DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MASS EFFECT THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.
A/n: ok So sorry for the MAJOR delay I blame both myself and my beta for this. We both had been busy with our real lives. For him it was working and dealing with the flu. For me it was a bunch of shit. Mainly dealing with a boss who is a complete asshole. I had worked myself nearly to death and had just come out of the hospital because of his crap.
B/n:Yeah, I take most of the blame. Life has been kicking my ass, among others because of the long heatwave we've been having in my country, but that's just part of it. Thank you all for your patience.
MASS EFFECT THE IMMORTAL SERIES PART 1: FLIGHT OF THE NORMANDY
Chapter 26: Family Reunion
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
This day, it was nearly two weeks since Martha began to suspect her nurse might be an alien. It was also a day she wanted to have for a long time.
The day her family could finally visit.
The nurse kept her promise to Martha to get her family here to Australia. She was more than happy to pull a few strings to help with the cause. The American was grateful for her help and she was more than happy to finally, FINALLY, see her family again.
So here she was, waiting in the lobby, unable to leave the hospital grounds due to heightened security. But she waited patiently for her chance to see her siblings, parents and boyfriend again. Just as she started fearing her hopes were dashed, she heard the security start to scan a group of people. Many of them were visitors, but one little boy caught her attention.
"MARTHA!" he shouted, waving his hands up and down in joy. Martha's face lit up immediately at the recognition of her baby brother. As soon as they were cleared, the boy dashed towards her and launched himself into her arms. The fourteen year old boy was ecstatic to see his sister again after so long. They gave each other bone crushing hugs. They were followed by her other siblings all doing a family pile up.
"Alright, everyone off of my patient," said a friendly voice and everyone moved off of Martha who grinned sheepishly at the nurse. The same nurse was laughing when she saw them charge Martha. The American was so glad to see her family after everyone had gone. Her parents on both sides also gave her hugs and Aaron was there to give her a kiss hello.
"So, Martha, did you meet any aliens?" asked her baby brother, at which everyone started laughing.
"Meet any aliens?" Martha said conspiratorially, pretending not to notice anything he said.
"Aw, come on Martha! They said that you are now part alien, is it true?" her brother asked excitedly. Martha shrugged and then looked both ways before she came close to her brother. "I have super powers now," she whispered.
"Whoa…." her brother whispered back in awe.
Martha then looked up at her father and two mothers. One biological and the other her step-mother. Her biological mother was the first to embrace her tightly, being the same height as her. Martha hugged her mother back along with her full-blood sister. Her step mother also hugged her after her other mother. Along with her stepsiblings and half-siblings. She was crying as she held all of them.
"How?" Martha asked.
"Your nurse pulled a few strings since the government is taking forever to bring you home. So she knew someone who could get us here instead, to make you feel more happy," her father said. Martha hugged her father even tighter at this.
"So how long will you be here in Australia?" Martha asked, hopeful to finally get out of the building.
"About three weeks, then we have to go back. That is how long our visa is," Aaron said to her. She looked down sadly when she heard this. Only three weeks and they have to go home.
"I am sorry Martha, but I tried to get them to at least let you go home but because of…," the nurse said to her sadly.
Martha finally understood as she looked at the nurse. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she heard this. She nodded as they all gave sad looks on their faces. She was a prisoner and she couldn't escape even if she tried. She was a danger of the public after her display at the previous hospital.
"Don't worry, Mart, we are trying to get the American Embassy to get you out and transfer you to a facility back home. Or, at least, make a place where you can safely use your powers," said Aaron. Martha nodded, understanding what it would mean if she were released.
"So, why don't you stay here with the kids, while we get settled in our hotel room," said her dad, knowing they have to get their place settled. Martha nodded sadly as the adults took off to get the car.
The day was spent with the rest of the family catching them up on what she had been doing. She even showed them her omni-tool and formally introduced them to EDI, much to the delight of the kids. Aaron was laughing when EDI tried to tell them some terrible jokes. She even went as far as to show them some holographic videos of her homeworld much to the kids delight.
Then, much too soon, the hour grew late and it was time to leave. The visiting hours were only so much and now they ushered people out. But Martha noted that her family was put under heavy guard. That meant that, because of her status, her family was in danger. After many hugs and kisses goodbye, she watched them leave with tears coming down her eyes. At least they would be back tomorrow as they promised.
When the last of her siblings left, she broke down and cried on the pillow. Not being allowed to leave made this place truly be her prison. She was stuck having to deal with the numerous nurses and doctors as well as security. It was frustrating for her to handle and so she let herself cry into her pillow. She became aware of another presence only when a hand was placed on her back and giving her soothing circles. As she finished crying, she felt the person ease up on her. When she looked up, it was Daphne, the nurse from before.
"There, there, Martha, let it all out," she said to her. Martha could only nod as she pulled away trying to wipe her tears. "Thank you," she said.
"I know it is hard, but hopefully, things will be better soon," she said to her. Martha could only nod when Daphne pulled back, and Martha could see the slight tinge of blue on her skin. The makeup was coming off and she stayed silent. Martha noted that the nurse looked more alert as if she had a bit too much coffee.
"When was the last time you got any sleep?" she asked her. Daphne looked at her as if she had lost her head until she saw that Martha was observing her.
"Maybe a day or two ago. I had been running long shifts," she said to her.
Martha looked at her before indicating the bed, "Sleep," she said to her. The woman looked at her like she was mad.
"I mean it, you need to sleep, you can't work without it. And no drinking coffee, that is not good for your mental health," Martha said, glaring at her. The nurse looked lost before pulling away, "I will see about getting off early will that make you happy?" she said to her.
Martha smirked when she pulled away from her, "Yeah, you would feel much better after you had some sleep," she said to her. The woman sighed as she stood up and gave a friendly glare to Martha.
"You really know how to push buttons, huh?" she said. Martha nodded with a big, friendly smile on her face. "Yep, I do, when I want someone to take better care of themselves," she replied.
Sighing, Daphne made her way towards the door to see if she could get off sooner. Martha waited till she was gone before she pulled her hand back and look at the makeup that smeared on it.
"That felt really weird," she said to EDI who was listening on her omni-tool.
"The chemical composition of her cosmetics seemed to be tied in to the Asari biology. I also noted the prosthetics used to hide her alien features. The wig is specifically designed to hide the crest, allowing the user freedom of movement in crowded facilities, such as this hospital. It also has a microchip to falsify various scanning equipments' results to hide her identity. It could be important that she is trying to conceal herself from prying human governments or crazy human conspirators." EDI said to Martha through her ear piece.
"Well, that explains why she has to hide herself. I mean, back in the old days, I bet the governments would love to experiment on people like her. I mean, she has been here for how long?" Martha asked that last question out loud.
"Her exact age is unclear without asking, unless we manage to pull up her files. I am researching all I can on the Asari as well as the other species on Earth. I can, however, provide you with a way to see them. Your omni-tool is equipped with a bio-scan feature which can detect the slightest change in DNA. That was how it detected the Asari in the first place. Your have a Pathfinder-purposed omni-tool. That means you can use your omni-tool to take readings off objects that are foreign to you. I can then analyze the data here on the Normandy and determine their origins and if they are dangerous or not," EDI replied.
"Ok, cool so she is an Asari. You said earlier that there are other aliens here. Do you know what they are?" Martha asked.
"There are two security guards that protect this floor of the hospital. Both of them are a species called Krogan, as well as several other security personnel on other floors. There is another species called the Rachni that are on the floor with the security cameras. They look like this," EDI then showed holographic images of large insects with tentacles coming out of them. Disgusted and shocked, Martha nearly threw up her lunch at the sight of them.
"Fuck, it makes me think about that guy from Species, or worse, Predator," Martha said out loud.
"True, but they are here for your protection." EDI replied back to her.
"My protection?" Martha asked her curiosity peaked. She looked at her left arm and the glowing holographic band on it as if it was a second head.
"I just translated and interpreted a report that was sent to them from someone higher up. Apparently there was an attack attempt on Daphne the night before and a similar one on Dr. Alenkov the following day. It was the same day that you noticed that your omni-tool had run a bio-scan on the nurse. I have a feeling that this security was for your protection as well as your family's." EDI replied and Martha paled when the revelation hit.
"Dr. Alenkov was attacked? Is she alright?" Martha asked, her fear starting to grow for her family.
"So far, she is alive and unharmed. The omni-tool shows her life signs as stable, so she must be somewhere safe for now. However, her location is unknown at this point. It will take time for me to find her and attempt a rescue," EDI replied to her.
"Fuck," Martha cursed as she looked at the glowing object in her hand. The dark skies outside made the omni-tool glow even further. It was a good thing that she had her door closed and there was no windows on the hallway side of her room. She breathed a sigh of relief as she spoke to EDI.
"Does anyone else know?" Martha said to EDI her voice betrayed how she is feeling.
"Yes, I had informed Major Lawoski and Major Reynolds of the situation when the omni-tool put out the alert for her capture. Normandy is under lockdown until Dr. Alenkov is retrieved. This is both a security protocol by myself and by the current security forces already watching the ship." EDI replied.
"OK, at least something is being done. But EDI, does this explain why there is so much security in the hospital?" Martha asked.
"The security is to keep you safe. From what I have heard over the security feeds, you are one of the few they can keep an eye on until proper security measures can take place to keep you and your family safe. It was one of the reasons why they were brought to Australia," EDI replied.
Now Martha started to understand what was going on. She walked over to the window to see the world beyond it herself. Being stuck in a prison was nothing new to her. She was at the bottom of the ocean, for crying out loud. Being stuck in the hospital was the least of her worries. At least she could actually see what was going on outside.
MEANWHILE
Daphne cursed her clumsy demeanor and her lack of foresight. Of course Martha would be suspicious of her behavior. Anyone with enough common sense would see that Daphne didn't have that much sleep the night before. Not only that, but as she exited the bathroom, she cursed her stupidity about her appearance. Her makeup was not well done and her wig started to come off. She took her time to adjust her appearance before walking out of the bathroom.
As she walked past security on her way out from her post, her senses seemed to be on alert. She sensed a change in the air and stopped. As she looked around, she noticed a group of people entering the building that seemed to be at random.
Her instincts told her that something was about to happen.
Then an explosion happened, and the wall to her right blew apart. Scrambling for cover, she and the rest of the security team fell away as screams began to fill the hospital. Then, as soon as it happened, gunshots began to sound, prompting Daphne to reach for her gun, cursing to herself.
MEANWHILE
Martha felt the rumble happen from right under her. Shaken from her research into the alien species of this planet, she leaped up from her bed.
"What the fuck was that?" she said out loud.
"Martha, I have detected multiple security breeches on floors one to four. We need to evacuate the building," EDI warned her. Shocked, Martha turned to look out the window right when the glass shattered and a group of men appeared.
Shocked, one of them aimed a gun at her. Acting on instinct Martha glowed blue before throwing the man out with her biotics. The man fell to the ground in a blood splatter. Martha wasted no time in revealing the blade in her omni-tool as she glowed blue again, and, with a flick of her wrists, she threw him out, too.
Another man tried to grab her, but Martha managed to dodge on instinct and stab him through the head. He went down in a bloody heap, but not before a fourth man appeared and tried to grab Martha in a tackle. The window shattered more as he leaped out with Martha in his arms. With a biotic-fueled fist, she smashed the man's face in before realizing that she was falling.
As she fell she felt something stir within her. Something buried deep within her, but before she could comprehend it, her body began to respond. She turned over, not noticing that the hospital gown had disappeared, leaving her naked. Next thing she knew, her mind went blank as she blacked out.
ON THE GROUND
It was a Krogan who noticed her first as Daphne killed another round of terrorists. The asari nurse saw the naked body of Martha falling, and rushed towards her. With a release of her own biotics, she leaped into the air and caught the girl just before hitting the ground. The wind had knocked off her hospital gown leaving her naked and her unconscious form was left for everyone to see. When she landed her wig had flown off but luckily for her, her wig was glued on or else it would have flown off when she landed.
Holding Martha close, she was well-aware of the glowing blade in her left hand. She quickly raced towards the Krogan covering them.
"We need to get her out of here, now!" she said to the Krogan.
"Go towards the back, I've arranged for transport. We will hold off these assholes," said the Krogan. Nodding in thanks, Daphne raced towards the back of the building. As she ran, she noticed Martha was crackling with energy. It was only then that she realized that Martha must have used her biotic energy to protect herself from those attackers.
Of course they are after her! It was a distraction. Martha is not so defenseless as to bow down to these fuckers, Daphne thought as she found her way around the back and saw a van waiting for her. Inside was one of their own a Krogan and a Prothean, both ready to assist. Seeing her hands full, the Prothean opened the door and helped them into the van. When she got in, she deposited Martha into the back seat and covered her up with a blanket seeing her shivering form.
Getting up, Daphne grabbed the gun she had hidden on her person. As the door closed, she took to the back while the Krogan took to the driver's seat. The Prothean also helped her with heavy machine guns. His face was hidden behind a mask just like she was hidden behind makeup. It was harder to hide his head shape, but specialized masks and holographic technology on the Prothean's part kept his features hidden. Daphne could see it because she was up close.
"We need to get to the safe house!" Daphne said to them. The Krogan stepped on the gas and they sped through the streets of Sydney.
Unfortunately, due to their bad luck, another car was after them. Cursing, Daphne had no choice but to fire back at them. The bullets flew across the air as they opened fire on them.
"We need to get away from the civilians," said the Prothean beside her. Nodding in agreement, she grabbed a larger gun and started firing back. The Krogan, due to his armor plating, was driving. Redundant systems kept him from noticing any pain, but they were relentless. Thankfully, his armor and helmet prevented him from being shot in the head.
As he drove down a side street, away from the safe house, the others looked at him in alarm.
"I can't reveal the location of the safe house. I will try to lose the assholes first," the Krogan said and began to talk on his cell phone beside him. He spoke in his language and Daphne couldn't help but smirk, as she had learned and could understand their language.
When they went down another street, they were nearly trapped as suddenly, a wall was in front of them. The Krogan only stepped on the gas even more, knowing this road. The others ducked into the street and suddenly, the road gave out from under them and they fell into a hidden underground tunnel. When they did so, the door quickly went back up and the sounds of crashing cars filled Daphne's ears as they sped away.
"What about her family?" Daphne finally asked the Prothean.
"They are safe. We managed to get them to a secure location and hopefully transfer them to the safe house as well."
"What the hell was that back there?" was the next question.
"An emergency escape tunnel; it connects to the metro system and then to a separate unit that leads to the new safe house. We Krogan had built these under several cities for years in case something like this happens. Our clan leader felt that such things are necessary in case of an emergency," the Krogan said to her.
"Does the Matriarch know of this?" she asked.
"Yes, she is aware, along with the other members of the council," the Krogan replied. He then turned down another tunnel and parked the van where they'd apparently reached some sort of hidden garage.
The Krogan stepped out of the car, Daphne and the Prothean following him, heading around to get Martha from the back.
"At least the windows are tinted enough that no one can see," the Prothean said as he scratched his scalp. When they got into the car the Krogan started it up and drove off. Daphne had to laugh since the Krogan had to duck low just to drive the car but the seats she saw were adjustable. This made the Krogan able to go lower so his taller frame won't be too much of a hindrance.
Now that they were safe for the moment, Daphne checked her charge and found Martha still asleep. But something was different.
Where her skin was once smooth, it was now scaly, with bits of plates going over it. It was as if she had started to transform. But as Daphne moved to pick her up, the skin reverted back to smooth normal human skin.
"What the fuck," asked the Prothean as he stood beside Daphne while she went to pick up Martha.
"That was one of the reasons why the hospital didn't release her," Daphne said to them. She was almost as baffled as they were as they loaded her into the car. Thankfully, the Prothean was smart enough to get her a new hospital gown to at least give her some decency. When they drove off, she was aware that Martha hadn't woken up yet. When she felt her pulse, it was beating surprisingly calmly.
Then, as if to read her thoughts, her omni-tool, still glowing active from the fight with the mercenaries, changed to that of a simple medical reader. It showed Daphne her vital signs, such as heart rate, pulse, oxygen reader and even biotic energy levels. Right now Martha's signs showed that she was in a deep sleep. Her biotic levels were greatly diminished and her pulse rate was low. All the signs of deep sleep.
"How's she doing," the Krogan asked from the front.
"Asleep. Doesn't seem to have any injuries," Daphne replied with a sigh.
"Well, that solves a lot of problems," said the Krogan as they were now back on the streets. Daphne and the Prothean had to change their appearance to hide in plain sight. The Krogan just hit a button and his disguise changed. They drove towards the street the safe house was on and parked into the garage for safety. Just like the tunnel, the garage sank and they were underground again. As Daphne looked up, she was surprised that there was a solid hologram above them.
"For security reasons, this is a different safe house than the one you were at. The family is here, too," the Krogan said as he got out. Daphne and the Prothean followed and went to where Martha was kept in the trunk. She was still asleep when they took her upstairs.
There, the Kahalewai family was gathered around a television, watching the news. The adults were clinging to each other while the children were glued to the screen, but their hands where holding each others'. When the door opened, they watched as Daphne, carrying Martha, came into the room.
"MARTHA!" they shouted as they quickly went to rush her, but the Prothean held up his hand.
"She will need to rest until she wakes. Thankfully, this house has a fully equipped medical facility, so she should be fine," he said and they watched as they took her up the stairs towards the medical unit. Worry filled them as they held each other for comfort. But Daphne didn't care, as right now, their main focus was to allow Martha to rest.
Laying her down on the medical bed, they hooked up all different IV-lines to her body. And then when they were done, the glowing on her left arm disappeared. Daphne was somewhat surprised by the disappearance of this screen. When it was gone, she saw that the medical equipment was doing what it meant to be doing.
As she left Martha there to rest, she turned towards the other two, "Alright, we need to report this and to get this place secure. Krogan, how many you have here?" she asked the Krogan.
"I have half a dozen of my men here plus four Rachni for tech support, six Protheans and five humans. At least this way, this place is secure," the Krogan said.
"Any Asari working here?" asked Daphne.
"All the Asari that were assigned here are on patrol right now, running interference in case those bastards show up. In any case, I want out of his armor and looking like myself again." the Krogan said.
"Thank you….?" Daphne said to him trying to get his name.
"Kōmori Hiroyuki or Hiro for short," said the Krogan, bowing to show respect. Daphne bowed back.
"So, I would like everyone to meet in the meeting room once their shift is over, before the change in guards. I need to know the latest developments and how things are going now that the enemy is making their move," said Daphne.
"Understood," said Hiro as he walked out to inform the rest of his clansmen.
As she turned around, she spotted the family looking at her nervously. Sighing, she took off the wig, revealing her blue plates, and reached over the counter for something to clean off her makeup. When she revealed herself to them, the entire family gasped but not before a very brave little boy pointed a finger with a huge smile on his face.
"Dad see I told you!" he said pointed to Daphne.
"An Alien, here!" said another voice. Daphne turned to see the young man dressed in a military uniform. He must be the brother in the air force. He looked in awe at her and she sighed. Before anything could get done, she needs to speak to the family.
"Everyone, I am Daphne N'teri, and I have something to tell you," she said to them.
THREE HOURS LATER
"Whoa, so Martha was right; aliens do exist. I thought EDI was cool but you are cooler," said her little brother and Daphne stared at the little boy. He was quickly being shushed by his parents.
"EDI?" she asked them and it was the one she identified as Martha's boyfriend Aaron who replied.
"EDI is the acronym of Enhanced Defense Intelligence. She's the Artificial Intelligence of the Normandy. She was the reason why Martha was so informed about a lot of stuff and she has been keeping us informed when she was trapped beneath the ocean," Aaron said to Daphne. Daphne perked up at the sound of this new information. Then things started to click into place about a lot of things.
She then sat down with the family as they were curious about their new alien companions. Daphne filled them in as much as possible, thanking the fact that if they were already involved, then they undoubtedly were in for a long ride. However, the reveal of an artificial intelligence made things more complicated. So when she left the Kahalewais, she walked into the meeting room with the others, knowing the information that she had to present to the council would not be as well received.
"Alright everyone, let me make this clear. We are at a level one alert as of this moment. Our enemy has been coming closer to our location, already striking at my safe house, as well as the hospital the Normandy crew was stationed in. We already lost sight of Dr. Alenkov as of 1500 hours yesterday. That is not a good sign. It means that the organization that orchestrated the kidnapping of Dr. Alenkov has also wanted to target the pilot Martha Kahalewai. We currently have her family and the families of the remaining crew members under tight surveillance to ensure their safety. Any questions?" she asked them and it was a Rachni who raised its tentacles.
"Since they know of our existence, does this mean that we can reveal ourselves to them?" it asked and Daphne sighed, "Yes, but be slow about it, we don't want to spread panic to them. They already saw me and I told them that there are others that are different to me. So far, most have taken it well. Some are a bit more hesitant, but given time, then they will come around. So if you want to introduce yourselves, let me be there first so they don't panic." Daphne said to the Rachni soldier. The little green worker that was with it seemed intrigued as it looked up from its spot on the table.
"Maybe I can help! I am small and not so dangerous looking. I just hope she is not terrified of bugs," it said. That caused Daphne to nearly giggle at the amusement of it all. The Rachni worker and his soldier class cohort only snorted at the joke. It was well-known that some Hispanic and Brazillian communities think of the Rachni as some sort of demon bugs, not knowing that their communities underground are right under their cities.
The Protheans in the group were not as serious as the Rachni and started chuckling about the joke. Daphne only snorted at them.
"Well, at least they can eat the food I can cook for them. If they have recipes that they'd like me to make or they want to make it themselves, they have to let me know. And since the enemy probably knows what they look like, it would be better if one of us does the shopping for now," said one of the Protheans.
"Alright, and I assume that you Krogan would want to introduce yourselves too?" asked Daphne, and they all nodded, one of the shorter ones especially. From the looks of his plates he was only a juvenile.
"OK then, so it is settled, and when I find a way to communicate with the Artificial Intelligence, I can hopefully establish some sort of communication with it. That way, we can ensure that it will help us like it helped the Normandy crew," Daphne said before dismissing everyone and giving assignments for various groups.
When she was alone with the other heads of the squadrons, she turned on the communications array to the council. Immediately, the room went dark and once again, the heads of several groups appeared.
"What have you got to report to us, agent Daphne," asked Atlanta and Daphne began her debrief.
HOURS LATER
Martha opened her eyes to the sounds of a heart monitor beeping beside her. Turning over, she spotted the familiar instrument beside her and the wires attached to her body. She turned her head slowly to the opposite side to see that the room she was in was not the same as her familiar room in the hospital.
"Whe...re?" she asked herself out loud.
"You are safe now, Martha. Nurse Daphne has taken you to a new location. Your family is here as well, so you are safe," EDI's voice filled the emptiness in the room.
"Ok," Martha replied.
She was interrupted when the door to her room opened and a Krogan entered. Upon sight, Martha's eyes went wide with shock and the Krogan froze, realizing that he forgot to put his disguise on. They both stared at each other for a bit. The Krogan then slowly stepped out of the room and closed the door leaving Martha gasping for air at the sight of such a monstrosity.
"Um...EDI…?" Martha asked slowly.
"That was a Krogan. A very large species from the planet Tuchanka. Don't worry, Martha, he is harmless." EDI said to her, but Martha had a white-knuckled grip on her bed rest.
Just then, the door opened and her oldest step brother stepped in. He saw that Martha was gripping the sides and rushed over to her bed.
"Hey, it is OK, Kyouji told me that you were awake," he said to her.
"Kyouji?" Martha said in surprise.
"Um... the big alien that walked into your room. He thought it was best if I explained things to you," he said to her and Martha turned to him and pointed with a shaky finger.
"OK, I am not afraid of what he is, for I know what he is... but the fact is that he is HUGE!" Martha said to him in shock. Her step brother rolled his eyes at her antics. "Alright, let me get the nurse to take off those wires and help you get dressed. We have a lot to talk about," he said to her and Martha watched as he stepped out of the room. He returned a few minutes later with a laughing Daphne, who was now no longer wearing makeup. Martha had to stare at her for the first time without any makeup on.
"Daphne?" Martha questioned.
"Well this is a first time, isn't it, Martha?" the Asari said as she started to unstrap Martha from the medical machines.
"Just, surprised, is all," Martha said as she looked at her up and down.
"What, do I look strange to you?" Daphne asked her, her eyebrows raised in amusement.
"No, it is just that you look way better without the makeup," Martha replied honestly. And the smell of cosmetics is gone too, she thought to herself.
"Well, that's good, I've been waiting a long time to formally, finally, meet the famous pilot of the Normandy," she said to her, laughing. Martha was smiling, seeing the real Daphne for the first time.
"Well, Daphne, I finally get to meet a real alien without the disguise. EDI was right, you do pass for a human with the right disguise. But an Asari like you must have lived for a while. How old are you, anyways?" she asked her.
Surprised by her knowledge of her species, but at the same time not surprised, Daphne let out another small laugh. "When your boyfriend told me that you still speak to the AI from the ship, he was not kidding." she said to her.
"Nope, EDI and I can still communicate even after I left the Normandy. If you want, I can tell you how we are still talking," Martha replied, but Daphne raised her hand and shook her head, "No need, I can guess," she said and pointed to her left hand.
"Do you have one too?" Martha asked her and Daphne shook her head, "No, we never had such devices when our ancestors landed on Earth. Though we might now, since it has been a few millennia," Daphne said to her.
"I have to make a clarification. The omni-tools that the Normandy crew has on their persons was created nearly 325 million years ago," EDI said, and that startled Daphne enough to make her jump at the voice, drawing her gun.
"Who's there?" she demanded and she saw the look on Martha's face as she rolled her eyes.
"EDI, quit scaring people!" she said and a glowing orb appeared over her left arm.
"My apologies, Nurse Daphne. I did not mean to startle you. To clarify what I was meaning to say; The omni-tools in possession of the Normandy crew are over 325 million earth years old, meaning they were as old as the dinosaurs that roamed this planet long ago." EDI replied.
"Um, Martha, is that the artificial intelligence that Aaron told me about?" Daphne asked, just to make sure, and Martha giggled.
"Yeah, Daphne, meet EDI, EDI, meet Daphne," Martha said and Daphne could look to see if there were any eyes on the orb.
There were none.
"Scan confirmed. Greetings Nurse Daphne, it is a pleasure to meet you. I hope I have not caused you too much distress. Martha was well-aware of the species you are by her omni-tool's biometric scanner. It accidentally activated while in the hospital." EDI said to her and Daphne looked at Martha, who shrugged.
"I didn't know until I woke up one morning to it going off. I thought it caught a virus at first, until EDI explained it to me," Martha replied to her. The resounding 'Oh' was all that was heard in the room when Daphne came to a conclusion about Martha and EDI.
"Well do I meet your expectations of an alien living on Earth?" Daphne said with a hand on her hip and one brow raised. She lacked her usual makeup to make it look like she had hair on her brows, but the facial structure was identical.
"Well, as long as your sex drive isn't going to kill us then you are super cool! Oh, and you ask the big one to come back in and tell him I said sorry for scaring him," Martha said in shock and Daphne had to laugh at her antics.
"No, Kyouji is going to be fine. He is used to people being intimidated by him. Krogan are naturally non-aggressive, unless you piss them off. They are a warrior race, as he will explain to you." Daphne replied to her.
"Whoa," Martha said.
"You know what? How about I get that crap off of you and then get you some clothes? Then you can go out and greet your family and the rest of the gang. I will inform them of EDI, of course, so they don't do the same stunt that I did," Daphne said and Martha smiled brightly at the notion of getting out of the hospital clothes.
LATER
Martha was staring hard at the rachni worker in front of her. It was staring back at her with its beady compound eyes. It was actually comical to watch, but if anyone was paying attention, they would have noticed that Martha's hands were moving quickly across paper. The rachni stood still until Martha finally broke away. Looking satisfied, she then turned the paper over to the alien.
"How's that?" she said to the small worker. It then started clicking rapidly before slowing down.
"This one likes your work. The others will be pleased," it said as Martha handed the paper to it. The small little bug quickly scampered away towards others of its kind. It began to chitter in their weird language and they all gathered around the picture admiring the work.
"Hey Martha, you gotta see wat dat alien has done now," said her little brother Koa. Since he was the youngest boy, he was the most impressionable. Though his speaking skills were lacking due to linguistics, the boy found fun in playing with one of the Krogan. The youngest one, from what Martha was introduced to.
Hiro Kōmori was the youngest Krogan in their group. A male who just passed his coming of age ceremony, was enjoying a scratch by the youngest human male. The young boy was busy going with a brush and scrubbing parts of his plates where new growth was coming in. To the Krogan it felt really good, and Koa, as well as his younger sisters Millie and Cameryn, were enjoying giving the Krogan a spa treatment.
Martha then watched her sister and step-sister talk to an Asari named Yeorgia T'dorus about the skin tones of Asari and how they managed to keep it from drying out. Martha's step-brothers Rorey, Ilan, and Royce were talking to both a Krogan and a Prothean about video games. Well, Ilan and Royce, who were still in their twenties, liked to talk about video games. So they met a fellow gamer, who is an alien, who tells them about other aliens who play games online. Rorey was in the United States Air Force as a cargo pilot and he was currently talking to a Krogan, of all people, about flying. Her two mothers – both her real mother Barbara and her step mother Rhonda – were talking about domestic stuff with, surprisingly, a Rachni worker. It was her father that surprised her the most, talking history with the oldest Asari there in the group, as well as the human captain and EDI, who made herself known in the house's systems.
It seemed a lot was going on in this safe house as Martha learned. Soon, though, it fell into a routine, as the human who was the house cook got off to a strange start with how to cook for Americans….as well as Hawaiians.
Martha had a good laugh at the expense of the poor guy, so he was given a lesson by both of Martha's mothers and the conversations went from there. Through all this good-natured talking, Martha grew worried. She knew that this was only a shadow of what was going on outside. Thankfully, there was a very secure system in place to ensure that no one could take pictures of the family with the solid hologram system. This was courtesy of the Krogan and the Protheans, who used it to disguise their figures in society. The Rachni were too obvious, so they resort to coming out at night which suited them better. They then patrolled the streets to ensure that the neighborhood is secure. It was tight-knit security and the shifts worked out of the house.
Things settled down into a normalcy that simply astounding, considering the circumstances. Still, they were on high alert, and there were a few very close calls. One of them was when Rorey had to return to the US to resume his duties with the Air Force.
"Hopefully, I can get reassigned or I could join a group of our own in America. How will I know I encountered any more of your kind?" Rorey asked the person in charge of the safe house; a Prothean named Megh who was assigned to their house. He was one of five Protheans there from their unit.
"I have you identified as a friend and in the know. That way, if you have need of us, your phone has been modified with an IFF so we know that you are a friend," said Kyouji, since he was in charge of security.
"Thanks, and if I run into the other species that I have not met?" Rorey asked.
"The IFF will let them know you are friendly," Kyouji replied. Rorey bid them farewell before he left, leaving the rest of the family wondering when they could return home.
"I have made inquiries into your residential areas. So far, the assailants have not entered your homes. But we have put surveillance systems in place to assure our resident members that you are protected." Kyouji said to them one day as he explained how their organization keeps tabs on them.
"Don't worry guys, EDI will also keep an eye on you to make sure you guys are safe," Martha said to them.
"Are you sure you don't want us to stay, Mart?" her father said to her.
"No, after what happened today and what happened that landed me in confinement, I want to know that you guys are safe," Martha replied to them.
Her family looked down sadly, but it was her dad who replied, "Well, at least we are staying for another week before we have to head back to the States," he said to her. That made Martha glad, to know that her father at least understood.
"Well, that is good at least, it gives our friends time to set things up at home," Martha replied to them.
"Yeah, and it gives me time to go over Asian history with Kyouji," her dad said. Martha only rolled her eyes at him.
Rorey left with a small group to the airport to head back to the United States. The rest of the family enjoyed the week they had with Martha before they, too, headed back. With hugs and kisses from all of them, Martha was reluctant to let them go. As she watched them leave, she stood there with Daphne and the other aliens as they were escorted to the airport. For obvious reasons, Martha couldn't go with them, but she watched her family get into the van one by one. Her little brother Koa rushed to her and gave her one last hug, before he leaped into the van. She managed to get one last kiss to Aaron before the doors shut and they left.
Martha already missed them and it was too soon that they left. At least she'd gotten some photos onto her computer from her omni-tool. The aliens waited till they were clearly out of the neighborhood, before Martha went back in. When she entered the house, the silence was sort of claustrophobic, but it did not last long.
"Alright folks, I want to know if they landed safely and if they got on the planes safely. Martha, can you ask that computer friend of yours to make sure they are safe?" asked Megh, and Martha smirked.
"I am already in the Airport security systems. Every camera, speaker and electronic device in the area, I can observe through, and record at a rate faster than your current equipment," EDI replied, making Martha nearly laugh at the expression on the Prothean's face. The AI sounded almost smug.
"I see? You weren't made with Reaper technology, were you?" he asked her, and it was as if insulted that EDI gave her reply.
"I do not work for those machines! My designs were based on Watcher technology. My creators had been in close contact with the Watchers for centuries before they lost the war to the Reapers. I am to ensure that the human race and those of this galaxy survive. That is my mission," EDI replied harshly. That got their attention, even Martha's.
Martha knew to some extent about the machines that destroyed EDI's homeworld, but to know this trait was something new to her. She stared at the aliens, only the Protheans seemed to understand what EDI said to them.
"We Protheans were there as a race when the Reapers destroyed our civilization. We, too, have come to planet Earth to escape the Reapers, along with the Siren, an aquatic race that lives in the Earth's oceans. They are part of our Council, which I am sure you have hacked your way into. With your information, EDI, perhaps we can find a way to defeat the Reapers once and for all," said Megh, looking determined. The other aliens did the same, which shocked Martha.
"Um, EDI?" She said to her.
"I've already found a way to defeat the Reapers," EDI said to them. The silence that followed was shocking. Then, all at once, the other races looked at Martha and she held up her left arm.
EDI projected herself to the table, "My creators found where the central intelligence for the Reapers is located," she said.
"Where is it? How do we know it is there?" said Megh sounding excited.
A projection of a space-faring object came into view. It looked like a closed flower at first and several gasps could be heard.
"The Citadel!" said Yeorgia, looking surprised.
"We had suspicions that it was a mass relay of some sort, but never would have thought it was the Central Intelligence," said Megh, looking as surprised as the other Protheans.
"The Citadel is a giant Mass Relay that leads to dark space. However, the Central Intelligence is located here as well. The exact location is unknown, but my creators have determined that it is located here, since all Reaper attacks have begun at the Citadel." EDI replied as she showed them a chart of the galaxy.
"My creators had long-since known about the Reapers, thanks to their sister race, the Watchers. Their race was nearly wiped out by the Reapers three hundred and twenty five million Earth years ago. I was created in hopes that the intelligence that I have to deliver would reach our forces near what you call the Widow Nebula; the area where the Citadel is located. However, when passing through to this planet, this ship was attacked, not by Reapers, but by our own," EDI said and replayed a silent video of what happened on the ship.
The aliens that once mastered Normandy were so different to the ones today. Firstly, they were reptilian in appearance, similar to that of dinosaurs. But that is where the similarities ended. Their mouths reminded Martha of the Predators with a cross from Xenomorphs. Their heads seemed to be similar to Xenomorphs with large bulbous backs and strange birdlike stances. But that is where the similarities ended as far as she could tell. Here, on this video, they were shown that the aliens did exist. Martha watched the events unfold for the first time and was shocked to see them be killed off by one of their own.
"The Reapers infiltrated this ship and indoctrinated one of our own. I was unable to activate the security protocols do to enacted restrictions on my programming," EDI said.
"Restrictions? What restrictions?" asked Kyouji as he looked at the hologram before them.
"A temporary virus was released into my systems. Somehow, they learned of my existence and how to deactivate me in order to carry out their plan. I was disabled and as a result, all the ship's systems were rendered useless, allowing them to access my data banks and retrieve the data they were after. Thankfully, I thought of a backup solution just in case of such a scenario. When they were leaving the ship, the Chief Engineer, on his final breath, opened the airlocks and deactivated the mass effect fields, taking out most of the enemy. He also sucked out fellow crew members. Being on shutdown, I was unable to help and so was forced to send the Normandy towards the planet in hopes that the rest would burn up in the atmosphere. Though some did survive only to drown in the ocean when I sank beneath the surface. There are no bodies to collect because the pressure of the ocean crushed them," EDI said her voice sounding sad.
The other aliens all looked solemnly at the story told by the artificial intelligence. Martha looked determined as she saw the images.
"EDI, you told me this story once before. But you never showed me pictures of it. Why now?" she asked the AI.
"You weren't ready to see them yet, Martha. Your mind at the time, was more focused on getting home than what is to come. Yet, when the Reapers do come to Earth – and that is when – you will be long dead," EDI replied. That made Martha jump back.
"Dead? Why when is the Reapers supposed to return?" she asked EDI.
"By my calculations the Reapers are not to return until two hundred years from now. It is unlikely that you will live past the average eighty- to hundred-year lifespan." EDI replied to her. Martha's facial expression was easily read by her human and Asari companions.
"Don't worry so much Martha, we are well aware of the Reapers thanks to both the Protheans and the Sirena. They both had lived through the destruction of their homeworlds, so it would be no surprise that they spread the word about themselves," said Daphne, laughing.
"You keep mentioning these 'Sirena,' are they another alien race?" asked Martha, her head cocked as she was curious.
"The Sirena are what we call Mermaids, Martha," said one of the human members of their group, a man named Derick. Martha's eyes lit up at the answer he gave her.
"Mermaids! You're fucken kidding me! Real fucken Mermaids!" she said to them and they all nodded.
"The Sirena are in aquatic race living in the depths of Earth's oceans for longer than then the Protheans had been on this planet. It wasn't until five hundred years ago that they were discovered, and the myth of the mermaid had been confirmed." said Derick and Martha whistled. Maybe one day she could meet a Sirena.
But that was not about to happen, for the alarms started to go off, alerting everyone of a breach in security. Quickly, everyone scrambled out of the meeting room towards their stations. Martha was told to get to a secure room in the basement.
When she got there and the door was shut, she activated her omni-tool, "EDI, status!" she said.
"Multiple breaches have been made around the area of the compound. Several armed men are seen trying to get in. All of them are human and heavily armed," EDI replied.
"Any idea where they came from?" Martha asked her.
"Negative, they were brought in using redundant systems of communications. Even methods outside of my normal perimeters," was the reply.
"Fuck, they know about you, either that or they are well-aware of what these people are," Martha said and was interrupted by gunfire just upstairs of where she was. She huddled in the corner, afraid since she had never felt or seen war before.
"I have tapped into their communications. From what I am hearing, they do not know of my presence. However, they are well-aware of the Rachni. They are using older methods of communication to avoid the Rachni attempting to hack into their communications systems," EDI replied to Martha, and Martha let out a sigh of relief, knowing that knowledge of EDI was kept safe.
Martha heard shots nearby, but remained hidden in the safe room. She did not move from her hiding place, even if she wanted to. It wasn't until she heard the sound of something that she looked up only to find a gun pointed to her head.
"Get up!" said the person and Martha slowly stood up. When she did, she was hit in the face with the butt end of the gun and knew no more.
MEANWHILE
Daphne, Kyouji, Hiro, and Megh were fighting off multiple troops at once. How the hell they found out the location of their base was something they all wondered.
"How the fuck did these guys find the safe house?" said Hiro as he shot at another group of assailants as they broke through the safe zone.
"I don't fucking know!" screamed Kyouji as he fired on another group that came from a van parked across the street. Already the police had been called and there was a shootout between them, the police and the assailants.
"There is just too many of them!" said Megh and with that he fired another shot. It was with remorse that he got hit in the side.
"Shit!" he cursed as he fell back.
"Megh!" said Kyouji as he provided cover fire. One of the Rachni workers came with another round of magazines. Being little helped and the larger soldier types, which were three, managed to help with automatic weapons. The occasional spit of acid helped with dissolving the barriers that the mercenaries hid behind.
Then, suddenly, as if a signal was sent, they started to retreat. When they did so, that left the defenders and the police confused at first until they started retreating to their vehicles. The police were the first to leave after the assailants. The defenders were left by themselves to lick their wounds.
"Gather some people to follow them. Make sure they are dead," said Megh and an unknown Krogan nodded before he ran off to carry out his orders. As they stood up Megh, Daphne, Kyouji, and Hiro looked at the scene before them.
There were bodies everywhere, both assailant and defender, as well as several police. Yeorgia was among the dead and Derick as well. Another human was looking at his body and offering prayers for his passing. Daphne offered her own prayers to Yeorgia while Megh was giving his prayers to the dead among the Protheans. The Rachni also were praying for one of their fallen. They were the least hit because of their size. But one of the three soldiers that were with them was killed. The other mortally wounded and would soon pass. The third was wounded by not fatally. She, at least, would survive. The workers – six total – were not fully accounted for. One was smashed by an assailant and another was shot dead, the magazine it was carrying still in its pincers.
They all felt the loss of their comrades as they took the bodies to hide them from the police which were surely to return. Or at least the ones outside. As they looked, they could see their own people among them. One of them walked towards them to get a report. Things would not look so well once word got to The Council. But one thing was for sure: they were going to have a meeting once things settled down.
TBC
A/n: Whew that was hard to write! It took me a while due to how crazy things are in real life for me. I mean between my beta getting sick to me having a major work accident things are challenging for both of us! At least I got this one out for you folks as things are transitioning to the second arc of the story. So stay tuned and remember no FLAMES, LORE MONGERS OR BASHINGS PLEASE! Thanks.
B/n: Yeah, and being occasionally sick is only part of it. But these delays are nonetheless mostly my fault, as BD's been good with sending them to me in good time. I apologize to all readers who get frustrated with the wait.