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[kalenath]

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"It isn't working..." Ashley said slowly to the Prothean who was bent over his instruments. "Is it, Scholar?"

 

"It IS, Spectre." The ancient being said with a shrug. "Just very slowly. Far more slowly than anticipated." He shook
his head at the readouts. "There was a great deal of damage done to Anya's body, by those... BUTCHERS..." Hate sang in his tone but then he sighed. "And then the machine and what Obligatha did. I knew many soldiers, Spectre Ashley Williams." Scholar said slowly. "Some good, some bad, some pragmatic, some evil. Anya was...different. never a thought for herself." Then he smiled. "Ah, a rise in Alpha and Theta waves. She is coming
around."

 

"Anya is...exceptional. Well beyond even N7 norms." Ashley said slowly. "The only other person I have ever met that was that way was Shepard."

 

"You don't need to tell me. I found her floating in a tank with half her skull blown away." Scholar replied quietly. "And
STILL her first thoughts on waking were of others. Her FIRST words were 'My team! Where is my team?' She does not remember that." Scholar shook his head sadly. "She is the bravest, noblest and most selfless being I have EVER met."

 

"You never met Shepard." Williams said with a sigh. "But... yeah. They were VERY alike. Both driven to be far more than they were." Her face turned slightly sick. "Can you do anything?" She nodded to the monitor.

 

"No." Scholar said sadly. "I did what I could to undo the Lost Ones' manipulation. Anya and I both knew that the damage to her body was essentially irreversible. The physical damage was done and healed before I found her." His tone held regret now. "She asked me to see if she could bear ONE more child, a Turian child. I..." Scholar looked off into space for a moment. "After everything she did for my people, not only bearing the young, but TEACHING them things like duty and honor... I did what I could. Only to have a ham handed Cerberus slime rip her apart... It hurts me, seeing that. Knowing that she HAD a child with the one she loved and her birth mother just tore it out and KILLED it." His tone was filled with hate again and Spectre Williams looked at him then at the other form in the room who nodded.

 

"Calm down, Scholar." The form clad in archaic looking armor said calmly. "What is done, is done. You and she have done marvels for our people. I wish I had met her, before."

 

"If you had been there when Cerberus attacked, Javik..." Ashley said soberly. "Anya would not have been taken."
The OTHER ancient Prothean left in the galaxy nodded to Williams.

 

"Perhaps." Javik said calmly. "Perhaps not. She fought well enough that the team had to retreat without taking any of the children anyway, which was her intent. We looked for her for years. We knew the Cerberus ship had dropped her, but not WHERE." His tone was calm, but regret hovered deep inside it. "We failed her."

 

"You are NOT the being I knew. The one Shepard found on Eden Prime." Ashley said slowly. "Not... the same."

 

"No." Javik confirmed. "My body died when I touched the Reaper and tried to corrupt it's minds. But Scholar here is nothing if not determined." He said with a smile. Scholar shrugged and returned to his instruments. "He recovered my body and brought me back. And with the end of the war, with the changes... My reason for existence vanished. What is the POINT of vengeance on something that AGREES with you that what happened is wrong and wants to help make things better if it can?" He asked. "But I found a new cause."

 

"Anya's kids." Ashley said slowly. "I still don't understand. You told Shepard that you were going to find that nebula?
Find the graves of your men and then kill yourself?" Javik looked at her and she flushed a little. "I read Shepard's journals, later. MUCH later."

 

"I went to the nebula." Javik said calmly. "I found a Reaper destroyer there. I was... upset. It attempted conversation and I did not handle it well." Ashley stared at him and he shrugged. "I make no apology for who and what I was."

 

"I..." Ashley shook her head. "A destroyer?"

 

"Yes." Javil said with a sigh. "Apparently SOMEONE..." He cast a meaningful glance at Scholar who remained silent. "Had been looking for me across the extranet for some time. The Reapers had been curious about the patterns of data searches. So they ALSO started seeking me. I wanted to be alone."

 

"To die." Ashley said slowly. Javik nodded. "So the story of you touching the Reaper and dying...?"

 

"...Is MOSTLY true." Javik replied evenly. "I DID touch it. I did fall into a comatose state. I DID wake up with Scholar
bending over me. I...did NOT react well." Scholar winced and Ashley looked from him to Javik, a question in her eyes. "What was I SUPPOSED to think?" Javik demanded. "He was wearing Collector armor!"

 

"Oh." Ashley winced at that. "Yeah...How did he... um... Not have you kill him?"

 

"The Lost Ones never spoke unless possessed." Javik said soberly. "When Scholar did, it shocked me into lucidity. Then he touched me and I saw..." Javik slumped. "He may have been a fool and a traitor, but he and his colleagues DID slow the invasion. THAT alone is worthy of respect, but THEN he reformed our race. Made it different." Javik looked thoughtful. "For better or worse, I cannot say."

 

"Coming from an Exemplar..." Scholar said slowly. "That is high praise."

 

"So when you got back to the ship..." Ashley said slowly.

 

"The REAPER asked if it could remain in touch. I... I didn't know what to say so I said 'yes'. But when we returned... Anya was gone." Scholar said heavily. "The Cerberus scum had hurt her badly to take her and we gave chase. We could track it until they discarded the suit she had been wearing. We continued to chase the ship, and Javik taught the children how to fight."

 

"I did not have to teach them much." Javik said softly. "Anya's teachings were most thorough. And...I found nothing I
could teach them of revenge. They WATCHED her fight, they watched the being they called their mother -helpless to aid her- be beaten to within an inch of her life and taken. Their rage... changed me." Ashley looked at him and he shrugged. "Vengeance was all I was, for so long. Seeing those young ones, -some less than a month old!- ready to charge the very gates of hell itself to gain revenge for their Madre was...disturbing."

 

"I can see how it would be." Ashley replied quietly. "So..."

 

"I organized the young ones into a military hierarchy and taught them what I knew." Javik said slowly, then he sighed. "I FULLY expect Anya to hurt me for doing so badly in this attack. We knew their defenses would be strong, but...None of us expected this."

 

"This was their cell's main headquarters." Ashley said with a shrug. "Stood to reason that the defenses would be tougher here than just about anywhere else. Which is why we decided on the plan. You held their attention and I snuck in the back. Then Obligatha and your ship showed up. What do you call it? No one has said."

 

"We call it the Redemption." Javik said softly. But his gaze was on the screen, and his eyes were narrowed as he looked at the scene.

 

"Oh." Williams said with a smile. "I see." Then she paused as she realized he had tensed. "Javik? What?"

 

"Scholar, did you touch the youngest of Anya's siblings -Portia- when you and Williams found her?" Javik asked suddenly, his tone VERY different suddenly. Hard and capable. Scholar turned to look at him but Javik did not move. "It is important."

 

"No." Scholar replied evenly. "She was terrified. She asked if I had killed her parents. I said 'No'. But she did not
trust me."
 

"Did you?" Javik asked Williams who looked blank but nodded. "May I touch you, Spectre Ashley Williams?"

 

"Your sensory ability won't work on HER without touching her, will it?" Williams asked slowly. "What will touching ME do?"

 

"There will be residual DNA on your gloves, and anywhere else she touched." Javik said slowly. "Something about that young one is BOTHERING me and I have NO idea why. Did you find anything out of place in her quarters?"

 

"It was a human child's room, Javik." Ashley said with a sigh. "It was a mess. If there WERE things hidden in it, they would have been VERY hard to find." She held out her gloved hand to the Prothean who nodded and took it. He stiffened as his senses parsed what he could feel on her glove.

 

"Fear." Javik said slowly. "Pain. Helplessness." He let her hand go and stepped back slowly, his eyes lidded as he thought. "Anger?" He said, unsure. "No..." He corrected himself. "IMPOSED anger." His eyes went wide as Ashley gasped. "Spectre! Cerberus brainwashes people into puppets. Could they have done that to her?"

 

"I want to say 'No'." Williams said manifestly against her will. "But they HAVE used children as living weapons in the past. Either carrying charges of high explosives, hidden weapons or... sleeper agents." She blinked, and her expression turned horrified. "You think they did that to Portia?"

 

"I do." Javik said quietly, his hand reaching up to his back and coming down with his particle rifle. Ashley raised hand in protest and Javik sighed. "I DO NOT wish to slay a child, Spectre Williams. But right now, that child -that time bomb- is sitting in the middle of a group of potential hostages, singing." He nodded towards the screen. "And
Anya is about to wake."

 

"If WE go in there..." Williams said slowly. "We may set off whatever programming the girl received. Cerberus sleeper agents are DANGEROUS, Javik." She said with feeling.

 

"Agreed." Javik replied slowly. His hands checked his rifle with the trained ease of long familiarity. "So what CAN we do?"

 

"We can't undo her programming. We might be able to alter it." Scholar said with a frown as he turned back to the others. "The room is shielded. Obligatha will release control of Anya's form as Anya wakes and the energy discharge will affect everyone in the room. It will likely do what happened to me when I touched Javik." He touched his xkin for amoment where faitn circuitry glowed.

 

"Wait..." Ashley snapped. "Crado and Lipa! Won't THEY be affected?" Scholar and Javik exchanged a look. Javik sighed.

 

"Commanding Lipa to leave will not work. She is a fully trained combat medic and she is... Well..." Javik shrugged. "She must have gotten the insubordination from YOU, Scholar." Javik said with a strained smile.

 

"I don't know." Scholar replied, his fingers flying over the keys. "Anya had a way of thinking around rules on occasion too. Crado won't leave her. And... what the-?" He stared at his screen where words were flashing.

 

"Scholar?" Ashley said and then froze. "No...****ing... way..." Javik just stared.

 

On the screen were four words.

 

'Do not interfere.'

 

"Is that from Obligatha?" Ashley asked softly her tone worried. "I thought it was busy."

 

"It... IS." Scholar replied slowly as he hit keys rapidly. "That is NOT from Obligatha. I cannot determine WHERE it came from. There are no traces. It is as if... it came from INSIDE this computer. But that makes no sense." Javik looked from the Spectre to the teacher and then, reached out and touched the side of the computer. He froze in place for a moment and then a slow smile curved his lips.

 

"Javik?" Williams demanded.

 

"My sensory ability was changed with the rest of me. I can 'feel' computer systems sometimes. This is out of our league, Spectre." Javik said slowly. "Powers are at play here FAR beyond ours. I had wondered what woke you, Scholar."

 

"What?" Scholar asked, nonplussed at the apparent change in subject. "I have no idea."

 

"I DO. Now." Javik said softly as he stepped back and slung his rifle. "I just sensed something familiar. Something that I have not felt in years. A presence that I cannot in any way explain. I felt it on the pod you slept in. A pod of the exact same design as the one 'I' slept in. It isn't supposed to be possible. But then again... She never DID play by
ANYONE'S rules but her own." He actually WINKED at Williams who looked flabbergasted.

 

"No... bloody...way...?" Williams said slowly. "SHEPARD?" She demanded.

 

"I do not know." Javik admitted. "All I have is a feeling. But the feeling is familiar and the last time I felt it was in
London before the final attack." He leaned back against the wall and nodded. "It is not... her. I feel no sense of intelligence or recognition." He said after a moment. "But it DOES feel like her."

 

"The Catalyst said that her essence would be disseminated throughout the galaxy." Williams said slowly. "Kind of
like Legion did to save the Geth. Geth have found remnants of Legion's code throughout their networks. The bits are apparently drawn to one another, but can never coalesce into the Geth we knew. COULD Shepard be the same? Bits and pieces of her coming together?" Javik and Ashley looked at Scholar who shrugged.

 

"I do not know." The Prothean medical specialist said slowly. "I never knew Shepard. I suppose it is possible, but..." He froze. "Anya is waking. What should we do?"

 

"Bring Lipa up to speed." Williams aid to Javik who nodded and hit his com before talking softly to his subordinate. Williams tapped her own com. "Crado... We have a problem..."

Modifié par kalenath, 15 décembre 2012 - 02:53 .

[kalenath]

She was finally warm again. Obligatha had been kind and supportive throughout this entire ordeal. It hadn't ever HURT, mind you. But it had been VERY strange to FEEL her mind moving in ways that the human mind simply wasn't equipped for.

 

{Anya?} The voice of the Reaper was concerned. {Are you awake?}

 

{Sort of.} Anya replied in the same odd -but familiar- mind to mind communication. {I think. I am warm. Am I back in my body?}

 

{Yes.} Obligatha said calmly. {But there is a complication.}

 

{Of COURSE there is.} Anya said sourly. {When is there ever NOT?} She sighed. {Anything I can help with?}

 

{We do not know.} Obligatha said, worried. {Your youngest sibling... You know about her.}

 

{Some.} Anya admitted. {I haven't met her.}

 

{She...} Obligatha sounded upset now. {Your mother and father created her with your DNA.} Anya froze, but did not interrupt. {There is some question as to whether she has been programmed by Cerberus.}

 

{Programmed?} Any asked slowly. {To do what?}

 

{We do not know.} Obligatha replied uneasily. {As weak as you are, she COULD kill you even with your other siblings in the room. Why WOULD they program a child? It would serve no reason.}

 

{No.} Anya said slowly. {There is ALWAYS a reason for things. Maybe not a SANE reason by our standards, but a reason. What can we do?}

 

{Spectre Williams and Scholar want to sequester her, scan her, make sure she cannot harm anyone.} Disapproval sang in the Reaper's tone now. {We do not like that idea.}

 

{Without her consent?} Anya demanded. {Like HELL they will!} Anya snapped. {Wake me up!} She said, her tone hardening.

 

{Anya.} Obligatha said slowly. {You need to ease into it.}

 

{Obligatha...please...} Anya said softly. {I know what to do. I don't know HOW I do, but I do. When you release control, the energy will pulse, won't it?}

 

{Yes, but not immediately...} The Reaper said slowly. {How do you know that?} The Reaper was curious.

 

{I dunno.} Anya replied. {But it is time my siblings and I rejoined the rest of the human race. If she IS programmed, I know what to do. If so, I will need you to send a specific signal to a certain set of coordinates.}

 

{Okay. We can do that.} Obligatha replied softly. {Count backwards with me... Ten...Nine... Eight...} Anya joined in and felt...SOMETHING happen. She couldn't define it exactly, but by the time she reached three, she could hear singing in the distance. Then it was right at hand and she smiled as she felt Obligatha's mind caress hers.

"Releasing control of this form."


Anya coughed as she slammed back into her body.

 

"Anya?" Crado asked, his voice coming closer. She cracked her eyes and blanched, but then locked into mode, knowing what to do.

 

"Crado get back!" Anya snapped. "Lipa, shield him!" She opened her eyes and found herself lying on a bed, surrounded by her siblings. Three she knew and one, far younger, she did not. Her eyes suddenly glistened. She saw Crado standing at the wall, a blue sphere of energy surrounding him from the hurt Prothean form that stood nearby. "Lipa..." She said slowly. "Can you hold it?"

 

"I can, Madre." Lipa replied evenly.

 

"What is going on?" The young girl asked, uncertain. Anya focused on her with difficulty.

 

"Good morning... I think..." Anya said with a half grin as she sat up on the bed and then startled, pulled the sheet that had covered her up to cover everything. Apparently no one had bothered to clothe her after the medic had disrobed her. "You are Portia?"

 

"I am." The girl said slowly, staring at Anya. "Your eyes and skin are glowing."

 

"Oh?" Anya asked concerned. Then she looked at herself and nodded. "Must have been a side effect of Obligatha's possession. I don't want to scare you, Portia. But I am scared FOR you."

 

"ME?" The girl squeaked. "Why?"

 

"Anya?" Kai asked softly. "What...?"

 

"Kai, Jenni, Melissa, don't move." Anya cautioned. "We are ALL in danger." Portia stiffened as she realized that Anya was just looking at her.

 

"FROM ME?" The girl demanded. "I wouldn't... I mean... How could I hurt Kai, or Melissa? You and Jenni are nor armored, but the others?"

 

"I don't know what your parents did to you, Portia." Anya said sadly. "Knowing your mother, nothing good. Jenni? Were you involved in anything that was done to Portia?"

 

"No." Jenni said, unsure. "I was a different area. Anya? What?" She asked.

 

"The Protheans 'feel' something wrong in you, Portia." Anya said slowly. The others in the room looked at Lipa who
nodded. "But... Jenni?"

 

"Yes, Anya?" Jenni asked, concern for her elder sister and her younger evident on her face.

 

"You ran a gene scan on Portia, yes?" Anya asked slowly. Jenni stared at her and then gasped. "She needs to know."

 

"How do YOU know?" Jenni snapped, distressed. "Did the Reaper tell you?"

 

"Yes." Anya said slowly. Then she held out a slow hand to Portia. "I can help. It will help, but it won't UNDO whatever your mother did to you." She sighed. "Whatever it WAS, was my fault."

 

"What do you mean?" Portia asked quietly, eyeing the hand without moving.



"You were created to replace me, Portia." Anya said sadly. "After I ran away and supposedly died. I can only assume that there were plans in place to kidnap me and use me in the machine against my will before the Reapers showed up." Anya looked at Kai who looked sick, but nodded. "If I hadn't run, you would not have been created, suffered what you have."

 

"What do you mean?" Portia asked again, fear etching her features.

 

"Don't TELL me Karinlina didn't hurt you, girl." Anya said, tears welling. "Don't even try. Come here..." She begged,
holding her hand out a little farther. Kai and Melissa stared at the two of them, but Jenni sighed and nodded. "I can help you, daughter."

 

"DAUGHTER?" The exclamation came from several throats. Every eye in the room but Anya's spun to Jenni who hadn't spoken. Anya did not take her eyes off Portia.

 

"I..." Jenni shook her head. "I couldn't say anything without them hurting you. Portia. I am sorry." The medic slumped in place.

 

"It's not Jenni's fault." Anya said in a whisper soft voice. "It's not YOUR fault, Portia. They created you from MY DNA, to replace me after I 'died'." She made quotes in the air around the word 'died'. "I CAN help, Portia. Please... Let me help?" She begged again.

 

"You can't." Portia said sadly. "It hurts... Even now, it hurts..." She shook her head. "I... I can't... The
voices... They are saying to... to..."
 

"I CAN help, Portia." Anya said into the horrified silence that fell. "Well, not ME... This isn't something I have ever told ANYONE. Not even Scholar, but I DO know someone who CAN help. I can ease you until SHE can get here." Crado stared at Anya and she sighed. "I gave my word, Crado. But SHE gave me permission to use my best judgment. She didn't have to. She could have commanded me and I would have obeyed. As powerful as I am, I
am a child compared to her."

 

"Who?" Came from several throats.

 

"A friend I met once on a solo op." Anya said and then sighed. "She knows more about mind problems than any four or five shrinks put together. But it WILL take time for her to get here, wherever here is. Where are we anyway?" She asked, curious.

 

"This is a Cerberus space station in the Omega Nebula." Kai responded when the others looked at her. "Well, it WAS. Now? I dunno."

 

"It's home." Portia's voice was small. "Why did you call me your daughter? I... You are NOT my mother."

 

"I did not bear you into the world." Anya said sadly. "And now... I can't bear children ever again." Portia hissed
in horror, horror joined by Mellissa and Kai. All three of Anya's siblings looked at Jenni who nodded sadly. "Your birth mother ripped the child I had created with my husband from my belly. In doing so, she hurt me, very badly. But the damage was from before. When I died on Sanctum."

 

"You were shot." Portia said slowly. Anya nodded and Portia continued. "I...heard...things..."

 

"The life of a soldier is neither easy nor safe." Anya sad gently. "I knew that when I joined, and I accepted it. I do NOT like it, mind you." She said with a sigh. "But SOMEONE has to do the hard jobs. Like helping you. Please...?" Portia looked at Anya's still outstretched hand and then, with a frown of concentration, reached out and took
it. Anya gave a squeeze and pulled Portia's unresisting form close to her. The girl gave a squeak of surprise as Anya embraced her.

 

"Wha-?" Portia said and then slowly relaxed. Then she realized that Anya was crying. "Anya? Why are you crying?"

 

"I can feel your pain, daughter." Anya said through her tears. "You cannot feel mine. I want to share what I feel with
you, but I have no RIGHT to do anything to you against your will. I wasn't here for you. I wasn't able to guard you, guide you or help you at ALL..." Self recrimination sang in Anya's tone as she hugged Portia tight.

 

"You are not my mother..." Portia said, slowly relaxing into the embrace.

 

"No." Anya said as she gently stroked Portia's hair, inhaling the scent of the younger female. "If anything, since I only contributed DNA, I would be your father according to science." Portia stared at her and Anya grinned. "But that would be too weird for words." Portia surprised herself with a laugh and then the girl was crying. "Easy, Portia... Easy...Shh..." Anya crooned as the girl sobbed in her arms. "It's okay, girl... It will be okay now."

 

"I want to feel you! Don't let them hurt me again!" Portia cried as Anya held her. "I am SICK of hurting..."

 

"Portia..." Jenni's voice was horrified. "WHO hurt you?" She moved to come closer and Anya warned her not to with her eyes. She froze in place, her desire to help warring with her concern for her sibling.

 

"Men in white." Portia said through her tears. "Mom. Dad. They put THINGS on my head and I couldn't move! They hurt.. Oh my GOD they hurt..." Tears were falling in streams as Anya pulled the sobbing girl up into her lap and rocked her gently, ignoring the sheet that fell. "I am sorry..." Portia said through her tears.

 

"You have NOTHING to be sorry for, daughter." Anya said gently as she rocked Portia. "If you want to sleep, you can. I will be here." She paused and looked at Lipa who nodded. "You are NOT alone. Anyone who tried to hurt you again will have to go through me."
 

"US." Lipa snapped harshly, her face angry. Then she smiled and her face turned soft. "I haven't had a HUMAN sister. I hope you don't mind if I appropriate you as such."

 

"And here I was just getting used to being your aunt..." Portia said with a smile that faltered as Anya rocked her.  "Help? I can feel the commands... They want me to hurt you... Anya... No.. I won't! I won't!" Portia screamed.
"HELP!"

 

"Jenni?" Anya begged. "A sedative?"

 

"Good idea." Jenni said quietly as she came close, her hands flying on her omni tool. "You need to sleep, Portia. We will help you. Make you better. Okay?" In answer, Portia held out her left shoulder. "Good girl..." Jenni crooned as she injected the drug into Portia's arm. In moment's Portia's sobs tapered off as she lost consciousness. "Madre de DIOS..." She cursed softly.

 

"Agreed." Anya said, hoisting Portia's limp weight until the girl lay on the bed beside her. "Thank you all. I... Oh
Jenni..." She held out her hands and her younger sister embraced her. "I am SO sorry..."

 

"Apology accepted, sis." Jennifer said quietly. "IF you accept mine."

 

"Fair enough." Anya said with a sigh as she hugged Jennifer again. "We were BOTH young and stupid. Kai? Melissa?" She looked at her other sisters who nodded. "I am sorry. I never wanted to hurt any of you. Crado..." Her expression faltered as she looked towards her husband, but he was smiling.

 

"You think she will mind having a Turian stepdad?" Crado asked. "And you need to do something, don't you?" Anya nodded.

 

"Jenni? Kai? Melissa?" Anya asked. "I have to do this soon, but I will NOT do it against your will. It was done to everyone when the Crucible fired, except those of us who were shielded. Scholar and myself in pods on the Collector ship."
 

"Myself and Kai were with the family here." Melissa said slowly as she rose from her seat on the bed she had been sitting on and moved to stand beside Anya's. "I don't know about you, Kai, but I am SICK of being alone." She held out a hand to Anya who took it. Kai came close and hugged Melissa before taking Anya's same hand in both of hers. 


"I was in a Faraday cage." Jenni said softly. "Working. I had NO idea what happened, just that the power failed
momentarily. I... I am scared." She admitted. "But we are family." She laid her hands on top of Kai's and smiled at Anya. "I HOPE you know what you are doing, sis."

 

Instead of answering, Anya laid her free hand on Portia's brow, tilted her head back and smiled. A rush of power flowed through her from outside, coating all four of her siblings in a wash of green energy. When she opened her eyes, her siblings met her serene expression with startled ones. Jenni, Melissa and Kai all had glowing eyes now. Looking down at Portia's sleeping face, Anya saw the faint tracing of circuitry on the skin. Kai spoke up first.

 

"Wow..." The eldest of Anya's siblings said in wonder. "This is...I feel..."

 

"Complete." Anya said quietly. Kai nodded, stunned.

 

"So... What just happened?" Jenni asked. "Did our DNA framework just get altered?"

 

"Yes." Anya said gently. "We are ALL part synthetic now. Come on, lets get Portia to a bed and then we can explain, and HOPEFULLY get some help for her. I have NO idea how long it will take my friend to get here though."

 

"And WHO is this?" Crado asked carefully. "You never said ANYTHING about someone who could do things like that. Asari can't, can they?"

 

"Maybe they can. But I KNOW my friend can. She specialized in mental problems." Anya said with a shrug as she rose and then paused. "Can I get some clothes please?" She asked somewhat snidely as Crado smirked. "YOU might enjoy the view, but everyone else likely won't. I need a shower." Jenni looked at her and Anya wagged a
finger at her. "Not  a WORD , sis. Not a word..." She warned.

 

"I'm just... going to stand over here." Jenni said with a grin as she rose and walked to the side. Lipa brought forward a bundle of clothes for Anya. When the Prothean retreated, Jenni stage whispered. "Enjoying the view..." Melissa and Kai both snickered at Anya's expression. Crado made a face and held up the sheet, covering Anya as his wife started to change. Jenni pouted. "Spoilsport..."

 

"Mine." Crado said in a no nonsense tone.

 

"You say that now." Jenni said with a sigh. "But you know... we could..." She broke off as Anya pulled the sheet
down a little and glowered at her. Anya cast her eyes at the slumbering form on the bed. Jenni blanched. "Right. Oops." Anya smiled as she finished dressing in the shirt and trousers that Lipa had brought for her.

 

"Let's NOT shock our little sister any more than we HAVE, okay?" Anya said as she lifted the slumbering form gently into her arms. Portia made soft noise and snuggled close to Anya in her sleep. "She is hardly an innocent. But it makes me feel better to take care of her." Anya said quietly. "Where to, Jenni?"

 

"I think..." Jenni said slowly. "A regular room. Is that hospital ship on the way?"

 

"They are." Crado said calmly as he stood towards the door. "But they are not all that fast. ETA nine hours."

 

"Good." Jenni said with a snarl. "I don't know about Melissa or Kai, but I am SICK of this place." The other two
nodded as well. "Let's get Portia settled, she will sleep for a while."

 

Anya nodded as she carried her human daughter from the room, her husband and sisters at her side and her Prothean daughter bringing up the rear.

Modifié par kalenath, 16 décembre 2012 - 02:33 .

[kalenath]

"Damn them..." Jenni muttered under her breath as she worked her scanners. "Damn them ALL to hell...I had no idea those scum were doing this... Leave ME out of the loop, will they? I'll kill him!"

 

"Jenni." Anya said from her spot by Portia's bed. She hadn't left her sister's/daughter's side and even now had a hand resting gently on the slumbering girl's limp right one. "What they did is NOT your fault."
 
She and Jennifer were the only two in the room and the monitors had been deactivated. Kai and Melissa
were off talking to Spectre Williams, Crado had gone to sleep at Anya's insistence and Lipa had gone back to her siblings. The Protheans were tearing the station apart to find intel to give to the Alliance and Council. What they
HAD found so far shocked Scholar, and that took some doing.

 

"I was supposed to be the head medic." Jennifer complained. "I KNOW Cerberus is secrets within secrets, but I was SUPPOSED to be in charge. This..." She waved towards the screen with a grimace. "This cybernetic augmentation is far more extensive than I was led to believe. I know mom was evil, but..."

 

"For control?" Anya asked cautiously. Jenni nodded savagely and Anya sighed. "Can you disable it?"

 

"SOME of it." Jennifer said with a snarl. "Not all. The actual control chip is encrypted and booby trapped! Makes
you wonder WHO they were trying to keep out of her head. The Alliance or her family?'

 

"Jennifer..." Anya said slowly, her sister perking up at the odd tone. "Can you stay with Portia? I need to...talk to that
medic and Mr. Wilson Fentes." Jennifer froze and then she smiled evilly. "Talk only." Anya said calmly.

 

"Party pooper." Jennifer said with a sigh. "Thank you for not blowing my cover."

 

"I think Kai at least has figured out you are more than you seem." Anya said with a sigh. "You know more than you
should."

 

"Yeah." Jennifer slumped in place, her face falling. "Ten years, Anya. Ten YEARS I have been stuck out here with only Chris and Vincent for company. We faked a threesome relationship. They are good people, but... I couldn't..." She shuddered and Anya looked at her oddly.

"Jennifer...?" Anya said slowly. "How long since you had a partner?" Her voice was somewhere between kind and horrified.

 

"I was supposed to be cured." Jenni said heavily. "Part of my cover. I... I couldn't..."

 

"Jennifer." Now horror was total in Anya's voice as she rose and walked to where her sister sat at the room's terminal. "How long?" Jennifer mumbled something and Anya sighed. "Jennifer?" She asked, laying a hand on Jenni's shoulder.

 

"Never." Jennifer said in an undertone. Anya exhaled in shock. "I never have, okay?" She snapped. "The therapies were...rough."

 

"No." Anya said sourly. "No, it is NOT okay. Feel my mind, sister. What do you feel?" Jennifer stared at Anya and her
glowing eyes went distant. Then she burst into tears as she accessed what Anya was sending at her. The rage, fear, compassion, concern...  Anya pulled Jennifer up and held her as the younger woman sobbed. "Oh Jenni..." She said, tears starting to fall in sympathy. "I am sorry."

 

"Never thought..." Jenni gasped out. "Wasn't interested. But then I saw you again... And... I... I can't..."

 

"You are still in love with ME?" Anya said slowly, feeling her sister's mind as it fumbled at her's, still untrained in such things. "Oh Jenni, what did they do to you?" Jennifer calmed herself and spoke in an almost even tone.

 

"Chemical suppressants. Hypno therapy. Gender reassessment surgery. Electroshock..." Jenni paused as Anya hissed and hugged her tight. "Nothing... Nothing worked. I left the plantation to find a place to kill myself. And then Alliance Intelligence found me. They gave me a drug that dampened my... my..."


"I understand." Anya said softly. "And when you went home?"
 

"I was punished." Jenni replied. "And then I 'found' the drug on the extranet and was rewarded for 'finding a cure'
Cure...HA!" She snorted.

 

"You ARE sick, Jennifer." Anya said softly. "But not that way. Humans are not MEANT to be celibate. And CERTAINLY not for that long."

 

"I know." Jennifer agreed. "Long term, there are complications that set in. I... Sis, I never..."

 

"I know." Anya said softly, giving her younger sister another hug. "I am not that way, Jenni. But I know people who ARE. People I trust. Some are even human."

 

"Um..." Jennifer flushed. "Asari?"

 

"Yeah." Anya said with a grin that quickly turned into a frown. "Now, before you either back away or freeze, Asari are
neither gods nor demons. They are people, just like humans. Some are good, some are bad, some are indifferent. The ones I knew were good for the most part. Cold at first, but when they get to know you, they open up a little."

 

"Did you ever... um...?" Jennifer broke off, her face heating again.

 

"No." Anya said quietly. "I was supposed to be in command. I... Um..." She sighed. "I didn't know what I was doing any more than I did when I was 17." Anya said with a scowl of memory. "It took Crado awhile to get through to me. I am glad he did, I was falling off the deep end."

 

"I am glad too." Jennifer said with a small smile. "My older sister has always been insane, but I don't want her REALLY insane."

 

"Wouldn't have been good, no." Anya agreed. Then she paused. "You know..." She mused. "I think I may have found TWO problems solved with one call. Maybe."

"Hmmm?" Jenni asked, stepping back and scrutinizing the med readouts next to Portia's bed. They hadn't wanted to put too much gear in the room, but simple monitors were silent and unobtrusive.

 

"The call I sent went to a...um...friend of my friend." Anya said with a sigh. "Its complicated. But she is essentially a translator for my friend. You will like her." She sighed. "CAN you stay with Portia? I do NOT want her left alone."

 

"She will be out a while from the last dose of sedative." Jenni said softly, her expression disgusted. When Portia had woken from the first dose, she had done so screaming. It had taken Anya and Jenni twenty minutes to calm Portia enough to sedate her again. The girl had been so tense the drug wouldn't have penetrated her skin. "But I will stay with her." She smiled at Anya as Anya withdrew a step and then paused as Jenni made an uncomfortable noise. "Um, Anya... DO I want to know WHO you called as an expert in mind problems?"

 

"Her name translates as 'C-flat Viridian. I called her 'C'." Anya said with a shrug. Jenni stared at her sister blankly for a moment and then hissed. "If you know what that name signifies, then you understand WHY I was circumspect." Jenni nodded quickly.
 

"I have NO idea how Kai or Melissa will react to that." Jenni admitted. "Me? If it helps Portia, and maybe us...That
is a good thing." Jenni said dubiously. "I KNOW dear old dad did things in my head. Kai and Melissa too. The therapies and drugs stopped a lot of whatever dad and mom did to me, but Melissa and Kai are a mess. And the translator?"

 

"Her name is Illia Jolisa." Anya said with a smile. "She is Asari."

 

"Uh..." Jenni stammered a little. "And she will... what?"

 

"When I knew her she was kind and gentle and I DOUBT ten years have changed that. She was seven hundred when I knew her." Anya said with a smirk at Jenni's expression. "We... Well... it was a mess." Whatever Jenni was going to say was cut off by a scream from the bed. "PORTIA!" Anya snapped as she ran back to the bedside. Portia was crying and writhing, but not awake. "Damn it!" Anya cursed. "Natural nightmare or imposed?" She asked Jenni.

"Imposed." Jenni snapped, working her omni tool. "What the...? Where the HELL is this signal coming from?" Anya looked at the display and hissed.

 

{Obligatha!} Anya snapped in her mind. She hadn't lost the connection when she woke, and now was glad of it. {Have you been monitoring?}

 

{We have.} The Reaper's voice was flat and angry.

 

{I am bringing Jennifer in, be careful with her. She isn't sure if SHE has controls in place.} Anya said. A wordless agreement came from the Reaper and Anya spoke aloud. "Jenni, give me your hand." Jennifer jerked a little, but then extended her hand in silence. Anya took it and spoke in her mind {Jenni, meet Obligatha. Obligatha, Jenni.}

 

{We have... WHOA!} Jenni staggered a little, but then recovered. "{We talked a little while it searched for you. But aloud.}

 

{Ah, good.} Anya smiled. {Obligatha. SOMEONE on base is trying to control Portia. Can you block the signal?}

 

{We can.} Obligatha said sharply. {And... it is done.} Portia jerked in the bed and then relaxed back into sleep. {Damn them. Not a child!} Hate stabbed through both female's minds.

 

{Obligatha, please... calm down.} Anya pleaded. feelign tears starting to fall from the pain. {We are ALL angry, but that HURT.} She said as she saw Jenni crying a little as well.

 

{Oh, Anya... Jenni We are sorry...} Obligatha was suddenly apologetic. {Here... This will help.} A waft of energy soaked through their minds, seeking the pain centers and numbing them. {We do not mean to be angry, but... it is NOT a good thing for something like us to love, Anya... It is not...} The Reaper sounded abject now.

 

{I disagree.} Jennifer said before Anya could. {You are what you are. Love is NOT always a blessing, but we ARE made stronger for it. And you are NOT alone. You saved my sister, and all of us. I hope you don't mind if I call YOU sister too?} Shock came from the Reaper and then a wave of tenderness.

 

{We...} Obligatha broke off and then spoke again. {We would be honored. Jennifer.} The Reaper paused and then spoke softly. {We are tracing the signal. It originates on the station.}

 

{Where?} Jennifer and Anya snapped as one. The two siblings shared look of complete understanding and then Jennifer nodded and sat by Portia's bedside.

 

{Still tracking. It is rerouted several times. You should not communicate this way too much.} Obligatha said slowly. {Emergencies aside, it depletes many vital nutrients from your bodies. You will feel VERY lethargic in the near future, Jennifer. Anya... well...} Anya sighed.
 

"I am hardly human anymore, Jenni." Anya said sadly. "Between what your mom and dad did to me as a kid, what the Alliance training did to me, what the Collectors did to me, what SCHOLAR did to me and all this..." She waved around indicating the station as a whole and her face turned sad. "I am... not... human...anymore."

 

"Yes, you are." Jennifer said calmly from her seat. "You are FAR more human than Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Fuentes EVER were."

 

"Casting aside the family you knew HURTS, Jennifer." Anya cautioned as she started for the door. "Be VERY sure." Jennifer looked at Portia's pinched and drawn face, scared and in pain even in sleep and then at Anya. Her eyes said the entire story. Anya bowed her head. "It will hit you at odd times, sister. Any time you THINK you have dealt with it, it WILL come back. Even now, I find myself pining for mom on occasion. Even though Nanny Sara was more maternal than the woman who bore me into the world could EVER be."

 

Jennifer sighed as well, but did not speak. Instead, she laid her hand on Portia's as Anya's had been and sat quietly. Anya nodded and opened for the door. She paused at the sight that greeted her. A Prothean carrying a bundle of gear.

"Obligatha is tracking the signal." The Prothean was NOT one she knew. "We figure you would want to be geared up."

 

"You are Javik." Anya's soft words were not a question but the Prothean nodded. "I never met you when you worked with Shepard." She took the bundle and smiled as another door opened nearby. Her kids were NOTHING if not thorough. "Let me get ready. Won't take long."

 

"I will be here." Javik said, unholstering his particle rifle and standing ready. Anya nodded and moved to the single bed. In moments she had her tunic and pants off. With the skill of long training, she had the N7 armor on in a matter of less than a minute. The omni-tool was an Alliance standard Nexus IX. Not the greatest, but not the worst by a long shot either. The helmet with attached mask came last and then the holstered Eagle pistol. She pulled it clear and examined it before smiling. It was one of hers. SOMEONE had been VERY thorough. Everything here was hers. She shook herself to check and nothing rustled or clanked. She smiled again, this time evilly. Only after
all her gear was in place did she start the mental sequence to power up her amp. The biotic power flowed through her and she smiled grimly under her mask as she felt whole for the first time in...years. She stalked to the door and it hissed open. Javik stared at her, stunned. "Uh.."

 

"Let's find who is hurting my sister." Anya's old command voice sounded, harsh and about as soft as a bed of nails. "And educate them."

 

"How many faces do you HAVE, human?" Javik asked in wonder.

 

"Just two." Anya replied in that same rock hard tone. "The human woman and the N7 Fury. While we walk, we are going to hot wash the action you commanded. Clear?"

 

"I had kind of hoped not to have to." Javik said with a grimace. "But okay."

 

"How did you get aboard?" Anya asked, walking down the hall, savoring the feeling of power that rang though her veins. "And what force composition?"

 

"We used prototype stealthed pods." Javik said softly. "The Alliance provided them. We brought a team of forty. Four fire teams each consisting of a leader, a medic, a heavy weapons section, and three elements of two."

 

"Loadouts?" Anya's voice was distant.

 

"The Alliance provided some gear since the Collector gear failed and we could not repair much of it. All personnel but the heavy weapons teams and two team leaders carried particle rifles." Javik hefted his. "Heavy weapons were two soldiers each equipped with missile launchers or Revenant and Typhoon machine guns. Two of the leaders were also snipers with Widow rifles in addition to pistols."

 

"Hmmm..." Anya mused. "Leaders sniping? Even with your sensory ability, that seems... dangerous. Tunnel vision gets people killed. They should have been leading. War is no place for one-being armies."

 

"Agreed." Javik relaxed a little. "We had limited space aboard the pods. It was a struggle to get everything we needed into them."

 

"That is the way it usually works." Anya replied. "I AM angry." She said as Javik looked at her. "But I also understand about war. While I may have some WORDS for you and the others later, for now, let's focus on saving my sister."

 

"I deserve your wrath." Javik said heavily. "I messed up. I should have known better than to fall for such obvious kill zones. I knew better."

 

"Recriminations later." Anya snapped as she saw a pair of Protheans in the distance waving to her and Javik. "Now, we lead."

Modifié par kalenath, 17 décembre 2012 - 02:16 .

[kalenath]

"Sitrep!" Anya snapped as she came close to the pair of Protheans who stood at a hatchway. They both jerked as they recognized her voice, neither had recognized her in her N7 armor.

 

"Madre...I..." One started but paused as Anya glared at him.

 

"At the moment, I am not your mother." Anya said sternly. "I am Captain Anya and my youngest sister lies gravely injured by a signal that is coming from somewhere on this station. We need to find it and shut it down. Now." Both Protheans squared to attention and nodded. "So... Report!" She snapped.

 

"The Reaper reports that the signal is originating from behind this bulkhead." The soldier on the right nodded to the hatch. It showed marks of repeated weapon fire but the damage was superficial. "We have been unable to hack it and our weapons have barely scratched it. We have sent for demolitions."

 

"ETA?" Anya asked, looking the hatch over. It looked like  standard shipboard airlock, with the exception of four massive braces that went back into the walls on either side. The entry panel in the middle of the door shone a solid red.

 

"They say five minutes." The soldier replied. He paused as Anya shook her head. "Ma- I mean Captain?" He stumbled but recovered.

 

"That much demo will make a BIG mess of the surrounding area." Anya said slowly, laying a hand on one of the cross braces. Then she smiled under her helmet. "If there ARE people in there I want to 'talk' to them." Her intonation on the word 'talk' had BOTH soldier gulping. "There may be delicate electronics or other intel in there too. Stand back." She commanded.

 

"According to Obligatha..." Javik said slowly as the two soldiers retreated a bit. "There is a large area beyond that
hatch. It cannot scan more than that." He paused as Anya cursed and threw a hand out. "Wha-?" He stared at the ball of kinetic energy slammed into a concealed camera and shattered it. He scowled. "We were being  monitored?"

 

"Door probably has kinetic shields inside a layer of steel. Scratch the steel and do nothing else." Anya said absently. "And yes. Standard Cerberus 'secret' installation camera..." She shook her head. "We COULD blow the hatch. Would take a LOT of demo... And that much demo will take out a good chunk of this station."

 

"Are we keeping it?" Javik asked whimsically. "If not..."

 

"I MIGHT..." Anya said with a grin that showed even through her helmet mask. "Bigger than a normal trophy, but..."
She shook her head. "Cerberus was always good at hiding things and protecting things. But..." She stepped forward and slammed a right handed punch into the lower reinforcing bar, following it through with her whole body.
Before it struck the metal, her fist shone blue as a biotic field encased it. A loud CLANG sounded through the hallway, but nothing else seemed to happen. "Yep..." She said with a sigh, "Thought so..."

 

She recovered and threw another enhanced punch at the upper brace on the same side. Again, it made noise, but nothing seemed to happen. She shook her fist slightly and moved to the other side. Javik's eyes narrowed.

 

"What are you doing, Captain?" He asked carefully as she threw another punch with her left hand.

 

"Cerberus hatches are VERY solid." Anya said with a nod as she struck the last cross brace. Then she stepped back and waved her hands a bit. "Dang that stings. Lost all my calluses..." She complained. "The cross bracing is new, but not unexpected. The problem with cross bracing something is that not everyone realizes that the braces need to be anchored just as strongly as the rest. The DOOR is strong. The mounts for the extra braces? Not so much." She smirked under her helmet at his expression. "I had some VERY good engineers on my team. We found some... interesting ways into and out of Cerberus bases on occasion."

 

"So..." Javik shook his head. "The hatch is still sealed."

 

"Indeed it is." Anya nodded. "But without the bracing, I think you and I can handle it if you are HALF as powerful as I heard you were. I will channel to weaken it then you pull the bottom, I'll push the top? Make it fall in?" Javik nodded and set himself. "You two..." Anya nodded to the soldiers who were staring at her as if she had grown a new head. "Take cover, hit targets of opportunity as they appear. Prisoners if you CAN, but do NOT take stupid risks." The two soldiers nodded and as one, moved to the sides of the corridor hiding behind solid cover as they took aim at the hatch. "Ready Commander?" She asked the old Prothean. He laughed as Anya threw energy at the door, wreathing it in a sick pulsing green color.

 

"You are crazy, human." Javik replied as he took one hand off his rifle in preparation to use his biotics. "Where DID you humans learn that anyway?"

 

"Where do you think?" Anya asked snidely. "You didn't think that Shepard's armor camera just IGNORED you while you were fighting did you? It wasn't THAT hard to figure out from the footage."

 

"I don't know whether to be complimented or insulted." Javik said as he threw power of his own. The biotic field
slammed into the lower half of the hatch and it groaned a little. "Ready."

 

"COVER!" Anya snapped as she threw kinetic energy at the top of the hatch. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" She yelled as she dodged to the side. She literally ducked behind the armored Prothean soldier on her side as the hatch exploded in raw biotic power. The blast was...substantial but she was on her feet and moving almost before the blast wave had passed. What she saw curdled her insides. A Cerberus Engineer had been setting turrets just
inside the hatch. While he had been thrown back, his shields had taken the brunt of the blast. It was the THREE small robotic turrets that hummed as they swung to target her that had her snarling as she looked for something solid it hide behind.

"Turrets!" She called as she threw energy at the engineer who was obviously gawking at her sudden entrance. A swift motion and she was behind something that looked solid as all three turrets opened fire on her.

 

Well, it LOOKED solid... She thought to herself. A motion drew her attention past the hail of projectiles that were tearing her cover to pieces around her. Biotic energy slammed the engineer to the ground where he convulsed and then lay quiet. But Anya was in trouble, her cover was vanishing! She scuttled to the end of the low wall and searched desperately for anywhere else to hide, but the area was devoid of easy spots. "This is gonna HURT..." She said to herself as she readied to run when they reloaded.

 

"ANYA!" Came another voice as a HUGE form entered the room, not a Prothean, this one, no. The human in Devastator had an N7 Typhoon in hand and laid down a blistering series of shots. Anya covered her ears. A
Typhoon machine gun on full auto made noise like NOTHING else in existence. In less time that it took to blink, one of the turrets exploded in a shower of sparks. Two red lines of power came from the door, narrowly missing the Destroyer as he danced to the side. They struck another turret full on and stayed there. In moments THAT turret's shield failed and it too exploded. The third turret stubbornly continued to fire at Anya as the Devastator reloaded. Then the automated killing machine clanked and whirred as it refilled it's ammunition. Anya rose and threw energy at it. Then she ran to the side, only to collide with the Devastator who had moved JUST the wrong way. She went down in a heap as the turret swung back to her, the breath knocked out of her by the unexpected impact.

 

"Oh no, you DON'T!" The Devastator snapped as he stepped between Anya and the turret. The turret seemed confused for a moment before opening fire on the larger human who seemed to ignore the fire sparking off his kinetic barriers  as he took aim and opened fire with his machine gun again. Anya lay there, trying to get her
breath back as the man fired. It took very little time for the Typhoon to chew through and silence the turret. The man reloaded his weapon again as he looked at Any. "You okay?"

 

"That wasn't left." Anya snapped as she rolled to her feet.

 

"Wha-?" Vegas -it was his voice- asked, confused.

 

"Close Quarters Battle tactics." Anya snapped, her ire up. "Two teammates in close proximity. One under fire, losing barriers. Swap targets and cover. Each moves LEFT to avoid what just happened. You moved RIGHT." She said, shaking her head to clear it. "If there had been more than those three turrets we would BOTH have been dead."

 

"Oh." Vega said with a nod. "Oops."

 

"Oops?" Anya asked caustically, checking the still form of the engineer. He still breathed and she snapped quick restraints onto each of his limbs. The plastic ties would not break, they would have to be cut off. "You could have gotten us both killed and you say 'Oops'? I think SOMEONE needs a refresher course in CQB." The man in devastator armor actually looked sheepish. Hard to do in full armor, but he managed.

 

"I DID have stronger armor and shields." James said in his own defense.

 

"And HOW long would you have lasted under fire from a turret?" Anya asked calmly, her ire spent as she looked around the chamber. No more hostiles presented themselves. "How far did your barrier drop?"

 

"Uh...Oh." James paused and then groaned. "To twenty."

 

"About two more seconds of sustained fire." Anya said with a sigh. "YES, you saved me. But if there had been ANYONE else there, you would have gone down and WHO would have saved YOU?"

 

"You made your point, Captain." Vega said sourly. "I screwed up."

 

"You did save me." Anya relented a little. "But dead heroes are still dead." She paused and scowled under her
mask. "Did you do that on purpose?"

 

"Ma'am?" Vega asked, his tone confused.

 

"Never mind." Anya said as she rose only to pause as an automated voice sounded.

 

"Unauthorized access." Anya froze, she KNEW that female voice! "Intruders remain where you are. Lethal force authorized. Identify." Turrets appeared form two sides of the room. These were MUCH larger and held more than one barrel. Just looking at them, it was easy to see they were well armored and shielded.

 

"Oh my god..." Anya breathed. "Mika?" She asked, horrified. "Nobody move!" She shouted as the turrets swung
to cover the area.

 

"Who..." The voice sounded confused for a moment. "Who is that?" The voice sounded dazed. "Identify."

 

"Mika? Mika Mitaka?" Anya said softly. "It's me, Anya... I... What happened to you, Mika?"

 

"Anya?" The voice sounded confused for a moment and then it regained strength. "Anya Wilson Fuentes is dead. Identify. Now." Instead of answering Anya made a peculiar whistling sound. "I... No... Anya is dead..."

 

"Who told you that, Mika-san?" Anya asked softly. "They lied."

 

"No one..." The computerized voice sounded unsure now. "No one calls me that. Not since..." An aggravated sound came from the hidden speaker. "Anya is dead."

 

"I am going to take off my mask, Mika-san. Is that all right?" Anya said sadly. "I was always playing samurai and shinobi in your garden." Anya reached up slowly and undid her mask, then lowered her hands to her sides, holding it. Tears were falling as she looked around. "I am sorry I trampled your beans, Mika-san."

 

"You... You apologized already... Anya-san..." The voice said softly. "Every time you came to the garden you apologized for that youthful mistake. I... Anya...?" The voice asked, unsure.

 

"I lied about it, Mika-san." Anya said sadly. "It made me feel bad. It STILL makes me feel bad to this day that I lied
to you about it. There was no honor in what I did."

 

"Oh, Anya-san..." The computerized voice sounded exasperated. "It wasn't YOUR fault. You were only five years old."

 

"But I LIED, Mika-san..." Anya said, tears falling. "It was wrong. I knew it at the time, and I know it now. My honor
was stained by what I did. I had to pay for what I did." She knelt gracefully and bowed her head, only to pause as a clucking sound came from the speaker.

 

"You are not samurai, Anya-san." The voice turned gentle. "You helped fix what you did, and you helped in the garden every year after until you fled the horror of your family. Honor is satisfied and more than satisfied. Oh Anya... They told me you were dead!" The voice said, sadness oozing from it. The turrets deactivated and returned to their
places. "I... have you come to kill me?"

 

"No!" Anya said, shocked. "We came looking for a signal that is hurting Portia. Did you know her?"

 

"Your youngest sibling. I have some information on her, not much." Mika's voice asked quietly. "Please, Anya-san, I beg you. Kill me!"

 

"Mika-san!" Anya shook her head. "No...I cannot kill you! You and Nanny were the ONLY good things in my entire
childhood! I can save you!"

 

"No, you can't." Anya shook her head, but Mika's voice turned even sadder. "Anya...Look what they did to me." One wall of the room opened up and Anya froze in seeing a form suspended inside a BUNCH of mechanical devices. The female form was unclothed, but almost every inch of her body was covered by some kind of machinery. The tubes ran into her nose and mouth. Others came from other parts of her anatomy and ran into machinery that
whirred nearby. The woman's eyes were sad as she looked at Anya. The tracks of many tears ran down her face. The eyes focused on Anya and the voice sounded again. "You have grown up big and strong, Anya-san. I beg you. End me."

 

"No." Anya was crying as she rose to her feet. "No, Mika-san.  No one ELSE dies today! I will not. I cannot. You CAN be saved." Her face and voice hardened as she turned to where Javik and Vega stood, staring at her. "Wake that piece of Cerberus filth up. If I do, I am going to rip him in half." The threat was cold and matter of fact. James nodded and removed the unconscious engineer's helmet before slapping him. The prisoner woke with a groan. He froze as Anya leaned down close to him, green fire limning her limbs.

 

"I am only going to say this ONCE, Cerberus slime." Anya said in a cold, dead voice. "I am in a VERY bad mood at
the moment. You are some kind of caretaker, yes?" He nodded and would have spoken, except Anya slapped him. "You speak when I SAY, you scum. Or I will tear out your vocal cords, clear?"

 
"Anya..." James sounded slightly upset.

"He is MY prisoner, and I am not OFFICIALLY part of the Alliance at the moment, am I?" Anya asked calmly, not taking her eyes from the now terrified engineer. "I am either a Prisoner of War, a subject of a criminal investigation, or simply a married woman whose status has not been determined yet. Either way, I am NOT Alliance military at the moment, am I?"

 

"You know..." James stared from the cringing engineer to the woman suspended in the machinery and then nodded. "I need to police up my spent thermal clips. I will be back in a few minutes. I THINK Spectre Williams is on her way." He said with a nod as he turned to leave. The engineer stared at him, and would have spoken again, except Anya slapped him again. He stared at her and then screamed as she grabbed him by the throat and raised him off the ground so his face was inches form hers.

 

"You are going to walk out of this room with these three fine Protheans." Anya said calmly and coldly. "You are going to cooperate fully. You are going to tell them EVERYTHING that you have done. In exacting detail. Or I am going to come in and turn you inside out from the feet up. And before you say it cannot be done, it CAN. I have done it. Get him OUT of here." She snapped and Javik grabbed the cringing human and carried him bodily from the room. The two soldiers saluted Anya and followed. Only then did Anya sigh and knelt before the area where Mina was suspended. "I am sorry, Mika-san, but I have lost too many people I cared for. If we CAN help you, we
will. If not, I WILL end your pain. I swear it."

 

"Anya-san..." Mika's voice was gentle as her eyes closed and then opened again. "I accept your oath. You said Portia is hurt?"

 

"Yes." Anya said with sigh. "She is my genetic daughter, but born from my mother. So... I need to find the signal source and shut it down."

 

"Carlo, the engineer..." Mika said slowly. "He activated something. I do not know what. My access is VERY limited. I
am locked out of many of the systems on this station."

 

"If I start rummaging around, I am more likely to hurt than help." Anya said slowly and then paused. "Mika... What KIND of access would be required? What KIND of locks?"

 

"DNA locks." Mika said sadly. "I can't..." She broke off as Anya hissed. "What?"


"DNA?" Anya asked. "Where?"
 

"Right side panel. The one with the hand print." Mika said in a questioning tone. Then she hissed as Anya stepped there. "Anya... What are you doing?"

 

"Mr. Wilson Fuentes set up a lot to be accessed by my DNA. I think the idea was to control ME and then have ME control everything else." Anya said with a snarl. "Will it do anything nasty if I fail to pass the security?"

 

"I don't know, Anya." Mika said, dubious. "Knowing your father, that is likely. Anya..."

 

"I don't know a lot about DNA locks..." Anya said slowly, scrutinizing the panel. "But I DO know there are almost always hidden safeguards for almost any lock. What if Dear Old Dad had been taken by the Reapers? Or if he had died of some weird disease? Or fallen in the shower and broken his scrawny neck? There HAD to be a safeguard. And it likely was me."

 

"Why not one of your other sisters?" Mika asked reasonably.

 

"He wanted me VERY badly, Mika." Anya said slowly. "Why? I was just a daughter. A host for his experiments, a key for...his machines?"

 

"A key for THE machine, Anya." Another voice sounded from behind her. Anya spun to see Kai and Melissa both standing there with Spectre Williams. All three women looked horrified. "Mika..." Kai breathed in horror. "Madre de Dios, what did he DO to you?"

 

"That looks kind of like what Cerberus did in Project Overlord." Spectre Williams said as she looked around, obviously trying to maintain control of her emotions. "I never understood how Shepard did not shoot the man responsible." Instead of speaking, Anya laid her hand on the handprint panel nearby. Mika gasped and her voice turned computer-like again.

 

"First key engaged." Mika said woodenly. Kai stared and then rushed to Anya's side and laid her hand on the panel as well. "Second key engaged." Melissa stepped forward as well and laid HER hand on the panel. "Third and final key engaged. Systems unlocked. Nimue is reborn!" A pulse of power came from the machinery and all three stepped back as the energy spiked. A scream came from the machinery but Anya stood firm.

 

"Mika-san!" Anya called. "Remember who you are! I want to build a garden! A beautiful garden. With a Zen meditation space and beautiful flowers and beans I won't trample this time!"

 

"A-..." The voice of the one-time gardener sounded as if from far away. "Anya-san?" She sounded unsure, but then her voice gained strength. "Self destructs...deactivated. Internal defenses... deactivated. Control signal of Subject 5...deactivated." Mika's voice slowly approached human timbres again. "That was dumb, Anya." She
complained.

 

"We do dumb things for those we love." Anya said, tears falling as she could see the figure in the machinery again and Mika was crying as well. "Are you all right?"

 

"Better." Mika replied. "I have control of the station. This is... a data repository..." Mika said in shock. "I
have access to ALL of the files now. Everything...I can see all the files, and can search them at will." She said in shock. "I am... a LIBRARIAN?" She asked in wonder.

 

"We will see about getting you out of there." Anya promised as her sisters came close to marvel at the suspended woman who was glowing with power now. "I DO want to build a garden, Mika-san."

 

"I...would like that, Anya-san." Mika replied. Then she gasped.  "I am receiving hails from something called Obligatha? It is... odd, but kind. And... Sensors report a new arrival."

 

"What kind?" Anya asked as she knelt again.

 

"Unknown." Mika said slowly. "Ship type is NOT in any database I can access. What?" She asked the air and then
gasped. "Obligatha reports that the ship is a Rachni vessel."

"RACHNI?" Williams, Kai and Melissa chorused, but Anya just smiled.

 

"I wondered when she would get here."

Modifié par kalenath, 02 janvier 2013 - 10:48 .

[kalenath]

Hangar bay, twenty minutes later

 

"Hurlie Girle!" A tall Asari stepped out of the odd looking shuttle that had docked and smiled widely as she saw Anya. "I hadn't believed it when the news report broke!" She ran to Anya who braced herself as the Asari lifted her bodily off the ground and hugged her tight. "Dang, you stupid human. Don't DO that to us!"

 

All the others in the bay laughed at Anya's expression. Spectre Williams was there along with Kai, Melissa and a squad of Protheans who had shown up just after the fight and not left Anya's side despite her protests that she could fight on her own. Both her sisters wore fatigues instead of armor. Anya wore her armor still, but hadn't put her mask or helmet back on.

 

"Illia..." Anya gasped. "Air...would be...good..." She smiled as the Asari set her down and looked her over. "You look good, Illia."

 

"Well, YOU look like something the varren drug it, ate and then BARFED, girl." Illia said, her face turning worried. "What the HELL have you been doing to yourself? I KNOW Raan'ita took proper care of you."

 

"It's a mess, Illia." Anya sighed, stepping back.

 

"When is it ever NOT, hurlie girlie?" Illia said with a scowl that turned into a smirk at Anya's grimace. "Oh come on, it was fun. You KNOW it was." Kai and Melissa both looked like they were going to die of smothering laughter but Williams just shook her head.

 

"You are the second Asari to call her that." Ashley said with a frown. "Do I want to know why?"

 

"You are Spectre Williams." The Asari nodded to her. "I guess I COULD relate the tale." Anya shook her head savagely and Illia smiled wider. "Come on, Anya. It IS a funny story."

 

"For YOU." Anya said softly. "I have been TRYING to forget..."

"Oh Anya." Illia hugged the human woman again. "You were always so uptight. I had HOPED that your paramour would loosen you up a bit. Sha'ira said the same." She ruffled Anya's hair a bit. "You always were wound too tight. C says your mind feels even more like a spring that has been wound far too tight. Calm down, Anya. We are here. We will help if we can." Her words were suddenly super soft.

 

"Oh Illia..." Everything seemed to stop as Anya flung herself into the Asari's arms, bawling like a baby. "They killed my kid!"

 

"What?" The Asari's face went from gentle and concerned to horrified. "What happened, Anya?" She asked as she held Anya, stroking the crying woman's hair to calm her. "Spectre?"

 

"Cerberus captured Anya." Williams said sadly. "Her family..." She indicated Kai and Melissa who had frozen in
place. "This is Kai and Melissa. They are Anya's sisters. Their parents ran a cell of Cerberus. Anya was a.. A test subject, for a very long time. Since she was born. Apparently when they captured Anya, their mother...tore Crado and Anya's child from Anya's belly and killed it."

 

"Karinlina." Illia snarled, a far cry from the kind and gentle being she had been a moment before. For a moment, she looked ancient, powerful and SCARY. "PLEASE tell me someone killed that ****."

 

"Obligatha did." Kai said softly. "She was my mother, but... I am GLAD she is gone. She was evil."

 

"You..." Illia looked from Kai to Melissa, then to Anya's still crying face. "Your tunes are discordant. You hurt." Her
voice had turned odd. It WAS the Asari's voice, but more. It was different, more resonant, more vibrant,  more... everything.

 

"C... Help me..." Anya begged. "Portia... needs you...Kai and Melissa..." She sobbed.

 

"Oh Anya. Such sweet songs dimmed by horror." The odd voice sounded sad, so sad. "But always others first." The voice sighed and spoke again. "No, Anya. You first this time." Anya shook her head, but Illia's hand was cupping the back of her head and power flared. "Sleep, my friend." Anya gasped and then went limp. The squad of soldiers stepped forward, only to paused as Spectre Williams gestured them to. The same odd voice sounded from the Asari's lips. "Your madre is fine. She is overwrought by grief and fear. She needs rest and comfort. We will tend her. Have no fear for her." The Asari looked at Kia and Melissa and her gaze was sad. "You as well... Both of you. We offer our aid. Your minds are discordant, we can soothe them, make your songs peaceful again."

 

"Songs?" Kai asked carefully.

 
"My people sing through the touchings of thought." The odd voice sounded through Illia's mouth. "Illia volunteered to serve as my voice to those who cannot hear me. Anya was right to call me. She needs help, and so do you." Kai and Melissa looked at each other, Kai stepped forward, but Melissa did not.

 

"I can't do this, Kai." Melissa said sharply. "I... I CAN'T."

 

"I do not compel, Melissa Wilson-Fuentes. I will not FORCE you to accept anything. But your sister Anya and your sister Portia need my care." The voice was super gentle now. "My form is frightening at the best of times, which these are not. And my guards are...diligent."
 

"You are Rachni." Melissa said slowly. "The queen?"

 

"A queen." The voice replied evenly. "My parent decided after being captured by the Reapers and forced to give
birth to eggs for them to change into what you called Ravagers that having a single queen for the entire swarm was a very bad idea. So, after Shepard rescued her from the Reapers, she gave birth to the egg that became me. The swarm divided. The Alliance tried to protect me, but Cerberus found me... They killed my guards. They would have taken me, experimented on me, used me, or killed me, if Anya had not stopped them. I owe her everything I am now. My people pay our debts, Melissa Wilson Fuentes."

 

"Just Melissa now... And... I want to see you." Melissa said quietly. Kai looked at her and she shook her head. "I need to."

 

"You make a wrong move, Melissa..." Kai said softly.  "And either her guards, Anya's or Specter Williams will tear you apart."  In answer, Melissa held out her wrists to Williams who gave her a long look before reaching for her belt and coming up with a pair of binders.

 

"No!" The voice of the Rachni out of the Asari's mouth was fierce. "Trust cannot be forced. Echoes of fear must be met and soothed or they grow in discordance. Stand easy, Spectre. My guards come." Ashley nodded and lowered her hand. Melissa looked worried, Kai serene. The Protheans just stood, watching Anya who now was cradled in the Asari's arms as Illia sang a soft lullaby to her.

 

Everything seemed to stop in the bay as the hatch of the ship opened again and two large and menacing forms appeared in it. Four legs, two arms and two appendages with four pronged claws at the ends of them. The Rachni warriors stepped onto the deck and took a pace forward, placing their bulk between the hatch and the frozen onlookers. They had no faces, but just from looking at their bodies, they were quivering in agitation. Their multiple compound eyes were glowing and the circuitry on their skin shone brightly in the light of the hangar bay. Both ALSO had odd devices mounted on what seemed to be their shoulders. Devices that moved independently of the appendages. They didn't LOOK like weapons, but that was what they had to be. Nobody moved.

 

An odd sound came and the warriors moved aside as another, even larger form stepped out of the hatch. An sense and peace and well being flooded the hangar as the queen soothed everyone with her pheromones. Melissa relaxed a little.

 

"You can help us?" Kai asked slowly. "Help Anya, Portia, Melissa and myself?" The queen made a slow movement that was obviously it's attempt to approximate a human nod. "What do I do?"

 

"Kai!" Melissa said sharply.

 

"I HAVE to do this, Melissa." Kai said quietly. "I have to know. After everything I have done, the blood I have spilled,
innocent and not... I AM expendable."

 

"NO, YOU ARE NOT!" Melissa cried. She darted forward. She made it halfway before one of the warriors lashed out with a clawed appendage, slamming her to the deck before the Rachni queen, aware of the warriors weapons turning to target her. She froze in place, waiting for whatever they would do to her. But instead of pain, a soft humming came from nearby.

 

"Love is a strong symphony, child." The voice of the queen came from the Asari again. "Your love for your sister is more powerful than the discordance I sense in you. May I soothe it?" The queen asked kindly. Melissa nodded, not trusting her voice.

 

SOMETHING washed over Melissa, seeping into every crack, every corner of her being. It was sound, but it wasn't. It was thought, but it wasn't. It was sadness, pity, compassion, fear, worry... All of those and none. It was kindness. Melissa was herself crying as she knelt and the queen's clawed arm touched her head gently. Something went 'snap' inside her and the tears that had been falling increased in volume.

 

{Oh child...} The sad voice was everywhere inside Melissa's mind. {Such harsh dissonance. So hurt and scared. You don't need to be afraid any more, Melissa.} The gentle voice crooned quietly. {It's okay.} indeed, the soothing tones were soft and gentle, like a mother's embrace.

 

{I...} Melissa cried and then, in a compulsive move, embraced the queen, who didn't even flinch.

 

"MELISSA!" Kai snapped, aghast as Melissa slowly slumped to the floor. But Melissa's expression as she fell asleep was a serene smile.

 

"It is all right Kai, sister of Anya." The voice of the Rachni came from the Asari again. "Your sister Melissa is free of
the controls placed in her mind. She will sleep for a time. You?" Kai stepped forward slowly and to her credit did not even flinch as the wicked claw came close to her face. But the touch on her cheek was gentle. "What is
this?" The queen asked, horrified. "Oh child... What did they DO to you? Oily... evil shadows..." The pain in the queen's voice was palpable.

 

"They..." Kai found herself kneeling with no recollection of HOW she had gotten there. Something gentle had her head in a firm grip. "I don't know. Don't... Don't take any chances..."

 

"Child..." The queen's voice sounded from the Asari again. "For child you are, even if you ARE the eldest. Your pain and fear are greater than any but Anya. Such horrible echoes... The maddening sour note is strong in you. I cannot heal this swiftly. I... may not be able to heal it at all." Regret sounded in the Rachni's tone. "I will try, but it will cause pain. I do NOT like causing pain. It rings discord."

 

"Do what you can." Kai said softly. "Anya trusted you and you helped Melissa. Help Jenni and Portia, please...?"

 

"Always for others." The queen absently said through Illia. "Always." The Asari sighed deeply. "This WILL hurt, Kai sister of Anya. There is no other way to do it. I am sorry."

 

"I am ready." Kai said softly. Then a hum sounded from the queen. It quickly built in pitch and volume until it pervaded every part of Kai's body. The pitch rose sharply and she cried out as pain came. Indeed, it DID hurt. It hurt worse than anything Kai had ever encountered She tried to scream, tried to roll back away from the source, but her body didn't obey her. Indeed, the pain increased as she tried to move. She felt something happen inside her and she was sliding. But she was smiling, the pain was gone. Everything was going.

 

"What? Bittersweetness?" The sharp voice of the queen came from the Asari. "NO! Kai! Stay! Your sisters need you!"

 

"I... don't hurt..." Kai said softly in wonder. How had she gotten to the floor? "Am I dying?" She asked in a calm
voice.

 

"Yes." The Asari sobbed for the queen. "I didn't... I swear I didn't mean to..."

 

"It's all right." Kai said softly. "Spectre..."

 

"I am here, Kai." Ashley's face came into her view.

 

"Tell Melissa, Anya..." Kai said with a smile. "The queen freed me. The only way she could. It's not her fault. I was too far gone. I think... I think they indoctrinated me without me knowing."

 

"Kai, stay awake." Ashley pleaded. "Jenni is coming. She can help."

 

"She will try." Kai said simply. "But I am tired. So tired..."

 

"No!" The queen said sharply through the Asari. "You are needed, Kai. Illia!"

 

"C-Flat Viridian, are you sure?" Illia's voice was her own again as she came into Kai's vision. "It cannot be undone, you know this."

 

"What?" Kai asked, her voice still that odd calm.

 

"When C-flat Viridian tried to soothe the disharmony in your mind, pieces of your mind broke, Kai." Illia said gently, a soft blue hand coming down to trace her cheek. "She cannot repair them."

 

"So I am dying." Kai said with a small shudder. "Will it be long?" Her tone was childlike now.

 

"She is keeping you here, Kai." Illia said quickly. "But she cannot do it for long. She didn't know how bad the damage to your mind was, Kai. She blames herself."

 

"No." Kai protested, looking up into the eyes of the Rachni that towered over her now. "Not your fault."

 

"Kai." Illia said softly. "She CAN save you. But it will change you. FAR more than you have been already. She can take you as her own, as I am." Kai looked at Illia who slumped a bit. "I was... I was a courier. I never asked what I carried. Not when it screamed and writhed or cried. Or if the delivery was to someone I KNEW was a Red Sand or
illegal weapons dealer." Illia was crying. "I didn't CARE. It was all about the money, all about the next payday. Then her mom saved me..."

"What happened?" Kai asked, curious.

 
"I took a high value contract. Pirates wanted the cargo and I refused to give it up." Illia said softly. "My ship was shot
down. I crashed and woke up in the Rachni hive. They had rescued me and destroyed the pirates who had been searching the wreckage for the cargo. They healed me, but...I was a mess. Not JUST from the crash, but from before. I hadn't KNOWN what love was since I was a child. When they sang to me, I knew again... I begged them to let me stay. But they refused." Illia sighed. "They said it wasn't safe and they were right. If I had been there when the Reapers attacked I would have died. I was never a commando. Then, after the Reapers came, and Shepard found and rescued the queen again, she sent for me and I went, willingly. She asked me to be C-Flat Viridian's translator and I agreed. But before I could GET to C-Flat Viridian, Cerberus attacked her and Anya saved her. That was when I met Anya."

 

"That must be one HELL of a story." Kai said with a smile. Then she sobered. "What do I do?"

 

"Kai. It is for life." Illia said softly. "Even if she COULD undo it, which she can't, you would not survive long outside her area of influence. It took time for me to integrate fully. Weeks, although I could talk to her and her me after the first few moments."

 

"KAI!" Jennifer's anguished cry had Kai suddenly tense a bit. Then a sub-harmonic tone from the Rachni soothed her again. "WHAT HAPPENED? Jenni demanded as she came close.

 

"The Rachni queen tried to soothe my mind, get rid of the programming." Kai said softly. "She managed with Melissa. But my mind was too broken, Jennifer." Jenni gave a sharp cry again and Kai hurried to speak. "Not her fault, Jennifer. Not... her..." She fought back the encroaching darkness, but it was pervading everything now. It seeped around and through her, coloring everythign in shades of gray.

 

"Let me see..." Jennifer said, tears falling as her omni-tool hummed. "My god..." She hissed in horror as she looked at the display. "Kai... No..."

 

"Illia..." Kai said softly. "C-Flat Viridian... What do I do?"

 

"Do?" Jenni snapped. "What are you? NO!" She screamed as the queen's closest appendage came down near Kai's head.

 

"Jenni..." Kai said softly. "She can help me. You can't, can you?" It wasn't really a question.

 

"SHE HURT YOU!" Jenni screamed. The Rachni retreated from the discordant shriek.

 

"Jenni, calm down." Kai said sharply and regretted it as pain started behind her eyes. "It was mom and dad, not her. They did something inside my head. It broke when she tried to help me. It ISN'T HER fault." Kai said and tried to reach out to her sister. Something grabbed her hand and gave a squeeze. "Jenni... Please... If I am this bad, Portia is likely worse. I...Ah..." She cried out as the pain redoubled. "She can help me. Let her, please..." She gasped.

 

"You can?" Jennifer's voice held little hope.

 

"I can, Jennifer, sister of Anya." The odd voice of the Rachni came from the Asari and Jenni gave a little squeak before sighing. "But it must be soon. Her song is fading despite my best efforts. She is slipping away."

 

"Jenni... Please...?" Kai begged. The hand on hers gave a squeeze and let go. "I am ready." Kai said slowly.

 

"Then listen, Kia sister of Anya." Illia said quietly. Kai strained with her ears and then blinked as the world suddenly turned an odd color. Or her eyes suddenly saw it differently.

 

She was looking down, on... herself. Her face was pale and pinched with fear and pain. But then it slowly relaxed. Her eyes slowly changed from the glowing hazel orbs to glowing SILVER ones!

 

{I...} Kai froze. Was her voice aloud or mental. The lips on her body hadn't moved so mental. {I feel...}

{Don't feel, little one.} The soft, gentle female voice sounded from everywhere. {Listen.}

 

A soft song started in the background, she could hear it. And suddenly, she could UNDERSTAND it! It was a lament, for innocence lost, for lives stolen, for hearts and souls destroyed for greed and hate. She saw tears start to fall down the face of her body, but it wasn't wrong. Everything was right now. She blinked and was back in her body, her eyes burning. She looked up at C-Flat Viridian and nodded slowly.

 

"Thank you." Kai said softly. "This is... odd..." She mused as she looked at herself with eyes that she KNEW somehow had just been altered to see in wavelengths that even augmented humans couldn't. "I feel... The same, but... not."

 

"Kai?" Jenni's eyes were on her and Kai looked at her sister. "Are you still my sister?" Jenni begged.

 

"You are NOT going to get rid of me THAT easy, sis." Kai said with a smile as she tried to sit up. To her astonishment, she could. The clawed appendage that move behind her to support was barely needed. "Thank you, C-Flat Viridian."

 

"You are welcome." Kai heard an odd dissonance as the Asari spoke. The words came from the Rachni AND from the Asari, but not at the same time. "How do you feel?"

 

"The same." Kai said softly. "But I am not, am I?"

 

"No." Illia replied in her own voice. "You will need some time to accustom yourself to the changes. Hearing them will not always be easy. They can be...chatterboxes on occasion." She smiled as Kai sat up fully. "Now, let's get Anya, Melissa and you to beds and then see about helping your OTHER sisters."

 

"What?" Jenni asked, unsure. "Me?"

 

"Yeah." Illia said calmly. "Anya let me know about you, Jennifer. You and I will have a LONG chat while C-Flat Viridian helps your youngest sibling. You might..." She leered at Jenni who stared at her. "Even enjoy it."

Modifié par kalenath, 05 janvier 2013 - 04:47 .