatever it was.
"Did you create the Normandy?" Martha asked.
The Normandy, as it calls itself, was created by us. The voice of the creature said to her.
Martha felt herself swimming up towards the creature's so-called face to be even with its eyes. She wanted to be right where it can see her as an equal. Though inside, she felt like an insect. Something out of a dark novel, where a man stared before a dark god.
"What are you?" Martha asked.
We are called the Watchers, and we have waited a long time for this moment. The creature said as it looked at her with dark orbs over its head. As Martha looked, it had several pairs of eyes on its so-called 'face'. It looked like something out of a Lovecraft Novel with how dark it looked.
"Why were you waiting for this moment? What moment?" Martha asked it.
In time, we will tell you, for the future is bleak, and you are not yet ready for the task which we are to bestow on your species. It said, and as if saying it was a trigger, the vision began to fade.
Until we meet again, Martha it said as it slowly evaporated, leaving her alone in the dark underwater ruins.
Gasping for air, Martha began to choke on her own spit as looked around the now-white walls of the hospital. Finding herself once again back on Earth and on land, she fell back into her bed. The hospital bed was becoming cumbersome to her as she looked around. There was a faint light from outside, meaning that it was dawn, and she watched the sun rise from the East.
Then, as if to break her chain of thoughts, the door opened and a nurse walked in.
"How are you this morning, Martha," she asked as she pushed a tray of food into the room. It was filled with all sorts of vegetables and fruits, enough to make her mouth water. She then placed them onto the hospital table beside Martha's bed. Helping her up, she could feel the drugs start to leave her system, and the urge to use the restroom.
As if sensing her discomfort, the nurse helped her to use the facilities. When she was done, Martha began to eat with the eagerness of a dying animal. When she was finished, she was surprised she ate the entire cart. The nurse began to pull out a chart and mark down her calorie intake. She had a warm smile as she left her alone in the silence of her room. Martha looked at the sun rising higher in the sky over the city that she thought was Adelaide. It was a different setting to what she saw back home. For starters, the wild life was different, if you counted the flying bats at night and the annoying screeching of parrots during the day. She leaned back as she saw that leaving her room was out of question. So she laid there, contemplating on what she should do.
Slowly, as she swung her legs over, she rotated her ankles to get some blood back into her feet. She did not want to get up just yet, in case she fell over. But she wanted to see the rest of the city from her new room. Getting up from her resting position, she slowly rose as she looked around. The door was shut and locked, leaving her in an enclosed space alone. She felt as if she was given space to contemplate what she had done.
Looking down, she saw her reflection briefly on the floor. The memories of the night before -or was it the day before, she could not tell- came at her again. The nurse that was hit by her unleashed powers. The destruction of the wall and the explosion that happened before it. It was troubling. She didn't like it at all. She felt insecure about her powers as she sat there with her arms wrapped around her legs. She felt her heart ache and had a heavy weight in her stomach. But all the same, it was hard to deal with so much power.
Suddenly, the door opened and she turned in surprise to see a nurse walk in with a wheelchair.
"Ah, good, you are awake. I thought they would have given you some more drugs," she said as she guided the seat in front of her.
"Where are we going?" Martha asked.
"You and the other biotic volunteers are being transported to a hospital in Sydney, where you can discharge your electric field," she said, and Martha felt some sense of separation, meaning that whoever is coming with her will have the same issues. As she exited the hospital, she was accompanied by, of course, Ichigo and Lucas, another person whom she has no memory of meeting, and several other crew members. The others to remain behind.
As the door shut to their van and they started to make their way towards the airport where they would board a charter flight to Sydney, Martha could see outside her window once again. The many houses and buildings of the city came into view as she was swept up in traffic.
"I wonder where they are taking us to in Sydney?" asked Lucas as he was busy texting his family back in the United States. Martha remained silent as Ichigo made a reply that she didn't pay attention to. Instead, she had put her earbuds in and started listening to some music. Looking out, she could see the cars going past and the buildings rising upwards, meaning they were getting closer to the city. What made it more interesting were the birds that flew past the roadways. At one point, there was an accident that they had to avoid, but it was not long before the view of the airport once again came into view.
She felt alone when she was boarded with everyone else. Luckily for her, she didn't have to deal with TSA or any homeland security issues. The flight itself was silent, taking about four hours till they found themselves once again on solid ground. They were taken to the Westmeade Hospital, where a special unit was constructed for biotic research and housing biotics.
It was here that Martha sought the quiet of her room. From here, she saw, for the first time, a metal pole that extended to the building. The doctor told her she could discharge her static here. So when Martha put her hand on the metal pole, she was met by a large discharge which shocked her backwards.
Nearly losing her balance, she stood up and found her hair standing up like something out of a movie. As she made her way closer to the pole, she found that it was made of metal. Something she normally doesn't see anywhere else, not even the previous hospital.
Unlike the previous hospital, however, Martha had no clear view of the fantastic sights of Sydney. Instead, she could see the courtyard of the hospital where several employees were busy speaking to each other. Martha looked outside her window to see them all chatting away, before walking back into the building.
Then, she could hear the door open behind her. Turning around, she spotted the same nurse again as she seen her by the window.
"Up and about I see. Here, come back to the bed so I can take your vitals," she said and Martha slowly complied as she took tentative steps, her balance not yet returned. When she got back to bed the nurse took her vitals before putting them down on a tablet in front of her.
"Do you need anything, need to go to the restroom or watch some tele?" she asked.
"Where is my stuff?" Martha asked.
"Your items are being screened by security before they are brought to your room. It is standard procedure here for biotics. It is not because you are hiding anything. It is to keep the media from bugging them," she said.
"Had problems with the media?" Martha asked.
"Yes, quite a bit recently, even over your arrival," she stated.
It was then that Martha noticed something odd about this nurse. Her scent seemed different than the usual smell of antiseptics and cleaners. And taking a closer look, she noticed something odd about her skin.
Is she wearing makeup? She thought, noticing that the skin seemed a bit caked, and when the nurse leaned down towards her to check her pillow, she noticed something else.
Is that a wig line? Is she wearing a wig? And are those contacts? Martha thought, noticing for the first time that the woman's eyes were a slightly different shade of blue. In fact, her skin looked a bit more scaly under the makeup. As if sensing herself being probed, the nurse stood up and wished her well before she left. Martha's eyes and her senses were on high alert. Something was off about that nurse, and she wasn't talking about the proportions of the nurse.
Just as Martha was about to investigate, the door opened and Ichigo and Lucas came into the room. Both of them were also wearing hospital gowns. Though Ichigo looked rather excited to see Martha.
"What's this about?" Martha asked.
"Oh, nothing, we just wanted to see how our fellow bridge bunny is doing?" Lucas said to her.
"Bridge Bunny?" Martha asked, confused.
"Bridge mate, you know a person who worked on the Bridge of the Normandy," replied Lucas as a matter of fact.
Martha smiled at his antics and finally asked the question, "Why is he hyper?" she asked.
"Don't mind Lucas, he had two shots of coffee earlier and that is why he is jumping off the walls. I told the nurse that I would keep an eye on him just in case," said Ichigo glaring at his American counterpart.
"Don't mind me being a bit slow, I just got off the drugs and can barely walk, so…." Martha stated, sounding embarrassed.
"Don't sound so uptight, Marty, you did it by accident. That explosion, that was totally cool, well, except for when the nurse took a hit, but you get my point. All I can do is, well, make things glow, wanna see?" he said and before either Martha or Ichigo could persuade him otherwise, Lucas began to glow and then stopped after a few seconds.
"That is all you can do?" Martha asked.
"Yeah, found out later that I become impervious to stuff, but that's about it," he said. He then made his way towards the iron bar at the corner of Martha's room and touched it. They could hear the static leaving in one single small bolt.
"What can you do Ichigo?" Martha asked the Asian man.
"Myself? I just jumpstart stuff. Mother makes me jump start father's company car all the time," he said sheepishly.
"So you're basically a living jumper cable?" Martha asked with a tone of humor to her voice. And the Asian man smiled before he nodded.
"Well, I guess I just discovered that I can make things explode as well as make things float," Martha replied looking happily.
"Yeah we know, we saw it back on the Normandy. When you woke up, remember?" said Lucas as he laughed alongside Ichigo. Martha started laughing too, remembering that embarrassing wake up call.
"Yeah, I remember it. Poor Dr. Kimber and Dr. Jackson, they had to deal with the brunt of my troublemaking," Martha replied, laughing still as she started to regain her senses after her walk. The dizziness started to fade and she could feel herself feeling straighter now.
"So are you going to show us some tricks later?" asked Lucas. He then felt a sharp pain as Ichigo elbowed him in the gut, causing the air to rush out of his mouth.
"Bridger-san, have some respect. Martha probably doesn't know how to control her powers yet, and you are encouraging her to cause further damage! You should be ashamed of yourself," Ichigo said to him in a scolding matter. It didn't help that he had his finger up like a scolding mother hen. Without thought, Martha lost her cool and started laughing so hard that she fell back into the bed and held her gut for the longest time. The image was so hilarious that the mental image became implanted into her head.
"It is not funny, Marty, he hits hard," Lucas complained though there was a crack of a smile on the corner of his mouth. Ichigo could not help it himself and started to chuckle. The loud noise was enough to bring in one of the nurses who wanted to see what was going on. At the sight of the two men, she huffed, before she escorted them out roughly by the backs of their gowns. Martha laughed even harder when they left, happy to be alone again. Though the antics were good for one's piece of mind, it had to end before Martha died of suffocation.
As the nurse returned, with the doctor this time, she thought they were going to reprehend her for her outburst. Instead, the doctor asked the usual questions and checked her vitals, including taking a blood sample, before departing. When they left, Martha was once again left alone to ponder about the outside world, wanting to see the famous Sydney. Instead, she was confined to the bed and overlooking the courtyard with the few trees in front of her window. Sighing, she thought she might as well take a nap, since they took away her other stuff.
But then she remembered that she had a TV remote in her hand and a television in front of her. She might as well watch something to keep her mind off of her boredom.
MEANWHILE
She had just gotten off of work at the hospital and headed towards the carport. It was with luck that her car had not been seen as she left work and headed towards home. She wanted to make sure she was not followed. After the episode in Adelaide, she became aware of the fact that she was being watched. She kept to the main streets, going down random turns till she reached the suburbs of Bondi.
It was a beach area full of people and beach goers and, more luckily for her, housing. She turned on Glasgow Avenue towards house number twenty six. Despite being watched, she had to admit to being surprised to find her home still intact. Of course, that didn't stop her from scanning the place for potential bugs. A person can't be too careful, after all. The sound of meowing made her smile as her cat began to rub against her legs. She leaned down to pick up the cat and gave him a quick cuddle before going to his food dish to refill it.
She then made her way around her home making sure that there were no intruders or extra unwanted electronics, before making her way towards the bathroom. There, she ensured privacy, started drawing a bath, and pulled out a bottle of makeup remover oil. She did her usual routine, carefully removing her fake eyelashes and placing them in a special jar to clean them. She then went on to remove the copious amounts of makeup on her, gradually revealing blue scaly skin, and repeating it to make sure, before she continued to remove the rest of her disguise.
Next to come off was the prosthetic ears, held in place with adhesive. Then she removed the wig that hid her true scalp. She was hairless with a sculpted tentacle crest or cartilage. Then came off the gloves, revealing blue skin, followed by the rest of her clothes. The last step was the bath, perfect to relax and remove the stink of the hospital from her. After a full day of work, she needed to relax. She was especially weary of the new patients that came through the door. After the incident in Adelaide, they were forced to take in biotics for quarantine. Such individuals could pose problems, should their powers get out of hand. Luckily for her, the only one who might pose a problem was the single female that was drugged the whole trip over.
When she witnessed her on the security feeds, she knew she was looking at a potentially powerful biotic. Measures have to be taken to ensure that she does not cause problems for her and the others. Looking at the time, she knew she had to get up and report this. So, rising from the tub she, cleaned herself off, before getting dressed and making her way over to the computer. She had thankfully gotten a specially made projector to hide her features. It was a requirement for any Asari's house. It projected her human form, so if someone were to spy on her, all they would see is a human not an Asari.
As she turned to her computer, she made sure that it too wasn't bugged – can't be too careful – before turning on the special transmitter. An image started to form when her screen logged into a website on the Dark Net.
The site had a single image, for login. Logging in, she was greeted with another screen, this one with a bunch of lines indicating sound.
"Name and identification," it said in a metallic voice.
"Daphne N'Teri, Nurse at Westmead Hospital," she replied in her native language.
"Hold for identiscan," it said and she felt a light screen her before it went green, "Greetings, Daphne, welcome back," it said in English.
The voice then switched to that of a live voice. This one belonged to a fellow Asari whose features looked similar as far as female attributes went. But they were anything but alike. The one on the other side had a more turquoise skin tone and her markings made her look almost luminescent. In that they glowed on screen. Daphne didn't know any different.
"So, what have you to report for today," said the person on the other end.
"Matriarch, I have news. Today, the hospital received members of the Normandy crew as patients. These are all the biotic members, as the hospital in Adelaide is unable to deal with biotics. I managed to find a pretty powerful one; she destroyed a hospital room in the previous facility, as well as injure a member of the staff. I am concerned for the amount of power she is emitting. When we gauge the power through the discharge bars, hers was through the roof," Daphne said to the other asari.
"Hmm, that could only be the pilot we had been hearing about," said the one on the other end.
"Matriarch?" asked Daphne.
The one on the other end took a deep breath before addressing the one on the screen again, "Daphne, listen to me, there are things brewing in the darkness that even we are not aware of. So be careful when dealing with our patient, and protect her as well as the Normandy crew with the best of your ability. I will send several of our sisters to watch the hospital, as well as signal to our allies that they need to be protected. Do you understand me?" she said.
Daphne stood up straighter in her seat, "Understood, Matriarch!" she said.
"Good. Until your next report." And with that, the screen went dead. Daphne breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned back against the chair. The people on that ship have opened up a hornet's nest of things to come. Times are changing and it is time the Asari begin to prepare for the best, or the worst.
UNKNOWN LOCATION, GREECE
The moon blazed down on a single compound hidden deep in the Mountains of Greece. This unknown location is hidden from anyone wishing to see where the Asari have hidden. And it is here that Matriarch Atlanta keeps her council. As she let the screen grow dark, she gave a sigh out after that trying report from Daphne. They had detected the approach of the Normandy since it had returned from Mars a while back. Though the idea to steal the ship was tempting, doing so would put their whole operation in jeopardy.
"Matriarch, the leader of Clan Komori is here to see you," said her aide and the Matriarch nodded, before the door was opened and a hooded figure entered the room. The hooded figure was followed by several other, both human and not. When the door was closed, the hoods were removed to reveal a figure dressed in loose fitting clothes. Someone might have easily mistaken her guest as a sort of Samurai. But once the figure came more into the light of the moon. Atlanta could see that the figure was that of a Krogan.
"Clan leader Emiko, it is an honor to see you in person again," Atlanta greeted the Krogan. In turn, the Krogan did a bow towards her with her hands in front, signaling her gender.
"Atlanta-Sama, it is good to see you again," she said with a thick Japanese Accent. Their races time on Earth has changed them. For Emiko, her kind crashed in Asia at the same time Atlanta's people landed in Greece. Both had to adapt to differences in human culture to survive. For the other members of their group, a chime was heard before the secretary announced their arrivals. The first was another hooded figure, this one looking more insectoid than human with his four eyes and cobra-like head. The companion next to him is not even humanoid. This creature was a large insectoid. It waved its feelers around, but other than that, it did not attack the others in the room. The last person was human, representing the United Nations, by the badge on his shirt.
Matriarch Atlanta greeted them all, "Welcome, honored guests. Now if you would follow me to the meeting room, where we can have some privacy, we can get this meeting underway," she said and they followed her towards the door at the back of her office. Sliding her card into the reader, she waited till the doors opened to reveal the room to them, and stepped in.
The room itself resembled an ancient Greek meeting room, with cushions all around and tapestries everywhere. However, the difference was, that in the center of the room was a large black table with a screen in the center. The screen currently showed the main logo of their organization. It was a coat of arms with the Planet Earth at its center. But it also had different symbols representing the different alien peoples that have landed on planet Earth. Or, at least, the main alien nations.
When they entered, they sat down in the respective chairs. Each representing the different sentient species on the logo. The last to enter was not through the door, but through a specially-made tank that was off to the right-hand side of the Asari. The first was a humanoid species resembling the Mermaids of myth and legend. However, that is where the similarities ended. Though female in appearance, this creature had a mermaid-like tail, but the tail itself resembled a dolphin's, with a stinger at the end. Webbed hands and claws at the tip of each digit of her five digit hands. Sharp teeth lined her mouth, but where there should have been a pair of lungs, there were gills. Patterns of pigment were littered across her body like those of an eel. She also had fishlike dorsal fin on the back on her body and shark like fins below her hips. Her eyes were large, with catlike pupils that glowed an eerie color. Her hair was flowing like a human's, but gave off patterns of light on each strand. The tank allowed her to attend and breathe while connecting it to the ocean.
"All representatives, please place your hands on the table," said the Asari. The one representing the mermaid-like people only had to pass her hand through a specially-made door with a mass effect field to let her put her hand on the table.
"I am Atlanta, Matriarch of the Asari, and I uphold my oath to keep the peace while I am here in this Council," she said with sincerity.
Emiko then placed her hand down on the table, "I am Emiko Komori of the Krogan, and I uphold my oath to keep the peace while I am here in this Council," she said before sitting up.
The insectoid placed its tentacle on the table since it has no hands, "I am Tochtaca of the Rachni, and I uphold my Oath to keep the peace while I am here in this Council," a clearly female voice said.
The more snakelike alien placed his hand on the table his four eyes looking at the others before answering, "I am Patanjali Mayadev of the Prothean, and I uphold my Oath to keep the Peace while I am here in this Council," he said.
The mermaid-like creature then placed her hand on the table through the special mass effect field keeping the water in her tank, "I am Nemeria of the Serena, and I uphold my Oath to keep the peace while I am here in this Council," she said and pulled her hand back.
The last to put his hand on the table was the human representative. He quickly placed his hand on the table, "I am Sean Spengler of the Humans, and I uphold my oath to keep the peace while I am here in this Council," he said before leaning back.
As if it was a password, the table lit up to show the symbol once again, before changing to that of current events. Atlanta, who was at the head of the table, moved her hand across it, and the image instantly appeared on the windows behind the representatives. Gone was the Greek themes and instead, they were replaced by news broadcasts of a strange ship that battled a large ocean vessel. It then shot off into space, and finally, it appeared at an airport in Australia. The ship itself was shown, footage taken from a distance, until the news crews were allowed closer. The augmented reality imagery allowed them to see it in 3D.
"What you see here, ladies and gentlemen, is the ship that was discovered back in the 1960's. This vessel has named itself Normandy, after the Normandy Coast in France. It also housed numerous humans from all around the world. Human beings that were studying its technology, and what secrets it holds. However, if you paid attention they were also the victims of a disaster that was led by this woman," she said and pulled up a picture.
It was a picture of Alexandria Wilcox. The others leaned closer, intrigued.
"Alexandria Wilcox, a woman wanted almost world-wide for that disaster. A united front by the UN has sparked interest across the world to find this woman. However, she is good at covering her tracks, and we and the United Nations, have not been able to find her. But that is not our main concern," she said, and the image changed again to another one, this one with a picture of another woman.
"This is Dr. Elenna Alenkov, Director of Operations on the Challenger Deep Project, and now head of the Normandy crew. After the attack on the vessel known as the Ocean Odyssey, she and her crew recovered the Normandy's full function and used it to win back the ship. During recovery efforts after Normandy's departure, some of our agents discovered something of interest to us." Atlanta said as she typed in a few keys to show images of various artifacts on the ship. Including one very large one which caught the attention of Patanjali and Nemeria.
"That is a Dragon's Tooth!" said Patanjali. His shock scared him to the core.
"From what I know from Dr. Alenkov's reports, the dragon's tooth was found by a Dr. David Malcolm, a scientist working on the Odyssey. He put an electromagnetic field around the object so that its indoctrinating effects don't bother any of the crew members. It was found to contain hallucinogenic properties, just like in the old records," Atlanta said. The records she referred to are the old testimonies and recorded histories of the Protheans. They, and others, had found records dating back centuries of their ancestors, and those who had came to Earth knew the old stories. But they had evolved over the millennia to blend in and be part of human society. Now, as with the others, an understanding has come to them.
"In the five hundred years since we first formed the council of races, it was to my understanding that my ancestors knew more about our future enemy, than anyone else here?" said Patanjali.
"It is possible that this ancient artifact was not found on the Normandy but smuggled aboard," said Emiko, joining the conversation. She, like Atlanta, is one of the oldest on the council, with over eight hundred years of experience. Atlanta harbored the same age as her, if not a few decades younger.
"Smuggled?" asked Sean the human.
"When my people were moving from China to Japan about five hundred years before, we came across something similar in the northern reaches of what is now Siberia. We found it near the border between Siberia and Mongolia, in the hands of one of Genghis Khan's sons, I have forgotten which name it was," Emiko replied. She then hit a series of buttons on the screen, which shifted it to a series of portraits in the traditional Chinese silk paintings.
"I remembered my mother telling me of it sometime before. Of how it drove Krogan and human mad with anger and lust. How she and several of her best warriors had to kill all who had fallen under its evil power. And how she buried the object somewhere in Mongolia to keep it safe. From this photo, I can clearly see the markings that my mother made to the object before burying it. She had told me that it had given her nightmares until her death about a hundred years prior," Emiko said to them.
There was a lingering silence that entered the room as they looked at the object. An ominous feeling came over them at what it looked like.
"My people left records of its use," said Patanjali as he pressed buttons. It showed detailed video of the object and a group of monstrosities placing bodies over them.
"From what I understood of our history. The dragon's teeth are used as a sort of conversion device. The indoctrinated placed victims' bodies on top of the dragon's teeth and let it drain the bodies of all fluid, before returning it to the ground. By then, it injects its victims with nanites that destroys organic tissue and converts it into more nanites. It feeds on the fluids that the bodies gives them. Thus, it changes them into husks, or shadows of their original selves, with no thought or emotion other than to serve their vile masters," he said and the others in the room grew quiet as they watched it.
"My people have histories of such vile devices ourselves," said Tochtaca, her tentacles waving in disarray. "My queen often sings us songs of such monsters and how they used our kind as shock troops to do their dirty deeds. Their sour notes have turned our kind into vile and ruthless creatures. We have heard nothing but silence in the centuries of our time here on this planet. That silence has allowed our songs to become clean and bright again. But our queen mothers have remembered the stories from their ancestors of how the vile notes drove our people to war with the Asari and the Krogan. We Rachni vowed not to repeat that mistake again," she said and the others nodded.
"There was another note that I wanted to bring up during this meeting. The Normandy Crew," Atlanta said and the images of various people filled the table screen.
"Each one of these people have had some experience with Normandy, or were part of Normandy's crew when it left Earth. From what I understood, the reason why Alexandria is now on the run is because they have uncovered her dirty secret of the dragon's tooth. Recent reports indicated by Dr. Alenkov and a Dr. Rebecca Kimber, is that a group of husks appeared inside the Element Zero Core of the ship. They attacked and killed several members, including one Martha Kahalewai," the image changed to show Martha's profile picture.
"But she is alive, how could she have been killed?" asked Sean.
"According to the reports, Martha was dead until an alien device that is on her arm pumped a fluid into her blood, filled with nanites. These nanites repaired her systems and brought her back. But the consequences are still unknown to them. There are some signs of change in her genetic code, however, since the radiation from the Element Zero has broken down her original genetic code. The nanites repaired it with DNA from an unknown alien species. This species has to be very powerful in its biotics – equal to that of the Asari – but it also has some physical effects as well," Atlanta said and showed them the images of the exploded hospital in Adelaide.
"We had received reports from Australia. They said that Martha lost control when a nurse came into the room and disrupted her concentration. That, in turn, caused her to discharge a huge amount of power. It was enough to explode the room and send the nurse into the ER, but luckily, she wasn't killed. She and the other biotic humans from that ship were taken to another hospital in Sydney where they can discharge any static they store," Atlanta said, her voice full of worry.
"You think Martha's powers are becoming unstable?" Asked Nemeria,
"I believe so, or she is gaining power by the day. Martha is an unknown, and I have no doubts that Alexandria also noticed. She has been busy gathering weapons and personnel. Several of our own have gone missing trying to find her. We believe they are either dead or she has them captive for her own cruel experiments," Atlanta replied.
"I will see what I can do to get the human governments to step up their efforts. What about protecting the Normandy crew?" asked Sean.
"I already have people watching her from my end. Atlanta also has a person on the inside of the Sydney hospital to keep an eye on our friend. So for now, things are looking up. But we don't know what Wilcox's agenda is, or if we have a means to put a stop to it," said Patanjali. His worry was evident on his face. The others felt the same. It was not without recourse of action but with this meeting they had to be sure.
"It is as they say; the Reapers are starting to prepare the galaxy for the eventual harvest. We only have one hundred and seventy one solar cycles left until the harvest begins. We need to start preparing, and what the Normandy crew knows may help us," said Emiko with certainty.
"How will we know that the human population are ready to receive you? As far as I know they are not ready," said Sean.
"They have to be ready, for soon, the time will come when they will not have a choice," said Nemeria from her tank.
"Nemeria-sama is right, we need to start preparing. My Krogan have been preparing for centuries alongside your human soldiers. We have traveled across a continent to rediscover our allies, and it is time to start working together. Our last communication with our kind was centuries ago, but we heard that a disease was spread among my species. A disease that makes the birthrate drop dramatically to reduce our numbers. The Salarians had created it to stop a rebellion that my people foolishly started. We Krogan here on Earth had thankfully avoided such a disease, but we had learned to control our numbers for centuries. Ensuring that there is no hate or war between our races, and to ensure that we do not destroy that which gave us a second chance," Emiko said to them.
"I agree with Emiko, the Asari should be ashamed of what they had done to the Krogan and the Rachni. What was done should not have been done. With better communications, we should be able to speak to our allies better. But first we need to find a way to speed up the plans for starships. None of our peoples had preserved the plans but Normandy might have. We need to find a way to get that knowledge and to find out more. To do that, we need to gain the trust of the crew. Especially Dr. Alenkov. We protect her and her people, we protect this planet, understood," said Atlanta.
"With our presence, we can help humanity clean up their oceans to make it better for all of us," Nemeria replied.
"Not just the oceans, but the lands as well, and open up the rivers and clean them up again. I would love to see the Ganga clean again," said Patanjali. His face clearly shown as one who is caught in a daydream of sorts.
"I will see what I can do, and with your help, we can make sure we are ready for when the Reapers do arrive. Our ancestors made this oath and we will continue to do so," said Sean.
The other races agreed, before the meeting was adjourned. After the others left, only Atlanta remained alongside Emiko.
"Do you think your people hate mine?" asked Atlanta.
"No, they hate those who have wronged them. The Salarians for starters and the new race they introduced: the 'Turians' as I believe they were called. That last communication was the last we had before the mass relay went silent. Our communication equipment didn't let us send out a distress call, but we could receive news. It was a good thing we recorded it, so that way our people will know the repercussions of the past," Emiko said to Atlanta. The Asari nodded her head, before turning towards the much larger alien.
"So how did you control the urges to mate and overpopulate a planet?" she asked.
"You mean you waited centuries before asking that question, Atlanta-san?" Emiko asked her with a laugh. She had dropped the 'Sama' and replaced it with 'San' to show that they are friends now and not the leaders they should be.
"Yes, I mean, last I recall, Krogan have high birthrates and could easily overpopulate a planet in just a hundred years or less," she said.
"You give us too little credit Atlanta-san. We Krogan have more self-control than you think. Especially when we females took over the leadership of our people. As leader of our people, I decide who should be the main breeder of our kind. I already had my fair share of children before I stopped breeding. Now Mitchiko is the breeder, and she only breeds once every decade to keep our population numbers low. We also discovered a type of plant native to this world that we use for birth control. Only the breeder are allowed to breed and the others are not. So they take this plant to prevent their reproductive organs from maturing. Both their primary and their secondary reproductive organs are redundant and made inoperable. Only those selected for breeding from both genders are allowed to keep their organs and when the time is right, we allow ourselves to breed. But only once in a decade. The children that came from it will be the new Krogan and are raised by the entire clan. We worked hard to create this system. That way our planet, our home, is not overrun and pushed into clan wars. It was the mistake that destroyed Tuchanka and we will not repeat it here," said Emiko.
"I am glad to hear that. So tell me, you adopted this hive method as a necessity, or as something desperate?" Atlanta asked.
"That I can't recall, but we can save it for another time perhaps. Right now, I have a plane to catch back to Tokyo. The Prime Minister is waiting for my report," Emiko replied.
"I understand, my friend, and safe travels," Atlanta replied before offering her hand. Emiko grasped her forearm in an ancient sort of kinship. Five hundred years, the two had been friends, and it was this long that both species could learn from one another. As Emiko departed, Atlanta looked out over the dark Mediterranean sea. The waters glowed in the setting moon and soon, the sun would rise. Looking at her watch, it was nearly midday in Australia. Time sure flies when you are busy. Deciding to call it a night, she headed over to her private chambers to head to bed. It had been a long day and Atlanta was right to be tired.
TBC
A/n: I know it is not much but things are happening. I am glad people like the pacing of this story and how it is more detailed then the last. It has taken me a while to get this one up because of how crazy the world is right now. Things are happening at work that I can't talk about but it has been hectic since the pandemic started. So to all of our audience out there I want to let you know to keep safe and remember not do do stupid things. And as always please leave a review and don't FLAME, LORE MONGER OR BASH me ok. I am just as broke as everyone else. But that is life.
B/n: I want to apologize to everyone for this. The delays to the release of this chapter were completely my fault, and I will do my best to make sure it does not happen again. I love this story, and I'm honored that Black Dragon still accepts me as her beta, and I will strive not to let her down again.