DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MASS EFFECT THEY ARE PROPERTY OF BIOWARE AND E.A. GAMES

A/N: I am so sorry it has taken myself and my beta this long to come up with a new chapter. Things happened at home and in life that forced us to delay posting. I had not given up on this story not by a long shot it is just that trying to find time to write is hard for me and it is harder for my beta when he himself is busy with is own life. So bare with us people and for those of you who posted your reviews and faved this story thank you so much!

Now on with the story.

MASS EFFECT THE IMMORTAL SERIES PART 1: FLIGHT OF THE NORMANDY

Chapter 33: The Rachni Queen

Adelaide, Australia

Daphne was escorted to a room with a single raised table. As soon as she entered, the room changed form. The table began to sink, allowing a holographic image to form in its stead.

"What is this?" Daphne asked EDI as she walked towards the light.

"This is our quantum communications room. In the past, we used quantum entanglement to communicate with each other over vast distances anywhere in the universe. Since you are only speaking to your council, that communication has been turned off. This will give you some privacy and prevent anyone other then myself not to see or hear your conversation. The only reason why I would be in the know is because I will be monitoring the systems and ensuring that no one disturbs your spies on your privacy," EDI replied to her.

Awestruck, Daphne stepped into the ring of light after a brief hesitation. The lights in the room suddenly went out, and then she was on the table in the main council room. The other council members looked at the table in shock as Daphne's form suddenly appeared.

"I did not expect your report to be this much of a surprise," Matriarch Atlanta said to Daphne as she reported in.

Still awestruck by the sight of the council around her as if she was in the room, Daphne replied, "Um, the pleasure is mine, Matriarch. I am still stunned by the technology on this ship."

The council reared back in surprise. "You are on the alien vessel," asked the council member from the Prothean nation. His name escaped Daphne, and she did not wish to remember him. After all, she was only a field agent.

"I am on the Normandy, yes. Apparently, their technology is far superior to ours, and their communications systems are far more advanced. EDI, the artificial intelligence on this ship, is allowing me to speak to you through very secure channels. Only she is monitoring the networks right now to ensure that our conversation is not being tapped," Daphne replied.

The others could only stare at Daphne as she stood there as if she was in the room with them. However, when one person reached out to touch her, her image shimmered.

"Amazing! Such advanced technology is even more sophisticated than ours. It was as if our ancestors were with us! I mean, to create such technology to allow the full image to come clearly is truly amazing. I feel like I am going back in time," said the council member of the Prothean race.

"You must remember why we are here," said the council member for the Sirena. They quickly humbled themselves at Daphne's appearance. The image then changed to the Sirena council member as they floated down to her, only being hindered by the glass tank that allowed her to be here after all.

"You state that you are looking for someone who has enough experience with extreme psychic cases to aid you in helping the pilot of this, Normandy, return to their human form. I find it curious that this person is even human if they were transformed into such a creature. Do you by chance refer to the creature that rampaged through Shanghai and was seen burning the city to the ground?" the Sirena asked.

Daphne nodded in reply to the statement, "Yes, she is the same. Her name is Martha Kahalewai, she was an American who was taken hostage by the United Nations due to her strong biotic ability. An ability she did not know she possessed, and when an accident happened in the Element Zero Core chambers, it caused a chain reaction to somehow give her not only the nanites that fueled her blood now, but it also gave her the ability to transform into the monster you saw in your reports." Daphne replied.

"That sort of technology is what the Reapers used to control their victims. The Sirena, Prothean and Rachni have all been victims of it in the past," said the Prothean representative. His face was as emotionless as ever. However, his eyes – all four pairs of them – showed that the words he said were, in fact, true.

"Their sour notes are like poison to one's ears. Many queens remember their songs as they destroyed this galaxy many times over." the Rachni representative said to them, her large appendages moving in tandem.

"So is there a way we can save the pilot, as she is the only one the Normandy responds to when in full operation?" Daphne asked them and the council was silent for a while.

"We need to see what this creature looks like before we can proceed, for safety reasons," Matriarch Atlanta replied, her voice even, despite looking nervous.

"Very well. EDI, can you please send them live feeds from the cargo bays please," Daphne said to the artificial intelligence. Their screens lit up with the feed from the cameras, showing them her current status.

Now, to say that everyone's shocked is an understatement, as they saw the live footage of Martha sleeping in the cargo hold. To see the size of the creature compared to the people passing her by and loading the Normandy up with supplies put it into perspective how dangerous she could be.

"She looks like a fuckingdragon!" Sean the human representative called out, his eyes bulging out of his head as he was glued to the screen in front of him.

"As you can see, Martha is under sedation using delta waves emitted from the Mass Effect fields. This enabled us to keep her in a sedative state until we can come up with a solution to return her back to normal," Daphne said to them, the council going silent to think.

"The Asari have long known to enter the minds of others for the soul purpose of mating or communing on a spiritual level in the past. However, to do so now to something of this magnitude would be too dangerous for even someone as experienced as a matriarch to achieve." Matriarch Atlanta replied, her voice sad as she looked around at her fellows.

"The Krogan generally do not possess such abilities and those that do are few and far between. Their inexperience will most likely cause them to go mad when dealing with mental defenses or getting lost in ones mind if they go too deep," Emiko the Krogan representative added.

"The Prothean might be able to help. However, we are too sensitive to the thought processes of ones mind. We can extract information and know what languages one speaks or their history through touch but we can't actively penetrate the mind of another for the sheer will of trying to revive a loss consciousness." the Prothean representative said to them.

"I might be able to help. The Rachni have the ability to break through someone's mind to see the songs that this person sings. However if this creature was in fact human and from what your written reports have stated then her mind has evolved to the point where going into it would be like stepping into the unknown. I myself can't do it but I know someone who can. She is eldest of our queens and she has centuries of experience as well as the knowledge of queens who came before her. Maybe she might be able to aid your friend," The Rachni representative said to them.

It was a well known fact that the Rachni Queens would select one of their own, a younger queen to be a representative to the council. That way even with all their genetic memories they can gain their own experiences when governing their hives. The queen in front of them is of course only fourteen years of age but she still carries herself with as much maturity as a person who is in their sixties.

"Well, I am honored you are willing to help, but how will we be able to transport your queen to the Normandy? Or do you have a way to transport Martha to the Queen in question?" Daphne asked her.

"We will be coming to you, we have our own means of transportation should the queens come into danger again. The Krogan are aware of this as per our peace agreement." the Rachni representative said to them.

"Thank you. I will inform Dr. Alenkov of your impending arrival. How soon would that be?" Daphne asked her. Her mind was racing at the possibilities that she never knew about. Then again, each race has their own secrets.

"She says that she will be there in a week's time as there is much to prepare." the representative said to them. They had all forgotten that Rachni can travel but preparations had to be made with other queens if one were to leave their nest. Another queen has to take over temporarily, especially if there is eggs involved, which was usually the case. The queen is the most protected individual in the hive and the representative being a junior queen has several body guards to protect her at all times.

"So she would be here in a week?" Daphne said to them and they all nodded.

"Very well I will make preparations here and inform the staff of the arrival of the Rachni queen." With that Daphne sighed off and the room faded once again to metallic gray and the holographic circle disappeared. When Daphne stepped back the table rose from the ground again along with the seats that no one noticed was there.

"Thank you EDI," Daphne said to the A.I.

"You're welcome Dr. N'teri," EDI replied to her request.

"I appreciate your help. Could you direct me to Dr. Alenkov's office so that I can inform her of the council's doings?" Daphne asked her.

"Very well, and when you are done, Major Kowalsky and Major Reynolds wish to see you in their office so that you are given the proper equipment if you are going to be a member of our crew," EDI informed her. Thanking the artificial intelligence, she left the room after giving instructions where the office is located.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Cullen Kahalewai looked up in awe and a bit of fear when faced with the large predator. Today he and Aaron are going to be with Martha today. When the large eye was opened it looked at them groggily before it gave it's full attention to them.

"Hey girl," Aaron said slowly as he reached up to pet her. Martha leaned into the touch her long snout touching his hand and a soft croon had been given. In the few days since Aaron and Cullen or Koa to his family members had been introduced again to Martha things had been strange.

Well 'calm' was the better term for it.

Martha will only respond to both Koa and Aaron and to no one else in her family not even her parents. If they came close she would hiss or growl to warn them to stay away. Her warning was heeded and they never came near. Koa was more enthused than Aaron as the boy would run up to what he deemed as 'his dragon' and try to play with her. Martha would only respond by giving short barks, or at one point, regurgitate her food and tried to get him to eat it.

They did not let the boy repeat that ever again.

Koa himself never wanted to see half digested human body parts again. The boy was so frightened by it that he refused to eat for nearly a day. His stomach was not allowing him any food, especially animal parts. So a few days passed after that event, before he managed to eat again, though slowly.

Thankfully, Martha learned that the corpses made Koa scared and then incinerated them again. Koa himself would climb all over her and play with her. Aaron would just sit down by her wing and read from his laptop.

Watching them was a squad of security personnel who wanted to ensure that everything was alright. As they sat there, Martha was being extra gentle with Koa as the boy continued to play with the feathers on her head.

But all that stopped when her head suddenly jerked up, her snout going up in the air as if smelling something. A large forked tongue flicked in and out like a monitor lizard as she turned her head towards the source: The hatch doors to the Normandy.

OUTSIDE THE NORMANDY

Dr. Alenkov stood with Daphne and Liu, waiting for the arrival of the Rachni queen that was willing to help Martha regain her human self. The smaller workers and soldiers raced around the ship, surprising everyone. Martha's family was also surprised by the sight as they were crawled on by dozens of giant alien bugs. When the crowd cleared and the soldiers returned, another presence showed itself. To say it was MASSIVE would have been an understatement. The creature looked like a cross between a spider, a praying mantis, a scorpion and a beetle.

It was clearly even in size with Martha, who roared her fury at it, but could not move due to the mass effect shielding. The creature then started to ram into the shield, only to be shocked by the action. She roared her rage as she tried to flap her wings. Sparks flew from the generators that tried to hold her shield up.

"Lower her shields, for she must know that I am not a threat," a voice said to them and Dr. Alenkov realized that the voice was coming from the massive insect. Its voice was raised so that everyone could hear her.

"Do it," Daphne said to Dr. Alenkov. She then nodded towards the men below and ordered them silently to lower the shield.

When it was lowered, Martha did not hesitate to charge the queen. The other insects quickly came to protect her, but she waved them off. Moving further into the open field, the giant queen waited. Dr. Alenkov was impressed; this queen was no joke. When Martha breathed fire upon her, the rachni queen only blocked the blow. Then she unleashed something that stunned the dragon, forcing it out of the sky. As she fell to the ground and skid across the runway, the Rachni queen walked right up to the monster and pinned her down. Martha tried to burn her again, and even tried to electrocute her with a biotic attack, but the queen merely shrugged it off.

She then sent a mental pulse to Martha, forcing the alien to drop to the ground once again. Roaring, she tried to get up, only to be pinned again. The Rachni Queen then walked over to her and used her smaller forearms to grab onto Martha's wings. Holding them out to their fullest, the dragon tried to get at her again and again. But the Rachni Queen only moved her head before her glowing eyes pinned the dragon and forced it to submit.

Only when Martha submitted by relaxing her wings and exposing her neck did the Rachni queen let her go. She held her tentacles up high to show that she will not tolerate any trickery coming from Martha. Panting in response, the dragon only rose slowly with her head subdued to show that she will not fight again. The Rachni queen then indicated with her head to the ship and Martha got up slowly and with her head lowered and tail dragging as if it was between her legs went back into the ship. The rachni queen followed.

Dr. Alenkov was impressed as she watched the events happened. The Rachni queen and Martha both barely fit in the cargo hold but the Normandy's cargo hold was large enough to accommodate both of them. When the queen was situated with her workers and the workers already on the Normandy she turned her large head towards Dr. Alenkov and those who watched a deck above them.

"So this is the creature that my junior told me about?" the queen said.

"Yes, her name is Martha Kahalewai and, well... if you read her file you would know what happened to her," Daphne said to the queen, not showing any sort of protocol at all. But, then again, maybe that applied only to humans.

"I see, her song is full of reds and yellows: the colors of fear and anger. She is scared and confused and angry. The yellow burns brightly in her," The Rachni queen said to them.

"How do we address you, I don't want to sound rude in front of others," Dr. Alenkov asked her and the Queen turned her head towards her. Her many eyes glowed with curiosity. She tilted her head as if wondering what to say. Then she decided to go for something simple.

"In the language of your Aztecs I am called Teyacapan, but you can call me Queen Teya." the Rachni queen said to her. Her reply was gentle as she purred her name to her.

Dr. Alenkov felt at ease as she slowly calmed down. Daphne was chuckling to herself despite the look on the Commander's face.

"Rachni don't like former titles. They prefer to be called by their names, even the queens. Though if you have to be formal, you can address her like a human queen." Liu said as he bowed to her to show his respect.

"I was surprised when the council asked for my assistance in helping this one return to its original form," the queen said as she turned her massive head to look at Martha. The others in the room quickly gave her a wide berth to allow her to speak freely.

"I'm sorry if it sounded so rude, but we had no other choice. An Asari can't penetrate her mind without her permission. Her mental defenses would drive us insane if we tried," Daphne said to her.

The queen tilted her head to the side to eye her better with her left eyes as she looked between her and the now-placid Martha. Understanding seemed to dawn on her.

"I think I understand why you chose to ask the Rachni for assistance. Her mind would be well guarded and for an Asari to try and penetrate such a mind would prove to be a disaster. I see why now. Your songs are filled with the bright yellow of hope but it is overshadowed with blues of sadness. I see that you have been through much Dr. Alenkov. There is much pain on your songs and I hope by healing your friend we can help to bring you back to harmony." the queen said. Her voice was soothing to each of them; they knew she meant no harm.

"So will you help us?" Dr. Alenkov asked her.

The queen nodded, her gigantic head moving like an ax as she gave her response.

"I will help since she is so dear to you," the queen said as she turned back towards Martha's form.

"What will you do to her?" Dr. Alenkov asked her, her mind was in turmoil as to how she was going to bring Martha back.

"I will have to be swift and the attack on her mind must be done by brute force. I saw the defenses her mind has put up. They are to keep the ones who did this to her out. The one you called Alexandria had done much harm to her young and fragile mind. If you wish I would like to do the ritual now," Teyacapan replied as she moved closer to Martha.

"If that is what you desire, my queen, do what you must to help heal this child," said Daphne, aware what she was saying. Nodding her head, the Rachni queen made her way towards Martha's form. The creature slowly backed away as if afraid of the giant insectoid.

As quickly as they came, she suddenly thrust her tentacles out, each one splitting into five moving parts that grasped onto the monster. Martha screamed as she tried to fight but the Rachni queen held her gaze at the terrified creature, forcing it still as she used her smaller forearms to hold the creature's head so she could look into its eyes.

DREAMSCAPE

She looked around her surroundings. The landscape before her was desolate. It held no color, no purpose. It was filled with the silence of nothingness.

The Rachni Queen looked around her, her smaller size was more adequate to this landscape. She felt that to come into this place, she needed to be in a form more suiting to her host. After some time thinking, she morphed into a human shape with clothes to match her background. As she walked around the landscape, she could hear the cries of the Vaimphull as the creature circled overhead. Knowing that the creature was hunting, the queen continued walking the desolate landscape.

As she looked around, she did not recognize the buildings, but she saw the shapes of the statues around the area. They were in the form of earth insects if they were crossed with that of the earth cephalopods of this planet. Squids and cuttlefish but with the legs of a flea or tick.

She walked through the landscape, seeing the bones of many fallen. She felt the sour notes of the Reapers. Their taint was as foul as she remembered it. As the oldest of the Rachni queens, Teyacapan searched the landscape for the signs that she came to seek.

As she walked, she came upon a pond of rainwater. When she looked inside, she could see the human form she had chosen for herself. It was the reflection of the people who had adopted her and her people many centuries before. Long silver hair with deeply tanned skin and dark eyes stared back at her. The deep wrinkles of one so old showed her age as her gnarled hands worked through the water to ripple the reflection she was seeing.

"This place is old," she said out loud to herself. She then stood up on stiff legs as she walked around the city. The shrill cries above her showed that the creature was still watching her.

When she got closer to a nearby building, she could see it. Tendrils of colors she recognized, such as those that sickly browns of disgust and the red of anger filled her vision. They were coming from a building not far from where she was. Walking closer to it, she spotted another statue, this one filled with colors in this colorless world.

When she approached, she was met by an angry statue. This statue looked exactly like the Vaimphull circling above, but it was made of hard black diamonds. The statue here was in such detail that it was hard not to notice. However, Teyacapan did not stop there. As she reached out with her human hand, she felt all the songs that were trapped within.

"Your song is in pieces, little one. I feel your pain," Teyacapan said to herself as she felt the piece of the song in her hand. It was like a ribbon of color, of reds and yellows. There were oranges as well to show fear and that is probably why Martha is acting this way out of fear. She had taken this song into her hands as she walked further into the city. Teyacapan continued to look through the mind of the woman that she seeks to find. Wondering if this desolate land that is full of alien structures truly part of her mind.

Or someone else's.

MEANWHILE

Dr. Alenkov, along with Martha's family, could only sit there and watch as the Rachni Queen worked to restore Martha's mind to what it used to be. The eyes on the giant insect were no longer glowing, meaning that she was deep in mediation, appearing as if she were in a slumber.

"Whoa, is Martha going to be alright?" little Koa asked them and Dr. Alenkov bent down to be at the boy's level.

"Your sister is in good hands. This alien is very old and very wise if, and if anyone can help her, she can," she said to him. The boy looked at the window with his two sisters on either side. He put his hand on the glass and prayed that everything would be well.

Dr. Alenkov watched as the two aliens seemed to be in a trance-like state, neither trying to move from their spot.

DREAMSCAPE

Teyacapan searched for what appeared to be hours. She found several more statues that looked similar to the first, all of them with reds and oranges or reds and yellows. When she finally reasoned that she had enough of them, she slowly and carefully began to weave the song together. The colors of the music they made was vibrant and loud, which to her meant that the host was feeling very angry and very scared. The songs that came from it were repeating what Teyacapan already knew.

Martha is terrified and alone.

As she looked around this desolate landscape, it became more apparent to her that this city is not a city on Earth. The statues around her were a sure sign of it.

Is this part of the Vaimphull's homeworld? she thought as she made her way further into the city. This mind did not say it was human. For humans, as far as she knew, have minds that reflect their homeland. Martha's should have done the same. Instead, it was filled with colorless wastes and no signs of life, save the threads of song she wove.

As soon as she heard the song to its fullest, she was filled with rage. The images that came to her spoke of the Reapers and how they destroyed this world. She knew of them from the Protheans and from her mothers that came before. The Rachni are an old race and they had lived past the Protheans due to their hive-like culture and their psychic abilities to detect Reapers. She herself had been the first to come to Earth from the Singing Planet, her homeworld. Trapped on this planet for centuries, she remembered the wars and the ones who poisoned the songs of harmony her people made. The first Protheans, the original ones who came, had been ruthless and cruel in their experiments on her kind. The ones currently on Earth were descended from the scientists and warriors who had come before. However, unlike the previous Protheans, these people had learned humility by watching humanity evolve into the civilizations they knew today.

The Rachni, she remembered, crashed here during a fierce battle with the Citadel forces. Her ship had at least three queens on it and the other two perished, leaving her, the oldest of the three, the sole survivor. As the last of her kind, she at first vowed vengeance upon them. But after seeing the humans who lived in this world, the Aztecs, call her their goddess, well... things had been different.

She had earned a name Teyacapan, the 'First Born,' as she was the first Rachni they had seen. Eventually, they had helped her by hiding her from her enemies and hiding her underground, which was perfect for her. Here, she began to create her brood, and they, in turn, learned her songs. But instead of songs of war, she learned songs of peace and harmony once again. Songs that her mothers sang to her before the Protheans came.

It was about five hundred years ago that she discovered the other species had survived as well. The Asari and Krogan had survived the crash of their own ship and had ventured into different parts of Earth. The Asari took on the Greek and southern European cultures, meaning those along the Mediterranean and Northern African cultures. The Krogan took on the Asian cultures of East Asia. The Protheans, which the Rachni discovered still exist, had occupied Western Asia, especially on the subcontinent of India and along the Persian territory.

The Sirena were discovered when one of her kind had found them washed on the shore. The Rachni, being masters of the song, had used it to contact them. There, all four of them made themselves known to the human populations. There, they sent ambassadors to represent their species. It was a song made in harmony of all colors. Though they kept it secret from the main populous for obvious reasons. Now, however, with them out in the open, Teyacapan was glad. For now, she began to sing the song that she had passed to her children; the song of harmony.

It was the song of harmony for all, hoping to find something that would help her find her charge.

However, as soon as she'd gotten to a good part of the chorus, her song was interrupted by the sound of flapping wings and a massive roar. One she had only heard of in the songs of her ancestors.

The sour yellow notes of enemies long since gone.

Turning her head, she saw, for the first time, that the ones who released their sour notes made themselves known. She watched as it smashed the ground in front of her. A massive sized monster the size of a mountain. It was followed by others and she quickly started to make her way away from the statue of the Vaimphull.

Just in time, too, for the lead machine shot a beam directly at her. Its piercing cry shook the ground where she was. Running for her life, she managed to find shelter in an underground tunnel.

"This is not normal. This must be a vision from the Vaimphull or from the nanites in her blood," Teyacapan said to herself, speaking out loud to prevent her thoughts from getting mixed up.

As she walked into the underground facility, the tunnels seemed to get bigger and bigger as if they were once filled with water.

"What is this place?" she said to herself as she continued deeper and deeper into the tunnels. When she got to a certain depth, she saw that the ground evened out, but it was far deeper than she could imagine. When she looked around, she was not surprised that her eyes could not penetrate the darkness. Humans don't have good night vision, not like the Rachni. So she closed her eyes and assumed her true form, and with better vision, she managed to see where she was at.

The caves were dark, but filled with the sound of dripping water. But it was also here that she saw the first victim of the Reapers. These creatures resembled earth bugs much like the Rachni do, but even more distinct than them. However, the more aquatic nature of the creature's remains showed Teyacapan that she was in out of her league. As she approached the carcass, she reached out with her tentacles to feel the notes that it might have left behind.

There was only silence, meaning the creature was long since dead. Pulling back, she continued on her way through the massive graveyard of bodies. Making her way upwards, towards the main front of the cave, she managed to see for herself the glowing orb in front of her. She remembered this from her mothers before, telling her of the dark singers of the deep. They who created the Watchers and the Reapers. Maybe this might be able to help her find Martha.

Reaching out with her limbs, she just barely touched it, when she felt the mind's pull.

She immediately retreated her tentacles and connection as she was assaulted with the images of torture, rape, hunger and neglect. It was a sad thing to see as the walls were littered with the history of this desolate place. All around her were images of the people here. How they thrived and how they died out. The Reapers played a significant role. The Vaimphull, it shows, also played a part in their culture. The creature was once a symbol of power and freedom among the tribes that once lived here. Teyacapan looked at them in awe as the creatures they worshiped as gods and rulers used the Vaimphull hunts as a way for warriors to prove themselves to them. She realized that the creature is not only intelligent but cunning and aggressive.

But then the images started to change. They started to show the Rachni Queen how the Watchers came to be. Their history and their sacrifice to protect all life from the Reapers. The Vaimphull DNA was taken from the creature by the natives who by then evolved into a more civilized community and placed in the nanites in hopes that it would one day be reborn to guide their people to destroy the Reapers. Teyacapan realized that for the first time she was seeing the history of the Watchers; the beings who kept them hidden from the Reapers for millennia. The Rachni homeworld, the Singing Planet, as they called it, was one such place where it was hidden from the Reapers.

"That is how the alien DNA came into being," Teyacapan said to herself as she looked further and further.

The history began to change as she traveled deeper and deeper into the tunnels, noting that the sounds of the explosions outside became eerily quiet the deeper she went.

Eventually she emerged in an underground cavern which formed a vast dark pool. Here, she could see lights that led far below. But she knew better than to enter this water. For this water would only lead to one going mad because the defenses of Martha's mind would destroy her from the inside. She then started to sing the song of harmony, hoping her song would lead her to the source of Martha's mind.

As she sang the song that she had weaved from the pieces she brought and brought the songs of harmony to her the water began to churn. When it started to change colors Teyacapan knew that Martha was listening. As the waters began to change color, something began to emerge from it. A ball of light began to form just above the surface of the water.

Teyacapan knew what this meant – that Martha's true self must have heard her. Carefully, she stepped into the area where the orb glowed, knowing that it would protect her from the water. As she came closer to the water, she began to shift into her human appearance. The old woman she became greeted her as she transformed yet again into something close in appearance to a Sirena.

As she sunk deeper and deeper into the water until she was submerged completely, Teyacapan felt herself travel deeper and deeper underwater, following the light of the creature. As she traveled, she could hear the sounds of something that humans called a whale.

The deeper she went the more she could hear it.

It was haunting and beautiful at the same time.

The colors that floated from it were many and more vivid than anything she could imagine. The pressure from the water started to get to her, but her sirena body held up well. As she adjusted, she could see the colors even more vividly as they changed their form to that of the jellyfish and the creatures that roamed the deep. Teyacapan was surprised to see such colors and feel the music that flowed in such a dark place. Perhaps she could visit the Sirena for real. She had heard stories from other Rachni ambassadors, perhaps she should as well. After all, she is the eldest of the queens and her wisdom carries weight.

But it was here, at the bottom of the lake, that she found what she was looking for. The ball of light had led her to a cave and when she swam inside the cave, she was instantly taken across the darkness of the underground. A current of water pushed her and she found herself forced to swim alongside other ocean creatures till it opened up to another underground cave. This one was filled with light as hundreds of thousands of creatures roamed here in full harmony. Swimming among them were giant creatures she had never seen before but they resembled the Reapers and the Watchers together. However their forms looked more organic than the Reapers.

The other creatures around them worshiped them and some even paid them some mind to say something in some sort of language before leaving. Teyacapan was curious as she watched them, but not before the bright ball led her further down the well-lit streets. As she swam, she saw other things that could cause her to look in curiosity. The streets and the cities were all underwater, well hidden from the Reapers and yet she knew that these were not Martha's memories. The further she traveled, the more she became curious as to why these memories were here.

When they came to the end of the long street she saw, for the first time, a massive temple. It was dedicated to the giants she saw earlier. When she swam inside, guided by the light, Teyacapan saw for the first time that this part of Martha's mind was completely different. What was once cold and lifeless and then stuck underwater turned into something that brought light to the area.

The ball of light brought her towards a forest that should not be underwater. In fact, it should be on the surface. As she came closer, she noticed that her legs suddenly appeared where a tail should have been and she was once again human. Teyacapan looked around as if the ocean had suddenly disappeared and the forest began. Walking further in, she saw that the birds did not sound the same as the ones in her homeland of Brazil. In fact, she had never heard their song before. And yet the colors were still here.

She saw a small little bird with a red body, black wings and a curved beak sipping nectar from a flower that looked like an exploding volcano. She saw a hawk she had never seen before fly past her and disappearing into the forest. As she walked further into the forest, the sounds of birds filled her ears. When she got deeper, following the light, she suddenly saw for the first time the landscape in front of her.

Right in front of her was a small piece of land that looked vastly different than where she came from. In fact, it took her a minute to realize that she is looking at the top of an island. On all sides was ocean and on the other side there is more ocean. In fact, she could see the shadows of other islands in the distance.

"This must be Hawai'i." she said out loud. Looking in fascination for the first time as the landscape was so small compared to her home in Brazil. To the west was a mountain bare of any forest, save for some shrublands. The mountain she was on was filled with forests, a vast difference in appearance. She started to walk towards the edge of the forest. When she got there, she realized that there was in fact a lot of red dirt here. And that there was deer, wild pigs and goats everywhere.

"They said in the report that Martha is from here. Perhaps I can find her here," she said, looking around to see if there was anyone here. Seeing a dirt road, she began to follow it towards the main highway. It was as deserted as the rest of the island. No people anywhere. Normally she would be seeing people if this was a well-maintained road. But looking at it showed that it could use some repair and repaving.

Walking along the road, she changed into her true form to cover more ground. Teyacapan used her gigantic form to see the town in the distance with the only port. Walking proved useful in getting a feel for the climate in Hawaii.

When she had gotten to the main town, there was no one in sight. Feeling a bit confused, she resumed her human form again and looked into the single-story buildings to see if she could find anyone. When she didn't find anyone she looked around to see if there was anyone alive.

But there were no bodies.

The whole town was deserted. There wasn't even a single car in sight.

Walking down the street, Teyacapan could only see a few things here and there that was any indication that the town was occupied. But only the hot wind blowing in her face greeted her search. As she walked down the street a sign was posted on the wall of one of the many buildings she passed.

MOLOKAI HEALTH CLINIC

It showed the shape of the island and the small building was seen as what it really was… a clinic for the ill.

"So Molokai is the name of this island," Teyacapan said out loud to herself. She opened the door to enter only to find herself in a laboratory.

This, she knew, was not a doctor's clinic at all. The laboratory was filled with the screams of people as they were tortured by men in white coats. Teyacapan walked further in and saw for the first time that this was probably what had caused the transformation in the first place.

There were about five scientists, all of them were holding down a woman strapped to a table, screaming as they started torturing her. They would hold her down with straps while another man tore her clothes off. Then, while she was struggling, began to cut her open while she was still awake. Teyacapan had heard of humans who performed these tortures on their own kind. Even Krogan would do it to punish those who broke their more sacred laws. Asari would do it, too, as well as Protheans but she didn't know if the Sirena do it. But she knew that the Rachni had done it in the past before. During the time of war with the rest of the galaxy. To see it in person, here, with someone who was innocent, was not something for her to ignore. She went to move in when she saw something horrific; One of them chopped the woman's arm off and her screams filled the roam. Off to the side, Teyacapan could see the image of Alexandria Wilcox watching from the one way mirror. Anger and hatred coursed through her at the memory of that woman's torture on her own kind. She is well-known in her community for her cruel experiments on the Rachni.

Teyacapan watched as Martha's arm grew back and her screams intensified as she was cut into again and again. The needles coming down and taking a lot of blood samples, it was enough to make her sick. Having enough, Teyacapan screeched as she charged the scientists and slammed into the first one. When another went after her with a needle, she resumed her true form and smashed him with her tentacles. Being of a smaller size, since her original size would crush her intended target, she struck at Alexandria Wilcox before the woman could retaliate. Others came, but she fought them off with both her legs, claws and tentacles.

When it was over, she came up to the form now shaking on the table. She gently stroked the person's face singing the song of harmony to them. Eyes began to droop as, slowly, the scared woman began to succumb to sleep as she slowly let go.

Teyacapan knew that she couldn't pull out of Martha's mind yet. She had to heal her and get her to understand that this was a dream. Knowing that she had found the core owner of this mind, she quickly and quietly released the woman and carried her away, out of the laboratory. The only way for her to do so was to take her into her own mind, where she can recover, but that too, could be dangerous. Especially when one's will was as weak as hers. So instead, she had to force her mind more into hers, and by doing so, she lifted her up and started for the doors.

When she opened the doors, she was met with the long hallway of what could be the very place that had destroyed this woman's life.

REAL WORLD

"They had been at it for about three hours," said Major Kowalski, Mr. Kahalewai and Aaron alongside him, both of them afraid.

"To heal one's mind is not an easy task. To force it out the way she is doing will have to take time. One has to fight their way past the defenses of the mind in order to find the subconscious, and from there, the person's real consciousness. Some people are organized and others are messy. If Martha was tortured, then her mind is in complete shambles," said Daphne. She had been sitting in the main conference room, going over what is going on.

"I understand how hard it is for Martha's mind to be recovered. I was lucky that I was trained to withstand torture. If not, then there would be trouble for me to recover," Dr. Alenkov replied as they reviewed Teyacapan and Martha's vitals.

"It probably is very scrambled for her to take this long," said Major Kowalski, his voice sounding hesitant, as if wanting the old Martha back. Dr. Alenkov didn't blame him. They all wanted her back, but it would take time. And even if they were able to return her to human form her mind might not be the same again.

Dr. Alenkov remembered those scared eyes when they were captured. How she often wanted to seek her for comfort before they were taken into China. A woman who was frightened to the point of becoming a monster. It was frightening to see that, as she watched the hologram of the two just sitting there.

Then the door opened and Dr. Jackson entered, his face was flushed as he looked to Dr. Alenkov before handing her a tablet.

"And what do I owe this pleasure Dr. Jackson?" Dr. Alenkov said surprised to see him.

"Well….Kimber and I saw something that should interest you. At least until the ordeal with Martha is done with," Dr. Jackson said as he turned to see Daphne sitting in the other chair.

"Oh? Do tell," Dr. Alenkov said as she read the report. What shocked her was something she did not see coming.

"You can't be serious? The Chinese wants to execute Martha for eating a good chunk of their populace," she said to him. Dr. Jackson nodded, his face solemn.

"I'm afraid so, Elenna. Martha has done considerable damage to Shanghai and has decimated the PLA to the point where they are forcing minority groups to join. She also burned the city of Shanghai to the ground. The CCP will not stand for it, but the people say differently. With that, he handed her another report.

"Oh, and what do the people say about all of this?" Dr. Alenkov said to him.

"The people don't want the monster destroyed. They wanted it freed from our captivity. They said that the creature who ate the people in Shanghai was a punishment for the aliens they had locked up in the basement of that building. However, because of the CCP, they can't say their things out loud for fear of being silenced. At least, that is what Kexing told me." Dr. Jackson said to her.

"Kexing?" Dr. Alenkov asked.

"Dr. Wei Kexing, the scientist we got from China." Major Kowalski said to her. Showing an 'Ah' look on her face she read the reports.

"If I were to put my two cents in, Martha should have been sedated long ago. However, due to the nature of the nanites in her blood that might not be possible." EDI said, startling all of them.

"That was a joke," EDI said to them.

"It was not very funny EDI," said Daphne, sounding a bit offended.

"However, the CCP is the only one who is in agreement with that area concerning the... Vaimphull, was it? Well, now that we have our pilot back and the Rachni Queen is trying to get her back to being human again. I will have a bit of a problem trying to keep Chinese spies from getting both our scientists and our alien friends. The CCP has been very pushy lately when it concerns their cities being burned. Their people only want peace but are too afraid to say it to their own government. Others just wants things to go back to the way they were... boring," Dr. Jackson said to them.

"Be that as it may, we still have a long way to go before things return to normal," Dr. Alenkov said to them. When they left her office after being dismissed Dr. Alenkov could not help but reach under her desk for a bottle of Vodka and a glass to get something to drink. Only when she felt the burn of the drink down her throat did she allow herself to rest her brains for a bit. The constant meetings between herself and the council was taking its toll on her mental health.

As she laid back on her chair she looked at the picture of her husband and her children all of them at a Christmas dinner a few years back. Dr. Alenkov smiled when she saw that picture and even the picture of all the Normandy Crew right after they gotten back from Space. She wanted to cry when she saw what had happened to some of them. But she will hold back for now and pray to god that something good would come out of this.

TBC

A/n: Ah man this one was planned for a while but it had taken me this long to write it. Part of it was because there was too much commissions that had to be done. So most of my attention was dedicated to that. The other half was dealing with a scammer who tried to steal my money from my bank accounts. Bastard nearly succeeded too but I got him in the end. Goes to show that faking that you are the FBI can be fun because all of their accounts are closed. Hehehehe.

Any hows please remember to place a review and to please no FLAMES, BASHINGS OR LORE MONGERS PLEASE!