I suppose not much can be said of the hour's that followed, it was of course a tragic night. But the standard after birth procedures had to be followed. I was weighed, measured, and (I really wish I had been asleep for this bit.) circumcised.

After that I was wrapped in a ridiculously soft blanket,a fluffy little fleece cap was placed atop my bald head. And I was placed in the tender mercies of the head nurse, a gray-haired matronly hispanic woman. She carried me a little ways, humming as she walked. "So mi hijo, what's your name eh?"

She asked me as she bustled along with me in tow. She looked down at my name-tag, and gave a wide smile. "Matthew eh?, that's your name? Well hey there Matthew, my names Gloria."

She then bent down conspiratorially. As if about to divulge a secret. "But you can call me Auntie Gloria. Ok mi hijo?"

I gave a small smile. And she beamed back. "Well, it's about time I put you to sleep. Buenos noches pequeno."

I was placed in a small cot next to a few other dosing children. And Gloria departed, leaving me alone with the other snuffling infants. I was glad since it gave me a little time to think.

Ok...

So I had, through means as yet unknown, been transported to a time or possibly universe not my own. By the living personification of death. I had no way of knowing where I was, or at this point who I was. Hell, I didn't even know what I looked like!

I had a happy enough life before...

Well, all of this. But it had not been a particularly fulfilled one either. I had just been starting out in college. With a major in the arts. But had been struggling to pay for the increasingly expensive tuition.

And then out of nowhere I died.

I had been celebrating my 19th birthday with a few friends before it happened, a movie was watched, some rather terrible tasting beer was consumed, and a few gifts were received.

I left my best friend's house at what I fuzzily remember as 2 a.m. I had been tottering along a deserted road, heading home.

I heard the car before I saw it.

There was the flash of lights. The blaring of a horn, a moment of indescribable pain. The sensation of flying. And then darkness.

Then of course there had been death, sending me off to who knew where. And now here I was, wrapped in a fluffy blanket and trapped inside the body of an infant. I gave a small yawn, much to my surprise. But then, I was no longer in the body of a young adult. I was in the far less energy efficient body of an infant. And it had been a rather hectic day. (I guess being born could really take it out of you.) I suppose I could reflect on the rest later. I closed my eyes and let myself drift off to sleep.

My dreams were strange. And very, very lucid.

There was a huge white expanse. Extending farther than I could believe in every direction. I was in my old body, the one I had before it had been made one with the pavement by an SUV.

"AH MR SULLIVAN."

I looked around and was surprised by what I saw. Death was reclining sedately in a small chair. A book rested in his hand. And his scythe rested against the back of his seat. He had a kettle on the boil. He took the kettle off the hot plate, poured the boiling water into a small pot. Placed some tea-bags inside. And gave the mixture a quick stir. He poured some into two small cups and proffered one to me.

"WOULD YOU PERCHANCE LIKE SOME TEA?"

I shook in place and grit my teeth in annoyance.

"Tea?!"

I yelled.

"After all the crap your bony ass put me through, you have the nerve to offer me tea?! I'm a goddamn baby!"

But I was never one to refuse a meal or drink. And so I took the proffered cup.

"YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL, MOST PEOPLE DON'T EVEN GET THE REINCARNATION OPTION."

Death said as he daintily sipped his tea. And flipped a page of his book. Again I grit my teeth, who the hell did this spectral jackass think he was?!

"Grateful!? Oh that's rich! I've been torn from my family and friends, and thrown into a situation and world I know nothing about!"

Death simply shrugged as he set his book down.

"I BELIEVE I SHOULD POINT OUT THAT YOU ARE ALSO NOT DEAD. AND BESIDES, IT WASN'T MY DECISION. I SIMPLY DO AS I AM INSTRUCTED BY THE POWERS THAT BE."

I gave a derisive little laugh. "And I suppose they're getting some quality entertainment out of it then?"

I asked, attempting to charge the question with as much venom and sarcasm as I could muster.

"HARDLY."

Death said, as he took another sip of his tea.

"IN FACT I BELIEVE THEY EXPECT A GREAT DEAL OF YOU."

I was incredulous. What in the hell was going on?

"You know I would have been perfectly happy with just going into the great beyond, or whatever the hell it is you do when you die."

I said as I took a sip of tea. Earl Gray, I noted absentmindedly. Death leveled his gaze at me.

"APPARENTLY NOT AN OPTION, AND BESIDES YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN THE SECOND PART OF OUR LITTLE GIFT TO YOU."

I gazed at him nonplussed. Confusion writ large across my features.

"Second part?"

I asked hesitantly. Considering what these people considered a gift, I shuddered to imagine what else they had in store for me.

"LOOK DOWN."

Death intoned. I did as I was instructed and looked down at the floor. It had been polished to a reflective shine. I didn't look all that different. Same long bridged nose, the same small mouth that seemed caught in a perpetual frown, and the same long black hair. And then I looked at my eyes.

Now, there's a lot I could be convinced to believe, I could believe that I had met and even shared a cup of tea with Death on two separate occasions, I could even believe I had been reincarnated. But this...

This was so far ahead of the realms of possibility that it looped around the back of them. There was no effing way I had the Rinnegan.

"N-no way."

I stuttered, almost falling out of my chair.

"No way in hell."

I looked up at Death who was again reading his book.

"Uh, Death?"

He looked up, and snapped his book shut.

"YES?"

He asked expectantly. His fingers steepled in front of him. He looked at me over the top of them.

"Um, could you kindly explain what the hell this is?!"

I yelled, pointing at my new ripple patterned eyes. Death said nothing. He simply kept looking at me, or possibly through me. I could never really tell.

"I BELIEVE YOU ALREADY KNOW, COULD YOU PERHAPS MAKE YOUR QUESTION MORE SPECIFIC?"

I had a myriad of questions among the growing throng, so I picked one at random.

"W-why!?"

Death raised a finger. And tilted his head at me.

"AGAIN NOT MY IDEA, THOUGH I DO BELIEVE THE ONE WHO SUGGESTED IT SAID SOMETHING ABOUT IT SEEMING LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME. HE WAS NEVER PARTICULARLY BRIGHT."

Death took a final sip of tea, placed the book within the folds of his tattered robes, and stood up gripping the handle of his (terrifying) scythe.

I stood and turned from the table, and began to walk away.

"Yeah whatever, thanks for the tea."

I said as I began to walk away. And everything faded to black.

I was momentarily blinded by the lights overhead as I awoke, and I took a moment to let my eyesight adjust. And now that I really looked, there were definite changes in my vision. Everything was clearer, and sharper, colors were brighter and more vivid. And overall everything just seemed…

Slower than before. In my past life I had astigmatism, and to suddenly have perfect totally flawless vision, when I used to have trouble seeing fifteen feet in front of me, was a little jarring. I heard a low hissing noise as the door opened. And Gloria shuffled in, she smiled around the room looking at each of us in turn.

"Buenos días niños, who 's hungry?"

I wasn't really eager to go back to eating baby food, but I was hungry. And I usually ate what was put in front of me, no matter what it happened to be. (Never could stand broccoli though, no matter how old I got.) She ended up feeding us a sort of nutrient smoothie, it tasted vaguely of bananas and cinnamon. She spent about five minutes with each of us, giving us each half a bottle. As she was finishing with me I heard a 'swish' as the door opened. Gloria turned as she was holding me. And I saw my father walk in.

"I'm-uh here for my son."

He said uncomfortably. Shifting from his left foot to his right. The six-foot-five salt and pepper-haired man looked rather out of place in a maternity ward.

"I'm gonna need a name hon."

My father stuttered a bit as he repeated my new name. and pulled out a small official looking form.

"Um, Matthew price, Matthew john price."

Gloria looked down at me and smiled. Shifting me slightly so that the weight of my head was supported in the crook of her arm.

"oh what this little cutie?"

My father took a look at me, giving me a quick once-over. Before finally settling his gaze on my eyes. He looked back up at Gloria, and gave a quick nod.

"Yeah that's definitely him."

He said, as Gloria set my blanketed form on a metal bassinet. She walked over to him, and held her hand out expectantly.

"Imma need to see that release form hon, can't have you leaving with the wrong baby."

He fumbled a little bit as he handed her a small sheaf of paper, Gloria took it silently and looked thoroughly over the papers. Before finally handing them back to my father.

"Bien, everythings in order, dear. Lemme just get a onesie on the little one."

My father gave a quick nod and an awkward smile, scratching the back of his head a little. Gloria turned and walked towards me, picked me up and carried me into a small closet like room to change me. She unwrapped me from the confines of the blanket and plopped me down on the table, before doing a quick double take.

"ay dios mio! Is it supposed to be that large at birth!?"

I followed her line of sight, saw what she was looking at and tried mightily not to blush. Nevertheless after some momentary struggling a onesie was slipped over my bald baby head, and I was carried back out to my father. He had found a small chair to occupy while he waited.

(It is a little known fact that men can find a chair anywhere if they look long enough. A skill that was cultivated and passed down soon after the invention of department stores.)

He stood up as we approached and gingerly accepted me. He shifted his arms a bit as he familiarized himself with how to properly carry me. He gave a little wave as he began to depart.

"Thank you for looking after him!"

My father yelled behind him as he passed under the doorframe. I saw gloria give a wide smile over my fathers shoulders.

"It was my pleasure amigo!, if you ever need any help with raising the pequenõ, don't hesitate to ask!"

My father smiled. Gave another wave, and rounded a corner. We went down a few more corridors, before finally arriving at an elevator. He pressed a few commands on a touchscreen next to the elevator, and the door opened with a whisper quiet hiss. We stepped inside and began our descent.

(The music was, invariably awful.)

We eventually reached the ground floor. And my father began to make way to the exit. Before he heard a voice behind, calling to him from some fifteen feet away. He turned as the unknown approached.

"Mister price?! Mister price?! Could you please stop for just a moment?!"

My father stopped and slowly turned around, giving the doctor that had called him a quick once-over. He was a small skinny little man with mousy brown hair, glasses and an eager almost manic smile. And he wore an odd doctor's uniform that I found strangely familiar.

"I'm sorry to bother you sir. but i'd like to take a little of your time to talk about your son's eyes."

My dad didn't seem to be in any mood to deal with the skinny toothpick of a man, but I could tell that the mention of my eyes had piqued his interest. He gave a slow grudging turn of the head. The doctor smiled, his smile growing even larger than before.

"Excellent, my office is on the main floor. We won't have long to walk."

He turned on his heel and almost rocketed away. His small dapper shoes clicking on the linoleum floor of the lobby. My father belatedly followed, his mind seemed to be running a few seconds behind.

The little man led him through a small twist of corridors before finally stopping in front of a small automatic door. He punched in a quick five-digit code, there was a small 'beep! ' and the door opened. The man walked inside depositing his bag near the door. His office was a small cluttered affair, random pieces of paper and various books cluttered his desk and the floor. The man gestured toward a chair that stood before his desk, my father nodded and sat.

"Alright doc, what business do you have with my son's eyes?"

"W-well sir it's just that they're very odd."

My fathers voice was low and level, and his expression was blank. But I could feel his tension, his muscles were coiling and tensing like springs yearning to be free. This guy was pissing him off. He carefully raised one eye.

"Is that a problem?"

"You have to understand, this mutation is new, unique and incredibly strange. We've never seen anything quite like it. I'm sorry to ask, but could there have been some chance of prenatal Eezo exposure? Or some sort of radiation exposure?"

"Well my wife Jessica traveled from Earth to the Attican traverse. That's the only time she could have any sort of Eezo exposure, but Matthew was conceived here. I'm a biotic myself, but from what i understand thats rarely hereditary and it certainly doesn't cause anything like-"

He quickly gestured at me, indicating my eyes.

"-well that."

The Doctor nodded, and gave a small smile. I could see something in his face, in his eyes, he was looking for something. When next he spoke his voice sounded almost interrogative .

"You haven't the faintest clue as to how this happened? You truly have no clue whatsoever?"

My fathers tone turned, gaining a harder less forgiving edge. And his eyes narrowed, glowing a dull cobalt blue for just a moment, and I felt the room change. Everything felt…. colder, i looked up and noticed my father was flaring his biotics. His expression making it quite clear that the conversation was over.

"No, I don't know how it happened, and I'll thank you to stop asking."

The skinny little Doctor raised his hands placatingly, a small smirk appearing on his thin ratty little face.

"Very well then sir, I can see I've taken up too much of your time. Please don't let me detain you."

My father sat up stiffly, gave a small curt nod. And left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Dr Petrov straightened his tie as the indignant colonist and his baby son left the room. So, by his own admission the father knew nothing. It wasn't all that surprising but what could you expect from these backwater colonial types? But its not like he could complain. The Illusive man had personally assigned him to this colony. He could have said no but then, he could also have shot himself. (A quicker, simpler, and easier way of committing suicide) So he had simply complied. And he followed one of Cerberus's golden rules.

What the Illusive man wants, the Illusive man gets, no questions asked, ever.

He had given a short report to the illusive man on last night's new births. The Illusive man expressed a mild interest in one of the children. Some strange little spacer freak with a monster's eyes. So Petrov had asked his questions and gained almost nothing to show for it. He wasn't eager to send his report. But he supposed it couldn't really be helped. So he pulled up his personal holo-computer, punched in the necessary codes. And waited. The screen flickered as the Illusive man came into view. His face totally devoid of expression.

"Ah Petrov, did you get anything about what I asked you to research?"

Petrov was all supplication and small nervous little smiles as he gave his report.

"Ah well, the father- "

"Knew nothing?"

Petrov was a little surprised as the Illusive man sat back and took a puff of his ever present cigar. How the hell did he do it? Petrov could sometimes swear that the man knew what his question was going to be before he did. Conversations with him didn't really feel like conversations. They felt like games, and it felt like no matter what move you made it was the wrong one. The man was a thrice damned puppeteer, but then you didn't become the leader of a group like Cerberus without knowing a thing or ten about manipulation. Petrov thought of all this, but simply answered;

"No sir, nothing at all."

The Illusive man nodded, exhaling a gust of smoke.

"I expected as much, continue on petrov. Keep me posted on any new developments, Illusive man out."

The screen winked off, and Petrov slumped back in his chair, thanking whatever gods existed that it was over with.

My father weaved his way through the corridors, and soon I found that we were back in the lobby. He began to pace towards the exit, and I devoted some time to thinking everything over. From everything I'd seen it was fairly obvious that I was in the mass effect universe. What with talk of biotics and eezo and the Attican traverse, though I didn't exactly know where or when I was. But I supposed that could wait until later. My father reached the exit, and as we passed through the automatic doors, I heard an electronic voice chime.

"You are now leaving Mindoir general hospital, have a pleasant day!"

Wait a goddamn minute, Mindoir?!

Oh shit.