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Remember when the leftists were pretending to be worried about russian bots?
Well, now they just follow them around on social media attacking children.
But thats not a headline story. Nope. Let's keep trying to disparage children. | slim_pajama |
one of the authors(bb ) likes to thank wolfgang beirl for pointing out equation ( 3 ) .
this research project was partially funded by the department of energy under contracts de - fg05 - 87er40139 and de - fc05 - 85er2500 .
p. menotti , nucl .
b ( proc . suppl . )
17 ( 1990 ) 29 .
hamber , phys .
d45 ( 1992 ) 507 .
berg , _ phys .
_ b176 ( 1986 ) 39 .
w. beirl , e. gerstenmeyer and h. markum , phys .
69 ( 1992 ) 713 .
berg , in _ particle physics and astrophysics _
, h. mitter and f. widder ( editors ) , springer , heidelberg 1989 .
berg , b. krishnan , and m. katoot , nucl .
b , in press . b.a .
berg , and b. krishnan , nucl .
b ( proc . suppl . ) 30 ( 1993 ) 768 .
g. feinberg , r. friedberg , t.d .
lee and h.c .
ren , nucl .
b245 ( 1984 ) 343 .
christ and t.d .
lee , nucl .
b210 ( 1982 ) 310 .
b. krishnan , ph.d .
thesis , florida state university 1993 .
alves , b.a .
berg and s. sanielevici , nucl .
b376 ( 1992 ) 218 . | arxiv |
When a carboxylic acid acts as a nucleoplile, why does it attack through the carbonyl bond?
Here's a couple of examples of what I mean. Firstly, in the reaction with thionyl chloride to make a carboxylic acid:
Secondly, in this specific example of a hydroboration reaction:
I don't really understand why you cant attack from the hydroxide group and then proton transfer. Any suggestions?
For both the examples that you mentioned, the carbonyl oxygen has its lone pair localized while the other oxygen's lone pair is delocalized with the double bond. The better nucleophile is the one which has greater electron density.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Halo, My Little Pony 1. Chapter 1
**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively.**
Chapter One
**Spartan-A196**_**,**_** aboard UNSC Prowler **_**Shadow Boxer**_**, Slipstream Space – unknown coordinates. 0700 Hours, December 03, 2552 (Military Calendar)**
A small buzzer sounded, echoing around the small room and made the sole occupant, Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN-A196, Lisa, open her eyes and woke up.
She stared at the metal ceiling of her quarters for a moment then brought her hand down on the alarm clock built into her bedside cabinet, silencing it, then slowly got out of bed, easing the stiffness from her muscles and reached for her service fatigues, worn and faded from years of use.
They were quickly donned, covering up a plethora of scars and burns that covered the Spartan's pale body, reminders of a hard life fighting against a merciless foe. Lisa laced up her boots then left the room, ducking her seven foot tall frame under the hatchway as she headed for the bridge.
She was aboard a prowler, stealth ships used solely by the Office of Naval Intelligence for all manner of operations from laying nuclear minefields in battle to gathering electronic data on the enemy ahead of an all out attack, taking part in a long duration, highly classified operation targeting the Insurrection, human rebels that wanted out of the Unified Earth Government and its principle fighting force the United Nations Space Command.
Her mission for the past seven months, and that of the prowler's crew, was to search the outer limits of UNSC controlled space for hints of Insurrectionist activity and quell it if possible. Or, failing that, engage in guerrilla warfare against them until reinforcements from mainline Navy and Marine forces could arrive and tackle the rebels more directly.
So far, six planets had been targeted and three Insurrectionist encampments had been wiped out with minimal UNSC losses but lately their searches had been turning up nothing but abandoned hideouts, their insides stripped and torched.
This had been the pattern Lisa followed until during her last exploration of a deserted Innie stronghold, she had uncovered an intact data chip containing coordinates for a star system several light years outside Human controlled space.
The _Shadow Boxer _had jumped to the remote system the moment Lisa was back onboard, a little over six weeks ago, and now, if the NAV computer's estimate was accurate, they would be arriving any time soon.
She stepped onto the bridge where the officers in charge of the ship sat at their stations, watching the screens for any alarming changes.
Lisa passed them by and came to a halt behind the woman in charge of the entire prowler, Commander Eva Colbert.
The Spartan stood beside her, towering over the diminutive woman with ease, and clasped both hands behind her back as the pair looked through the forward view screen into the inky void that was Slipspace.
'Ready to get back to work, Spartan?' Colbert said, looking up at Lisa.
'Yes, ma'am.' Lisa said. She hated being on ships. No real gravity, no real atmosphere, no control. Ground pounders were just cargo in space.
'Good.' Colbert said, turning back to the void. 'NAV says that we've got another two hours before arriving at our next stop. I want you geared up and ready before then.'
'Yes, ma'am.' Lisa said. She saluted and made her way to another of the prowler's rooms, repurposed to serve as her armour bay.
Inside was a set of MJOLNIR Mark V, the iconic armour of Spartans everywhere. It looked imposing and impenetrable, even empty, and weighed close to half a ton. Despite this, the armour felt as light as air when worn, thanks in part to force multiplying circuits and a reactive metal liquid crystal layer that boosted her already immense speed and strength to superhuman levels.
Lisa had modified it as well, swapping certain parts to suit her skill set and operating methods. She worked alone, going up against the Insurrectionists by herself or with little support, and used stealth to whittle down the enemy. As such, her helmet was taken from the RECON armour variant to reduce her infrared emission and reflections from her visor, tinted a non-reflective black to reduce this further.
Her shoulders had different attachments to each other, neither of them coming from the RECON system. On Lisa's left was an up-armoured multi-threat pauldron, a thick, rounded plate that gave her additional protection when firing a sniper rifle from counter attack, similar to the ODST Sharpshooter BDU given to their marksmen, while the right shoulder was protected by an up-armoured base security pauldron, essentially an extra piece of metal wrapped around her shoulder that offered her arm freedom of movement and protection at the same time.
On the MJOLNIR's chest were several pouches for ammo and other small supplies that Lisa might need quickly, such as lock picking equipment and a rugged data pad for electronic locks.
Attached to the leg was a basic medical kit, containing a canister of biofoam and some stimpacks, just enough to keep Lisa combat capable for a few hours at least in case she suffered a crippling injury.
Everything had a matte grey finish.
The doors leading into the armour bay opened and a team of technicians entered, ready to help Lisa don her armour.
She disrobed and stepped into the middle of the room as they brought over the black bodysuit.
**Spartan-A196**_**,**_** aboard UNSC Prowler **_**Shadow Boxer**_**, Slipstream Space – unknown coordinates. 0941 Hours, December 03, 2552 (Military Calendar)**
Now fully armoured, Lisa stepped back onto the bridge, each step making dull thuds as half a ton of Spartan came down on the metal deck. Several on the bridge glanced uneasily at Lisa as she passed, some flicking to the suppressed battle rifle on her back.
She came to a halt behind Colbert as the Commander sat in her chair, eyes locked on the view screen.
'Coming out of slipspace in ten seconds.' The Lieutenant on NAV called out. 'Five seconds, four, three, two seconds, one.'
A bout of deceleration rocked the ship as it transition back into normal space, stars filling the viewscreen.
'New course, two-two-five by zero-four-zero.' Colbert ordered. 'Three tenths full.'
Prowler guidelines called for an immediate course correction the moment the stealth ship left Slipspace, in case there was anything that gave away their transition. They were woefully underpowered against anything bigger than a Longsword Interceptor. Being invisible was their only strength and form of protection.
'Sensors, anything?' Colbert asked as the _Boxer _settled on its new heading.
'No, ma'am. I'm not picking anything up, human or Covenant.'
Lisa breathed an inward sigh of relief, as did everyone else on the bridge.
The lone prowler could deal with a decent sized Insurrectionist occupation, but there was no way it could tackle anything the alien juggernaut fielded. Not with only one soldier onboard.
Colbert nodded. 'Alright. NAV, find me the nearest inhabitable planet and put us in orbit over it.'
'Yes, ma'am. Scanning.' The officer on the NAV station scanned the system they were in, nodded once, then typed in a string of commands. 'Planet found, five million kilometres distance. Moving us towards it at one third power.'
The prowler moved, whisper quiet, towards a lone planet orbiting a brilliant yellow sun, looking similar to Earth. There were green and brown continents, deep blue oceans and polar ice caps, all beneath a brilliant white cloud cover.
Lisa cocked her head to the side as she watched the planet get closer, thinking. Why had the Insurrectionists come here? Why come to a planet so far from everywhere else? Did it contain a valuable resource they were extracting and selling to fund their operations? Or was it simply because of the remoteness of the system?
'Coming into orbit now.'
A rumble went through the ship as it settled on an orbital path high above the planet.
'Start a detailed scan of the planet.' Colbert said. 'I want to know why the Innies had coordinates leading here.'
'Aye, Commander.'
Onscreen, high resolution images of the surface below began flashing by. Vast unspoiled forests, sparkling blue seas, immense deserts, rolling grasslands. It was picturesque.
The officer on sensors cocked his head to the side, like Lisa had, but in confusion rather than thought.
'Ma'am, I'm picking up some weird energy signatures.' He said. 'Unknown type. It's not in our database.'
'Source?' Colbert asked.
'Widespread, but there are three significant locations.' He tapped in a command and the viewscreen shifted to display the overall image the prowler had taken of the planet and three waypoints faded into existence on top of it.
'Zoom and enhance, all three.' Colbert ordered. 'Spartan, get ready for a hard drop. Soon as we've figured these things out, you're going down.'
'Yes, ma'am.' Lisa said, snapping off a salute before heading to the _Boxer_'s HEV launch bay, a recent addition to a stealth ship to let it deploy the lone Spartan with a much lower chance of being detected. A Pelican would have taken up too much room and presented a radar target for any ships nearby, but the small profile of the drop pod made it ideal.
She backed it with her equipment, a suppressed battle rifle and pistol, four weeks worth of food and supplies, several shaped charges and cans of C7 foaming explosive, then climbed into the seat.
'_We're having some difficulty indentifying the sources of these energy readings, Spartan.' _Colbert said over Lisa's COM. '_It's interfering with our systems and stopping us from getting a clearer picture. The more we zoom, the more blurred it gets. You'll be going in blind.'_
'Understood, ma'am.' Lisa said.
'_We'll drop you as close to one of the sources as we can but after that, keep COM chatter to a minimum.'_
'Yes, ma'am.'
Another buzzer began sounding, counting down the time until the drop pod would be launched out of the ship and to the surface below.
'_Good luck down there.'_
Lisa's pod blew clear of the _Boxer, _quickly accelerating to the planet below as gravity took hold of the small craft and pulled it closer.
**Spartan-A196**_**,**_** surface of unnamed planet. 1025 Hours, December 03, 2552 (Military Calendar)**
The pod landed without incident and Lisa was walking away from it with all her supplies within five minutes of jumping out the door, rifle raised and sweeping the area for potential threats.
There hadn't been any, just an overgrown and noisy forest with branches so thick they blotted out the sky and cast everything in perpetual shadow.
Lisa hefted her rifle and pressed on in the vague direction of one of three energy sources. It was somewhere to her north, maybe a few dozen kilometres distant, and sat in the middle of what had looked to be rolling hills and flat, open ground but it was hard to be sure. A dense cloud cover had obscured the Spartan's view of the ride down and though her mission clock said mid-morning, the local time was much later, almost the middle of the night, and darkness had covered everything else.
It made little difference to Lisa. Between augmented eyes and low light optics built into her armour, everything was as bright as day. She trudged onwards, stepping over uprooted trees and under low lying branches with the occasional murky pond making her divert from an otherwise straight route.
Eventually, the trees began to thin out and give way to wide open fields that were too neat to be unmanaged which, plus a rough dirt trail, pointed at this place being inhabited and for some time, too. The Spartan could see that the dirt was packed down hard. Someone or something had been using it for a while.
She traced the flow of the path with her eyes than followed it, thirty metres to the left, ready to jump down in case she saw anyone.
A small window appeared in Lisa's HUD, a live feed from overhead. The STARS, or Stealth Tactical Aerial Reconnaissance Satellite, had been deployed by the _Boxer _and was now looking down on her position from high orbit.
Lisa accessed it and manipulated the satellite to follow the path as far as possible, losing sight of it a few kilometres from her location as it came within range of the unknown energy source which, it turned out, was still affecting their sensors.
Closing the window, she carried on following the path, moving silently despite the weight of her armour and array of equipment attached to it.
**Spartan-A196**_**,**_** surface of unnamed planet, near unidentified energy source. 1217 Hours, December 03, 2552 (Military Calendar)**
It took Lisa close to two hours to reach the outer limits of the STARS blind spot and along the way, she hadn't seen anything that she'd classify as concerning or require breaking radio silence to report, just the odd sign of the planet being inhabited.
Small things, like a discarded bag or a piece of broken glass that had been worn smooth by wind and rain, but the closer to the energy source she got, the more obvious the signs were.
Tilled fields, waiting to be seeded. Rows of trees, too straight to be natural. Flowerbeds, bare and lifeless.
It made questions form in Lisa's mind. If Insurrectionists were here, why did everything appear so low tech? There were no farm machines, no dedicated roads to and from the fields, no metal fences to outline the borders of farms. Nothing.
The Insurrectionists could have, however, gone for a low technology to hide their presence but every other encampment Lisa had seen was outfitted with all manner of technology, from outdated rifles and pistols to top of the line motion sensors and cameras. She had even seen Jotun farming machines on one or two bases being used for crop collection, and those camps had held upwards of two hundred people.
So why wasn't she seeing that here?
Lisa frowned inside her helmet and kept walking, heading towards the brow of a hill that she hoped was separating her from the energy source and the answers to her questions.
She slowed and dropped to a crouch, then lay flat on her stomach and began crawling forwards, taking her time. Fast moves would only draw attention to her, something Lisa hoped to avoid for as long as possible.
She reached the brow of the hill, coming out in the middle of a grassy bush. With careful, deliberate movements, Lisa poked the barrel of her battle rifle out and peered down the scope at the landscape beyond.
Her eyebrows momentarily twitched upwards in surprise.
For an energy source of unknown origin, it certainly looked a lot like a town straight out of a child's cartoon.
2. Chapter 2
**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively.**
Chapter Two
**Spartan-A196**_**,**_** surface of unnamed planet, near unidentified energy source. 1229 Hours, December 03, 2552 (Military Calendar)**
Lisa kept her eye glued to the scope, slowly sweeping it over the town before her.
It didn't look like anything Insurrectionists would create. All the houses were wooden with thatched roofs, clustered in a loose formation around a three-tiered building that was sat next to a small river. She saw it cut off a few houses from the majority, winding its way into a nearby forest where it was lost from sight.
There was a farmhouse on top of the hill directly opposite her, standing proud above bare trees arranged into precise rows, with what looked to be an apple on top of a weather vane sitting on the highest point. Lisa could just about make out the dial spinning lazily around.
Was this worth breaking radio silence over? She had discovered a potential Insurrectionist stronghold that housed some kind of powerful and unknown energy source, of which there were at least two others, and had evidence that the place was inhabited.
However, to break radio silence Lisa would have to exit the dead zone surround the town and risk alerting anyone in the area that had a radio direction finder up and running, an old and vague means of navigating but, if tuned to COM frequencies, could reveal the Spartan's basic direction and range to the operator. There wasn't any concrete evidence of this anywhere but it never hurt to consider it a possibility.
Stealth was her weapon and defence against any enemies the planet might have and Colbert would likely just order Lisa to observe the town and avoid further radio contact unless the situation demanded it. Maintaining that weapon would serve her better in the potential long run.
Lisa nodded once and kept sweeping the town, shifting her thoughts to when sunrise would be for this town.
Should she find a suitable place to set up camp and rest until daybreak or wait it out where she was, ready in case anything happened that needed her attention?
She didn't feel tired or hungry, her weapons hadn't been fired so it was unlikely they'd need cleaning or maintaining, and it would take her at most ten minutes to set up a suitable encampment in the nearby forest.
She'd stay put for the moment.
Lisa shifted into a more comfortable and stable firing position, rifle tucked firmly against her shoulder, and settled ahead of a potentially long wait.
**Spartan-A196**_**,**_** surface of unnamed planet, near unidentified energy source. 1652 Hours, December 03, 2552 (Military Calendar)**
Dawn came slowly, starting out as a faint glow on the planet's west that quickly developed into a brilliant golden ball which crept up from behind the hills and mountains, bathing the town in a soft light and giving Lisa a proper look at it.
Her eyes had virtual night vision following a series of augmentations her body had been put through, enabling Lisa to see in the darkest of places with little to no external light sources. Coupled with image enhancements built into her armour, Lisa was able to see the town in the pitch black as if it were day.
But seeing it with proper illumination was so much better. It gave the lone Spartan a more realistic idea of what lay before her.
With the first rays of the sun's light came the first signs of life from the town.
Peering through her scope, Lisa watched as several doors and windows were opened, fully expecting to see humans wearing mismatched pieces of armour or faded fatigues step out to go about their business.
She did not expect to see brightly coloured four legged creatures emerge from the buildings, some of whom took flight and sped off to fields or the clouds above.
Lisa tracked one such creature, brow furrowing in confusion as it seemed to _push _a cloud away towards the forest. How could they possibly manipulate something that was essentially condensed water vapour which parted before even the most softest of substances?
Yet as she watched, more of the four legged creatures took flight and began moving the clouds to a set location, actually herding them into place.
The Spartan watched them for a further five minutes then switched back to the town below, pushing the magnification of her scope as far as it would go.
Upon closer inspection, Lisa saw that the creatures were almost identical in appearance to horses, but smaller and with a wider variety of coat colours, some of which she was sure didn't occur in humanity's horses.
She watched a vibrant pink horse with a mane and tail that looked like someone had taken a pump and inflated it step out of a house which looked like a cross between a cake and a gingerbread house, complete with three lit candles on top, then go into a series of jerky body movements including vibrating on the spot and flopping ears.
Baffled, Lisa continued to watch as the horse then waved in her general direction and went off somewhere, out of sight.
Shaking her head, the Spartan turned her scope over the rest of the town right as something sped over her, something fast enough to throw up dust and leave behind a faint sonic boom. Lisa moved her scope to track the high speed object, only to see it was another of the flying horses, this one a light blue with a rainbow coloured mane.
Stranger still, it seemed to leave behind a contrail that was the exact same as its mane and tail.
Lisa watched as it headed straight for the clouds being positioned above a barren patch of earth and helped organise them.
A few minutes later, Lisa heard a whirring noise similar to a Falcon, a tilt wing aircraft that used rotors to fly. She titled her head in the noise's direction and just stared, stumped, as a tortoise flew past, a helicopter blade affixed to its shell and a pair of goggles over its eyes, heading straight for the town.
Whatever this place was, and why the Insurrectionists had coordinates leading here, was a mystery that kept getting more and more strange the longer Lisa spent there.
She tracked the tortoise until it became too small to see then re-evaluated her situation.
Visible contact had been made with an alien species, albeit a race that looked remarkably similar to one humanity already knew about, that was intelligent enough to know about agriculture and engineering if the farms and flying tortoises were anything to go by. But at the same time, this planet, or at least the system, was known to the Insurrection. There was a small chance that the natives were in alliance with them and opposed to the UNSC, which meant that Lisa or anyone onboard the _Shadow Boxer _would be met with hostility.
She mulled the idea of breaking radio silence for a few minutes.
The discovery of a new alien race was more important than staying hidden.
Lisa crawled backwards, away from the town and out of the bushes, then ducked into the forest to her left and began walking out of the energy source's reach to a place where she could try and contact the _Boxer._
**Spartan-A196**_**,**_** surface of unnamed planet, near unidentified energy source. 1701 Hours, December 03, 2552 (Military Calendar)**
'_You discovered a whole new race?' _Colbert said over the radio as Lisa crouched in a depression from where she could watch the road for more of the horses and not be seen.
'Yes, ma'am.' Lisa said. 'Though I'm not sure horses qualify as 'new'.'
'_Horses?' _
'Yes, ma'am. They share the same physical anatomy as horses but smaller and with a wider pallet of colours to chose from.' Lisa said, recalling the pink horse and the blue blur. 'Shall I maintain an observation point and watch or initiate a first contact scenario?'
'_That depends on your assessment of the situation.' _Colbert said. '_Do you feel that there's an Insurrection presence within the town?'_
'No, ma'am. I haven't seen any evidence that they are here.' she said. 'All I've seen are the horses. And a flying tortoise.'
There was silence from Colbert's end for several seconds and Lisa could image the Commander displaying the same expression of disbelief that she'd had upon seeing the tortoise fly past.
'_Okay.' _Colbert finally said. '_Here are your orders, Spartan. You are t- -ainta- -tion.' _ Static began overlapping Colbert and the radio began whining, trying to scrub the transmission. '_-thing is in- -ering with yo-. Try to-' _
Whatever command Colbert was about to give was cut off, the line finally becoming overloaded with static, prompting Lisa to sweep her battle rifle in a full circle, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
Her COM had been jammed by something, something powerful, and she fully expected to see Insurrectionist forces closing in on her from all sides.
Only she didn't see anything.
Her motion tracker was clear, there were no anomalous thermal readings and there was no movement other than the swaying of branches in a stiff breeze.
That left one other possible explanation: the energy source had been moved closer to her position. It was the only thing that so far had been fouling her gear.
If it was the energy source, why was it suddenly mobile? And for what purpose?
Lisa couldn't come up with any decent ideas. She had no idea what this energy source looked like or even what it was used for. She'd have to get eyes on it to make more concrete guesses.
She checked the area for movement but saw none, setting out back to the town and its unusual power signature.
**Spartan-A196**_**,**_** surface of unnamed planet, near unidentified energy source. 1715 Hours, December 03, 2552 (Military Calendar)**
Lisa stopped in a break in the trees, battle rifle up and pointed in the direction of the town. She hadn't reached the brow of the hill where her observation point had been. A small nagging voice in the back of mind had told her to stop where she was, a voice Lisa had been taught to listen to by her instructor all those years ago during training and so far, it hadn't let her down.
She dropped to a crouch and rested her rifle on a particularly thick branch for better stability, activating the auto-zoom and focusing on where the path came over the hill.
She flicked her eye to her motion tracker, hoping to use it as an early warning in case something came for her, but frowned when it displayed a mass of red and yellow dots, swarming all over the place. Evidently, the interference was affecting that as well.
But why? Lisa had been inside the dead zone before and her motion tracker was clear. Unless the closer to the energy source, the worse it got to the point that her more basic sensors would ultimately fail as well.
The Spartan shut it down. The tracker was all but useless.
Instead, she paid more attention to her aural systems, boosting them to the point that every noise of the forest filled her ears. She got used to them, memorising what belonged and what didn't, then mentally filtered it all out, listening out for a sound that wasn't part of the forest.
She heard one a scant minute later, hooves coming down on packed dirt, too many to be just one of the horses.
Voices followed them within seconds and Lisa tensed, awaiting her first up close look at the aliens/horses. She couldn't make out any identifiable words, just melodic gibberish. It was almost childlike and it was getting louder.
The Spartan dialled back her aural sensors until they were back to their normal setting and the forest fell back to an almost imperceptible hum, replaced with approaching hooves and unintelligible voices.
Her finger rested on the trigger as the same blue blur she had seen not twenty minutes ago came flying over the hill, stopping to hover as five more horses appeared, including the pink horse that had waved in Lisa's direction.
Now that they were closer and not moving, Lisa saw the blue horse had a pair of wings that held it aloft. The pink horse had no wings.
Two others in the crowd had wings, a horse with a light yellow coat and a soft pink mane, and another whose coat was purple and had a mane of deep blue interspersed with streaks of vibrant pink but rather than just having wings, this one had a horn on its head too.
There was only one other horse that possessed a horn, a brilliant white one with a much darker purple. The last two, the pink one and an orange horse wearing a cowboy hat over a blonde mane tied into a ponytail, had neither horns or wings.
Lisa could classify the winged horses as Pegasi and the white one with a horn as a unicorn, but didn't quite know what to label the purple one that had both. A winged unicorn? A Pegacorn? A Unicus?
None of them seemed to fit so Lisa shoved the thought to the back of her mind, focusing on the six horses as they went off the path and headed to her old hiding spot in the bushes, led by the pink one.
Did it know Lisa had been there? It had, after all, waved at her earlier.
As they walked, Lisa noticed that the blue Pegasus stayed aloft, circling the group, as the pink horse skipped rather than walk normally as the other four did, bouncing around the bush when it reached the foliage, proudly proclaiming something Lisa couldn't understand.
The five horses took it in turns to examine the bush, sometimes poking at something, possibly a bent or flattened blade of grass, all the while talking to each other. Occasionally, they would scan the forest and twice their gazes swept across Lisa but made no reaction. They hadn't spotted the Spartan.
She took her finger off the trigger. Colbert hadn't been able to give her full instructions and this was a first contact scenario. UNSC guidelines called for her to make cautious attempts at communication with any sentient life she came across.
So far, Lisa hadn't seen anything that would give her the impression that these horses, these aliens, would react negatively upon seeing her.
She clamped her battle rifle to her back and backtracked to a wider break in the trees, emerging from the dark undergrowth and into the bright light and open fields, hands spread wide to show they were empty.
Lisa took a deep breath and began walking over to the group. Diplomacy was not her strength and up until now, her past dealings with aliens had resolved around fighting. This was going to be a whole new experience for her.
The Spartan managed to get within fifty metres of the horses when the yellow Pegasus saw her and let out a shrill shriek of fear.
Almost instantly, the others turned to face Lisa and froze, eyes widening in fear and surprise.
Lisa came to a halt as well, trying to gauge their reactions.
'I come in peace?'
3. Chapter 3
**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively.**
Chapter Three
**Spartan-A196**_**,**_** surface of unnamed planet, near unidentified energy source. 1722 Hours, December 03, 2552 (Military Calendar)**
Neither party moved, silently watching the other.
Lisa kept her hands open and palm upwards, a way of showing she meant no harm, she hoped. Different cultures had different ways of saying things. What might mean a good thing in one country might be offensive in another, leading to misunderstandings and fights. But looking at the lack of hands, Lisa didn't know if the message would come across.
She flickered from one horse to another, using the opportunity to examine them in much better detail. She saw strange pictures on each of their flanks, ranging from apple to butterflies to a rainbow coloured bolt of lightning, and filed away her curiosity about them for a later date.
One of the horses, the Pegacorn, took a tentative step forward, then another, before some form of recognition overtook the fear and it began speaking rapidly at Lisa who just stood there, not understanding a single word.
She didn't respond, simply rapping the side of head as she shook it, trying to signify a lack of communication.
It took a few seconds of this for the message to get across to the Pegacorn and it gradually fell silent, Lisa dropping her hand when it did.
Above, the blue Pegasus continued to hover above them all, its face slowly morphing to excitement and curiosity. The pink horse seemed to have a goofy smile plastered across it's face, contrasting the nearly hidden face of the yellow Pegasus who had backed away slightly, using their pink mane to further hide from Lisa.
The last two, the white unicorn and the orange horse with the hat, had similar expressions of fascination.
The Spartan let both hands fall to her sides as the Pegacorn said something to Blue Pegasus who suddenly sped off, leaving the same rainbow trail it had when Lisa first saw it earlier, before motioning for Lisa to follow, pointing at the distant town.
She looked at the town then nodded once, gesturing for the Pegacorn to lead on.
It smiled back at her then set off, the group walking slowly to make sure Lisa stayed level with them and chatting amongst themselves. They came up to her chest, putting the horses at five feet tall. The pink one stayed close to Lisa, still bouncing rather than walking, and the yellow Pegasus trailed behind her, accompanied by the white unicorn.
To Lisa's right was the Pegacorn, discussing something with the orange horse.
Ahead, the town loomed, getting closer with each step. Lisa activated her helmet's zoom and saw a number of the inhabitants were gathering in the streets, pointing hooves at her and whispering to neighbours. Blue Pegasus hovered above it all.
Evidently, the Pegacorn had asked it to forewarn the town of its newest guest and judging by the lack of weapons or sudden appearance of Insurrectionist forces, Lisa guessed they weren't in league with the human rebels. There was the possibility that this welcoming was merely a facade to buy time for Insurrectionists to show up but the voice in Lisa's head was saying nothing.
She'd go along with it, for now, but at the first hint of a partnership with the Innies, she'd bug out and engage in guerrilla warfare after contacting the _Boxer._
They entered the outer limits of town. Up close, Lisa saw that the town's inhabitants were mostly the same as Pink and Orange, lacking wings or horns, but she did see a small number of Pegasi and unicorns dotted here and there in the masses now lining the streets. Most of them had pictures on the back legs. The exceptions were the very small, young ones.
Lisa trawled through her mind for the correct word, settling on foal to describe them, before focusing back on the present. The noise level was growing, as were the numbers of horses. She guessed there was upwards of two-hundred watching her go past.
The Pegacorn led her to a giant tree turned building, the door seemingly opening of its own accord. Lisa frowned before raising her eyebrows in surprise when she saw a purple glow surrounding the handle and the Pegacorn's horn. Was that how the door had been opened? If so, what was it?
She ducked under the low doorway, emerging into the tree's hollow centre. Books lined the walls, stacked neatly, and a massive wooden horse's head sat in the centre of the room with yet more books perched on the stand it sat on, also wooden. In one corner were a flight of stairs that led to a basement and in the other was a flight that led to an upper level, one containing beds and a few other items that made it look like someone lived here.
Craning her head around, trying to take as much in as she could, Lisa spied a small creature perched on the upper level, staring down at her. It was covered in purple scales with a light green belly and darker green fins on its head. Lisa classified it as a dragon.
The Pegacorn shut the door using that same purple glow once everyone was inside, including the blue Pegasus that had gone off ahead, then said something to the dragon. It said something back and scampered down the stairs, quickly grabbing a wooden ladder to reach a book on a high shelf, blowing dust off it, before bringing the item to the Pegacorn.
Lisa watched as its horn glowed purple, wrapping the book in that same glow, as a quill and roll of parchment floated from out of a chest of draws, quickly scribbling something down on it.
It floated the scroll over for Lisa to take. The moment she did and her gloved hand entered the purple glow, her shields collapsed almost instantly and began blaring at the Spartan as they tried to re-establish a protective barrier.
She looked up, alarmed, to see similar shocked expressions of everyone else's faces.
There was a click and then a whine as her shields began recharging, quickly reaching full strength amid an orange glow. When it was done, Lisa scanned the scroll the Pegacorn had given her.
It showed a detailed drawing of her helmet with a cross next to it. She took that to meaning she couldn't understand them. Next was a drawing of the book with beams of some kind shooting out of it, one of them connecting Lisa with the Pegacorn. The last picture showed her head again, this time with a tick instead of a cross. She frowned, not quite understanding what the pictures meant.
'Is this... Is this book supposed to let me understand you?' Lisa said, gesturing at the book as it floated in mid air. She tapped her helmet again, nodding this time as she pointed.
The Pegacorn let out a happy noise, clapping its forehooves together.
Lisa took this to mean yes.
She stood stock still as the Pegacorn began reading intently from the book, its horn starting to glow brighter and brighter with each passing second, until a wave of energy gushed out of it and went through everyone in the room, once again shorting Lisa's shields out as they made contact. Only this time, Lisa was affected as well.
It started as a minor headache but quickly escalated to a full blown migraine, accompanied by a thousand voices each whispering something in a thousand different languages. Even so, she understood them all.
Then the urge to vomit cropped up.
Lisa fought it down but it was a losing battle and she quickly tore her helmet off and threw up directly onto the floor, falling to one knee as her stomach's contents were deposited on the wooden surface. She coughed and spat some residual vomit out before sitting back as her headache subsided.
She wiped some sick from her chin and looked to see if the horses had been affected in the same way but all Lisa saw were looks of repulsion and concern. So, she was the only one who had thrown up.
Looking down at the pool of vomit, Lisa pushed herself up and brushed a few errant specks of sick from her armour and helmet before turning to face the Pegacorn.
'Was that supposed to happen?' Lisa asked as she donned her helmet, sealing her suit back up.
The Pegacorn opened and closed its mouth a few times before regaining some composure.
'Are you okay? It asked in a feminine voice, answering two of Lisa's questions. One, the book did have the ability to translate what the Pegacorn was saying so she could understand it and two, the Pegacorn was most likely female. She had leaned more towards it being female by the facial features but wasn't about to assume anything without concrete evidence.
Lisa glanced down at her sick then went back to the Pegacorn. 'Yeah. I've been worse.'
'I'm so sorry.' She said. 'I didn't know it would do that to you.'
'Well now you do.' Lisa said, watching as a bucket of water and some towels floated towards her before they started to clean up her mess. She watched them work for a second, seeing the purple glow manipulating them, then turned away. 'You seem awfully calm about the fact an alien is standing in front of you. Most people would be freaking out.'
'You're an alien?' the Pegacorn said. 'I thought you were from a parallel world.'
'Parallel world?' Lisa repeated. 'What makes you think I'm from a parallel world?'
The Pegacorn waved the issue away. 'Long story. But if you aren't from a parallel world, then you really are an alien.' There was a faint trace of growing excitement in her voice and the other six let out similar noises, edging closer to the Spartan. 'Oh, wow. I always knew that there had to be other sentient life out there. I just never thought I'd actually meet them.'
'This. Is so. Awesome.' The blue Pegasus said, hovering above Lisa. 'An actual alien. Right here in Ponyville.'
'Told you somepony was watching us.' The pink horse said. 'My Pinkie Sense is never wrong.'
'You knew I was there?' Lisa asked, turning to look at the pink one. 'But, how?'
'I told you.' she said. 'My Pinkie Sense. Twitchy knees, itchy back, fluttering eyes and flopping ears means something's watching me and it isn't a pony.'
Lisa opened her mouth and looked at the others, baffled.
'Don't fret it, sugarcube.' The orange horse with the hat said. 'It may not make much sense but, Pinkie here gets these little feelings and they tell her what's gonna happen before it does.'
'Uh, okay?' Lisa said. 'And that's how you knew where to look?'
'Yep.' Pinkie said as she bounced around Lisa, suddenly stopping as her tail started to twitch madly. 'Twitchy tail! Twitchy tail!'
Almost instantly, the others ducked for cover, leaving Lisa the only one stood and thoroughly confused, looking up when a book landed on her head from above. She saw a number of them were precariously perched and as she watched, another fell down.
As it did, Lisa sidestepped and caught the book as it drew level with her chest, placing it on the nearest shelf. No more books fell.
'I take it that one means things are going to fall?' she said as the horses came out from cover. 'The twitching tail?'
Pinkie nodded and resumed bouncing around.
'Clairvoyant body parts aside,' Lisa said as she faced the bulk of the group, ignoring Pinkie as she bounced in circles. 'Who are you? And where am I?'
'Oh, my goodness. We completely forgot to introduce ourselves.' The white unicorn said, looking to the yellow Pegasus.
'There was a bit of a language barrier.' Lisa countered. 'Then things started falling down and tails began twitching.'
'That is no excuse.' The unicorn said. 'Why, if I were in your hooves, I would feel so annoyed at not knowing the names of my hosts.'
It was looking like the vast majority were female. They all had feminine voices and features if Lisa scrutinised their faces enough. This was either an all-female friendship group of the ratios of males-to-females was incredibly unbalanced.
'Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN-A196.' Lisa said, placing a hand on her chest. 'Of the United Nations Space Command Navy.'
'Rarity.' The unicorn said. 'Pleased to meet you, darling.'
'I'm Rainbow Dash.' The blue Pegasus said, performing a loop-de-loop. 'Fastest flier in all of Equestria.'
'Equestria.' Lisa repeated. 'Is that the name of this planet?'
'Nah, it's the name of our country.' The hat wearing horse said as she stepped a little closer. 'The planet's called Faustia.' She held out her hoof. 'Name's Applejack, by the way. Pleasure making your acquaintance.'
Lisa gingerly grasped Applejack's hoof, taking care not to crush it, and shook it. 'Likewise.' She moved to the yellow Pegasus that had said nothing so far and seemed to shrink under Lisa's faceless stare, made all the more daunting by her towering height.
She squeaked something out so quiet, even Lisa's armour failed to pick it up and amplify the word.
'I'm sorry?' Lisa said.
She repeated it, quieter than before. If it wasn't for the movement of her lips, Lisa wouldn't have known anything had been said.
'Right.' The Spartan said.
Rarity moved and placed a hoof over the her back.
'Come now, darling.' She said. 'You don't want to make a bad first impression with an alien race, do you?'
The Pegasus shook her head and stood up, whispering, 'I'm Fluttershy.'
'Hello.' Lisa said.
'And I'm Pinkie Pie.' Pinkie said before freezing in mid air, gasping loudly.
Lisa took a step back from her, alarmed. How exactly was she hovering in mid air?
'You're new to Ponyville.' She said. 'That means I get to throw you a welcome party!' Before anyone could say anything, Pinkie zoomed out of the tree with a trail of confetti behind her.
The Spartan just watched, dumbstruck, before shaking her head and turning away. 'I'm not even going to ask what that was about.'
'Trust me, you're gonna find out.' Rainbow Dash said.
'Uh huh.' Lisa said as she faced the last two who had yet to tell her their names, the dragon and the Pegacorn.
'I'm Spike.' The dragon said, surprising Lisa with the fact it had a more male voice though it was more akin to a child than an adult. 'I'm a dragon.'
'Hello, Spike.' Lisa said, leaving the Pegacorn to reveal her name.
'And I'm Twilight Sparkle.' She said, holding her hoof out like Applejack had. 'Princess of Equestria.'
Lisa's hand was already reaching out to shake Twilight's hoof but the moment she mentioned her title, the hand went into a salute on reflex. It was an involuntary response for Spartans in the presence of a superior officer or head of state, human or otherwise.
'Ma'am.' Lisa said, coming to attention as she left Twilight's hoof unshaken.
'Please don't do that.' Twilight said as she stared pointedly at Lisa's hand pressed against her head in a tight salute. 'It makes me feel uncomfortable.'
The Spartan lowered her hand but remained at perpetual attention as her mind tried to think of what to do next.
She had read the UNSC's first contact scenarios and followed them, establishing a means of communication with the native species, but beyond that it was drawing up blanks. Her role in dealing with aliens usually involved killing them, not starting diplomatic relationships with them. Maybe making contact wasn't such a good move after all.
'What, um, what now?' Lisa asked, hoping her new hosts were better at dealing with this than she was.
'I...I don't really know.' Twilight said, looking to the others for support. They just shrugged back. 'This is the first time I've ever met an alien before. I guess we could start learning about each other's culture.'
'Yes, what a wondrous idea, Twilight.' Rarity said as she stepped forward to better examine Lisa's armour. 'I would so love to learn what fashion is like on other worlds.'
'And what kind of animals they have.' Fluttershy added. She seemed to be becoming more confident around the Spartan, keeping her head raised rather than hiding behind her mane.
'I'm not the best person to ask about those sorts of things.' Lisa said. 'I don't have much in the way of interaction with those aspects of human culture.'
Both their faces fell.
'Is that what your race is called?' Applejack asked. 'Humans?'
Lisa nodded. 'What's the name of your race? Or are there numerous ones?' She added, glancing at the horns and wings on Rarity, Fluttershy and Twilight.
'Well, kinda.' Rainbow Dash said as she settled to the floor. 'See, you have Earth ponies like Applejack and Pinkie Pie who are great with their hoofs and can make almost anything grow, but then you have Pegasus ponies like me and Fluttershy who can fly around and control the weather and stuff.'
'And then there are unicorns such as myself.' Rarity said. 'While all ponies have some magic in them, unicorns can actively use it to do, well, anything.' Her horn glowed a pale blue and a similar glow wrapped itself around the two books that had fallen, lifting them back into position above Lisa.
'Run that by me again.' Lisa said, holding her hand out. 'You can use magic?'
'Yes.' Rarity said.
'Okay.' Lisa said. 'So we have unicorns, Earth ponies and Pegasus ponies.' She looked at Twilight. 'That leaves you, ma'am.'
'She's what we call an Alicorn.' Applejack said as she stood next to the princess. 'Twilight's got traits from all three ponies. Wings from a Pegasus, horn of a unicorn and the strength of an Earth pony. She's one of four Alicorns in all of Equestria.'
Alicorn. She hadn't been far off in calling her a Pegacorn. Then another thought popped into Lisa's head, recalling her shield's reaction after it came into contact with the magical aura surrounding the scroll Twilight had given her.
'You said you use magic.' Lisa said to Twilight and Rarity, the only ones with horns. 'And that there are only four Alicorns in Equestria, right?'
'Right.' Twilight said.
'Would two of them happen to live close together?'
'Yes.' Twilight said. 'Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They live in Canterlot Castle. How did you know?'
'Because when our ship came into orbit, it detected only three powerful energy readings that we couldn't identify.' Lisa began to say. 'I was sent to investigate them and figure out what they are. They're messing with our sensory equipment, stopping us from getting a clear picture of them, but going by what happened to my shields when they came into contact with your magic and the fact that the interference was mobile, I'm going to say that it's you.'
'That's not a problem, is it?' Twilight asked.
'Oh, no. No.' Lisa said, shaking her head. 'It's fine. I just can't radio my ship around you.'
'You mean, there are more of you?' Rainbow Dash asked. 'Here?'
'Yes.' Lisa said. 'There's around ninety or so in orbit. We're only a recon unit.'
'Maybe we can visit it someday.' Twilight said.
'Maybe.' Lisa said but she doubted it. The _Boxer _was supposed to remain hidden. With a powerful, sensor scrambling energy source onboard, Lisa wasn't quite sure how that invisibility would be maintained. Colbert would never agree to it.
'I guess the next thing to do would be start building diplomatic relationships.' Twilight said, holding her hoof out for Lisa to shake. 'On behalf of the Equestrian Empire, I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, welcome you, Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN-A196, representative of Humanity and the United Nations Space Command Navy.'
This time, Lisa shook her hoof though deep down was feeling less than happy about the situation. Humanity's first contact with a non-threatening alien species was being carried out by a soldier that had all the wrong experiences dealing with non-human life. She had, after all, become a Spartan to kill them.
On top of building relationships with the Equestrians, Lisa still had to search for and eliminate any Insurrectionist strongholds she came across.
This was going to be an interesting mission to say the least.
4. Chapter 4
**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively.**
Chapter Four
**Spartan-A196**_**,**_** town of Ponyville, Ponyville Spa. 1000 Hours, December 03, 2552 (Military Calendar/Local Time)**
Lisa felt very uncomfortable.
Colbert hadn't been pleased with her decision to make contact with the Equestrians without consulting her more properly but now that the contact was made, they would have to maintain it. Or, more accurately, Lisa would have to.
The crew of the _Boxer _would remain hidden and continue scanning the planet for Insurrectionist signs, leaving Lisa to play diplomat. This involved learning as much as she could about their culture, beliefs and lifestyle, developing a good relationship with the rulers and, where possible, teaching them about humanity. At the same time, her original orders of searching for the Insurrection still stood and would need to be carried out.
A tall order, given how closely the Equestrians would follow her with the intent of being good hosts, but that wasn't why Lisa was uncomfortable.
Twilight had sent a message to her mentor and fellow Princess, another Alicorn called Celestia, detailing the Spartan's arrival.
Celestia had told her to spend a week introducing Lisa to Equestrian society while a more formal ceremony could be put together in the capital city of Canterlot. That meant Lisa would be spending the next seven days with at least one of the six ponies she had met on the first day, going along with them as they carried out their daily business or volunteered to give her a tour.
The first two to do that were Rarity and Fluttershy.
After readjusting her clock to the local Equestrian time, they had led Lisa deeper into Ponyville.
The moment they began walking to one building in particular, the Spartan's unease had started to grow.
'Why, a day at the spa is absolutely the best way to relax and unwind.' Rarity said, walking at Lisa's side. 'You just feel so refreshed and rejuvenated. There is simply no alternative.'
'I'm sure.' Lisa said.
'Oh, yes.' Fluttershy said. 'It's nice.'
Lisa just nodded distantly as they entered the spa, two Earth ponies looking up as they did. One was blue with a pink mane while the other was the exact opposite, a blue mane with a pink coat.
'Aloe, Lotus, this is SPARTAN-A196.' Rarity said, placing her hoof on Lisa's back and nudging her forward a little. 'She's a visiting diplomat.'
Lisa nodded again, this time in greeting. The two Earth ponies hadn't been hit with the translation spell Twilight had cast, meaning they wouldn't understand her.
'A diplomat from where?' the pink coated pony asked.
'Outer space' Fluttershy said. 'She's an alien.'
The Spartan expected the two ponies to react negatively, or to freeze in place. She did not expect them to break out in smiles and usher her into the spa itself.
'The usual, girls.' Rarity said, floating over a robe that looked tailor made while Fluttershy put on one from a nearby pile. 'And the same for our new friend.'
_Friend?_ Lisa thought. She had met them all less than an hour ago and thrown up in front of them.
One of the ponies running the spa came over, looking expectantly at Lisa.
'You'll have to remove your clothes, darling.' Rarity said as she climbed onto a waiting table where a third pony stood, ready to tend to her needs. 'It's the only way to truly enjoy the wonders that Aloe and Lotus perform.'
'Easier said than done.' Lisa said. Her armour needed a team of trained technicians and specialist tools to remove most of it. The only things she could take off were her gloves and helmet. 'This isn't exactly the easiest thing to remove by yourself.'
'Do you need help?' Fluttershy offered. She had perched herself on another table and was receiving a gentle massage from the blue pony, whereas Rarity's was much more rapid.
'Yes, but neither you or Rarity can help me.' Lisa said. 'Thank you for offering, though.'
'Well, remove what you can.' Rarity said. 'Then make yourself comfortable and enjoy as much of the spa as you want.'
'Right.' Lisa reached up and took her helmet off, the suit letting out a faint hiss as the seal was broken. Next came her gloves which she placed alongside her helmet and guns on a shelf lining one wall. Her supplies and remaining weapons followed soon after. This still left Lisa wearing half a ton of metal and reactive circuits covering most of her body, limiting her choice of spa treatment.
She looked around, trying to decide on what to try out, then settled on a mud facial, easing herself onto the chair, lying flat on her back. It had been designed with ponies in mind, not seven foot tall Spartans, and her legs jutted over the edge.
The pink pony came over, brush in her mouth, and began applying the mud to Lisa's face until it was completely covered, hiding her scars from sight. Most of them had come from plasma burns, earned during a Covenant attack, adding a level of ruggedness to the already hardened face. Her eyes were dark brown, never quite still, and guarded, watching the pony as placed two cucumbers over them and cut everything off, leaving Lisa to rely on her other senses.
Lisa felt the faint breath of the spa pony on her face as she adjusted the cucumbers to sit more properly, then heard her walk away.
'Does your friend want her, um,' the pony trailed off, searching for the correct word. 'Claws doing as well?'
Lisa's eyebrow twitched momentarily then fell still. The Equestrians had hooves. It was doubtful they knew the word hand. At least, in the context of anatomy.
'Do you, A196?' Rarity asked.
'Sure.' Lisa said. 'And they're not claws. We call them hands.'
Rarity translated, calling the pony seeing to Lisa by Aloe. That meant the other one was Lotus.
'I've been meaning to ask.' Rarity said as a file began rubbing against Lisa's fingers and nails, smoothing the rough surfaces down. 'Is your name really Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN-A196?'
'No.' Lisa said. 'The Chief Petty Officer part is the rank I hold within the UNSC Navy. You can call me Spartan if you wish, or just Chief. I'll respond to either.' She didn't know these ponies well enough or trust them enough to tell them her real name. Until then, her rank would do.
The unicorn made an 'ah' noise, though whether this was directed to Lisa or to the pony giving her a massage was unclear.
Lisa spent the next few minutes remaining stock still, fighting the urge to stand up and clear her eyes of the cucumbers. To lie motionless in a potentially hostile environment while an unknown held a potentially dangerous tool nearby during a time when she didn't have her helmet on was contrary to her training. But, she was supposed to be an ambassador for Humanity and Lisa suppressed those feelings as much as she could.
Even so, she was constantly unclenching her hands as Aloe smoothed down her nails and applied a moisturising cream. It surprised Lisa that she was able to do such detailed work without hands, claws or magic to manipulate her tools, relying mainly on her mouth to carry and work them.
'So, Chief.' Fluttershy said as Aloe moved onto Lisa's other hand. 'What brought you to Equestria in the first place? Was it chance or were you looking for intelligent life? That is, if you don't mind me asking.'
'It's fine.' Lisa said. She forced her hand to remain limp as Aloe used a fine pick to remove all traces of dirt from beneath her fingernails while trying to determine what to tell the Pegasus. Her mission to track down the remaining Insurrectionists was classified top secret, meaning she could only share the details with those who possessed the right clearance. Fluttershy and Rarity didn't have that clearance, and were aliens to boot.
'I'm... looking for someone.' She finally said, deciding to tell them the very basics. 'We had a hint that they might be somewhere near this star system and followed up on it. I was looking for them when I came across Ponyville.'
'Have you seen any sign of them yet?'
'No.' Lisa said.
'Would you like our help in finding them?' Rarity offered, her voice coming from a different location that it had been. Lisa guessed she had moved onto another amenity offered by the spa.
'No, thank you.' Lisa said. 'I wouldn't want to trouble you.'
'Oh, don't be ridiculous, darling.' Rarity said back. 'It wouldn't be polite to not offer to help search for your friends. I absolutely insist on doing what I can to help.'
'Me, too.' Fluttershy added.
'No.' Lisa said firmly. 'Thank you for offering but, and I don't mean any offence when I say this, you'd be more of a hindrance than a help. I'd be more successful if I looked for them by myself.'
'Faustia is a big planet.' Rarity said. 'It would take you a while to search it all. Wouldn't your search go a lot quicker if somepony helped you?'
Lisa groaned inwardly at Rarity's insistence on offering help. She didn't like working in teams at the best of times, preferring to work alongside fellow Spartans over Marines and ODSTs if she had to choose one or the other. It was part of the reason she was happy to be deployed solo on long duration missions. The smaller the team, the easier to slip past a sentry, the smaller the footprint you leave behind.
For the past sixteen years, since Lieutenant Ambrose had taken her out of Alpha Company, she had worked by herself for the majority of it. The last time Lisa had become part of a larger Spartan team was during January of that year, fighting alongside another Spartan-III squad called Grey Team during a counter-Insurrection operation on Reach but even then, she had acted as an advance scout, calling out targets for Grey to neutralise and provide sniper cover as they assaulted the main rebel base, staying separate from them.
Adding civilians into the mix would spell disaster and possibly get them killed.
'I'll be fine on my own.' Lisa said. 'My ship is performing a search from orbit, looking out for small signs that the people I'm looking for are here.'
Aloe finished with her hands and started to work on Lisa's hair, a difficult task considering the Spartan had it styled into a buzz-cut so short, she was nearly bald. This didn't seem to deter the pony as she began working some kind of lather into it.
'Are you sure?' Rarity said, trying one last time. 'I would be happy to help you.'
'I'm sure.' Lisa said. 'But thank you for offering.'
The rest of the morning passed by quickly, with Fluttershy ad Rarity enjoying all the spa had to offer, from mud baths to regular baths filled with sweet smelling potions, while Lisa's options were limited to what could be done to her hands and head. She did join the two ponies in the sauna, relaxing amid the steam, but was happier to be actually leaving the spa with all her gear back in place. It was a wholly new experience for the Spartan and not one she was entirely comfortable with.
'What a nice way to spend a morning.' Fluttershy said, stretching out her wings as Lisa and Rarity followed her out of the spa. 'Did you enjoy it, Chief?'
'It was okay, I guess.' Lisa said, clamping her battle rifle into place. 'Things like that aren't really what I usually do.' True, her head and hands felt soft and were cleaner than they had been in a long while, but it felt too alien for Lisa to properly enjoy. She was happier with her suit whole and a weapon close by.
Spike came jogging over as they walked away from the spa, waving to them as he did.
'Hey, guys.' He said, panting slightly from the exercise. 'Pinkie says Sweet Apple Acres barn in an hour.'
Rarity and Fluttershy simply nodded as the dragon ran off again, exchanging glances at each other and at the Spartan.
'What?' Lisa said, looking back at them.
They just smiled and began walking to another part of Ponyville, forcing the Spartan to follow closely, mystified.
**Spartan-A196**_**,**_** outskirts of Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres. 1320 Hours, December 03, 2552 (Military Calendar/Local Time)**
Rarity and Fluttershy took Lisa all over Ponyville, introducing her to the town's inhabitants and businesses, for the best part of fifty minutes. It was only then that they changed direction and began leading her to the edges of town towards the farm Lisa had spotted during her initial observations.
It was surrounded by a waist high wooden fence painted white and looked to contain several dozen acres of orchards and fields. Near the main gate was a farmhouse with a distinct apple theme, standing proud amid a yard filled with hen houses and smaller sheds.
The two ponies escorting Lisa bypassed it, heading straight for a huge barn set behind the house. It was closed up but the Spartan guessed it wasn't empty, not if the small glances Fluttershy and Rarity had continued to give each other in the hour leading up to this were any indication.
She recalled Pinkie Pie's earlier statement and hasty exit.
_A party, _Lisa thought, exasperated. _Great. _
She didn't mind that the ponies of Ponyville were throwing a party to welcome her. It was a nice enough gesture, but with parties came huge crowds and with huge crowds came too many variables for Lisa to feel comfortable with, as well as bringing up bad memories.
But, orders were orders. She'd just have to put aside her personal discomfort as best she could.
Rarity used her magic to open the doors just enough to let them all in but not enough to let light from outside seep in, keeping the barn's interior darkened. Even so, Lisa's augmented eyes could perfectly see a large number of ponies hiding behind tables, in the rafters and in empty troughs, while a liberal coating of streamers and confetti served to turn the barn from a storage space into a makeshift hall.
The moment Lisa stepped into the barn's threshold, the lights were thrown on and everybody within the barn simultaneously yelling out surprise, the exception being Pinkie Pie who was a second or two later than the rest, and confetti was thrown up into the air.
Lisa fought back her growing unease and took a step into the barn where she was approached by Twilight and the rest of the ponies.
'Welcome to Ponyville, Chief Petty Officer.' Twilight said as the noise level began climbing, Pinkie Pie bouncing over.
'I threw this party just for you!' she said. 'It's a way of saying hi to you and the rest of Humanity.'
There was a banner running across the first beam that read 'Welcome to Ponyville, SPARTAN-A196 and Humanity', complete with a cartoon drawing of Lisa in her armour on both ends of the canvas.
'Were you surprised?' Pinkie asked.
'No.' Lisa said as she scanned the welcome message.
'Aw.' Pinkie said, looking down dejected.
'Thank you for throwing it, though.' Lisa quickly added.
The pink pony's expression instantly cheered up and she beamed at Lisa with an impossibly wide grin.
'So how did you enjoy your morning, Chief?' Twilight asked as Pinkie went off to speak with someone else.
'Fine, ma'am.' Lisa said, adding the honorific on reflex. 'Though spas aren't really my thing. I'm not used to pampering myself like that.'
'What are you used to?' Twilight asked, directing Lisa over to a table filled with snacks, most of them being sweets or containing apples in way or another.
The Spartan reached for a plate and began piling it with a selection of the healthiest looking items there, avoiding the sugary sweets as much as possible.
'Long periods without showers or proper beds.' Lisa said. She placed her plate on a table and removed her helmet, attaching it to her rucksack with a piece of rope, then began picking away at her food. Even the healthier options were sickly sweet.
When Twilight looked at her with confusion, Lisa elaborated. 'I'm a soldier, and the UNSC sends me on long duration missions more often than not. There have been months go by without me sleeping on anything other than solid ground.'
'And a soldier is what exactly?'
Lisa momentarily stopped when she heard Twilight's question, slice of apple pie half in, half out her mouth. She recovered and swallowed her mouthful of food before considering her answer. If Twilight, a Princess, didn't know what a soldier did, then she guessed Equestria had no dedicated standing army, or even a militia.
'I protect people.' Lisa said. It wasn't quite the truth. Her fighting was always away from population centres and against Insurrectionists. In a roundabout way, though, she did protect people but in the long run.
'Like a Royal Guard?' Twilight said. 'They protect the princesses and patrol Canterlot, looking out for danger.
'I guess so.' Lisa said. 'Though I'm sent out against enemies of the UNSC and neutralise them, operating in an active capacity rather than a passive, reactionary one.'
Twilight made an 'oh' noise as Lisa finished off her food.
'I guess I'll leave you to enjoy the party.' She said, taking a step away. 'And don't worry about nopony understanding you. I've cast the translation spell over everypony so feel free to talk to them.'
Before Lisa could object, Twilight melted into the crowd and left the Spartan all alone in the middle of a massive party containing upwards of one hundred ponies. She fought down her unease, managing to at least subdue it for the time, then put her helmet back on. The click as it sealed her suit and whine as the shields charged to full strength calmed Lisa a little, but not by much.
_You can do this, _she thought. _It's just a room full of civilians. They've been nothing but kind and courteous towards you and haven't been hostile in any way, shape or form._
There were still a hundred of them, and all of them alien.
Lisa took a calming breath and moved away from the corner she had been stood in, moving to stand amongst the thronging crowd, saying hello to the ponies.
Despite the smiles they gave her and the relaxed atmosphere, Lisa felt herself growing more and more unsettled with each pony she met and how her progress was slowly taking her away from the door. The fact she couldn't spot any of the six ponies she'd met first only exacerbated the issue and Lisa felt her head start to spin.
The room suddenly became louder and she heard the faint roar of a Pelican's turbines overlapping everything, a noise none of the ponies heard, followed closely by children crying and a sense of vertigo.
She suddenly found it very hard to breath.
'I- I need-' Lisa tried to say to the pony she was speaking with, a lime green unicorn, but couldn't quite form the right words. She centred herself on the door then beat a hasty path for it, roughly barging past ponies in a desperate bid to get outside.
She reached the door and was just about to step outside when Rainbow Dash dropped down in front of her, a question on the mare's lips. Lisa just shoved her out of the way and burst into the outside world, staggering to a nearby tree to lean against, gulping in air.
She sagged to the ground, eyes clenched shut as she tried to get the Pelican's whine out of her head.
Slowly, but surely, the memory faded as her breathing and heartbeat went back to normal.
Lisa opened her eyes, gradually, and let out a long breath as Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and several other ponies came rushing out, all of them with the exception of Rainbow Dash wearing similar concerned looks. The blue Pegasus wore one tinged with annoyance.
'Are you okay?' Twilight whispered once she was closer. 'You ran out of there like you were going to be sick.'
'Wouldn't be the first time.' Lisa wheezed. She pulled off her helmet and sucked in fresh air, fee of the chemical taste her suit's filters gave it. 'Agoraphobia. I don't do well in crowds. They bring up... They bring up bad memories.' She coughed and reached for a canteen clipped to the side of her rucksack. 'Really bad.'
'So, you didn't leave because you hated my party?' Pinkie asked. Oddly, her mane was completely flat, like someone had taken a pin to it and let all the air out, same with her tail.
'No.' Lisa said, taking a long drink before stowing the canteen. 'I just needed to get away from the crowds.'
More ponies were coming out of the barn now, watching the Spartan as she stood and slipped her helmet back on.
As if a switch had been thrown, Pinkie Pie's mane and tail inflated to their usual state. Lisa just opened her mouth in confusion, the only one to do so. The others still had their attention focused on her.
'Do you wanna talk about it?' Twilight offered.
Lisa shook her head, saying, 'No. I'll be fine so long as I don't go into any more crowded places in small rooms.' She glanced at the barn then back at Twilight and the others. 'Sorry. I should have said earlier but I was trying to stay for as long as I could.' Then, to Rainbow Dash, said, 'Sorry for shoving you out of the way. I just really needed to get outside.'
Rainbow Dash waved the issue away. 'It's okay. You say you needed some air. I can relate to that. There's nothing more that I love than open skies to fly through. Being inside starts to bug me after a while.'
'Right.' Lisa said. She looked at the barn again, hesitant to go back inside after her panic attack.
'We can have the party out here if you want.' Pinkie said, following her gaze. 'We were only in there to surprise you.'
'Sounds good.' Lisa said. She took another calming breath then followed the ponies back into the barn to help bring the tables and food into the farmyard.
End file.
| fanfiction |
the
binding of a drug - like molecule to a protein leads to displacement
of water molecules from the protein s binding pocket , and the
thermodynamics of this displacement process is thought to contribute
significantly to the overall thermodynamics of protein
protein hydrogen bonds may incur a large energetic penalty ,
whereas displacement of water from hydrophobic parts of the binding
pocket may help drive ligand - binding . intuitively , one may view different
parts of the protein s surface as imposing different surface
energies on the nearby water , with correspondingly different thermodynamic
consequences for water displacement by various ligands .
the
use of molecular distribution functions to analyze molecular dynamics ( md ) simulations has led to important
advances in the study of binding site water and its role in molecular
recognition ; parallel progress with the 3d rism approach also deserves mention but is not considered here .
key early contributions
include development of watermap ( schrdinger
llc ) , stow , and other approaches , which have provided new insight and shown promise as tools to help
discover small molecules that will bind a targeted binding pocket .
such methods frequently define spherical sites , where water is present
at high density , to represent the distribution of water in the binding
site .
this hydration site approach ( hsa ) is motivated in part by the
practical consideration that , in regions where water is present at
lower density , it becomes more difficult to obtain converged values
of the local orientational entropy of water .
this is a simple consequence
of the lower number of water samples available from the simulation
in such low - density locations .
the hsa strategy of limiting attention
to hydration sites where water is present at high density maximizes
the chances for good numerical convergence of the orientational entropy .
however , as previously discussed , the
regions in a binding site where water is present at high density can
have a complex shape , which is not easily represented by a collection
of spheres .
this limitation has been addressed in a grid - based
implementation
of inhomogeneous solvation theory ( ist ) , termed gist . instead of constructing hydration sites
, gist discretizes the smooth
distributions of water density and other properties onto a fine , three - dimensional
grid .
the problem of converging the local orientational entropy of
water is overcome through the use of a highly efficient nearest - neighbor
( nn ) method , as opposed to histogram methods , which require more sampling
to reach adequate convergence .
gist can also take
advantage of the fact that regions of lower density contribute proportionately
less than regions of higher density regions to the overall orientational
entropy of the displaced water .
this density - weighting means that ,
if one is interested in the integral of the orientational entropy
over a volume containing both high and low density regions , one can
converge the overall integral to an acceptable tolerance , so long
as the high - density regions are well converged .
alternatively , the
grid approach makes it straightforward to focus on regions where water
is present at high density , as done in hsa , without simplifying their
shapes . here
protein
system . in order to establish a clear basis for comparing methods ,
we study coagulation factor xa ( fxa ) with a set of small molecule
inhibitors used in early studies of the watermap method ,
and we derive scoring functions based on both
gist and hsa methods . for this initial test of gist
s applicability
to protein ligand modeling , we do not seek to establish a full - fledged
protein ligand scoring function , suitable for virtual screening
or lead optimization .
instead , as previously done , we ask how well the gist treatment of hydration can capture
affinity differences between closely related congeneric pairs of ligands ,
where differences in binding affinity that result from contributions
other than solvation such as configurational entropy and protein
our results support the applicability of gist
and , in addition , provide an unexpected outcome regarding the role
of energetically versus entropically unfavorable water .
we ran explicit - water md simulations of fxa and
used both gist
and our local hsa implementation to extract information about the
structure and thermodynamics of the water in the binding site .
we
then considered the displacement of this binding site water by various
fxa inhibitors , whose binding site poses are known or could be inferred
from the known poses of very similar compounds .
candidate scoring
functions , based on the computed properties of the water displaced
by each ligand , were trained on subsets of the experimental affinity
data and then tested on separate sets , in order to assess the utility
of the hydration data to resolve the relative binding affinities of
pairs of congeneric ligands .
details of the computational methods
are presented in the following subsections . as previously
detailed
, gist uses a three - dimensional rectangular grid of cubic
voxels in the region of interest and processes the snapshots of an
md trajectory to compute the following thermodynamic quantities for
each voxel , k , centered at location rk : ek , swnorm , the mean solute water interaction energy of a
water molecule in voxel k. ek , wwnorm , one - half the
mean interaction energy of the water in voxel k with
all other waters .
the factor of 1/2 , which was not included in the
definition of the corresponding water
water interaction energy
in our initial presentation of gist , is
customary in liquid - state theory ; it allows the total energy of neat
water to be written as the sum of the individual water energies .
tsk , swtrans , norm , the single - body ( one - water ) translational entropy of water in voxel k , relative to bulk , normalized to the mean number of waters
in the voxel .
tsk , sworient , norm , the single - body ( one - water ) orientational
entropy of water in voxel k , relative to bulk , normalized
to the mean number of waters
in the voxel .
note that we previously used a somewhat different
notation for
these quantities ; for example , ek , swnorm was eswnorm(rk ) . here ,
a 20.5 20.5 22.5
grid was centered on the active site of fxa .
the grid spacing
of 0.5 provides voxels large enough to give statistically meaningful
data but small enough to still give a high resolution description
of the density distribution functions .
it is worth noting that the volume of each voxel is 33.5 times less
than that of a hydration site ( see below ) , as the latter represents
a sphere of radius 1 .
the gist lennard - jones and electrostatic
energies were computed from stored md frames , using the minimum image
convention and no cutoff , and the reference value of the bulk water
the main gist
calculations presented here used 100 000 frames saved at 1
ps intervals during a 100 ns production md run , but shorter durations
were also examined , to study convergence , as detailed below .
when
a ligand binds a protein , it displaces water from the protein s
binding site .
if the displaced water was unfavorable relative to bulk ,
then water displacement should make a favorable contribution to the
ligand s binding affinity . with this in mind
, we initially
looked for a correlation between measured ligand binding affinities
and regional hydration free energies ( eq 25 of ref ( 28 ) ) , where the region was
defined as those voxels covered by each ligand in a bound pose .
however ,
finding little correlation ( data not shown ) , we conjectured that any
underlying correlation had been obscured by noise , due to sharp variations
in the hydration energies with even small changes in ligand position
.
this sharpness traces , at least in part , to our use of a single pose
for each ligand , and a restrained protein structure in the water simulations .
we addressed this issue by constructing scoring functions which are
based on the gist data but are less sensitive to the details of local
water properties , due to the use of cutoffs in local water density ,
energy , and entropy .
the use of cutoffs to construct a well - behaved
scoring function from local hydration data was first introduced in
the context of a hydration site model .
we tested three such scoring functions based on the gist hydration
data available from the grid described above . in all three cases
,
voxel k can contribute to a ligand s score
only if the voxel s center , rk , lies within the van der waals radius of any atom
of the ligand . for a given ligand , then , each voxel is assigned a
binary displacement indicator , dk , which equals 1 if the center of the voxel lies within the
van der waals radius of any ligand atom and 0 if it does not . the
van der waals radii
are drawn from the software package crystal maker
( crystalmaker software ltd . ) , which in turn relies on bondi .
we also allowed the scoring function to focus
on voxels where water is present at high density by setting up an
additional binary indicator , gk , which is set to 1 if the water density in voxel k exceeds a cutoff gco , and 0 if it does
not .
this cutoff is one of the trained parameters , so it will be greater
than zero only if imposing a density cutoff actually improves the
accuracy of the scoring function . finally , we set up similar cutoffs
for the total energy and entropy , eknorm and tsk , swnorm , associated with each voxel k , and used these to define additional binary masks based
on energy and entropy thresholds .
thus , the binary mask , ek , equals 1 if eknorm exceeds the cutoff , eco , and 0 otherwise ;
and the binary mask , sk , equals 1 if tsk , swnorm exceeds the cutoff , sco , and
0 otherwise . like the density cutoff , gco , the values of eco and sco are fitted parameters and hence are free to go to zero
if imposing these cutoffs does not improve the accuracy of the scoring
function .
the total energy and entropy were computed as eknorm ek , swnorm + 2ek , wwnorm 2eww ,
the quantity eknorm is the mean interaction energy of the water in voxel k with the protein and all other waters , relative to what its interactions
would be in bulk , 2eww , bulknorm , computed in the same convention
as the other gist quantities . with the voxels binary
masks in place for density , energy ,
and entropy
, we now define the three candidate scoring functions ,
one using both the energy and entropy data from gist , the second using
only the energy data , and the third using only the entropy data:1 here , eaff and saff are additional
fitted parameters , which specify the affinity
increments provided by voxels surpassing the energy and entropy cutoffs ,
respectively , and also meeting the criteria dk = gk = 1 .
note that in this study , each of these scoring functions
was trained separately and has its own fitted values of gco and c , as well as eco and eaff and/or sco and saff .
we adjusted the scoring functions described above
to fit the measured relative binding free energies , gexpt , of 28 different congeneric pairs of fxa
inhibitors ( see below ) .
separate training and test sets were used ,
in order to avoid overfitting of the parameters .
thus , we used a random
number generator to split the 28 pairs into two arbitrarily selected
sets of 14 apiece .
ten such random splits were carried out , creating
10 distinct training and test sets .
parameters were optimized for
each training set and then tested on the corresponding test set .
we
report means and standard deviations over these 10 splits for the
resulting fitted parameters and accuracy metrics .
we further assess
the significance of these results by comparing them with results obtained
after a shuffling operation , which used the gsl_permutation function
in the gnu scientific library , to randomly exchange the entropy and
enthalpy values among pairs of voxels . for each training set ,
the parameters were adjusted as follows , using ges as an example .
we scanned values
of eco and sco from 0 to 4 kcal / mol and values of gco from 0 to 4 ( in units of neat water density ) , each in increments
of 0.1 .
this scan yields 41 41 41 = 68 921 combinations
of the three cutoff values . for each combination ,
linear regression
was then used to obtain values of eaff and saff that provide the highest correlation
coefficient ( r ) of the relative scores
for the congeneric pairs , ges , to the corresponding experimental values , gexpt , for the training set .
the optimized values
of the five fitted parameters were then used to compute ges for the congeneric pairs in the training
set , and the reliability of the scoring function was evaluated based
on the resulting value of r for the test
set .
analogous procedures were used for the other two scoring functions ,
ge and gs .
these require scanning only
41 41 = 1681 cutoff combinations and yield only one of the
two affinity parameters , eaff or saff , rather than both as for ges .
hydration sites in the fxa binding site were
defined and analyzed thermodynamically based on the same md simulation
used for the gist calculations , using the first 10 ns ( 10 000
frames ) , in accord with the common practice of using approximately
210 ns simulations for hsa calculations .
we first collected
all instances , in these 1000 frames , of water molecules within 5
of any heavy atom of any bound ligand ( see below ) .
for each water
molecule in this set , we counted the number of neighboring waters
from the same set , using the criterion of an oxygen
, a water molecule can
count as its own neighbor , if two instances of it in different frames
meet the distance criterion .
the location of the first hydration site
was then set to the coordinates of the water oxygen with the most
neighbors .
this water molecule and all of its neighbors were then
removed from consideration as potential hydration sites , and the location
of the next hydration site was set to the coordinates of the remaining
water oxygen with the most neighbors , based on the initial counts .
this removal process was iterated until the number of neighbors of
all remaining waters was less than twice that expected for a 1000
frame simulation of bulk water ( i.e. , < 280 from 1000 frames ) .
each hydration site then was associated with all water instances ,
from the full 10 000 md frames ( above ) , whose oxygens lay within
1 of the site .
each hydration site i was associated with a mean energy ei and a one - body entropy si .
the energy of a water molecule in a given hydration
site was calculated as half the difference between the total energy
of the water
a script invoking the program amber , with settings matched to those of the md simulation , was used to
compute these energies .
the mean energy of the hydration site then
is the average of these energies for all water molecules that populate
the site , minus the average energy of a water molecule in neat water
from matched calculations .
the water entropy si associated with hydration site i is the sum of its one - body translational and orientational entropies , si , swtrans
k g(r ) ln g(r ) dr and si , sworient ( ( kni)/ ) g( ) ln g( ) d , where r is position in
the protein frame of reference , k is boltzmann s
constant , is bulk water density , g(r ) is the local water density referenced to bulk , ni is the number of water molecules
associated with hydration site i ,
8 , vhs indicates an
integral restricted to the spherical hydration site , and
defines orientational coordinates in the protein frame of reference .
the translational entropy was computed by the histogram method , where
spherical coordinates r , , centered
on the hydration site were divided into uniformly spaced bins in r , cos , to generate 512 three - dimensional
bins of equal volume , with r [ 0 , 1 ] ,
[ 0 , ] , and [ 0 , 2 ] .
the orientational entropy associated with a hydration site was computed
via the same nearest neighbor method used by gist for individual voxels .
we used
the hydration sites described above as the basis for three cutoff - based
scoring functions , whose functional forms build on prior work . like the three gist scoring functions ( above ) ,
the free hsa - based scoring functions are based on , respectively , both
energy and entropy , energy alone , and entropy alone:2 here , the sums
range over hydration
sites i ; ei and si equal
1 if ei and tsi are greater than cutoff values eco and sco , respectively ,
and 0 otherwise ; di is
a displacement function , defined below , which accounts for the overlap
of the ligand , in a given pose , with hydration site i ; eaff and saff are fitted constants ; and c is a constant offset .
note that the hsa scoring parameters in eq 2 are set independently of the gist scoring parameters in eq 1 , despite the use of some equivalent symbols .
one is identical
to that used in the previous paper , while
the second , as discussed below , applies a physically motivated cap
to this quantity:3 here , (x ) ,
the heaviside step function ,
equals 0 if x 0 and 1 otherwise ; rco is a distance cutoff ; rij is the distance between hydration site i and atom j of the ligand being scored ;
and the sum runs over all atoms belonging to the ligand being scored , i. for dinocap , which is modeled on the prior
hydration site scoring function , each
ligand atom within rco of the hydration
site makes a contribution that scales between 0 and 1 as it approaches
the center of the site , so the displacement function accounts for
the degree to which a ligand displaces the water in the site .
however ,
this approach is nonphysical in the sense that , if rij < rco for multiple ligand atoms j and a single site i , then the displacement of solvent from the site may be
multiply counted .
that is , for the energy / entropy scoring function ,
a site might contribute more than eaff + saff ; for the energy - only scoring
function , it might contribute more than eaff ; and for the entropy - only scoring function , it might contribute
more than saff . indeed , in the present
study , we found values of dinocap up to 3.2 , implying
that a single site might contribute over three times .
we therefore
also considered the alternative displacement function , dicap , which is capped at a value of 1 , so that no hydration
site may contribute more than one - fold to a ligand s score ,
in accordance with the fact that the site can not be displaced more
than once .
the parameters of the hsa - based scoring functions
were adjusted in the same manner as those of the gist - based scoring
functions , except that rco took the place
of gco .
thus , values of rco were scanned from 2 to 3 , in steps of 0.1
and , as for gist , values of eco and sco were scanned from 0 to 4 kcal / mol in increments
of 0.1 kcal / mol .
( note that no hydration sites had energies greater
than 3.7 kcal / mol . )
the sums in eq 2 were evaluated
for each ligand and with each combination of rco , eco , and sco . for each set of cutoffs scanned ,
values of eaff and saff were
obtained by linear regression against the differences in measured
binding free energies for a training set of congeneric ligand pairs ,
for each scoring function in eq 2 .
the parameters
that yielded the highest correlation coefficients were chosen and
were tested for their ability to reproduce the difference in binding
affinities for the congeneric pairs in the test set .
this procedure
was applied to the same 10 training and test sets used for the gist
scoring function . as done for gist , we assessed the significance of
the hsa results by comparing them with results obtained after a shuffling
operation , which randomly exchanges the entropy and enthalpy values
across pairs of hydration sites . both gist and
the hsa methods take as input a
boltzmann sample of water configurations for a given configuration
of the protein . here , we used molecular dynamics ( md ) simulations
to generate this sample from the canonical ensemble ( nvt ) , as follows .
we used the structure of fxa from protein data bank entry 1fjs , as previously done , and our assignment of protonation states was also consistent
with this prior study .
we removed the ligand from the binding site
and used tleap and other amber tools to
assign protein parameters from the amber99sb force field and solvate the protein with 8557 tip3p water
molecules .
the simulations used a periodic
box with dimensions 66.5 72.2 60.9 ,
which afforded at least 10 between any protein atom and the
edge of the periodic box .
four disulfide bonds were set up to join
cysteine pairs 7/12 , 27/43 , 156/170 , and 181/209 , and two ions observed
in the crystal structure ( ca and cl ) were restrained to their original positions .
the resulting simulation
system had 29 338 atoms , comprising the protein , the two ions ,
and the water molecules .
energy minimization , followed by md
simulation , was carried out with the amber 12 software using pmemd.cuda on a single gpu .
first , the energy of the system
was minimized in two rounds ; both used 1500 steps of the steepest
descents algorithm followed by the conjugate gradient method for a
maximum of 2000 steps . in the first round , all protein atoms were
harmonically restrained to their initial positions with a force constant
of 100 kcal / mol / . in the second round , the system
was further relaxed keeping only non - hydrogen protein atoms restrained ,
with the same force constant .
the energy minimized system was then
heated with a series of 20 ps constant - volume and -temperature md
simulations with the first simulation at 50 k and the temperature
incremented by 50 k every 20 ps until 300 k was reached .
the system
was then equilibrated for 10 ns at 300 k at a constant pressure of
1 atm . at the final volume
, the system was then equilibrated for an
additional 5 ns at constant volume .
the final md production run of
100 ns was at constant number of particles , volume , and temperature
( nvt ) , and system configurations were stored every 1 ps , for a total
of 100 000 stored configurations . during all md simulations ,
all protein atoms were harmonically restrained to their positions
following the energy minimization step , with a force constant of 100
kcal / mol / .
the shake algorithm was
used to constrain the lengths of all bonds involving hydrogen atoms .
particle mesh ewald was implemented to account
for long - range electrostatic interactions , and the leapfrog algorithm
was used to propagate the trajectory . for the constant pressure simulations ,
isotropic position scaling was implemented with a pressure relaxation
time of 0.5 ps . the main gist and hsa solvation maps
however , in order to study the convergence
properties of gist , we performed two additional 20 ns nvt production
runs storing configurations every 0.05 ps ; one was begun identically
with the 100 ns run , and the other was begun with the last md configuration
of the 100 ns run .
we trained and tested the scoring functions with a set of 28 congeneric
ligand pairs ( see supporting information ) , where the members of each pair differ only by small , localized
chemical changes in rigid moieties , leading to differential displacement
of solvent .
as previously discussed , this
approach minimizes the contributions of free energy terms other than
hydration and thus allows a focus on the quantity of central interest
in this study .
the 28 pairs used here are a subset of 31 drawn from
several experimental series for use in a previous computational study : we eliminated three pairs ( matter:25/matter:28 ; matter:28/2bmg : i1h ;
mueller:3/mueller:2 ) , because we were not confident of the conformation
of at least one member of the pair , and hence of the location of the
displaced solvent .
in particular , mueller:3 differs from mueller:2
by a phenyl group whose orientation is not clear , because it is attached
by a rotatable bond ; and for the other two pairs , an aromatic ring
changes to a nonaromatic ring , whose conformation is uncertain . it
is worth noting that , for this set of ligands , there is essentially
no correlation between binding free energy and molecular weight ( r = 0.12 ) .
ligand poses were drawn from
available cocrystal structures or generated from a cocrystal structure
of a closely related ligand by a small chemical adjustment . in all
cases , the cocrystal structure was aligned with the simulated protein
( above ) to generate an initial pose in the binding site for which
the hydration structure was computed .
final poses for modeling solvent
displacement were generated by protonating the ligands , then minimizing
the initial poses in the simulated protein structure while allowing
the ligand and protein hydrogen atoms to relax .
the atomic partial
charges for each ligand were obtained from the restrained electrostatic
potential ( resp ) method , using quantum - mechanically
derived electrostatic potentials with the 6 - 31 g * basis set .
note that these parameters were used only to
generate the ligand poses studied with the gist and hsa scoring functions .
the hsa hydration sites are informative
about water density but do not capture the level of detail available
from gist s grid - based method .
the two approaches are compared
in figure 1 , which displays the hsa sites ( blue
spheres ) computed for the binding pocket of factor xa , along with
gist s gridded representation of water density , contoured at
three different levels .
contours of water density at 6 times that
of bulk ( g = 6 ) appear as discrete , mostly convex
droplets ( yellow contours , left panel ) , although a few of these high - density
regions are elongated , rather than round .
every high - density droplet
is matched by a spherical hsa site , but there are many hsa sites in
the binding pocket that do not enclose one of these high - density droplets .
contours at 4 times bulk density ( g = 4 ) appear as
more and larger droplets and match the hsa sites rather well ( gold
contours , middle panel ) . contours at twice bulk density ( g = 2 ) form long , curved strands , which follow the contours of the
protein surface ( orange contours , right panel ) , and are not well represented
by the hsa sites . these begin to delineate the first hydration shell
of the protein .
finally , contours at still lower density ( e.g. , g = 1.5 ) include parts of the second hydration shell ( not
shown ) .
overall , the hsa representation captures the droplet - like
distribution of the highest water densities but does not distinguish
between high and medium density regions and does not capture the complex
distributions of water density that become apparent at densities roughly
twice that of bulk .
this observation has practical relevance , because
the scoring functions developed here include regions where water density
is of this order , as detailed in the next subsection .
comparison of the gist
and hsa representations of water density
in the factor xa binding pocket .
hsa sites ( blue spheres ) are the
same in all three panels . from left to right , the gist contour levels
are at g = 6 , 4 , and 2 .
the gist water densities
are based on the occupancy of grid voxels by water oxygens , and the
boundaries of the grid box may be discerned in the right - hand panel .
it is also worth remarking that
a hydration site should not be
directly equated with a single bound water , as the sites occupancies
are typically well below one .
thus , for the hsa sites within 5
of the bound ligands , we find a mean occupancy of 0.58 waters molecules ,
with a standard deviation of 0.22 .
these values are similar to those
reported previously for factor xa in an early implementation of watermap : the occupancies reported in table 1 of the prior
report correspond to a mean of 0.51 water molecules per hydration
site , with a standard deviation of 0.22 . a gist - based
scoring function based on both the local energy and one - body entropy
of displaced water yields good correlations with the measured binding
affinity differences for the 28 congeneric ligand pairs ( table 1 , top row ) .
the mean r value is 0.94 across 10 training sets drawn at random from the full
set of 28 pairs , and a high correlation ( r = 0.84 ) is preserved when the optimized parameters are applied to
the respective test sets .
the best results are obtained when voxels
are excluded if their water density is less than about twice the bulk
density ( gco = 1.9 ) .
each voxel which
furthermore meets the energy cutoff ( about 0.6 kcal / mol / water above
bulk ) contributes about 0.2 kcal / mol of affinity .
the entropy
terms are somewhat puzzling : the entropy cutoff of 3.3 kcal / mol / water
is much higher than the energy cutoff of 0.6 kcal / mol / water , and the
positive value of saff seemingly indicates
that displacing low entropy water disfavors binding , rather than favoring
it , as might be anticipated .
these results suggest that the energy
term may be more meaningful ; this topic is further discussed below .
the quality
of each scoring function
is reported in terms of coefficients of determination ( r ) .
the test - set results ( test r ) are the most meaningful ; the training - set results ( train r ) are included for completeness .
all quantities
are averages across the 10 splits , with associated standard deviations .
results are presented for the actual hydration data and for hydration
data shuffled among voxels ( gist ) or hydration sites ( hsa ) , and hsa
results are presented for capped and uncapped displacement functions
( see methods ) .
scoring functions were constructed
based on both energy and entropy data ( e / s ) , energy data only ( e ) , and entropy data
only ( s ) ; the parameters are defined in the methods section .
it is of interest to visualize the energy and entropy
scoring regions ;
i.e. , those voxels which meet either both the density and energy cutoffs
or both the density and entropy cutoffs , respectively .
as shown in
figure 2 ( left ) , the energy scoring region
tends to localize at extended regions of the nonpolar surface .
these
are places where water molecules lose more energy due to desolvation
by the protein than they gain by making new interactions with the
protein .
( the projection from three to two dimensions makes some scoring
regions appear deceptively close to polar protein atoms . )
the analogous
visualization for the energy - only scoring function , which is discussed
below , is very similar ( data not shown ) .
the locations of the entropy
scoring regions ( figure 2 , middle ) are more
complicated .
some ( white arrows ) lie at the surface of polar atoms ;
others ( pink arrows ) lie at hydrophobic locations .
the frequent localization
of entropy scoring regions at polar surfaces , and the unexpectedly
positive value of saff , likely reflects
the fact that polar surfaces can tightly bind waters , leading to unfavorable
entropies but favorable energies ( figure 2 ,
right ) typical of traditional entropy enthalpy compensation .
displacement of water from such regions may be net unfavorable , and
this might help account for the positive value of saff . on the other hand , the displacement of entropically
disfavored water from subregions where energy is not particularly
favorable should favor ligand binding .
thus , the energetically mixed
nature of the entropic scoring regions further suggests that it may
not give a clear signal in the overall scoring function .
gist contours
in binding site of fxa , in molecular surface representation .
left : energy scoring region , which meets both density and energy cutoff
criteria for the combined energy
middle : entropy scoring region , which meets both density and entropy
cutoff criteria for the combined energy entropy scoring function .
right : normalized total water energy , contoured at 2.6 kcal / mol / water .
graphic generated with vmd . in order to study the significance of the energy and entropy
terms
in more detail , we also considered a scoring function based only on
density and energy , and another based only on density and entropy .
as shown in table 1 ( second and third rows ) ,
the energy - only scoring function performs just as well ( r = 0.85 for the test sets ) as the original one based
on both energy and entropy .
in addition , the fitted parameters are
similar in magnitude and sign to those of the original energy term .
in contrast , the entropy - only scoring function yielded a poor correlation
with experimental data ( r = 0.35 for
the test sets ) , and the sign of saff is
reversed relative to that in the original scoring function .
thus ,
the hydration energy alone carries all of the predictive power of
the gist - based scoring function , at least for fxa with this ansatz .
this result is consistent with the analysis of the combined energy / entropy
scoring function , above . as a further check of the statistical
significance of the present
results
, we shuffled the gist data among voxels and then refitted
all three gist - based scoring functions using the shuffled data .
although correlations as high as r =
0.82 are obtained for the training sets , the test - set results are
all poor ( r 0.4 0.2 ) .
this result supports the significance of the high correlations obtained
with the true ( unshuffled ) data and indicates that the low correlations
observed for the entropy - only scoring function should be viewed as
statistically insignificant . finally , we examined the amount
of md simulation data required
to generate the high correlations observed above .
first , we reanalyzed
the original set of md frames , which had been saved at 1 ps intervals .
for increasing numbers of frames from this set , we reran the 10 training
and test calculations and computed the mean and standard deviation
of the resulting 10 values of r.
as shown
in figure 3 ( left ) , the value of r and its standard deviation ( error bars ) appear to plateau
at about 60 ns for the combined energy entropy scoring function
( top left ) .
interestingly , the plateau starts much earlier , at about
30 ns , for the energy - alone scoring function ( lower left ) .
it appears
that the more slowly convergent entropy term delays convergence of
the energy
entropy scoring function , so that leaving out the
entropy term in the energy - only scoring function speeds convergence .
this result is , again , consistent with the irrelevance of the entropy
term in the gist scoring functions .
we then asked whether shorter
md simulations might give better convergence if frames were saved
at shorter time intervals .
first , we reprocessed the first 20 ns of
the same simulation , now processing frames saved at 0.05 ps . as shown
in figure 3 ( top middle ) , the combined energy / entropy
scoring function now converges somewhat more quickly , especially as
measured by the reduction in the standard deviation of r across the 10 train / test calculations .
the improvement
is more marked for the energy - only scoring function , as well - converged
results are now available after only 10 ns of simulation time , although
the standard deviation of r remains slightly
higher than that from the 100 ns simulation .
we then extended the
100 ns simulation by 20 ns , saving frames at 0.05 ps intervals , and
examined convergence over this short simulation .
the results are further
improved , with good convergence and tight error bars achieved within
about 5 ns for the energy - only scoring function , and 10 ns for the
combined energy / entropy one .
the improvement in these results , relative
to those from the early 20 ns segment , suggests that the water structure
continued to equilibrate somewhat during the 100 ns run , so it would
have been appropriate to use a somewhat longer equilibration period
in the md protocol . in summary , at least for fxa , a simulation of
10 ns or less suffices to gain all the benefit of these gist scoring
functions .
convergence of r values for gist scoring
functions , as a function of simulation duration .
bottom row : energy - only scoring function .
left : 100 ns simulation , frames saved at 1 ps intervals .
middle : the
first 20 ns of the same 100 ns simulation , frames saved every 0.05
ps .
right : 20 ns simulation initiated from the last frame of the 100
ns simulation , frames saved every 0.05 ps . as discussed
in the methods section , a prior hsa scoring
function was constructed in such a way that the thermodynamic contribution
of each hydration could be counted multiple times , if more than one
ligand atom lay within a cutoff distance .
this function gave good results but is arguably nonphysical , because
once the water in a hydration site has been displaced , it can not be
displaced again .
here , we present results for a set of similarly constructed
hsa - based scoring functions in which , as before , a hydration site
can be counted multiple times ; as well as a second set , in which the
contribution of each hydration site is capped , so that it can only
contribute once .
for both the uncapped and capped models , we examine
scoring functions based on energy and entropy , energy only , and entropy
only , as also done for gist . with the original uncapped approach ,
where a hydration site can contribute multiple times
, the combined
energy / entropy scoring function provides high correlation coefficients
for both the training ( r = 0.88 ) and
test ( r = 0.80 ) sets ( table 1 , fourth row , marked e / s ) .
these values of r are slightly
lower than those for gist , but the difference is not statistically
significant .
interestingly , the fitted value of eaff ( 1.70 kcal / mol ) is much greater than that
of saff , which in fact is assigned a positive
sign ( 0.09 kcal / mol ) .
in addition , the training procedure puts much
sharper constraints on the energy terms than the entropy terms , as
indicated by the fact that the standard deviations of eo and eaff ( 0.08 and 0.31
kcal / mol , respectively ) are lower than those for so and saff ( 0.50 and 0.60
kcal / mol ) . thus , the training results suggest that the entropy term
is of lower importance than the energy term , much as observed in the
case of gist . accordingly , a scoring function based entirely on energy
( table 1 , row 5 , marked e )
performs as well as the one with both energy and entropy , and furthermore
yields values of rco , eco , and eaff very similar
to those of the combined energy entropy scoring function . on
the other hand , an entropy - only scoring function ( table 1 , row 6 , marked s ) also performs fairly well , with a value
of r = 0.66 for the test sets , and the
fitted value of saff , 1.52 kcal / mol ,
is essentially the same as the fitted value of eaff for the energy - only scoring function , 1.50 kcal / mol .
thus , the entropy - only scoring function appears to largely replicate
the energy - only scoring function , with some drop in the correlation
with experimental data .
these results are similar to those for gist ,
as in both cases , the energy - only scoring function performed as well
as the energy / entropy one , while the entropy - only one is worse . however ,
the decline in performance on going to entropy - only is much greater
for gist than for hsa . in the second variant of the hsa - based
scoring functions ,
no hydration
site can contribute more than one - fold to the difference between two
ligands affinities . imposing this physically reasonable
cap
on the contribution of each site reduced the experimental correlation
of the scoring function with experimental data to 0.66 for the test
sets with the combined energy
entropy scoring function but
had essentially no effect on the correlations for the energy - only
and entropy - only test - set results .
thus , the results remain consistent
with a conclusion that the energy term alone is enough to gain all
the benefit of the scoring functions .
the only other major change ,
relative to the uncapped version of the scoring function , is that
the fitted values of eaff and saff changed from about 1.5 kcal / mol
to about 2.3 kcal / mol , except that saff for the combined energy / entropy scoring function remained
small .
these increases presumably have the effect of compensating
for the reduced values of the displacement function , i.e. , for the
fact that dicap dinocap in eqs 2 and 3 . in order to further test the statistical significance of the hsa
scoring results , we shuffled the energies and entropies among hydration
sites and then refitted all six hsa - based scoring functions with the
shuffled data .
as summarized in the last six rows of table 1 , the uncapped scoring functions now yield poor
correlations with experimental data ( r 0.4 ) , just as observed for gist , and the correlations for
the capped scoring functions fall even lower .
these results support
the significance of the correlations obtained with the actual ( unshuffled )
data .
the fact that the shuffled results are worse for the capped
hsa scoring functions suggests , but does not prove , that applying
the physically reasonable cap might reduce spurious correlations .
it is of interest to examine the locations of hsa scoring sites
relative to the gist scoring regions .
we focus here on the energy - only
scoring functions , since it is not clear that including entropy adds
useful information , at least for fxa within the present functional
form . as shown in figure 4 ( left ) , the hsa
sites do not capture the complex shapes of the gist scoring regions ,
and substantial parts of the gist scoring region are entirely missed
by the hsa scoring sites . these regions
the spatial relationship of the
scoring sites to the ligands studied here may be appreciated from
figure 4 ( right ) , which shows the van der waals
surface of a representative ligand .
comparison of gist and hsa scoring locations ,
in the context of
the fxa binding site ( gray ) . left : scoring sites from the capped hsa
energy - only scoring function ( blue spheres ) and energy scoring regions
from the gist energy - only scoring function ( orange contours ) .
gist
results are present only within the limits of the gist grid ( orange
lines ) .
right : a representative ligand , pdb het i d 4qc , in van der
waals representation ( pink ) .
ligand
modeling is that the detailed representation of water structure and
thermodynamics it affords works at least as well in a simple scoring
function as the prior and present site - based
hsa implementations .
in addition , the gist results converge well within
510 ns of md simulation time , depending upon whether one uses
the energy - only model or the energy / entropy model .
these simulation
times are commensurate with those normally used for the hsa approach ;
see the methods .
additional
considerations include the fact that site - based approaches may require
less data storage and that they paint a simple picture of water structure
in a protein binding site . on the other hand ,
the gist grid files
produced are still small ( < 1 mb ) , and we anticipate that the more
detailed rendering of hydration structure and thermodynamics afforded
by the grid approach will be useful for insight and prediction .
note ,
in particular , that there are hsa sites which are only partly occupied
by the more refined gist scoring regions , as well as gist scoring
regions that are not identified by the hsa model , as evident from
figure 4 .
more generally , the fact that gist
is a more direct representation of the common underlying inhomogeneous
solvation theory facilitates the interpretation of its results and
provides clear pathways to future enhancements , such as the incorporation
of higher - order correlations , as touched on below .
a fast implementation
of gist , based upon focused grand canonical monte carlo sampling , may be of particular interest in the near term
for high - throughput applications .
another novel and striking
result of the present study is that
both the gist and hsa models provide clear signals that ligands can
gain affinity by displacing energetically unfavorable binding site
water , whereas the displacement of entropically unfavorable water
seems to play a negligible role .
the energetically unfavorable water
highlighted by this study localizes at hydrophobic patches of the
protein surface , perhaps especially in concave regions where water
molecules are expected to lose hydrogen bonds .
the concept that energy may outweigh entropy in cases of
strong hydrophobic binding has been raised before , in both experimental and computational contexts . nonetheless , water entropy is typically thought to play
a central role in hydrophobic binding . here ,
interestingly , neither
the gist or hsa models made a compelling case that the displacement
of entropically unfavorable water consistently enhances affinity .
we conjecture that the lack of a clear correlation of water entropy
with affinity may reflect the fact that low water entropy often results
from energetically favorable water
protein interactions , so
that water may actually be quite stable in many locations where its
entropy is low .
this view is consistent with the experimental observation
that the entropy of hydration of small ions is strongly negative , although the free energy is also strongly negative .
it may be possible in the future to devise a more sophisticated scoring
function that would account for the enthalpy entropy compensation
between stabilizing energy and destabilizing entropy and focus on
regions where this compensation breaks down , such as in the binding
cavity of the synthetic host molecule cucurbituril .
it is also worth mentioning that different protein
binding sites affect water differently , so a different result might
be obtained for a different protein .
finally , it may be that capturing
the entropic aspect of the hydrophobic effect requires accounting
for water water correlations , which are absent from the one - body
entropy considered here .
if so , the entropy term may become more important
once pairwise correlations have been incorporated into gist s
entropy calculations .
our observation that the displacement
of high energy water plays
a greater role in ligand scoring than displacement of low entropy
water appears to contrast with a prior hsa - based study of the same
system , where the fitted scoring function placed approximately equal
weight on water energy and entropy .
however ,
the range of fitted values for saff in
our hsa models nearly spans the value of 0.66 kcal / mol for the corresponding
parameter in the prior study , srwd . in
addition
, the prior study did not examine the uncertainty in its fitted
energy and entropy parameters or evaluate a scoring function based
purely on water energy .
therefore , the results of these two studies
should not be regarded as inconsistent . in summary ,
the grid - based
gist method of extracting information
about hydration thermodynamics from md simulations with explicit water
has provided encouraging results in its first application to protein ligand
binding .
it thus appears to hold significant promise as a broadly
applicable method of understanding the role of binding site water
in protein ligand binding , and as a tool to improve the accuracy
of methods for discovering high affinity targeted ligands .
it is anticipated
that the detailed representation of water distributions and thermodynamics
which gist affords will make it particularly informative .
we are currently
working to develop such applications and to release an open - source
implementation of gist within the ambertools software package for others to study and use . | pubmed |
Variation of degrees of freedom with temperature
I read in my friend's thermodynamics notes that polyatomic molecules have a different degree of freedom at high temperatures (viz. non-linear triatomic molecules have 9 dof but only 7 are accessible at low temperatures). I was wondering at what temperature the switch takes place. Say i am told that there exists a non-linear tri-atomic gas whose temperature is say 500K. Is this temperature high enough for the change in dof? Is the given information not enough?
And what happens at high temperatures that causes the change in dof?
The reason that new degrees of freedom open up at higher temperatures is because, with the possible exception of translational kinetic energy, degrees of freedom are *quantized*. Due to quantum mechanics, the molecules can only vibrate/rotate/get excited with certain discrete energies, and *there is a lowest energy at which this happens*. The particular energy of this "lowest excited state" determines the temperature at which the degree of freedom "turns on," by which we mean that it is accessible to a large number of particles in the ensemble (in reality, you'll nearly always have a few highly excited particles at any temperature simply due to the nature of the statistical distribution of the particles, but in most situations this tiny fraction is irrelevant). As such, the temperature at which new degrees of freedom turn on is highly dependent on the specific material that is being examined.
Water, for example, has rotational energy levels at very low energies (low enough to be excited by microwaves) due to its asymmetry, while its vibrational energy levels are somewhat higher (can only be excited by higher-energy infrared radiation). Incidentally, this is why both infrared radiation and microwaves are perceived as heat - they put energy directly into one of these degrees of freedom, and this energy redistributes to the translational degrees of freedom to give a higher temperature.
Water is a bit of a complicated case, as it's a nonlinear asymmetric molecule, so for more concrete predictions, the numbers to look for are the *rotational temperature* and the *vibrational temperature*, which are material-specific, and tend to only be calculated for linear molecules. The rotational temperature is typically much lower than the vibrational temperature, as rotational motion typically has a much lower first excited state than vibrational motion. Some typical values for each are found on Wikipedia (<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotational_temperature>, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibrational_temperature>). For example, oxygen gas (O$\_2$) has a rotational temperature of 2.08 K and a vibrational temperature of 2256 K. This means, at room temperature, the typical energy of the oxygen gas molecules is more than large enough to excite rotational modes, but vibrational modes will be essentially out of reach.
As such, if you were to heat oxygen gas to above 2256 K, then you would see a jump in heat capacity corresponding to the vibrational modes now being accessible places to store energy; likewise, cooling oxygen to below 2 K will cause a decrease in heat capacity, as the rotational modes are no longer easily accessible.
Let's consider the water molecule as it's a nice simple triatomic. There is a nice page illustrating the normal vibrational modes [on the University of Liverpool web site](http://www.chemtube3d.com/vibrationsH2O.htm).
The lowest energy vibration has a wavenumber of $1711$ cm$^{-1}$. For vibrational excitations the spacing between energy levels is:
$$\begin{align}
E &= h\nu \\
&= \frac{hc}{\lambda}
\end{align}$$
which gives an energy of about $0.21$ eV if we plug in the wavenumber above.
If we consider a gas at some temperature $T$ then the kinetic energy of the gas molecules is of order $kT$, so that means when the molecules collide we have about $kT$ worth of energy that could go into exciting vibrational transitions. But those vibrational transitions can only be excited if their energy spacing is less than $kT$, and actually it needs to be significantly less than $kT$. If the energy spacing is more than $kT$ then there simply isn't enough energy around to cause vibrational transitions so the degree of freedom represented by the vibrational transitions is inaccessible and in effect doesn't exist. That's why the number of degrees of freedom is reduced.
We can get an idea of the temperature at which the vibrational degrees of freedom become accessible simply by setting the vibrational energy equal to $kT$. This gives us:
$$ T = \frac{hc}{\lambda\,k} $$
For the $1711$ cm$^{-1}$ mode of water this gives us a temperature of around $2600$ K.
All this "degrees of freedom" counting is a dangerous business. The behaviour around the threshold energies is complex (and around it the heat capacity will have intermediate values).
The point is, that degrees of freedom "freeze out", when $T \to 0$. If the temperature gets lower than the energy gap to the lowest lying excitation, the contribution to the heat capacity will be exponentially suppressed, because the probability of finding the system in the exited states will go like $e^{-E/T}$. The excitation energies for rotational and vibrational degrees of freedom show such limits due to quantum mechanics.
This can be easily shown by considering a harmonic oscillator coupled to a heat bath, as demonstrated in [this post](https://physics.stackexchange.com/a/213487/80706).
And even the translational degrees of freedom, whose excitation spectrum is continuous, will freeze out at sufficiently low temperatures due to the fact that the particles are either Bosons, so the classical ideal gas description will break down (and has to be replaced by the ideal quantum gas description). For Fermions the heat capacity gets linear for $T \ll T\_F$.
For Bosons the calculation get more complicated due to Bose-Einstein condensation. The result is an even stronger suppression of the heat capacity.
| stackexchange/physics |
chondromyxoid fibroma ( cmf ) is a rare benign cartilaginous neoplasm , and it accounts for less than 1% of all bone tumors .
there is no gender predilection , but in some of the published case series , a male tendency has been reported ( 1 - 10 ) .
it occurs mainly in the second and third decades , and the majority occurs before the age of 30 years ( 2 ) .
the most common locations are the upper third of the tibia , small tubular bones of the foot , the distal femur and pelvis ( 3 , 4 ) .
involvement of the vertebral column is rare , especially in the cervical region . in general , cmfs originate from the metaphyseal region of the long bones .
literature reviews have shown that cmf is very rare in the cervical region , and only less than 11 cases have been reported up to now ( 1 , 5 - 8 ) .
cmf of the cervical spine may present with unusual radiological findings and pose a diagnostic dilemma ; therefore , we first report our case and then briefly discuss its radiological , histopathological and clinical characteristics .
a 36-year - old woman came to the neurosurgery clinic with a one - year history of neck pain and semi - lateral radicular pain in her right hand .
her past medical history was unremarkable . on ultrasound examination , there was a hypo - echoic oval mass - like lesion located on the right side of the c3 and c4 vertebrae and adjacent subcutaneous soft tissue , measuring 1.2 3.6 1.6 cm .
the ultrasound possible differential diagnosis was right paravertebral muscle soft tissue lesion due to inflammatory or neoplastic origins .
a lateral plain x - ray of the neck revealed an ill - defined hypoattenuated area within the deep soft tissue of the posterior aspect of the c3 and c4 vertebrae just posterior to the related spinous process without bony erosion , demineralization , foreign body , or soft - tissue calcification . irregularity and possible erosion in the spinous process of c5 of the cervical vertebrae was seen ( figure 1 ) . on doppler ultrasound
, there was no blood flow detected and the mass was reported as a hypo - vascular lesion . on magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ) ,
a well - defined encapsulated 2.6 2 1.8 cm mass lesion emanating from the soft tissue of the paravertebral neck was detected that abutted the spinous process and lamina of the posterior neural arc of the c3 and c4 vertebrae and appeared to be low signal intensity on the t1 weighted imaging ( t1w1 ) ( figure 2 ) .
the lesion was seen as a target shaped lesion with a centrally hypo - intense and peripherally mild hyper - intense thick rim and surrounding edema on t2wi ( figure 3 ) . on post - contrast t1wi , considerable enhancement of the peripheral thick rim and adjacent
the patient underwent surgical resection , and a frozen section study was requested . the specimen received for frozen section consisted of one piece of cream colored tissue measuring 3 2 cm .
histopathological examination revealed a lobulated tumoral lesion composed of fibromyxoid connective tissue admixed with small islands of cartilaginous tissue and areas of calcification , so the frozen section suggested a benign lesion .
the received specimen for permanent diagnosis consisted of multiple pieces of brownish colored tissues altogether measuring 4 3 cm .
histopathological examination revealed a tumoral lesion composed of proliferated chondrocytes , admixed with fibromyxoid connective tissues , and scattered osteoclast - like multinucleated giant cells ( figure 5 a , 5b ) .
the final diagnosis was cmf of the posterior elements of the cervical bones with extension to the adjacent soft tissue .
the patient received no other treatment and after two years of surgery , she has not suffered from any problem related to the lesion in her neck area and no recurrence was reported .
cmfs are extremely rare benign cartilaginous bone neoplasms that were initially described by jaffe and lichtenstein in 1948 ( 10 ) .
there is no gender predilection , but in some of the published case series , higher numbers of males have been reported .
it usually occurs in the second or third decades and the majority appears before the age of 30 years . most of the cmfs are located in the metaphyseal region of the long bones .
one third of them forms in the tibia , small tubular bones of foot , and the distal femur and pelvis ( 1 - 12 ) .
cmfs in the vertebral columns are rare , especially in the cervical region and related soft tissue vicinity .
lopez et al . reported cmf of the cervical spine in a 20-year - old man with neck pain that was located in the body of the c2 vertebra .
x - ray showed a lytic lesion in the c2 body that causes instability of the craniocervical vertebra without extension into the soft tissue ( 5 ) .
our case was an adult female who had suffered from a long history of neck pain and there was an imperceptible lump on an x - ray in the right paravertebral soft tissue .
although the radiological findings were not diagnostic for cmf , it originated from the lamina and spinous processes of the cervical bones and extended into the adjacent soft tissue .
radiological features are not characteristic , but may present as a lobulated , eccentric radiolucent lesion with no periosteal reaction , and in all of the patients , geographic bone destruction is visible .
the margin of the cmf is sclerotic , and defined with pseudotrabeculation in 57% of the cases , and matrix calcification is seen in about 12.5% of the cases ( 11 ) .
mri features of cmf of vertebral column are not specific , but the helpful features are the peripheral intermediate signal band , central high signal intensity on t2-wi , and peripheral nodular enhancement or central non - enhancing focus on contrast - enhanced t1-wi ( 12 ) . in addition , a doughnut sign is seen in bone scans of cmfs ; however , this is a non - specific finding because it may be found in other bone tumors ( 11 , 12 ) .
other benign tumors , such as aneurysmal bone cyst , giant cell tumor , enchondroma , non - ossifying fibroma and chondroblastoma could be listed in the differential diagnoses . in long bones , cmf originates from the metaphysis close to the physis , and it may also extend into the epiphysis or diaphysis .
furthermore , it usually appears as an eccentric , oval shape lesion . in small bones ,
the preferred imaging study is conventional radiography with its specific characteristics composed of a bubbly cystic appearance , but a computed tomography ( ct ) scan displays a sclerotic calcification margin and trabeculation better than conventional radiography ( 11 ) . in our case ,
a plain x - ray showed a barely discernible ill - defined soft - tissue density within the deep soft tissues of the posterior aspect of the c3 and c4 vertebrae just posterior to the related spinous process without characteristic features of cmf in the vertebral bones .
for example , chondroid and myxoid tissues create an intermediate to high signal on proton - density and t2-wi or low signal on t1-wi ( 12 ) .
cmfs show a high accumulation of fluorodeoxyglucose in positron emission tomography ( pet ) scan , but we did not perform this study for our patient .
the most common site of vertebral column involvement by cmf is in the thoracic region , with a predilection for the posterior neural arc ( 4 ) .
chondrosarcoma , osteoblastoma , aneurysmal bone cyst , giant cell tumor of the bone , metastasis , multiple myeloma , and collapsed hemangioma of the vertebral bodies are the most common differential diagnoses in radiological investigations .
jonathan et al . reported cmf in the seventh cervical vertebra of a 35-year - old man , in whom x - ray , mri and bone scans , suggested an aneurysmal bone cyst or a giant cell tumor ( 1 ) .
two adjacent vertebral bone involvements , especially in the cervical vertebrae have not been reported yet .
reported a case of cmf in two thoracic vertebrae that originated from vertebral bodies , but our case was cmf in two cervical vertebrae with involvement of the laminas and spinous processes ( 13 ) .
the symptoms of this benign tumor seem to be progressive longstanding pain , swelling , and motion restriction of the affected limb ( 1 - 8 ) .
histopathologically , the tumor is composed of chondroid , myxoid , and fibrous connective tissue , which are arranged in a lobular pattern .
scattered osteoclast - like multinucleated giant cells are occasionally seen inside the tumor , especially at the periphery .
the main differential diagnosis of cmf from chondrosarcoma histologically is the sharp borders of the lobules and also radiologic studies which could help to make the correct diagnosis ( 11 ) . en
bloc excision of the tumor is the treatment of choice , but recurrences after curettage have been reported .
our case has not had any recurrence after the excision . although cmf is a rare benign bone tumor , involvement of the vertebral column especially the cervical vertebrae is very rare , but we listed it in the differential diagnosis despite the unusual soft tissue extension . conventional radiology with mri and pet scan | pubmed |
stroke is a major cause of functional impairment , and problems with upper extremity
function are present in > 50% of patients with stroke1 .
recently , assistive device training has been proposed to enhance
the upper extremity functional movement of those with impaired upper extremity function
after stroke2 , 3 . in particular
, robotic - assisted device training of the upper
extremity can provide a repetitive , high - intensity , and interactive task4 .
in addition , upper extremity training using
a robotic - assisted device can provide objective and quantitative monitoring of the training
process4 , 5 . in the field of stroke rehabilitation ,
provision of the feedback concept has been applied
to enhance the motor learning process6 . in
particular ,
the provision of feedback is useful for decreasing compensatory movements of the
upper extremity6 .
recent technical
advances can provide complex and realistic tasks using a visual and auditory feedback
system , and this may lead to relearning of the motor process more efficiently7 . although the effect of assistive devices
and robot - assisted training with user interaction has been investigated4 , 8 , 9 , studies on assistive devices , especially non - motorized devices and
robot - assisted training using visual and auditory feedback systems , with a focus on
long - term upper extremity impairment after stroke are lacking .
the purpose of the present study was to assess whether visual and auditory feedback
training using a non - motorized device that provides weight support can improve the upper
extremity kinematic performance of chronic stroke survivors .
the hypothesis of this study
was that chronic stroke survivors would show improvement of upper extremity kinematic
performance after 4 weeks of feedback training using a non - motorized device .
a single group design was used to investigate the effects of feedback training using a
non - motorized device on the upper extremity kinematic performance of chronic stroke
survivors .
thirteen chronic stroke survivors ( 8 men , 62.6 years , mini - mental state
examination [ mmse ] score : 26.0 , onset duration : 11.5 years ) were enrolled in this study .
the
subjects were recruited from the local community . at the time of their recruitment
, they
were not receiving any rehabilitation services such as physical or occupational therapy .
the
inclusion criteria were hemiparesis from a single stroke occurring at least 6 months prior ,
sufficient cognition to follow simple instructions and understand the study s purpose ( mmse
score > 18 points)10 , the absence of a
musculoskeletal condition that could affect the subject s ability to sit safely , and the
absence of hemispatial neglect .
the exclusion criteria were participation in other studies
or rehabilitation programs , shoulder subluxation or pain in the upper extremity , or
spasticity ( modified ashworth scale score > 2)11 . clinical and demographic data with the baseline assessment of
subjects at enrollment are presented in table
1table 1.general characteristics of the subjects ( n = 13)subjectsgender ( m / f)age ( years)time since stroke ( years)height ( cm)weight ( kg)etiology ( i / h)paretic side ( l / r)mas ( 0/1/1+)mrc ( shoulder ) ( 3/4/5)mmse ( scores)1f6413149.5149.5il13252m5110175.2175.2hr13293m445171.7171.7hl1 + 4294m7116166.3166.3ir13295f7117156.2156.2hl14246m723158.0158.0il05257m7112163.7163.7hl1 + 4248m6310159.1159.1ir13269f5916155.1155.1hl1 + 33010m5813169.4169.4il1 + 42511m5711167.9167.9hr052412f6712154.4154.4hr132413f6413149.5149.5hr1425 m ( sd ) or numbers(8/5)62.6 8.511.5 4.0161.6 7.967.5 9.3(5/8)(7/6)(2/7/4)(6/5/2)26.0
h : hemorrhage , i : infarction , l : left , r : right , mas : modified ashworth scale , mrc
( shoulder ) : medical research council scale ( shoulder ) , mmse : mini - mental state
examination .
h : hemorrhage , i : infarction , l : left , r : right , mas : modified ashworth scale , mrc
( shoulder ) : medical research council scale ( shoulder ) , mmse : mini - mental state
examination the 13 subjects were briefed on the experimental procedure , and written consent to
participation in the study was collected from all subjects prior to the experiment .
human
subject ethical approval was obtained from the relevant committee of the korea national
rehabilitation center s institutional review board ( nrc-2012 - 05 - 035 ) prior to conducting the
experiment .
1.screenshot of the
projective display ( a ) , upper extremity assistive device training with visual and
auditory feedback in the test bed ( b ) and a magnetic motion tracking sensor attached
the handle ( b-1 ) ) , a non - motorized device that provided weight support ( rejoyce , rehabtronics , inc . ,
edmonton , alberta , canada ) ( fig .
the rejoyce , a novel spring - loaded arm holding device that simulates activities of
daily life , is an upper extremity rehabilitation device designed for neurological patients
who exhibit impaired function of the arm .
the rejoyce can assist when either weight support
or force is required to complete the task .
a 120-inch projective display attached to the
front of the test bed was used to provide suitable visual and auditory feedback to the user .
on the handle of the rejoyce ,
a magnetic motion tracking sensor ( patriot wireless , polhemus
patriot wireless , colchester , vt , usa ) was attached to obtain the position information
( fig .
once the training began , red and gray balls appeared on
the projective display , and the subjects performed reaching movements toward targets in a
three - dimensional space in three directions ( i.e. , targets 1 , 2 , and 3 ) .
the red and gray
balls represented the target and hand point on the screen , respectively .
the red ball was
linked with the subject s upper extremity movements , and auditory feedback was provided when
the red and gray balls matched .
one task consisted of two phases : moving toward the target
( approach ) and returning from the target ( return ) . while performing the training exercises ,
the movement time from the starting point to the target position and from the target
position to the starting point was recorded , and excessive trunk displacement was restricted
by a trunk belt .
all subjects participated in the feedback training using the non - motorized
device two times a week for 4 weeks .
upper
extremity kinematic performance ( i.e. , movement time ) was measured using the movement time
of upper extremity reaching , and it was measured twice : at baseline and post - intervention .
the movement time was defined as the time from the starting point to the target position and
the time from the target position to the starting point . the movement time was recorded
during the reaching movements toward the targets .
screenshot of the
projective display ( a ) , upper extremity assistive device training with visual and
auditory feedback in the test bed ( b ) and a magnetic motion tracking sensor attached
the handle ( b-1 ) data analysis was performed using spss , version 21.0 ( spss inc . ,
chicago , il , usa ) . the
shapiro - wilk test was used to confirm the normal distribution of all outcome variables . all
variables ( i.e. , the movement time in all three directions ) were normally distributed
;
therefore , paired t - test was used to compare the data between pre - training and after 4 week
of training .
a summary of the general characteristics of the 13 subjects who fulfilled the inclusion
criteria is shown in table 1 .
changes of upper
extremity kinematic performance were as follows ; after 4 weeks of training , a significant
improvement was observed in the upper extremity movement time in all directions ( target 1 :
from 5.4 2.4 sec to 3.1 1.0 sec , target 2 : from 5.0 1.9 sec to 3.2 1.3 sec , and
target 3 : from 5.2 2.5 sec to 3.1 1.1 sec ; p < 0.05 ) .
this study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of visual and auditory feedback
training using a non - motorized device that provides weight support for upper extremity
kinematic performance of chronic stroke survivors .
after 4 weeks of feedback training using
the non - motorized device , improvement in upper extremity kinematic performance was observed
in the chronic stroke survivors .
patients with stroke have abnormal movement on the affected side and a compensatory
movement pattern due to abnormal motor function , paresthesia , and spasticity12 .
in addition , they commonly use
inefficient or ineffective movement patterns due to compensatory movements6 , 13 .
in particular , an inefficient or ineffective movement pattern does not provide appropriate
feedback13 .
therefore , various methods
applying the feedback concept ( i.e. , intrinsic or extrinsic feedback ) have been attempted in
stroke rehabilitation6 .
piron et al.14 reported that feedback training using
computer displayed virtual reality was useful for chronic stroke patients .
in addition , the
effectiveness of robot - mediated therapy on arm functions after stroke was investigated by
coote et al.15 , and they reported that
robot - mediated therapy related to hand - to - mouse movement with visual feedback ( visual
feedback was provided on a screen ) was helpful for improving upper limb functions after
stroke . according to previous reports6 , 7 , stroke survivors are able to preserve motor
learning abilities through feedback training .
thus , therapeutic intervention using the
feedback concept can improve the quality of movement through the motor relearning
process16 . in the present study ,
subjects were provided with visual and auditory feedback through
interaction between a non - motorized device and the subject s arm movement . during feedback
training using the non - motorized device , a red ball on the projective display
was linked
with the subject s upper extremity movements , and as an auditory feedback , ding - dong sounds
were played when the red ball ( hand point ) and gray ball ( target position ) matched .
sigrist
et al.7 reported that a visual and
auditory feedback system can elicit a more efficient motor relearning process .
in addition ,
visual and auditory feedback stimulus in rehabilitation is effective at increasing
motivation and enjoyment , and decreasing the perception of exertion17 . in our study , after 4 weeks of training , improvement in
upper extremity kinematic performance was observed , and we think that visual and auditory
feedback during training acted as a motivating factor which helped to improve the upper
extremity kinematic performance of chronic stroke survivors .
also , even though the device
used in this study had no motorized function , gravity compensation with suitable feedback
provided valuable results .
thus , we think that the non - motorized device with appropriate
feedback has the potential to be applied usefully in stroke rehabilitation . in conclusion ,
the findings of the present study demonstrated the positive effects of
feedback training using a non - motorized device on the upper extremity kinematic performance
of chronic stroke survivors .
however , the present study had no control group , and only
movement quality was assessed ( i.e. , kinematic movement ) , not the subjects clinical
outcomes .
thus , it can not be determined whether the improvement was the result of the
feedback training with a non - motorized device or participation alone . | pubmed |
solar filaments or prominences are characterized as cooler and denser plasma structures suspended in the hotter and more tenuous corona .
filaments and prominences are considered as the same physical object but observed in the solar disk and off the solar limb , respectively .
they always lie above the polarity inversion lines ( pils ) at different locations on the sun , for example , in the active regions , at the boundary of the active regions , or in the quiet regions , which are called respectively as active region filaments , intermediate filaments , and quiescent filaments ( * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* and references cited therein ) .
upward magnetic pressure , downward magnetic tension , gravity and the gas pressure gradient forces keep filaments in the equilibrium state in the chromosphere and in the corona ( * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* and references cited therein ) .
the filaments could undergo different kinds of eruptions such as full , partial , failed or asymmetric eruptions when the equilibrium breaks @xcite . in a full eruption ,
the filament material and the associated magnetic field structure escape from the sun and produce a coronal mass ejection ( cme ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
in a failed eruption , neither the filament material nor the associate magnetic field structure erupts @xcite .
various factors have been identified for the failed filament eruption such as a slow decrease of the overlying magnetic field ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ) , a stronger overlying magnetic field ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ) or an asymmetric background magnetic field ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
more recently , @xcite and @xcite studied several confined flares and eruptions from ar 12192 during 2014 october 18 to 29 and found that the strong confinement of the overlying field may be the cause . in partial eruptions , some parts of the filament magnetic structure erupt while the other parts do not erupt , depending on the location of magnetic reconnection over or inside the filament @xcite .
asymmetric filament eruptions are the eruptions when one leg of the filament erupts while the other one remains anchored on the sun @xcite .
various factors have been observed to be responsible for the eruptions such as filament footpoint rotation ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ) , flux emergence near the filament system ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ) , large decrease of the photospheric magnetic field strength ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ) or transfer of flux from one system to another one ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
based on some observations and simulations , a number of theoretical models have been developed for the solar eruptions , such as the tether cutting @xcite , flux cancellation @xcite , magnetic breakout @xcite and flux emergence models @xcite .
ideal magnetohydrodynamic ( mhd ) instabilities has also been suggested as the cause for solar eruptions , i.e. , kink and torus instabilities ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
successive solar eruptions and flares occurring within a short time with a physical link , either in one complex or in different active regions , are known as
sympathetic events " @xcite .
sympathetic eruptions have been observed and studied in the past years @xcite .
@xcite studied two sympathetic m class solar flares and associated cmes that occurred on 2000 february 17 from two different active regions .
@xcite reported successive solar flares and associated two fast cmes on 2005 september 13 from noaa ar 10808 and discussed the causal relationship between these eruptions .
@xcite identified a series of flares and eruptions during 2010 august 12 and found that all these events are connected with a set of separatrices , separators , and quasi - separatrix layers .
@xcite presented observations of three successive filament eruptions from different locations on 2003 november 19 and interpreted these sympathetic eruptions from coronal dimming investigations .
@xcite presented detailed observations of two filament eruptions on 2005 august 5 in a bipolar helmet streamer type configuration and interpreted these eruptions as sympathetic .
@xcite reported two sympathetic solar eruptions in a quadrupolar magnetic configuration occurred on 2011 may 12 .
in all these observational studies , they found some physical links between the two sympathetic events .
apart from observational works , there are a few simulations that have been performed to understand the sympathetic eruptions more clearly ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
@xcite simulated the sympathetic filament eruptions that occurred on 2010 august 1 .
@xcite presented a 2.5d mhd simulation of sympathetic magnetic breakout cmes in a coronal pseudo streamer type magnetic configuration . among the various proposed interpretations and theories , some involve the removal of high altitude coronal arcades through ideal or resistive processes @xcite , while others involve sequential reconnections between adjacent flux systems @xcite .
sympathetic eruptions and flares have been observed but the actual magnetic link and the physical mechanisms of these events are not fully clear . in this work , we present multiwavelength observations and interpretations of two successive eruptions from two different active regions that occurred on 2013
november 17 .
we discuss the multi - stages of the reconnections that occurred during these eruptions .
we focus on the following main questions , ( 1 ) what are the reasons behind these sympathetic events ?
( 2 ) how the reconnection occur between the arcades and/or the flux rope ?
( 3 ) what are the role of these interactions / reconnections ?
we organize our paper as follows : section [ sect2 ] deals with the description of the observational data set used in the present paper . magnetic structure and morphological evolution of the sympathetic eruptions , flares and associated cmes
are presented in section [ sect3 ] , where the nonlinear force - free field ( nlfff ) extrapolation and the associated results are discussed in section [ sect38 ] .
the main results and their discussions are presented in the last section ( section [ sect4 ] ) .
we use the global oscillation network group ( gong ) h@xmath0 observations for the current study and collect data from the gong archive ( i.e. , http://halpha.nso.edu/archive.html ) .
it provides images at 6563 wavelength with a spatial resolution of @xmath1 and a cadence of around 1 minute @xcite .
the h@xmath0 observations are used to study the filament eruption dynamics . for the multiwavelength analysis
, we have also used the data observed by the atmospheric imaging assembly ( aia ; * ? ? ?
* ) , which provides full disk images in two ultraviolet ( uv ) , one white - light and seven extreme ultraviolet ( euv ) wavelengths .
aia provides euv images with a minimum cadence of 12 s and a pixel size of @xmath2 .
magnetic field data are observed by the helioseismic and magnetic imager ( hmi ; * ? ? ?
hmi images have a spatial resolution of @xmath3 with a minimum cadence of 45 s for the line - of - sight magnetic field and a minimum cadence of 720 s for the vector magnetic field .
aia and hmi are two of the instruments on board the _ solar dynamics observatory _ ( _ sdo _ ) .
to study the kinematics of the eruptions in the limb view , we use the sun earth connection coronal and heliospheric investigation / extreme ultraviolet imager ( secchi / euvi ) data .
it is an instrument on board the _ solar terrestrial relation observatory _
( _ stereo _ ; * ? ? ? * ; * ? ? ? * ) .
it observes the sun in four wavelengths , i.e. , 304 , 195 , 284 and 171 .
_ stereo - a_/euvi images have a spatial resolution of @xmath4 .
x - ray data have been taken from the _ reuven ramaty high energy solar spectroscopic imager _ ( _ rhessi _ ; * ? ? ?
* ) and the images have been reconstructed using the clean algorithm with an integration time of around 60 s. to study the cmes associated with the eruptions , we have used the chronograph data observed by _ stereo - a_/cor1 @xcite and the large angle and spectrometric coronagraph ( lasco ; * ? ? ?
* ) on board the _ solar and heliospheric observatory _ ( _ soho _ ) .
two nearby filaments were observed on 2013 november 17 in the southwest part of the sun ( figure [ fig1 ] ) .
the general structure of the filaments can be seen in figure [ fig2 ] .
it displays gong h@xmath0 , _
sdo_/aia 304 and 171 zoomed images of the filaments at @xmath506:00 ut ( figures [ fig2](a ) , [ fig2](b ) and [ fig2](c ) respectively ) . the northward and the adjacent southward filaments are represented by `` f1 '' and `` f2 '' respectively .
they are at the border of two different active regions , i.e. , noaa 11893 and 11900 respectively .
gong h@xmath0 image shows the location of the core dark filament material ( figure [ fig2](a ) ) , while the extended filament channels can be seen in _
sdo_/aia euv images ( figures [ fig2](b ) and [ fig2](c ) ) .
it can be seen that the dark filament material observed in h@xmath0 lies in the middle of the extended filament channels .
the filament channel could be the projection of the flux rope or cavity or it could be due to a different behavior of the transition region below the flux rope @xcite .
different extrapolations of magnetic field lines in filament environment suggest that h@xmath0 material of filaments is supported in the magnetic dips of a flux rope or sheared magnetic arcade @xcite .
the flux rope is overlaid by arcades in the corona and is anchored in the photosphere by barbs or footpoints created by parasitic polarities close to the pil . the whole magnetic structure is called filament system
. the anchoring of the filament footpoints can be identified by comparing the h@xmath0 and _ sdo_/aia euv observations with an _ sdo_/hmi magnetogram .
the approximate locations of the footpoints are pointed out in figure [ fig2](b ) in which they are clearly visible .
we have tracked the contours of the approximate core filament region visible in h@xmath0 of both filaments and over plotted in the _
sdo_/hmi magnetogram ( figure [ fig2](d ) ) .
the magnetogram represents the line of sight component of the sun s magnetic field .
we have identified the footpoints of the two filaments .
it is clear that the northern and southern foot points of both filaments are anchored in the positive and negative polarity regions in their respective active regions .
the northern footpoints of both filaments lie near the center of the active regions , while the southern footpoints are anchored at the boundary of the respective active regions .
it is also important to note that the filaments are situated along the periphery of the active regions in the disk projection .
the magnetic field between the two filaments is mostly consisting of positive polarity , while the other sides are mostly negative polarity .
the two filaments are located in the southern hemisphere , but they have different chirality .
filament f2 is dextral , or , equivalently the magnetic helicity is negative , because of the following reasons .
first , the filament forms an inverse j shape as shown in figure [ fig2 ] . secondly , according to the definition in @xcite , if one stands at the positive polarity , the axial magnetic field points to the right .
also , the filament barb is right bearing , although it does not have a one to one correlation with the filament chirality @xcite . on the other hand ,
filament f1 is sinistral with a similar analysis as for filament f2 .
therefore , the chirality of the two filaments is opposite . and
the chirality of filament f2 is opposite to the dominant helicity sign of active regions in the southern hemisphere , which should be sinistral or positive in the term of magnetic helicity ( c.f .
* ; * ? ? ?
? * ; * ? ? ?
figure [ fig3 ] shows the radial component of the magnetic field at 00:10:11 ut on 2013 november 17 .
the magnetic field image has been corrected for the 180 degree ambiguity and the projection effect @xcite .
we observe several magnetic field changes in both active regions before the start of the first eruption .
all these changes can be seen very well in the _ sdo_/hmi radial component movie ( movie attached with figure [ fig3 ] ) .
both active regions show several tiny flux emerging regions .
these regions are shown by the northern and southern red ovals .
these emerging regions show divergence motions as they expand . in the northern active region ,
the expansion towards the southwest disturbs the remnant network polarities such as the positive polarity in box 2 .
we will see the importance of this polarity because magnetic field lines of both filament systems f1 and f2 are anchored in this polarity ( see section [ sect38 ] ) .
moreover , in the northern active region , the following spot is in a decaying phase .
it is surrounded by moving magnetic features , which form a moat region around it .
this moat region is shown by a blue circle in figure [ fig3 ] .
it is observed that many small bi
poles are canceling at the border of the moat region .
one of the strong flux cancellation region is observed in box 1 .
this cancellation may trigger one reconnection ( the third one probably ) .
the first eruption stage was associated with the activation of filament f2 and the partial eruption of the overlying arcade .
figures [ fig4 ] and [ fig5 ] represent the sequence of selected h@xmath0 and _ sdo_/aia 304 images showing the overall chromospheric dynamics of the eruptions .
both the filaments were located near to each other and are represented by the letters `` f1 '' and `` f2 '' ( figures [ fig4](a ) and [ fig5](a ) ) .
the southward confined motion of the cool plasma of filament f2 started at @xmath506:45 ut toward its southern footpoint along the filament spine .
the heating of the cool plasma ( i.e. , filament activation ) started at @xmath507:00 ut .
the euv brightness of the filament can be interpreted as the signature of heating ( figures [ fig5](a ) and ( b ) ) .
the confined southward movement of the cool and hot plasma continued until @xmath507:15 ut ( figures [ fig4](a)(c ) , [ fig5](a)(c ) ) .
the partial disappearance of filament f2 during this confined motion has been observed in h@xmath0 images ( h@xmath0 animation and figure [ fig4](d ) ) .
this may also be due to the heating of the cool material of filament f2 .
the filament activation and heating are believed due to the reconnection underneath filament f2 between the legs of the overlying sheared arcades .
the reconnection dynamics can be clearly seen in _
sdo_/aia 131 image sequence ( figures [ fig6](a)(c ) ) .
sdo_/aia 131 channel provides information about the flaring reconnection region in the sun .
activated filament f2 was visible at @xmath507:00 ut ( figure [ fig6](a ) ) .
the approximate locations where the magnetic reconnection is supposed to occur between the legs of sheared arcades are represented by the white circle and oval in figures [ fig6](a ) and [ fig6](b ) respectively . the reconnection continued and the formation of the flare loops has been observed at around @xmath507:21 ut ( figure [ fig6](c ) ) .
these hot flare loops show continuous expanding motion with the eruption ( animation associated with figure [ fig6 ] ) . after comparing the cooler and hotter aia channels
, we observed that these flare brightenings and loops only appeared in the hotter aia channels i.e. , 131 and 94 .
the formation of the flare ribbons on both sides of the reconnection region is clearly observed in h@xmath0 , _
sdo_/aia 304 and 1600 images ( figures [ fig4](c)(d ) , [ fig5](c)(d ) and [ fig6](d ) respectively ) .
these ribbons also show apparent separation motion away from each other ( see h@xmath0 , _ sdo_/aia 304 and 1600 animations associated with figures [ fig4 ] , [ fig5 ] and [ fig6 ] , respectively ) .
the northern ribbon moves toward north , while the southward ribbon moves toward the southwest .
the flare loops connecting the flare ribbons can be evidenced by comparing _
sdo_/aia 131 and 1600 images ( figures [ fig6](c ) and [ fig6](d ) respectively ) .
the extension of the northern and southern ribbons of the first flare have a j shape and can be considered as the hooks of the flux rope containing the filament f2 .
the ribbons shown by the white ovals in figure [ fig6](d ) are the spreading footpoints of the growing flare loops . in order to understand the temporal evolution of the euv brightening during the flare events , we have estimated the euv intensity profiles for the flaring region during 06:00 ut to 08:30 ut .
these temporal profiles of _ sdo_/aia 304 , 131 , 171 and 94 wavelength channels are represented in figure [ fig7 ] .
for the comparison we have overplotted _ goes _ x - ray profiles in 18 and 0.54 .
each profiles are normalized by different values for the better comparison of flare evolution .
the region used for the estimation of these profiles are shown in figure [ fig5](e ) with a white box .
the first flare phase can be considered from 07:00 ut to 07:35 ut .
a gradual rise started at around 07:00 ut in all the euv intensity profiles .
the _ sdo_/aia 304 and 171 profiles show a continues increase up to around 07:1007:12 ut .
these profiles show a gradual decrease up to 07:35 ut .
_ sdo_/aia 131 profile shows an initial gradual increase up to around 07:10 ut and then remain almost constant up to 07:35 ut . on the other hand
, the 94 profile shows a consistent gradual increase with very slow rate up to 07:35 ut .
a peak has also been observed in _ goes _ profiles , which appear to be consistent with the _ sdo_/aia 304 and 171 profiles .
the full disk observations at the same time reveal that this peak in the _ goes _ x - ray came both from the flare in this study as well as from another flaring activity occurred in another active region 11897 .
we do not see the eruption of the filament material during this phase in _
sdo_/aia 304 and nso / gong h@xmath0 observations .
however , some evidence of the eruption from f2 and coronal loops can be found from _
sdo_/aia 171 and _ stereo - a_/euvi 195 images ( figures [ fig8 ] and [ fig9 ] ) .
figure [ fig8 ] shows the _
sdo_/aia 171 difference images , showing the eruption of filament f2 overlying loops between 07:09 ut and 07:15 ut in the disk view ( see animation attached with figure [ fig12 ] ) . erupting leading edge of the visible coronal loops
is represented by dashed white curved lines . from the _
sdo_/aia 171 disk observations , we also observe coronal dimming signatures just above filament f2 at 07:11 ut ( figure [ fig8](b ) ) as well as under the erupting loops at 07:14 ut ( figure [ fig8](c ) ) and 07:15 ut ( figure [ fig8](d ) ) .
the observed coronal dimmings show the observational evidence of eruptions from these regions .
the locations of flare reconnection are also shown by the red circles in each panels .
on the other hand , figures [ fig9](a)(e ) show the _ stereo - a_/euvi 195 limb observations of the expansion and eruption of overlying coronal loops between 07:05:30 ut and 07:45:30 ut .
the overlying loops are clearly visible in the limb view at 07:05:30 ut ( figure [ fig9](a ) ) .
the expansion and eruption of filament f2 overlying loops started at @xmath507:05:30 ut and continued until 07:45:30 ut ( animation associated with figure [ fig9 ] ) .
the approximate leading edge of the erupting overlying loops is shown by the white arrow in each panel .
the eruption of overlying coronal loops are very clear from the _ stereo - a_/euvi 195 movie .
figure [ fig9](f ) shows the height time profile of the erupting coronal loops using _ stereo - a_/euvi 195 images .
a rough trajectory along which the height time measurements are performed is shown in figure [ fig9](d ) with dashed white line .
the error bars are the standard deviations estimated using three repeated measurements of the same point .
the speed is estimated by the linear fit to these height - time data points .
the estimated speed is around 160 @xmath6 .
we suggest that after the reconnection between the legs of the sheared arcades , some of the overlying arcades erupted .
these arcade eruption results the expansion and eruption of the overlying coronal loops . simultaneously with the first eruption , the ribbon separation of the first flare continued up to 07:32 ut , which has been discussed in detail in section [ sect33 ] . looking at the 304 , 94 and 131 movies , we can see the expansion of the northern ribbon of first flare , footprint of the hook of the f2 flux rope end . according to the motion and expansion of the hook of the f2 flux rope , it seems that the first reconnection is continuous even after the first flare and sucks the field lines between the two flux ropes , forcing some field lines to change of connectivity and reconnect far away . during the second stage interaction we observed several brightenings . at 07:32 ut
, we observe the start of a first brightening under the filament f1 in h@xmath0 and aia euv channels ( figures [ fig4](e ) , [ fig5](e ) , [ fig10](a ) and ( c ) ) .
this brightening corresponds to the slight bump in aia 304 , 131 and 171 as well as the _ goes _ x - ray profiles during the intermediate time between the two flares ( figure [ fig7 ] ) .
this phase is represented by if " in figure [ fig7 ] .
this compact brightening is located at the region where the positive and negative polarities lie near to each other ( i.e. , corresponds to the box 1 in figure [ fig3 ] ) .
it looks like the flux rope containing f1 is heated below and above f1 , probably by a second reconnection . at 07:36
we see a second brightening in the south of the first one with a j shape in 304 , 131 and 94 channels ( figures [ fig4](e ) , [ fig5](e ) , [ fig10](d ) and ( f ) ) .
this could correspond to the flux rope hook of f1 and the elongated brightening could be considered as heated plasma along the flux rope .
thereafter the flux rope containing f1 is destabilized and heated . during the same time
we note a brightening in the box ( figure [ fig10](c ) ) corresponding to the anchorage of the arcades overlying f1 and f2 .
the timing of the two brightenings suggest some heating all along the flux rope until its end in the place of the box .
we also see some new brightenings above f1 like loops in 131 at 07:37 and 07:41 ut ( figure [ fig10](d ) , ( f ) , ( g ) and ( i ) ) . during the same time , the f1 flux rope ( j ribbon ) is heated in 304 and starts to inflate from 07:41 ut .
all these observational evidences suggest the second reconnection .
the activation of the northern filament f1 started at around @xmath507:39 ut , a few minutes after the underneath heating .
thereafter , filament f1 started to rise between 07:4207:43 ut ( figure [ fig11](a ) ) .
the eruption of filament f1 was associated with a small c4.9 class solar flare .
the low lying reconnection between the legs of the overlying arcade field lines in the wake of filament f1 eruption may trigger this flare .
this is the third stage of the magnetic reconnection .
thereafter , the filament f1 continued to erupt in the same direction as that of the first eruption ( figures [ fig4](f)(g ) , [ fig5](f)(g ) and [ fig11](b ) ) .
we find the _ rhessi _ x - ray sources of 612 ( red ) and 1225 ( blue ) kev over the flare brightening region at around 07:58 ut ( figure [ fig11](c ) ) , which signifies the existence of the magnetic reconnection .
a careful inspection of the euv intensity and _ goes _ x - ray profiles show that the third stage of the enhancement started at around 07:43 ut in all the euv channels ( figure [ fig7 ] ) .
the _ goes _ x - ray flux enhancement also shows the third stage of the enhancement ( red curves in figure [ fig7 ] ) .
_ sdo_/aia 304 and 171 profiles show early peaks at around 07:54 ut , while the _
sdo_/aia 94 and 131 and _ goes _ x - ray profiles show the peaks of the flare between 08:00 ut and 08:05 ut .
this third enhancement in the euv profiles is due to the reconnection in the wake of the erupting filament f1 between the surrounding arcades .
moreover , the intensity profiles of _ sdo_/aia 94 and 131 and goes x ray channels also show another enhancement started at around 07:53:11 ut before reaching the peak .
this provides evidence for another small reconnection stage during its eruption phase .
noaa record shows that the flare started at @xmath507:37 ut , peaked at @xmath508:01 ut and ended at @xmath508:24 ut . at about 07:58 ut , we observe that the erupting filament f1 broke into two parts , namely , the lower and the upper parts .
these upper and lower parts are represented in figures [ fig4](h ) , [ fig5](h ) and [ fig12](a ) .
thereafter , we observe the eruption of the upper part only , while the lower part remains stable against eruption ( animations associated with figures [ fig4 ] and [ fig5 ] ) . along with the eruption of the upper part , we observe the formation of two ribbons simultaneously ( figure [ fig11](d ) ) . in the late decay phase at @xmath508:30 ut , two set of post flare loops
have also been observed in _
sdo_/aia 171 channel ( figure [ fig11](e ) ) .
right set of post flare loops ( i.e. , loops 1 ) are associated with the first flare , while the left set of post flare loops ( i.e. , loops 2 ) are associated with the second flare .
the overall dynamics of both eruptions can be clearly seen in the h@xmath0 and _ sdo_/aia movies ( see attached full length movies with figures [ fig4 ] and [ fig5 ] ) .
the erupting arcades of filament f1 underwent reconnection with the ambient field during @xmath507:58 ut to @xmath508:12 ut ( figure [ fig12 ] ) .
this can be interpreted as the fourth stage of the magnetic reconnection .
figure [ fig12 ] represents the _ sdo_/aia 171 running difference images during @xmath508:01 to @xmath508:12 ut .
the eruptive upper and stable lower parts and the surrounding ambient field can be seen at 08:01 ut ( figure [ fig12](a ) ) .
the erupting upper part of filament f1 is reconnected with the nearby overlying ambient field lines ( figures [ fig12](b)(d ) ) .
the approximate locations of the reconnection regions are marked by the red circles in each panel . as a result
, the filament plasma appears to show downward and upward flow motions ( animations associated with figure [ fig12 ] ) .
the green arrows in figures [ fig12](b)(d ) represent the directions of the upward and downward filament plasma motion .
we also observe the formation of a new loop system joining the negative footpoint of filament f1 and the nearby positive polarity ( figures [ fig4](i ) , [ fig5](i ) and [ fig12](b)(d ) ) .
left and right panels of figure [ fig13 ] show the eruption of filament f1 using on disk observations by _
sdo_/aia 304 and the limb observations by _ stereo - a_/euvi 304 respectively .
the arrows in all the respective panels mark the similar leading edge of the erupting part of filament f1 .
both the panels show similar morphological evolution of the filament f1 eruption .
figures [ fig14](a ) and [ fig14](b ) show the height time profiles of the erupting part of filament f1 for on disk _
sdo_/aia 304 as well as _
stereo - a_/euvi 304 limb observations during 07:30 ut to 08:22 ut .
the error bars in these plots are the standard deviations estimated by three repeated measurements of the same point .
the rough trajectories along which the height time measurements have been performed are represented in the figures [ fig13](c ) and [ fig13](f ) with dashed white lines . in the height time profile of _
sdo_/aia 304 , we can identify two stages of the eruption of filament f1 , namely , the first slow phase and the second fast phase . it is observed that initially filament f1 erupted with a slow speed during 07:41 ut to 08:02 ut ( figures [ fig13](a ) , [ fig13](b ) and [ fig14](a ) ) . the estimated speed during this phase is around 145 @xmath6 .
it went into the fast phase eruption after 08:02 ut .
the estimated higher speed is around 337 @xmath6 during 08:02 ut to 08:22 ut ( figures [ fig14](a ) ) .
the speed increase is due to the reconnection between the erupting filament f1 with the ambient magnetic field .
the reconnection between the erupting filament f1 with the ambient field started at around 08:02 ut and continued up to around 08:15 ut , which is consistent with the fast rising phase of filament f1 .
figure [ fig14](b ) shows the height - time relationship using the _ stereo - a_/euvi 304 observations during 07:40 to 08:18 ut .
the estimated speed is @xmath5247 @xmath6 . because of the low cadence
, we can not see the two different phases in this panel .
the speeds are calculated using the linear fit to the height - time data points during selected time intervals .
the eruption of filament f1 seems to be asymmetric with the full eruptive northern and anchored southern legs ( figure [ fig13](f ) ) .
both the first and the second eruptions produced cmes .
the first of these eruptions originated from the vicinity of the filament we call f2 , and produced the cme that we call cme1 . during this first eruption , we observed disruption of filament f2 along with expulsion of loops above f2 , but it is not clear whether f2 itself was ejected or if instead it just faded .
figures [ fig8 ] and [ fig12 ] show the erupting loops .
the spreading ribbons in figure [ fig6](d ) are the footpoints of the arcade formed as the legs of these erupting loops reconnect , while the loops themselves continue to move outward to form part of cme1 .
the second eruption started with eruption of the filament we call f1 , and produced the cme we call cme2 . in this case , f1 clearly did erupt outward ( e.g. , figures [ fig5](f ) and [ fig5](g ) ) .
the flare ribbons shown in figure [ fig11](d ) are the footpoints of the arcade formed by this second eruption .
figure [ fig11](e ) points out the post flare loops from both the first ( post flare loops 1 ) and the second eruption ( post flare loops 2 ) .
figure [ fig15 ] represents the sequence of white - light chronograph images of the cmes .
figures [ fig15](a)(d ) show the _ stereo - a_/cor1 images from 07:25 ut to 08:25 ut , overplotted with the _ stereo - a_/euvi images .
figures [ fig15](e)(h ) represent the _
soho_/lasco c2 and c3 images during 08:24 ut to 09:54 ut , overplotted with the _ sdo_/aia images .
all the panels show the complete sequence of the evolution of the cmes . at @xmath507:25
ut , we observe the dimming and the eruption of the overlying field in _ stereo - a_/euvi image ( figure [ fig15](a ) ) .
the eruption was observed in cor1 field of view at @xmath507:45 in the form of cme1 ( figure [ fig15](b ) ) .
no core structure was associated with cme1 .
the erupting filament f1 was observed at @xmath508:05 ut in the euvi field of view while the leading edge of cme1 moved more outward in cor1 field of view ( figure [ fig15](c ) ) .
the erupting filament was seen for the first time in _ stereo - a_/euvi ( figure [ fig15](d ) ) as well as lasco c2 ( figure [ fig15](e ) ) field of view at around 08:2408:25 ut .
the second cme was associated with a core structure , i.e. , the erupting part of filament f1 . at @xmath508:48
ut we also observe multiple white and dark bands that show the signature of different leading edges and cavities ( marked by black arrows in figure [ fig15](f ) ) .
the similar pattern progressed simultaneously ( figures [ fig15](g ) and [ fig15](h ) ) , which suggests that both the cmes produced by different eruptions merged and formed a compound cme structure at the later stages . in order to understand the overlying magnetic field configuration , we have carried out an nlfff extrapolation using the optimization method @xcite over the active regions and presented in figure [ fig16 ] .
panels ( a ) and ( b ) show the approximate aia on disk and _ stereo - a_/euvi limb views respectively , while the bottom panel ( c ) represents the top view of the active regions with extrapolated field lines .
green and red lines represent the low lying magnetic field lines over the northern and southern interacting magnetic systems respectively .
blue lines represent the open field lines and the field lines not concerned by the present events . by comparing figures [ fig16](c ) and [ fig2](d )
, we note that the magnetic field lines in red are the overlying arcades of the filament f2 , the magnetic field lines in green are the overlying arcade field of f1 . some connections between the overlying fields of f1 and f2
have also been observed .
the white box shows the region of positive polarity between the active regions . as shown in the top view of the extrapolation result ,
some magnetic field lines overlying filament f2 extend to the region where some other magnetic field lines overlying f1 anchored .
this signifies that magnetic interaction can occur between the two filaments .
this connection is very important to explain the second stage of reconnection between the two filament magnetic systems .
the second stage reconnection is supposed to occur between the expanding filament system ( namely , the magnetic flux rope and surrounding field lines ) of f2 and the overlying magnetic arcades of filament f1 .
the present work deals with the observational analyses and interpretations of sympathetic eruptions , associated flares and cmes using multiwavelength data from _ sdo_/aia , _ goes _ , nso / gong , _ stereo - a_/euvi , _ stereo - a_/cor1 , _ rhessi _ and _ soho_/lasco occurring in two active regions on 2013 november 17 .
we discuss various interactions and reconnections between filament magnetic field systems and between the filament magnetic field and the surrounding ambient magnetic field during the eruptions .
the main results of the study are as follows : 1 . observations clearly show that the two successive eruptions and associated flares can be interpreted as the sympathetic events . 2 .
the magnetic reconnection can be divided into four stages during these sympathetic events .
the first stage reconnection occurred as a flux cancellation between the legs of sheared arcades of filament f2 .
this might trigger a two ribbon solar flare , the eruption of the overlying coronal arcades and coronal loops .
the second stage reconnection could be between the field lines of the expanding flux rope f2 and the flux rope f1 as well as with its arcades .
it activates f1 with heating signatures all along the flux rope and destabilizes it .
the third stage reconnection occurred at the wake of the erupting filament f1 between the legs of overlaying arcades .
this may trigger another two ribbon solar flare .
the fourth stage of reconnection occurred between the erupting arcades of the filament f1 with the nearby surrounding ambient field .
we believe that the acceleration phase and the asymmetric eruption of filament f1 are the consequences of this coronal reconnection .
the present observed eruptions and flares can be interpret as two consecutive sympathetic eruptions and flares .
for the sympathetic eruptions , it requires that they should occur in two different active regions and different pils on the sun with some physical connections @xcite . in our case , we observed two eruptions , from two different nearby active regions as well as different pils ( figure [ fig2 ] ) .
the nlfff extrapolation shows the presence of overlying field lines of f1 and f2 anchored in the small positive region between them , showing some possible connection between them ( see box 2 in figures [ fig3 ] , [ fig16 ] and [ fig17 ] ) .
the similar directions of both eruptions within a short time period of @xmath540 minutes provides another evidence for sympathetic eruptions .
we also observed two flares associated with these sympathetic eruptions , which can also be considered as the sympathetic flares .
two different set of flare loops have been observed close to each other with common anchoring at the central positive polarity region ( figure [ fig11](e ) ) .
hence , the present observations not only show the sympathetic eruptions but also the sympathetic flares produced by them .
similar types of sympathetic flares associated with two eruptions have also been reported in a few earlier works ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
based on the multi - wavelength observations , we identify the four different stages of reconnections during the sympathetic eruptions ( see schematic in figure [ fig17 ] ) .
figure [ fig17](a ) represents the initial magnetic topology of the filaments and overlying ambient coronal fields .
two nearby filaments ( i.e. , f1 and f2 ) exist along with their overlying arcades as well as surrounding ambient fields ( see figure [ fig2 ] also ) .
the first flare reconnection seems to be consistent with the low lying tether cutting type reconnection between the sheared arcades leading to the formation of a flux rope ( c.f .
the formation of the flare loops and their separation with time can be understood as resulting from reconnection between the legs of the surrounding field as the flux rope of that first eruption moves outward to form cme1 .
the growing flare loops and the spreading flare ribbons are the observational signatures of this first reconnection ( see animations accompanying figure [ fig6 ] ) .
our observations show that the first eruption , which led to this first reconnection , began from near filament f2 , but there is no clear ejection of f2 .
apparently , f2 was located below the field that erupted in that first eruption .
similar kind of eruptions has been discussed in observational studies ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
some of them have been interpreted with the partial eruption model of flux rope @xcite .
the second stage of reconnection is the most difficult one to explain and it is not obvious where it happened .
what we are sure is that there is an interaction between both systems ( figure [ fig17](d ) ) and the flux rope of f2 destabilizes the f1 system .
various observational signatures of second interaction and reconnection have been discussed in section [ sect34 ] .
it has been observed that the removal of overlying field lines during the first eruption plays a crucial role to trigger a nearby eruption ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
some studies proposed that the external breakout type magnetic reconnection during the first eruption either in quadrupolar magnetic configuration @xcite or in unipolar helmet streamer @xcite magnetic configuration may be responsible for the other nearby successive eruption by removing the overlying flux . on the other hand the sucking of the field lines over f1 by
the first reconnection is also a factor of diminishing the tension ( green field lines over f2 in figure [ fig17](c ) ) .
there was probably a driving reconnection pushing the two systems together .
this kind of reconnection is only possible in 3d as shown mhd simulations for other event sequences @xcite .
the third stage of reconnection is believed to occur during the eruption of filament f1 and has some similarity with the first stage of reconnection occurring in the f2 system ( figures [ fig11](b)(d ) and [ fig17](e ) and section [ sect35 ] ) .
this reconnection may be consistent with the standard cshkp flare model by filament or flux rope eruption ( c.f .
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
according to this , during the eruption of filament or flux rope the reconnection between the legs of surrounding arcades in the wake may trigger a solar flare .
the erupting arcades of filament f1 also reconnected with the near - by ambient magnetic flux ( figure [ fig17](f ) ) and formed another new loop system ( figure [ fig17](f ) ) .
we interpret this reconnection as the fourth stage of reconnection ( refer to section [ sect36 ] for detail ) .
this reconnection can be interpreted between the ambient open field lines with the filament f1 growing arcades in the corona .
similar kind of coronal reconnection senario has been discussed by @xcite to interpret the filament eruption on 2000 september 12 . recently , for the first time @xcite found the evidence of reconnection in the corona between the field lines of two different active regions during cmes .
they also identified the bright coronal region of reconnection as well as the cool down flowing plasma . in our case
, we also find observational signature of coronal reconnection via bi directional flow of filament f1 plasma after their arcade reconnection with the ambient magnetic field ( figure [ fig12 ] and associated animations ) .
we also believe that this reconnection was responsible for the acceleration phase of the eruptive part of filament f1 ( section [ sect37 ] and figure [ fig14](a ) ) .
this result suggests that this kind of coronal magnetic field reconnection may play an important role in accelerating the filament speed during its eruption .
this reconnection is also believed for the asymmetric eruption of filament f1 .
we observed that the northern leg of filament f1 erupted fully , while the southern leg remained anchoring on the sun ( figure [ fig13 ] ) .
we believe that the interaction and reconnection of the erupting southern part of filament f1 with the ambient magnetic field caused the eruption asymmetry .
this is a different mechanism compared with the whipping and zipping type model of asymmetric filament eruption given by @xcite . in the end ,
three different types of loop system are formed , i.e. , two post flare loops and one newly formed loop system ( figures [ fig11](e ) , [ fig12](c ) and [ fig17](g ) ) .
another interesting result is that filament f1 broke into two different parts , i.e. , the erupting upper and stable lower parts ( figures [ fig4](h ) , [ fig5](h ) and [ fig12](a ) ) .
we suggest that the reconnection of the erupting filament f1 with the surviving field of f2 may break f1 into two parts .
also , the observed enhancement in the brightness of the southern ribbon of the first flare during the eruption of filament f1 also provides some hint for this type of interaction ( figure [ fig11](d ) ) .
we also observe that the second fast eruption ( speed @xmath5377 @xmath6 ) overtook the first slow eruption ( 160 @xmath6 ) and the associated cmes merged and formed a compound cme ( see section [ sect37 ] and figure [ fig15 ] ) .
the compound cme structure can be seen at 08:48 ut and onward with multiple leading edges and cavities ( figures [ fig15](f)(h ) ) .
these observations suggest that the sympathetic nearby eruptions and associated cmes in the same directions can also lead to the interesting cme cme interaction events in the corona near the sun .
these interactions have great importance for the production of solar energetic particle events ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
study of nearby eruptions , flares and cmes tells important information about magnetic interactions and reconnections between them .
we have identified several physical mechanisms for producing this sequence of sympathetic events in two different active regions : canceling flux , shear arcades , inflation or expansion of magnetic field systems . in this study , all these mechanisms work together or successively between the different magnetic systems .
it provides a good example of sympathetic events .
these kind of observational studies also provide important inputs for mhd modelings of sympathetic eruptions and the associated flares .
high resolution observations and more numerical simulation studies are needed to understand the sympathetic events more clearly .
the authors thank the referee for providing valuable comments and suggestions .
we thank _ sdo_/aia , _
sdo_/hmi , _
stereo_/secchi , nso / gong , _ soho_/lasco and _ rhessi _ teams for providing their data for the present study .
this work is supported by the bk21 plus program through the national research foundation ( nrf ) funded by the ministry of education of korea .
ncj thank school of space research , kyung hee university for providing the postdoctoral grant .
yg is supported by nsfc 11203014 and belspo postdoctoral grant .
yg thanks the observatoire de paris .
we are thankful to dr .
tibor trk for their valuable suggestions and comments on the present work . ,
, et al . 2004 , in society of photo - optical instrumentation engineers ( spie ) conference series , vol .
5171 , society of photo - optical instrumentation engineers ( spie ) conference series , ed .
s. fineschi & m. a. gummin , 111 | arxiv |
it is an anomalous structure projecting from the cingulum area or the cemento enamel junction , and extending to at least half the distance to the incisal edge of the maxillary or the mandibular anterior teeth in both the primary and permanent dentitions .
. it may be unilateral or bilateral , with a predilection for maxilla over mandible , and more common in the permanent dentition .
this is a case report of a patient with the rare anomaly of facial talon cusp on the maxillary left permanent central incisor and a mild talon cusp on the maxillary right permanent central incisor .
a 25-year - old male reported to the department of conservative dentistry and endodontics for the restoration of his carious teeth .
examination of the oral cavity revealed a well - defined talon cusp i.e 3 to 5 mm in width and extends in height from cemento enamel junction to 1 mm short of the incisal edgeon the facial surface of the maxillary left permanent central incisor and a mild talon cusp on the facial surface of the maxillary right permanent central incisor , and congenitally missing maxilary first pre - molars .
talon cusp of the maxillary left permanent central incisor extended from the cementoenamel junction to 1 mm short of the incisal edge from the crown labially [ figure 1 ] .
radiographic image shows a prominent v - shaped radioopaque structure superimposed on maxillary left permanent central incisor and mild v - shaped radioopaque structure superimposed on maxillary right permanent central incisor [ figure 2 ] .
facial talon cusp i.e 3 to 5 mm in width and extends in height from cemento enamel junction to 1 mm short of the incisal edge on the facial surface of the maxillary left permanent central incisor and a mild talon cusp on the facial surface of the maxillary right permanent central incisor radiographic image shows a prominent v - shaped radioopaque structure superimposed on maxillary left permanent central incisor and mild v - shaped radioopaque structure superimposed on maxillary right permanent central incisor
prevalence rates of the lingual talon cusps as per studies by different authors , and references to case reports of facial talon cusps in literature have been given in tables 1 and 2 respectively .
talon cusp is usually asymptomatic , and often diagnozed as an incidental finding on routine dental examination .
if symptomatic , talon cusp usually causes problems related to occlusion , speech and aesthetics .
if cusp is severely worn off due to masticatory forces , it may lead to pulpal exposure .
direct composite restorations can be considered for aesthetic correction of the talon cusp if present on labial surface .
prevalence of lingual talon cusps as per studies by different authors case reports of facial talon cusps by various authors in literature for the present case , no treatment was rendered due to lack of parental consent owing to superstitious beliefs .
occlusal composite restorations were carried out for the posterior teeth which was the chief complaint of the patient .
it has been postulated that the formation of this anomaly occurs during the morphodifferentiation stage .
it is also suggested that its formation may be a result of upward folding of the inner enamel epithelial layer and transient focal hyperplasia of the mesenchymal dental papilla . according to another opinion
, the formation of talon cusp may be due to hyperproductivity of the anterior ends of dental lamina .
it is considered that talon cusp can originate as a result of the interaction of genetic and environmental factors .
there was no data on the other affected family members and no history of consanguinity with the parents was present .
the findings of facial talon cusp in this case should be considered as an isolated developmental abnormality . | pubmed |
hydrogen burning , the conversion of four protons into an alpha particle in the interior of stars , is the most important energy source in the universe and it is also responsible for the existence of several chemical elements . besides the pp - chains powering e.g. our sun , catalytic reactions cycles , like the various cno cycles play the major role in hydrogen burning @xcite .
depending on the temperature and chemical composition of the stellar plasma , different cno cycles can take place involving various isotopes of carbon , nitrogen , oxygen and fluorine .
the @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f reaction , which competes with the @xmath3-emission in @xmath0o(p,@xmath3)@xmath4n @xcite is the starting point of the third cno cycle .
this cycle is activated in various stellar conditions such as red giant and asymptotic giant stars and classical novae .
the abundances of fluorine and the heavy oxygen isotopes are strongly related to the operation of this cycle and therefore the rates of the participating reactions must be known . below 1.5mev
the @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f reaction is characterized by many broad and narrow resonances .
therefore , the temperature dependence of the @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f thermonuclear reaction rate shows a complicated picture .
the rate depends on the direct capture component as well as on the narrow low energy resonances and the tails of the higher energy broad resonances ( see e.g. fig.10 in ref.@xcite for the contribution of the different components to the reaction rate ) .
an r - matrix fit to the experimental data is therefore inevitable to provide reaction rates at various temperatures for stellar models .
the first cross section measurement of @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f was carried out several decades ago by c. rolfs in a wide energy range between 300kev and 1.9mev @xcite . after the turn of the century
, several experimental studies were carried out mostly concentrating on the low energy region below about 500kev @xcite .
( the only exception was the work of a. kontos _
@xcite which extended up to 1.6mev . ) the comparison of the new precise data with the results of @xcite revealed some discrepancy both in the absolute scale and the energy dependence of the cross section at the lowest energies studied by @xcite . in most of the previous experiments
the cross section of @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f was measured with in - beam @xmath1-spectroscopy : the prompt @xmath1-radiation from the formed @xmath2f nucleus was detected .
the complicated level scheme of @xmath2f ( see e.g. fig.1 . in ref.@xcite ) implies that the detection of many primary and secondary transitions is necessary for the cross section determination .
this represents a source of uncertainty in the experiments . in order to provide the astrophysically relevant total cross section , all the transitions
must be measured and care must be taken to measure even the weakest @xmath1-lines .
the angular distributions of all the @xmath1-emissions must also be known . moreover , in order to measure low cross sections , close target - detector geometries are typically used leading to strong true coincidence summing effects .
all these experimental difficulties can be avoided by the application of the activation method , which was used by only two experiments before at energies below 400kev @xcite .
the reaction product of @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f is radioactive , decays by positron emission with a half - life of [email protected] @xcite .
the decay is entirely to the ground state of @xmath2o , no @xmath1-radiation follows thus the decay .
the emission of the 511kev @xmath1-radiation following the positron annihilation , on the other hand , allows the measurement of the decay by @xmath1-detection . by measuring the @xmath2f activity
the number of reaction product and therefore the total reaction cross section can be determined directly .
the activation measurement of @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f provides therefore an independent means of cross section determination which can be used to check earlier experimental data and provide a constraint for r - matrix calculations regarding the total reaction cross section .
the aim of the present work is therefore to measure the @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f cross section with the activation method in a wide energy range .
the next section provides detailed information about the experimental technique , the results are presented in sec.[sec : results ] while sec.[sec : summary ] provides the summary and conclusions .
solid state oxygen targets were produced by anodic oxidation of tantalum disks in water enriched in @xmath0o . with this technique
ta@xmath6o@xmath7 layers can be produced with well defined ta : o ratio and the targets have high stability under beam bombardment .
the anodization setup was the same as used recently by the luna collaboration for the low energy @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f cross section measurements @xcite .
full details of the anodization device and the preparation procedure have been published by the luna collaboration @xcite , here only the most important features and the differences are summarized .
two water samples were used for the target preparations .
the isotopic abundances of the @xmath8o , @xmath0o and @xmath2o isotopes , respectively , were the following : ( [email protected])% , ( [email protected])% and ( [email protected])% ( sample 1 . ) and ( [email protected])% , ( [email protected])% and ( [email protected])% ( sample 2 . ) .
these values are quoted by the supplier . applying two different anodization voltages ( 24v and 50v ) ,
targets with two different thicknesses were produced .
altogether seven targets were prepared from the two water samples and with the two thicknesses .
intercomparison of the different targets were done by carrying out activation at the same proton energy on targets with different isotopic composition and/or thickness . as the determination of the number of target atoms is crucial for the precise cross section measurements ,
different experimental techniques were used to determine this quantity .
first , the ta : o stoichiometry ratio and the thickness of the oxide layer were measured with rutherford backscattering spectrometry ( rbs ) .
the first set of rbs measurements were carried out before the start of the activation experiments at the microbeam setup installed at the 5mv van de graaff accelerator of atomki @xcite .
a 1.6mev @xmath3 beam bombarded the ta@xmath6o@xmath7 targets and the scattered particles were detected by two ion implanted si detectors positioned at 135 and 165 degrees with respect to the beam direction . exploiting the high lateral resolution of the microbeam setup ,
spectra were recorded at several different positions on the target surfaces .
this test proved that the thickness and stoichiometry of the targets are uniform along the whole surface of the targets .
the spectra were analysed using the simnra code @xcite which provided the areal density of the o atoms as well as the ta : o ratio .
a second set of rbs measurement was carried out after the activation experiments using a completely independent setup , namely the activation chamber itself ( i.e. similar beam size and position to the proton beam used for the activations , see below ) . at the tandetron accelerator
a 10mev @xmath8o@xmath9 beam bombarded the ta@xmath6o@xmath7 targets and a si detector built into the activation chamber detected the backscattered ions .
figure [ fig : rbs ] shows typical spectra of the two rbs measurements .
the measured data as well as the fits using the simnra code are shown .
the results of the @xmath8o rbs measurements were in good agreement with the ones obtained with @xmath3-rbs ( see below ) .
the ratio of the ta : o atoms was found to be [email protected] in agreement with the stoichiometric value of 0.4 .
relevant parts of the rbs spectra of a ta@xmath6o@xmath7 target measured with @xmath3-beam at the microprobe facility ( upper panel ) and with @xmath8o@xmath9 beam in the activation chamber at the tandetron accelerator.,title="fig : " ] + relevant parts of the rbs spectra of a ta@xmath6o@xmath7 target measured with @xmath3-beam at the microprobe facility ( upper panel ) and with @xmath8o@xmath9 beam in the activation chamber at the tandetron accelerator.,title="fig : " ] if the ta : o ratio is known , a totally independent target thickness value can be obtained by the measurement of the resonance profile on a suitable nuclear resonance .
we have investigated the target thicknesses also by this method using both @xmath0o and @xmath2o isotope content of the targets .
the e@xmath10=1098kev and e@xmath10=1925kev resonances in the @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f and @xmath2o(p,@xmath1)@xmath11f reactions , respectively , were used to measure the target profiles .
a 100% relative efficiency hpge detector were placed next to the activation chamber at zero degree with its front face about 1 cm distance from the target .
the yield of the strongest transition was used for the measurement of the profiles which was the 937kev transition of the first excited state to the ground state in the case of @xmath2f ( @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f reaction ) and the 197 kev transition of the second excited state to the ground state in the case of @xmath11f ( @xmath2o(p,@xmath1)@xmath11f reaction ) .
the number of target atoms was obtained from the width of the target profiles using the ta : o ratio given by the rbs measurements .
figure[fig : resonance ] shows a typical resonance profile measured with the @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f reaction .
the target thickness obtained from the resonance profile measurement using the two reactions gave consistent results .
the comparison with the rbs results , however , revealed a roughly 9% systematic difference .
the rbs measurements resulted in systematically higher thickness values .
table[tab : target ] summarizes the thickness results of a given target ( prepared with 50v anodization voltage ) obtained with the four measurements . measured profile on the e@xmath10=1098kev resonance in @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f .
the target thickness was obtained from the width of the fitted resonance profile .
] the uncertainties quoted in the table are statistical only stemming form the fit of the rbs spectra and the resonance profiles .
taking into account only these errors , the two methods are in contradiction . if , however , one includes the uncertainty of the stopping power , the results can be considered to be consistent .
it is difficult to quantify the uncertainty of stopping power in our experiment as the stopping of protons , @xmath3-particles and @xmath8o isotopes should be considered in o and ta , and the related information @xcite in the widely used srim code indicates uncertainties from about 2% up to 6% .
most likely the deviation of the thickness values has its origin in the uncertainty of the stopping power .
therefore , we have adopted the average of the two methods and assigned a conservative 6% uncertainty to the number of target atoms .
.[tab : target ] results of the various thickness measurements on one of the targets .
see text for details .
[ cols= " < , < " , ] fig.[fig : rmat_fitgyurkytotals ] shows the total @xmath12 factor obtained from our r - matrix fit ( continuous line ) as well as experimental datasets of j. r. newton _
@xcite , u. hager _
@xcite , a. di leva _
@xcite , m. q. buckner _
. _ @xcite and present work .
narrow resonances are also included .
the @xmath13 value of our dataset is @xmath14 without any normalization of datasets .
the contribution of the direct capture to the total @xmath12 factor at zero energy in our fit is @xmath15 kevb , where the uncertainty is statistical only .
fig.[fig : rmat_fits0 ] shows the low energy total @xmath12 factor obtained from our r - matrix fit with the above experimental datasets . total @xmath12 factor obtained from our r - matrix fit ( continuous line )
is compared with experimental data of the @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f reaction .
the dashed line is the contribution of the direct capture to the total @xmath12 factor ( background poles included ) . ]
low energy total @xmath12 factor obtained from our r - matrix fit is compared with experimental data of the @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f reaction .
( a. : activation ; p. : primary transitions ; s. : secondary transitions ) ]
in the present work the total cross section of the @xmath0o(p,@xmath1)@xmath2f reaction was measured with the activation method in a wide energy range for the first time with a total uncertainty of about 10% .
since this method provides cross sections which are in several aspects independent from the ones obtained with in - beam @xmath1-spectroscopy and some systematic errors are not present , our results can be used to check the validity of previous data . in general , our data is in good qualitative agreement with the structure of the excitation function of previous works .
the possibility of the comparison of total cross sections is limited owing to the scarcity of total cross section data in the literature in the studied energy range . at energies above 900kev our results are on average a factor of 1.5 lower than that of c. rolfs @xcite .
similar deviation is found at lower energies where the partial cross sections of c. rolfs exceed substantially our total cross section .
too high values of c. rolfs were also pointed out earlier by a. kontos _
@xcite in the case of individual transitions .
this observation is confirmed by the present work .
a direct comparison of our cross section data with the literature was carried out also at a single proton energy of 500kev .
it is found that our value agrees well with that of u. hager _
_ @xcite and a. kontos _
@xcite , while the result of j.r .
@xcite is about 20% ( two standard deviations ) lower .
an r - matrix analysis with the azure2 code was performed to check the conformity of our measured total cross section dataset and to extrapolate the astrophysical @xmath12 factor to lower energies . in this analysis
all primary transitions observed from ref .
@xcite were simultaneously fitted with some total cross section datasets , included the present one .
the resulting total @xmath12 factor is in good agreement with previous measurements and calculations within the experimental uncertainties .
we thank a. formicola and the luna collaboration for giving us access to the ta@xmath6o@xmath7 target preparation device at lngs , italy .
we also thank r. j. deboer for all of his helpful advices regarding the use of the r - matrix code , azure2 .
this work was supported by the srop-4.2.2.b-15/1/konv-2015 - 0001 project , by the european union , co - financed by the european social fund and by otka grants no .
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see supplemental material at _ url will be inserted by publisher _ for the r - matrix parameters and datasets used . | arxiv |
Candy Candy 1. Chapter 1
**UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA **
**ES UN ALBERT FIC**
**BIEN CHICAS ESTE FIC ESTA BASADO EN LAS PELICULAS DE DETECTIVES,, CRIMINALES .. ETC**
**CONTIENE LENGUAJE UN POCO ALTO EN SU CONTENIDO POR EL GENERO DE LA MISMA**
**LOS PERSONAJES PERTENCEN A **Kyōko Mizuki Y Yumiko Igarashi.
ES UN FIC DIFERENTE CON CASI TODOS LOS PERSONAJES DE CANDY CANDY
ESPERO QUE LO DISFRUEN
CAPITULO 1
Todo empieza con una persecucion en una avenida muy trancitada...
Maldición! Se nos escapan... Granchester acelera! les voy a disparar a los neumaticos!
Estás loco Andley ¡!? – Albert se sienta en la puerta del auto-
La camioneta que perseguian doblo por una curva muy cerrada-demonios!tengo de atraparlos...
A eso los ocupantes de la camioneta comienzan a disparar...
Maldición Granchester ! Es que no puedes acelerar mas esto!
Andley estamos sobre pasando los 80 km phr esto no es una pista de carreras... hay autos de por medio...
Y seguian la persecucion hasta que.. Albert volvio a intentar explotar los neumáticos de la camioneta...Y hizo que la camioneta saliera fuera de la calle hasta parar a un terreno baldío...
Granchester: vamos que se escapan... ¡! Los sospechos emprendieron la huida...
Albert le hizo algunos disparos los cuales uno intercepto a uno de los sospechosos en una pierna el otro logro escapar...
lo tengo Andley! no me maten auch! –se retorcia del dolor.
Albert pero mira quien tenemos aquí- le dijo tomandolo por el cuello de la camisa- Benny volviste a tus andadas no? O no me digas que eres parte de la banda de Neal Leegan dimelo!
Benny: Andley yo no se de que me hablas- le dijo con temor-
-claro que sabes bien…. tu debes de saber sobre el cargamento de drogas que llego a puerto en esta semana..
Benny: no te lo juro- a eso albert lo deja caer bruscamente y lo esposa-
No te preocupes que en la delegacion podras hablar claramente camina
Pero estoy herido! No me van ha llevar a un hospital..
creo debemos de llevarlo a que lo revisen.. dijo Terry
Albert: si que tienes suerte pero esta vez no te iras asi como por asi entra- procedieron a ir a un hospital sercano la bala solo rozo su pierna asi que se lo llevaron esa misma noche-
Albert se dirigió a su departamento.. El viva solo desde que ocurrio aquella desgracia... sus padres habían muerto desde pequeño tenía una hermana la cual cuido de el mientras que una tía les sirvió como tutora.
Su vida no ha sido la misma desde quel dia de accion de gracias cuando recibió una llamada que su hermana junto a su esposo e hijo murieron en un accidente automovilístico.
Según las investigaciones el accidente fue provocado pero quien pudo hacer semejante cosa?….
El decidió entrar a la policía y ser detective profesional y por sus propias manos buscar el causante de la muerte de su hermana y su familia…
El se había convertido en un hombre total mente solitario usaba barba, anteojos oscuros, quería ocultar su tristeza hacia la vida que había vivido….
-Bueno creo que hare un poco de ejercicio y luego dormire – el ejercicio es la forma con el olvida un poco sus penas.. Ha logrado tener un cuerpo escultural debido al tanto ejercicio con las pesas -
Ya en la mañana se viste para irse usa lentes oscuros, jeans ajustados, botas, gabardina y su pelo largo que hace juego con todo lo demas... y en la comisaria estaban interrogando a benny:
-a ver benny sere amable contigo dime de una vez por todas cuales son los planes de la banda de Neal Leean ..
- no lo se ¡!
-lo sabes! Benny no agotes mi paciencia mira que sabes que tengo pocas!
Terry que tal si le hacemos una prueba de resistencia numero 1... (Terry es su compañero desde que comenzaron a estudiar en la policía juntos hacen un equipo extraordinario)
Benny: que es eso?
Albert: no quisieras saber quieres saber? Sonrió de medio lado
no no no ¡! Benny estaba asustado..
Albert: cogemos unas tijeras y le alamos la lengua a los que no quieren cooperar... demonios habla de una vez por todas !
Benny: es que me van a matar si digo algo..
Terry: pues ya estás muerto amigo...
Mira seré bueno contigo y sabes a lo que me refiero y no te preocupes aquí estarás bien vigilado... le dijo Albert
Benny: no no no ¡! Ellos pagaran una fianza y me mataran..
Benny estas agotando mis reservas habla de una vez... Albert ya exasperado dando un fuerte golpe en la mesa
Está bien mañana en el parque central piensan entregar parte del dinero por el cargamento que llegara en tres dias por el puerto norte...Albert le da unas cuantas palmaditas en la cara ..- ves que eres un buen chico Benny..
Andley prométeme que me cuidaras de ellos!..-claro que si llévenselo..
Terry que pretendes hacer ahora...
- por ahora hay que esperar a mañana y capturar a los del dinero...
okey
Ya en la mañana siguiente tanto Albert, Terry y otros policías estaban al hasecho de los dos sospechosos.. Estaban ubicados en lugares estratégicos
Terry: dime Andley que has visto- le dice por un intercomunicador colocado en su oreja.. y mirando por los binoculares detrás de un árbol
Aun nada ... espera un momento- se percata de dos personas que se saludan y una le entrega un maltin al otro- creo saber son ellos los viste?-
Terry si son ellos-
Albert empezó a caminar pero no pudo moverse más como un rayo una joven que iba una bicicleta ...
Candy: por favor quístese del medio no llevo frenos!- y trato de esquivarla a esta cayó al suelo junto con el Albert hizo un movimiento brusco lo que hizo que los sopechosos se dieran cuenta y comenzaron a disparar...
Albert protegio a candy de las balas con su cuerpo...
Candy: dios mio que pasa!
Terry: maldición se escapan!- y trato de seguirlos- en medio de la confuncion y gritos de los transceuntes al estar en medio de una balacera...
Cuando ya no se escuchaban más balas...
Albert: estas bien?... Albert se quedó mirando por unos cuantos segundos aquellos ojos color esmerlada llenos de temor y nerviosismo..
Candy: si –
Bien pequeña vamos a que te revisen.. y procedió a llevar a candy a una ambulancia... habian muchos policias ..
Terry no los logre atrapar..
Albert: bueno creo que tendremos que utilizar el plan B iremos al puerto.
- y que fue lo que paso vi que una joven casi te atropella..
Albert: si esta en la ambulancia... – lo dijo sin mucho afan-
Bueno vamos a la jefatura..
Candy la curaba un paramedico...
Candy: gracias solo fue un rasguño- y sale en busca de la persona quien la salvo.. por favor me puede decir dónde está el declive que tiene pelo largo y usa gafas oscuras? ...
Policia : señorita no se de quien me hablas..
Candy: okey – y se fue un poco desilucionada- solo queria darle las gracias.. Creo que las chicas no me van a creer esto..
Candy había llegado desde Lakewood a chicago a estudiar enfermeria.. Era huérfana nunca conoció a sus padres fue criada por una señora que la encontro cuando solo tenia dos meses de nacida.. Ya se había graduado de enfermera y estaba haciendo su residencia en el hospital central vivía en una pensión de estudiantes y de vez en cuando trabaja en las mañanas en un cafetín del señor Mathews que para ella es como un padre es amigo de la señora que la crio y este ha a ayudo mucho en sus estudios...
Albert llega a su departamento..
- que día este..- y se deja caer en el sofa sercano- y por alguna razon le volvio a la mente a quellos ojos verdes y se sacudió la cabeza- no! Mejor me dare una buena ducha...
CAPITULO 2
Candy llega a su habitación de estudiantes...
Y procede a llamar a sus amigas...
Flamy, Dorothy y karen
Chicas no me van a creer lo que paso...
Dorothy Candy! Pero me dijiste que ibas a estar en cafetín te buscamos y no te encontramos? El señor Mathews nos dijo que no habías ido por ahy
-si pero quiero que sepas lo que paso!
Karen: a ver cuenta... dinos que paso!
Flamy: que es lo que pasa? – llega restregándose los ojos-
es que a Candy te paso algo?..
Candy: para llegar rápido al cafetín corte camino por el parque y al bajar una pendiente los frenos fallaron y azazzzz! Casi atropello al hombre de mis sueños-lo dijo anonadada-
Que! dijeron Dorothy y karen
Flamy: candy eso es cierto!
Pero aun no término es detective porque al parecer estaban en medio de una persecución o algo así porque en fracción de segundo se escucharon muchos disparos...
karen: por dios candy! no te paso nada verdad?
no el me cubrió con su cuerpo huyyyyy pero que cuerpo tiene es así de grande-le dijo poniéndose de pies y mostrando la altura con su cuerpo y brazos-
Flamy: candy estuviste a punto de morir y aun te alegras!
Dorothy: calmate Flamy espera que termine...
luego que no se escucharon disparos el me pregunto que si estaba bien dios tiene una voz más varonil...
karen: candy por favor!
ya ya ¡! Y se me quedo mirando por unos cuantos segundos y me llevo a una ambulancia..
Dorothy pero sabes cómo se llama ¿?
-no se no pude conseguir su nombre-dijo triste.
Flamy: Candy te arriesgaste mucho..
no la regañes Flamy – le dice Karen..
Dorothy: pero no sabes su nombre que mal...
Pero es así como un príncipe de cuentos de hadas..
Flamy: bueno será mejor que descansemos ya es un poco tarde y tenemos que ir temprano mañana al servicio del hospital..
Karen: si es cierto...Y se despidieron de candy...
Necesito saber cuál es su nombre... decía Candy mientras cerraba los ojos...
En la tarde Candy y las chicas salieron del hospital y se junta con Yennifer unas de las doctoras de planta y se dirigieron hacia el cafetín
Yennifer: a ver que van hacer esta noche?
Candy: bueno creemos que no tenemos nada que hacer, se miraron las tres al mismo tiempo
bueno que tal si vamos a una disco esta noche un famoso DJ estará hay será buenísimo un poco de música electrónica..
Candy; una disco?
Yennifer: si tengo un amigo que trabaja en el área de administración y me obsequiara entradas gratis! Dice que el ambiente es cool..
Candy: bueno Jenny lo siento tal vez otro día...
Pero Candy no piensas ir –le dijo karen-
Es que no tengo muchos ánimos
Yennifer: okey pues vamos nosotras ¡!..
Así llego la noche...
Yennifer era una morena alta, esbelta de pelo ondulado ojos color miel,, y cuerpo escultural.. Cualquier hombre se derrite solo con solo verla
Y en la disco...
Un auto negro con vidrios oscuros se estaciona junto a dos mas... el auto del medio salen dos personas seguida por una que sale con una gabardina negra hasta las rodillas un sobrero, cabizbajo... los demás que salieron del auto proceden a escoltarlo junto con un maletín ...
Y lo hacen llegar hasta lo más alto de el edificio de la disco donde una oficina adentro de esta estaba un hombre sentado al final de la mesa con dos hombres de tras de el...
Steven: Que tal señor Patterson el jefe ha venido personalmente a hablar con usted.. decía uno de ellos mientras el jefe se sentaba
-nervioso- hola – saludo
Jefe: Paterson, que tal viejo amigo sabes que no suelo salir así a menos que sea un asunto muy delicado- se sentía una tremenda tensión en el lugar.
Patterson: he? Sip.. le dijo sudando-
Jefe: hubo digamos que sucedió un percance a dos días con la entrega del dinero del próximo cargamento... –hiso una pausa. Donde esta ese dinero?
-bueno jefe yo!.-
Jefe: mira Patterson sabes que soy un hombre muy ocupado que atiendo mis negocios y no puedo estar de aquí para allá revisando todas las pendejadas que ustedes comenten!
No fue mi culpa fue que nos dimos cuenta que nos asechaban la policía! -
Y por que? demonios! Tiene que hacer las cosas en publico! Acaso no es este un lugar de mi propiedad donde pueden hacer las cosas sin que nadie se den cuenta maldición! –dijo dando un golpe en la mesa-
jefe! Por favor no se altere pudimos escapar- a eso se levanta y va hacia donde el..- le dijo nerviosamente Patterson
Sabes Patterson ya me canse de todo esto de todos los errores que comenten – se le acerca muy peligrosamente- sabes el que me falla no vive para contarlo – procedió a dispare en la cabeza.
- salgamos de aquí llévese el cuerpo y tírelo por un arroyo más cercano..
Si jefe! Y procedieron a salir del lugar cuando van saliendo el jefe se queda mirando desde un cristal a una joven bailando..
Jeff!
Jeff: si jefe?
- Ves a esa mujer- le dice señalándola-
Jeff: si
- trámela ahora mismo a mi auto creo que esta noche ha sido demasiado estresante para mi necesito distracción..
Jeff: okey..
Y sale en busca de la chica la cual era Jennifer...
Jeff: discúlpeme Srta. necesito que venga conmigo-le dijo tomándola por el brazo y arrestándola.. las otras chicas se miraron perplejas que pasaba?
Jennifer: que le pasa!
Jeff: no hable solo sígame...
Yennifer: que quiere... y la saco fuera del edificio hacia el auto donde la empujo a dentro -.
Jennifer: que pasa ¡! Y adentro se encuentra con el jefe y esta se asusta..
- no te asustes primor.. le dice sentándosele al lado- no te hare daño solo quiero pasar un rato contigo te pagare bien –diciendo esto sacando una pajilla con mucho dinero-
Jennifer: bueno yo?
Jefe: vamos preciosa no te hare daño-
Pero se llevaron a Jennifer hay que hacer algo – dijo flamy
Jennifer se fue con el y disfrutaron de un encuentro muy excitante...
Jennifer: wao! Si que eres muy buen amante...
Jefe: eres muy linda a que te dedicas...?
Jennifer: bueno soy doctora de planta en el hospital central de la cuidad..
-una lindura como tu como doctora no puede ser te ves mejor en la cama... –le dijo muy sensual.
Jennifer: y tu a que te dedicas? Por qué veo que tienes mucho dinero ya que estamos en uno de los hoteles más caros de la cuidad..
Digamos que soy un hombre que ha sabido manejar bien sus negocios – le decía mientras la besaba y la acariciaba..
Jennifer: y te veré otra vez?
- uhy! Si que eres irresistible quieres que nos veamos otra vez...?
-Claro si ..
Está bien uno de mis choferes te llevara a tu casa luego te mandare a buscar cuando te necesite..
Jennifer: okey..
Al otro día...
Albert y Terry están en inspeccionado un área donde hace dos días pareció un hombre muerto..
Andley crees que esto tiene que ver con la banda..
No lo se hay que ver los peritos que dicen con la evidencia encontrada..
Terry; según el reporte tenía antecedentes de drogas y estuvo en prisión...
-bueno tal vez se trate de un ajuste de cuentas...
- es lo más probable..
Albert: voy a tomar un café me acompañas?
Terry; no me quedare un rato luego te alcanzo..
Albert: okey..
Y Albert llego un cafetín como de costumbre usaba su gabardina, larga, jean ajustado, camisa de algodón, botas de vaquero y lentes oscuros... se sentó en una de las mesas dispuestas cuando de repente sale Candy vestida con un vestido corto rizado en la falda el cual dejaba ver sus bien formadas piernas peinada a una sola cola alta dejando caer unos cuantos risos ...
Candy: buenos días! Aquí está el menú! –se asombro a verlo – Albert subió la mirada y se topo con los mismos ojos verdes que había conocido hace días..
Candy: hola! Es usted el policía que me salvo la otra vez..
Hola si creo que si ..le contesto
Le intente buscar para darle las gracias pero no pude encontrarlo.. y pedirle disculpas por haberlo golpeado con mi bici
-No te preocupes todo está bien y como estoy en una investigación no pude quedarme más tiempo en el parque..
Gracias mi nombre es Candy White- le dijo extendiéndole la mano-
Mi nombre es Albert Andley pero me puedes decir Albert- le dijo estrechándole la mano a lo que automáticamente sintieron los dos una corriente eléctrica—
Mucho gusto Albert y que deseas comer –dios que me pasa – se dijo – me tiemblan las rodillas y se sonrojo..
Albert: te pasa algo pequeña?
No no es nada bueno a versa aquí está el menú puedes elegir lo que deseas...
Albert al ver a Candy sonrojarse decidió ablandar un poco la situación-
Albert: y tu que me recomiendas para al desayuno...
Candy: bueno tenemos lo tradicional y el desayuno especial.
Bueno pues tráeme el especial..
Candy: bien ahora mismo te lo traigo- diciendo esto guiñando un ojo y sacando la lengua- cosa que Albert esbozó una sonrisa, hacía mucho que no sonreía..
2. Chapter 2
UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA
CAPITULO 3
Albert estaba a punto de terminar su desayuno cuando recibe una llamada de Terry
Andley encontramos otro cuerpo este tiene un disparo en la cabeza cerca de la disco "El Jardín"
Esa disco hay que revisarla... hace unos cuantos meses te acuerdas la balacera que hubo?
- si creo que nos habían informado de ese lugar.
-dónde estás?
Estoy en el cafetín cerca del parque central-
-okey voy para allá-
Terry llego lo más rápido como pudo..
Nunca había entrado a este lugar…..
Ni yo tampoco solo entre así por así tenía hambre..
En ese mismo instante Candy regresa a traerle un poste cuando se encuentra que no esta solo
Candy: disculpe Albert (sonrojada) aquí le traigo el postre. A eso Terry se muestra extraño y un tanto burlón.
Albert! Lo llamaste Albert.?
Candy sorprendida: si ¡!
Albert tomo un sorbo de una taza de café molesto .
Sabes preciosa? en el tiempo que soy compañero de el ya de eso hace varios años nunca le he llamado por su nombre es mas ni me ha dejado pronunciarlo…..
Candy: bueno yo…
Albert: Candy cuanto te debo? … lo dijo muy secamente.
Voy a buscarte la cuenta… a eso se alejo muy pensativa…
Terry dándole una palmada en el hombro a Albert hey! No tienes malos gustos? Eee y entras en confianza no que no ¿? Ya el hombre solitario esta comenzando a buscar ¿?
Granchester! No estoy para juegos! Ella solo es la camera nada más! Deja de hacerte el payaso! (Diciéndolo muy seria mente)
Granchester ya! Ya!…lo se (en sus pensamientos –Albert debería de darse una oportunidad-) Candy regresa…
Candy: aquí tienes ¡!
Albert ve la cantidad no emitió ninguna palabra alguna pago y se retiraron del lugar..
Candy muy triste con ganas de llorar se retira hacia la caja ¿Por qué me siento triste? no se despidió…. De mi…
Ya en la noche Candy llega…..cansada pero la tristeza pesa mas que el cansancio del día…. Se deja caer en la cama…
: Candy! Candy! Dime que te pasa…?
Suspiro ¡! Hay Karen si supieras lo que paso hoy….
A eso llega:
Dorothy: candy que paso! Te vi llegar sin ánimos!
Dorothy espera que Candy nos contara!
Candy: chicas verán…(y le cuenta toda ala historia ya que como se trata de su amado la relata al como paso)
William Albert Andley…. Llega a su apartamento se deja caer en un sofá…. Solo enciende la luz de la lámpara al lado de este …. solo la lámpara deja ver una luz en la oscuridad
Albert…que día! No quisiera ni levantarme de este sofá…. Cierra los ojos y en sus pensamientos ve aquellos ojos verdes que los miraba con alegría y entusiasmo…. …..
Por qué no dejo de pensar en ella….. Ella se ve tan tierna, y frágil…. ¡!Dios pero que me pasa!- se sacudió la cabeza se levanto y se dirigió a su habitación…
Al otro día en la jefatura…
Vamos Benny ya puedes salir!
Andley no voy a salir de aquí me van a matar….
Sal de ahí! Imbécil! -Lo saca bruscamente de la cárcel…..
No, no, ellos me buscaran!
A ver que más sabes de Leegan…. –lo toma por brazos y lo levanta en el aire… habla de una vez!
Heyy me pierdo de algo? Pregunto Terry.
Este no se quiere ir de aquí ni tampoco quiere colaborar…..
Pero que tal si nos lo llevamos al operativo del puerto… nos servirá como carnada no crees….
Siiiii esta bien esta bien…. Suéltame Andley eres muy brusco- y lo soltó fuertemente al suelo…
Auch! No podre sentarme en días…
Imbécil! Le dijo Albert alejándose….
Ya estaban en sus respectivos cubículos…..
Y dime que pudiste saber del hombre muerto de ayer cerca la Disco…
Bueno Andley según los datos su nombre es Julian Patterson trabajaba en esa discoteca era el encargado de compras –le dijo buscando en la computadora-
Y hay mas según los datos la disco está a nombre de Oscar Thomas según fuentes oficiales tiene vínculos con la banda que trafica con armas en la frontera y tiene conexiones con Neal Leegan…
Bien vamos a ir esa disco….
Okey….en ese mismo instante una oficial llama a Albert..
Andley el comisionado quiere verte….
Que quiere ahora? Se levanta enfadado….
Ya en la oficina….
Me mando a llamar señor….
Andley…. Veo que sigues afanado en el caso Leegan verdad?
Bueno si usted sabes los pormenores…
Y también te dije que ese no es tu caso, que lo reenviamos a Detective Smith verdad?
Bueno si pero comprenda mi situación….
Tu situación Andley es la siguiente….. Deja de meterte en los casos que no son tuyos y punto! Le dijo azotando el escritorio con un periódico... si no quieres que revoque tu placa y te mande al ejército….
Esta bien! Pero una cosa comisionado usted sabe muy bien cual es mi posición al respecto de Neal Leegan ni usted ni nadie me podrá impedir que sigua buscándolo… le dijo alzando la voz..
Que? Estas diciendo Andley! Quieres sobre pasar mis mandatos! Escúchame bien….. vuelves a meterte en la investigación de Smith y te costara tu suspensión…. Le dijo ya enfrascados en un pleito verbal…
Albert sale de la oficina azotando la puerta… Maldición!
El comisionado se sienta y realiza una llamada…
Andley está fuera del caso sigue tú con lo que acordamos…
Okey no hay problema .. Se escuchó la voz del otro lado..
Que paso? Que vienes echando humo…
El comisionado quiere que deje el caso Leegan que Smith está a cargo de eso, no se Granchester aquí hay algo raro …..
Por qué lo dices?
No sé por qué él le dio el caso a Smith que es un idiota….
Bueno que vamos a hacer entonces iremos al puerto?
Claro! Busca al imbécil de Benny..
Okey….
Ya estando en el puerto están….
Bien Benny escúchame bien haces algo en contra y te juro que te dejo sin hijos que fabricar –Terry le apunta hay mismo entre las piernas-
Okey, okey!
Vamos Albert lo empuja….
Ya ya!
Terry y Albert están en una posición lejos mirando por los binoculares….
Andley crees que no nos delatara?….
Ese Benny es capaz de cualquier cosa con salvar su pellejo..
Una limosina negra está parqueándose cerca de la orilla del puerto…
De él bajan tres hombres armados….. y se suben a un yate lujoso…..
Ya a dentro..
Jefe nos informaron que el cargamento llega en tres horas….
Okey y el estúpido de Benny que han sabido de el –les decía mientras encendía un cigarro-
Aun no lo hemos visto señor pero si sabemos que salió con Andley y Granchester para acá…
Bien… esperemos pues….. Andley crees que podrás atraparme tan fácil? Las cosas no son como tú piensas o crees jajaja- pensaba.
Mientras tanto ellos aguardaban y miraban los movimientos de Benny..
Cuando de repente una ráfaga de disparos comienzan…
Maldición! Nos delato …..
Andley son muchos no podemos con ellos …..
Vamos salgamos de aquí! Mientras ellos disparaban…
y a Terry un disparo le rozo una pierna…
Auch! Me dispararon Andley vámonos! Y subieron al auto lo mas rápido posible….
Demonios! Es muy profunda?….
No lo creo pero me duele….
Okey vamos al hospital central es el más cerca….
Ya entrando al hospital….. lo lleva directamente a emergencias….
El se queda en información dando los datos de su compañero cuando de repente una linda joven vestida de blanco empujaba rápidamente un carrito con medicinas….. por el mismo pasillo donde Albert estaba parado y Albert lo detuvo…..
Lo siento! No quise ….. y se percató de quien era….
Hola! No sabía que eras tú.. Discúlpame le dijo apenada…
Bueno si he de multarte por cada vez que intentas atropellarme vas a tener que pagar mucho dinero –le dijo sonriendo de medio lado-
Que haces aquí? Acaso tu eres enfermera también?
Bueno en verdad soy enfermera residente … al cafetín voy de vez en cuando ya que el Sr. Mathew es para mí un padre.. Me ayudo cuando estaba estudiando…le decía mientras caminaba junto a el … y que pasa? Que estas aquí?
Bueno veras mi compañero esta en emergencias le dispararon….
Y a ti no te paso nada? No tienes nada?
Le decía mientras trataba de examinarlo…
Tranquilízate! no me paso nada quiero saber cómo está el…
Okey voy a ver …Candy se aleja y el la sigue con la mirada…
Continuara...
3. Chapter 3
UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA
CAPITULO 4
Candy entra a la salas de emergencia y se encuentra con la doctora Annie Britter.
como sigue el detective herido..
Está bien al Sr Granchester la bala solo le rozó la piel no hay que preocuparse.
Okey le diré a su compañero..
Candy sale en busca de Albert...y este estaba hablando por el celular..
La Dr. Britter dice que está bien que la bala solo rozó la piel.
Bien pues vamos a verlo...
Y Candy lo acompaño...
Terry al ver a Albert entrando con Candy...se asombró...
Caramba! Cuantas facetas tienes? Eres camarera y enfermera...
Bueno soy en realidad enfermera residente, al cafetín voy de vez en cuando..
Ya basta Granchester! Deja los interrogatorios...le dijo Albert molesto.
Ya va ya va! Simplemente le estoy preguntando...
Mucho gusto mi nombre es Terry Granchester el fiel compañero de William.. Diciendo con una sonrisa sarcástica.
William! Dijo Candy sorprendida...
Granchester deja de hacerte el payaso!
Pero no entiendo nada? Tu nombre no es Albert..
Mi nombre completo es William Albert Andley.. Le dijo un poco molesto...mirando a Terry
A eso suena el celular de Terry..
Susy cariño estoy bien no me paso nada... caramelo está completo. Lo dice con picardía mirando a Candy y a Albert...
Payaso de cuarta! Susurro mientras salían de la sala.
Veo que tú y Terry se llevan muy bien...
Sí él es un buen compañero.. Está casado y su esposa espera su primer hijo...
Sí es bueno contar con amigos que te pueden ayudar...
Albert solo guardo silencio ante el comentario de ella...
Enfermera White le solicitan en tomografía! Se escuchó por las bocinas.
Lo siento Albert tengo que irme...
Okey no hay problema...le dijo secamente... estas en tus labores..
Ella sacando desde abajo y olvidándose de la timidez le pregunto.. Con ojos brillosos los cuales Albert no pudo dejar de ver
Te volveré a ver?
No lo sé pequeña...
Está bien. Le dijo con un dejo de tristeza..
Bueno fue un placer verte de nuevo. Le brindó una gran sonrisa...
Sí lo siento Candy...le dijo esquivando la mirada... no soy la clase de persona que piensas mi profesión no es muy agradable y es peligrosa...
Pero por eso no creo que nos impida ser amigos le dijo Candy
Candy...discúlpame pero no quiero hacerte ilusiones... discúlpame. le dijo ..
Está bien y la volvieron a llamar por las bocinas.. lo siento tengo que marcharme... cuídate...
Okey pequeña bye... le dijo moviendo la mano... con un dejo de tristeza...
Vaya vaya! Con que esas tenemos la señorita pecas ya Atrapó a mi compañero el gruñón solitario... le dijo en tono burlón..
Granchester! Por qué no dejas tus chistecitos para otro día? No estoy para bromas y tú lo sabes bien...
Está bien! Está bien tu ganas...Susana ya viene en camino..
Andley crees que el comisionado se enterara de lo sucedido el día de hoy?
Bueno... por un lado no nos puede decir nada ya que seguíamos a Benny y el forma parte de otra banda aunque tenga conexión con Leegan...
Okey... Susana llega a recoger a Terry y se marchan a su hogar ...
Y en otra parte de la cuidad...
En una nave industrial abandonada un grupo de hombres están reunidos esperando la llegada del jefe...
Este llega junto a dos hombres..
Bien... saben porque estamos aquí? Estamos aquí porque estoy cansado de que mis operaciones fracasen..
Pero jefe.. no es culpa de nosotros es la policía...
La policía jaaaaa jaaaaa eso me tiene sin cuidado...
Estoy cansado ya! Dijo dando un fuerte golpe en la mesa todos se asustaron... De ahora en adelante las cosas se harán al pie de la letra y el que falle ya sabe las consecuencias...
Okey jefe...
A otra cosa también cobren al que me debe y si no paga ya saben que hacer...
Siii jefe...
Y este se levantó y fue guiado por los dos hombres hasta una limosna...
Neal Leegan... se convirtió en uno de los más grandes mafiosos del país... sus conexiones van más de las fronteras...ha burlado a la justicia muchísimas veces ya por falta de pruebas en su contra...
El abandono su familia por una humillación amorosa la cual le hizo entrar en una depresión fatal...
En ese tiempo de incertidumbre conoció un hombre el cual le enseñó todo lo concerniente al bajo mundo y le hizo ser un hombre cruel y despiadado...
Candy está en el hospital con el Dr Stear O´ Brien revisando unas tomografías
Bueno Srta. White hemos terminado por el día de hoy...
Sí hubo mucho trabajo...
En ese instante llega la Dra. Patricia O´Brien esposa de Stear ella es médico pediatra...
Bueno cariño nos vamos... Claro que siii...
A dios Srta. White...
Candy los despide con una gran tristeza...los ve caminar abrazados y siente una gran nostalgia...
Hay! Candy no hay nadie que haya nacido para ti... y una lágrima solitaria se deslizó por su mejilla...
Mientras tanto Albert se despide de Terry...
Va conduciendo su auto y pensando en los acontecimientos pasados..
Llego a un edificio viejo de apartamentos guardo el auto y se dispuso a subir ya dentro de su apartamento se dirige hacia la mesita de noche donde toma en sus manos un porta retrato donde una mujer de ojos verdes y un pequeño de ojos azules sonríen...
Rosemary, Anthony... Susurro...
4. Chapter 4
UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA
CAPITULO 5
Ya era domingo...
Candy se disponía a ir al cafetín cuando Jennifer la intercepta...
Candy vas a algún lugar?
Jennifer iba muy elegantemente vestida...
Uhy! Para donde es la fiesta?
Jeje bueno no es directamente a una fiesta me invitaron a pasar un rato agradable y me van a recoger en el parque...le dijo guiñándole un ojo... y quería digo si podrías acompañarme?...
Bueno podría pero solo un rato le prometí al Sr Mathew ir al cafetín hoy...
Gracias Candy vamos...
Ya en el parque una limosina se acerca hacia ellas... Y proceden a subirse...
Wow! Tu amigo es millonario...
Bueno digamos que si... le dijo..
Al llegar a, la mansión la escoltan hacia una estancia...
Con su permiso señoritas el señor no tarda en volver..
Okey...
Disculpa me podría decir dónde está el baño. Le pregunto Candy...
Sígame la conduciré...
Candy se aleja...
Jennifer empieza a curiosear el lugar cuando de repente escucha voces provenientes de una sala contigua llega y se esconde detrás de una de las columnas y ve como un nombre le da a Neal un paquete de drogas este procede a revisarlo...
Uno de los guardaespaldas llega y encuentra a Jennifer...
Señorita usted no puede estar aquí.
.Neal se percató de la situación...
Traerla aquí...!
Y se lleva a Jennifer de brazos...
Hacia donde esta neal...
Y la sienta bruscamente en un sillón Oye no seas tan brusco! Le dijo..
Vaya! Vaya que tenemos aquí.. Le decía rodeándola..
Bueno yo me canse de esperarte y simplemente comencé a curiosear un poco...
Sabes que la curiosidad mato al gato querida.. le dijo tomando su rostro fuerte mente con una mano...
Y creo que has visto mucho ya.
.Jennifer temblaba de miedo...
Candy había salido del baño y miro unas escaleras al lado de este y subió cuando subió siguió por un pasillo hasta llegar a un mezzanine que daba justo debajo del salón donde estaban Neal, Jennifer y otros hombres..
Con horror vio como uno de los hombres se posó detrás de ella y con un cojín y pistola en mano le disparó en la nuca matándola al instante...
Tuvo que morderse una mano para no gritar...cuando vio el cuerpo de Jennifer caer al suelo inerte..
Dios mío! No... tengo que salir de aquí... se decía... bajo rápidamente...
Y salió por uno de los jardines pero uno de los guardias la vio salir y dio la voz de alarma...
Imbéciles! No me dijeron que trajo una amiga...corran tras ella que esperan...
Candy corrió lo más que pudo hasta un callejón y se escondió detrás de un bote de la basura hasta ver pasar varios vehículos a gran velocidad ...
Que voy a hacer Jennifer?...
Lloraba...estaba al punto de un ataque de pánico...
Salió por el otro lado y se fijó de una estación de bus que confidencialmente uno salía en ese mismo instante..
Pare! Por favor! Y se subió...
Por suerte el bus estaba vacío solo el chofer se asombró al verla en esas condiciones... llorando...
En la jefatura. Albert trabaja afanosamente buscando pistas que podrían llevarle a Neal Leegan..
Y sigues empeñado en quitarme mi caso Andley.. le dijo una voz altanera detrás de el...
Smith.. No es tu asunto .. le dijo molesto
Claro que es mi asunto sabes que el comisionado me dio ese caso a mí y tú sigues tratando de quitármelo!..
Ya Albert cansado se levanta y lo agarra por la solapas de la camisa y lo aprisiona contra la pared...
Mira Smith tú y el comisionado no sé qué se traen en contra mía.. Este caso lo resuelvo yo entendiste ¡!..
A eso todo el mundo estaba mirando como Albert tenía a Smith contra la pared...
Vamos Andley! Sabes muy bien que si sigues te costara tu suspensión... y bájame que estás dando un teatro aquí..
Imbécil! Lo deja caer.
Así que yo llevo la de ganar... Se alejó de él..
Albert tenía los puños cerrados prestos a soltar su furia contra el rostro de Smith.
Candy llega al cafetín toda alterada.. y llorando el Sr Matthew ya estaba cerrando el lugar..
Candy! Que te pasa hija? Que tienes? Le pregunto al verla tan alterada y llorando..
Sr. Matthew mataron a Jennifer mi amiga del hospital... unos hombres...
Yo...yo. Candy casi ni podía hablar..
Candy tranquilízate.. ve lávate la cara hay que llamar a la policía..
Si... Jennifer mi amiga está muerta yo lo vi todo le decía mientras la abrazaba...
Vamos ve lávate la cara...
No puedes estar aquí te pueden andar buscando...
Candy entra a la cocina a dirigirse hacia el baño de empleados su piernas le fallaban...
En ese mismo instante unos hombres tocan la puerta del cafetín estaban vestidos de trajes negros con sombreros..
El Sr. Matthew se sorprende al verlos y los deja pasar...
Buenos días Matthew sabes por qué estamos aquí verdad?
Bueno si se que me atrasado en mis cuotas pero ya estoy juntando el dinero. Le dijo con temor..
Sabes Matthew tenemos ordenes de que si no cumplen con el trato tienen que pagar las consecuencias..
Por favor denme un poco más de tiempo.. le dijo con temor...
Y no midieron palabras le dispararon en la cabeza..
Vámonos de aquí!...
Y salieron...
Candy presenció todo desde un espejo retrovisor que daba desde el área de caja hasta la cocina...
Y entro en pánico...
El Sr Matthew no puede ser no puede ser!...
Se deslizó entre el medio de la estufa y el lavadero...estaba presa del miedo... No supo cuántas horas paso...
Cuando escuchó voces...
Andley le dispararon a la cabeza...
Así veo….
Pero este es el cafetín donde trabaja tu amiguita.. le dijo con una sonrisilla burlona...
Deja tus sarcasmos! Hay que ver la cámara de seguridad...
Pero según dijeron la última vez que lo vieron estaba cerrando el lugar...Dijo Terry
Vamos a ver... revisaron las cámaras de seguridad pero estas estaban desconectadas..
Demonios están desconectados.!..
Espera Andley hay una mira...
Y en esa se ve a Candy mirando por el cristal retrovisor..
No pude ser! Dijo Albert..
Y corrió hasta la cocina y la encontró en estado de shock...
Articulaba medias palabras...
Jenny!. Matthew!..
Candy! Dios mío! La tomó en sus brazos y la llevó hacia el hospital...
La escena donde matan a Jenifer hice un remake de una escena de la pelicula Bad Boy.
Un mezzanine es un piso intermedio que se coloca en habitaciones o recintos de suficiente altura, es decir como hacer un balcon en un interior que da hacia en centro del recinto, puede ser de cualquier material...
Esta poniendo interesante la hisoria espere los proximos capitulos
5. Chapter5
UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA
CAPITULO 6
En la ambulancia Candy estaba presa del pánico un paramédico la asistía mientras Albert le tomaba una mano y con la otra se acariciaba el rostro él estaba muy preocupado por su estado...
Ya en el hospital proceden a llevarla a la sala de emergencia...
Karen.. Dios mío que le pasa a Candy?
Ve a Albert cuando sale de la sala..
Disculpe usted fue el trajo a Candy que paso?
Tu eres compañera de ella? Soy el detective Andley...
Sii... lo soy desde que estudiábamos juntas vivimos en el mismo departamento...
Mira Candy está en una situación muy difícil entro en pánico.. Asesinaron al Sr. Matthew.. el dueño del cafetín..
Karen se llevó las manos a la boca de asombro. No puede ser! El Sr. Matthew pero porque?
Aún no sabemos..
Pero Candy corre peligro ya que ella presenció el crimen ..
Dios pobre Candy...
Entiendes lo que te digo?
Ella es un testigo y los que mataron al Sr Mathews se enteran de eso no van a durar mucho en buscarla...
Y si son grupos mafiosos peor aún..
Entonces quieres decir que ella corre un gran peligro?
Sí ...Y ella no se puede quedar aquí en el hospital... necesito saber cómo esta..
Karen vio la preocupación de Albert en su rostro...
Y desde cuándo conoces a Candy? Te noto muy preocupado por ella...
Bueno... hace días que la conocí por casualidad y luego la vi en cafetín y aquí en el hospital..
Okey voy a ir a ver cómo sigue..
Albert recibe una llamada de Terry
Andley que ha pasado aún estoy aquí en la escena ya llegaron los de patología.. Van a levantar el cadáver..
Ella está mal la tienen aun en la sala de emergencias...
Bien iré lo más rápido posible para allá..
Okey...
A eso Karen regresa...
Le administraron un sedante muy fuerte... esta más tranquila ahora pero no entiendo ella además del Sr. Matthew menciona a Jennifer...
Sí es cierto... quien es ella?
Es una Dra. Residente de aquí trabajaba en el tercer piso... no entiendo por qué la menciona...
No lo sé y dime está aquí esa Dra?.
No hoy es su día libre...
Bueno puedo ver a Candy?
Claro venga por aquí el Dr. Cornwellla está asistiendo..
Al entrar ella estaba dormitando ya el sedante le estaba comenzando a hacer efecto... Albert se le acercó.. y la llamo..
Candy! Ella al escuchar esa voz entre abrió los ojos y solo pudo susurrar su nombre...
Albert! Y cayó profundamente dormida..
Ella está muy agitada hay que dejarla descansar. Dijo dr.
Soy el detective Andley yo traje a Candy aquí...
Mucho gusto soy el Dr. Archibald **Cornwell** ... como verá Sr Andley la Srta. White necesita descansar está muy nerviosa...
Sí pero ella presenció un crimen y ahora ella es un testigo acular.. como verá ella corre peligro...
Lo sé...pero hay que tenerla en observación... llego muy alterada y hay que vigilar cuando despierte le suministramos un sedante muy fuerte dormirá por lo menos una horas...
Me recomienda usted no moverla de aquí?
Sería una buena idea así la podríamos monitoréala.
Sí pero aun así aquí corre peligro...
Aún son las 6 de la tarde vamos a esperar usted puede montar una guardia la voy a mandar a una habitación..
Está bien...
Terry llega y se encuentra con Albert saliendo de la sala...
Andley! Dime como esta?
El Dr dice que hay dejarla descansar le suministraron un sedante dormirá una horas más o menos la van a ubicar en una habitación...
Andley sabes que ella no puede quedarse aquí corre peligro aún no sabemos quiénes fueron...
Sí solo ella lo sabe..
Y ya la jefatura está al corriente hay que interrogarla... le dijo Terry
Pero hay otra cosa ella menciona a una Dra. de aquí una tal Jennifer... han tratado de comunicarse con ella pero no ha resultado...
Que me quieres decir Andley..?
No lo sé... hay algo extraño aquí...
Pasaron las horas y Candy estaba ya en una habitación Albert estaba al pendiente de ella...
Y en otro punto de la cuidad...
Maldición! Como que no la encontraron?
Esa mujer puede hacer que mis planes fracasen. ... hay que encontrarla de inmediato...
Jefe: aquí venga a ver el video de seguridad..
Y procede a mostrarles la imagen del rostro de candy...
Miren! Manada de Imbéciles! Quiero la cabeza de esa mujer y la quiero ahora mismo.
Sí es de que tienen que matar a media cuidad hágalo pero no la quiero viva! No la quiero viva! Dijo Neal hecho una furia..
Está bien jefe.. Otra cosa está tarde fuimos donde Mathews y hicimos los que nos recomendó señor...
Okey.. Pero se fijaron en no dejar ninguna huella...
Si señor el viejo Mathews no utilizaba cámaras de seguridad y en el momento él estaba ya cerrado...
Okey bien hecho pueden retirase.
Si... y los hombres se marcharon del lugar...
Neal realiza una llamada..
Necesito que vengas aquí inmediatamente... A surgido un problema...
Okey dentro de un rato estaré allá.. le contestó la voz...
Ya en el hospital varios oficiales están con Terry y Albert...
Andley, Granchester saben lo que se procede en estos casos verdad?
Sí dijo Terry.
Ella no puede permanecer aquí en el hospital entrara al programa de protección a testigos, y hay que interrogarle para dar con el paradero de los culpables..
Y en ese mismo instante por la radio les avisan sobre un cuerpo encontrado en la autopista...
Andley .. voy a ver le dijo terry..
Sí yo me quedo aquí...
Ya en la mansión de Neal leegan
Ves a esa mujer ella puede dañar mis planes tu puedes ayudarme a encontrarla...
Claro que si...
No la quiero viva me entiendes! No la quiero viva! Alzando la voz...
No te preocupes déjame eso a mi...
Cuento contigo...
Ah! una cosa a trata de que tus hombres no llamen tanto la atención... y no hagan tanto desorden... un muerto para acá y otro para allá...
Sabes que ellos tienen orden de que si no me resuelven tienen que pagar las consecuencias...
El hombre sale de la misión..
Ese rostro lo he visto en alguna parte?
Albert que está velando el sueño de Candy...
Candy! Que más fue lo que viste?
Él estaba cansado se quitó la gabardina y las gafas oscuras...
Se dirigió hasta la ventana a ver las luces de la cuidad...
Candy despertó lentamente... Abrió los ojos y se encontró que estaba en una de las habitaciones del hospital...
Entro en pánico... y vio a Albert de perfil mirando fijo por la ventana...se fijó un poco en su rostro cubierto por una abundante barba sus ojos parecían perderse con las luces... lucían tristes y cansados...
Albert eres tu? Le pregunto...
El volteó a mirarla... ella se encontró con unos ojos azul mirándola profundamente ...
Albert! Volvió a llamarlo...
El no dudo y en seguida se colocó a su lado y la abrazó.
Ella por su lado hundió su rostro en el amplio y fuerte pecho de el y comenzó a llorar...
Albert! Porque?. El Sr Matthew.. que hizo para que lo asesinaran de esa formaaaa porque? Albert no hablaba solo se concentraba en abrazarla...
Jennifer! Ella se separó bruscamente de el...
Ese hombre la mato...!
Que dices Candy!
Yo, yo me fui con ella hacia una mansión... Candy comenzaba a tener otro ataque de pánico...
El la mato, la mato!
Candy por favor! Le dijo tomando su rostro con sus manos...
Sé que no es fácil lo que presenciaste ! Pero necesito que te serenes! Y más ahora con lo que me dices..
Albert tengo miedo! Mucho miedo! Lo sé pequeña.. y la vuelve a abrazar..
Eran tres hombres uno de ellos era pelirrojo...
Albert al escuchar esto miro a candy...
Que? Pelirrojo? Dime Candy que más pudiste ver de el...
Yo, yo no lo seee no lo see y volvió a llorar presa del pánico...
Dios mío! Ella corre un gran peligro es Neal...
A eso suena su celular..
Andley el cuerpo pertenece a una mujer llamada Jennifer Parker es la doctora que Candy habla...
Granchester hay un problema no puedo dejar a Candy aquí... al parecer es Neal Leegan...
Cómo?
recién despertó...
Andley esto se está tornando peligroso...
Me llevare a Candy...
Que? Que pretendes hacer?
La voy a sacar de aquí...
Y procedió a cerrar el teléfono..
Candy. La llamo dulcemente...Poniéndose sus lentes oscuros
Ella alzó la mirada ..
Tengo que sacarte de aquí...
Ella sólo asentó con la cabeza...
Sabes por donde podemos salir sin que nos vean...
Sí...
Y procedieron a salir Candy le temblaban las piernas.. le coloco su gabardina y la levantó en sus brazos. Ella se aferró hacia el...
Ya en el auto...
Candy te llevare a mi apartamento porque al lugar donde te podrían buscar primero es en hospital...
Sii.. Ella iba aferrada a él..
Albert conducía con una mano, Mientras con la otra la abrazaba y trataba de calmarla...
Candy necesito que seas fuerte... Le dijo con ternura..
Ya en el edificio en la conduce sigilosamente...
Hasta su departamento ya era casi media noche...
El lugar estaba en penumbras Albert procede a encender una lámpara en la sala y luego cuelga su gabardina de un pelchero...
Tienes hambre?
Si un poco...
Te prepararé algo.
Que te pasa la vio algo extraña..
Es que? Sí voy a pasar la noche aquí no tengo que ponerme. Le dijo algo apenada...
No te preocupes algo conseguiré. O quieres darte un baño...
Bueno siii...
Espera un momento... Dudo en dejarla sola...
Ven mejor a compaña me. Y salieron del departamento hacia el pasillo y tocaron en la primera puerta que encontraron...
De ahí abrió una anciana...
Niño que se te ofrece! Le dijo asombrada! Mirándolo a él y a Candy
Lo siento señora Gees sé que es muy tarde pero necesito de su ayuda.. Claro hijo ven pasa...
Ya a dentro.
Candy se queda mirando el lugar y la dueña de este... la Sra Gees es una tierna viejecita de algunos 80 años..
He sabido que hay muchos asesinatos en estos días. Le decía mientras los acomodaba..
Sí ha habido mucho ajetreo
En que te puedo ayudar?
Bueno pues tengo un problema ella es Candy y se va a quedar aquí conmigo por su seguridad...
y necesita algo de ropa...
Claro mi hijo...
Ven conmigo mi hija...
Anda candy ve con ella...
Y la llevó a una de las habitaciones y se sorprendió al ver que tenía mercancías..
Yo vendo cosas en el mercado provisional que ponen los domingos... de este lado de la cuidad
Y usted vive sola aquí...?
No pequeña vivo con mi nieto Robert él es enfermero en el hospital Saint Joseph hoy le tocó guardia nocturna..
Yo, soy enfermera. También trabajo en el hospital central de chicago..
Qué bien A ver solamente tengo ropa interior no tengo más...
Bueno está bien con esa me conformo por ahora...
Candy busco una de su talla...
La anciana se fija en rostro de ella..
Candy no temas el té cuidará..
Hee! Sii le dijo sonrojada.
Aunque tú no lo creas el niño Will es una gran persona aunque se oculte de los demás... lo que pasa es que cada quien tiene sus secretos que guardar...
Si...
Y salieron hacia donde estaba Albert..
Pudiste encontrar algo...
Si..
Señora Gees cuanto le debo...
No te preocupes hijo me pagas eso después anda esta niña tiene que darse un buen baño...
Sí dijo sonrojada..
Gracias Sra Gees no te preocupes niño le dijo guiñándole un ojo... ah! Espera... Mira aquí tienes unos sobrecitos de tilo y manzanilla bébetelos para que descanses estas muy nerviosa hija...
Gracias Sra Gees...
De nada..
Y se retiraron hacia el departamento..
Bien date un baño ven... la llevó hacia su habitación que solo estaba iluminada por una lamparita...
Aquí está el baño hay jabón y toallas..
Okey...
Candy mientras se metía a bañarse..
Albert fue a la cocina a preparar algo que comer el también con tanto ajetreo no había comido nada...
Neal estas en mis manos pagarás lo que me has hecho... pensaba...
6. Chapter 6
**UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA **
**CAPITULO 7**
Candy término de bañarse pero no tenía que ponerse para dormir...se puso una camisa de el al parecer estaban limpias que colgaban en la pared... le quedaba bastante grande..
Sí que es enorme.. se dijo...y se abrazó a si misma... con el me siento protegida sus brazos me dan protección..
Procedió a encender la luz de la habitación ..
Se dio cuenta que estaba en su habitación... cada rincón de ella le daba esa sensación de misterio que encierra personalidad... un escritorio,, un sofá con varios libros dejados, una computadora al parecer era su lugar de trabajo... algo le llamo la atención un porta retrato en una de las mesitas de noche lo tomo y en él estaba una hermosa mujer rubia de ojos verdes con un niño de ojos color azul de más o menos 5 años de edad sonreían...
Quienes serán ellos? Esos ojos color azul se parecen a los del... no puede ser serán su esposa e hijo?
Una sensación de dolor y tristeza invadió su ser.. y no sabía porque comenzó a llorar...
Y lo dejo puesto en su lugar...
Porque me duele...
Albert se había desabotonado varios botones de su camisa hacia un poco de calor...
Termino de hacer la cena y se preocupó por que ella no se había presentado..
Fue a la habitación y la encontró en el suelo abrazándose así misma llorando..
Candy! Por favor ya no llores más.. la Levantó y la abrazo...
Ella se aferraba al más y más mientras su llanto se hacía más profundo...
El se mantenía en silencio... hasta que ella se fue calmando un poco...
Y la obligó a verlo a los ojos...
Candy ya! Se que en estos momentos estas pasando mucho dolor yo sé que se siente... pero si quieres que se haga justicia tienes que se fuerte... y le seco las lágrimas con sus manos..
Candy se estremeció al sentir el contacto de sus manos en su rostro... y se sonrojo
Ella lo miro detenidamente y con sus manos le retiro sus lentes oscuros...
Porque usas lentes oscuros? Porque te ocultas? Le dijo acariciando su rostro con ternura
Candy.. Eso es algo que no quisieras saber! Le dijo esquivando su rostro..
Albert mírame! Le suplicó y la miró fijamente a los ojos que lo miraban con ternura..
El acarició su rostro...
Candy! Te dije que no te daría esperanzas... no soy la persona que piensas...tengo muchos enemigos.
Tienes muchos enemigos y aun así me trajiste a tu lado?
Candy no comprendes! No hagas las cosas más difíciles esto es diferente!. Le dijo tomando la por los hombros.. Lo siento mucho candy... Albert volteó su rostro y una lágrima solitaria rodó por su mejilla.
Albert discúlpame no quise entrometerme no te conozco, pero no me gusta que vivas ocultándote como si fueras un hombre sin sentimientos... le dijo llorando..
El volvió hacia ella y la abrazo...Candy tu misma lo has dicho no me conoces y no sabes quién soy realmente ... es mejor así..
Ven a cenar tienes que descansar..
Sí
La cena procedió en silencio solo intercambiaban monosílabos..
Cuando terminaron el le preparo un te caliente...
Porque no tomas un poco tú también estas cansado y estresado.. Candy se le hizo un nudo en la garganta al ver un poco más el pecho bien formado de el ya que por encima de la camisa se deja notar sus bien formados músculos no se había fijado bien hasta ahora que se sentía más calmada...
No está bien tómalo tú y ve a dormir.. yo estaré bien...
Te ayudo a lavar...
No déjalo ya son casi la 1 de la mañana mejor descansa..
Ven y la llevo a la habitación..
Pero donde dormirás tu?
No te preocupes descansa...
Está bien **..**
Ya parado en la puerta...
Candy discúlpame...por no poder atenderte cómo es debido...
Por qué lo dices? Has hecho mucho has hecho todo lo que está a tu alcance...
Sí pero no alcance a buscarte algo mejor para dormir..
Le dijo por la camisa que ella improvisadamente se había puesto...
Y ella se sonrojó ligeramente.. Sí me queda un poco grande...
Si echare tu ropa a lavadora en la mañana estará seca..
Okey... buenas noches..
Buenas...
Y cerró la puerta...
Candy por su lado empezó a llorar no por las muertes de sus seres queridos esta vez fue por un corazón roto...
Candy! Yo no puedo.. no quiero hacerte daño... Dijo parado frente a la puerta...
Pasaron casi una hora y Albert sintió que no podía más entro silenciosamente... para bañarse y cambiarse de ropa se asomó y estaba dormida tenía los ojos hinchados de tanto llorar...
Se bañó el agua le relajaba su mente y cuerpo...
Termino se puso un t shirt fino y un pantalón de deporte gris y se fue a dormir a la sala..
Ya de madrugada candy se despierta bruscamente soñaba que la perseguían.. Dios! Fue tan real...se dijo agitada... se levantó se dirigió al baño y luego decidió salir de la habitación y lo encontró dormido en el sofá con las piernas estiradas hacia un pequeño banco..
Se acercó lentamente a él lo miro su fuerte y ancho pecho hacían el conjunto perfecto con sus brazos y piernas...
Iba a alejarse cuando lo escucho susurrar. Rosemary, Anthony porque? Y una lágrima rodo por su rostro..
Rosemary, Anthony? Serán los de la foto, ella delicadamente le quito la lágrima...
Su corazón se encogió. Quería llorar.. Pero no hizo...
Cuando hecho unos pasos atrás..
Candy! Que haces? Levantada?
Lo siento es que tuve un mal sueño. Y no aguanto más y comenzó a llorar..
Ven.. la llamo ... y ella se acomodó con él en el sofá...trata de dormir. Todavía es muy de madrugada es común que tuvieras un mal sueño con todo lo que pasaste...
Candy no entendía...muchas veces distante.. y tierno.. Que la confundían..
Que te pasa?
Es que?
Candy! El no aguanto más tomo su rostro con las manos... No quiero hacerte daño! Comprendes..
Albert! Lo miraba tristemente... Ella bajo la mirada.. y se levantó..
Mejor me voy a la cama..
Él se quedó solo en el sillón. Se paso sus manos por su rostro...
Maldición! Dando un puñetazo en el aire! Porque las cosas tienen que ser difíciles porque?
Candy se fue triste hacia la habitación... tomo la foto..
En realidad los ama mucho se dijo..
Eran las 9 de la mañana cuando el timbre de la puerta sonó..
Ella se despertó agitada mente se levanto
Entre abrió la puerta y pudo ver al compañero de Albert llegar..
Y se quedó para escuchando..
Andley eso. Que has hecho es ilegal?
Por suerte con la aparición de la Dra. muerta nos centramos en eso.. Pero hoy la van a buscar al hospital... para interrogarla
Lo sé pero no quiero que ellos la interroguen primero
Quiero interrogarla yo..
Y por eso la trajiste hasta aquí..
Claro! Por una parte si porque si mis suposiciones son ciertas y eso que ella me dijo tengo a Neal Leegan en mis manos..
Entonces la usarás de trampolín para poder captúralo...
Claro! Granchester sabes lo que eso significa para mi..
Lo se y no descansaras hasta que se haga justicia..
Candy ella... hizo una pausa...me ayudara a desarme de el de una vez por todas pagará lo que me ha hecho..
Pero ella corre peligro y lo sabes bien cuando se enteren de que ella sabe quién mato a la Dra y al Sr Mathews...
Candy escuchaba incrédula todo lo que Albert y Terry hablaban...
No podría ser? En realidad él era tan despiadado como para utilizarla de trampolín? Hago su llanto contra la puerta...
Sí lo sé que corre peligro pero yo la cuidare...ella es una pieza clave
Andley te estás metiendo muy profundo esto te costara tu suspensión y lo sabes?
Que me importa! Granchester lo que me importa ahora es atrapar a Neal que no tendrá escapatoria alguna...
Candy no aguantaba más encontró su ropa ya limpia en el sillón se la puso miro por la ventana vio que estaba en el tercer piso y las escaleras de emergencias estaban aún paso de ahí como pudo camino por la orilla hasta dar con las escaleras de emergencia y bajo..
En ese mismo instante Terry y Albert entran a la habitación..
Que demonios! Candy!
La vieron bajar de las escaleras...
Pero!? Que paso le pregunto Terry.
No lo sé? Hay que detenerla! Albert salto desde la ventana hasta las escaleras...
Andley espera!
Candy corría desesperada sentía que no podía quedarse hay.. su rostro bañado en lágrimas..
Porque? Porque se decía! su corazon latia mil por horas
Albert le seguía... candy! Espera! casi la alcanzaba
Candy cuando intentó cruzar una avenida una camioneta se le atravesó y un hombre la halo fuerte mente hacia dentro...
Noooooooooo candy!
Albert no supo pero en ese instante un motociclista en una Ducati pasaba...
De téngase policía le apunta con la pistola y le enseña la placa présteme su moto..
Pero.,, pero...
Prestemela demonios! Y lo desmonta de esta...y sale como un rayo...hachando humo por las ruedas...
No tiene seguro! Fue lo único que atino a decir el motociclista...
A eso llega pasa Terry... hey! Soy policía vio usted a un hombre con barba, lentes oscuros y gabardina negra pasar por aquí?
Sí. Se llevó mi moto... A una mujer la subieron a una camioneta y el la persigue..
Okey..
Mi moto es una Ducati Monster...
Que?!
Por favor esta nueva...
Gracias... Y Terry se alejó rápidamente...
Una Ducati...Dios! Quiero ver eso y acelero más..
Ya en la autopista Albert hacia sigzas entre los vehículos hasta llegar casi a la camioneta...
En la camioneta Candy se defendía de aquellos que la secuestraron..
Quieta! Y lo mordió en un brazo!
Maldita! Y le dio un golpe que la noqueó.. Hasta caer en suelo inconsciente
Albert quería disparar pero no podía.
Terry se encargó de llamar por la radio y decir de unos sospechoso van en una camioneta en la autopista le dio las referencias y las unidades están en camino...
La camioneta dio un giro y se percataron por los retrovisores que Albert los seguía..
Maldición es Andley! Acelera...Ve por la carrera sur coge la autopista coge los elevados hay no nos podrá seguir..
Y subieron por los elevados que se cursaban entre sí Albert se detuvo bruscamente aceleró lo más que pudo y se dio media vuelta fue en vía contraria..
La autopista es todo un caos las unidades de la policía han rodeado casi todo el perímetro...
Terry vio como Albert venia como un rayo en vía contraria...
Esto tengo que grabarlo y con el celular procedió a grabar a Albert que paso a su lado sobre pasando los mas de 190 km p/h en una autopista donde el límite es 90... Paso como un rayo...
Dios esa moto es fascinante quiero una...!
Albert al tomar la vía contraria hizo que varios carros chocarán al llegar a un elevado se detuvo y no midió palabras se arrojó al vacío ya que la camioneta pasaba por ahí..
Se escuchó un estruendo en la capota y esta se dobló inmediatamente comenzaron los disparos..
Maldición Andley esta arriba disparen..
Candy se despertó y vio el ajetreo..
Dios mio! Vio como Albert estaba forcejeando con el chofer... Pero a unos pocos metros estaban ya los carros de la policía...
Habían hecho un cerco estaban rodeados no tenían escapatoria.. Cuando freno bruscamente lanzando a Albert hacia un pequeño barranco.
Los policías explotaron sus neumáticos y la camioneta fue a dar aun charco...
No se muevan! Manos arriba..
Todos salieron..
Candy estaba amarrada de pies y manos ya hacia inconsciente por un golpe al chocar la camioneta..
que emonciante verdad! solo de imaginarme a Albert subido en una Ducati jijiji espere los proximos capitulos...
7. Chapter 7
**UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA**
**CAPITULO 8**
Terry llega y ayudar a Albert... este cojeaba un poco se había lastimado un tobillo...
Los policías esposaron a los sospechosos y entre ellos estaba Benny...
Maldito desgraciado! Le dijo Albert tomándolo por la camisa... lo sabía estas con Neal Leegan verdad?
No sé qué me hablas Andley solo recibí ordenes!
Infeliz! Y lo arrojó al suelo..
El detective Smith estaba a unos metros de ahí presenciando eso...
Albert ve como sacan a candy inconsciente y amarrada de pies y manos...
Candy! Y procede a ir hacia la ambulancia...
Andley estas herido! le dijo Terry pero no escucho...
Ya en la ambulancia están atendiendo a Candy. Cuando despierta se encuentra con Albert mirándola con preocupación esta esquiva la mirada...
Candy porque saliste? Así sabes que corres peligro que pretendías hacer?
Ella no le contestó..
A fuera Terry se fija distraídamente en los movimientos de Smith ya que se veía muy raro y había estado hablando por teléfono varias veces...
Aquí hay algo raro...
Y ve como una comitiva de patrullas llega con el comisionado...
En la ambulancia Candy no le contesta a Albert.
Candy! Por favor?
Le toma las manos estaban lastimadas...
Smith entra...
Vaya! Vaya! Que tenemos aquí?
Además de querer quitarme mi caso también ocultas un testigo!...
Albert se levanta y lo saca bruscamente de la ambulancia...
Mira Smith no te metas en esto tu eres el menos indicado para darme órdenes..
Vaya! Que bien... esto te costara tu suspensión lo sabes?
Albert no aguanto y sacó su pistola y apunta a Smith todos se asombraron..
Smith! Maldito Imbécil no te creas que se lo que tramas!?
Andley baja el arma! Le grito el comisionado...
No la bajaré este idiota también forma parte de la banda de Neal legaan
Y como sabes eso? Andley acaso tienes pruebas en mi contra..
Claro que si las tengo Imbécil y se los voy a demostrar...
Andley baja el arma! Le grito Terry
Vamos Andley si tienes agallas mata me de una vez o es que es más lo que te interesa el deshacerte de Neal leegan o la chica que es testigo..
Smith no agotes mi paciencia!
Candy al escuchar el alboroto sale afuera y ve como Albert tiene apuntando a una persona..
Albert! Le llamo casi ahogada en llanto.. por favor no lo hagas? Le dijo...
Este bajo la guardia...
Se dirigieron miradas fulminantes..
Andley quedas suspendido de tus obligaciones!
Que? Dijeron Candy y Terry...
Dios mío Albert! Y todo por mi culpa. No pensó...
Usted no puede hacerme eso...
Andley te lo advertí...
Dame tu arma de reglamento y tu placa.. y ve a retirar tus cosas de la jefatura!
Usted no puede hacerme esto sabe que estoy haciendo lo correcto!
Smith llévate a la Señorita a la jefatura... hay que interrogarla y llevarla a el programa de testigos..
Sí señor! Smith tenía una sonrisa de satisfacción...
Tomo a Candy por un brazo cuando de pronto Albert se lanza sobre el...
Maldito infeliz! Quilátale tus manos de encima le Si le haces algo te juro que te mato con mis propias manos !..
Andley! Terry junto con otro oficial... fueron agarrar a Albert. Tranquilízate!
Albert! No me dejes! Decía Candy ahogada en llanto...
Terry maldición suelta me se la llevarán, ella corre peligro..
Andley no podemos hacer nada..
Candy! Grito Albert desesperado al ver que se llevaban
Albert! Albert! Estaba presa del miedo...
Candy! Maldición! cayó derrotado al suelo...
Granchester! Llamo el comisionado...
Sí señor..
ya Andley no es tu compañero te ubicaremos con otro y cuidado tú también si te metes en asuntos que no son de tu incumbencia...
Sí señor!
Vamos a la jefatura hay que interrogarla...
Okey...
Y el comisionado prosiguió a alejarse en una patrulla.
Andley...
Terry…. le llamo por su nombre...
Cuento contigo verdad? Sabes que eres mi único amigo..
Claro William no te dejare solo en esto solo dime lo que piensas hacer...
Okey vamos a la jefatura tengo que recoger mis cosas y también quiero ver si en verdad la llevaron hasta allá en el camino te cuento lo que haremos...
Okey vamos. Pero y tu pierna?
No te preocupes...
William a pesar de todo ella te interesa verdad?
El guardo silencio...
Granchester... hizo una pausa tenemos que tratar de quitársela estuve investigando y encontré que Smith tiene una cuenta de banco a nombre de otra persona con más de dos millones de dólares..
Wow! Y de dónde saco Smith todo ese dinero..
Recuerdas al administrador muerto de la disco..
El señor Patterson...
Sí ese mismo...la cuenta esta al nombre de ellos dos y al morir el Smith automáticamente retiro todo el dinero y lo transfirió a una cuenta fantasma...
Sí que has estado investigando...yo también encontré extraño cuando llegue que él no se despegaba de su celular..
Granchester sabes lo que significa eso que tal vez el comisionado este dentro de eso.
Es cierto! Porque ese afán en que Smith se quedara con el caso leegan..
Exacto tenemos que actuar deprisa.
Sii.
Y acelero!
Candy esta con Smith en el asiento trasero de un auto de la policía..
Cuando hace una llamada..
Jefe el paquete ya está en mis manos! Proseguiremos con lo acordado...
Y cerró
Se le acerca peligrosamente..
Vaya! Si que eres linda. Pero que lastima Andley no podrá gozarte...
Candy estaba presa del terror..
Cómo es posible? El era de los malos Albert tenía razón..
Dios! Mío! Albert te necesito más que nunca!
Pero tenemos que llevarte a la jefatura.. Primor a seguir el protocolo. Le dijo tomando su rostro con una mano..
Al llegar a la jefatura la conducen a una celda.. Presa del pánico y el terror se sienta en el suelo a llorar...
Ya hable con el jefe..
Seguiremos con lo acordado.. Smith estaba hablando comisionado en la oficina...
Tendremos de hacer las cosas con la más discreción posible...Andley ya no nos estorbara...
Yo no estoy tan seguro... hablo mucho y el no descansara hasta atrapar al jefe..
Nada si se entromete sabes que hacer..
Claro! Y que de Granchester el su amigo...
Lo tendremos vigilado...
Okey...
Albert y Terry llegan..
Y se dirigen hacia la oficina principal.
Que haces aquí Andley! Le dice Smith..
Quítate de mi camino!
Me la debes me acusaste frente a todos?
Maldito hijo de...
Estaba a punto de golpear su rostro cuando Terry lo detuvo..
Andley no vale la pena...tienes que recoger tus cosas...
Y se lo llevó hacia su cubículo..
Terry ya sabes que hacer...
Sí...voy a revisar...
Okey...
Terry se dirige hacia las celdas y la encuentra en el suelo llorando... Candy! Le llamo..
Terry! Donde está Albert..
Tienen que sacarme de aquí tengo mucho miedo...Por mi culpa lo suspendieron
Candy tenemos un plan pero necesito que cooperes...Y procedió a abrazarla...
Cosa que candy no se percató y dentro de uno de los bolsillos traseros de su pantalón colocó un pequeño localizador.. y le dio una pequeña nalgada…
Ella se sorprendió…
Eso te lo manda William y le guiño un ojo…...
8. Chapter 8
UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA
CAPITULO 9
Candy es probable que te interroguen por más que sepas diles que no sabes nada
Sí.. Pero y Albert! Quiero verlo... sé que no actúe como fue debido creo...hizo una pausa y tomo aire... me deje llevar por mis sentimientos sin pensar que con eso podría dañar a alguien.
Candy tú no tienes la culpa.. Ya Andley tenía problemas de por sí con el comisionado... esto no esté problema no tiene un día esto es de varios años...
Sí Albert siente un dolor inmenso..
Sí el ha sufrido mucho y no sabes Cuanto...
A eso llega Smith..
Granchester que haces aquí?
Sabes que no puedes y menos con ella..
Terry agarra fuerte mente a Smith por el cuello y lo acorrala contra los barrotes de la cárcel..
Mira Smith sea lo que sea te mantendré vigilado... tu tampoco eres santo de mi devoción..
Con que esas tenemos también le vas a seguir los pasos a Andley con mucho gusto me harías un gran favor..
Terry! Grito Candy.. y este lo soltó...
Infeliz! Y se alejó...
Smith se quedó acomodándose la camisa... Y entro con candy.
Ella hecho varios pasos atrás.
Cálmate preciosa vine a informarte que no pasaras la noche aquí dentro de un rato te llevaremos a un lugar más placentero..
Le dijo cerca de su oído ...estas divina... y trato de besarla ella se alejó abruptamente de él..
Jajajaja! Aunque te hagas la difícil eso será inevitable... porque antes de que el jefe haga lo que quiera hacer contigo tú y yo la vamos a pasar divinamente y la acorralo contra la pared... posando sus manos en uno de sus senos...
Candy temblaba... sentía un miedo horrible sus ojos se nublaron sintió asco cuando Smith la tocó..
Y se alejó con un sonrisa maliciosa..
Candy por su parte lloraba. Estaba atrapada... solo tenía la esperanza de lo que Terry le dijo..
Albert! Alberttttt! Grito pero nadie la escucharía...
Terry entro a la oficina del comisionado.. Señor van a dejar a la Señorita White aquí.. Esta noche? La celda no es un lugar apropiado para ella, Además fui a verla está muy nerviosa..
Granchester! Te dije muy claro que no te metas en ese. Asunto...
Es asunto ya del ministerio público
Bueno yo solo quería saber..
Que querías saber Granchester!
Nada señor con su permiso.
Smith va entrando a la oficina y se topa cara a cara con Terry y se lanzan miradas fulminantes.
Que quería él?
Hay que mantener vigilados a Granchester y a Andley...
Sí creo que si pondré varios hombres.. Dijo Smith
Okey..
A que horas salimos..
Hay que esperar sabes que seguimos un protocolo. Y hay que hacer las cosas discretamente..
Okey..
Terry llego a su cubículo... Y comenzó a escribir unos menajes de textos .. Ya Albert se había marchado...
Granchester! Tú esposa línea 5! Le gritaron...
Okey..
Terry tomó la llamada y inmediatamente salió..
Señor tengo que marcharme Susana tubo un imprevisto y usted sabe ella está embarazada..
No hay problema. Puedes marcharte. Mañana hablamos. Mejor si él no está aquí pensó..
Okey...
Terry salió como un rayo... Toma el celular..
Andley escuche la conversación Terry había puesto simulada mente un pequeño micrófono en el saco de Smith...
Se la piensan llevar...
Okey seguiremos con el plan..
Terry escucho todo y no le dijo lo demás a Albert para no alterarlo más si quería que el plan funcionara tenía que ser hábil... procede a llamar a su esposa...
Se percata que desde que salió un auto lo seguía no muy lejos...
Susy vamos a utilizar a romeo y Julieta...
Okey..
Albert estaba en su departamento... sale y se dirige al departamento de la señora Gees...
Buenas noches... Will niño que se te ofrece...
Robert esta.. Sí pasa...
Robert es una emergencia préstame tu moto..
Claro!
Albert tomó prestada la Harley Davison de Robert...
El se vistito con jeans, botas de vaqueros negra..t shirt y Caquetá de cuero.. como todo un motociclista...
Y salió por la parte trasera del edificio...
En la jefatura proceden a llevarse a Candy..
Vamos preciosa... Smith la conduce por detrás saliendo hacia los estacionamientos subterráneos..
Donde una limosina la esperaba... Trago en seco era la misma limosina donde se había montado con Jennifer...
El pánico se apoderó de ella..
Noo.. Noo. Y trato de zafarse pero Smith la empujó hacia dentro cerrando las puertas de inmediato..
Ya sabes Jeff el jefe está esperando yo seguiré con lo acordado fingiré que voy al edificio del ministerio público...
Okey...
Terry llego a la casa Susana ya estaba lista...
Okey Susy preciosa transformarme como tu sola sabes hacerlo..
Sí amor... Y procedió a disfrazar a Terry..
Ya Albert estaba cerca del edificio con el localizador y este vio que se movía...
Y se fijó de una limosina salir por el estacionamiento subterráneo... junto con el la señal del localizador..
Se dispuso a seguirlos por otra avenida...
Granchester ya salieron están en una limosina... van por la calle oeste con primera... lo sabía no la llevan al ministerio público...
Okey ya salgo solo me falta mis jugueticos...
Okey date prisa...
Terry ya disfrazado se arma hasta Los dientes..
Okey Susy mira... Ese auto se estación al parecer me están vigilando salgo por el patio trasero ya sabes lo que hay que hacer con romeo...
Okey amor cuídate... Terry sale por el patio trasero y se sube a un auto con vidrios oscuros..
Granchester! Ya van por la autovía. .pero para donde la llevan?
Okey debajo del puente le interceptó..
Granchester puedes tu solo...con todo esto.. no se cuántos hombres habrán dentro..
No te preocupes... yo tengo mis trucos. Y mis encantos
Okey.. Candy..! Espero que es Estés bien no me perdonaría si algo te sucede.. penso
Terry llega unos minutos antes y procede a regar tachuelas en la calle como el lugar es poco transitable..
Esperaría que pasara la limosina...
El se escondió detrás de pared.. Cuando escuchó el estruendo de unas llantas...
Pico!
Vio como un hombre sale y para ver como quedaron y las ruedas procede a llamar por la radio..
Tengo problemas se reventaron dos llantas... Imbécil! Por qué tomaste esa avenida!
Fue para cortar distancia...
Okey quédate ahí vigila a la chica estaremos en tres minutos..
El hombre dejo de hablar cuando una voluptuosa pelirroja se le acerca.. Cariño te ponchaste!
Sii.. Pero no estoy buscando distracción te puedes ir...
Uhy! Pero que poco romántico.. Se le acerca muy peligrosamente
Podemos jugar mientras te vienen a buscar...le dijo muy sensual...
Bueno no está mala la idea...
Ya el la iba a besar cuando rápidamente saca dos pistolas.. y se las introduce casi en dos orificios de la nariz…
En tu mente! Idiota...
Que!? Granchester!
El mismo que viste y calza...
Y le propina un golpe que lo hace caer al suelo propinándose un fuerte golpe contra un lado de a limosina rompiéndose la nuca..
Murió al instante..
Uhy! Cariño lo siento pero ya ni con viagra levantarías... se burlo de el..
Rápidamente abrió la puerta y encontró a candy... desecha! Candy! Vámonos..
Que? Terry? Tú se sorprendió al verlo vestido de mujer.
No preguntes tenemos que salir de aquí...
Y salieron lo más rápido posible.
Pero como supieron dónde estaba?..
Bueno te coloque un localizador en tu pantalón..
Andley ya está conmigo!..
Por favor pásamela!
Candy!
Albert! Ella le llamo ahogada en llanto..
Tranquila ya todo estará bien te lo prometo te alcanzo en la casa de Granchester.
Okey...
Lo siento terry...
No te preocupes... por ahora estarás bien aunque ahora todo se complica.
Sí a Albert lo suspendieron por mí..
Sabes por un lado lo que hiciste fue bueno ya confirmamos la teoría.. Tanto Smith cómo el comisionado forman parte de la banda de Neal leegan...
Pero Albert ya no es detective?
Pero eso no me impedirá atraparlo andley no es de los que se estancan..
Y que fue lo que paso que el esta tan empeñado en atrapar a Neal? ..
9. Chapter 9
**UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA**
**CAPITULO 10**
Bueno eso es una historia larga y complicada pero te puedo decir que neal fue el causante de la muerte su única hermana su hijo y su esposo..
Oh! Ahora las cosas se aclaran para candy
Sí Candy ella era su única hermana sus padres habían fallecido cuando eran niños una tía los educo.. Ya entiendes!
Pobre Albert ha sufrido mucho..
Claro imagínate sabiendo que el culpable de la muerte de sus familiares anda libremente por ahí...
Sii..
Candy.. Aunque el té diga lo contrario William es una buena persona... solo es que el tiene miedo.. A que también le puedan arrebatar de nuevo a algún ser querido...
Sí.. Entiendo...
Candy...en esta profesión hay que ser un tanto egoísta y actuar según las circunstancias lo amerita...
Muchas veces tenemos que ocultar nuestros propios sentimientos... Esta vida es muy arriesgada...
Mírame a mi...estoy casado mi esposa es profesora de arte dramático en la universidad pública... Muchas veces nos hemos visto en situaciones que he creído que ella no soportaría... pero esta hay conmigo...
Entiendo lo que dices ..le dijo candy...
Pero tú no has sentido alguna vez miedo a que te pueda pasar algo a ti o a ella?...
Claro que si muchas veces...
Bueno Pero a lo único que le tengo miedo es a ella misma...
Y eso?
Si porque si le llevó la contraria es capaz de asesinarme! Ja ja ja se río de buena gana...
Candy emito una Sonrisilla...
Bueno también en realidad cuando termine todo esto me voy a retirar y me seguiré mi carrera como actor...
Que eres actor...?
No tanto solo fue por unos instantes jajaja..
Ya llegamos... Espera no salgas acuéstate en el sillón...
A rato llegan al lugar Smith y otros hombres y encuentran a Jeff muerto y candy no está
Maldición! Como fue que se dieron cuenta...
Benny! Me escuchas...
Benny estaba apostado cerca de la casa de Terry..
Diga señor!
Maldito Imbécil!
Granchester y Andley al parecer se llevaron a la chica!
Eso no puede ser posible Granchester no ha salido de aquí y es más lo veo dando un espectáculo en la planta alta... se veían unas sombra moviéndose de una forma extraña...
Okey... ahí que ir donde Andley ve ahora mismo a su residencia...
Okey...
Y procedió a llamar a Neal..
Jefe hubo un inconveniente al parecer Andley tiene a la chica!
Estupidito! Maldito Smith te dejo a cargo de esto y mira lo que pasa!?
No se preocupe yo la recupero.
Tienes hasta mañana en tarde para traérmela aquí..! Y no quiero más Disculpas!
Okey...
Benny Iba manejando cuando se topa con Albert...
y lo siguió...
Él se percató de que lo iban siguiendo y cambio el rumbo hasta su departamento...
Señor tengo a Andley en la mira pero no veo la chica el va en una moto...
Síguelo! No lo pierdas de vista...
Okey...
Albert se dirige normalmente a su departamento...
Es Benny ese infeliz..
Terry Benny me siguió...
Ya candy está en la casa...
Okey salgo dentro de unos minutos lo voy a despistar..
El vuelve a salir...
Y se va hacia un antro solo para amantes de las Harleys...
Benny se desmonta y lo sigue pero este se le perdió entre los hombres que estaban ahí ya que todos vestían igual...
Demonios! Lo perdí me van a castrar por eso... se dijo..
Albert por su parte salió lo más rápido posible acelerando la moto...
Llego a la casa de Terry ubicó la moto en el patio trasero y entro por la cocina...
Candy estaba ahí ya se había dado un baño Susana le presto unos Jean azules con una blusa de algodón rosada pastel...
Candy! Albert! Se dijeron al verse...
E inmediatamente se abrazaron...
Terry le hizo seña a Susana que había que dejarlos solos.. y se fueron...
Candy! Estas bien le decía acariciando sus cabellos.. Le tomó su rostro bañado en lágrimas le beso la frente...
Te prometo que te voy a cuidar..
Albert! .. le dijo mirándolo con ternura esos ojos azul profundo..
El cortó su distancia y la beso... La beso con ternura y desesperación...
Ella por un lado se dejó llevar por las sensaciones... el la apretaba a su pecho... ella sentía como su barba rosaba su rostro por el instinto llevo sus manos hacia su nuca y la acarició debajo de su abundante cabellera...
No supieron que tiempo llevaban pero candy sintió cuando el dejaba lentamente sus labios... Abrió los ojos y se encontró con la mirada más tierna y dulce... pensaba que se ahogaría en el azul profundo de sus ojos...
No emitieron palabra alguna...
Solo se miraban y el la volvió a acunar en su amplio pecho...
Candy! Le llamo...
Sii..
discúlpame...
Pero porque tienes que disculparte si la que te debe una disculpa soy yo por mi culpa te suspendieron...
Candy... ! No te culpes ya hace días que llevaba un problema con el comisionado...
Sí pero creo... hizo una pausa.. si no hubiese actuado como lo hizo tal vez esto no hubiese sucedido... Yo me deje llevar por mis sentimientos por que no comprendía lo que te pasaba...
Pequeña! no sabes tú no sabes aun toda la historia.. por eso es que no quisiera hacerte daño tengo miedo que esto no termine bien..
Albert! Por favor no te atormentan más! Tú no puedes vivir así... La vida misma es arriesgada y hay que vivirla... Tu no puedes encerrarte en un pasado que lo que ha hecho es atormentarte el alma...
Albert! Le tomó su rostro con sus manos.. yo se que no eres quien dices que eres.. En tus ojos veo a una persona amable, gentil y cariñosa..
Candy! Such! Le tapó la boca con su dedo índice...
Albert si antes yo estaba equivocada con respecto a ti ahora no lo estoy... y estoy dispuesta a correr el riesgo...
No candy! No comprendes! Le dijo tomando sus hombros... No hagas las cosas más difíciles.
Albert porque?
Candy! Yo no quiero ni deseo verte sufrir... Me duele pensar que alguien como yo pueda hacer daño..
Pero de que daño me hablas no te entiendo...? por favor! Le dijo llorando...
Candy... dejemos las cosas así como están... Ahora vendrán momentos muy difíciles para ambos y tengo un gran problema que solo yo puedo enfrentar...
Pero si te diré que no te dejare, te protegeré con mi propia vida si es necesario...
Albert! No digas eso! Y se abrazaron...
El busco nuevamente sus labios y depósito un tierno beso...
Se separó... de ella.. ven tenemos que hablar con Granchester...
Y la llevó de la mano hacia una habitación contigua al lado de la sala...
Buen hasta que llegaron,!
Terry! Le llamo Susana..
Susana tenía alrededor de 7 meses de embarazo...
Granchester ya!
Okey usted manda...
Se sentaron en un sillón de dos personas Albert y candy... Terry permanecía de pies al lado de Susana..
Bien candy tendrás que quedarte aquí hasta mañana...
Granchester ubícala en el sótano..
Disculpa que tengas que dormir ahí.. le dijo terry..
Está bien no hay problema...
Sí candy el sótano tiene una puerta de acceso que nadie se da cuenta que esta hay .. le dijo Susana...
Mañana en la mañana entonces te llevare a otro lugar se que hay no te encontraran fácilmente. Le dijo Albert
Andley entonces mañana seguimos con la otra parte del plan.
Sí.. Tengo que marcharme Benny me puede estar ubicando...
Okey...
Vamos Candy te dejare acomodada..
Terry y Susana dejaron que Albert la ubicará en el sótano...
Aquí se que estarás mejor mi apartamento no es seguro...
Albert! Yo..
Candy descansa trata de dormir...me voy pero vuelvo aquí sé que estarás segura...
Pequeña mía! Le dijo abrazándola fuertemente... mi ángel..
Albert!
Le beso la frente y los labios...
Nos vemos..
Hasta mañana...
Y la dejo... sentada en la cama...
Cuando el se alejó... tocó sus labios como si sintiera su calidez aun...
Albert! Que es lo que escondes?
Ya arriba...
Terry ya sabes vengo en la mañana...
William duerme bien descansa. ..
Sii..
Y salió de la casa...
Ya había llegado a su apartamento se dejó caer en el sofá de la sala..
Candy cómo decirte! Como!
10. Chapter 10
UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA
CAPITULO 11
Era media mañana cuando llaman a Terry de la jefatura...
Que extraño! Porque el comisionado quiere verme...
Ya Candy estaba despierta había dormido bien...
Susy tengo que ir a la jefatura tenemos que simular las cosas..
Andley me dijo que va a salir...
Okey... amor cuídate. Y le dio un beso..
Ya sabes que hacer! Okey
Terry sale de su casa mira al rededor solo ve a los de la compañía de telefónica realizando unos arreglos ya que un transformador eléctrico explotó y daño Muchos teléfonos de la zona el de su casa también estaba averiado... y prosiguió su camino..
Uno de los técnicos procede a llamar a la puerta de la casa.
Susana por la cámara de vigilancia ve quien es y sale...
Buenos días! Quiero saber si su teléfono está averiado.. Le dijo mostrando su libreta..
Sí claro! Esta a nombre de Susana Marlow..
Sí aquí esta! Puedo pasar a verificar?
Claro pasa.. y lo dejo pasar...
El comienza a revisar la línea cuando Candy sale de la cocina hacia la sala y se topa con el técnico.
Y sigue su camino...
Señora Marlow tengo que ir al camión a buscar mis herramientas..
Okey..
El técnico sale.. y procede a hablar por el radio comunicador..
Señor! La chica está aquí! Granchester se marchó hace rato..
Andley no esta.
Okey procedan de inmediato..
Y del camión salen dos hombres más..
Entran bruscamente..
Susana y Candy se encontraban en la sala iban a hacer un movimiento cuando uno de los hombres le les pispara dardos adormecedores cayendo rendidas las dos...
Vamos! Y se llevaron a candy..
Mientras tanto Albert sale de su departamento tenía que seguir con el plan antes de ir a la casa de Terry se dirigió hacia uno de los suburbios más bajos de la cuidad... Entro a un edificio abandonado..
Y tocó una puerta...
Andley! Que haces aquí le dijo un hombre de tez oscura... y cerró la puerta de una vez
Abre la puerta! Scott!
Yo.. yo.. no he vuelto a cometer fraudes! Bueno hice una que otra cosita pero te juro que fue pequeña..
Le dijo con temor
Albert le dio una tremenda patada y hecho la puerta abajo.
Andley no no yo no lo vuelvo a hacer!
Imbécil! Le dijo tomándolo por el t shirt.. No vine para eso necesito que intervengan unos teléfonos y grabes las conversaciones.
Y eso Andley porque yo?
Ya desesperado... porque tú eres el indicado para eso! Estúpido!
Pero y porque no lo haces desde la jefatura?
Maldición Scott no tengo tiempo para estupideces.. Hazlo de una vez!
Okey Okey.. y procedieron a entrar a una habitación... donde hay varias computadoras, y equipos de rastreo..
Okey Andley dame los números..
Aquí están son los números del comisionado y el detective Smith..
Que? Me piensas meterme en un lio..
Albert lo levanta bruscamente.. Scott no agotes mi paciencia este es un caso de vida o muerte...
Hakea todas sus llamadas y graba las Granchester y yo la necesitamos vamos a venir por ellas.
Okey..
No te preocupes no te voy a a delatar.. tómalo como un indulto..
Y Albert sale del lugar..
Terry llega a la jefatura.. y va directamente hacia el comisionado..
Buen día Señor..
Buen día Granchester te hice llamar porque ya tienes compañero y necesito que comiencen a trabajar en caso de violación..
Tu compañero es George Johnson..
El y por que el?
Granchester! Tu obedece mis ordenes! Le dijo azotando el escritorio con un periódico..
Okey.. y puedo preguntarle por la Srta White?
Granchester! Te dije que ese no es tu caso ya paso a manos del ministerio público...
Okey... y salido... de la oficina...
El comisionado recibe una llamada por el celular
Ya la tenemos!
Okey! Llamaste a leegan.
Sí ya el está al tanto..
Okey prosigan entonces..
Y cerro..
Terry estaba llamado al celular de Susana y esta no contesta...
Llama disimuladamente a Albert..
Andley aún no llegas?
No fui donde Scott el esta haciendo el trabajo de intervenir las líneas Que pasa?
Andley Susy no contesta su celular.. el teléfono está averiado desde anoche..
Okey Albert cerró y acelero el auto..
Llega unos minutos cuando encuentra la** pu**ert**a **abierta y Susana tirada en un sofá..
No! Susana! La revisa y nota que tiene un dardo adormecedor en su cuello está dormida..
Candy! Candy! Baja de inmediato hacia el sótano y no está...
Recorre toda la casa!
Candy nooooooooo!
Terry llego como un rayo y encuentra a Susana dormida en el sofá...
Andley...
Terry se la llevaron!?
Queeee?
Susana está dormida mira le dispararon un dardo
Dios! Candy..
Andley verifiquemos las cámaras de Seguridad.. Y miraron como se llevaron a candy unos hombres vestidos de técnicos.
Maldición Granchester! Lo tomo por la camisa.. no te fijaste de ellos cuando saliste de aquí...
Tranquilízate si los vi pero que iba a hacer el vecindario tiene casi todos los teléfonos averiados por una sobre carga eléctrica..
Y procedió a soltarlo..
Lo siento Granchester me siento incompetente... no tenemos como saber dónde está..
Andley aún podemos saber tenemos que ir donde Scott
Okey yo voy quédate aquí atiende a Susana ..
Andley tal vez aun no es tarde!
Eso quiera tener esperanzas de que aún no es tarde...
Y salió.. como un rayo en su auto..
En el trayecto... se detiene y golpea fuerte mente el guía!
Demonios! Candy! Debí de haberme quedado contigo anoche!
Y cae derrotado en este llorando ..
Candy! No quiero perderte a ti noooo
11. Chapter 11
**UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA**
**CAPITULO 12**
Albert ahogo su llanto y impotencia contra el guía de su auto...
No me puedo quedar de brazos cruzados...
Y se dirigió hacia donde Scott..Y llega agitado..
Scott dime pudiste escuchar algo.. Dime! Por favor..el se sorprendió al ver la condición que estaba..
Andley... no te tengo nada concreto solo recibió una llamada.. y creo no dice mucho..
A ver muéstramela...
Y efectivamente solo le dice que ya tenían la chica y que seguirán con lo acordado...después de ahí no se volvieron a llamar...
No puede ser estoy entre la espada y la pared!.
Andley que. Sucede?...
Scott gracias...y se aleja derrotado
Andley espera... dime tal vez yo te pueda ayudar sabes que tengo mis contactos...
No lo sé Scott tú no te involucras con la mafia...
Bueno eso es verdad no me meto tan profundo...pero si me dices tal vez quizás..
Scott raptaron a alguien muy importante para mí y.. ya no soy detective...le dijo tristemente
Que!?
Sí y no se dónde se la llevaron la única esperanza era encontrar alguna conversación que dijera su posición entiendes? Es posible que en estos momentos ella este muerta con esta van dos veces que la raptan, !?
Y el comisionado y Smith están detrás de eso..
Bueno si está complicado.. pero los hermanos estamos para ayudarnos Yo te ayudare!
Gracias scott...le dijo tomando su hombro.. y procedió a retirarse..
No te preocupes te ayudare! Y procede a digitar rápidamente códigos en la computadora...
Albert se comunica con terry.
No hay nada..
Andley voy saliendo para la jefatura.. Recibí una llamada diciendo que lo de la avería fue un sabotaje y encontraron el camión de la compañía telefónica abandonado en la autopista central mataron a los ocupantes...voy a la escena a recolectar evidencias... al parecer se fueron por esa vía...
Okey Granchester .. Albert se escuchaba abatido
Andley no te desesperes veras que la encontraremos...
Terry quisiera hacerme ilusiones... pero estamos entre la espada y la pared.. Ella no tiene un localizador... donde rastrear sus movimientos. No tenemos nada concreto aun...
Andley algo voy a averiguar.. yo tampoco me quedare con los brazos cruzados..
Okey...
Y cerró el teléfono...
Iba conduciendo cuando toma una ruta para salir de la cuidad... se alejaba más y más... está saliendo casi del estado toma un camino abandonado dentro del bosque...
En otro lugar Candy despierta.. está en una habitación... de una casa estaba sami oscura
Donde estoy?... y visualiza la figura de un hombre acercándose...
Dios mío! Tenia terror...
Quien eres tu?...
Bueno quieres saber quien soy?..
Y otro hombre encendió la luz...
Tu uuuuuuu! Dijo candy con terror al ver el rostro de Neal Leegan
Sí yo mismo... soy el que por tu culpa me pueden destruir...
El se acercó a ella la acorralándola en la pared… pero no me destruirán tan fácilmente tú y Andley…. El le toma el rostro con una mano y entierra sus dedos en este…
Ella lo mira con terror…..
Esos ojos! Esos ojos! Neal se separa bruscamente de ella… abrumado y confundido…. Por su mente pasan imágenes de una mujer con esos mismos ojos color esmeralda mirándolo con terror…
Nooooo! Demonios! Y sale furioso de la habitación…
Se dirige hacia una estancia… toma un sorbo de wiskey y estalla el vaso contra la pared…
Esos ojos son iguales a los de ella! Son iguales! ,…
Smith llega en ese mismo instante….
Jefe vamos a proceder con lo acordado….
Smith se cancela eso…
Pero porque? Jefe ¡! Ella es nuestra perdición!
Mira maldito mal nacido! Dije que se cancela y punto!
Le dijo agarrándole por el cuello fuertemente…
Siiiii jefe! Le dijo casi sin poder hablar…
Tengo otros planes… ah! y una cosa ni se te ocurra acércatele porque te vuelo los sesos… y lo soltó…
El se alejó dejando a Neal con sus demonios encima…
Que le pasa a Leegan porque ese cambio tan repentino de planes…
Candy no sabía que hacer…. Sus esperanzas no existían en ese momento….
Dios! Que me va a pasar… Albert,,, no estás aquí para ayudarme… …. Vio detenidamente el lugar al parecer era una casa antigua…. Las ventanas estaban con barrotes… no tenía escapatoria alguna….
Se sentó un rato en el suelo…. Y pronto sintió la necesidad de ir al baño… toco la puerta por donde neal salio…
Por favor! Necesito ir al baño…
No se señorita usted no puede salir de esa habitación…
Pero me urge por favor!
Está bien espere…
Señor la srta necesita ir al baño!
Y para eso me tienes que pedir permiso imbécil! Llévala,, y no te separes de ella…
El hombre procedió a abrir la puerta y condujo a candy por el brazo hasta el baño próximo… y lo encontró cerrado…
Esta ocupado contesto una voz dentro…
Bueno tendrás que ir a la de la planta baja.. la casa era de dos pisos….
Ya dentro del baño … candy ve la forma de salir hasta que se encuentra con una ventana sin barrotes… es mi oportunidad.. se subió al escusado mido el ancho de su cadera con la de la ventana por suerte la casa es antigua y las ventanas solían ser más anchas que las de ahora..
Esta todo bien!
Sii espere un momento ya casi término… Candy salió como pudo por la ventana y se lastimo por que tuvo que forzar su cuerpo para salir… y corrió …. Corrió …. Se encontró con una pared vio un árbol lo trepo y pudo salir del área… y siguió corriendo sin rumbo fijo…..
Que sucede! Hace mucho que está usted hay dentro… como no estucho respuesta abrió la puerta… y no encontró candy...
Maldición! Se escapó! Dio la voz de alerta!
Que demonios paso! Wiston … te di órdenes para que no la dejaras sola y que hiciste! Dime!
Yo yo,,,, el baño de arriaba estaba ocupado y la baje….
Maldito imbécil! Y sin medir palabras le propino un disparo en la frente….
Vamos! No se queden hay parados Smith ¡! Recorre el perímetro no puede estar muy lejos….
Saquen a los perros…. Rastreen todo todo! Hasta encontrarla y traérmela aquí!
Si jefe…
Smith llama al comisionado…
La chica escapo de nuevo…
Que! Y como fue eso…
Salió por la ventana de un baño….
Y donde están ahora..
Estamos rodeando el perímetro no puede ir muy lejos….
Okey ese lugar es casi la frontera con Indiana no es un lugar muy seguro… te ayudare en la búsqueda
Siii…
Candy seguía corriendo hasta que sale a una carretera..
Dios una carretera! Y pasa un tráiler….
Por favor! Deténgase…
Que sucede srta porque usted está por aquí esta zona es muy peligroso….
Por favor me secuestraron… tiene que ayudarme…
Súbase ¡! Vamos! Candy estaba agitada…
El conductor le brindo un poco de agua… hacia donde usted se dirige?…
Bueno para el estado de Kentcky pero tengo que hacer una parada en chicago….
En chicago!
Si señorita estamos en la frontera de chicago con indiana…
Dios! Mío…
Mientras tanto Albert llega a una casa que lucía prácticamente abandonada…. Saca unas llaves y procede a entrar en la casa todos los muebles estaban tapados con sábanas blancas al parecer nadie vivía hay desde hace tiempo….
Sube al segundo piso… entra a una habitación.. y toma en sus manos una pintura en óleo con el rostro sonriente de su hermana…
Rosemary! Anthony… ! Porque la vida tiene que arrebatarme lo que más quiero ¡!
Candy! No pude ayudarte! No pude….
Sale de la habitación se dirige hacia el baño se para frente a espejo del lavamanos busca en sus bolsillos una afeitadora…
Y procede lentamente a quitarse la barba… mientras la barba caía al suelo sus ojos se nublaban y de ellos brotaban lagrimas….
Cuando termino se miró fijamente al espejo…. Y con furia le dio un puñetazo cayendo todos los cristales al suelo…
Se hirió los nudillos de las manos ….. pero el dolor tan grande que tenía en su corazón… no le hizo sentir dolor alguno….
Se tiro derrotado al suelo… llorando como un niño….
Porque? Porque?
Ya casi oscurecía cuando de pronto en la carretera tuvieron que detenerse….
Que sucede?
No lo sé al parecer hay revisión..
Revisión?
Si como estamos casi en la frontera con el otro estado nos revisan por si llevamos algo ilegal….
Candy trago saliva al ver a lo lejos la una figura conocida…
El comisionado de la jefatura de chicago…
No me están buscando… por favor no diga que usted me encontró y no dijo más nada y salió corriendo…
Espere estos lugares son muy peligrosos….
Y se adentró al bosque….
Corrió lo más que pudo… ya casi sin aliento se detuvo…. el cielo oscureció y comenzaron a caer muchas gotas de lluvia…
Dios mío donde estoy! Necesito un refugio,,,
Tengo mucho miedo…. Albert! Tengo mucho miedo…
Se decía….
Ya estaba toda empapada de los pies hasta la cabeza…
Cuando pudo divisar entre las gotas de agua lo que parecía ser una casa….
Corrió lo más que pudo… llego a esta! Agitada… casi sin aliento… cansada sus piernas temblaban….
Hay alguien! Aquí! Por favor! Respondan!
Tocaba con desesperación…
Mientras Albert tirado en el suelo…llorando… escucho un ruido… le pareció escuchar la voz de candy…
No puede ser hasta aquí puedo escuchar tu dulce voz….
Pero no era su imaginación…..
Ya que volvió a escuchar a alguien pidiendo auxilio…
Auxilio por favor! Hay alguien aquí!
La lluvia era torrencial…. Parecía un diluvio…
Dios mío no puede ser! Bajo rápidamente
Esa voz es de … y abrió la puerta… y hay estaba ella parada toda desaliñada…. Mojada,,, su blusa mojada le marcaba perfectamente sus pechos agitados….
Candy!
Ella se quedó mirándolo por unos instantes.. al verlo sin la barba..
Albert! Albert!
Candy…. Y la abraso fuertemente! Estas viva,,, estas viva!….
12. Chapter 12
**UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA**
**CAPITULO 13**
**ESTE CAPITULO ES CLASIFICADO R LE RECOMIENDO DISCRECION!**
**Can**dy estas viva! Le decía mientras la abrazaba... y la besaba
..
Albert!? Eres tu estas aquí eres tú! Le dijo separándose de el..
Sí soy yo pequeña... le dijo tomando su barbilla y besando la de nuevo...
El la besaba con arrebato y desesperación su blusa se pegada a su cuerpo por estar** mo**jada...
El comenzó a caricia su espalda...
Bajo sus besos de sus labios hasta el cuello... ella emitió un gemido y tembló.. se fue separando poco a poco y la miró profundamente...
Ven a dentro. Esta toda mojada... Y puedes pescar un resfriado..
Y la condujo a dentro de la casa... La llevó hacia una habitación encendió la luz...Candy vio todo cubierto..
El se dirigió hacia una cómoda...
Candy ven aquí.. esta casa era de mi hermana aquí vivió con su esposo y mi sobrino... yo la he mantenido Sus cosas intactas
Creo que puedes encontrar algo que pueda servir...
Si..
Candy! Volvió a abrazarla...
No sabes cómo me preocupe pensé que no estarías con vida.. ya que no teníamos directamente como ubicarte..
Albert! Le dijo y este apago su grito con un beso..
Se separaron.. Mirándose...
Ve a bañarte.. te voy a prepárate algo caliente...
Sii...
Afuera la tormenta arreciaba...
Candy se dio una ducha caliente..
Que buen mozo es pensaba que era más viejo pero su cara es la de un niño tierno... lo amo! y una sonrisa apareció en su rostro...
Termino de bañarse se dirigió a la cómoda encontró una pijama sin usar.. Envuelta en su papel.. de color negro
La destapó y era de dos piezas en algodón un pantaloncito y una blusa de tirantes... como no tenía ropa interior se la puso sin ella...
Al verse en espejo vio que esta le quedaba muy sexy y bastante ajustada.. y que ajustada especialmente en su entrepierna...
Dios! Se dijo sonrojada... no puedo bajar así.. se dirigió a un closet y encontró **una **bata de noche se la puso encima de su pijama...le llegaba un poco por encima de las rodillas se la amarró y salió..
Cuando baja el olor a chocolate y tostadas le acordaron que hacía horas que no había comido nada...
Y se paró en puerta de la cocina lo vio de espalda. Tenía puesto un pantalón de hacer ejercicios azul un t shirt blanco su cabellera larga baja un poco más de su nuca.. Sus músculos eran firmes.. se mordió los labios...
El volteó la mirada y la encontró ahí.. parada... su cabello recién lavado mojado... esa bata un poco clara deja ver lo que llevaba puesto debajo de ella..
Ella se sonrojó y bajo un poco la mirada
Se le cerco... tiernamente acarició sus mejillas... y le sonrió...
Estas bien?
Sí con mucha hambre... le dijo sonriendo..
Ven y la acomodo en una mesa que estaba ya dispuesta..
Le sirvió un chocolate bien caliente. Devoró las tostadas... casi de inmediato...
Caramba! Si que estabas hambrienta!? Por poco creo que también me podrías devorar a mi. Lanzando una gran carcajada... hacia tanto que no se reía así
Es que tenía mucha hambre Le dijo apenada..
Él le tomó su rostro...y le guiño un ojo..
Está bien te preparo más si quieres..
El ambiente se sentía agradable. La lluvia un se sentía caer..
Albert se levantó y fue a preparar más tostadas.
Y vienes muy seguido aquí?
Sí este lugar es como un refugio para mí cuando tengo que ahogar mis penas. Le dijo tristemente. Despalda a ella..
Albert! Corrió. Hacia el y lo abrazo. El vio sus pequeñas manos abrazando su abdomen.. Giro para quedar frente a ella...
Albert! Como quiera poder arrancarte todo el sufrimiento que has pasado... Yo también he sufrido mucho yo nunca conocí a mis padres le dijo bajando la mirada...
Candy! No sabía!
Sí yo soy huertana... el la tomó de la mano y la guio de nuevo hacia la mesa...
Yo fui criada por una señora que me encontró ella trabaja en un orfelinato y decidió no dejarme ahí y llevarme con ella.. .. Me dio educación y un hogar.. Murió después... el señor Mathew era vecino nuestro y se había mudado a la cuidad.. por eso yo quería mucho al señor Matthew el me ayudó mucho... le dijo con lágrimas y el la abrazo...
Duraron un largo rato así...
Yo! Te envidio porque por lo menos conociste a tus padres viviste con ellos yo no.. Yo no... Cuantas veces quise tener a mis padres verdaderos.. l e decía ahogada en llanto...
El le acariciaba sus cabellos, la acurrucaba... comprendió en ese instante que no sólo el estaba solo y si era cierto lo que decía Candy el tubo la dicha de tener a sus padres de conocerlos de tener una hermana.. y nunca se detuvo a pensar eso...
Candy! Candy! El ahogo su llanto en sus cabellos.. la abrazaba fuertemente... sentía que si no se liberaba de ese dolor se ahogaría.. ella por su parte acariciaba su espada dulcemente...
Tanto tiempo, tantas tristezas sin pensar que si los tuve, que si compartí con ellos...
Ella hizo que la mirará a los ojos...
Albert! Por esa misma situación es que te has esforzado mucho en que se haga justicia... y te comprendo...
Volvieron a abrazarse... él se sentía liberado...
Candy! Gracias por escucharme... por estar.. Eres muy especial para mi le dijo mirándola profundamente...
Que tan especial soy para ti Albert?
El no le contestó solo a tomo y la beso con ternura, ,, la apretó a su pecho... cada vez profundizaba más el beso... ella por su parte acariciaba su espalda y nuca...
El introducía más su lengua...dejo su boca para besar su cuello, ella se arqueo para dejarlo descubierto...
Con sus manos acariciaban su espalda por encima de la bata... Y no se dio cuenta cuando este desató el nudo de su bata..
La bata cayó y en un arranque la levanta sin romper el beso y la sienta en la mesa... Candy tembló cuando sintió que el con sus manos acariciaba sus senos por encima de su pijama... los estrujaba.. ya que estos estaban endurecidos por la excitación..
Se separó un poco de ella... y la guio con sus manos para que ella le quitara su t shirt.. y tímidamente se lo quito el sonrió de medio lado al notar la timidez de ella...
Candy deslizó sus manos por el amplio y fuerte pecho de el.. Hasta su nuca...
El la volvió. A besar frenéticamente... acariciando sus piernas y glúteos...
Ella jadeo cuando sintió la mano de él tomando sus senos por debajo de la pijama...
Y simplemente se dejó guiar el le quito esa parte lanzando la al suelo.
Ella se sonrojó.. y sintió vergüenza.. Eres preciosa.. le dijo tomando su barbilla... para nuevamente besarla...
En esos momentos de caricias.. Ella sintió como el la elevaba tomándola por los glúteos para no romper la posición que tenían en la mesa...
Ella entrelazo sus piernas con su cintura... se besaban con pasión y desenfreno..
Y cayeron en la cama... el la estrujaba sus manos recorrieron todo su cuerpo... ella jadeaba llamando su nombre...
Pronto el dejo sus labios y fue bajando con besos por sus pechos hasta su estómago... y se detuvo en su bajo vientre subió la mirada y la vio excitada.. Jadeante.. Subió y la beso de nuevo con sus manos fue bajando lentamente hasta llegar su intimidad para acariciarla..
Ella gimió desde el primer toque.. nunca había sentido placer alguno hasta ahora.. El la seguía acariciando hasta que se detuvo tomo su rostro en sus manos...
Candy! Eres lo mejor que me ha pasado en la vida..
Albert! Y volvió a unir su boca con la de ella..
El se separó de ella y delicadamente le quito el panteoncito dejándola completamente desnuda antes sus ojos... el se levantó y procedió a despojarse de su pantalón y solo se quedó con los boxers.. Ella lo miro azorada era un dios griego... tenía un cuerpo excepcional...
Se colocó encima de ella entrelazo su pierna.. Quería dejar un espacio libre para acariciarla... y besarla ya que el sentía que la aplastaría con su cuerpo...El sentía la fragilidad femenina de ella...
Ella jadeaba... temblaba con cada caricia... sintió como ya su dura masculinidad rosaba sus muslos...
Candy! Le llamo quiero hacerte mía!. El vio temor en su rostro y comprendió que esa era su primera vez... no temas! y la beso.
Ella arqueo su cuerpo por instinto el de deshizo de sus bóxer y delicadamente abrió sus piernas para comenzar a penetrarla con delicadeza.. Ella jadeo de dolor... el la abrazo discúlpame..
No está bien! Logro decirle...
Se quedó quieto por un segundo para que ella se acostumbrará a él y luego que su rostro cambio comenzó a moverse en ella.. No dejaba de besarla...
Cada vez más subía el ritmo.. Ella apretaba sus brazos fuertes de él..
Juntos llegaban hasta el séptimo cielo.
Cuando ella arqueo su cuerpo... ambos gritaron sus nombres... el sintió como Candy lo apretó al tener un orgasmo se derrumbó sobre ella apoyando su peso sobre sus codos..
Candy jadeaba por los espasmos del orgasmo..
El por su parte.. se quedó un poco más dentro de ella siento como su cuerpo reaccionaba las sentir las contracciones de ella..
El había tenido experiencias con mujeres pero esta vez fue diferente.. Sintió la diferencia cuando se unen el corazón con la piel...
El la colocó encima ella se acurruco en sus brazos...
Estas bien?
Sí solo siento un poco de ardor se me pasara..
No quise lastimarte! Soy un poco tosco..
No lo digas... tu eres el hombre más tierno de la faz de la tierra...
Y ella lo beso.. Cayeron rendidos afuera las gotas de lluvia reflejaban la luz de la luna..
Mientras tanto...
Scott se había comunicado con otro colega.. y estaban trabajando para poder obtener todos los registros pasados de conversación entre Smith y el comisionado
Bingo! Las tengo ya! Dan aquí están.
Wow! Son muchas aver
Y encontraron conversaciones que comprometen profundamente a Smith y el comisionado...
Y ahora? Tenemos que hacerles llegar esta memoria..
Sabes dónde encontrar a Andley.?
No
y a su compañero granchester.
Bueno.. Tendremos que ir a la jefatura?
Estás loco nos meterían a la cárcel!
No porque no hemos hecho nada... Tengo una idea?
Llama a Natacha, Ashley y jazmín.. Las necesitamos...
Que piensas hacer?..
ya lo veras vamos..
Terry estaba tratando de comunicarse con Albert y no lo lograba y había apagado su localizador..
Terry que pasa te noto preocupado le pregunto Susana
Susy! No sé dónde está Andley apago su celular y su localizador tengo miedo por el
Pero a lo mejor se fue a la casa abandonada..
Sí es cierto! Voy para allá
Terry Granchester! para donde crees que vas son casi las 10 de la noche y esa casa está a las afueras de la cuidad
Pero comprende Susy esto es cuestión de vida o muerte tengo que saber que está bien te prometo llamarte desde que llegue y me regreso enseguida..
Está bien! Solo ten cuidado mi amor le dijo acariciando su mejilla
Sí cariño lo tendré. Le dio un beso y acarició su crecido vientre
Terry salió ya estando parado en una de las avenidas ve como unas chicas prostitutas peleaban con unos hombres el se detuvo un rato y se fijo quienes eran, Scott y Dan.
Se estación y se dirigió hacia la pelea!
Hey! Heyy Que pasa aquí!
Scott y Dan! Dejen esa chicas!
Granchester a ti es quien queremos ver!
Bueno y para eso tenían que hacer un escándalo en la vía pública sabes que eso es penalizado por la ley...
Granchester toma! Y le da una memoria..
Que es esto? Todo lo que necesitas para acabar con Smith y el comisionado..
Sii.. dijo asombrado
13. Chapter 13
UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA
CAPITULO 14
Muchachos esto que ustedes me han entregado vale oro... Gracias...
No hay de que se lo dije a Andley los hermanos nos ayudamos unos a otros...le dijo Scott
Sí.. Con esto el comisionado y el idiota de Smith no tendrán escapatoria...
Claro mano! Debes de escuchar todas las conversaciones Dan me ayudó y pudimos buscar conversaciones desde hace más de dos años...
Que ? Como hicieron eso..
Trucos Granchester, trucos dijo Dan guiñando un ojo..
Muchachos les debo una así que traten de no meterse en muchos problemas...i
Claro hermano!... .. En ese instante saca un cigarrillo ... quieres porro?
Scott! Nunca dejaras eso verdad?
Jajajaja es broma Granchester..l e dijo dándole una fuerte palmada en la espalda..
Dios! Se me hizo tarde! Ya no podré ir a ver si encuentro a Andley..
Y que paso está desaparecido? Pregunto Dan..
Andley ya no es detective..
Oh! Si Scott me lo dijo y que secuestraron una persona muy importante es acaso una chica?
Sí ..
En la última conversación habla de una chica que se escapó y que están cerca de la frontera del estado con Indiana..
Que? En los límites del estado...
Sí.. lo mencionan le dijo Dan..
Muchachos ahora más que nada necesito de su colaboración... sigan grabando todo... necesito más información del lugar. Voy a revisar el satélite de rastreo de zonas.. Aquí esta. Mi número de celular..
Muchachos! Manos a la obra... Suban al auto los llevo al edificio..
Y los dejo... fuera de este...
Hey! Muchachos esperen..
Creo que no es justo que hagan ese trabajo así directamente por nada..
Tengan... y les dio una cantidad de dinero..
Oye mano no tenías que ponerte en esas.. le dijo Dan.
Sí Granchester cómo vi la forma en que estaba Andley.. Sentí la necesidad de ayudarlo.. dijo Scott..
Gracias muchachos pero tomen esto.. en agradecimiento...
Okey.. y lo tomaron..
Pero eso sii! Nada de drogas tienen que trabajar!
Sí Granchester no te preocupes... te informaremos..
Okey y Terry se alejo...
Y en otro lugar...
Demonios! Smith **c**omo que no la encontraron!
Jefe rastreamos toda la zona a lo largo de 5 kilómetros.
Gordon nos ayudó en la carretera reviendo todo vehículo que pasara..
Busquen más allá, debajo de toda piedra! Utilicen helicóptero pero tráigame esa mujer aquí!
Me entendieron! La quiero aquí!
Le dijo en un estruendo que retumbo todo el lugar...
Terry llego a su casa..
Susy.. Creo saber la ubicación de Candy!
En serio? Y Andley? Que paso?
No pude llegar.. Andley le había asignado a unos amigos que nos ayudará a intervenir los teléfonos de Smith y el comisionado.. Y los encontré y me dieron esto...le dije mostrándole la diminuta memoria..
Aquí en esto hay una serie de conversaciones que comprometen seriamente al comisionado y a Smith..
Y que vas a hacer?
Voy a someterla al ministerio público...
Okey... Terry se dispuso a escuchar todas las conversaciones..
Quedo asombrado nunca pensó que el comisionado y Smith fueran policías corruptos...
A ver siguiendo las coordenadas creo saber dónde están ubicados..
Pero Candy escapo... pobre chica! Por lo menos esta con vida... se dijo...
Ya había amanecido...
Los rayos del sol comenzaron a entrar por la habitación.. el ambiente húmedo de la noche anterior daba sensación de frio...Pero en la cama dos cuerpos entrelazados dormían plácidamente... ella descansaba su cabeza en su amplio pecho...
Poco a poco el fue despertando hacia un buen tiempo que no dormía así tan relajado y descansado la encontró hay durmiendo plácidamente en su pecho.. el calor que brotaba de su cuerpo era cálido y especial su abundante cabellera se esparcía en toda su espalda...
Parecía un ángel... desde que ella apareció la noche anterior no quiso preguntarle que le había pasado y donde había estado el simple hecho de saber que estaba bien y con vida le devolvía el alma al cuerpo..
Se movió lentamente para no despertarla... y se levantó.. Abrió la ventana abrió sus brazos y tomo una bocanada de aire .. Miro el día y lo encontró diferente a los demás..
Fue al baño se lavó se puso un pantalón sport y un t shirt gris...se acercó a la cama y la vio aun dormida. La cubrió y ella se movió y dejo ver una mancha de sangre en la sabana..
Dios! Soy un bruto... como pude lastimara así... le acarició el rostro... Candy prometo que nunca te dejare y que nadie te haga daño...se dijo..
Bajo y se dispuso a hacer el desayuno... cuando escuchó el ruido de un auto... saco de unas de las gavetas de la cocina una pistola y se fue acercando sigilosamente por la venta y efectivamente un auto se estaciono frente a la casa y era el de Terry y lo vio salir de este...
Y lo fue a encontrar a la puerta...
Buenos días! Le dijo con una sonrisa en los labios
Terry se sorprendió al verlo sin barba, y sonriente...
Buenos días..
Tu eres Andley verdad? Le dijo mientras le posaba su mano en la frente a ver si tenía fiebre..
Granchester! Si soy yo y no tengo fiebre déjate de hacerte el payaso..
Así eres tu... le dijo soltando una carcajada cosa que a Albert le dio risa y también sonrió..
Pero Caramba! Y ese cambio en ti.. le decía mientras entraba...
No lo vas a creer Terry Candy esta aquí conmigo..
Que? Por eso vine a decirte que ya se la ubicación de Neal y tengo muchas conversaciones que comprometen a Smith y el comisionado...
En serio!
Candy despierta se encuentra sola en la cama... comienza a incorporarse... Albert susurro su nombre... se levantó y sintió un poco de dolor en su entrepierna y cadera...
Sera normal.. el fue tan tierno, tan cariñoso que el dolor no lo sentía.. pensó..
Se dirigió hacia el baño luego salió de este y encontró solo el pantalóncito de la pijama.. y un t shirt de Albert olvidado en un sillón procedió solo a ponerse el t shirt sin nada debajo y bajando las escaleras escuchó voces se detuvo detrás de la puerta y reconoció la voz de Albert y la de Terry..
Si Andley Scott y Dan esos dos hackers descubrieron conversaciones desde hace más de dos años.. y comprometen mucho a Smith y el comisionado...
Lo sabía ellos dos están detrás de todo esto..
Pero dime cómo fue que candy dio contigo?..
El sonríe... si te dijera que ni yo mismo se ella llego toda mojada agitada. . Yo con el simple hecho de saber que esta con vida que está bien no le quise preguntar dónde estaba... sentí al verla que mi alma volvía a mi cuerpo...
Andley según una conversación la tenían en algún lugar cerca de la frontera con Indiana... ella escapo por una ventanas de un baño. Se arriesgó mucho...
Sí me he de imaginar todo lo que paso...pero lo mejor es que ella está viva y te digo una cosa granchester, no me voy a separar de ella... no la voy a dejar sola...
Veo que te importa mucho ella...
Sí... le dijo con una sonrisa... ella me ha hecho ver las cosas de una manera diferente...
El se le acercó y lo abrazó... Me alegro mucho por ti.. Te mereces una oportunidad..
Gracias Granchester... y ahora que haremos?...
Bueno por lo pronto voy a llevar toda la evidencia al ministerio público... No te preocupes Andley los tenemos y ahora no tendrán escapatoria alguna...
Neal leegan será un poco difícil de capturar...
Pero recuerda Andley que aún está candy por medio..
Sí eso me preocupa que el quiera seguir buscándola
Bueno eso es cierto pero cuando caigan sus dos manos derechas se verá acorralado y quizás piense escapar...
Si..
Por ahora mantén a candy aquí este lugar nadie sabe de su existencia...
Sí desde un principio pensé traerla aquí... ella está segura en este lugar...
Por lo pronto mira te traje otro localizador... y mantenlo encendido
Yo iré al ministerio público a depositar las pruebas. Nos mantenemos en contacto..
Claro! Gracias Granchester.
No hay de que romeo. Le dijo guiñándole un ojo.. Somos amigos y compañeros.. Así que diga su luna de miel..
Granchester! Le dijo tratando de estar molesto con el...
Nos vemos y se alejó...
El volvió a entrar...
Nunca te han dicho que escuchar detrás de las puertas es de mala educación...
Ella pego un salto al verse descubierta...
Albert!?
La abrazo y le sonrió.. Buenos días le dijo depositando le un tierno beso en la frente...
Buenos días ella le dijo brindándole una gran sonrisa.. y sin medir distancia la estrecho en sus brazos y la beso con arrebato...
Luego de unos instantes se separó un poco de ella...
Dormiste bien?
Si
Candy discúlpame no quise lastimarte.. Anoche. Soy un bruto..
No Albert tu eres el hombre más tierno del mundo.. te portarse conmigo muy tiernamente..
Por eso yo... me entregue a ti... le dijo mirándolo a los ojos.. Albert te amo..
El al escuchar eso de sus labios la tomó por sorpresa y la beso..
Comenzó a acariciarla por debajo del tshirt y este se dio cuenta que no tenía nada puesto debajo de este y hizo que lo excitara más
Candy! Que hacho de mí.. le decía entre sus besos.. Dime otra vez lo que dijiste dímelo!
Te amo. Le dijo ahogada en la excitación del momento...
La levantó ella entrelazo sus piernas entre sus caderas.. Ella le quito le tshirt mientras subían hacia la habitación...
Y siguió hacia el baño le quito el t shirt y la entro a la bañera sin dejar de besarla en la misma posición en que estaba..
Abrió el grifo de la bañera y las gotas de agua comenzaban a caer en sus cuerpos.. Albert como pudo se despojó de su pantalón y se amaron hasta que dar exhaustos….
Terry sale hacia la carretera a lo lejos un auto con vidrios oscuros ve cómo sale de ese lugar…
Y se acerca hacia la entrada ,,,, nunca me había imaginado que aquí había una entrada hacia donde llevara… era Smith que estaba recorriendo el lugar
14. Chapter 14
**UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA **
**CAPITULO 15**
Mientras tanto Terry llega al edificio del ministerio público...
Buenos días soy el detective Terry granchester de la delegación central sur de chicago y vengo a traer una evidencia de corrupción policial... y necesito hablar con el superintendente Brown.. Le dice a la joven de la casilla de información...
Un momento Sr granchester..
Espero unos segundos...
El Sr Brown lo espera... puede usted subir...
Gracias...
Granchester... como has estado...le dice dándole la mano...
Bueno se puede decir que bien...
Y dime que te trae por aquí
Bien esto es una historia bastante larga pero sabes del caso Neal Leegan verdad..
Claro hemos tratado de juzgarlo pero logra escapar de la justicia..
Exacto! Aquí tengo las pruebas,, de porque él ha logrado burlar la justicia.. y le entrega una serie de grabaciones telefónicas, cuentas bancarias y videos de cámaras de seguridad..
Por otro lado Smith se adentra al camino abandonado y figura una casa por entre los árboles... se desmonta a una distancia lejana y procede con cautela a acercarse al lugar ya casi llega cuando de pronto se escondió detrás de un árbol al distinguir las figuras de Albert y Candy por una ventana besándose...
Son Andley y la chica!
Rápidamente salió de allí sin que lo viera... subió a su auto y se dirigió hacia la casa antigua donde esta Neal...
Jefe encontré a Andley y a la chica.. Es tan en una casa abandonada casi llegando a la entrada de la cuidad...
Cómo! Es cierto eso?
Sí jefe...
Vaya! Vaya! Voy a matar a dos pájaros de un tiro Andley y la chica.
Al parecer Ande no perdió tiempo los vi besándose desde la ventana...
Smith vamos a hacer un plan pero esta vez no quiero que me fallen..
Sí...
Esto es lo que haremos llama primero a mis hombres...
Esta vez Andley te voy a dar donde más te duele... se dijo con un rostro lleno de ira y maldad...
Y en la casa abandonada Albert y Candy se olvidaban del mundo que les rodeaba...
Cayeron exhaustos en la cama. Ella estaba encima de su pecho acariciándolo.. El por su parte cerró los ojos y dejo que Candy seguirá su camino de besos hasta sus labios y lo beso...
El abrió los ojos y vio la profundidad de sus ojos verdes...
Le acarició el rostro... Candy...! mi ángel...y la abrazo.
Hasta que el estómago de candy gruñón..
Pero que fue eso? Dijo lanzando una gran carcajada.. Si suena una guerra en tu estómago.
Es que tengo hambre... se sonrojó un poco..
Es cierto hemos tenido mucho movimiento y no hemos comido nada. Le dijo pícaramente...
Sí...
Se levantan.. Ella se cubrió con la sábana.. Mientras el busca que ponerse..
Candy lo ve completamente desnudo a la luz del día... un cuerpo perfecto producto de las pesas y el ejerció físico... y se quedó ahí contemplándolo...
Hasta que el volvió hacia ella.
Que pasa?
Pero como decirle que al verlo a la luz del día a activado sus deseos... Bueno es que con la barba y el bigote pensaba que eras más viejo...
Y lanzó una carcajada al aire ..
No lo soy tanto.. Lo que pasa es como me ocultaba...tomo un poco de aire.. Muchas veces no quería que nadie viera mi rostro..
Albert! Ya no tienes que ocultarte debes de ahora en adelante vivir la vida...
No lo sé Candy... muchas veces hasta he maldecido la vida que llevo...
Albert! No digas eso... le dijo con lágrimas en los ojos...
Candy! No me gusta verte llorar cuando lloras y más si es por mí me siento el hombre más canalla del mundo porque me duele saber que sufres por mi culpa...
Albert! Lo abrazó fuertemente. Ella aún estaba envuelta en la sábana el solo se había colocado un pantalón...
Candy! La hizo que lo mirará... Tu sonrisa me ilumina el alma...Eres mucho más linda cuando ríes que cuando lloras. Nunca dejes de brindarme esa sonrisa tuya..
Ella lo miro y ni tardo en regalarle una gran y hermosa sonrisa...
La beso...
Bueno creo que tengo que buscarte algo que ponerte ven. La llevó de nuevo a la habitación de su hermana... trata de buscar algo creo que mi hermana y tu casi son de la misma talla..
Okey está bien buscare algo.. y le guiño un ojo..
Bueno bajo a preparar algo de comer.
Y salió se puso una camisa.. y entro a la sala se acercó a una pared donde había colgado un cuadro lo retira y detrás de este hay una especie de gaveta y de esta saca una caja color terciopelo con una cadena y un dije en forma de estrella donde se le puede colocar dos fotografías .. Se dirige a la cocina y con sumo cuidado introduce el rastreador de Terry le había dejado lo cerró de una forma que nadie lo pudiera abrir sin que perder la forma original luego procedió a preparar el desayuno...
Por otro lado el superintendente reviso casi toda la evidencia que Terry le dio.
Granchester.. Esto es un escándalo. hay que ir a arrestar al comisionado Gordon...hay muchas pruebas y son muy contundentes en su contra a el y el detective Smith..
Claro! Andley y yo hemos estado detrás de sus movimientos ya que encontramos extraño que el caso Leegan lo paso a manos de Smith
Por lo que veo los dos están bien involucrados con el bien Granchester vámonos llevaremos los fiscales y procederemos a someterlo a la justicia...
Y un grupo de fiscales junto a Terry fueron a la delegación..
Gordon Anderson queda usted detenido por estar junto con Robert Smith involucrados en la banda de Neal leegan y de los previos asesinatos de las srtas Michell Andrews y Mila Stones..
Esto es mentira! Granchester no te saldrás con la tuya!
Llévenselo muchachos.. dijo Terry.
Tenemos que buscar a Smith...
Señor Brown tengo la ubicación de Neal leegan es posible que el este allá..
Okey Granchester quedas al mando..
Has la comitiva y realiza el operativo..
Okey señor..
Mientras tanto Candy se había puesto un lindo vestido color rosa con corte cuadrado y manguitas abultadas se colocó un lazo en el pelo dejándolo suelto.. Se veía coqueta así..
Bajo y la vio se veía simplemente hermosa...
Te ves encantadora ..
Te gusta...le dijo modelándole el vestido..
Fantástica! La estrecho y la beso..
Luego la acompaño hacia la mesa donde disfrutaron de un buen desayuno.
Me sorprendes sabes cocinar muy bien...
Bueno que se puede hacer cuando uno vive solo y tiene hambre...
Bueno yo no soy muy buena cocinando .. Tiendo a quemar las cosas.. le dijo apenada..
Bueno tal vez es por la falta de práctica.. le dijo guiñándole..
Y ella sonrió..
El se levantó se dirigió hacia ella y sacando de su bolsillo la cadena se la colocó en el cuello..
Albert y esto? Dijo incorporándose..
Era de mi madre paso a mi hermana y quiero pasarte la a ti Candy..
Albert pero esto es muy preciado para ti es de las dos mujeres más importantes para de tu vida
Dirás tres porque Candy tu eres muy importante para mí.
Albert!
Candy! Le dijo tomándole las manos y mirándola Profundamente..
Y no pudo terminar la frase cuando de pronto de entra Smith con sus hombres...
Y apuntan a Albert y a Candy.
Qué demonios! Albert hace un movimiento para coger su pistola cuando siente un piquete en su cuello..
Le dispararon un dardo adormecedor.
Candy!
Albert! Y todo se oscureció. Solo ve la figura de Smith agarrando a Candy
15. Chapter 15
**UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA **
**CAPITULO 16**
Bien muchachos el lugar donde se encuentra Neil y sus hombres esta entre la frontera del estado con Indiana.. Les mostraba Terry un plano virtual en la pared...
Esta operación no puede fallar.. Llevaremos un helicóptero y varias unidades.. Muchachos esta va hacer la mejor operación de captura que nunca se haya hecho..
Así que preparémonos manos a la obra! Y todos procedieron a preparase..
Terry mientras tanto trata de comunicarse con Albert y no da resultado...
Que extraño su celular esta encendido pero no contesta...
Bueno como esta de luna de miel. Pensó con una sonrisilla...
Albert empieza a abrir sus ojos y se encuentra sentado y esposado en una sala al parecer es una oficina abandonada... estaba semi oscura cuando sus ojos se acostumbraron se dio cuenta que no estaba solo..
Vaya vaya! Al fin despiertas le dijo una voz conocida para el..
Neal!
Sí Andley soy yo y que cosas del destino encontrarnos de nuevo frente a frente...
Donde esta ella? Que le hiciste? Le dice tratando de zafarse..
Tranquilo! Se acerca...
Neal si le has hecho algo te juro que no vivirás para contarlo?
Jaaaaa! Cuantas veces me has dicho lo mismo Andley pero esta vez no será igual...me escuchaste? le dice halándole el pelo y amenazando lo con una pistola...
Te voy a dar donde más te duele Andley y esta vez el que saldrás perdiendo eres tu! Y lo soltó bruscamente...
Maldito neal! No te saldrás con la tuya ya has hecho demasiado daño..
Donde está Candy! Que le hiciste!..
Traigan a la chica!
Y Smith procede a traer a Candy estaba atada de manos..
Albert! Le dijo a un grito..
Candy!
Neal procede a tomar a Candy por un brazo..
No tienes malos gustos andley esta chica es una preciosidad le decía mientras de delineaba su rostro con la pistola..
Neal! Déjala suéltala este problema es tuyo y mío nada más.
Noo! Y le apretó el brazo .. ella también está de por medio y no permitiré que ni ella ni tu dañen mis planes... Candy lloraba..
Albert trataba de zafarse..
Maldición! Neal suéltala!
Aver vamos a jugar un poco… sabes esta pistola solo tiene dos balas…. Le dice apuntándole a la sien de candy…
Albert abre los ojos de par en par …
Neal no te atreverás?
Y porque no tu fuiste el causante de mis desdichas! Tu mismo si no fue por ti hoy ella estuviera feliz conmigo!
Pero tuviste tú que entre ponerte entre nosotros…
Neal estas enfermo!…..
Yo la amaba…. Le dijo con rabia… me escuchaste yo la amaba…..
Basta neal! Eso no es amor.. Una persona que ama de verdad no hace daño al ser querido tu la secuestraste y la intentaste violar! Acaso no te acuerdas de eso? Maldito! Infeliz…. Albert estaba muy alterado….
La secuestre porque tu no querías mi relación con ella…. Y cuando supe que se iba a casar con ese marinero de cuarta … me hirvió la sangre aun mas…..
Pero yo te hare pagar eso andley… te hare sufrir como nunca… y apretó mas el brazo de candy y esta hizo un gesto de dolor…
Demonios! Neal déjala en paz! Suéltala maldita sea!
No jugare un poco con ella… Neal en ese instante quiso poner sus manos en los pechos de candy cuando ve la cadena que lleva con el dije en forma de estrella….
Y esto! Arrancándosela bruscamente. Mirando a Albert esto era de ella! Como es que esta chica lo tiene? Dime? Y lo lanza hacia el suelo…. Al estrecharse contra el suelo activo la señal del trasmisor….
Dime porque ella lo lleva dímelo! Le suelta tremendo golpe en el rostro a Albert este comenzó a sangrar por la boca….
Y vuelve hacia Candy y la aprieta del brazo… con esas tenemos… quieres decir que ya te revolcaste con ella?
Neal ya basta!
A ver querida te voy a decir algunas cosas de tu amorcito… le dijo …
Neal! No te atrevas a ….
Que no me atreva a que? A decirle la verdad de quien eres…
Sabes el usa siempre a sus testigos sabias eso…
Candy estaba confusa….
No no lo sabias,,,,, no sabías que después que se acuesta con ellas simplemente la desecha…..
Neal ¡! Maldito como puedes decir eso!
Claro lo puedo decir ¡! No es el caso de Michell y Milla no te acuerdas de esas dos hermosas y tiernas jovencitas…bien que las disfrutaste...
Neal eres un maldito sabes bien lo que paso con ellas dos!
Aver una cosa ya que te revolcaste con el te dijo palabras bonitas pero acaso te dijo que te amaba?
Candy no entendía pero era cierto el no le dijo en ningún momento que la amaba… miro a Albert y su rostro se nublo por completo… seria cierto que el la utilizo?
Albert la miro con rostro de desesperación….
Lo vez solo te utilizo querida…. Solo te estaba utilizando para llegar hasta mí y luego dejarte….
El no quiere a nadie a nadie…! Neal estaba desquiciado.
No, no, no eso no es cierto! Decía candy ya llegando a la desesperación…
Maldito neal me la pagaras todas….
Veo que estas sufriendo… y te voy a hacer sufrir más ahora…
Tomo a candy fuertemente y le apunto con la pistola de nuevo en la sien… candy cerro los ojos…
A ver… te dije que esta pistola tenía 2 balas que tal si tratamos de jugar a la ruleta rusa… por que no te dejare ni a ti ni a ella vivos….
Y procede a alar del gatillo…
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Grito con desesperación Albert…
Mientras tanto la operación llego al lugar donde podrían estar neal y los demás…. Pero no había nadie… la casa estaba vacía..
Granchester al parecer si habían personas aquí.. Le dijo Johnson
Maldición! Se fuero no hay nadie aquí ya!
Volvamos muchachos! Terry ve en ese mismo instante que el rastreador emite una señal…
Que extraño el trasmisor de Andley está en otro lugar porque?
Muchachos vámonos Andley está en problemas…..
Y salieron rápidamente del lugar…
Espero llegar a tiempo…. Es por los terrenos de una industria abandonada….
Y del otro lado neal había apretado el gatillo pero este fallo no estaba la bala en ese espacio….
Candy temblaba… Albert miraba con desesperación…
Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaa te hice sufrir verdad maldito infeliz….
Vuelve a apretar a candy… sabes! También hay otra cosa que tengo que decirte el no me puede matar sabias!
Candy abre sus ojos llorosos de par en par…
Sabes por que… por que el no puede matar a un familiar sabias? … yo soy sobrino del …. Y la soltó bruscamente al suelo.. yoooooooooo soy sobrino de el… el es mi tío…
Neal cállate!
Comprendes ¡! No podrá matarme por que no tendrá las agallas para hacerlo! Candy miraba sorprendida esas declaraciones de neal… entonces el estaba enamorado de su propia tía….
Neal estas demente desde un principio estas desquiciado…
Volvió hacia el y le propino otro golpe! Cállate! Por eso no quisiste nunca que me acercara a Rosemary… por eso mismo por que viste mi amor como una enfermedad y no lo era no lo era!
Yo si la amaba! Neal estaba sudado traspiraba su mirada y expresión daban miedo….
Fue hacia candy…. La levanto ….. y se la acerco….
Mírala bien! Mírala bien! Y dime una cosa acaso ella no te acuerdan sus ojos…. Ella tiene sus mismos ojos… maldición!
Neal demonios! Albert con los movimientos bruscos que hacia había roto parte del espaldar de la silla…
Pero yo voy a disfrutar de esos ojos y de su cuerpo veras como me divierto con ella frente a ti….
Terry había llegado al lugar… habían nombres vigilando el lugar….
Con los binoculares los miraba…
Johnson tenemos que llamar su atención.. la señal viene de allá dentro… no podemos hacer ningún movimiento brusco no sabemos si Andley y Candy están hay
Okey… prosiguen a llamar la atención de dos de ellos…
Los golpearon y cayeron al suelo…
Terry les hace seña a los demás para entrar…. Y entraron sigilosamente…
Neal tomo bruscamente el rostro de candy y la beso…
Ella dejo que el se acostumbrara cuando de pronto mordió sus labios,,,
Albert se zafo de la silla y su fuerza logro abrir las esposas le propino un golpe a neal que callo hacia el suelo… maldito infeliz! Le decía mientras lo golpeaba…
Albert! Lo vas a matar! Decía candy. Déjalo! No vale la pena…
Terry y los demás subían las escaleras cuando abren bruscamente un cuarto… manos a arriba! Quedan todos arrestados!
Smith quiso hacer un intento… pero terry saco dos pistolas!
Y le apunto en el rostro… ni no intentes! Compadre porque sabrás quienes son Jansell y Gretel y no son los del cuento… donde esta Andley y Candy,,, dime maldito imbécil….
Están en la ala contigua…. Vamos! Muchachos rápido! Y salieron un grupo….
Neal estaba en el suelo todo golpeado…
Albert por favor déjalo! le decía llorando a mares ..no vale la pena… la justicia se encargara de el…
Candy! Le acaricio el rostro y le quito las sogas que amaraban sus manos..
En ese mismo instante neal se incorpora..
Maldito! William Albert Andley! No serás feliz ella ni con nadie! Saca una pistola que tenía escondida nos veremos en el infierno…. Y todo paso en un abrir y cerrar de ojos…
Neal hizo dos disparos hacia candy y Albert la protegió con su cuerpo…
Noooooooooooooooo! Candy!
Neal no pudo disparar más porque el oficial George Johnson le disparo en la cabeza…
El cuerpo de neal cayo….
Candy sintió algo tibio mojar su pecho… era la sangre de Albert… ella lo detuvo,,
Albert nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Cayo lentamente al suelo…..
No Albert no!
Candy… le acaricio con sus manos llenas de sangre….
No hables! Ella con su habilidad de enfermera trato de parar la sangre..
Candy debes saber que no todo lo que neal dijo es cierto….
Por favor eso no vale la pena ahora….. no hables no te hace bien…. Estaba sangrando mucho…..
Candy yo si realmente te amooo y se desvaneció en ese mismo instante…
No Albert no! Nooooo
Terry llego con los demás… rápidamente se lo llevaron en una ambulancia….. Estaba perdiendo mucha sangre… una de las balas atravesó su abdomen.. la otra está dentro de su cuerpo…. Estaba debatiendo entre la vida y la muerte su pulso cada vez más se hacía más bajo…
A candy el camino hacia el hospital le pareció eterno….
Ya dentro lo llevaron a cirugía inmediatamente….
Las compañas de candy la abrazaban.. ella estaba desesperada su vestido estaba todo machando de la sangre de Albert…
Terry llego abrazo a candy….
Ella no tenía consuelo…
En el quirófano las cosas iban de mal en peor la bala estaba arrojada en unos de sus pulmones, la otra salió pero daño parte de sus intestinos.. Estaba sangrando internamente.. Pasaron varias horas la operación termino y tubo un paro respiratorio… se nos va! Rápido! Reanimación!… lo perdemos!
Pasaron unos cuantos minutos cuando el doctor sale se quita el gorro de cirugía… y se les acerca a Candy y Terry…
Lo siento mucho Candy!,….
16. Chapter 16
**UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA **
**CAPITULO 17**
Lo siento candy! Hicimos lo que pudimos la operación fue un éxito pero tuvo un paro respiratorio y entro en coma clínicamente estuvo muerto por casi un minuto. Tiene un accidente cerebrovascular... sus funciones cerebrales no están trabajando a su capacidad no sabremos si despertara en estos casos.. hizo una pausa... estará con el espirador artificial en cuidados intensivos ...
Candy estaba destrozada..
No es posible! Porque porque? Decía llorando abrazada a Terry..
Candy! Hay que tener fe.. Andley es fuerte...
Es que no entiendes Terry es posible que nunca despierte en pocas palabras está vivo por el respirador artificial... le dijo ahogada en llanto
Terry solo bajo la mirada...
Es cierto en estos casos el paciente solo ésta vivo por ese aparato..
Por favor quiero verlo? Le pidió Candy al doctor...
Claro ya lo llevaremos a cuidados intensivos...
Ya en cuidados intensivos Candy se le acerca ahí estaba el pálido por la cantidad de sangre perdida..
El monitor del ritmo cardíaco indicaba un pulso estable... su respiración se marcaba por los movimientos del respirador..
Le tomó de la mano y la sintió fría.
Porque? Porque unas manos tan cálidas cómo las tuyas ahora se sienten frías... Albert! lloraba amargamente... no me dejes! Le dio un beso en la frente.. no me dejes quiero volver a ver el azul del mar en tus ojos... no me dejes prometiste! que me cuidarías! Noooo...su llanto era amargo y doloroso...
Y no supo qué tiempo paso cuando sintió una mano en su hombro..
Candy! Le llamo Terry.. Debes de descansar.. Has estado sin comer nada...
Estoy bien le dijo...
No Candy tienes que ser fuerte no puedes debilitarse él quera que te enfermeras... Y sé que además quieres atenderlo pero tienes que atenderte tú..
Vuelvo más tarde le dijo dándole un beso en la frente.. y salió envuelta en llanto...
Donde quieres ir? puedes ir a mi casa Susana le dará gusto verte.
No Terry gracias me voy al apartamento con mis compañeras...
Candy! Lo siento mucho...no pude llegar a tiempo.
No te preocupes Terry hiciste todo lo que tenías a tu alcance. Pero dime como nos encontraron?
Bueno digamos que Andley tiene su haz debajo de la manga mira.. Sacando de su bolsillo la cadena..
Andley te dio esto verdad?
Sí… le dijo llorando.
El puso un rastreador en él y pudimos encontramos.
Candy lloraba..
Candy Andley no quería perderte de vista ningún instante...
Terry! Se abrazo a el... Albert me cubrió con su cuerpo.. el arriesgo su vida por mi!
Candy los seres humanos damos hasta la vida por quienes amamos y andley te ama... por eso debes de ser fuerte y ayudarlo a volver sé que tú lo ayudarás Candy lo sé!
Si..
Ven te llevo debes de descansar mañana en adelante tienes que cuidarlo...
Sí Terry lo cuidare con todas mis fuerzas el arriesgo la vida por mí y yo no puedo dejarme llevar por la tristeza...
Claro!
Y el la llevó la pensión de estudiantes.. Karen, Flamy y Dorothy se sorprendieron al verla y con el vestido lleno de sangre...
Y muy a pesar de lo que le dijo a Terry su corazón y su alma estaban destrozados solo hizo ver a sus amigas para lanzarse a sus brazos y llorar...
Por favor muchachas cuiden a Candy ella más que ahora necesita de ustedes...
Sí no se preocupe nos enteramos por los noticieros íbamos a ir al hospital le dijo Karen ..
Aquí está mi número de teléfono.. Cualquier cosa no duden en llamarme...
Okey..
Terry se fue.. Pero el también estaba destrozado... se montó en su auto.. y unas lágrimas bajaron por su mejilla..
Por su mente pasaron imágenes de todo lo que había pasado con Albert desde el día en que se conocieron...
Fueron muchos momentos William muchos!
Y se marchó hasta su casa..
Cuando llega...
Se abraza fuertemente a Susana.. Y llorando cómo un niño..
Susy el prácticamente está muerto solo un milagro, solo un milagro!
Terry amor se lo que significa Andley para ti.. pero sabias que tal vez esto podría a ver pasado con respecto a Neal Leegan el mismo tenía miedo de lo que podría suceder...
Si... la pobre Candy está destrozada ya que él fue que recibió las balas por ella..
Andley ama a Candy... le dice Susana.
Sí él una vez me dijo que por el problema de Neal leegan no quería enamorase.. pero cuando conoció a Candy todo cambio..
El me hizo creer una cosa pero yo sabía que el fondo candy ya estaba dentro de su corazón por más que el se empeñaba en que sólo era una testigo primordial para el caso Neal Leegan. No era así.. ella lo consiguió logró que el cambiará su aptitud..
Susy el se afeito cuando lo fui a buscar a la casa ni lo conocía estaba diferente..
Ya veo..
Sí Susy y hasta me dio a entender por un momento que tal vez quizás iba a desistir de dejar a Neal.. Creo que estaba seriamente pensando eso se iba a dar una oportunidad y mira..
Aun ese maldito está muerto y aún está haciendo daño..
Terry ya! Ahora debes ser fuerte amor tienes también que darle ánimos a candy ella está sufriendo aún más...
Sí Susy ...
Candy se había bañado sus amigas se empeñaron en que comiera pero no tenía apetito solo logró beber un jugo el cual sigilosamente Flamy le puso un tranquilizante suave que la iba a relajar y hacer que durmiera..
Chicas gracias necesito estar sola..
Entiendan por favor!
Está bien Candy pero estaremos al pendiente descansa.. le dijo Dorothy.
Sí Candy debes de ser fuerte tu trabajo será cuidarlo.. Verás que con tu amor y cuidado el volverá le dijo karen..
Ánimos candy y descansa le dijo flamy..
Gracias chicas no sé qué haría sin ustedes y se abrazaron..
Descansa bye... cerró la puerta y se derrumbó a llorar amargamente...
Albert! Tan tierno.. Tal dulce... decía mientras lloraba recordando los momentos de felicidad a su lado...
Y ahora estás y no estas... Albert no podría vivir sin ti tu eres mi familia ahora.. y sintió que el sueño la vencía y cayó dormida..
Ya era media mañana y despertó sobre saltada Dios! Dormí tan profundo... y es tarde ya!
Se levanta con ánimos ya que durmió muy bien se sentía con fuerzas... Ya en el hospital pidió al director que le dejase atender exclusivamente a Albert y el asedio...
Ella entro y lo vio ahí inerte.. Le beso la frente... y le tomó una mano...
Hola! Ya estoy aquí y no me voy a separar de ti..su mano aun fría.. se contuvo para no llorar...
En la delegación el nuevo comisionado toma posición de su cargo...
Todos estaban presentes en el salón de conferencias..
Bien muchachos me presento mi nombre es Phil Lawrence.. seré su nuevo comisionado al mando del comando policial sur de la cuidad de chicago...
Desde ahora en adelante ningún crimen quedará impune sea quien sea... se todo lo que paso aquí.. y tienen todo mi apoyo especialmente al detective William Albert Andley...
Le regreso su placa y será mientras tanto detective honorífico...
Todos aplaudieron efusivamente..
Terry Granchester suba aquí..
Y el subió..
Terry Granchester le hago entrega de la placa de Andley y a usted le doy una medalla de honor por que junto a Andley ustedes pudieron desmantelar esa banda y descubrir las acciones de Smith y Anderson..
Todos volvieron a aplaudir efusivamente...
Desde ahora todos los que trabajaron en ese operativo tienen un aumento en su rango..
Mientras tanto Candy cuida de Albert junto a los doctores ...
Así fueron pasando los días. Y no había evolución..
Candy sentía que sus esperanzas se esfumaban
Ya lleva casi un mes y nada ..le dijo a Terry que había llegado a visitarlo
Candy sabes cuál es su condición...
Sí pero pensé que podría ya a estas alturas tener una leve mejoría. Le dijo entre lágrimas...
Y salieron de la sala.. En el pasillo..
Terry quiero hacerte una pregunta
A ver qué es?
Bueno tomando aire.. Quienes eran Michell y Milla.. Candy desde aquella vez Neal las menciono quería saber en realidad que paso no porque dudará de Albert si no que quería saber en si que ocurrió..
Bueno creo que Neal las menciono pues te diré ellas fueron testigos de una transacción que hicieron Smith y Anderson ellas trabajaban en una Las sucursales bancarias del estado y se encontraron extraño que dos policías depositarán una gran suma de dinero sin ninguna justificación alguna...
Andley había conocido a Michell en el banco y el me contó que ella le caía bien... no llegaron a tener nada concreto... en fin ellas dos nos contaron lo que habían visto y de inmediato se abrió una investigación..
Pero no pudimos hacer nada aparecieron asesinadas y la cuenta desapareció así como los videos de vigilancia...
Candy quedo abrumada como era posible que neal dijera todas esas cosas...
Y que más te dijo el malnacido de Neal...
Bueno... dudo.. al hablar.
El me dijo que Albert utilizaba sus testigos para revolcarse con ellas y después desecharlas...
Neal era un maldito desgraciado! Ese enfermo mental..
No Albert nunca les tocó un pelo Michell que era la que le llamaba la atención que yo sepa nunca estuvieron juntos... después que eso paso Andley ni quiso volver a fijar sus ojos en alguna chica por temor a revivir lo mismo..
Por eso el me decía que no quería hacerme daño al principio .. dijo candy..
Candy! Si te puedo decir que william me hacía entender una cosa acerca de ti pero en realidad yo ya sabía que tú estabas en su corazón..
Candy lloro... amargamente al escuchar las palabras de Terry.
Sí Candy william jamás te utilizo..
Sí tú le cambiaste la forma de ver las cosas... y te doy las gracias por eso.. Andley para mi es como el hermano que nunca tuve..
Sabes el me salvo de unos tipos que estaban asaltan eran 4 y yo apenas me sabía defender..
Desde ese suceso hicimos un lazo de amistad hasta el punto de ser compañeros y equipo de trabajo...
Le debo mucho a el...
Sii...
Candy y Terry duraron un buen tiempo hablando hasta que el se despidió..
Candy volvió a ver a Albert y se quedó con el hasta que llegará la enfermera de guardia nocturna...
Pasaron 20 días más y ya tenía mes y medio sin avances...
Y Susana dio a luz una linda niña..
Tres días después el comisionado llama a Terry A su oficina se le veía un poco angustiado
.me llamo señor
Granchester tengo algo muy importante que decirte.. le dijo muy seriamente..
Usted dirá..
Mira Granchester tu sabes que del gobierno manda un presupuesto a cada delegación policial y que con ese presupuesto es que suplimos todo lo concerniente aquí.. Actualmente la delegación se está haciendo cargo los de la estadía de cuidados intensivos de Andley en el hospital y por ende nuestros costos han subido..
Que me quiere decir con eso?
Lo siento Granchester sé que ustedes están también cooperando con la ayuda pero no podemos seguir manteniendo la estadía de Andley..
Señor sabe lo que eso significa lo van a descontar del ventilador!
Lo se Granchester pero entiende esto se sale de mis manos..
Hable con el director del hospital y el me dice que no ve esperanza alguna que al contrario es posible que empiece su cuerpo a deteriorarse ..
Y hoy lo desconectan..
Que?
Sí desde hace 15 días el subsidio se paralizó...
No puede ser!
Lo siento mucho se lo importante que es Andley para ti pero creo que es mejor así y así se evitan seguir sufriendo más tu y la chica a la que el defendió...
Y ella sabe eso.
No creo que no sólo esperan a que ustedes dos estén presentes para proseguir..
Okey ..Y Terry salió abrumado, triste y llorando hacia el hospital..
En el hospital Candy había llegado.. se dispuso a asear a Albert.. ya había terminado cuando una enfermera la llama.
Candy el director quiere que te presentes a su oficina..
Okey gracias.
Vuelvo en un instante... Candy había bajado de peso y estaba pálida...
Cuando entro trago en seco al ver la cara de angustia de Terry y el director.
Y le explicaron lo que pasaba..
Pero! Eso significa que lo van a desconectar! No podrá sobrevivir!
Candy lo siento mucho pero sabes que no ha evolucionado y en esos casos solo un milagro lo volvería en si.. Comprende el comenzará a deteriorarse poco a poco...
Pero no hay otra solución? Le dijo mirando a Terry
Candy la hermana de Andley le dejo una cantidad significativa en el banco pero aun así no durará mucho y tampoco tenemos acceso a ella.
Pero Terry el morirá! Le dijo ahogada en llanto..
Candy con dolor en mi alma creo que es lo mejor y así no sufría más...
No, no Terry no,.
Candy por favor no hagas este sufrimiento más grande le dijo llorando... ella camino hacia la puerta cabizbaja.
Y cuando piensan hacerlo.. Sentía que las piernas le faltaban..
Dentro de unos minutos.. dijo el director...
Unos minutos dijo en susurro y se desmayó..
Candy! La llevaron hacia la sala de emergencias..
Habían pasado ya 10 minutos y ella despierta..
Y se encuentra en una camilla de la sala de emergencia la Dra! Britter la estaba asistiendo..
Albert! Tengo que ir..
Candy espera...!
Por favor dime si ya lo desconectaron. Le dijo angustiada..
Sí hace dos minutos..
No! Y procedía a irse...
Candy espera tienes que ver esto..
La Dra la detuvo y le enseña el resultado de unos análisis.
Ella abrió los ojos de par en par..
No puede ser!
Anda candy ve dale motivos para vivir...
Y esta se va corriendo hacia la habitación.
De esta salía Terry y el director..
Y miran que llega agitada… llorando…
Y la dejan pasar…
Solo le dejaron el monitor de ritmo cardiaco…
Se le acerca ve que casi no respira…. Le toma la mano…
Albert por favor! No me puedes dejar! Ahora más que nunca no puedes! Tu prometiste que te quedarías a mi lado! Que me quedarías! No puedes dejarme…
Se le acerca al oído y le susurra…. Algo
Entiendes no nos puedes dejar por favor! Y cayo derrotadada en su pecho… llorando cuando de pronto el monitor del ritmo cardiaco emite un sonido el cual hace que candy levante la cabeza y abra sus ojos de par en par….
ESPERE YA EL CAPITULO FINAL !
17. Chapter 17
**UN ANGEL EN MI VIDA **
**CAPITULO 18 FINAL**
**GRACIAS CHICAS POR DARME SU APOYO PARA TERMINAR ESE FIC QUE LLEVABA MAS DE 5 AÑOS ESTANCADO... MUY ESPECIALMETE A MAYRA EXITOSA ELLA ME IMPULSO A VOLVER A ESCRIBIR GRACIAS MIL!**
**TAMBIENA lIOVANA HERNANDEZ..BESOS PARA TI..**
**CLAY ARDLEY UN ABRAZO ...**
**SAYURI1707, GATITA ANDREW CHIQUITA ANDREW ZAFIRO AZUL CIELO 1313 TAMBIEN UN FUERTE ABRAZO Y LAS DEMAS CHICAS QUE HAN SEGUIDO ESTA HISTORIA SIN SUS REVIEWS NO HUBIESE SEGUIDO ,,,, LOS REVIEWS SON IMPORTANTES YA QUE ESTOS IMPULSAN AL ESCRITOR O ESCRITORA A SEGUIR ESCRIBIENDO ... **
**BESOS DISFRUTEN DEL ULTIMO CAPITULO...**
Ha pasado casi 6 años Terry se dirigía casi a las afueras de la cuidad cuando toma un camino lleno de árboles altos.. en los últimos tres años se había convertido en un gran actor de televisión y el teatro junto a su esposa Susana...
Siguió por la ruta hasta llegar y estacionarse frente a linda casa rodeada de un pequeño jardín..
Sí que ha quedado preciosa.. Se dijo frente a ella..
Prosigue a tocar el timbre de la puerta...
De adentro se escuchaban pasos a la carrera con algarabía..
Se abrió la puerta y esta salió una niña no más de 5 años rubia pelo lacio unas cuantas pequitas en la cara y unos lindos ojos verdes juguetones .. Junto a un pequeño de apenas dos años rubio con el pelo un poco rizado y ojos azules como el cielo miraban curiosos..
Hola! Que desea Le dijo la niña..
Hola pequeña vengo a visitar a tus padres...
Usted conoce a mis papas..
Claro! Desde hace mucho...
Sii! Le dijo con una gran sonrisa..
Creo que lo conozco a usted... Usted sale en la televisión...
Sii me has visto?
Sí mi papa dice que te conoce y que eres un real payaso!
Que soy qué? Jajaja! Lanzó una tremenda carcajada por la ocurrencia de la niña.. En ese instante una linda joven rubia pelo rizado con pantalón jeans, una blusa de cuatros salía a la puerta a al escuchar el comentario de la pequeña..
Rosemary! Y ella volteó al verse atrapada por la mirada enfada de su madre... A pesar de todo hiso un esfuerzo grande para no reír también por el comentario.
Vamos niños! Rosy Tienes que terminar tus deberes..
Sii! Nos vemos Dijo la niña.. y se fue corriendo
Mami leche!... le dijo el pequeñín..
Claro amor ven y lo levantó en sus brazos...
Terry! Que gusto verte!
El gusto es mío candy.. le dijo dando un abrazo con el bebé en sus brazos... hace mucho..
Sí creo que la última vez Anthony tenía dos meses de nacido...
Sí.. Bueno sabrás por qué?
Sí me di cuenta has triunfado mucho. Me alegro mucho por ti..
Y Susana? Supe que tuvo dos gemelos.
Sí ya sabes ahora se ha complicado todo un poco. Le dijo guiñando un ojo
Me imagino.. Ella lo invito a pasar...
Albert se alegrará mucho al verte..
Sí y más con las recomendaciones que tengo y lanzó otra carcajada.
Bueno ...ella se echó a reír también .. Son ocurrencias de los chicos...
Sí..
el mientras Candy lo conducía hacia donde estaba Albert.. se fijo en lugar la casa, había sido remodelada dejo de ser una casa abandonada para pasar hacer un hermoso hogar.. No pudo negar que se veía bien..
Llegaron hacia una pequeña habitación al lado de la sala ella abrió la puerta suavemente...
El estaba sentado en un escritorio revisando unos papeles...
Amor! Alguien te vino a visitar
Y quién es? .. le dijo en forma juguetona pensando que estaba refiriéndose al pequeño que llevaba en brazos..
Y Terry sale detrás!
Yooo! Sorpresa...
Granchester! Dijo con una amplia sonrisa.. el salió detrás del escritorio recibir con un fraterno Abrazo al que fue o será siempre su compañero y amigo del alma..
Caramba! Mira nada más este bien recuperado...
Sí ya tengo un 85 % de movilidad en mi mano izquierda..
Albert tuvo secuelas por el estado en que se encontraba (flash back)
Candy levantó la vista y abrió los ojos de par en par al escuchar el monitor del ritmo cardíaco marcar un pulso más elevado... lo miro y se percató que comenzaba a respirar por si mismo..
Salió corriendo..
Doctor! Esta respirando Albert está respirando! No cabía felicidad alguna el comenzaba a reaccionar...
Los doctores catalogaron cómo un milagro su reacción..
Lo que prosiguió fue las series de exámenes... tomografías para ver sus funciones cerebrales... Y estas estaban relacionando poco a poco pero aun no despertaba..
Doctor usted cree que pueda despertar?.. le pregunto Terry
Es posible aunque aún no sabemos que secuelas tenga..
Que quiere decir con eso?.. Pregunto candy...
Bueno Candy sabes que en estos casos los pacientes pueden presentar problemas motores el estuvo prácticamente muerto por casi un minuto y eso no es muy bueno ya que el cerebro dejo de recibir oxigeno..
Entiendo.. le dijo candy con tristeza..
Pero tenemos que tener esperanzas el logro sobrepasar los límites y lucho candy.. le dijo terry.
Sí.. el lucho y tengo la fe y la esperanza que el se recuperara..
Sí Candy vamos a esperar es posible que despierte pronto.. dijo el doctor..
Candy se quedó sola con el.. tomó una mano y ya no se sentían tan frías.. Con ella se acarició el rostro...
Albert! Ya tus manos se sienten tibias... por favor sigue luchando tu puedes...
Se le ha cerca y le habla al oído..
Sí puedes escucharme.. te amo! Esto que llevo aquí necesita de ti.. Necesita que estés vivo.. Lucha Albert! Yo sé que puedes.. y le dio un beso en los labios ya que no tenía el respirador...
Así pasaron 4 meses a pesar de que sus funciones Corporales trabajaban el no despertaba..
Doctor porque no despierta?
Candy te dije que esto es cuestión de tiempo no sabemos a ciencia cierta si podrá despertar..
Okey.. dijo... Candy su embarazo ya se notaba un poco..
El doctor le aviso que debido a su estado no debería estar en el hospital y menos tener el ajetreo de cuidar a Albert..
Pero doctor yo quiero estar con el!
Candy nadie te a dicho lo contrario es que no es muy inconveniente que estés tanto tiempo aquí y que estés trabajando sé que él es padre de tu hijo pero debes de preocuparte por el bienestar del bebé y del tuyo..
Sí entiendo...
Así que te recomiendo que los trabajos se los dejes a las enfermeras de turno y que sólo vengas a las horas de las visitas..
Candy se dirigió hacia la sala y el doctor estaba en lo cierto ella podría Contraer cualquier enfermedad por debilitarse al estar cuidando a Albert..
Se acercó a el...se veía así durmiendo tan plácidamente.
Le tomó una mano y la dirigió hacia su vientre que ya estaba comenzando a abultarse..
Sientes? Ya está creciendo y necesita que cuando nazca tú lo veas a los ojos tienes que despertar!.. le dijo con lágrimas en los ojos
Tomo la silla y se sentó frente a él.. y descanso su cabeza en su pecho.. ella podía escuchar sus latidos del corazón.. y se quedó dormida..
Dónde estoy? Decía Albert al verse envuelto en una nube...
Dónde estoy?
Estas en un lugar donde no debes de estar... le dijo una voz que el conocía...
Dio la vuelta y se encontró con su hermana y su hijo...
Ros! Anthony! Le dijo acercándose!
No! Tu no puedes estar aquí aun no es tu tiempo...
Pero yo si quiero necesito estar con ustedes?
No aun no es tu tiempo...te necesitan allá... nosotros te esperaremos aquí cuando sea tu tiempo...
Y el se vio envuelto en un túnel...escuchaba que alguien lo llamaba.. Esa voz! Esa voz!
No encontraba la salida hasta que la voz lo condujo hacia una luz...
Esa luz se hacía más y más grande...
Poco a poco fue abriendo los ojos. Se sentía extraño sus ojos le pesaban la luz del lugar le molestaban tenía la sensación de haber dormido por una eternidad.. quiso mover su mano izquierda pero no podía la sentía pesada al igual que su cuerpo intento incorporarse pero sintió un peso en su pecho miro y se topó con la visión más hermosa Candy dormía con su rostro frente a él... sus párpados se veían un poco enrojecidos de llorar.. su pelo caía en su pecho..
No estaba soñando... miro y se dio cuenta que estaba en el hospital pero cuanto tiempo había pasado? aun el no lo sabía solo recordaba el incidente con Neal y de la voz de Candy llamándolo desesperadamente..
Candy! Le llamo candy! Como pudo movió su mano derecha y acaricio su rostro...
Candy! Ella entre sueño le llamo..
Albert! No me dejes no puedes dejar me ahora más que nunca.. Estoy embarazada tendré un hijo tuyo...
El escuchó eso y de su pecho brotó una especie de felicidad que nunca había sentido..
Ella abrió los ojos y se topó con esos ojos azul cielo mirándola con ternura y amor..
Albert! Albert! Estas despierto! Despertarte mi amor! Y lo abrazó... llorando..
Sí Candy! Mi amor estoy aquí y no te dejare..
Albert! Y se besaron...
El tubo secuelas su brazo izquierdo no podía moverlo al 100% pero el resto de su cuerpo funcionaba bien.. se sometido muchas terapias. Estuvo en el hospital por dos meses más y antes de que Candy diera a luz se casaron...
(Final del flash back).
Sí ya puedo moverla por lo menos un 85%..
Sí ya veo.. Ven toma asiento..
Bueno tengo que dejarlos muchachos este bebé necesita comer al rato les traigo un refrigerio..
Y Candy salió de la pequeña biblioteca...
Veo que te va muy bien en la televisión y el teatro..
Sí me han hecho una oferta a Susy y a mí para trabajar en Hollywood..
Vaya! Felicidades!
Gracias amigo.. Sabes tú siempre serás mi hermano y amigo..
Sí.. También te considero así terry..
Y bien como te va supe que el dinero de tu hermana lo invertiste en un negocio sistemas de seguridad..
Sí te acuerdas de Scott y Dan.
Claro! Como no acordarme de ellos nos ayudaron bastante..
Sí ellos se sentaron cabeza y estando aun en el hospital fueron a visitarme y me contaron sobre un plan que tenían para volver a introducirse a la sociedad y yo le vi el visto bueno.. y los ayude invertí en el negocio y está muy bien hasta ahora claro sabes que todo tiene sus altas y sus bajas..
Claro! Que si! Me alegro bastante William creo que estamos viviendo nuestro mejores tiempos. Tenemos familia, una carrera estable.. ya no tenemos miedo de que alguien nos aseche.. En fin creo que a pesar de todo supimos sacar provecho.
Sí..
Aunque de vez en cuando jajaja añoro un poco la sensación de la adrenalina cuando estabamos haciendo una investigación o persecución..
Sí a veces pienso lo mismo pero veo a Candy y a los niños y creo que ya ese tiempo lo vivi y lo disfrute en cierto modo..
Sí es cierto... A pesar de todo lo disfrutábamos dimos lo mejor de Nosotros y ahora estamos dando mucho más de lo mejor al estar con nuestras familias..
Se quedaron un largo rato hablando riéndose de sus anécdotas hasta que Candy entro con un pequeño refrigerio.
Terry noto como el rostro de su amigo se ilumino al ver a Candy..
No podía negar esa chica con cara de niña traviesa logró cambiar la actitud de su amigo.. Ella se retiró dejándolos solos nuevamente...
No lo puedo negar William Candy ha hecho de ti un hombre nuevo..
Sí Terry ella me ha hecho cambiar mi estilo de vida y me va hecho renacer ha vuelto a nacer mi esencia..
Sí .. bueno William tengo que marcharme quise venir antes de irme a Hollywood a entregarte esto. Y procede a entregarte un cheque a su nombre con una buena suma De dinero..
Pero Terry? Que es esto?
Bueno digamos titubeo al hablar que es la paga por haberme ayudado en algo..
Explícate? Como que te ayude.. Granchester! Que hiciste?! Le dijo un poco exasperado
Jajaja veo que aún no se te quita lo gruñón.. Bueno te mostraré .. hice un contrato con la empresa que diseña y ensambla las moto Ducati... y realice un comercial para ellos aún no lo extreman pero parte de su nueva próxima promoción..
Aja y que tengo yo que ver en eso?
Bueno... procede a sacar su celular y enseñarle el comercial .. Vaya sorpresa en el muestra a Albert pasar rápidamente por una autopista montado en una Ducati...
Granchester! De donde sacaste eso?
Bueno tranquilo fue la vez aquella que tu perseguías la furgoneta donde se llevaban a Candy .. le decía dando vueltas en círculos por un sillón mientras Albert lo perseguía ..
Y yo te grabe! Claro solo sales en esa toma lo otro quedo editado..
Granchester! Esta si me la pagas..
Tranquilizarte Andley míralo por el lado positivo de las ventas de ese modelo te darán un 1% por ciento quede de ir al banco contigo para abrir una cuenta donde se te depositará el dinero..
Albert cada vez más rápido le daba la vuelta al sillón tratando de atrapar a Terry..
Granchester! Cuando vas a dejar de actuar como payaso deja que te ponga las manos en cima..
Y salieron corriendo los dos.
Terry se montó rápidamente en su auto
Tómalo por el lado amable con ese dinero puedes seguir invirtiendo en tu negocio...
Lo tomo por el cuello..
Tu eres! … hizo una pausa ….el mejor amigo que tenido en toda mi vida le dijo .
Y se dieron un gran abrazo..
Yo también...
Nos veremos te llamo para lo del banco..
Si
Despídeme de Candy y mis ahijados.
Sí cuando nos juntemos los llevare. Saludos a Susana y mis ahijados también..
Bye! Y se alejó con una gran sonrisa en su rostro...
Albert le contó a Candy todo lo que Terry le dijo con respecto al cheque y también lo vio con buenos ojos.. Y sintió mucha curiosidad de ver la promoción..
La noche cayó Candy estaba ya en la habitación de los chicos terminando de dormirlos..
Anthony se estaba dando la tarea de hacer berrinches para dormir todas las noches pero esa noche no lo hizo y se durmió tiernamente en sus brazos..
Candy los dejo y se dirigió a su habitación no encontró a Albert ahí.. aún estaba en la biblioteca.. Se quitó la ropa y procedió a darse un baño..
Ella después de tener a Rosemary término su residencia en el hospital y se graduó de enfermera profesional duro cierto tiempo ejerciendo pero la dejo su deber cómo esposa y madre le demandaba más tiempo y como el negocio de Albert estaba marchando a la perfección más el dinero de su pensión le daban para vivir dignamente así que dejó paralizada por un momento quizás después en un futuro vuelva a ejercer de nuevo..
Saló del baño con su bata de dormir y lo vio ahí parado frente a la ventana.. Solo tenía el pantalón de su pijama puesto. A pesar que aún no hace la cantidad de ejercicios que hacía anteriormente su cuerpo se mantenía igual de recio..
Su ancha espalda junto a sus fuertes bipses, que ella adoraba acariciar..
Se le acercó y lo abrazó.. El se volteó, a mirarla su bata trasparente deja ver todo de ella se había convertido..
Estas hermosa esta noche.. le dijo Albert
En serio nada más esta noche? Le dijo al sentir sus besos en su cuello..
Y ella río un poco.
Que te acusó risa.. le dijo sin dejar de besar su cuello
Me haces cosquillas..
Uhmmmn! Cosquillas! Le dijo separándose de ella.. y ella recorrió sus manos desde su pecho hacían su nuca..
Bueno. Y qué tal si en vez de hacerme sentir cosquillas me haces sentir otra cosa le dijo muy sensual mente.. besándolo..
Cayendo en la cama se amaron como si fuera la última vez que estaría vivos en la tierra.. Ella cayó exhausta en su pecho..
El la acariciaba lentamente.. Candy Amor.!Le llamo..
Si.. le dijo incorporándose para perderse en el azul de sus ojos.
Sabes me puesto pensar que aunque lo que paso, no hubiese pasado creo que aun así te hubiese conocido..
Y eso porque? No crees que fue obra del destino?
No amor! Le dijo acariciando su rostro.. Tu como quieras ibas a entrar en mi vida tarde o temprano sin Neal o con el
A ver cariño no te entiendo.! Le dijo incorporándose un poco..
Sabes porque te dijo eso..
No?
Porque tú has sido para mí UN ÁNGEL EN MI VIDA!.. por alguna razón te iba a encontrar.. Candy!
Albert! Le dijo sorprendida..
Sí amor tu.. Apareciste en el momento apropiado.. Caíste cómo un ángel del cielo.. Cuando estaba parado en la ventana pensaba eso... solo tu pudiste cambiar mi forma de pensar, solo tu pudiste hacer renacer en mi alma perdida..
Por eso te confieso eso.. Que creo que fuiste elegida para sacarme de ese vacío existencial que tenía.. Solo tu Candy, solo tú..
Candy lloro de la emotivas palabras del él si bien es cierto ella sufrió mucho por él.. y sentía esa necesidad de estar siempre a su lado
Albert te amo!
Yo también te amo! Mi ángel y nunca me cansarse de repetirlo..
Te amo! Y se volvieron a fundir en uno solo por siempre...
FIN
End file.
| fanfiction |
Glee 1. Chapter 1
A/N- Yooooooooooooo it's your author, Liz. So, this is the long awaited (by a few people) Sartie Pacific Rim au. There are a few things you should know before we begin. First, in the drift, _Sam's thoughts are italics _and **Artie's thoughts are** **bold**, and _**when it's both, they're both saying the same**_**_ thing_. **Second, Glee fandom has been (understandably) very sad recently. I originally had a very sad ending for this fic. But I want my friends to have HAPPY. But I must preserve the integrity of my work because I'm pretentious (well, that wording is pretentious). SO I wrote two endings. At the end of this chapter, if you press next, you'll be taken to the original ending (which is sad). If you skip to the third chapter, you'll get a new and fluffy ending with convenient things happening to make things end well. You can read one or both or neither!
WARNINGS FOR EVERYTHING: Sex (is that a warning?), mentions of past character death, mentions of past prostitution, very passing implications of past child abuse
WARNINGS FOR THE SAD ENDING: Major character death
* * *
The first time Sam sees his future copilot, he naturally assumes he's a scientist. Thin framed and wearing dorky glasses, the man is clearly a scientist or else an administrator of some kind. Considering his confident demeanor, definitely an administrator.
"Artie Abrams, it's nice to meet you," the man says, sticking his gloved hand up at him.
"Sam Evans, same," Sam replies, shaking his hand firmly.
"So, you're here to maybe get a chance to ride in one of these babies, right?" Artie looks at the jaegers around them fondly.
"That's the hope! I've been training and training, and I think it's going to pay off," Sam replies excitedly. He knows there are way more hopefuls than jaegers, but he's scored surprisingly well on his tests.
Artie scrutinizes him, looking him up and down, and Sam almost feels naked. "It just might," he says cryptically before pushing himself away and towards one of the jaegers.
Sam lets himself be led over to his quarters and doesn't think twice about the encounter.
* * *
That is, until he reports with all the other hopefuls for the sparring matches that help determine drift compatibility. Artie is there, dressed in light clothing with his sparring stick set on his lap as he surveys the group.
"By now, I'm sure you know how this works. The algorithms said you guys might be compatible with me, and now it's time to test it out," Artie picks up his stick and challenges the first person in line.
To the surprise of Sam, and everyone else, Artie knocks down and has his stick at the first recruit's throat in ten seconds flat. It goes like that for a while, Artie knocking down challengers- sometimes it takes longer than ten seconds, but they always fall- until Artie calls a halt to the proceedings, popping a wheelie and looking incredibly bored.
"Look, you know I have full faith in your algorithms and everything- I did help write them after all- but I don't think there's anyone here," Artie says to the woman in charge.
The woman sighs and nods her head, but Sam is upset. He hasn't gotten his shot, and it could be ages until he gets another.
"No," he says, surprising himself as much as everyone else. "You haven't tested all of us. Let's go." He's watched Artie fight for a while now, and he thinks he gets it.
Artie gives him that scrutinizing look again, but he nods his assent. "Bring it, yo."
Sam steps into the ring, approaching Artie cautiously. That's one part of Artie's strategy: let the opponent bring the fight to you. He bats at Artie a few times and Artie bats him away idly, looking at him as if to question why he was wasting his time. Fine, if that's how Artie wants it, that's how Artie'll get it. Sam starts attacking in earnest, and soon he starts almost landing blows. Absently, he notices that Artie's got an excited look in his eye as he parries and thrusts back at Sam.
Every time Sam tries to slip behind Artie for that winning blow, Artie manages to turn his wheelchair around to meet his blows, and even with one hand on his wheel, Artie is more than strong enough to block him. Eventually, Artie manages to sweep Sam's feet out from under him and lunges out of his chair to deliver the final blow. Sam just manages to block in time for their sticks to get wedged between them both, effectively making their duel a tie.
Sam is exhausted, lying underneath Artie, but Artie is clearly exhilarated, breathing heavily as they make eye contact. After a few seconds, Artie looks up at the marshal, still grinning. "I've found my copilot!" Artie rolls off Sam, pulling himself back over to his wheelchair. "That is the best fight I've had in years!" Once he's situated in his chair again, he leans over to give Sam a hand up.
Sam takes the hand, grateful for his help because he is sore. "Really? I made it?" he asks, not wanting to get ahead of himself.
"Oh yes, Sammy, you and me are going places. But I need a shower first," Artie says, turning around and pushing himself through the hopefuls whose hopes had just been dashed. Sam, unsure what to do now, follows.
When they reach Artie's quarters, Artie turns around, raising an eyebrow. "You hoping for a free show?"
Sam blushes and shakes his head. "No, I'm just… not sure what comes next. Do we talk? Do we wait until we drift? And I thought you might know." Artie had obviously done this before, and training was different from reality. It felt different knowing that it was going to be real.
Artie takes his shirt off and Sam can't help but notice how finely muscled he is. "You didn't pay too much attention in history class, did you?" Sam shakes his head; the more academic parts of his training weren't his strong suit. "Well, you wanna talk? I'm Arthur Tyrone Abrams, Sammy boy. Started flying jaegers at age fourteen- the youngest pilot ever. I had such extraordinary compatibility with my mom that we couldn't wait. The kaiju were coming too quick for that, and at the time there was no algorithm for matching up strangers. We fought, and we won. Until we didn't," Artie shrugs and gets to work on his belt buckle.
That jogs a few half remembered memories from classes. "They said your legs got torn off." That was probably not what Sam was supposed to say to that at all, but he definitely remembers that his legs got torn off.
Artie pushes his pants down and Sam can see very clearly that Artie's got his legs. "The jaeger lost her legs. It was in the middle of an experiment to try and increase the efficiency of the system, and it severed my spine."
"You're very open," Sam comments, talking about Artie's stripping as much as how he's basically spilling his life story.
"We're going to be in each other's heads soon. If this works out, we'll know every bit of each other," Artie shimmies out of his underwear, leaving him completely naked and lounging in his chair. "There's not much point in being modest. I trust you implicitly."
Sam swallows hard and tries to ignore how he's starting to get hard. Artie is incredibly sexy and Sam is suddenly very sexually frustrated. "So it's really like that? You really get that deep?"
"Damn straight. Unless we're wrong about how compatible we are, in which case things will end before they get more serious," Artie says.
Working very hard to keep his eyes on Artie's face, Sam nods. "I'll keep that in mind," Sam says, backing out of the room slowly.
"Does that scare you? Being in so deep?" Artie asks, getting into the shower.
In truth, Sam is incredibly scared, but he's not going to show it yet. "It's what I signed up for, after all. And… I trust you implicitly too," Sam says, and that is the honest truth.
Artie chuckles a little and nods. "See you tomorrow."
Sam is feeling incredibly anxious the next morning, but he's even more excited. He's finally going to really and truly drift.
* * *
It's a weird feeling, getting into the divesuit and feeling the neural spike enter his brain. Still going over everything he had learned in training, he smiles at Artie when he sees him similarly decked out.
They enter the control pod together. Artie locks his wheelchair in what appears to be a specialized dock. "I designed a lot of this myself." Artie transfers into another chair, straps himself in, and it raises up so he's almost in a standing position. "It's pretty cool, if I do say so myself." Then the machinery begins to attach itself to the both of them. Artie flashes him a smile before things really begin.
When they merge, Sam sees things familiar and unfamiliar flash by him before he can even fully process them. Sam does his best to let things flick past him, but then he sees two flashes of blonde hair and he's sucked in. He can hear Artie yelling at him, but suddenly he's back on the family farm chasing after his siblings. Sam sends them back inside before driving into town and then he flashes a few hours later when he returns home to find his house covered in kaiju acid. Before he can reach the end of the memory, he's jerked back to his body.
"You can't do that, Sam," Artie admonishes, looking at him sadly. "You've got to let the flashes pass you by, no matter what."
Sam realizes that there are tears in his eyes that he can't really wipe away. "You saw all that?"
"Yep," Artie says. "Every bit of it. Do you want to try again or give it a rest for now?"
"Again."
This time when they merge, Sam knows what to expect, and it's easier to see the blonde flashes and let them go on by. It's also easier to see flashes of Artie's life and let them go, too, as much as Sam wants to see them. There's a weird jolt inside of him when he finds himself hovering over a naked woman, and another jolt when he wakes up in a hospital he's never been in, with no sensation in places where Sam has always had sensation.
Soon, he can feel Artie's mind brushing up against his and the jaeger around them both. He moves his hand and feels the jaeger reply, and then he feels it reply to Artie's mind, and it feels almost as natural as when it replies to his own.
_We're doing it! We're doing it!_
**Chill out, Sammy boy. Don't get too over excited or else it could overwhelm us both**
_I can feel your excitement too, Artie. It's right up against mine_
**…Fine, I'm excited too**
** _We're going to kick some ass_**
Some kind of mental high five takes place, and they're walking along the ocean floor before Sam even realizes they had left the shatterdome.
_This is incredible. _
But incredible turns to terrifying when the shatterdome informs them there had been an event at the breach. A Category III Kaiju had made it through the breach.
**_Can we do this oh yes we're going to do this_**
And they do. Artie has far more practical experience with fighting kaiju, but Sam figures out that he can draw on his copilot's instincts to help reinforce his own. They move in perfect synch to quickly dismantle the kaiju, removing limbs and the tail before eventually tearing its head off to finish it.
**You're a natural, Sammy. Like… wow.**
Sam doesn't have anything to say to that, but he knows that Artie can feel the glow of pride he feels. Sam is so rarely a natural at anything, but apparently he is at saving the world.
_I didn't realizing drifting would feel that natural. I thought it would be so much harder, especially once it came to actually fighting._
For a brief second, he thinks he can feel some distress from Artie through their bond, but they disengage before Sam can make heads or tails of it. When they get out of the pod, Artie pushes himself away from Sam before he can say a word.
* * *
Artie's distress sticks in Sam's brain, which is feeling a little weird post-drift anyway, so he knocks on Artie's door a few hours later. "Hey, Artie, open up." Artie opens the door, fully clothed, and for the first time, Sam has no inkling about what is going through Artie's head as Artie looks up at him blankly. Sam follows him into his room and leans against the counter, since there's no place to sit other than Artie's lap or his bed. "We drifted, carried out the mission, and you said I was a natural. What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Artie."
"Sammy boy," Artie wavers and sighs. "We drifted really, really well."
"I'm not following." Wasn't that a good thing?
"It's complicated," Artie's pacing as much as he can in the confined space, and it's making Sam anxious, so he gets in front of him and squats down.
"In each other's heads, remember? This is all complicated," Sam says.
Artie refuses to make eye contact as he talks. "We weren't supposed to be quite so drift compatible. This was… too easy to fall into. The mission my spine broke, my mom died. I felt my mom _die_. She was there in my head and then she was in pain and then she was gone and I was alone. I don't want to feel that again. The better we drift, the worse it'll be if something happens. And things happen."
Sam's lost for a second. There's no guarantee Sam can make- their work is dangerous and their lives are in danger almost constantly- and Sam can't relate to what he's dealt with. They didn't hit that memory. "I don't know what you felt, but we have this. The Force is strong in us, and we have to take advantage of it."
Artie breaks out into a grin. "Did you just Star Wars me?"
Sam nods, more than a little embarrassed. "They've always been my favorite."
"Let's have a marathon. I've got them all here, and short of a disaster, we've got nothing better to do." Artie pulls his computer out of his bag and gestures for Sam to get up on the bed.
Sam sits down on bed, and Artie climbs into his lap, putting his computer on a shelf he pulls out of the wall. They're closer than Sam was expecting, but he's surprised to find he doesn't mind. Without thinking about it, he rests his cheek on the top of Artie's head just as Artie's hand slips into his own. He smiles when he realizes that Artie is reciting the opening lines of the movie.
* * *
The next time they drift, things feel different. Sam gets hints of feelings from Artie that don't make complete sense, and for some reason it feels like all of the memories that Artie's brain sends his way involve Artie dating or Artie having sex with some beautiful person. It's infuriating and it makes him want to get out, but he lets his mind fly over them until they reach that beautiful mind space again.
** Sam, what's wrong?**
_ N-_
** I'm literally in your brain, you can't say nothing. Don't even try to lie to someone in your head.**
_ None of your business then._
Sam feels Artie recoil a little bit. A few minutes later, Artie's consciousness seems to brighten, and Sam gets a flash of himself through Artie's eyes. Tall and strong and handsome. Funny and witty and good. All kinds of nice things.
** You're wonderful, Sammy.**
Sam realizes that Artie must have felt his insecurity and not his weird jealous feelings, and he just barely manages to keep that realization to himself. He sends Artie warm feelings of thanks and tries to keep himself focused on the drills they're supposed to be running.
* * *
The next few times they drift, it's easier. Artie's brain doesn't throw images that make Sam upset, and Sam is thankful for that.
The more they drift, though, the more Sam misses Artie in his head when he's not there. It isn't like he's suddenly incomplete or anything like that. He's still Sam Evans, and he's still a whole complete being to himself. But it's nice having someone else there, which is odd to Sam. He had never anticipating liking that aspect of it so much.
So he is pleased when Artie is at his door at one in the morning, knocking hard. He's less pleased at how ragged Artie looks.
"Sammy, will you come back to my room with me? I'd ask to stay here, but mine is bigger, and the bathroom is accessible and I don't want to have to wheel hard across the shatterdome to take a pee," Artie sounds a little delirious from lack of sleep, so Sam just nods and follows Artie, totally forgetting things like shoes or a shirt.
"Are you okay?" Sam asks once they're safely in Artie's quarters.
"Just tired and sad and some nights the silence is too loud," Artie transfers into bed, and Sam gets in with him because he can feel that's where he's supposed to go. They might not actually be in each other's heads right then, but Sam can now read Artie better than he's ever been able to read anyone. And so he settles in between Artie and the wall, wrapping his arms around the other man and holding him close. Artie settles his head on Sam's chest and Sam can feel him smile. "Silly Sammy forgot his shirt. 'Sokay, you've got a nice chest."
Sam laughs a little and strokes Artie's hair. "Thanks, Artie. You've got a nice…" he trails off, trying to come up with an ending to that sentence other than "everything," but he doesn't have to because he hears Artie start to snore. "…everything."
While Sam (and anyone with an ounce of intelligence, in Sam's opinion) can tell that Artie is a talented jaeger pilot, some of the people who envy his position are less observant. Generally, Sam follows Artie's example and ignores them. They spend most of their time together anyway, and Sam knows that Artie doesn't like confrontation.
But one time Artie accidentally messes up a basic move while they're fighting a kaiju, and while they recover quickly enough, Sam can tell Artie is discouraged. It gets worse when they exit their pod. One of the rudest people falls in line behind them.
"Not today Azimo," Sam says, grabbing the handles of Artie's chair and pushing them along.
"What? Are you upset because McCripple has stumbled again?" he taunts, situating himself between them and where they need to go.
"Get out of our way," Artie says firmly. Sam can catch the anger in his voice.
"Like you could do anything to make me," Azimo sneers.
And the thing is, Artie could. Artie could punch him where the sun don't shine and go from there. Sam is well aware of that. He knows that Artie doesn't need him to defend him, verbally or physically. But God, all Sam wants to do is wipe that smirk off Azimo's face with his fist, so he does. Azimo looks shocked, but reacts quickly enough to shove Sam into the wall and punch him right back.
Sam struggles but he knows that Azimo is going to get another hit or two in before he can get free. That is, until Artie rams himself head first into Azimo. It unbalances him enough that Artie can shove him over onto the ground. "Don't you _ever_ touch him again," Artie sounds dark and dangerous and even part of Sam is scared.
Artie grabs Sam and gently pushes him ahead of him. Sam knows they're going back to Artie's room, so he leads them there and settles on his bed. Visibly angry, Artie grabs ice from the freezer and wraps it in a towel. "Sammy…" he presses it gently against Sam's face, where Sam can already feel it start to swell.
"I know, I know. I shouldn't have done anything," Sam sighs and closes his eyes, appreciating the coolness. "Thanks for saving my face, though." Artie removes the ice for a second and runs his fingers over the sore spot. That feels better.
"Damn, this is definitely going to be a black eye. And of course. Couldn't let anything happen to your pretty face. I wish I had been a little quicker." Artie nudges Sam and Sam lays down. Sam feels the bed shift as Artie transfers onto the bed and snuggles next to him. Once Artie has settled in next to him, Artie replaces the ice and Sam wraps his arms around him, eyes still closed.
"You were quick enough," Sam assures him. "And it was my fault you even had to be quick."
"Not yours. His. Theirs," Artie still sounds pissed until he says. "Mine."
Sam opens his eyes immediately, and fuck, Artie looks gorgeous leaning over him, even if he does look distraught. "Never, ever yours, Artie."
Artie smiles sadly at him. "Okay."
Sam suddenly realizes that he wants to kiss Artie. Okay, it isn't really a new realization, but now he knows he wants to kiss Artie more than he's ever wanted to kiss anyone else ever, and that's kinda a big deal. He doesn't kiss Artie, though, because something about the timing feels just off.
They fall asleep soon, but they wake up only a few hours later when the ice has melted over Sam. It is cold and it is uncomfortable, so Sam shivers and mock complains. Artie takes his complaints very seriously, and he begins to remake the bed before Sam has a chance to stop him (okay, Sam could have stopped him, but he's drowsy and sleepy and sitting on the floor and watching Artie move is such a delight. The man has a nice body.).
"You're very nice looking. I like looking at you," Sam mutters, too tired to remember to filter what he says. Artie stills. "I like the cute little scrunchy face you make when you're confused or when you're thinking really hard. I think sometimes about how nice it'd be to kiss you right then. Unless you were thinking something extra important because I wouldn't want to interrupt. You have a lot of important thoughts."
"Sounds like someone is delirious with tiredness," Artie says in a strained voice. He finishes the bed, and then hauls Sam up and guides him back to bed.
"No, no, no, Artie, it's true. Even when I'm not tired," Sam protests as he lies back down.
"Okay, Sammy boy," Artie soothes as he snuggles up with Sam again. "Go back to sleep."
Sam can just tell that Artie doesn't believe him, and he wants to argue more, but he is so tired and Artie is so warm that he falls asleep before he can think about it.
The next morning, Sam wakes up and prays to God that the night before was a dream. But the sheets have obviously been changed, so he starts praying that Artie will have forgotten what he said when he wakes up.
Clearly, this is not a lucky day for Sam, as when Artie wakes up he looks at Sam but doesn't say anything. He almost looks fearful, which makes Sam sad. Was the thought of kissing him that terrible? Sure, his lips were big and his body wasn't as nice as it could be, but surely there were worse fates than that.
"You don't have to worry about me jumping you or anything," Sam says, sitting up. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything. I was just really, really tired last night, so I forgot about things like filtering what I said and common courtesy and-"
Artie presses his lips to Sam's and threads his fingers through his hair. It's much better than Sam could have expected, and when Artie pulls back, Sam is breathless.
"I'm totally down with you jumping me whenever you want," Artie says, shifting a little bit. "Because damn, you've got the most kissable lips I have ever seen, and I have been thinking about jumping _you _for a while. Only if you wanted to be jumped of course. Which, it kind of seems you'd be good with? I'm going to shut up now."
"Yeah, I am definitely good with that," Sam says, smiling widely. He leans in to kiss Artie again, letting his hands wander Artie's body a little, wanting to feel him in a whole new way. "Is it okay if I take off your shirt?"
"Always such a gentleman," Artie murmurs, moving his lips to Sam's neck. "In a second." He pushes Sam to lay down again as he sucks on his neck.
"Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be longer than a second?" Sam says.
"Because you know just how I think. Any objections? Because of course, I'll stop if you want me to," Artie says.
"No objections," Sam replies.
Artie runs his hand down Sam's body slowly and slips his hand into Sam's pants as he sucks on Sam's neck. Sam moans in pleasure as Artie strokes him to full hardness. Suddenly, Artie's lips are gone from his neck and he's positioned between Sam's legs and is pulling his shorts and underwear down. "You have no idea how long I have thought about doing this."
Terribly slowly, Artie runs his tongue up Sam's shaft. Still moving slowly, Artie takes the head of Sam's dick into his mouth and sucks slowly. After a minute or two, Artie stops and pulls off to look up at Sam. "You are even more delicious than I thought you would be," Artie says, going back to sucking on Sam's dick. The wet heat of his mouth feels amazing and Sam is pretty sure that he could cum from the intensity of Artie's stare alone. Artie only takes his eyes off Sam's when his face is pressed up against Sam's belly.
Despite the fact that Sam is insanely sexually frustrated (and that this is the first blowjob he's received), he can't quite reach orgasm because Artie is bobbing his head so damn slowly. Sam certainly isn't about to complain, though, because he can't remember ever feeling so good. After what feels like an eternity, Artie begins moving faster, working Sam over with his tongue. Sam can feel himself getting closer to cumming, and when he calls out to warn Artie, it just makes him move faster until Sam is shooting his load down Artie's throat. Artie swallows eagerly and then sits up, licking his lips happily.
"Fuck, Artie, that was amazing. I've never felt anything that good before," Sam says softly, running his thumb along Artie's slightly swollen lips. "And don't forget to take your shirt off!"
Artie grins at him widely as if Sam has given him some huge compliment. "Really? I figured you would have had way better," he says, stripping for Sam and Sam can see the hardness in Artie's pants.
"You're the first person to give me a blowjob. I've given, but never gotten," Sam says, feeling a little embarrassed. He knows that Artie has to have at least some inkling about how he paid for the ranger academy, but he doesn't know how much Artie has put together.
Artie smiles wanly, but Sam detects some anger there. He's worried that Artie is angry at him for what he's done. "But don't worry, I'm totally good with giving you a blowjob in return. It didn't, like, scar me or anything."
That only seems to make Artie angrier. "I didn't suck you off so you'd do the same! I wanted to make you feel good because I'm attracted to you and I care about you. I wanted to, and I don't want you to do anything with me if you're only doing it because you feel _obligated_," Artie gets out of bed before Sam figures out what's happened. The emotional whiplash is too much for Sam to figure out how to explain that that isn't what he meant at all. Artie's about to push himself out the door, but he stops shaking his head. "Wait, this is my room, you're the one who has to leave. Get out!"
Sam gets up, feeling slightly dazed, and only barely remembers to pull his pants up before stumbling out the door. He makes it back to his room before he breaks down in stunned tears.
* * *
They avoid each other for the next few days. It's terrible to not be around the person you trust most, and Sam does not enjoy it. Mostly he tries to figure out how to explain to Artie that he wants to be with Artie, genuinely.
Unfortunately, the kaiju don't work on Sam's schedule, so a week later, they need to get it together enough to fight off another monster.
When the drift is activated, Sam can feel Artie latch on to the memories that are coming to the surface almost immediately, and he brings Sam with him. Sam watches as Artie rolls in on one of the girls that Sam was so jealous of having sex with another girl on his bed. In another memory, Sam sees another one of the girls leaving with another pilot. Sam can feel the utter worthlessness and despair that Artie feels when he's reliving these memories.
**You're going to leave. Everyone always finds someone better. We drift and we fight but in the end they want someone whole. If you already don't even really want me at all how long until you leave me? I don't want you to leave.**
Sam can tell that it isn't entirely voluntary, what Artie is telling him. He wants to reach over to hold Artie's hand, but of course that's impossible.
_I'm not leaving you. It was a dumb way to tell you that I was ready, that I want you, that I wouldn't be held back by things I am ashamed of. I didn't think about how it sounded. I'm here for the long haul. _
Sam does his best to send Artie exactly how he feels about him. How Artie makes him laugh and how he makes him feel like he's special, and how having Artie in his head is like having the most wonderful kind of music playing.
**You… you're incredible. I'm sorry I overreacted. I should have let you talk.**
_It's okay. As long as you believe me._
**I do.**
** _Back to our room after kicking some kaiju ass? Hell yes._**
The exchange takes only a few seconds thanks to the drift, and then they're ready to decimate.
It's a Category IV, so it's difficult and there are a few close calls. They get tossed around a lot, and for just a moment, pinned down and with acid flying at them, Sam worries if it's their end. They manage to get free and vanquish it, just barely, and then they're being flown back to the shatterdome.
Artie looks up at him once they've got their suits off, and Sam can see the same fear there that he himself was feeling earlier. Wordlessly, they end up in Artie's room as usual. Artie slides his hand up Sam's shirt and traces designs against his skin. It isn't particularly sexual; they just always both appreciate the nearness after a particularly nervewracking fight. Eventually they shift around so Artie is holding him closely. Sam realizes that it's kind of dumb; Artie is way smaller than him, and thus should be the little spoon, but some nights Sam needs the comfort of his copilot's arms around him. Artie hums softly until Sam falls asleep, which is exactly what Sam needs: a little extra reminder that Artie is present.
The next morning, Artie kisses him firmly when they wake up. Sam is excited that he's finally going to get to make Artie feel good. They start off slowly, just making out with Artie on top of him, pressing him down comfortingly. Sam runs his hands through Artie's hair as they kiss, more than happy that they're taking his time.
After a while, Sam gets them both out of their shirts and flips them so he's on top. "You're really gorgeous, you know that?" Sam says as he starts kissing and sucking along Artie's collarbones. "Like, seriously, Artie." He'd known he was attracted to Artie since that time Artie had stripped for him, but Artie is even more attractive now that he's up close and personal.
Artie starts blushing, and Sam watches as the blush spreads from his face down to his chest. It's cute, but Sam is a little surprised that Artie seems so shy considering he had done this many times before. Sam keeps kissing his way down Artie's body, though, and when he reaches his underwear Sam pulls them all the way down and drops them on the floor.
Sam sits up as he starts stroking Artie to full hardness. He wants to get to see Artie while he's being pleasured, but to his surprise and dismay, Artie looks worried and nervous. As soon as he notices, Sam stops what he's doing. "Are you okay? If you're uncomfortable, we can stop," he says.
"You're just so sweet, and I don't want you to be disappointed with me. I know you said you wanted me, but now that we're really doing it… your thoughts might change. It sucks hearing that, okay?" Artie explains.
"I'm not going to be disappointed, Artie, I'm really not, and I'm not being sweet when I tell you you're gorgeous. It's how I really feel. Implicit trust, remember? Plus, well," Sam looks down at himself. "If I didn't really find you attractive, I don't think I would be hard already."
Artie laughs a little. "I guess you're right. Thanks again, Sammy."
"So you want me to keep going?" Sam wants to be sure.
When Artie nods and smiles at him, looking much happier than he was, Sam grins and settles himself between Artie's legs. Sam slowly begins to take Artie's cock into his mouth. The noises that Artie makes let Sam know that he is enjoying himself. Sam grabs one of Artie's hands and places it on the back of his head, letting him know that he could control the pace.
Artie starts off slowly, but as Sam groans in pleasure, Artie picks up the pace, moving him up and down on his dick. "You feel so good, Sammy, so good," he murmurs, and Sam wishes that he could tell Artie that he feels just as good, sliding in and out of his throat. He also makes an internal note to let Artie know that he can be a little rough if he wants; Sam can take it and downright enjoys it most of the time.
Before long, Artie starts getting louder and louder in his exclamations, and Sam knows that he's getting close. He reaches up to fondle his balls to get him over the edge. When Artie tightens his grip in his hair and starts yelling loudly, Sam knows that he's only got a few seconds left. He presses his face against Artie's belly again and swallows automatically when Artie cums. There's more than Sam expected, and he accidentally gags a little bit, eyes watering, but he manages to swallow it all down. When Artie is soft again, Sam pulls off, making sure to lick his dick clean.
Artie is panting when Sam is done, and Sam snuggles against him, looking up at him with a satisfied grin. "Enjoy yourself?" Sam certainly did; now that he's not focused on Artie and his pleasure, he can feel his cock straining against his underwear uncomfortably.
"Oh man, that was intense. You are so good at that. I'm still… Wow," Artie sounds blown away, and that had been exactly what Sam had been looking for.
"Good, I'm glad," Sam says.
After a few minutes, Artie reaches down and starts jerking Sam off. Sam thrusts into Artie's hand, and it doesn't take long for Sam to finish. Artie reaches over to grab the wipes and cleans them up.
Sam gets up, kisses Artie's cheek, and then starts fixing them both breakfast. For Artie, he puts on two of his semifamous pancakes. While he waits for them to cook, Sam grabs a box of cereal and starts munching a little bit.
"You need to put on a pancake or something else for yourself too, Sammy. We kinda forgot dinner last night," Artie says lightly. "Gotta keep your energy up. I've got plans for you."
"Oh really, and what plans are those?" Sam asks, hoping to change the subject. He's always forgetting meals, and Artie is always reminding him, even if Sam doesn't actually want to remember most of the time.
"You, spread out naked underneath me, and me showing you something brand new," Artie says, looking Sam up and down.
"Brand new?" Sam asks, a little nervous.
"I thought we could have sex. Like, anal sex," Artie replies.
That's what Sam had been worried about. "I don't think I'm ready for that. It's dumb, I know, but-"
"Stop, Sam. Your feelings are never dumb. We'll wait as long as you want," Artie says. "In that case, I still have plans for you. How do you feel about Star Trek?"
The pancakes are done, so Sam takes the opportunity to turn away as he has to finish up Artie's breakfast. He's very glad that Artie is so relaxed about Sam not being ready; it makes him feel less stupid about the whole thing. "Star Trek, I'm good with."
Sam brings Artie his breakfast and gets back in bed with him. They put the show on and settle next to each other. Every once in a while, Artie feeds him a bite of his pancakes, and Sam eats it. As they sit together, Sam wonders what it would be like if this was their life. If they didn't drift anymore, didn't fight the monsters that nightmares are made of, and just had relatively normal lives. He honestly doesn't know what the two of them would actually do in that world, but he knows that he could enjoy an ordinary life with Artie.
After a few hours, Sam taps on Artie's chest a few times to get his attention. "Can I tell you why I'm not ready yet?"
"Of course, as long as you don't call yourself dumb," Artie replies, pausing the show and kissing the top of Sam's head.
"Agreed," Sam says, tracing shapes on Artie's chest to distract himself as he talks. "I'm still a religious guy, you know that," Artie stills beneath him. "Don't worry, this isn't a weird gay panic thing," and he feels Artie relax. "But, it means that I was raised with particular ideas about sex and stuff, like not having sex before marriage… And I don't need us to get married, but I've gotta know that we go beyond now and beyond this, even though we might never get the chance."
"What do you mean?" Artie asks.
"We've come together in the middle of this big huge war because of an algorithm. What about if we don't have to fight anymore? I need to know we'll go on," Sam says, closing his eyes as Artie starts playing with his hair. "I don't just want to be with you when we get to copilot, but I want to know we'll go beyond this, if we get the chance."
Artie makes a humming noise as he thinks, and Sam smiles as he feels it reverberate throughout his body. After a little bit, he starts talking. "When are you free this week?"
"The weekend," Sam replies. He doesn't know where Artie is going with this, but Sam's willing to go with him.
"Okay, good," Artie turns the show back on.
* * *
The week is a long one, and by the end of it, they've successfully saved the world twice and they both feel pretty worn down. Artie has also given him instructions to meet him at the entrance of the shatterdome Friday night at seven, dressed sharply, so, despite how weary he feels, he gets his one nice suit out and fixes his hair in the mirror.
When he's looking as good as he can be, Sam makes his way down to their meeting point. Artie's nowhere to be found, so Sam starts to fidget. He still doesn't know what they're doing or why Artie wants him dressed up, but he sure hopes it's good after the week he's had.
"Sammy!" Artie waves energetically in between pushes. He looks as tired as Sam feels, but he's also perky.
"Artie!" Sam can't help but smile and wave back, especially since Artie is looking so spiffy in a bright red suit. "You're looking good! What's the occasion?"
"I am finally going to do right by you," Artie says. "We're going out of the shatterdome, and we're going to go on a real date, like real people do. Like we'll be able to go on more regularly one day, when this all is over."
They get into the car that Artie has called, and Sam feels himself floating up on cloud nine. He's just so stupidly happy over the date and what it means and it hasn't even really started yet.
"And Sammy…" Artie leans over to murmur in Sam's ear. "I want you to know that this isn't to pressure you into sex, or to make you feel obligated; I want you to know that we will go on, though."
"I know you're not pressuring me," Sam says, kissing Artie chastely, but he's also pretty sure that unless something terrible happens on the date, this'll be a date with a happy ending.
The restaurant that Artie has chosen for them is elaborate, and Sam feels underdressed, even though he's dressed as nicely as he can be. The waiter leads them to an elevator that takes them up to the top floor, and then to a secluded table near a window. They can see the whole city from up there.
"Artie, this is incredible," Sam's torn between staring at Artie and at the view. He rarely gets to enjoy the city. "How did you arrange this?"
"I've got my ways," Artie says. "I know the woman who runs the restaurant. She owes me."
The waiter returns with their menus and waits for them to decide on their orders. Sam looks at the prices and raises his eyebrows. The restaurant is way too expensive. "Artie... I think I'm just going to get a salad or something." Sam is pretty sure that's the only thing he can afford.
"Sammy, order whatever you want. Don't worry. Like I said, I have connections," Artie says. He places his order, and then Sam does the same, deciding on something heavier.
While they wait, a woman settles herself at a harp that Sam hadn't noticed earlier. She starts playing and singing softly to a song that Sam doesn't know, but it sets the mood nicely. Artie reaches over to take Sam's hand. He runs his thumb over Sam's knuckles and smiles a little dreamily at their conjoined hands. "If we had met in some different time, where we didn't have to fight and didn't have the algorithm to tell us that we could work well, I still think we would have met somehow. I might have brought you a drink in a bar, or…" Artie bites his lip for a few seconds. "I wanted to be a director, before everything. I could see you as an actor. Or a stand up comedian. As a lot of things, and we would run into each other, and we'd hit it off. We'd go on our first date a lot sooner. We'd go on a lot of dates. We'd definitely happen, Sammy. We always happen."
Sam smiles at their intertwined hands. "We always do happen," he agrees, bringing Artie's hand up to kiss it gently.
Artie uses his other hand to gently caress Sam's face. He fiddles with a stray strand of hair. "We're gonna need to get you a haircut soon, Sammy boy," he looks like he's about to say something else, something important, when the food comes and the moment is broken.
They watch the city as they eat, comfortably silent with each other, and every once in a while they squeeze each other's hand. The music plays in the background and Sam sways a little as they finish up.
"You know what else we need to do?" Sam asks.
"What?" Artie says.
"We need to slow dance properly," Sam replies. They had danced a few times in Artie's room, but they always ended up running into Artie's bed. Here, they would have plenty of space.
Artie pushes himself away from the table and to the center of the room. He spreads his arms so Sam can settle in his lap. Sam wraps his arms around Artie's neck, and Artie puts one hand on his waist, with the other on his wheel so he can turn them slowly. It's absolutely perfect.
Until their phones go off. Since they're going off in unison, Sam would put money on it being yet another emergency. Sure enough, a Category III is on its way towards the city, and they need all hands on deck. Sam's disappointed that their date is cut short, but he's reigned that they will always have to do their duty first. Plus, he does enjoy a good kaiju thrashing.
Artie calls the car, and it rushes them back. They change as quickly as possible, and before long, they're suited up and in their jaeger.
_Just wait until we get back to the shatterdome. We're gonna make this quick, and then I'm going to let you do whatever you want to me._
**Hmm… I'm going to spread you wide, and then lick and finger you until you're begging me for something bigger to fill you up. Sound good?**
Sam had been dirty talked to before; he'd had plenty of guys who wanted him to go further than giving blowjobs. But it had never done too much for Sam (and it definitely had never gotten him into bed before) until Artie.
_It is a good thing that these aren't entirely accurate. How embarrassing would it be to go into battle with a giant hard on? _
**One day we're going to have to take one of these out on 'patrol' and I'm going to try to make you cum from my thoughts alone.**
_Yes please. _
Artie smiles mentally at him and together they push those thoughts away so they can focus on their upcoming fight. A Category III should be easy enough to dispatch, but getting too cocky could be disastrous, especially after such a long week.
The kaiju is surprisingly fast, but at least it doesn't have much in the way of acid to spit at them. Sam and Artie end up dragging it deep underwater to pin it against the ocean floor while they slowly strangle it. It's hard to keep track of where the tail is, so it knocks them around some. Eventually, though, the monster loses consciousness and then dies completely.
They release the body and watch it drift off in the current.
_I wonder where it'll end up._
**Somewhere far, far away, hopefully. Or else someone will snatch it up for research or black market dealing.**
_Black market? _
**Yeah, there's a black market for kaiju parts. Some of it is religious, some of it is scientific. It's… interesting.**
_I think they all should rot._
**Sammy, the scientists need parts to try to make advances in the fight against the kaiju. They need to learn so we can do better.**
_I guess. Have you ever done anything with the black market?_
**Yeah, I have. Mainly acid pouches. **
_Can you show me sometime?_
**Of course, Sammy boy. **
* * *
When they get back to the shatterdome and have disembarked, Artie pulls Sam into his lap. He kisses Sam's neck as he wheels them back to their room. Sam is shivering in anticipation of what's to come.
He shifts so he can kiss Artie back properly, but before long they realize there's a flaw in that plan, as Artie needs to be able to see to steer them to their room, instead of into a wall. Sam grins at Artie instead of kissing him, and runs his hand down Artie's chest to rub his crotch through his pants.
"Oh crap, Sammy…" Artie moans and wines in Sam's ear. When Sam undoes Artie's pants, he gasps loudly. Sam doesn't know what's gotten into him, but he wants to have fun tonight. He wraps his hand around Artie and strokes.
"You're so big," Sam murmurs. "You felt good down my throat, and I can't even imagine how you'll feel in my ass."
They reach their room, and Artie locks the door before pushing Sam into bed. Sam lands on his back gracefully and waits for Artie to join him. Artie pulls a few things out of a drawer and sets them to the side before he practically leaps on top of Sam. He kisses him hard before peeling Sam's shirt off. "You can be such a tease, Sammy," Artie says, leaning down to suck a hickey on Sam's neck. "Such a wonderful tease."
Sam moans and pushes up against Artie. "I think you like it. A lot," he murmurs. He pulls off Artie's shirt and gets to work on getting rid of both their pants.
Once they're both naked, Artie instructs him to lay back and put his knees up, and Sam obeys. "If there's anything that doesn't feel right, just tell me," Artie says, kissing the inside of Sam's thighs a few times. "There will be some pain, eventually, but you still should be feeling good."
Sam nods. "Okay, Artie." He isn't sure what exactly Artie is going to do, but he's excited for it as he gently spreads his cheeks. Artie moves his head lower and Sam gasps as Artie's tongue circles his asshole. Slowly, Artie's tongue moves to enter him. As Artie begins to thrust into him with his tongue, Sam can't keep from swearing loudly. He's pretty sure that the people around them will be able to hear him, but he's also sure that he doesn't care.
Honestly, Sam doesn't know how long Artie keeps licking him, but he's pretty sure that he could spend the whole night like this, even if his legs are starting to feel sore already. Artie eventually pulls away and Sam whines.
"Don't worry, Sammy," Artie soothes, reaching over to the stuff he had grabbed earlier. "I'm not done with you yet." He slicks up his fingers and uses one to begin stretching Sam, whose body is tense at the intrusion. "I need you to relax, okay? This won't feel as good if you can't relax."
Sam nods as he tries to catch his breath. "Okay," he wills himself to relax, and he succeeds, partially.
Artie looks up at his strained face and frowns slightly before kissing and nipping at Sam's thighs again. "Just focus on my lips. Focus on my voice," he murmurs. He keeps talking against Sam's skin, telling Sam how wonderful he is, and how happy he is that they're together.
Sam closes his eyes and obeys. Artie's got a soothing voice, and Sam lets it wash over him. Before he knows it, Artie has slipped another finger inside him and it's much easier to adjust to the intrusion this time.
"You're doing so well, Sammy, just one more finger," Artie says. "Plus, I think I've found something you'll enjoy."
Before Sam can ask what he's found, Artie brushes against something that makes Sam scream again. Pleasure surges through his whole body as Artie keeps brushing over that spot. He jumps a little as Artie licks precum off his tip. "So good, Sammy. So delicious."
The pleasure is intense, but Sam wants more. He starts trying to fuck himself on Artie's fingers, but Artie uses his other hand to hold him still. Sam remembers what Artie told him in the drift, about making him beg. "Artie, please…" he says softly. "I need you. I need your cock inside me so badly. I bet you're going to feel so good, even better than you do right now." His voice is kind of high pitched and definitely needy and desperate, but Artie seems to love it. Sam can tell that Artie wants to tease him further, but much to Sam's relief, he seems done teasing, for now at least.
Artie sits up and grabs a condom. Grinning lasciviously at Sam, he rolls it on his hard cock and lubes himself up. Sam reaches down to help Artie line himself up with Sam's asshole. When Sam nods, Artie begins pushing himself inside Sam. He moves slowly, which Sam appreciates because he didn't realize how large Artie would be.
When Artie is completely inside of him, Sam and Artie are at eye level, smiling widely at each other. "You're incredible, Artie. You're so huge, but you still feel so good inside me." He kisses Artie gently.
Artie begins thrusting, using his arms to push his whole body back and forth. Sam runs his hands over Artie's body, touching his most sensitive areas in order to drive him wild. It works, and Artie starts thrusting into him faster and faster.
Somehow Artie manages to hit that sweet spot inside of him a few more times and before long, they both are cumming hard. When Artie is done, he practically collapses on Sam and starts laughing. "You're so wonderful, Sammy. So tight and so amazing, my Sammy," Artie sounds practically delirious with happiness, and Sam feels the same way, so he snuggles close to Artie and joins in his laughter.
"Artie, Artie, Artie," Sam singsongs. "You're wonderful, too. My incredible Artie." He presses his face into Artie's neck and smiles.
Lazily, Artie grabs the wipes to clean them off, throwing away the used condom. He clings tightly to Sam and lets Sam wrap his arms around him just as tightly.
* * *
It takes a few days, but they finally come up with an excuse to take a jaeger out on a joyride of sorts. The go out to the ruins of one of the nearby cities so Artie can get Sam hard and orgasming in their brains but away from prying eyes.
**Do you even know how sexy you are when you're spread out like that? All wide and vulnerable for me.**
What's essentially pornography of the two of them, with a focus on Sam, flashes though his mind, and Sam's about to reply when he spots something out of the corner of his eye that he can't quite identify. It doesn't sit right with him, so he decides they need to look into it.
_Artieeeee. I see something other than the delicious images that you're sending me._
Artie sighs internally.
**_We'll get back to this._**
They go to investigate and there's nothing there. The streets are all empty.
_I'm sorry; I swear I saw something._
Artie doesn't reply. He just tilts their heads and Sam sees it. Her. There's a little girl hiding in the wreckage. Even from their vantage point, they can tell she is terrified.
**Sammy, if there's no one else around, chances are the girl is alone. We can't just leave her.**
_We can take her back with us. The marshal will figure out what to do with her._
**Can you get out and go talk to her? I don't know if she knows we're the good guys. Your winning smile ought to fix that, though.**
Together, they kneel so that they can turn the whole thing off without Artie having to bear the whole neural load. Sam shimmies out of the grasp of the jaeger and then out of the whole machine. The girl looks terrified of him, and considering her clothing is in tatters, she looks starved, and she clearly hasn't had a bath in ages, she probably has every reason to be, but Sam tries to smile reassuringly.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm Sam, and I'm here to help. Are your parents around?" he asks. This whole thing could be a big overreaction on their part.
The little girl shakes her head. Sam reaches into his pocket slowly and brings out a granola bar. "Are you hungry?"
This time, she nods and begins cautiously approaching Sam. He holds out the granola bar, and she snatches it from him before retreating a few steps to unwrap it. She eats the whole thing quickly, and then looks up at Sam fearfully. Sam doesn't know what she's expecting him to do, so he just clears his throat a little awkwardly. "My friend is in there," Sam says, pointing back to the jaeger. "We can take you somewhere safe, somewhere with food and water."
She looks at Sam and at the jaeger before nodding again. They slowly walk back to the jaeger together. When Sam lifts her up into the machine, she makes a pained noise. Hesitantly, she lifts her shirt to show him where her torso has been beaten black and blue. She shrugs a little before pulling it back down. Sam is much more careful next time, and they both make it into the jaeger intact.
"I found her," Sam tells Artie when they make it into the cockpit.
"I see that," he turns to address the little girl. "Hi there! I'm Artie! What's your name?"
The girl smiles a little bit and waves at him, but doesn't answer the question. She looks around and when she sees Artie's wheelchair, she settles herself into it, gripping the armrests tightly.
"I don't think she talks," Sam explains to Artie, who looks slightly hurt at having his question ignored. That clears things up, though, and Artie doesn't say anything further, not even about the fact that she's sitting in his wheelchair. Sam has never seen anyone else sit in Artie's chair before, not even when Artie is doing repair work that takes him out of the chair and other people are looking for a place to sit. It always felt like an unspoken rule to Sam that no one else would (and Sam is pretty sure that if it wasn't a little girl in need of a place to sit, Artie would be giving her a piece of his mind over the whole thing).
They reconnect themselves to the jaeger once they're certain she's settled.
_She's been hurt badly by someone._
Sam can feel a flash of anger from Artie, which only serves to magnify his own.
**She's safe, now. The shatterdome will keep her safe.**
* * *
When they reach the shatterdome, the little girl hops out of Artie's chair and watches curiously as Artie transfers into it. Artie unlocks his chair, and together the three of them disembark together, the little girl between them.
They get some looks as the three of them as they make their way to the bridge, but as everyone has duties to perform, no one approaches them. Sam is grateful for that, as the little girl looks absolutely terrified again, and he's worried she'd bolt if someone confronts them.
The marshal doesn't say anything when they approach her, but she gestures them to a private room. "Are you two picking up strays now?" she asks, looking sternly at the girl. The little girl squeaks a little and wrapped herself around Sam's leg.
"She was alone; there was no one around. There's no way that she'd be able to make it on her own," Sam explains, reflexively running his fingers through her hair to try to comfort her.
"There are other kids here," Artie says, "There's no reason to turn her away."
"They all have parents in the program," she replies. "Are you two her parents now?"
They exchange looks. "Please, just let her stay. What are you going to do? Toss her out to on her own?"
The marshal sighs and nods. "Take care of it. Pick up the paperwork and fill it out."
The little girl loosens her grip enough so that Sam can move his leg and they can leave together. They grab the paperwork and go back to their room. Sam hands her a cereal box and she eats hungrily. Filling out the paperwork is almost impossible, though, as they know nothing about her.
"Can you tell us your name?" Artie tries. The girl shakes her head. "Can you write it down?" She shakes her head again.
"We need to call you something. How do you feel about Lucy?" She shakes her head, sighing as Sam suggests name after name.
"Sam, can you go grab that encyclopedia off the top shelf?" Artie asks from his desk, where he's been filling out the paperwork as best as he can.
Sam grabs the book and hands it to Artie. He flips it open to the botany section and goes over to the girl. "Pick the prettiest flower, and if you like it, we can call you that, okay?" She nods and eagerly goes to work, flipping through the pages. After a few minutes, she points to one and holds it up to Artie.
"Zinnia?" Artie says, trying it out. She nods, and so does Sam. "Zinnia it is, then!" He writes it down on the paperwork.
Sam peers over his shoulder and see that much of the paperwork is blank, but there's not much either of them can do about that, especially since Zinnia won't talk. A lot of records have been destroyed, though, so most people's records are incomplete anyway.
Zinnia yawns as she looks around the room, and eventually she lays on the floor and closes her eyes, still holding her cereal box.
"Hey, you don't have to sleep on the floor," Artie says, leaning over to nudge her a little bit. "Sam and I will take the floor tonight, and tomorrow we'll take you to your new home, okay?"
Sam changes the sheets before Artie can suggest it. Their sex life is pretty active, and they tend to get messy. While he works, Artie grabs a washcloth and cleans off the worst of the dirt.
Zinnia looks at them sadly as she climbs into bed, still clutching the cereal box. Sam wonders if they should get her some clothes or bathe her properly or get her looked at by the doctor or something before letting her sleep, but before he can ask Artie, she's asleep and Sam doesn't want to wake her up.
Artie tugs at Sam until he's settled in Artie's lap. "I hope someone nice takes her in," Artie says sadly as he rubs Sam's back.
"We could," Sam whispers.
Artie kisses his cheek. "We couldn't even get through dinner last week without getting interrupted by kaiju. And if…" Artie swallows hard. "Her life has probably been chaotic enough without that."
"You're right," Sam said reluctantly. "We should sleep." A wave of tiredness and sadness sweeps over him.
"Okay, Sammy," Artie says. Together, they lay out the extra blankets and sheets on the floor to make a nest for themselves. Artie wraps his arms around Sam, and Sam pushes himself back against Artie's chest. It's an uncomfortable night, and Sam can feel that they're both sad.
* * *
In the morning, when Sam wakes up, Zinnia is peering over the edge of the bed at them. Sam nudges Artie awake too, but he moans and swats his hand away. It makes Sam laugh, so he gets up and gets started on breakfast.
"Sorry, he's not into mornings," Sam tells her as he starts making waffles for all three of them. "Do you like waffles?" Zinnia nods and smiles shyly. "There's a shower in the other room if you want to clean up. We don't have any little girl's clothing, but you could probably wear one of our shirts as a dress."
She seems to consider it. When Sam hands her one of his longer shirts, she examines it critically. It seems to pass whatever inspection she gave it, as she steps off the bed. Carefully she walks around Artie and into the bathroom.
The door locks behind her, and Sam hears her dragging something around before she turns on the water. Sam nudges Artie again while he waits for either the waffles to be done or for Zinnia to get out of the shower.
Twenty minutes later, the three of them are sitting on the floor together, eating waffles together. Sam and Artie chat with her, and even though she doesn't talk back, she still interacts with them by making faces at them in reply to what they say. As it turns out, she likes it when they sing old songs to her.
When they've finished their food, Artie does the dishes while Sam tries to explain to Zinnia what's going to happen next. "Soon, we're going to take you somewhere where you'll be able to make new friends, and find a new family. The people there will take very good care of you so you can feel better soon. No one will hurt you."
Zinnia doesn't seem to register what Sam's saying. Instead, she points at the refrigerator. Sam opens it for her, and when she points to the milk, he pours her a glass. A half hour later, she's still sipping on the milk. Sam and Artie exchange looks. By now, they can have whole conversations without talking, even without the drift. They both realize that Zinnia is stalling for time.
There's only so long you can drink a glass of milk, however, and when she's done, they gather her up to bring her down to the children's area. She dashes back into their room quickly, grabs the cereal box from last night, and then dashes back out the door. She shoots them both an apologetic look, and of course, they can't find it in itself themselves to even think about scolding her.
When they reach the children's area, the woman in charge is expecting them. Artie explains to her about Zinnia's mutenss while Sam kneels down to talk to Zinnia. "You're such a good girl, okay? They're all going to love you here." She just stares at him.
Artie looks at him uncertainly when he's done talking to the woman in charge. He turns to Zinnia to say goodbye. "The both of us really like you. You're a sweet little girl. If things were different… but they'll take care of you here. I promise."
They reluctantly turn away from Zinnia; they both have to work today, and Sam is glad about that. When he sneaks a peak back at her, the woman is gently pulling her into the children's area properly.
* * *
Artie and Sam work in different parts of the shatterdome when they're not in their jaeger, so Sam doesn't know how Artie feels. As far as Sam, he feels sad and regretful all day. He wonders how she's settling in, how many friends she's made.
When he gets back to their room, Artie is already there, laying on their bed and reading a journal. Sam kicks off his shoes and joins Artie on the bed.
"Reading anything good?" Sam asks, setting his head on Artie's abdomen.
"It's on the drift. It's possible to link three people already, and they're considering increasing the number of people involved in one drift," Artie explains.
"I just wanna drift you and me no matter how many minds they figure out how to link up, okay?" Sam asks.
Artie sets the journal aside and runs his fingers through Sam's hair. "Of course, Sammy. Just you and me," Artie says.
Sam closes his eyes and listens to the sound of Artie breathing. He falls asleep, only stirring when Artie nudges him a little bit. Still sleepy, he blinks up at Artie. "Hey, cutie Artie pie," he touches Artie's face. "How're you?"
Artie holds Sam's hand and kisses the palm. "Not so great, Sammy boy."
Not what Sam likes to hear. "Aw, Artie. Tell Sammy everything."
"I got a call," Artie says.
"From who?" Sam is concerned, even though his sleepiness prevents him fully engaging with what Artie is saying. "Sammy's here."
"She's not settling in well yet," Artie says quietly. "She's different and they don't like her because she doesn't say anything."
That wakes Sam up. "Is she okay?"
"So far, yesish…" Artie sighs deeply and Sam can hear the heartbreak in his voice. His thoughts flash back quickly to the memories of Artie's isolated childhood he has. This has to be touching a nerve. "But she's got to feel so alone, Sammy boy."
Sam knows that if he pushes now, he could convince Artie to bring her back. Heck, under the circumstances, he could probably get a formal adoption through before Artie even thought to object. But Sam can't take advantage of Artie when he's feeling vulnerable. "She'll find people," Sam reassures him, running his fingers across Artie's jaw. Artie leans down and kisses him tenderly.
* * *
For a few days, they don't hear anything about her. "I think it's a good sign," Artie says quietly one morning before they get up. "If they don't have anything to say, that's a good thing, right?"
Sam nods. "Yep. It may have been a bumpy start, but I'm sure that now she's got plenty of friends."
That night, when Sam returns to their room, he finds Artie laying on the floor, with his head under the bed. "It's going to be okay, just please come out now." When Sam clears his throat, Artie jumps, banging his head on the bedframe. Artie pushes himself out from under the bed and sits up, rubbing his head. "_Ow._" Artie sounds surly.
"Why are you poking around under the bed?" Sam asks.
Artie sighs and crooks his finger at Sam. "We've got a guest."
With a sinking feeling, Sam crouches and, sure enough, Zinnia is curled up under the bed. "Will you come out?" She shakes her head.
"I think we're gonna have to wait it out. She's probably going to have to come out sometime, right?" Artie asks.
"Yeah, I guess," Sam says. It's a better idea than dragging her out.
"I'll cook tonight," Artie volunteers. Sam knows that that means sandwiches and chips most likely, but Sam honestly doesn't feel like anything heavier anyway.
Artie gets to work while Sam watches him, still sitting on the floor. They try to make idle chitchat about their day, but clearly neither of them are feeling it. When Artie is done with the food, Sam settles in at their tiny table to eat. Both of them keep their eyes trained on the bed. They continue to go about their nightly routine as best as they can, waiting for the little girl to make another appearance.
Eventually, Zinnia inches her way out from under the bed. She sits at the table with them to eat from the plate that Artie left out for her. Sam and Artie give each other looks, and they both decide that Artie will approach her while Sam settles in front of the bed again in case she tries to retreat.
"Are you feeling better?" Artie asks her as she eats. Zinnia nods. "Were the kids mean to you? Is that why you ran away?" She just shrugs a little bit. "You know you're going to have to go back, right?" At that, she jumps up and bolts from her chair, making a beeline for the bed again.
Sam grabs her before she can quite make it and holds her tightly, even as she starts twisting and hitting at him to get away. Artie settles in next to them and does his best to rub her back when she calms down a little bit.
Eventually, she's cuddled up between the two of them, and Sam throws Artie a look. How can they possibly send her away? Before Artie gets the chance to reply, the phone goes off.
* * *
A REMINDER THAT IF YOU HIT NEXT YOU'LL BE IN FOR SADS IF YOU GO TO CHAPTER THREE YOU'LL BE IN FOR HAPPYS.
2. Original ending
Artie picks it up and listens, furrowing his brow. "We have to go, Sammy. Category IV. They need all hands on deck."
Sam realizes that nothing could demonstrate Artie's point about how they couldn't provide a proper environment for a small child than them having to dash off in the middle of a discussion like that. He nods at Artie and turns back to Zinnia. "We've got to go now. We'll be back. I promise, and then we'll figure out what to do."
Zinnia looks sadly at the both of them, but gives them both hugs, climbing up into Artie's lap to give him his properly. Artie leaves food out for her, and then they have to leave.
"I know, Sammy," Artie says, as they make their way down to the ready room as quickly as possible.
They change in silence, and get into their jaeger, slipping into the drift easily even though both of them are full of turmoil.
**I wish, Sammy, but things like tonight will happen again and again. We shouldn't even have left her there alone tonight. **
_Maybe we should suggest they settle her somewhere further away from us. So she can't come back._
Artie nods at him internally and they get ready.
The kaiju is large and fast, a terrible combination to fight. Their jaeger is slowly getting torn apart, as the kaiju comes back for attack after attack.
**I can't pin it down. This fucker is too fast**
_We've just got to be patient._
**We're missing an arm and leg and I can see out of my chest; if we're patient, we're gonna both be dead.**
Sam can feel what Artie is planning, but he isn't fast enough to stop him. Artie turns their body so that Artie is between Sam and the kaiju. When it nears them, Artie raises his arm (and rocket launcher), and launches everything he's got at it.
It explodes. Normally, Artie would be safe, but with the gaping hole in the jaeger, the acid and searing heat enters the cockpit. Sam realizes that somehow the escape pod has encased him without him pushing the button. It must be one of the custom upgrades that Artie installed by himself.
It hasn't had time to disengage him from the neural link, however, so he can feel as the acid begins to eat into Artie's skin. Artie is screaming in his head, and Sam knows he will never forget what it feels like. He can't bear to turn his head to watch Artie die.
**It doesn't hurt anymore, Sammy.**
_Please, you've gotta stay with me. Just hold on._
Sam is jamming his finger on the button for Artie's emergency escape pod, but it won't engage.
**I love you, Sammy. I'm a coward so I couldn't say it before. But I do. I have for a long time. I love you so much.**
_You can't go, you can't. Artie, please…_
The pod disengages him from the drift, and Sam realizes too late that he never told Artie that he loved him too. Sam desperately claws at the seam of the escape pod. He knows that he could pull Artie back into the pod if he only had a little bit of time.
Even when the pod launches, Sam still tries to open it so he can pull Artie inside. He catches sight of Artie as he exits, though, and he realizes that there's hardly anything left to save. There's nothing Sam can do other than close his eyes and wait for them to pull him out of the water.
* * *
No one looks at Sam as he trudges to the showers. He doesn't even know what he's feeling. He takes his shower so hot that it's burning; Artie always preferred hot showers to cold. Once they started showering together, Sam came to love hot showers too.
Even as he tries to focus solely on the sound of water hitting the shower wall, he can still hear the sound of Artie's scream in his head above it all. And how fucking unfair is that? He's heard Artie laugh in his head. He's heard him giggle and smile and scrunch up his face and so many things that Sam always loved to hear and feel. And Sam is left with the sound of him dying.
He reluctantly turns the shower off and gets dressed. Everything feels mechanical. Which is funny since he's not in a machine for once. A strangled laugh works its way out of him before he shuts it down.
While he technically still has his quarters that are separate from Artie's, Sam automatically goes to his. When he opens the door, he sees Zinnia curled up on their bed. His heart sinks. Sam had totally forgotten about her.
Her eyes open and she frowns as she takes in his disheveled appearance. Sam sits down as she gets up. She walks over to the door and looks both ways down the hallway before closing it. Looking back to Sam, she imitates Artie pushing himself and then cocks her head like she's asking a question.
"Artie is, um," Sam tries to figure out how to tell her. He can feel himself about to cry. "He's… I can't say it, please don't make me say it."
She nods and places her hand on his shoulder. He shrugs her off and gets into bed. Under other circumstances, he would let Zinnia take the bed, but he needs the smell of Artie. The whole room smells like him, but when he curls up in their bed and presses his face to Artie's pillow, that's all Sam can smell.
Sam closes his eyes and hopes that sleep will come. Maybe he'll be able to see Artie there. Or, even better, maybe he'll wake up. Maybe today was a nightmare and he would wake up crying. Artie would hold him closely and kiss his forehead. He would mutter soothing words in his ear until Sam quieted. Then, Artie would shift them so Sam's head would be on Artie's chest so Sam could listen to his heart beat until he managed to fall asleep again.
That doesn't happen. Sam lays with his face buried in Artie's pillow all night, shaking and crying silently. The scream echoes through his head.
Sam doesn't want to get up in the morning. Not to eat. Not to shower. Nothing.
But there's still a little girl living in his room, and she needs to eat. So Sam gets up and makes her a sandwich. She refuses to eat hers until he makes himself something, too. They sit in silence for a very long time.
"I can't promise I'm going to be a good father," Sam says, his voice strained. "Not by myslf. I can promise that I won't make fun of you. I can promise you food and water. Some kind of kindness." There's probably more that he should say, but he doesn't know what that is.
Zinnia nods. Sam calls for a cot to be brought to their room. If he was a better man, he would be the one who takes the cot, but he wants to be where Artie should be.
* * *
The funeral is a nightmare. Words haven't generally been Sam's strong suit, and with Artie, he's hardly had to articulate his feelings in words. But he has to get up and speak anyway.
"I honestly have no clue how to begin to explain what kind of person Artie was, so I'm gonna tell you a story about him instead. It doesn't seem like much, but it's the exact moment I fell in love with him," Sam has to clear his throat and push back the tears before starting to speak again.
"The two of us started living together months ago. We never really talked about it; it just happened. One morning, he was sleeping in late for once- and you have to understand that that was a rarity- when he woke up he was still so sleepy. He turned around to face me and he rattled off some complicated equation that I had no idea what it meant. I just ran my fingers through his hair and told him to go back to sleep. He shook his head and told me that it was really important that I know those numbers. I nodded and told him that I'd remember them. Then he told me that he went back through the base code of the dirft, and that those numbers were our numbers. I'm not totally sure what he meant, but it was then that I knew I loved him and that I could never stop. Because he was someone who wanted to know as much as he could, but he was always did it in a way that was special, that I don't think anyone else would ever think of. Because he was so damn special." Sam can't go on, so he steps down and lets someone else talk. He still feels the screaming in his head, but after recounting his story, he thinks he can feel a little bit of Artie's love too. Sam clings to it and hopes that it'll be enough.
3. Fluff ending
Artie has a short conversation with the person on the end of the line, ending with, "Okay, we'll be there tomorrow." He hangs up the phone.
"Everything okay? You look concerned," Sam asks.
"We're to report to med bay tomorrow. I don't know why, but they said it was important," Artie says, getting back on the floor with them.
Artie starts playing a hand game with Zinnia while Sam watches. He hopes that it isn't anything too urgent, but he knows that even if it is something bad, they'll be able to cope somehow. The one thing they don't know how to cope with is Zinnia. Sending her back to somewhere where people are mean to her isn't right, but neither is taking her in, under the circumstances.
They shoot each other looks, and they decide to put it off for another day. Maybe they can talk to someone in charge, and they'll be able to come up with a better solution. So Artie and Sam spend another night on the floor.
* * *
The next day, they leave early for the med bay, making sure to leave food for Zinnia to eat if she gets hungry. Sam is pretty sure that's not what you're supposed to do with a kid, but it's the best they've got under the circumstances.
When they reach the med bay, the doctor sits down with them in a private room.
"The long term effects of jaeger use haven't been well known, but looking at your last test results, we've found some troubling things," the doctor says.
"What kind of troubling things?" Artie asks, sounding very composed, which is the opposite of how Sam is feeling. He's concerned that it could be something serious, even deadly.
"Your brain scans have changed significantly. This isn't altogether unexpected, considering the nature of jaeger technology, but the changes are more drastic than we thought they would be," she explains.
"Do we need to be concerned?" Artie asks.
"Not yet, no. But comparing your scans to Sam's, we're concerned about where things could progress to if this isn't addressed soon," the doctor says.
Sam can tell that Artie is more concerned than he's letting on, so he reaches under the table to squeeze his hand reassuringly. Artie shoots him a grateful look.
"How should we address it?" Artie asks.
"First off, no more drifting, at least for you, Artie. Sam still has some time before things progress to the point where you are. That may be all we can do, but nothing seems to be too seriously damaged. You may experience some dizziness or difficulty choosing words, especially as you grow older, but those are most likely the most severe symptoms you will encounter. Sam, you're even less likely to have symptoms at all," she explains.
"If I'm done with drifting, so are you," Artie tells Sam.
"That isn't fair! I can still fight. Drifting with someone else isn't going to change anything between us," Sam says.
Artie rolls his eyes a little bit. "I'm not worried about you running off with some new copilot and forgetting about me. I know that you won't want to stop fighting, even when it starts getting dangerous for your brain," Artie says, "because you're a big damn hero. But since it's my health on the line too, you'll stop. So we can keep fighting, if you want, but we're doing it together."
That makes a little more sense to Sam, and he sighs. "Okay, we retire together. You can take us off the roster," Sam tells the doctor.
Artie smiles in relief at him, and after a short discussion with the doctor, the leave.
"You know what this means, right?" Artie asks as they move down the hall.
"Yeah… I do," Sam says, smiling widely. "I don't mind retirement as much as I thought I would now."
"Do you want to tell her, or should I?" Artie asks.
"I think we can manage to do it together," Sam replies, still feeling his excitement grow.
"You've always been a smart one," Artie says, reaching up to briefly to squeeze his hand. They keep going in silence for a few minutes, but then Artie interrupts the silence. "Sam… we're gonna have a child. We're gonna have a family. Oh god, what if I'm a bad parent? What if we mess her up badly and she ends up making a lot of bad choices and-"
Sam interrupts him by blocking his path and squatting down to his level. He takes Artie's hands in his. "You're going to be a wonderful parent, Artie. Absolutely wonderful. There's no doubt about that," Sam tells him.
Artie smiles at him, and Sam thinks it's the biggest and brightest smile he has ever seen. "I love you, Sammy. I really do. I should have told you earlier, but I was scared, but I can't keep quiet anymore."
Those are words that Sam has been eager and fearful to hear ever since he and Artie became… whatever it is they are. "I know."
At that, Artie bursts out laughing and pulls him into his lap. "Did you really just Star Wars me?"
"Of course," Sam kisses Artie's cheek. "And I love you too."
"This is gonna be a good life, Sammy," Artie tells him.
And it is.
End file.
| fanfiction |
Nuclear Explosion Confined by Gravity?
When a nuclear device is detonated at ground level, we see the familiar mushroom cloud, which is undoubtedly caused by the weight of the atmosphere suppressing the upward thrust, causing the debris and dust to be curved down back towards the Earth. The horizontally propelled mass again does not travel very far from the point of detonation.
One would expect the nuclear explosion to escape from the atmosphere, after all Gravity is thought to be the weakest force?
But in reality, **gravity is the only force** and both nuclear and magnetic forces would not be present without gravity. So are we in error comparing like for like, when in reality we are comparing what are currently thought to be separate forces?
Gravity is responsible for holding all particles, from sub atomic to planets and suns together and the nuclear explosion merely illustrates it perfectly?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SDzpF.jpg)
A couple things first. Gravity is not the "only" force, and also it is not responsible for holding all particles together. A single hydrogen atom with one electron in orbit would stay held together without the force of gravity due to the electromagnetic force.
The main thing slowing down the mushroom cloud is not gravity. Mostly it is the highly energetic particles running into the previously stationary air particles.
If you made a nuclear explosion on a planet with no atmosphere I would expect some particles would be launched into space.
A related way to think about this is that we can make a rail gun powerful enough to launch something at 11km/s (fast enough to escape Earth's gravity), but we have not done it, because the main obstacle is air resistance. The projectile will experience tremendous force from air resistance slowing it down immediately after leaving the rail gun muzzle.
As MasterOfMuppits has pointed out, after the explosion initially slows down, the cloud continues to rise due to the massive amounts of heated air the explosion generated.
>
> But in reality, gravity is the only force and both nuclear and magnetic forces would not be present without gravity.
>
>
>
This is a non sequitur, we live in a universe that has various forces, particles and conservation laws that, although we exploit them and try to understand them, were still "given" to us with certain properties which we cannot currently explain. You can't logically say that gravity is the **only** force and then immediately refer to other forces.
Either it is the only force or it isn't. And it isn't.
I have never read or been told about, other than speculation about a unified force which might have existed just after the big bang, that nuclear forces or electromagnetic forces depend on gravity for their existence. Gravity is an effect of spacetime curvature, and not a force in the same sense as electromagnetism or nuclear forces.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lpEuv.png)
>
> One would expect the nuclear explosion to escape into the atmosphere, after all Gravity is thought to be the weakest force?
>
>
>
Here is a chart of how extensively the nuclear tests extended into the atmosphere. A 30 megatonne explosion reaches 30 kilometres high. By most standards, that's escaping into the atmosphere.
| stackexchange/physics |
Besovets ; is a rural locality a village in Prionezhsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Municipally, it is a part of Shuyskoye Rural Settlement of Prionezhsky Municipal District.
On June 20, 2011, RusAir Flight 9605 crashed near Besovets while on approach to Petrozavodsk Airport, killing forty-five and injuring seven people.
References
Category:Rural localities in the Republic of Karelia | wikipedia |
The château de Boucard is located at Le Noyer Cher, in the Pays-Fort natural region, France.
History and architecture
The castle was built on the banks of la grande Sauldre in the Pays-Fort, near the Sancerrois in the ancient Boisbelle principality.
Middle-ages
Its name comes from the Boucard family or Boucart from Gascony, who became landowners in the Berry, after the wedding of Jean de Boucart with Anne de Blancafort at the end of the 14th century.
Shortly after their settlement, the castle was built on an ancient feudal mound Motte du Plessis by Lancelot de Boucart. The castle has kept its medieval styled châtelet entrance, outer walls and angled towers.
Renaissance
The château as we know it today is due for the most part to Antoine de Boucard, gentilhomme of the house of François Ier, soldier of the Italian wars, who built a new dwelling on the yard's southern angle, around 1520, in Renaissance style. One of his descendants, François de Boucard, rebuilt the wing in 1560. On the façade is written the castle's motto « Victrix patentia fatia » patience, destiny's winner.
Modern times
From 1671 to 1674, Louis XIV assigned Philippe de Montaut-Bénac de Navailles to reside with Boucard, who opened the yard up on the Sauldre and arranged the first floor of the northern wing.
The gardening plan was assigned by Dosmont, pupil of the King's architect Jean-Michel Chevotet, to fermier général Étienne Perrinet de Jars who became owner of the castle in 1760.
The family still owned the castle, but gradually lost interest; the domain was progressively abandoned during the 19th century, to become only a site dedicated to hunting.
20th century restoration
In the 1920s, Charles-Auguste de Bryas, descendant of the Vogüé family inherited the castle. His wife, Hélène de Bryas born La Rochefoucauld rediscovered the castle and the gardens threatening to fall into ruins, restored them to render the domain habitable. The family sojourned namely during World War II.
In the 1960s, the château was acquired by its present owner, Marie-Henriette de Montabert, daughter of Hélène de Brias, who opened it to the public and made it a stage of la Route Jacques-Cœur in 1965.
The castle and its dependencies, the parks and gardens, moats, canals and bridges allowed a ranking title of Monument historique on July 10, 1995.
References
External links
Sites des Estivales de Boucard festival organisé par l'association des Amis de Boucard
Le château de Boucard sur Berry-passion.com
Le château de Boucard sur abcsalles.com
Photos anciennes sur la base Mémoire du ministère de la culture
Pages consacrées au Château de Boucard sur le site « Patrimoine » de David Boucart
Category:Châteaux in Cher
Category:Monuments historiques of Centre-Val de Loire | wikipedia |
Version 1 Software: John Collins
21 Jul 2004122 Views
Version 1 Software has appointed John Collins as a senior consultant. John joins the company from Pyramid Consulting. He has a successful history of delivering a range of multisector consultancy into companies such as Aventis Pharma, Daiwa Securities, IFG, 3Com and AOL. Most recently he was involved with First Active in a series of engagements including Sales Activity Management, HR and Payroll Systems, MIS, Customer Retention, Process Review and Infrastructure Migration. John has also been heavily involved in the promotion of Balanced Scorecard as a vehicle for driving business strategy.
Related: Wi-Fi, retail, SAP, EMC
H&M faces €35m fine for storing data on staff health and religious beliefs | slim_pajama |
Fairy Tail Stalker
**STALKER **
"**Encuentro"**
_Espía: Persona que observa y escucha a otras secretamente, que recauda información sin ser detectada._
Detrás de las ventanas, atrás de un árbol, tras una pared, donde sea, Juvia siempre tenía una manera de arreglárselas para poder verlo.
-En una sola palabra podría describir este sentimiento como amor… ¿Puede acaso alguien estar enamorado de una persona que no conoce?... Amar su figura, su piel… su voz… ¿ó sólo es la impresión física lo que conecta el corazón con su apariencia? Es verdad que Juvia no tiene la menor idea de cómo sería en la vida real… ya que sólo lo ha visto en la televisión, sin embargo… también es verdad que alguien que interprete lo que se proponga de esa manera no puede ser una persona de corazón frío y oscuro…
-Juvia ha sido su admiradora desde el inicio de su carrera, cuando apenas era un nuevo chico incursionando en el mundo de la fama y empezaba a ser acaparado por los medios, porque desde el primer momento en que Juvia escuchó su voz en la radio emisora le encantó, no pudo evita entrar a la red en busca de información sobre el cantante que había escuchado, cuya hermosa voz había alegrado el día de Juvia, puede que se tratara de amor a primera vista, ya que Juvia pudo sentir hasta acelerarse su corazón al verlo en aquella fotografía del artículo donde relataban su historia.
-Fue ahí donde empezó su obsesión, buscando información sobre su itinerario, Juvia empezó a asistir a todos los eventos que involucraban a Gray-sama y en el más reciente, fue dado a conocer que su faceta como cantante sería compartida con la de actor, ¡Una nueva oportunidad de verlo todos los días!, se trataba de una serie de médicos donde él representaría al hijo del médico más importante del hospital; escrita por una de las amigas más cercanas de Juvia, la famosa escritora Lucy Heartfilia, ¡Esto realmente se trataba de un golpe de suerte!, Gracias a Lucy… ¡Juvia iba a poder conocerlo!, ya que había sido invitada a uno de los días de la filmación que se realizaría en un campo abierto, donde las fans que así lo quisieran podrían llegar con admisión.
Ha pasado toda la semana ansiosa y esperando el sagrado momento, hasta que el día finalmente llegó, la chica se ha arreglado lo más linda que pudo, porque está segura que tendrá la oportunidad de por lo menos estrechar su mano, tomó su sombrilla que llevaba siempre consigo para todas partes y encaminándose bajo el sol buscó la parada de autobús. Para Juvia… el inicio de su precioso y esperado día, no tendría nada que ver con lo que le esperaba al final de este.
Había logrado llegar, pero las condiciones del clima eran completamente contrarias a lo predicho, las nubes lo opacaron todo en cuestión de un par de horas y las gotas de agua caídas desde los cielos no se hicieron esperar. El camino por el que iba era de por si bastante angosto, por lo que debía recorrerlo con cuidado de no tropezar, sin embargo muchas veces las cosas no salen como uno lo planea y un mal paso sobre la corriente le dobló el tobillo haciéndola caer y rodar la sombrilla hacia el lado.
-No puede ser… Juvia se ha ensuciado y mojado…, -se levanta como puede y observa entristecida su vestimenta, se encontraba al borde de la depresión, cuando los pasos del chapoteo sobre los charquitos de agua, de una persona que venía acercándose la sacan de sus pensamientos y al voltear a ver de quien se trataba se queda paralizada.
-En lugar de estar ahí parada mirando tu ropa, deberías cubrirte ya que tienes un paraguas, -le señala el objeto tirado en el piso, el joven de cabellos oscuros que se ha acercado a ella y cogiendo la sombrilla de Juvia con su mano, la eleva sobre sus cabezas cubriéndolos a ambos. –Vaya momento que eligió esta tormenta para caer…
No podía ni decir una sola palabra, más que mirarlo sonrojada y sorprendida, que la persona que había ido a ver… se hubiera topado con ella en primer lugar y en una situación como esa.
-¿Creo que no viniste al evento verdad?, -le sonríe al ver que no empezado a gritar como loca como sus demás admiradoras, -es mejor así… no tienes idea de cómo me molestan esas acosadoras…, -apenas y susurró, pero fue lo bastante audible para ella.
-¿Acosadoras?..., -sin duda se sintió aludida por el comentario, por lo que bajo la mirada culpable.
-¿Oh?, No… esto no tiene nada que ver contigo, -dijo mientras se empezó a desvestir de la camisa, aparentemente sin notarlo, ya que no le tomó mucha importancia al hecho que quedaría expuesto a la humedad de la tormenta.
_-¡¿Por qué se está desnudando?! _, -una observación completamente normal de parte de la chica de cabellos azules.
-El evento del día de hoy se canceló por la lluvia, ¿quieres tomar un café o algo?, te ofrecería un helado, pero no sé si te guste con este clima…, -habla despreocupado.
-¿Por qué?... si… Juvia es una persona a la que acabas de conocer, ¿cómo es que tienes la confianza de invitarla?...
-¿Mmm?, no lo sé… me pareces buena persona y tengo deseos de un helado, -se lleva la mano tras de la cabeza, -Pero si no quieres…
-¡Claro que Juvia acepta!, -sus ojos se volvieron estrellas.
_-Gray-sama resultó ser un chico más dulce de lo que Juvia había pensado… sin embargo… Juvia le ha mentido… al no decirle la verdad sobre que ella… también en una de sus acosadoras… por no decir… la peor de todas…_
Continuará…
0=0
La verdad que no sé cómo va esto xDD, Este fic es en respuesta al concurso que lancé, dedicado a Yukistar por haber ganado xDD. En un principio tenía la idea de hacerlo de un solo tirón de oneshot largo, pero prefiero que me digan que les parece o que mejoro para no hacerlo todo mal, si es que lo está xDD y si les gustó también. Me la pusiste difícil Yuki xDD mira que del mundo del espectáculo JAMÁS eso si jamás había escrito xDD.
ARIGATO!
MATTA NE!
End file.
| fanfiction |
Dragon Age 1. Education magique
Rating : M (LEMON POWER !) et ils seront plus explicites que les cinématiques du jeu x3.
Dragon Age appartiens à BioWare (que j'adore), et aucun personnage, lieux ou autre ne m'appartient ( puis je dire que le perso principal m'appartient vu qu'on le crée au début du jeu ?) bref, partons du principe que rien n'est à moi, a part les éventuelles OC qui pourrait être rajouter pour les besoins de l'histoire.
Cette fanfic suit l'histoire du mage, enfin une espèce de fusion entre l'histoire du mage, et de l'elfe citadin. Les dialogues ne seront pas ceux du jeu (de un, j'ai la flemme de refaire le jeu entier pour me ressouvenir des dialogues, et puis ce n'est pas la peine de lire une fanfic si celle ci suit de très près le jeu, sinon autant y joué.) Le personnage sera beaucoup plus sombre que dans le jeu (vu que quoi qu'on fasse, c'est assez difficile d'être méchant et que quoi qu'il arrive, on tue l'archidémon à la fin et on est un héros/héroïne, il n'y a pas de « mauvais fin » comme dans KotOR où l'on peut faire gagner les méchants, j'ai décider d'écrire une histoire qui va changer ça, où du moins essayer.
Petit réclamation : J'ai constaté que certains m'étaient des histoires en favoris ou en alerte sans laisser de review. Si vous faites ça, c'est que les histoires ne vous laisses pas indifférents, et par conséquent, elles bien mérites un petit commentaire non ? (trois quatre mots suffise, comme : bravo, continue comme ça)
Chapitre I Education Magique
Mana Kyromis était une jeune elfe, cela faisait maintenant 3 ans qu'elle était arrivé au Cercle des mages, elle avait maintenant 8 ans, elle était d'une nature joviale et généreuse, et avait le sourire facile, mettant à l'aise ceux qui l'entourait, elle était brune, les cheveux lui allant au milieu du dos, et avait les yeux bleu clair, presque blanc. Elle avait été arrachée du bascloître de Dénérim lorsque ces prédispositions à la magie sont apparues, en l'occurrence quand elle a fait décoller un garde que s'en était pris à sa mère. Le pauvre bougre a volé sur une dizaine de mètres avant de s'écraser sur un mur, le soir même, les templiers étaient venu l'arracher à sa famille. Ces hommes en armures avaient une expression de dégoût en voyant dans quelle condition vivaient les elfes, mais n'avaient aucun sentiment de pitié ou de compassion pour ces non humains.
Le voyage avait été calme, même si les templiers n'étaient pas vraiment gentils ou agréables. Sa découverte de la tour du cercle l'avait considérablement marqué, et l'emplissant de sentiment contradictoire. D'un côté, elle se sentait chez elle parmi ceux qui étaient comme elle, dans un lieu tellement magnifique qu'elle n'aurait jamais pensé y mettre les pieds même dans ces rêves les plus fous. Mais ce lieu l'oppressait , encore plus que le bascloître, et ces hommes en armure qui patrouillait partout, elle se sentait surveillée, épiée, elle avait la désagréable impression d'avoir une épée de Damoclès au-dessus de la tête, le moindre écart lui coûterait la vie. C'est ainsi qu'elle commença sa formation de mage. Elle avait débuté dans sa formation aux sortilèges que depuis 6 mois, les trente premiers mois étaient des cours, que ce soit d'éducation civique, d'histoire, scientifique et surtout religieux. L'utilisation de la magie était particulièrement dure, sans parler du fait qu'elle était la plus jeune de sa classe, tous les autres avaient entre 10 et 12 ans. Elle avait été repérée beaucoup plus tôt que les autres, et pour cause qu'elle était la plus douée. Malgré son jeune âge, elle maîtrisait mieux la magie que tous les autres enfants. Mais ce talent lui attira de graves ennuis, car durant son sommeil, un démon de l'immatériel lui susurra des paroles malignes qui altérèrent gravement son comportement. Dès ce moment-là, elle était irascible, désagréable, presque méchante. Elle se moquait de ceux qui n'arrivaient pas à bien utiliser la magie, et était violente avec les autres élèves. Elle fut de nombreuse remise à sa place par les professeurs, et même mise par deux fois à l'isolement par les templiers. Les maîtres ne savaient pas quoi faire. Le premier enchanteur Irving décida un jour de lui parler en privé pour savoir ce qui n'allait pas. Il l'installa dans une salle de classe, où il put lui parler seul à seul, ils s'installèrent face à face, à l'une des tables. À sa grande surprise, la petite fille resta très calme, et même assez mal à l'aise.
-Dis-moi mon enfant, pourquoi es-tu aussi violente envers tes condisciples et tes professeurs, quelque chose ne va pas ?
Mana fut incapable de regarder le vieil homme en face, en se tortillant les mains, pour Irving, il était évident qu'elle cachait quelque chose.
-Je suis là pour t'aider, dit il avec beaucoup de douceur, si quelque chose ne va pas tu dois me le dire.
La petite fille se tortilla encore plus les mains, et ouvrit pour la bouche pour parler.
-Je…Je ne sais pas si je peux le dire…Je, dit elle d'une voix éteinte et tremblante.
-Ce que tu diras ne sortira pas de cette pièce, c'est promis, dit Irving d'un ton à la fois sérieux et doux.
-Même aux templiers ?
Irving ne compris pas pourquoi elle parlait des templiers, mais jura qu'il ne le dira à personne.
-Hé bien…, commença t elle, je fais de cauchemar, je vois une personne pendant mon sommeil.
Irving ouvrit grand les yeux, et commença à comprendre pourquoi elle était hésitante.
-Elle me parle…me dit d'agir ainsi, que je dois écraser ceux qui sont faibles…parce que je suis forte… mais même si je n'en ai pas envie, je le fais quand même, je ne sais pas pourquoi, dit elle d'une voix tremblante.
-À quoi ressemble cette personne ? demanda Irving, le visage sévère.
-Je…Je ne sais pas…il est toujours dans l'ombre, je ne vois que sa silhouette, sa voix résonne dans ma tête…Impossible d'y mettre fin…Je ne sais pas quoi faire…, balbutia t elle en commençant à sangloter.
Irving était ébahis par ce qu'il venait d'apprendre, Mana était en train de se faire corrompre par un démon, et celui-ci semblait prendre son temps pour s'insinuer doucement dans son esprit. C'est dangereux, si les templiers venaient à l'apprendre, le chevalier capitaine Greagor n'aurait aucun scrupule à la faire exécuter ou pire, faire d'elle une apaisé. Mais il ne pouvait laisser cet enfant se laisser dévorer par un démon.
-Merci pour ta confiance, je jure de n'en parler à personne, mais dorénavant, avant d'aller te coucher tu viendras me voir, j'ai quelque chose à te donner pour t'aider à arrêter ces cauchemars.
La petite fille eut se calma, sécha ses larmes, et retrouva le sourire en remerciant le premier enchanteur. Le soir même, le vieux mage lui donna un pendentif, et lui demanda de le mettre autour du cou avant de s'en dormir. Depuis ce jour, Mana à retrouver son sourire et sa joie de vivre, et avait vite fait de se faire pardonner auprès des autres élèves et des professeurs, en promettant que cela n'arrivait plus.
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Quatre autres années s'écoulèrent, âgé de maintenant 12 ans, elle était toujours en tête de sa promotion, mais elle n'hésitait jamais à aider ceux qui avaient du mal, les faisant réviser ou les entraîner à lancer des sorts en situation réels.
Tous l'appréciaient en particulier Jowan, un jeune garçon de 15 ans, assez réservé, et hélas peu doué dans les arts magiques. Pourtant, elle ne cessait de l'aider à s'en sortir, ne lui laissant aucun de moment de répit durant leur temps libre. Grâce aux efforts accomplit, Jowan réussi à se maintenir à niveau. Les deux adolescents étaient inséparables, et avaient l'habitude de faire les quatre cents coups ensembles. Par exemple, pour aider Jowan à maîtriser les sort de foudre, elle lui montra comment poser des pièges électriques sur les poignets des portes. Le sort n'envoyait qu'une faible impulsion électrique, mais elle demandait une grande maîtrise de l'énergie magique. Mana en avait parfaitement la maîtrise, au moins autant que ses professeurs. Jowan lui dit un jour que le fait qu'elle avait été nommée Mana à sa naissance n'était peut-être pas un hasard.
Mais un jour où elle sortait du dernier cours de la journée et s'empressait de rejoindre, elle le trouva planqué, en train de lire un livre, elle s'approcha doucement de lui, et une fois à côté de lui demanda :
Qu'est ce que tu lis ? en lisant par dessus son épaule.
Jowan sursauta et referma prestement le livre, mais la jeune fille avait eu le temps de voir de quoi il s'agissait, et cela lui donna des frissons.
-Tu…Tu étudies la magie du Sang ! s'exclama t elle.
-Moins fort s'il te plait, dit Jowan d'un ton suppliant en regardant nerveusement autours de lui.
-Tu sais ce qui t'arrivera si on le découvre ?
-Je connais les risques, mais la Confrontation approche, et j'ai besoin de puissance pour m'en sortir.
Mana le regarda intensément, et il ne put soutenir son regard et préféra regarder le mur.
-Je ne dirais rien, mais en échange, j'ai quelque chose à te demander.
-Heu…Soit, que veux-tu ?
-Pourrais-tu m'aider à obtenir des écrits sur la Démonologie ?
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Ça y est, c'était le jour J, après un peu plus de 12 années d'études. Elle fut conduite à la plus haute salle de la tour, là où se trouvait la chambre de confrontation. Lorsqu'elle arriva dans la salle de Confrontation, elle vit qu'une vingtaine de templiers surveillaient la salle. Irving était également présent, il avait le visage triste et inquiet. Greagor montra à Mana le piédestal où ce trouvait du Lyrium pur. Le premier enchanteur pris à part son élève quelques instant afin de lui parler.
-Fais très attention à toi dans l'Immatériel, le pendentif que tu portes ne pourras pas te protégé des possessions si tu rentres consciente, dit il dans un murmure.
-Irving, laissez là, elle doit accomplir ce rituel seule.
Mana se sépara à regret du vieil homme, et alla au centre de la salle. Au moment où elle toucha le lyrium, elle perdit conscience.
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Mana ouvrit doucement les yeux, et constata qu'elle n'était plus dans la salle de Confrontation, elle était sur un sol sec, avec une herbe jaune maladif. Le ciel était gris marron, et des îles flottaient dans les airs. Ce n'était pas sa première visite de l'Immatériel, loin de là. Chacune de ses visites durant ses rêves était gravée dans sa mémoire. Après s'être relevé, elle commença à explorer l'endroit où elle était arrivé. Elle savait qu'un démon avait été convoqué pour son épreuve, il s'agissait de le trouver. Elle avait à peine commencer à marcher qu'un couinement lui fit baisser les yeux, à ses pieds se trouvait une souris, cette dernière recula un peu, brilla et se transforma en homme. Ce dernier était assez grand, il faisait deux tête de plus qu'elle, il avait les cheveux châtain, et portait un robe de mage.
-Salut, tu es là pour faire ta confrontation, demanda t il d'une voix assez aigu pour un homme.
-En effet, qui es tu ? demanda Mana d'une voix neutre avec néanmoins une note de curiosité.
-Moi ? Tu peux m'appeler…hé bien Souris.
-Souris ?
-Oui, je suis ici depuis tellement longtemps que je ne me rappelle plus de mon vrai nom, alors j'ai pris ce nom là.
-Je vois.
-Et je suis un apprenti mage…Enfin je l'était, tout comme toi, j'ai du passé la confrontation, mais j'ai hélas pris trop de temps, et les templiers ont du détruire mon corps. C'est comme ça qu'il procède, dit il d'un ton triste.
-Quoi ! Même si on ne se fait pas posséder.
-Oui, dit il en hochant la tête, ils n'aiment guère prendre des risques.
Mana se refrogna un court instants, cette information l'avait rendu nerveuse.
-Mais je suis sûr que tu va y arriver, je suis même prêt à t'aider.
-Pourquoi m'aiderais tu ?
-Parce que le démon du coin me harcèle depuis longtemps, combien ? je ne saurais dire, mais ça mort me serait très profitable, et à deux on a plus de chance d'y arrive non ?
-…D'accord, finit elle par répondre après un temps de réflexion, ton aide ne sera pas de trop. Et qu'as tu l'intention de me demander en échange.
-J'aimerais retourner dans le monde réel…
-…Très bien, je ferai de mon mieux.
-Super, allons y alors.
Après une dizaine de minutes de marche et l'élimination d'une dizaine de feu follet, ils arrivèrent face à une espèce d'arène entouré de flamme. Souris se re métamorphosa en homme.
-Nous y voici.
-Attend, c'est quoi ce truc là bas ? demanda Mana en pointant du doigt un silhouette lumineuse au loin.
-Ah ça ? C'est un Esprit, et bien qu'ils ne sont pas sensé être méchant, celui là n'est pas commode.
-C'est pas tous les jour que j'ai la chance d'en voir un, _bien que je viens dans l'immatériel chaque nuit,_ c'est l'occasion, dit elle en s'élançant gaiement vers l'esprit.
-Attend moi ! cria derrière Souris.
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Mana eu un petit mouvement de recule en voyant l'esprit de plus près, car ce dernier avait l'apparence d'un templier. Mana ne l'ai appréciait guère, et avoir l'impression qu'ils sont capable de surveiller les mages même dans l'immatériel est très dérangeant. Mais elle alla quand même à sa rencontre.
-Salutation mortelle, dit l'esprit d'une voix d'outre monde.
-Heu…Bonjour, dit sobrement Mana accompagné d'un geste respectueux de la tête.
-Que viens tu faire céans mortelle ?
-Je suis venu affronter le démon qui rôde dans le coin, et vous qui êtes vous ?
-Je suis Valeur, l'esprit de l'honneur et du combat.
-Et vous êtes également forgerons à vos heures perdu, demanda t elle d'un ton taquin en regardant par dessus l'épaule de l'esprit.
-Je crée également des armes, tout guerrier qui a une quelconque valeur doit avoir des armes digne de lui.
-Vous n'auriez pas une épée en trop par hasard, demanda t elle un sourire.
-Je ne donne pas mes épées à n'importe qui, si vous voulez une arme, il devrez me prouver votre valeur.
-Et comment ?
-Affronter moi, si vous me battez, je vous la donnerais.
-Et si je perds ?
-Vous mourrez.
-Ça à le mérite d'être clair, très bien, j'accepte.
-Dans ce cas en garde.
Le combat débuta, l'esprit dégaina une énorme épée et se précipita sur elle avec la volonté manifeste de lui mettre les tripes à l'air. Mana s'était spécialisé dans les sort élémentaires, elle lui gela les pieds, afin de l'immobiliser. Hélas, la glace ne tint pas la pression exercer par l'esprit et céda rapidement. Valeur tenta de la décapiter, mais Mana se baissa à temps, elle roula sur le côté, esquivant ainsi un coup d'épée qui l'aurait coupé en deux, mais dans le sens de la longueur cette fois. Elle concentra un sort de foudre, et le lança sur l'esprit qui tomba à genou sous la violence de la décharge. Mana en profita pour mettre une plus grand distance entre eux deux, mais Valeur récupéra plus vite qu'elle ne le cru et fonça sur elle. Elle concentra tous le mana qu'il lui restait, et balança une puissante boule de feu à bout portant. L'explosion fut très violente, la touchant également, elle fut projetée à une demi douzaine de mètres. Elle réussi à se relever, et constata que Valeur était toujours debout, elle se dit qu'elle allais perdre quand il rangeant son arme.
-Reste on s'en là. Vous m'avez prouvé votre valeur, vous êtes digne de prendre une de mes armes, dit il en lui tendant un bâton de mage, mais Mana refusa en hochant négativement de la tête.
-Non, c'est une épée que je veux.
-Comment ? Mais vous êtes une utilisatrice de Magie, vous n'êtes pas faite pour le combat à l'épée, protesta Valeur.
-Nous vous en faite pas, je me suis entraîné aux combat à l'épée, donnez en moi une très équilibré si possible.
L'esprit lui tendit alors une épée longue parfaitement équilibrée, la lame était mince et effilé, ainsi que légèrement courbé.
-Merci beaucoup, c'est parfait.
-Tant mieux, je vous souhaite bonne chance pour votre duel contre le démon.
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Tandis qu'elle s'éloignait, un détail lui vint à l'esprit.
-Au fait Souris, tu sais toujours utilisé la magie ?
-Non pourquoi ?
-Et tu as d'autres transformation que la souris ?
-Non.
-…Alors comment compte tu m'aider à combattre le démon ?
-…Et si je te soutenais moralement ?
-…En gros tu sers à rien, dit elle en haussant les épaules.
-Pas du tout, je crois savoir comment régler ce problème, dit il en mettant deux doigts sur son menton, l'air de réfléchir.
-Et comment ?
-Il y a un autre démon plus loin, il n'est pas aussi dangereux que celui que tu dois affronter, mais il pourrais m'apprendre d'autre forme.
-Et pourquoi n'es tu jamais allé le voir ?
-Ben, je suis plutôt vulnérable, mais avec toi je me sens mieux.
Mana garda le silence, et se laissa conduire. Ils arrivèrent finalement dans un petite plaine, où dormait un ours, mais ce dernier avait un apparence repoussante. Sa fourrure et sa peau avaient en grande partie disparu, laissant place aux muscles à vif, il empestait à cent mètres d'une odeur de charogne et il semblait avoir de la vermine grouillante dans ce qu'il lui restait de fourrure. Mana s'approcha avec prudence, sentait que ce démon était très puissant, et le reconnu comme étant un démon de la paresse. Ce dernier sentit sa présence, et ouvrit les yeux. Il la regarda de haut en bas, et se rendormit. Mana fut vexer par ce dédain, mais resta calme, et parla d'une voix forte
-C'est l'heure de se réveiller démon.
L'ours rouvrit les yeux, et la regarda de nouveau, avant de parler.
-Que veut tu mortelle ?
-Je suis venu te demander d'enseigner à Souris à devenir comme toi.
-Hou, ça c'est une grosse bête, fit remarquer bêtement Souris.
-Hm, je le pourrais effectivement, mais…c'est trop d'effort ?
-Comment ça « trop d'effort » ? Tu s'énerva Mana.
-Je m'appelle Torpeur, et comme tu l'avait deviner, je suis un démon de la paresse, alors je n'ai pas envie d'interrompre ma sieste pour ça.
-Je ne te laisserais pas tranquille tant que tu resteras prostré là, dit Mana en croisant les bras.
-Dans ce cas je te dévorerais.
-Essais, si tu peux.
Tous les deux se regardèrent intensément, et Torpeur baissa les yeux le premier.
-Je n'ai pas envie de perdre mon temps, aussi je te propose un marché, si tu répond à mon énigme, j'enseignerais à ton ami, mais si tu perd, tu t'en va, et tu me laisse tranquille.
-Marché conclu.
-Bien voici l'énigme : « J'ai des mers, mais pas d'eau, des forêts sans arbres, des villes sans habitants, et des montagnes sans terre, qui suis je ? ».
Mana dû réfléchir durant un bon quart d'heure, avant de répondre, faisant les cent pas, au grand damne du démon qui cherchait à se rendormir.
-J'ai trouvé, s'écria t elle soudainement, c'est un carte !
-Hm, tu as trouvé, je vais donc tenir ma part du marché.
Quelques minutes plus tard, Souris était capable de se transformer en ours noir.
-Voilà qui est fait, maintenant partez, dit le démon en se laissant retomber lourdement par terre, s'endormant instantanément après un tel effort.
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Faisant face à l'arène, Mana expliqua la stratégie à Souris, à moins que ce soit Ours maintenant.
-C'est simple, tu l'occupe au corps à corps, pendant que je le bombarde de sort, dit elle sobrement.
-Et si il arrive à m'échapper et qu'il t'attaque ?
-Pourquoi ai je une épée à ton avis ?
Après être entré dans l'arène, une espèce de créature de lave et de feu apparu, et s'approcha.
_Un démon de la colère, quoi de chance, c'est le plus faible de la hiérarchie_, pensa Mana.
**-Te voici donc Mage, je vais enfin pouvoir me repaître de ton âme, et pouvoir voir le monde par tes yeux.** Dit le démon d'une voix grave et brûlante.
-J'en doute, nous sommes à deux contre un, tu ne m'auras pas comme ça.
**-Hahahahaha ! Vraiment ? Tu ne lui a donc pas parlé de notre accord Souris ? **demanda le démon en se tournant vers la souris qui avait repris sa forme humaine.
-Hé non, cette accord est fini maintenant, FI-NI ! dit il d'une voix amusé.
**-Je vois, je me délecterais donc de ton âme en plus de celle ci, qui me semble plus appétissante que toute celle que j'ai mangé depuis ma naissance.**
Après ces mots joyeux, le démon se précipita sur Mana, celle ci savait que les Démon de la Colère était vulnérable aux sort de glace. Elle utilisa « l'étreinte de l'Hiver » pour geler le démon. Ce dernier résista mais cria de douleur, ce qui laissa le temps à Souris de le charger sous sa forme d'ours et de lui donner un coup de patte monumentale.
**-Quoi ! Mais comment… ? **Hurla de fureur le démon.
-Je me suis amélioré depuis notre dernière rencontre, dit Souris d'un ton badin.
Pendant que le démon discutait avec Souris, Mana avait charger son sort « cône de glace », qui envoya un souffle de givre qui gela complètement le démon. Une fois ce dernier transformer en statue de glace, la jeune mage dégaina son épée et brisa la statue en mille morceau.
-Paix à ton âme, dit elle simplement en éparpillant les morceau de glace.
-On a réussi, on a vaincu le démon, dit Souris d'un ton joyeux, vous n'allez pas tarder à être rappelé.
-Dis moi Souris, de quoi parlais le démon à propos d'un accord ? demanda Mana, menaçante.
-Hé bien, pour survivre, j'ai du me mettre à son service.
-Et tu as trompé les élèves qui sont venu ici avant moi, c'est ça ?
-Hé bien…Je n'avais pas vraiment le choix, mais je savais en te voyant que tu le battrais.
-…Ça fait longtemps que je me pose cette question, mais es tu réellement un ancien mage ?
-Comment ça ?
-Tu m'as demandé de t'aider à retourner dans le monde réel en échange de ton aide, mais personne ne formulerais une telle demande, ton corps est mort depuis longtemps, tu ne pourrais y retourner, c'est pourquoi je pense que tu n'es pas ce que tu prétends.
Souris resta impassible devant ces paroles, puis eu soudain un rire sardonique.
-Je vois que je suis démasqué, j'espérait prendre possession de ton corps sans que tu t'en aperçoivent, mais c'est raté apparemment.
Souris claqua du doigt, et changea d'apparence. Il devint un jeune homme, il devait mesuré un mètre 90, il était assez élancé, les cheveux long noir et soyeux, la peau d'albâtre, et avait des yeux rougeoyant, avec la pupille fendu verticalement. Il dégageait un senti de puissance qui écrasait Mana, elle chancela mais réussi à rester debout. Elle reconnaissait celui qui lui faisait fasse, c'était le démon qui la tourmentait depuis son arrivé à la tour des mage, mais depuis qu'elle avait étudier la démonologie, elle savait quelle démon lui faisait fasse, et cela l'effraya encore plus. Cette créature était un démon de l'Orgueil.
-Impressionnant, tu as réussi à rester debout en étant aussi près de moi, mais d'un certain côté, cela ne m'étonne guère, quand on sait quel genre de mage tu es ?
-Comment ça ?
-Tu ne le sais pas ? Toute les fois où tu t'es promené parfaitement consciente dans l'Immatériel pendant ton sommeil, en gardant en mémoire chacun de tes voyages, cela ne te dit rien, un type bien particulier de mage, très convoité par les démons.
Mana réfléchit, cherchant à se rappelé les différents types de mage, et celui qui avait un lien particulier avec l'Immatériel lui revint. Il s'agissait du rêveur, un mage capable de modifier le monde physique depuis l'Immatériel. Ils sont parmi les mages les plus craints, après les mages du sang, à la différence que les rêveurs ne sont pas considéré comme des maléficiens.
-Tu es un rêveur, enfin plutôt une rêveuse dans ton cas, dit il avec un sourire qui ne rassurais pas du tout Mana, et maintenant que je t'ai en face de moi, je n'ai pas l'intention de te laisser t'échapper.
A suivre.
2. Pacte et Fuite
Après avoir lu certain commentaires, j'ai modifié ce chapitre pour le rendre meilleurs, et j'ai même ajouté un petit combat, ne me remercier pas c'est normal :-) et merci à ceux qui ont daigné me laissé un petit message.
-I will be back (dialogue oral)
_I will be back (pensée ou dialogue mental)_
**I will be back (voix mental de démon)**
J'ai mis cette phrase culte parce que je l'adore (que ceux qui ne connaisse pas se pendent… ou aille d'urgence s'acheter Terminator XD).
Chapitre II Pacte et Fuite
« Maintenant que je t'ai en face de moi, je n'ai pas l'intention de te laisser t'échapper. »
À peine le démon avait prononcé ces mots, que Mana lui avait envoyé un sort de plein fouet. Elle avait bien entamé sa réservé d'énergie contre de démon de la colère, et elle allait devoir affronter un démon autrement plus puissant. Le carreau mystique qu'elle lui avait lancé fut renvoyé par le démon d'un geste négligent de la main. Paniqué, Mana enchaîna les sorts dans l'espoir de le blesser, mais il semblait même pas inquiété. Voir sa proie se débattre semblait l'amuser, il ne cherchait même pas à contre attaquer, il se contentait de regarder la jeune elfe s'épuisé d'elle même. Ce qui arriva rapidement, Mana devint incapable d'envoyer le moindre sort, son mana étant au plus bas. Elle était tellement fatiguée qu'elle n'arrivait pas à rester debout, et tomber à genou, le démon s'approcha doucement d'elle.
**Hé bien, est ce donc tout ce dont tu es capable ?** demanda t il d'un ton faussement déçu.
Mana le regarda d'un regard noir de colère, et le démon gloussa en la voyant réagir ainsi.
**Désolé si je t'ai vexé, j'avais oublié que tu venais tout juste d'affronter un démon de la colère, mais même si tu avais en forme optimal, tu n'aurais eu…**
-ASSEZ ! cria Mana énervé, si tu veux dévorer mon âme, va y, mais tais toi !
Le démon fut surpris par cette réaction, mais cela le fit rire à nouveau. Elle lui plaisait beaucoup. Durant des millénaires d'existence, il n'avait jamais rencontré quelqu'un comme elle, d'ordinaire, les mortels sont mort de trouille et demande pitié, alors qu'elle semble accepter ce qui lui arrive. Le démon prit le menton de la jeune elfe, et lui releva la tête, afin de la regarder dans les yeux.
**Il est vrai que dévorer ton âme est très tentant, d'autant plus que cela me permettrais de voir le monde réel…Mais non, je ne vais pas faire ça.**
Dire que Mana eue la surprise de sa vie serait un euphémisme, elle ne s'attendais vraiment pas à ça.
**Si tu voyais ta tête**, dit le démon amusé.
Il l'allongea brusquement sur le sol et posa l'une de ses mains sur la poitrine de la jeune mage.
**Mais je n'ai pas non plus l'intention de te laisser partir indemne**, dit il en ayant un sourire sadique et pervers aux lèvres.
Mana eue un frisson, savoir qu'elle risquait de se faire violer par ce démon l'effrayait presque davantage que de voir son âme dévorée. Mais si ça lui permettait de s'en sortir en vie…
-Que voulez vous de moi ? demanda t elle d'une voix aussi assurée que possible.
Le démon haussa des sourcils en entendant cette question, et le fit ricaner ensuite.
**Je te propose un pacte**, dit il d'une voix très sérieuse, **tu m'offres ton corps, ton âme ainsi que ta vertu, et en contrepartie, je t'offre ma puissance, ainsi que ma longévité.**
-C'est à dire ?
**Que tu m'autorise à investir ton corps. Tu y garderas le contrôle, moi je me contenterais d'observer, et de temps en temps, je prendrais le commande, quand à ton âme, et bien, je me sens parfois très seul, et j'apprécierais d'avoir un peu de compagnie, ce qui revient à la troisième chose que tu me donnes,** dit il en lui caressant doucement les seins.
-Si j'accepte, je me transformerais en abomination, et les templiers qui me surveille me tueront sans hésitation, répliqua Mana.
**Les templiers ne reconnaissent une abomination que sur son apparence physique, notre pacte ne modifiera quasiment pas ton enveloppe charnelle. Les transformations en abominations sont provoqués par la possession trop abrupt du corps du mage par le démon. Mais je suis patient, je vais m'insinuer lentement mais sûrement, de cette manière, personne n'en saura jamais rien.**
-Et si je refuse ? demanda t elle anxieuse.
**Je te dévore sur le champs, après t'avoir prise dans tous les sens,** dit il en se léchant les lèvres.
-…Très bien…J'a…J'accepte…balbutia Mana dans un murmure.
**Bien dans ce cas, le pacte est signé, ton corps, du moindre de ses cheveux, jusqu'à la dernière goutte de sang m'appartienne, et tu pourras disposer de ma force. Nous voici désormais partenaire…ou même plus**, susurra t il rapprochant ses lèvres de celle de Mana mais cette dernière détourna la tête.
-Pourquoi moi ? Un démon du désir pourrait vous donner bien meilleur satisfaction non ?
**Tu crois que je n'y ai pas déjà pensé ? Mais aucun d'entre eux ne m'a satisfait, mais je sens que toi, tu le pourras, je l'ai senti dès ta naissance.**
-Comment ça ?
**Plus tard peut être**, dit le Démon en la relevant, **je crois qu'il est tant pour toi de retourner dans le monde réel. À plus tard.**
Flash blanc
xxxIIIxxx
Il faisait bon, chaud. Elle était allongée sur quelque chose d'agréable, quand on l'appela.
-Mana ! Ouvres les yeux, allez !
Ce qu'elle fit, et vit Jowan, mort d'inquiétude, mais qui se détendit en la voyant se réveiller. Jowan, l'un des ses meilleurs amis…en fait non, c'est son seul ami, il était arrivé un peu avant elle au cercle des mages, et avait été le seul à être aller la voir le soir de son arrivé. Les années suivantes, elle passait tout son temps dans l'étude, et ne s'était lié à personne d'autre que lui. Il était plus grand qu'elle, ce qui n'était pas dure vu qu'elle était elfe et lui humain, il était brun, les cheveux court, avec quelques mèches lui tombant sur le front. Il était étrange de toujours les voir fourrer ensemble, car ils étaient diamétralement opposé, elle était joyeuse et bon vivant, lui était plutôt réservé, elle était doué et puissante alors que lui était plutôt en dessous de le moyenne, malgré tous ses effort. En regardant autours d'elle, elle constata qu'elle était sur son lit, aux dortoirs des apprenties, des salles gigantesques composées pour 80% de lits superposés.
-Enfin, j'était mort d'inquiétude, ils t'ont ramené ce matin, mais j'était loin d'imaginé que ça durerais toute la nuit.
-Je vais bien Jowan, c'est juste que c'était…éprouvant, dit elle dans un souffle.
**Et encore, je ne t'ai pas montré certains de mes talents**, dit une voix amusée, qui fit sursauté Mana, qui regarda frénétiquement autour d'elle, ce qui alarma Jowan.
-Tu te sens bien, que cherche tu donc ? demanda t il d'une voix rassurante en lui mettant la main sur l'épaule.
-Je…Excuse moi, je suis encore un peu sur les nerfs, après ce que j'ai dû subir.
-Je sais que tu es tenu au secret mais…Pourrais tu me donner un simple indice sur la Confrontation, un seul, et je te laisse tranquille, implora le jeune mage d'une voix implorante.
**Implorer une femme, cet homme n'a t il donc aucune fierté ?**
_Qui parles à la fin ?_ pensa Mana en s'énervant.
**Doucement ma jolie, ce n'est que moi.**
_Le démon, ce n'était donc pas un rêve…_
**Ben en fait si, puisque ça c'est passé dans l'Immatériel.**
_Je vois que monsieur fait de l'humour, et sinon, pourrais je connaître ton nom ?_
**Ah, les noms, douce trivialité, appel moi Pride, ça suffira pour le moment.**
_Pride ? C'est ton vrai nom ?_
**Non.**
-Hou ouh, tu m'entends, demandais Jowan en passant sa main de gauche à droite devant les yeux de l'elfe, qui revint à la réalité.
-Ah heu…désolé, j'avais l'esprit ailleurs.
-Je vois…Si tu ne veux pas me le dire…
-Tout ce que je peux dire, c'est que tu devras aller dans l'immatériel, et que si tu échoue à l'épreuve, c'est la mort assuré.
-D'accord, merci, dit il avec un sourire de reconnaissance, puis il se refrogna, maintenant je n'ai plus qu'a attendre qu'ils daignent à me convoquer pour ma Confrontation.
-Ne t'inquiète, ça ne devrais plus tarder.
-Peut être, mais je suis ici depuis plus longtemps que toi, et c'est toi qui part la première. Maintenant, je vais moisir ici avec les autres apprentis en attendant mon tour.
-Même si je déménage dans le quartier des mages, on pourra toujours se voir, et puis tu ne devrais pas tarder à devenir mon confrère, dit elle en lui posant une main réconfortante sur l'épaule.
-Si tu le dis, enfin bref, Irving souhaite te voir, il m'a demandé de te prévenir dès ton réveil, il t'attend dans ton bureau.
-Compris merci, dit elle en souriant.
Elle sorti rapidement des dortoirs et parti en direction du premier étage. Elle traversa tous le rez de chaussé, composé en grande partie de bibliothèque, de cours pratique, et de la théorie de temps à autres. En y arrivant, elle vit un étudiant prendre feu après un sort de feu mal utilisé, son professeur poussa un long soupir avant d'éteindre le feu d'un sort. Plus loin, elle vit une enchanteresse éduquer les enfants sur les dangers de la magie, Mana s'arrêta un instant pour les observer, les enfants devaient tous justes arrivé, car ils semblaient toujours ébahis par ce qui les entourait, et sursautaient aux bruits bizarres, bruits qui sont monnaie courante dans un lieu de magie.
-La magie doit servir l'homme, et non l'asservir ! répéta l'un des garçons du groupe.
-Très bien, répondit l'enchanteresse en ayant un sourire calme, et que signifie cette phrase ?
-Que la magie, c'est pas pour les filles ! répondit un autre garçon, avec une pointe de machisme.
-Hé ! s'écria une des filles.
Mana pouffa de rire en voyant l'air outrée de l'enchanteresse, ce garçon ne devait pas être fin pour dire ça alors que son professeur est une femme.
Le cours pratique suivant fut encore plus dangereux que le premier, car le professeur lança une boule de feu sur l'étudiant pour tester son bouclier magique, bouclier qui tint heureusement, mais le professeur n'avait pas l'air ravie.
-Lamentable, s'exclama t il, si j'y avait mis toute ma puissance, tu aurais été désintégré, tu dois rester calme, la peur est ton ennemi, si tu te montre aussi peu sûr de toi face à un ennemi, c'est la mort assuré, recommence.
Mana préféra s'éloigné avant que d'autre boules de feu ne volent, et atteignit l'escalier, elle se demandait toujours comment la bibliothèque avait tenu avec toutes ses boules de feu que fusent dans tous les sens durant les cours, encore un mystère aussi insondable que celui des rayures des zèbres. Une fois au premier étage, elle traversa la réserve, qui se trouve en plein centre de la tour, ce sont les apaisés qui s'en occupe, des anciens mages qui ont perdu leur pourvoir magique, ainsi que leurs personnalités, pour atteindre la bureau d'Irving rapidement. Une fois arrivé devant la porte, elle entendis que c'était plutôt animé derrière, elle ouvrit doucement la porte pour écouter.
-Ça suffit comme ça, nous avons déjà fournit de nombreux mages, dont Wynne et Uldred, nous avons suffisamment participer à l'effort de guerre ! s'énerva Greagor, le chevalier capitaine des Templier.
-Nous ? Depuis quand lié vous le sort des mages à ceux des templiers Greagor ? Demanda Irving. A moins que vous ne craigniez de voir davantage de mage s'affranchir de la Chantrie, et pouvoir utiliser librement les dons que le Créateur leur a donné.
Irving était un vieil homme qui avait dépassé les soixantes aux yeux fatigué, il avait un longue barbe grise, de même couleur que ses cheveux, il avait la voix grave, et parlait très lentement, comme s'il tournait sept fois sa langue avant de dire chaque mot. Greagor était quand à lui un templier, un homme assez âgé, au moins fin trentaine, une barbe taillé, il était solidement bâtit, engoncé dans son armure de plate, mais contrairement aux armures lourde traditionnel, les armures des templiers avaient un bas fait de tissu pourpre ressemblant à une robe
-Comment osez vous…
-Du calme messiers, Irving, il semblerais que quelqu'un derrière la porte souhaite vous parler.
Mana sursauta, s'étant faite repéré, elle ouvrit la porte complètement et entra dans le bureau. Apparemment, la personne qui l'avait remarqué était un homme en armure, les cheveux long noir attaché, avec une barbe noir, il semblait assez âgé, mais il dégageait un certain charisme.
-Ah c'est toi ma petite Mana, approche donc, dit Irving d'un ton doux. Duncan s'approcha et lui demanda : C'est elle ?
-Oui.
-Je tenais à te féliciter pour ta Confrontation d'hier soir, ça été l'épreuve la plus rapide que j'ai vue de mon existence, dit Irving d'un ton admiratif.
-Merci beaucoup.
-Je te présente Duncan, Garde Commandant de la Garde des Ombres de Férelden.
-Enchanté Duncan…Mais pourquoi un Garde viendrais t il ici ? demanda t elle.
-Le pire est arrivé, l'Enclin est arrivé, et une horde d'engeance est en train de se réunir dans les terres sauvages de Korcari. La Garde des ombres à été appelé à Ostagar par le roi afin de les repousser et combattre l'Archidémon. Je suis venu ici pour quérir l'aide des mages pour cette bataille.
-Duncan, vous effrayez cette enfant avec vos histoires d'engeances et d'enclin, c'est aujourd'hui un jour de fête pour elle.
-Nous vivons des heures sombres, nous ne devons pas l'oublier.
-Nous devons pas l'oublier certes, mais c'est justement dans ses moments là qu'il faut saisir tous les instants de bonheur que la vie nous donne.
-Très bien, dit simplement Duncan.
Irving se dirigea vers son bureau, et prit une longue robe rouge, ainsi qu'un bâton magique.
-Permet moi maintenant de te donné cette robe de mage, ton bâton, ainsi que cette bague frappé de l'emblème du cercle, ton phylactère à été déplacé à Dénérim. Tu es des nôtres désormais.
-Merci infiniment Premier enchanteur, dit Mana en s'inclinant respectueusement.
-Avant de partir, pourrais tu guider Duncan jusqu'à la chambre réservé aux invités je te prie.
-Avec plaisir.
-Bien dans cas je vous suis, au revoir Irving, dit Duncan en serrant la main de l'enchanteur.
Mana guida Duncan jusqu'à sa chambre, durant le chemin, elle lui posa quelques questions.
-Dites moi Duncan, je croyais que l'engeance avait été détruite durant le dernière Enclin, comment peut elle être encore là ?
-Il est impossible de l'éradiquer complètement, elle finit toujours par réapparaître, notre mission est de la repousser afin de l'empêcher de détruire tous ce qu'elle approche.
-Je vois, c'est donc sans fin, dit piteusement Mana.
-Hélas, notre seul espoir est qu'un jour, le Créateur daigne nous en libérer.
Une fois arrivé, elle s'inclina et pris congé. Mais à peine était elle sorti que Jowan l'aborda dans le couloir, l'air inquiet.
-Tu es là, je te cherchais, murmura t il.
-Qu il ? Pourquoi chuchote tu ? On dirais un conspirateur, dit elle en riant moqueuse.
-Chut, il faut que je te parles, c'est important.
Il eu un blanc, où Mana ne su plus s'il plaisantait ou non, mais face à l'air inquiet de son ami, elle se calma.
-Tu m'inquiètes Jowan, qu'est ce qui se passe ? demanda t elle mortellement sérieuse.
-Suis moi, je ne peut pas le dire au milieu du couloir.
Jowan la guida jusqu'à la chapelle de la Chantrie, endroit qu'elle déteste du fait qu'elle soit un nid à templiers. Ils arrivèrent dans un coin isolé où les attendais une initiée, cette dernière vint à la rencontre du jeune mage, et l'embrassa. Ce dernier était un peu gêné par la présence de Mana, qui en profita pour en rajouter une couche.
-Je peux vous laissez si je dérange, dit elle d'une voix espiègle.
-Non reste ! dit rapidement Jowan.
-Je tient à te prévenir, je ne tient pas à me retrouver entre vous deux, dit elle en plaisantant.
-Arrête de te moquer, bref, je te présente Lily, je te parles d'elle depuis quelques mois déjà. Lily, voici Mana Kyromis, mon amie de toujours.
-Enchanté de te connaître Mana, dit Lily avec un sourire sincère.
-Je suis surprise Jowan, je pensais que ce serais une mage, avoir une aventure avec une initié est assez dangereux.
-Je sais, mais ce n'est pas pour ça que je t'ai demandé de venir, il devint silencieux et commença à faire des allées et venu rapides avant de reprendre la parole.
-Tu te rappelles de ce dont on a parlé ce matin, sur le fait qu'il ne m'avais toujours pas convoqué pour ma confrontation, Mana hocha positivement la tête, je sais pourquoi maintenant…Ils vont faire de moi un apaisé, dit il d'une voix triste et tremblante.
-Tu es sûr de ce que tu dis ? demanda Mana estomaqué.
-J'en suis certaine, j'ai vu le document autorisant l'apaisement de Jowan, signé de la main du premier enchanteur en personne, dit Lily d'un ton catégorique.
-Ils vont détruire tous ce que je suis, mes sentiments, mon caractère, mon amour pour Lily, tout va disparaître…Tu te rappelle d'Owen, l'intendant de la réserve, tu as déjà regardé ses yeux ? Ils sont si froids…Non, ils sont vides, dénué d'une quelconque lueur de vie, il ressemble plus à un mort vivant qu'autre chose.
-Je…Je ne sais que dire…souffla Mana, sous le choc.
-Nous avons un plan pour empêcher ça, mais vous devez nous promettre de n'en parler à personne, dit Lily d'un ton à la fois sérieux et implorant.
-Très bien je promet de ne rien dire.
**Tu devrais laisser ces insectes, on ne cherches pas les ennuis****,** conseilla le démon.
-Nous avons décidé de fuir, mais pour cela, il faut que je détruise mon phylactère, et il se trouve dans le sous sol, derrière une porte lourdement blindé.
-Et comment y accéder ?
-Un sceptre de feu devrait pouvoir détruire la serrure, mais ils ne confieraient jamais un tel objet au simple apprenti que je suis, mais toi, tu es désormais un mage à part entière, tu devrais pouvoir en obtenir un à la réserve, expliqua Jowan.
-Hm, très bien, je vais voir ce que je peux faire.
-Mieux vaut que tu y ailles seul, tu attira moins l'attention qu'avec un trio aussi disparate que le nôtre, conseilla le jeune mage.
**Hé puis quoi encore, comme si on allais faire leur course comme des chiens !** s'insurgea Pride.
_Du calme, il n'a pas tort, y aller ensemble ne nous attira que des ennuis._
**Aider ces deux mortels va t'attirer des ennuis,** constata t il.
_Il y a des chances, mais je dois les aider._
Pride se tu, et Mana se dit qu'il avait décidé de ne plus intervenir. Il quitta le groupe, et ce dirigea vers la réserve. Elle se dirigea vers Owen, qui en est le responsable.
-Bien le bonjour, en quoi puis je vous aidez ? demanda t il d'un ton monocorde.
_C'est vrai, ces yeux sont vides, c'est effrayant, _pensa t elle.
-J'aurais besoin d'un sceptre de feu, pourriez vous m'en fournir un ? demanda t elle poliment.
-Bien sûr, dit il en partant en direction de la réserve, Mana était contente que ce soit allé aussi bien, mais elle déchanta très rapidement lorsqu'elle le vit revenir avec une feuille de papier.
-Voici le formulaire, vous devez le faire signer par un enchanteur de rang pour pouvoir obtenir le sceptre.
Mana bloqua un instant, puis revint à la réalité.
-Comment ? Je ne peux pas l'avoir comme ça ?
-Non, vous devez obtenir l'autorisation d'un enchanteur de rang pour cela.
Mana partie en grommelant, frustré de devoir encore allé voir des professeurs pour obtenir quelque chose alors qu'elle était mage.
**Ah je crois que c'est à moi d'entrer en action****, **dit Pride d'un ton amusé.
_Comment ça ?_ demanda Mana surprise.
**Je vais te montrer un avant goût de ce dont je suis capable.**
_Je le sens mal…Essais si tu veux, mais pas de mort compris ?_
**Je n'ai pas d'ordre à recevoir de toi, maintenant je vais prendre le contrôle de ce corps.**
_Quoi ! mais tu as dit que c'est moi qui en garderais le contrôle, _protesta la magicienne.
**Pour utiliser mes pouvoirs, j'ai besoin d'avoir le contrôle, ne t'inquiète pas, je te le rendrais.**
_Pff, très bien, va y._
Pride prit alors le contrôle du corps depuis l'Immatériel, il prit le temps de toucher son nouveau corps, découvrant la réalité, mais quand il toucha la poitrine, Mana se rebiffa.
_Pas ma poitrine, pervers !_
**Dois je te rappeler que ton corps m'appartient ?** demanda le démon d'un ton lourd.
_Non, répondit piteusement la jeune fille, mais s'il te plait évite de faire ça, tu risque de me faire passer pour une perverse._
**Mais n'est ce pas ce que tu es ? J'ai eu accès à tes souvenirs en prenant possession de ton corps, et tu sembles assez attiré par la chair, petite cochonne.**
Mana garda le silence, certes, il lui arrivait de se masturber, et elle faisait souvent des rêves érotique, mais bon, c'est naturelle non ? Son silence fit rire Pride. Ce dernier retourna vers Owen, qui imperturbable, lui répéta de faire signer le formulaire.
-Tu va me donner ce sceptre sans poser de question, demanda Pride, en plaçant sa paume ouverte devant le visage d'Owen, ce dernier chancela doucement, puis retourna vers la réserve. Deux minutes plus tard, il revint, avec le sceptre de feu dans les bras.
-Voici, dit il simplement en tendant l'objet à Pride.
-Merci.
Une fois éloigner, Pride rendit le contrôle de son corps à Mana, qui fut heureuse de constater que sa possession n'avait rien changé. Par acquis de conscience, elle sortit son petit miroir qu'elle avait toujours, on peut être mage et coquette, et observa son visage, et faillit laisser tomber son miroir.
_Mes yeux ! Que leur sont ils arrivés ? _se demanda t elle, terriblement angoissé.
Ses yeux, qui étaient jadis vert comme le feuillage d'un arbre en pleine été, étaient maintenant rouge comme le sang, ses pupilles étaient fendu verticalement avec des tâches dorée autours . Les mêmes yeux que Pride lorsqu'elle l'avait rencontré dans l'immatériel.
**J'avais espéré que tes yeux ne serait pas altéré, c'est raté apparemment.**
_Tu dois faire quelque chose, je ne peux pas me promener avec des yeux comme ça, ou je serais exécutée sur le champs par les templiers, _pensa Mana, voix envahis par la peur.
**Ça va, pas la peine de paniqué, je vais arranger ça.**
Quelques instants plus tard, Pride se manifesta.
**Voilà, maintenant, tes yeux ne paraîtront plus bizarres.**
_Tu plaisantes ! Ils sont exactement pareils ! _s'écria t elle mentalement après avoir regardé de nouveau dans son miroir.
**Fais moi un peu confiance.**
_Désolé, j'ai juste du mal à accorder ma confiance à un démon, je vais améliorer ça_, dit elle d'un ton dégoulinant d'ironie.
**Très amusant, moque toi tant que tu veux petite elfe, mais tu constateras rapidement que personne ne se rendras compte de quoique se soit****, **fit Pride d'un ton glacial qui dissuada Mana de continuer de se moquer.
Elle retourna vers la chapelle où l'attendais les deux tourtereaux qui se faisait un sang d'encre, elle trouvailles d'ailleurs stupide de se mettre dans la chantrie pour parler d'un sujet aussi sensible.
-C'est bon, je l'ai, dit la jeune elfe d'un ton enjoué qui rassura instantanément ses deux étranges complices.
-Parfait, hâtons nous à rejoindre la salle des phylactères, dit Jowan d'un ton pressé.
Ils partirent tous les trois en direction des sous sols, on accédait à ses derniers via un escalier situé entre la bibliothèque du rez de chaussé et le dortoir des apprentie. Une fois arrivé, ils se heurtèrent à la première porte que en gardait l'accès.
-Plutôt impressionnant comme porte, remarqua Mana d'un ton léger.
-Comment l'ouvres t'on ? demanda le mage en se tournant vers Lily.
-Cette porte ne s'ouvre qu'a un mage accompagné d'un templier, ce dernier donne le mot de passe qui amorce les défenses, et le mage utilise sa magie pour les désactiver. D'abord le mot de passe.
Une fois le mot de passe énoncé, un bruit sourd se fit entendre.
-Voilà, maintenant utilisé votre magie pour désactivé les défenses, n'importe quel sort fera l'affaire, dit Lily en s'écartant de la porte.
-Bien compris, dit sobrement Mana en s'avançant vers la porte.
**C'est une bonne occasion de leur montrer de quoi nous sommes capables****, **fit Pride d'un ton amusé.
_A quoi pense tu exactement ?_ demanda t elle, anxieuse à l'idée que son démon intérieur pourrais encore faire des siennes.
**Tu ne le sais peut être pas, mais tu as un don pour les sorts de l'Esprit, tel que la télékinésie, ma présence peut le renforcer, nous n'allons pas seulement ouvre la porte, nous allons souffler le mur entier.**
…_Heu…Je tiens à ce que ce l'on ne se fasse pas remarquer,_ dit Mana avec le même ton qu'a un enfant de trois ans.
**Inutile de me prendre pour un imbécile, gronda Pride d'une voix menaçante.**
Consciente d'avoir été trop loin, Mana s'excusa rapidement.
_Désolé, je veux dire que ce n'est peut être pas une bonne idée de faire tout ce chambardement alors que nous sommes sensé y aller sans que personne nous remarques, _dit elle d'un ton frôlant la soumission.
**J'aime mieux ça, et pour le « chambardement » comme le nomme, tu n'as pas à t'inquiété. Ce ne sont pas les bruits bizarres qui manques aux cercles, personne ne le remarquera.**
_J'espère que tu as raison, parce sinon, cela finira mal pour nous._
-Alors ? Tu le lance ton sort ? A moins que tu ne préfère que je ne m'en charge ? demanda Jowan d'un ton trahissant son angoisse.
-Je m'en occupe.
**Concentre ton mana dans ta paume directrice, puis convertie la en énergie cinétique, un fois ça fait, fait la tourner de manière à gagner le plus de puissance possible, et lance le tout contre la porte.**
Mana suivie ses instructions, elle recula sa main gauche, comme si allait frapper du poing la porte, et concentra sa magie dans sa main, puis la convertie en magie de l'Esprit. Une fois suffisamment chargé, elle lança l'onde de choc vers la porte.
Comme prédis par Pride, le mur entier vola en éclat, la porte n'était plus qu'un tas de morceau de bois et de métal informe. Satisfaite de son petit tour, Mana se retourna vers ses deux compères, complètement ébahis, et leur dit avec un grand sourire :
-J'espère que ce sort suffira.
Puis elle les planta là, s'avança vers la prochaine porte. Jowan et Lily retrouvèrent leur esprits, et se précipita à sa suite, ils n'avaient pas l'air contents.
-Tu es folle, s'écria Jowan, tu as sûrement alerté toute la tour avec tes bêtises.
_Je peux difficilement le contredire, pensa t elle._
Une fois arrivé à la porte de la salle des phylactères, Mana utilisa le sceptre de feu, mais celui ci ne fit aucun effet à la porte. Surprise, elle réutilisa le sceptre mais avec autant d'effet que la première fois.
-Bon sang, ça ne marche pas, pourquoi, demanda Jowan, inquiet.
-Regardez ces runes sur la porte, dit Lily en se rapprochant, elles sont conçu pour annihiler la magie, on ne pourra pas ouvrir la porte avec le sceptre, dit Lily d'un ton sombre.
**Ces humains sont pitoyables, quelques runes, et les voilà désemparé, c'est désolant.**
_Plutôt que des remarques acerbes, tu n'aurais pas des solutions à proposer ?_
**Encore une fois, tes talents seuls suffisent, ces runes sont active grâce à la magie contenu dans le lyrium utilisé pour être crée exact ?**
_Oui, mais je ne vois pas où tu veux en venir._
**Je veux dire, que sans magie, ces runes sont inefficaces, et il y a un sort qui sert à absorber la magie**.
_Les Templiers ne sont pas stupides, ils ont sûrement pensé à cette éventualité, ce sort sera sans effet, comme tous les autres._
**Si tu était seul oui, mais tu n'es l'es plus, concentre toi, tu dois ressentir le pouvoir de ses runes, même si elle inhibe la magie, elles ne peuvent empêcher leur magie de s'échapper. Tu dois trouver l'effluve et l'absorber, lentement mais sûrement. **
-Vite allons à cette autre porte, nous devrions trouver un autre moyen de rentrer.
-Inutile, je crois que je devrais réussir à ouvrir cette porte, dit doucement Mana, les yeux fermés, la main tendu vers la porte.
-Comment ? La magie est inutile contre cette porte ! dit Lily.
-Chut, j'essais de me concentrer.
Au bout de quelques instants, elle réussi à percevoir les effluves de magie des runes, et utilisa son sort d'absorption. Elle senti le mana influer vers elle, désertant peu à peu les runes. Ce fut long et pénible, mais elle parvint à absorber toutes l'énergie des runes.
-Voilà, c'est terminé, dit elle en poussant un long soupir.
-Qu'as tu fais ? demanda l'initiée perplexe.
-J'ai neutralisé les runes, cette porte est comme un autre maintenant.
Pour étayer ses propos, elle utilisa encore une fois le sceptre, et cette fois ci, la serrure fondit, ouvrant ainsi la porte. Jowan et Lily avait les yeux exorbité pour la secondes fois en moins de dix minutes.
-Vite rentrons, dit Mana en poussant la porte.
Une fois à l'intérieur, Une gigantesque armure leur tomba dessus. Elle prit de l'élan, en levant très haut la claymore qu'il portant avec ses deux mains. Mana eu un sursaut en le voyant lui foncer dessus avec un épée qui devait faire sa taille, de quoi la fendre en deux verticalement.
**Moi personnellement, ce n'est pas comme ça que je "fends" les femmes en deux****, **fit remarqué Pride avec un rire.
Mana ne prit pas la peine de prendre en compte sa remarque salace, et se concentra sur son adversaire. Elle réussi à éviter le coup vertical en faisant un bond rapide de côté, l'épée explosa le sol, mais l'ennemi ne perdit pas de temps, et donna un coup de point à la jeune elfe qui ne s'y attendais pas. La violence du coup, ajouter au fait qu'il a été donné avec un gant d'acier, assomma à moitié Mana qui tomba au sol. L'armure retira son épée du sol, et s'apprêta à transpercer la mage au sol.
**Bouge bon sang !**
Heureusement, Jowan intervint à temps, en lançant un carreau magique qui repoussa l'armure, mais cette dernière réussi à garder l'équilibre, et avança, toujours menaçante. Mana commençait à recouvrir ses esprits lorsqu'elle vit Lily charger l'adversaire, elle donna un coup de masse à la tête, mais le casque partie…Et stupéfaction général, l'armure était vide, et la disparition du casque qui lui servait de tête ne semblait pas la déranger. Elle donna un violent coup horizontal au niveau des côtes à Lily, qui le para avec son bouclier, mais fut quand même projeter sur le mur et perdit connaissance.
-Lily ! cria Jowan d'une voix paniqué.
Mana réussi à se relever grâce au répit offert, mais l'armure se dirigea déjà vers elle.
**Bon, je crois que c'est le moment de sortir une combinaison de sort.**
_Bonne idée, _répondit mentalement la jeune elfe, voyant où il voulait en venir.
L'armure arma son coup, mais Mana le figea grâce à "L'étreinte de l'Hiver", un sort de glace, ce dernier avait transformer cette adversaire en sorbet goût acier et rouille. Pour l'achever, l'elfe chargea le même sort utilisé que pour réduire en charpie la porte et le mur de tout à l'heure, en diminuant la puissance bien sur. Un fois lancé, un pluie de glace pilé vola dans la pièce.
-Voilà, comme ça, il est pas près d'en redemander, dit elle avec un petit rire, qui lui rappela qu'elle s'était pris une sacrée mandale. Elle avait quelques rudiment des les sort de guérison, et puis se soigné la mâchoire.
A côté, Lily avait repris conscience et semblait intact, pour le plus grand plaisir de Jowan.
Maintenant que la menace est écartée, ils commencèrent à fouiller pour trouver le phylactère de Jowan.
-Le voici, dit Mana en trouvant un fiole portant le nom de Jowan.
-Tu l'as trouvé, c'est formidable ! s'écria le mage d'un ton heureux. Dire que ce minuscule flacon est tout ce qui me sépare de la liberté, si fragile… Il laissa le flacon se fracasser au sol. Je suis enfin libre.
-Vite partons d'ici, dit Lily.
-Dommage que mon phylactère ai déjà été envoyer à Dénérim, marmonna Mana.
Ils retournèrent rapidement sur leur pas, remontant l'escalier pour atteindre le rez de chaussé.
-Je n'arrive pas à croire qu'on ai réussi, c'était presque trop facile, dit Jowan lorsqu'ils arrivèrent en haut de l'escalier, puis il se tourna vers l'elfe, merci Mana, je ne pourrais jamais te remercier assez pour…
-Les voilà ! cria une voix, les faisant sursauter tous les trois, et à raison. Une dizaine de templiers, accompagné par le chevalier capitaine et le premier enchanteur les attendais à l'entrée du sous sol.
-Aie, je savais bien que cette histoire finirais mal, marmonna Mana en se préparant au combat.
-Chevalier capitaine ! balbutia Lily, les yeux exorbités.
Greagor s'approcha d'elle, l'examina un instant, puis parla.
-Elle est en état de choc, mais elle n'est pas sous l'empire du mage, vous aviez raison Irving, l'initié nous a trahis, l'Ordre ne laissera pas cette trahison impunis. Et celle là, dit il en pointant Mana du doigt, à peine est elle devenu mage qu'elle s'empresse à bafouer nos règles !
-Je suis déçu, dit Irving d'un ton triste, tu aurais du me parler de ça, et tu ne l'as pas fait.
-Vous aviez l'intention de faire de Jowan un apaisé, je ne pouvais pas rester sans rien faire ! s'écria la jeune magicienne .
-Suffit ! trancha Gregor. En ma qualité de chevalier capitaine, je donne l'ordre que ce mage du sang soit exécuté, quand à l'initié, conduisez là à Aeonar.
-À Aeonar ? La prison des mages ! Non pitié… commença t elle à dire d'une voix suppliante.
-NON ! Je ne vous laisserais pas faire ! cria Jowan en sortant un couteau et en se l'enfonçant dans la main, invoquant ainsi la magie du sang. Il lança un sort qui fit tomber inconscient tous les templiers, ainsi qu'Irving.
-De…De la magie du sang ? bafouilla Lily en reculant terroriser.
-Oui…Je…J'y ai touché, je pensais que ça me rendrais plus fort, s'excusa le mage.
-La magie du sang est un abomination…Elle change les gens…Ne m'approche pas…cria t elle en voyant Jowan approcher.
Ce dernier eu une mine semblable à celui d'on a arraché le cœur encore battant, il s'enfuit à toute jambe, sans se retourner.
**Pitoyable, la magie du sang n'est qu'un moyen comme un autre, elle ne rend pas plus fort, il faut être stupide pour croire ça.**
_Alors les Hommes sont stupides_, répondit Mana d'un ton amère.
**Pourquoi ce ton, tu es blessé qu'il ne t'ai rien dit ?**
_Un peu, mais je me console en me disant qu'il ne l'avais pas dit non plus à Lily, sinon, j'aurais vraiment eu l'impression d'avoir été le dindon de la farce._
**D'un certain côté, tu ne peux pas jeter la pierre à ce mage**, fit remarquer Pride d'un ton léger.
_Certes. _
Revenant à la réalité, elle s'empressa d'aider Irving, ce dernier semble mal en point après le sort de Jowan. Après avoir utiliser un sort de soin léger, il commença à reprendre des couleurs, et revint à lui.
-Premier enchanteur, vous allez bien ? demanda t elle inquiète de voir son professeur dans cette état.
-Oui…A peu près, je suis trop vieux pour ça…dit il en poussant un gémissement de douleur.
-Je le savais, de la magie du sang, grogna Greagor qui était déjà revenu à lui, quelle puissance, je n'aurais pas cru ça de lui.
-Moi non plus, dit Irving en se relevant, comment allez vous Greagor ?
-Aussi bien que possible vu les circonstances, si vous m'aviez laissez agir à ma guise, nous n'en serions pas là. Maintenant nous avons un maléficien en fuite, et pour longtemps !
-Surtout qu'il a détruit son phylactère, ce qui ne rendra pas la poursuite plus simple, fit remarqué Mana.
**Si j'était toi, j'éviterais de me faire remarquer**, avertit le démon d'un ton mortellement sérieux.
-Toi ! Si tu ne l'avais pas aider, il n'aurais jamais pu s'enfuir, qu'est ce que l'on va faire de toi ? s'écria le chevalier capitaine, fou de rage.
-Hé, j'ignorais qu'il était mage du sang, j'ai fait ça pour lui éviter l'apaisement, je ne pensais pas à mal !
-As tu volé quoique se soit au reliquarium ? demanda Irving.
-Le reliquarium ? répéta Mana, sans comprendre la question.
-Pour atteindre la salle des phylactères, vous êtes certainement passé par là, dit Greagor en colère.
-Heu non…Je n'ai rien volé, mentit elle.
-Soldats, emmenez la en cellule, ordonna Greagor aux autres templiers qui étaient debout, je m'occuperais de son cas plus tard.
-Chevalier capitaine, un mot je vous prie, fit Duncan en arrivant de nulle part.
-Qu il garde des ombres ? demanda Greagor d'un ton agressif.
-Je ne suis pas seulement venu pour recruter pour l'armée du roi, je suis également venu si le cercle comptait des mages pouvait intégrer la Garde, et j'en ai trouvé une qui me convient, dit il avec un sourire entendu en regardant Mana.
-Quoi ! Hors de question, cette mage a aider un maléficien à s'échapper, elle doit être exécuter ou apaisé.
-Hors de question, s'insurgea Duncan, j'ai décidé de la recruter, et si besoin, j'invoque le Droit de Conscription.
-Vous ne pouvez vous opposer à ce droit Greagor, dit Irving.
-Où allons nous si non seulement elle n'est pas puni, mais a l'honneur d'intégré la Garde des Ombres ! Nous valeurs ont donc si peu d'importance !
-Nous avons besoins de mages Greagor, il existe dans ce monde des maux bien plus terrible que les mages du sang et vous le savez.
Mana était rester silencieuse, réfléchissant à son avenir.
**C'est une occasion inespéré, en intégrant la garde, les templiers n'auront plus aucune autorité sur toi.**
_Oui mais, affronter l'engeance…_
**Allons, tu ne semblais pas si couarde à notre rencontre, et puis a nous deux, nous renverrons l'Archidémon dans les Limbes.**
Elle se tourna vers Duncan.
-J'accepte.
-Très bien, dans ce cas partons, nous devons rejoindre Ostagar au plus vite.
-Compris, puis elle se tourna vers le premier enchanteur, merci pour votre enseignement et…mille pardon pour ce qui c'est passé aujourd'hui, dit elle en s'inclinant très bas.
-Au revoir mon enfant, j'espère que tu trouveras ta voie dans la Garde des ombres, tu va nous manquer…
-Pas à moi ! Coupa Greagor d'un ton agressif en partant fou de rage.
-Fait très attention à toi, l'engeance est aussi dangereuse et terrifiante que les démons, mais tu le verra rapidement, au revoir.
-Au revoir.
Puis elle suivit Duncan, cinq minutes plus tard, ils sortaient de la tour, il devait être sept heure du soir, car le soleil était en train de se coucher, et la couleur orangé du ciel se reflétait sur l'eau du lac Calenhad.
-C'est si beau…dit Mana dans un murmure, j'avais oublié à quel point le monde extérieur pouvait l'être.
-Alors cela te donne une raison supplémentaire pour vaincre l'engeance, afin de préservé cette nature dans toute sa splendeur, lui dit Duncan, en regardant également le coucher de soleil.
To be continued.
Un peu clicher je sais (made in Hollywood) mais j'ai pas pu y résister (^_^)
Chapitre 3 Champs de bataille
Après plusieurs jours de voyages, ils arrivèrent aux ruines d'Ostagar. Duncan et Mana se séparèrent du groupe de soldats avec lequel ils avaient voyagé pour se rendre directement au centre du camp où se regroupait la Garde des ombres. Après un quart d'heure, ils arrivèrent à l'entrée de camp, pas très loin de l'entrée de la tour d'Ishal. Alors qu'ils allaient traverser le pont, quelqu'un les interpella.
-Holà Duncan ! cria un jeune homme en armure dorée, il avait les cheveux doré, mis en arrière, et portait un énorme épée à deux mains, il était escorté par deux soldats en armure.
-Majesté ? Je ne m'attendais pas…commença Duncan interloqué, mais il fut coupé par l'homme.
-A pareil, j'avais finit par croire que vous seriez arrivé après notre victoire, dit il avec un grand sourire en posant une main amical sur l'épaule du garde des ombres.
-Je n'aurais raté cela pour rien au monde, répondit Duncan qui s'était reprit.
-J'aurais donc le puissant Duncan à mes côtés, magnifique. C'est à ce moment là qu'il aperçu Yuna a le regardais avec un air critique, mais loin de s'en offusquer, cela le fit rire.
-Tient, mais voilà une bien jolie damoiselle.
3. Entrée dans la Garde
-I will be back (dialogue oral)
_I will be back (pensée ou dialogue mental)_
**I will be back (voix mental de démon)**
J'ai mis cette phrase culte parce que je l'adore (que ceux qui ne connaisse pas se pendent… ou aille d'urgence s'acheter Terminator XD).
Voici le chapitre 3, en espérant que je n'ai pas fait trop de faute (je les vois toujours après avoir mis les chapitres è_é) et que vous aimerez.
Chapitre III Entrée dans la garde
Après plusieurs jours de voyages, ils arrivèrent aux ruines d'Ostagar. Duncan et Mana se séparèrent du groupe de soldats avec lequel ils avaient voyagé pour se rendre directement au centre du camp où se regroupait la Garde des ombres. Après un quart d'heure, ils arrivèrent à l'entrée de camp, pas très loin de l'entrée de la tour d'Ishal. Alors qu'ils allaient traverser le pont, quelqu'un les interpella.
-Holà Duncan ! cria un jeune homme en armure dorée, il avait les cheveux doré, mis en arrière, et portait un énorme épée à deux mains, il était escorté par deux soldats en armure.
-Majesté ? Je ne m'attendais pas…commença Duncan interloqué, mais il fut coupé par l'homme.
-A pareil accuei ? J'avais finit par croire que vous seriez arrivé après notre victoire, dit il avec un grand sourire, il s'avança et en posa une main amical sur l'épaule du garde des ombres.
-Je n'aurais raté cela pour rien au monde, répondit Duncan qui s'était reprit.
-J'aurais donc le puissant Duncan à mes côtés, magnifique, c'est à ce moment là qu'il aperçu Mana qui le regardais avec un air critique, mais loin de s'en offusquer, cela le fit rire.
-Tient, mais voilà une bien jolie damoiselle.
-Permettez moi de faire les présentations majesté…commença le garde des ombres avant d'être coupé.
-Oublions le protocole Duncan, puis il se tourna vers la jeune fille, Pourriez vous me dire votre nom, mon amie ?
-Je m'appelle Mana Kyromis, je suis mage du cercle, ou du moins je l'étais, déclara la jeune mage en s'inclinant respectueusement.
-Enchanté, nous pouvons donc compter sur votre magie pour nous aider dans la bataille.
-C'est que…Je viens tous juste de finir ma formation et…
-Vos capacités doivent être bien au dessus de la moyenne, coupa t il, sinon Duncan ne vous aurais pas accepté dans la garde. Je vous souhaite donc la bienvenue à Ostagar.
-Votre oncle vous transmet ses amitiés et vous informe que ses troupes devraient arriver dans la semaine, glissa Duncan.
-Haha ! gloussa le roi en retournant entre les deux soldats. Eamon veut sa part de gloire, nous avons vaincu ses monstres à trois reprises, l'issue de demain ne sera pas différente.
-Majesté, on ne peut mettre fin aussi rapidement à l'Enclin, fit remarquer Duncan d'un ton posé.
-Nous ne sommes pas sûr qu'il s'agisse d'un Enclin, certes les engeances pullulent, mais aucune trace de l'archidémon, hélas, soupira le roi en se tournant vers les terres sauvages où se cache l'armée des engeances.
-Hélas majesté ? demanda le garde des ombres d'un ton perplexe.
-J'espérais une bataille pareille aux légendes, mais bon je vais devoir m'en passer, sur ce je vais devoir vous laisser, Loghain est impatient de m'assommer à coup de tactique et de stratégie, et si je n'y vais pas rapidement, ce n'est plus après l'engeance que mon armée courra mais après moi, a plus tard gardes des ombres.
Sur ces mots, il tourna les talons en direction du camp, suivit de son escorte. Duncan et Mana s'inclinèrent à son départ. Quand le roi fut parti, le jeune mage et le vieil reprirent le chemin en direction du camps.
-C'est moi ou le roi confond la guerre avec un jeu ? demanda Mana.
-Je ne peux vous contredire là dessus, avoua Duncan, Cailan est jeune et inexpérimenté, il n'a jamais connu la guerre, mais heureusement nous pouvons compter sur le tiern Loghain, qui aida Maric à libérer ce pays. C'est grâce à ses stratégie que l'armée féreldienne a gardé le dessus. Malheureusement, malgré ses victoires, la Horde des engeances ne faiblit pas, et nous n'allons pas tarder à ployer sous le nombre. Je suis convaincu que c'est l'œuvre de l'archidémon, mais je ne peux le confirmer.
-Pourquoi ne pas le dire au roi ? Il semble vous avoir en haute estime, demanda Mana.
-Ce n'est qu'une intuition, et de toute façon, il ne veut pas attendre les renforts d'Orlais, il pense que notre simple présence rend son armée invincible.
-C'est stupide ! Enfin je ne peux juger…Je n'ai moi même aucune expérience en matière de guerre. Le Cantique de la Chantrie dit : « Ne juge point et tu ne seras point jugé », je vais suivre le conseil.
-Ah bon, vous êtes pieuse, je ne l'aurais pas cru, dit Duncan d'un ton amusé.
-Il faut bien, répondit Mana en haussant des épaules, quand sa vie est entre les mains de fanatique, il vaut mieux connaître le Cantique par cœur. Mais en réalité, je m'intéresse davantage aux dieux de mon peuple, bien que ces histoires aient presque complètement disparue, même les bibliothèques du Cercle n'était guère fournit la dessus, juste un ou deux livres en parlant vaguement.
-Bref, pour en revenir à l'affaire qui nous concerne, nous procéderons à la cérémonie de l'Union ce soir.
-La cérémonie de l'Union ? demanda Mana en haussant des sourcils, _j'espère qu'il n'y a rien de salace la dedans_, pensa t elle.
-C'est la cérémonie qui fera de vous une garde des ombres, mais elle exige que nous attendions la nuit.
-En quoi consiste t elle ? Est elle similaire à la Confrontation ?
-Je ne saurais le dire, je n'ai jamais eu l'occasion de voir la Confrontation. Tout ce que je peux dire, c'est que l'Union est dangereuse, vous verrez ça ce soir. Pour l'instant vous avez quartier libre, je vous demande juste de ne pas quitter le camps pour le moment. Nous nous retrouverons de l'autre côté de ce pont, dit il en désignant un pont traversant la vallée. Allez trouver un autre garde des ombres qui vous guidera, il se nomme Alistair, un grand blond qui à l'air un peu benêt, décrivit Duncan avec un sourire doux, il n'est pas très malin, mais c'est garçon honnête et bon. Et il a un bien étrange humour, je crois que vous comprendrez en le rencontrerez. Sur ce je vous laisse, il faut que j'aille préparer la cérémonie, allez voir aussi ser Jory et Daveth, deux autres recrues pour la garde, il serait poli d'aller les rencontrer.
Sur ces mots il partit. Mana fut tenté d'aller directement voir les personnes dont Duncan parlait, mais elle décida de faire le tour de camps, afin de visiter. Elle qui avait une certaine passion pour ce qui est ancien était assez impressionnée par cette ancienne forteresse tévintide. Ostagar n'était pas vraiment en bonne état, mais assez pour résister le temps de la bataille. Elle voulut aller voir la plus haute tour de la forteresse, mais on la refoula à l'entrée, avec quelques insultes comme "oreilles pointue". Ça la fit rager, et lui donna envie de griller ces soldats ignorants, mais elle se retint. Elle avait déjà de la chance d'être en vie après le fiasco au Cercle, il ne fallait pas tenter une seconde fois le diable.
**Bonne idée gamine, j'avoue que j'ai moi même très envie de les déchiqueter et de les réduire à l'état d'âme pour mieux les dévorer ensuite, mais mieux vaut ne pas attirer l'attention sur nous.**
Elle commença à explorer le camps, avant de tomber sur une vieille mage qu'elle reconnu, c'était Wynne, une puissante enchanteresse de rang, elle se souvenait l'avoir eu comme professeur, mais impossible de savoir si la vieille femme se souviendrait d'elle.
-A moins que mes yeux ne me fasse défaut, vous êtes Mana n'est ce pas ? L'élève préféré d'Irving, il ne tarit pas d'éloge sur vous, et je suis de son avis, je me souviens que vous étiez une élève assidus, dit la vieille mage en voyant la jeune elfe l'approcher.
-Merci, ravi de vous revoir Wynne, dit poliment Mana avec un sourire, mais il risque de changer de musique à propose de moi depuis la dernière fois.
-Comment cela ?
-Je ne tient pas à en parler, il vous le dira sûrement lorsque vous le reverrez, enfin peut être, maintenant je fais partie de la garde des ombres.
-Vraiment, c'est à la fois une chance et un lourd fardeau, mais ayant connaissance de vos capacités, je suis sûr que vous vous en sortirez.
-Peut être, dit Mana avec un haussement d'épaule, peu convaincu elle même, ce qui énerva prodigieusement Pride, qui déteste le doute et la modestie. L'elfe préféra l'ignorer et posa une question à Wynne, question qui lui occupait l'esprit depuis un moment.
-Dites moi Wynne, si les engeances ont été crée lorsque les mages tévintides ont envahit la cité d'Or du Créateur, seraient des démons ? Comme ceux qui prennent possession des cadavres ?
-Tu m'as l'air bien informé ? Comment ça se fait ?
-Les démons et les esprits m'ont toujours fasciné, et j'ai un peu étudié la démonologie, afin de m'en protéger…
**Ça t'a beaucoup servit apparemment,** ria Pride, le ton dégoulinant d'ironie.
_En même temps face à un démon comme toi, il n'y a pas grand chose qui aurait pu m'y préparer, _répliqua froidement la jeune elfe_._
-Mana ? demanda Wynne en lui passant la main devant les yeux.
-Hm ? Excusez moi, j'ai eut une absence, dit elle avec un sourire forcé pour cacher sa gène.
-Ce n'est pas grave, mais je vous prévient, ça ne s'arrange pas avec le temps, dit elle avec un petit rire. Pour en revenir à votre question, les engeances ne sont pas des démons ou des esprits oniriques. Je ne connais que des brides, mais j'ai entendu dire que chaque race était "représenté" par une race d'engeance, par exemple, les genlocks, comme on peut voir la bas, dit elle en désignant un cadavre d'engeance allongé au sol, sont des nains corrompu. Ce sont les engeances les plus fréquentes pour la simple et bonne raison que se sont les nains leur principal en temps normal, ce n'est que durant l'Enclin que les races s'allie pour survivre.
-Je vois, merci.
-Je vous en prie, mais si vous voulez en connaître d'avantage à ce sujet, vous devriez questionner vos frères d'armes, ils en sauront beaucoup plus que moi, c'est leur domaine d'expertise après tout.
Mana laissa donc Wynne, et continua de visiter le camps, elle fut curieuse de savoir pourquoi il y avait un cadavre d'engeance un peu plus loin, avec en plus plein de soldats autours. Une fois sur place, elle vu qu'un sergent instructeur donnait un cours aux recrues, en leur expliquant en l'occurrence que les rumeurs parlant d'engeance immortelle sont fausses, elles peuvent mourir comme toutes créature vivante. Elle apprit également que leur sang est un poison pouvant tuer tout ceux que rentre en contact avec. Tout ça la rendit nerveuse et elle préféra aller voir ailleurs. Elle passa devant une grande estrade où une prêtresse faisait une espèce de messe, elle ne savait pas trop car elle séchait assidûment celle qu'il y avait au Cercle, mais à vrai dire, tout ça lui prenait la tête, dire que c'est à cause de ce maudit Cantique que les mages sont persécutés, enfin en même temps, elle comprenait qu'on pouvait se méfier des utilisateurs de magie, car ce pouvoir pouvait être terriblement destructeur, mais pas au point de stigmatiser les mages. Elle préféra s'éloigner de là avant de s'énerver, mais elle n'eut pas de chance car un humain bruyant, plutôt gros, avec une calvitie et ce qui ressemblerait à un tablier, l'aborda de manière assez peu aimable.
-Hé toi l'elfe, où est mon armure, et c'est quoi cette tenue ? demanda t il d'un ton agressif.
Mana le fixa quelques instants, puis fit apparaître une boule de feu au dessus de sa main pour montrer à cet humain qui elle était, en voyant ça, l'humain eut si peur qu'il tomba à la renverse, et regarda l'elfe avec crainte. Mana eu un petit sourire satisfait en voyant cet humain trembler de peur devant elle, c'est incroyablement jouissif de ce sentir aussi terrifiant.
-Je suis mage et garde des ombres, je vous conseille de vous adresser à moi avec un minimum de respect humain, dit elle d'un ton froid en le foudroyant du regard.
-Je suis désolé, je ne savais…je…Pardonnez moi, je ne suis qu'un intendant.
-C'est bon pour cette fois, mais que je ne vous reprenne pas à manquer de respect à un elfe, cracha t elle avant de s'éloigner, elle avait à peine fait 20 mètres qu'on l'interpella à nouveau.
-Bien dit ma jolie, on peut dire que tu lui a bien rabattu à ce grippe sou, dit un homme dans la vingtaine, les cheveux court mit en arrière, vêtu d'une armure de cuir avec un arc et un carquois dans le dos. Il avait l'air sympathique car il lui faisait un grand sourire qui avait l'air franc, ce qui mit Mana relativement à l'aise.
-Dire que j'ai voulu acheter des flèches inflammables à ce type, mais un souverain (une pièce d'or) les dix flèches, c'est du vol, même moi j'aurais jamais essayer d'arnaquer quelqu'un à ce point.
-Même moi ? répéta Mana perplexe. Que veux tu dire par là ?
-Ben, avant d'être ici, j'était un vide gousset à Dénérim, bien que la ville en elle même ne me plait guère, mais c'est là qu'on trouve le plus de pigeon à plumer, dit il en riant. Au fait, je m'appelle Daveth.
-Mana Kyromis, Enchanté.
-Il était temps que vous arriviez, je suis impatient de devenir garde, bien que cette fameuse cérémonie me rends nerveux.
-Tu en a appris quelques choses là dessus ?
-Hé bien, en rôdant autours du camps des gardes des ombres un soir, j'ai surpris la conversation de deux d'entre eux, d'après ce que j'ai entendu, ils vont nous envoyer dans les terres sauvage.
-Les terres sauvages ?
-Vous devez certainement avoir vu les marais en venant ici, les terres sauvages de Korcari sont assez effrayante par la nombre de truc mortel qui y habitent.
-Quoi par exemple ?
-Hé bien déjà des bêtes sauvages, des barbares cannibales, des sorcières et maintenant l'engeance, je continue ? demanda t il d'une voix nerveuse.
-Si tu es effrayé par la simple appellation, qu'est ce que ce sera lorsque tu te trouveras face à tous ces danger, dit Mana en gloussant.
-Et moi j'espère que tu manie aussi bien la magie que sarcasme, dit Daveth agacé.
-Pas la peine de le prendre comme ça, je plaisantais, je suis sûrs que tout va bien ce passer, et puis vous aurez la magie de votre côté cette fois.
-Moais, on verra bien.
Sur ces mots, il partit rejoindre Duncan, Mana alla plus avant dans le camps en montant un escalier…Pour tomber à nouveau sur une prêtresse en train de faire son prechi precha, ce qui l'agaça encore plus que la première fois. En revanche, l'un des chevalier en train de prier s'avança vers elle. Ce dernier était assez costaud, mais il avait un visage qui ne donnait pas une impression forte, il avait l'air assez peureux bizarrement, c'est du moins l'impression qu'elle eut. Il avait une petite barbe et avait le crâne presque rasé, il portait une armure de maille, et une gigantesque épée à deux mains dans le dos.
-Heu…Bonjour, vous…vous devez être la recrue dont les gardes des ombres parlent…la mage elfe recruté au cercle des mages, je me nomme ser Jory je suis …enchanté de faire votre connaissance.
-Vous semblez nerveux ser Jory, n'ayez crainte, je ne vais pas vous réduire en cendre, dit Mana avec un grand sourire, ce qui augmenta encore plus le trouble de Jory.
-Je ne pensais pas ça…C'est juste que…La magie m'a toujours mis mal à l'aise… Mais elle sera de notre côté cette fois, dit il en essayant de reprendre contenance.
-Vous n'avez pas à craindre la magie dans ce cas, concentrez vous sur les engeances, je maîtrise suffisamment mes pouvoirs pour ne pas griller la mauvaise cible…généralement, ajouta t elle avec un air faussement hésitant, ce qui marcha, Jory sua à grosse goutte tout à coup, se demandant s'il allait survivre à cette première mission sans finir en tas de cendre.
-Excusez moi…je dois…rejoindre Duncan, bafouilla t il avant de partir précipitement, ce qui fit bien rire la jeune elfe.
**Pathétique, et nous allons faire équipe avec une créature aussi lâche ? On a tiré le gros.**
Mana continua de se balader pendant un long moment, et tomba sur un dresseur de chien qui semblait bien triste en regardant un chien. Curieuse, la mage approcha et demanda à l'humain ce qui n'allait pas avec cette animal, ce que le dresseur s'empressa d'expliquer.
-Ce chien est gravement malade, et perdre un chien aussi prometteur serait une énorme perte, en plus son maitre est mort lors d'un combat contre les engeances, et comme ces créatures s'attachent difficilement à un autre maître…Je pourrais le soigner, mais il faudrait le museler, et le problème est qu'il ne me laisse pas approcher, vous pourriez m'aider ?
-C'est à dire que je n'y connais pas grand chose, répondit Mana en regardant la muselière que lui avait tendu le dresseur, en cherchant à comprendre comment ça s'attache. En plus, qui me dit qu'il ne va pas me sauter au cou si j'essais ?
-Ne vous en faite pas, s'il ne veut pas que vous l'approché, il grognera, et vous n'aurez qu'a reculer, mais s'il ne fait rien, ou s'il baisse la tête, c'est qu'il accepte que vous approchiez, et vous pourrez lui mettre la muselière à ce moment là, mais n'oubliez pas d'être toujours douce et de ne pas faire de mouvement brusque.
Après tous ces conseils, Mana rentra dans le chenil, le chien en question était un mabari à la fourrure brune clair, avec des grandes marques noirs qui lui zébraient tout les dos. Le chien semblait fatigué et fiévreux, il tenait difficilement sur ses pattes et haletait très rapidement, la langue pendant au bout de la gueule. Il leva ses grand yeux vers la jeune elfe qui venait de rentrer, et elle vit que cette bête souffrait atrocement, ses yeux étaient triste et reflétait une certaine douleur, comme s'il allait se mettre à pleurer d'une minute à l'autre, si un mabari en était capable. Mana eut vraiment pitié de lui, et se demanda s'il ne valait pas mieux l'achever maintenant pour abréger ses souffrances, mais le dresseur semblait savoir quoi faire, alors elle approcha doucement du chien. Ce dernier la regarda approcher sans autre réaction que de l'observer, lorsque Mana fut assez proche, le chien baissa docilement la tête afin d'aider l'elfe à lui mettre la muselière. Cette soumission avait quelque chose de dérangeant, elle ne comprenait pas pourquoi ce chien la laissait approcher comme ça sans réagir. Elle eut quelques difficulté à mettre la muselière, mais après quelques minutes, elle y parvint enfin, et sortit du chenil.
-Merci beaucoup, ça va me permettre de le soigner tranquillement, mais pendant que j'y pense, vous n'iriez pas dans les terres sauvages par hasard ?
-C'est possible, pourquoi ?
-Il y a une plante qui me permettrait de faire un onguent pour le soigner, elle est facile à reconnaître, sa fleur est toute blanche avec un cœur rouge sang, vous ne la raterez pas.
-D'accord, je vais essayer de vous trouver ça.
Après avoir prit congé, je décida de me mettre à la recherche du fameux alistair, un grand blond un peu idiot, ça devrait pouvoir ce trouver. Alors qu'elle cherchait, elle entendit une discussion assez animé un peu plus haut, elle monta plusieurs escaliers pour aller voir ce qui se passait, et elle trouva un soldat blond en train de parler avec un mage, bien que ce dernier semblait plus en train de râler, ce qui faisait rire le soldat.
-Allons, inutile de le prendre ainsi voyons, je ne fais que transmettre le message de la révérende Mère…
-Nous n'avons que faire de son message, dit lui juste que cette attente est insupportable, coupa le mage d'une voix énervée.
-Ho moi qui trouvait que l'on s'entendait si bien, j'avais même l'intention de donner votre nom à l'un de mes enfants : le grincheux.
-Assez, je le ferais mais taisez vous donc, j'ai d'autres chats à fouetter que de parler à un imbécile, vociféra le mage en repartant d'un pas rageur.
Alistair le regarda s'en aller, avec un petit sourire sur les lèvres, apparemment il s'était bien amusé, Duncan comprit ce qu'il voulait dire par "humour étrange", mais ce n'était pas pour lui déplaire, ça lui ferait quelqu'un avec qui elle pourra se moquer des autres. Alistair la remarqua et alla vers elle avec un petit sourire en coin.
-L'enclin a ça de bon qu'il ressert les liens entre les hommes vous ne trouvez pas ?
Mana bloqua sur le moment, se demandant si elle avait bien compris ce qu'il venait de dire, elle se reprit et décida de jouer le jeu.
-C'est vrai, je n'y avais pas pensé, dit elle avec un sourire.
-Imaginez, nous pourrions faire une grande ronde en nous tenant tous les mains et nous accoler à l'envie, voilà qui donnerais aux engeances de quoi ruminer, dit il avec un petit rire, qui fut suivit pas celui de la jeune elfe, cette fois c'est clair, elle va bien s'entendre avec lui.
-Au fait on ne se connaît pas, ne me dite pas que vous êtes mage vous aussi ? demanda t il curieux en la détaillant du regard.
-Je porte un bâton et une robe, comment pourrait t on croire que je suis mage ? demanda t elle d'un ton espiègle.
-Je vois que vous au moins, vous avez de l'humour, contrairement à votre confrère qui vient de partir.
-J'ai entendu votre conversation plutôt animée de loin, de quoi parliez vous ?
-Et bien, j'assure la liaison entre les mages et la Chantrie, et cette dernière adore rappeler aux mages qu'il ne sont pas les bienvenues, commença t il a expliquer, du coup ma situation est un peu délicate, j'était templier autrefois.
Il avait à peine prononcé ces mots que le visage de Mana se ferma, pour devenir impassible, ce qui le choqua, mais il compris rapidement pourquoi.
-Ne me détestez pas si vite s'il vous plait, je n'ai jamais vraiment été templier, j'ai été recruté par la garde avant d'avoir prononcé mes vœux, et à vrai dire, je n'ai jamais voulu l'être, on m'a placé dans un monastère quand j'avais dix ans, s'empressa t il d'expliquer.
-Hum, je vois, dit elle en enlevant légèrement son "masque", même si son visage était encore assez inexpressif, c'était un début. Duncan m'a demandé de vous trouver.
-Oh, alors vous devez être celle qui a été recruté au cercle des mages, mes plus plates excuses, j'aurais du vous reconnaître, surtout que ce n'est pas tout les jours qu'une aussi jolie femme rejoins nos rang.
-Ça vous plairait d'en avoir un peu plus autours ? demanda t elle avec un regard torve.
-Hein ? Doucement, je ne suis pas un pervers en train de fantasmer, elle le regardais toujours du même œil, arrêtez de me regarder comme ça, vous me rendez nerveux.
-Hum, je me nommes Mana Kyrodis, dit elle finalement pour changer de sujet.
-Et moi Alistair, fit le jeune homme avec un sourire, content de pouvoir parler d'autre chose pour détendre l'atmosphère, en tant que cadet de l'ordre, ce sera à moi de vous aider durant la cérémonie.
-Et en quoi consiste cette cérémonie exactement ?
-Désolé, mais je ne peux rien dire pour le moment, allons plutôt rejoindre Duncan, il doit ronger son frein à force de nous attendre.
Ils se dirigèrent vers un grand feu, Duncan se trouvait juste devant bien au chaud, Daveth et Jory étaient également là, lorsqu'ils arrivèrent Duncan ne pu réprimer un sourire de satisfaction.
-Vous voilà, c'est parfait nous allons pouvoir commencer, à moins qu'Alistair ai envie d'embêter encore quelques mages, dit il lançant un regard assez sévère vers le jeune blond.
-Hé c'est pas ma faute, se défendit Alistair, c'est la révérende mère qui m'a piégé, elle manie la culpabilité aussi bien que le bretteur manie l'épée.
-Haa je comprends, elle vous a poussé à humilié ce pauvre mage…Allons Alistair, nous avons déjà notre lot d'ennemis, inutile de nous en faire d'autres.
-Je sais Duncan, pardon, dit Alistair en baissant piteusement la tête.
-Bien, sur ce je vais vous annoncer l'épreuve, vous allez vous rendre dans les terres sauvages pour y accomplir deux tâches, la première consista à remplir ces trois fioles de sang d'engeance, une par recrue…
-Enfin de l'action, dit Mana avec un petit sourire.
-C'est très probable, je n'ai encore jamais rencontrer d'engeance offrant son sang de son plein gré, dit Duncan avec un petit rire. Ensuite, vous devrez aller jusqu'à un ancien avant poste de l'Ordre, d'anciens traités s'y trouvent, nous devons les récupérer, car beaucoup ont faillit à leurs paroles envers nous, ces traités nous seront utile pour leurs rafraîchir la mémoire.
-Remplir trois fioles et trouver des traités, bien comprit, fit Daveth.
-Bien, dans ce cas vous pouvez y aller, Alistair sera votre guide.
xxxIIIxxx
Plusieurs heures, plus tard, après avoir sauvé un soldat blessé, massacré une bonne cinquantaine d'engeances sans compter les loups et un démon qui se trouvait dans le coin, ils avaient enfin trouvés l'avant poste en question, ce dernier était bien gardé, presque une dizaine d'engeance les attendait là. Daveth et Jory semblait assez fatigué et Alistair tenait difficilement debout, après tout les combats fait, ce n'est guère surprenant, Mana elle même avait sa réserve de magie dangereusement basse, ce combat risquait d'être difficile dans leurs états.
**C'est peut être le moment pour moi de rentrer sur scène,** fit Pride d'un ton excité.
_Quoi ? Et puis quoi encore, si je te laisse sortir maintenant devant ces trois là, nous sommes fichu._
**Mais non, tu n'as que leur intimé de rester loin, en leur déconseillant vivement de ne pas venir voir tant que je n'aurais pas finit, s'ils veulent rester en vie.**
Mana finit pas céder, de toute façon, Pride ne demande jamais, il exige, si elle continu de refuser, il risque de la forcer, ce qui sera catastrophique, alors autant jouer le jeu et prier pour que ça passe. Elle se tourna vers ses trois compagnons avec un air grave.
-Ecouter, si on attaque dans notre état, on risque d'y rester, je suis moi même presque a bout, mais je connais un moyen de me débarasser d'eux, par contre, j'aimerais que vous vous éloigner d'ici le temps que je m'occupe d'eux, je viendrais vous chercher lorsque j'aurais fini, c'est comprit ? demanda t elle d'un ton sérieux et un peu menaçant.
-Qu'est ce que tu comptes faire ? demanda Daveth, un peu inquiet.
-Pas d'inquiétude, je sais ce que je fais, mais j'aimerais que vous ne regardiez pas, ça pourrais vous traumatiser.
Les trois hommes étaient très mal à l'aise, mais ils partirent. Lorsqu'ils furent assez loin, Mana laissa les commande à Pride, qui eu presque un orgasme tellement il était heureux de pouvoir profiter de ce corps. Curieux, et comme il était seul dans cette forêt, il tâta le corps de celle qui l'héberge, il sentit l'énervement de Mana, mais il s'en moqua. Ça lui fit très étrange de ce trouver dans un corps de femme, ces deux bosses qui servent de poitrine sont très agréable à regarder et à toucher, en revanche ils sont lourds, tirant sur le dos à cause du poids et gênant, rien de très agréable. Et puis en touchant le bas du bassin, l'absence d'organe entre les deux jambes est bizarre à prime abord, mais plus pratique, on moins on risque de pas ce faire de mal comme ça.
_Bon arrête de me toucher et va donc massacrer ces engeances, vu que tu en a tellement envahis._
**Je t'ai déjà dit de ne pas me parler ainsi, maudite gamine.**
_Oui je sais Seigneur Pride, _dit elle avec ironie_, mais si vous pouviez avoir l'obligeance de massacrer ces engeances je vous en serait extrêmement reconnaissante. _
**D'accord, je te prends au mot, prépare toi, parce que je vais bien profiter de ta "reconnaissance" lorsque tu t'endormira et qu'on se retrouveras dans l'Immatériel,** répondit le démon avec un petit rire lubrique, qui s'amplifia lorsqu'il sentit la peur de Mana.** Bon occupons nous de ces chères engeances.**
Pride sortit de sa cachette, et fit de grand geste pour se faire remarquer par les engeances, qui ne tardèrent pas à le repérer et à le charger. Pride concentra sa magie dans ses paumes, et lança un cône de feu lorsque les engeances furent assez proche, mais il avait du mettre trop de son énergie, car si normalement un cône de feu lance un jet de flamme pouvant aller jusqu'à trois mètres de haut, cinq de large sur vingt mètres de distance, là ça à fait un véritable mur de feu, d'au moins dix mètres de haut, trente de large sur cent mètre. Balayant toutes les engeances présentes, et mettant le feu à la tour par la même occasion, ce sort devait être visible jusqu'à Ostagar.
_Mais qu'est ce que t'as fichu ! Les traités sont dans la tour ! Comment ont va les récupéré maintenant ?_
**Ben on trouve toutes les cendres, puis avec beaucoup de patience et un peu de colle…**
_Te fous pas de moi !_
**Rah, et dire que tu prétends avoir de l'humour, **soupira Pride**, si au moins tu avais un cerveau. Si ces traités sont resté dans cette tour aussi longtemps, c'est qu'ils doivent être scellé ou caché quelques part. Par conséquent ils doivent être en sécurité.**
Mais le sort avait du être un peu trop visible, car une troupe d'une vingtaine d'engeances émergea de la forêt, fonçant sur l'elfe contrôlé par le démon.
**Cool en voici d'autre, bon, je vais faire un truc que se verra moins loin.**
Il entama une transformation, matérialisant la magie du bras droit de mana, faisant apparaître une espèces de bras géant pourvu de griffes. Le bras était si grand qu'il pouvait poser la main à plat sur le sol en se tenant droit debout, mais avec ce bras, il déchiqueta les engeances sans difficulté. Une fois le travail terminé, il fit un grand tas avec tout les cadavres des engeances, et recula pour admirer son œuvre. Il sentit soudain un présence derrière lui, et découvrit Daveth, caché derrière un buisson au loin en train de regarder Mana, complètement terrifié par ce qu'il venait de voir. Il sursauta de peur lorsque Pride tourna les yeux vers lui, les yeux de la jeune elfe avaient reprit l'apparence qu'ils avaient avant d'être caché par le démon, des yeux d'un rouge sang brillant exhalent le mal, dont la pupille noir fendu verticalement était entouré de stries dorés.
-Tu m'as vu n'est ce pas ? demanda Pride avec la voix fluette de Mana, mais cette dernière était devenu grave et menaçante, terrifiant le pauvre voleur qui prit les jambes à son coup.
Hélas pour lui, Pride ne le laissa pas partir, son bras étrange s'étira sur un grande longueur, attrapant Daveth par la jambe droite, en lui enfonçant ses griffes dans la cuisse et en lui broyant le tibia. Il le ramena vers lui, Daveth essayait de freiner son avancé vers sa mort en se cramponnant à tout ce qui lui tombait sous la main, mais Pride tirait de plus en plus fort, et à part s'écorcher les mains, le voleur n'arrivait à rien. Une fois arrivé, Pride le maintenue en le clouant au sol grâce à ce bras démoniaque et fit un sourire sardonique au voleur qui pleurait toutes ses larmes de son corps, et d'après la couleurs de son pantalon s'était un peu lâché tellement il était terrifié.
-Tu aurais mieux fait d'écouter la gamine et de rester au loin bien en sécurité le temps que j'en finisse avec les engeances, tant pis pour toi, dit il en transformant son autre main, puis l'enfonça dans la poitrine de Daveth, ce dernier cracha du sang et eut les yeux exorbité de douleur, puis se voilèrent prouvant sa mort. Pour détruire le cadavre, Pride claqua du doigt, et le corps prit feu instantanément, tombant en cendre en quelques minutes.
-Bon, il est temps d'aller chercher les deux autres, mais avant ça, je vais rendre son corps à ma "petite Mana chérie".
Il resta immobile et ferma les yeux, puis quand ils se rouvrirent, ses yeux étaient redevenu normaux, le bras démoniaque avait disparu, et Mana avait repris le contrôle. Comme elle avait tout vu, elle regarda avec regret le tas de cendre qu'avait été Daveth, puis alla chercher ses deux compagnons restant. Après avoir mit cinq minutes à les cherches, elle les retrouva dans une petite grotte.
-Ça y est, j'ai terminé, tient vous n'êtes que deux ? Où est Daveth ?
-Quoi ? Il n'est pas avec vous ? demanda Jory inquiet, il est pourtant parti voir comment vous vous en sortiez.
-Quoi ? J'avais pourtant dit de ne pas venir là où je me battais, autant laisser tomber alors, j'ai certainement du le réduire en cendre avec les engeances. Comme je pensais être seul, je me suis lâché, alors s'il était quelque part autours…
Les deux hommes ne dirent rien, terrifier par cette femme, mais celle ci s'effondra tout à coup.
-Qu'y a t il ? demanda Alistair en la rattrapant avant qu'elle ne touche le sol.
-J'ai utilisé tout ce que j'avais pour ce combat, je suis a bout, j'ai besoin de me reposer un moment, dit elle en s'asseyant par terre.
Un quart d'heure plus tard, ils retournèrent à la tour, celle ci avait fini de brûlé, comme il n'en restait pas grand chose, ça été vite terminé. Une fois arrivé devant, ils purent constaté les dégâts des lieux, les lieux autours de la tour étaient calciné et encore fumant, et un énorme tas de cadavre d'engeance avait fini de brûlé un peu plus loin.
-Rappelez moi de ne jamais vous énervez, dit Alistair à Mana avec un petit rire nerveux.
Ils entrèrent à l'intérieur, et la mage demanda à Alistair où pouvait être les traités.
-Normalement, ils sont dans un coffre que seul un garde des ombres peut ouvrir, c'est du moins ce que ma dit Duncan, bien que je ne comprend pas pourquoi ils ont laissé des traités aussi importants perdu aux milieux des marais.
Après une bonne heure de recherche, Mana trouva un coffre sous des décombres calcinés. Après les avoir enlever, elle constata que la serrure du coffre est brisé, elle l'ouvrit et regarda à l'intérieur, mais ne trouva rien, alors qu'elle fermait le coffre d'un geste rageur, quelqu'un, une femme, prit la parole derrière elle.
-Tient tient, mais qui voilà ? Es tu un vautour, un charognard ? Ou une intruse ayant pénétré mes terres sauvage en quête d'une proie facile.
Lorsque Mana se tourna et pu regarder celle qui lui avait parlé, elle était assise sur un pan de mur effondré, vingt mètres au dessus de la mage, elle était jeune, à peine la vingtaine, elle avait les cheveux noirs, assez court, relevé en chignon, elle était légèrement vêtu, une jupe noir, un bustier très ouvert et assez provoquant, ce qui permit à Mana de se rincer l'œil à l'occasion, qui avait d'un côté une manche longue, et l'autre le bras nu. À première vu, Mana pourrait dire qu'elle est mage, mais avec une dégaine pareille et caché aux milieux des marais, c'était certainement une apostat, ou l'une des fameuse sorcière des terres sauvages.
-Ni l'une ni l'autre, je suis garde des ombres et cette tour, ou du moins ce qu'il en reste, appartient à notre Ordre.
-Ça fait longtemps que la nature à retrouver ses droits dans cette tour, enfin jusqu'à ce que quelqu'un la fasse brûlé, ça doit être vous, étant donné que vous êtes mage, fit remarquer la sorcière.
-Vous avez trouvé ? demanda Alistair en arrivant, accompagné de Jory, puis ils aperçurent la sorcière. Qui etes vous ?
-Allons bon, des hommes, toujours à s'effaroucher d'un rien, elle se tourna à nouveau vers Mana, dite moi donc votre nom et j'en ferai autant.
-Je m'appelle Mana Kyromis.
-Et vous pouvez m'appelez Morrigan si vous voulez, puis elle descendit de son perchoir et se dirigea vers l'elfe, comme vous êtes garde des ombres, je parie que vous êtes venu chercher les traités cachés ici, mais hélas, ils ne sont plus là.
-Disparu ? C'est vous qui les avez volé, sale voleuse, scélérate ! cria Alistair.
-Allons Alistair, vous me décevez, j'aurais cru que vous auriez plaisanté la dessus.
-Je ne plaisante pas avec ça, répliqua t il sèchement en regardant Mana sérieusement puis se tourna vers Morrigan, ces traités sont la propriété des gardes des ombres, je vous sommes de nous les restitué !
-Je n'en ferai rien, et pour cause, leurs disparitions ne sont pas de mon fait.
-Qui donc les a prit ? demanda Jory.
-Ma mère, pour tout vous dire.
-Pourriez vous nous amenez à elle ?
-Une requête ô combien opportune, je vous aime bien, dit elle avec un petit sourire.
-Méfiez vous, murmura Alistair, pour l'instant elle nous sert du « je vous aime bien » et tout d'un coup pouf vous finissez en grenouille.
-En ce qui me concerne j'ai pas grand chose à craindre, je sais très bien me défendre contre la magie, bien que je sois assez fatigué, répondit Mana en suivant Morrigan.
Après une demi heure de marche à travers les marais, ils arrivèrent à une chaumière, où une vieil accrochait du linge à sécher sur un fil, en voyant le petit groupe approcher, elle alla à leur rencontre.
-Mère, je vous amène trois gardes des ombres, ils… commença t elle à expliquer.
-Je les vois petite…Hum, c'est bien ce que je pensais, mais c'est étrange, il me semblait que vous étiez quatre, et vous n'êtes que trois devant moi, dit elle en lançant un regarde en biais vers Mana.
-Je sais, j'avais prévenu qu'il ne fallait pas m'approcher car pour combattre les engeances, je me suis complètement lâché, attaquant sans distinction vu que je partais du principe qu'il n'y avait que des engeances autours de moi, dit elle avec un petit sourire gêné en se grattant l'arrière de la tête, mais la vieille continua de l'observer. Ses yeux semblaient la traverser, comme si elle lisait en elle, ce qui la poussa à croire que cette vieille femme devait être une puissante magicienne, ou plutôt sorcière dans son cas.
-Vous voulez me faire croire que vous nous attendiez ? demanda brusquement Alistair.
-Je ne veux rien de vous, ni vous faire croire quoi que ce soit. Celui qui refuse l'évidence n'est pas moins sot que celui qui accepte le mensonge, elle se tourna à nouveau vers l'elfe, et vous ? Votre esprit elfique vous donne t il un avis différent, ou votre situation de mage vous permet d'avoir un avis plus aiguisé que ces soldats ?
-Je dirais que vous n'avez rien d'une vieille femme ordinaire, comme votre fille, vous êtes sûrement un apostat.
-Apostat, ce mot est sans arrêt utilisé, à croire qu'il s'est vulgarisé, dit la vieille femme en soupirant, enfin bon, je suppose que vous venez chercher vos traités n'est ce pas ? demanda t elle en retournant vers sa maison. Deux minutes plus tard, elle revint avec un tas de rouleaux dans les bras.
-Mais avant que commence le concert de jappement, sachez que le sceau, protégeant les traités, s'est rompu il y a longtemps, et je les gardes depuis.
-Vous…Vous les avez protégés ? s'exclama Alistair, surpris
-Et pourquoi pas ? demanda la vieil en haussant des épaules puis tendis les traités à Mana qui les rangea dans son sac, apportez les à vos chef, et dite lui que la menace est bien plus grande qu'ils ne le croient.
-Merci beaucoup, dit Mana en s'inclinant respectueusement, ce qui lui valu un sourire mi moqueur mi amusé de la sorcière.
-Quel savoir vivre, toujours là où on l'attend le moins, comme les bas, dit elle en regardant le tristes états de ses bas qui lui couvrait ses vieilles jambes. Oh, ne fait pas attention à ce que je dis, dit elle en riant d'auto dérision, comme si devenir sénile était drôle à ses yeux.
-Il est temps pour vous de partir, fit remarquer sèchement Morrigan.
-Tu n'y penses pas ma chère, ce sont nos hôtes.
-Bon j'ai compris, soupira Morrigan, je vais vous guider jusqu'à votre campement, suivez moi, dit elle en partant d'un pas vif, rapidement suivit par Jory et Alistair, Mana prit le temps de dire au revoir à cette vieille femme, qui lui fit un au revoir avec un petit signe de la main.
xxxIIIxxx
Morrigan le laissa à environ un demi kilomètre du campement, retournant dans les terres sauvage où était sa place. Une fois à l'intérieur du camps, Mana rendit visite au maitre chien, à qui elle donna la fleur dont il avait besoin.
-Oui, c'est exactement ça, c'est parfait, donnez moi un instant que je prépare l'onguent, puis il parti un moment, puis il revint et entra dans le chenil, il mélangea l'onguent à la nourriture du chien, qui lui sembla comprendre que c'était un médicament, il mangea donc goulûment son repas, le maître chien souriait au ange en ressortant, après avoir observer le chien un petit moment.
-Il va beaucoup mieux, je vous remercie pour votre aide…Mais maintenant que j'y pense, il va falloir un nouveau maître pour ce chien, et je pense que vous serez celui qu'il choisira.
-Vous croyez ?
-Oui, il a probablement comprit que vous aviez contribuez à se guérison, les mabari sont au moins aussi intelligent qu'un percepteur d'impot, revenez donc après la bataille, il se sera sûrement décider d'ici là.
Après cette visite au chenil, ils allèrent vers l'énorme feu, où attendais Duncan, ce dernier sembla rassurer de les voir revenir vivant, pour certains en tout cas.
-Vous voici enfin revenu, nous allons pouvoir…Attendez où est Daveth ? demanda Duncan en regardant Alistair, qui était en quelque sorte responsable du groupe.
-Hé bien…commença t il à marmonné, très gêné, tellement gêné que la jeune elfe décida de prendre la parole afin de l'en décharger.
-Je l'ai malencontreusement grillé avec un sort…Enfin je crois.
Duncan la regarda avec perplexité, ce qui la poussa à expliquer ce qui c'était passé, officiellement bien sûr, en omettant qu'elle avait laissé son démon prendre possession de son corps afin d'exterminé les engeances, et qu'elle avait du réduire au silence le voleur qui l'avait vu dans cette état "démoniaque".
-Je vois, je suppose que Daveth est responsable de son sort, mais la prochaine, faites attention à vos alliers, les engeances font assez de victimes comme ça, pas besoin d'en rajouter avec un garde des ombres maladroit, surtout lorsque celui ci peut lancer des boules de feu, avertit Duncan d'un ton sérieux qui faisait vraiment peur, Mana hocha vivement la tête, intimidé.
-Bien, maintenant que cette affaire est réglé, nous pouvons commencer la cérémonie, Alistair, guidez les jusqu'à la tour, j'arrive tout de suite.
Duncan partit en direction de sa tente, afin d'aller chercher des trucs en rapport avec la cérémonie probablement. Alistair guida alors les deux recrue vers la tour où Mana et lui c'était rencontré pour la première fois. Une fois sur place, Jory ne cessait de se plaindre, regrettant son choix de vouloir intégrer la garde, abandonnant sa femme et son enfant à naître, et blablabla, ça tapa rapidement sur le système de Mana, qui pourtant resta très calme, après tout, elle avait déjà lacéré, déchiqueté et incinéré l'une des recrue, inutile d'en faire de même avec l'autre. Duncan arriva enfin, il apporta une coupe d'argent, et un cruchon, allions nous trinquer notre entrée dans la garde ? Elle en doutait fort, ce n'est pas vraiment le genre des gardes des ombres de sabrer le champagne pour des recrues. Après un petit speech sur le principe de la cérémonie de l'Union, avec comme information que boire le sang d'engeance peut être fatal, Alistair prononça un petit discours apprit par cœur disant que ceux morts durant la cérémonie ne resterons pas seul longtemps, car même ceux qui survivrons les rejoindrons bientôt. Une fois ces mots dit, Duncan demanda qui voulait boire en premier, comme Jory semblait hésité, Mana se proposa, voulant connaître cette expérience, et avait comme petit espoir que le démon lié à elle l'empêcherait de mourir d'une façon aussi stupide. Elle prit la coupe en argent, et but cul sec le sang d'engeance qui s'y trouvait, ce dernier avait un goût atroce, si le sang humain avait un petit goût de fer et de rouille, le sang d'engeance avait un goût de merde, au sens propre du terme, non pas qu'elle ai déjà "goûté" à des excréments, elle n'est pas scatophile, mais le goût était si atroce qu'elle n'avait pas de mots pour le désigner, alors autant dire que ça à le même goût que la merde, vu qu'il s'approche beaucoup de l'odeur, mais en mille fois plus fort. Une fois l'immonde breuvage avalé, elle le sentit arrivé dans son estomac, et ce dernier sembla prendre feu, et le "feu" commença à dévorer son corps de l'intérieur, lui affligeant une telle douleur physique qu'elle n'avait même pas la force de crier ou pleurer. C'est apparemment à la tête qu'elle souffrit le plus car elle ne pu s'empêcher de la prendre de ses deux mains, en la baissant face vers le sol, lorsqu'elle la releva, elle avait les yeux blancs. Sa gorge commença à se serrer, et elle étouffa, n'arrivant plus à respirer, elle tomba à genou, et prit appuis sur le sol avec sa main droite, cherchant désespérément de l'air, mais rien n'atteignait ses poumons, avant de mourir, elle entendit Duncan marmonner ces mots :
-Je suis désolé Mana, puisse le créateur veillez sur toi.
FIN
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J'DECONNE HAHAHAHAHA ! vous y avez cru pas vrai ? Allez avouer ! Bon, quand je dis qu'elle meurt, là je suis sérieux, elle meurt belle et bien (moralité, pendant l'Union, ne jamais boire en premier ! XD ) Mais on sais tous que la mort n'est pas forcément une fin en soi, ou dans le cas présent, elle n'est pas définitive…Bref, vous verrez bien.
Donc cette fois, je suis sérieux :
To be continued !
4. Résurrection difficile
Voici la suite, en espérant que ça vous plaira.
Je tiens à prévenir qu'il y a un lemon dans ce chapitre ( hétéro je tient à préciser, comme ça, je ne prend pas en traître !) Je dois avouer que c'est le premier lemon que j'écris depuis longtemps, alors j'espère qu'il vous plaira, ou qu'il ne vous choquera pas (pour les plus puritain).
Chapitre IV Résurrection difficile
Ça y est, elle était morte, tué par du sang d'engeance…A moins qu'elle ne se soit bêtement étouffé en avalent de travers ? Non, ce maudit sang l'avait bien tué, la douleur qu'elle avait ressentit au moment de mourir avait été atroce, même la fois où elle avait presque brûlé vive à cause d'un sort de feu mal lancé avait été comme une caresse à côté. Mais maintenant, elle était morte, et la mort n'avait vraiment rien avoir avec ce qu'on n'avait pas arrêté de lui répéter à la Chantrie. Au lieu de rejoindre le Créateur, de se retrouver dans un éden après sa mort, elle ne trouva que vide et néant, mais ça lui convenait, elle se sentait plus calme et sereine que jamais, elle avait trouvé la plénitude dans la mort, elle n'avait pas besoin d'un éden, mais soudain, elle ressenti le froid et la douleur l'étreindre, elle voulait crier, mais aucun son ne sortait, et puis elle ne sentait pas son corps, à supposé qu'elle en ai un. Une voix résonna dans sa tête, une voix qu'elle reconnu tout de suite.
**Ton heure n'est pas encore venu Mana.**
Elle se retrouva tout à coup dans une grande plaine, avec une espèce de porte au loin, une espèce de baleine volante passa tout à coup au dessus d'elle, et elle baissa instinctivement la tête, bien que la bête gigantesque volait vingt mètres au dessus d'elle. Elle alla vers cette étrange porte, cette dernière était une grande porte en pierre, sur laquelle était marqué : Qu'elle est le nom de l'Orgueil ?
-Pride.
La porte s'ouvrit, laissant voir une espèce de vortex magique, l'idée de rentrer la dedans ne la tentait guère, mais elle n'avait nulle part ailleurs où aller, elle entra donc dans le vortex, et se sentit aspiré, et perdit connaissance. Lorsqu'elle se réveilla, elle vit qu'elle était arrivé dans un bosquet entouré par de très haute montagne et les nuages dans le ciel étaient assez sombre, mais des raies de lumière réussissaient à passer. L'endroit était assez brumeux et semblait presque magique, il y avait une espèce de musique de fond, bien qu'elle n'y connaisse pas grand chose, elle était presque certaine que c'était de la harpe. Elle se dirigea vers la source de la musique, et finit par tomber sur une petite clairière, en son centre se trouvait une table et une chaise, derrière, une grande bibliothèque qui semblait flotter dans les airs, et enfin un étang où une petite cascade tombait doucement.
-Plutôt calme comme coin non ?
Elle se tourna, et vit Pride qui était assis contre un arbre, avec un luth entre les mains, il était toujours le même que la fois où elle l'avait rencontré lors de sa Confrontation, mais cette fois, ses yeux n'étaient pas écarlate, mais normaux, comme ceux d'un mortel, enfin pas tout à fait, il était d'une couleur violette profonde, presque améthyste, il semblait également très calme, peut être trop.
-Tu fais une drôle de tête, fit remarquer Mana, si tu es en colère contre moi parce que je suis morte je…
-Je ne t'en veux pas, on ne pouvait pas prévoir que ce sang d'engeance serait si puissant, et je dois dire que si je n'avais pas été là, tu serais au côté du Créateur, il la regarda et un sourire sardonique apparu sur ses lèvres, dommage n'est ce pas ?
-Hélas, j'ai l'impression que je vais devoir te supporter encore un moment, soupira Mana, l'air triste.
-Allons, inutiles de faire cette tête, tu devrais me remercier, après tout, si tu étais morte, tu n'aurais pas pu tenir la promesse que tu as faite à ta chère cousine, pas vrai ? susurra t il vicieusement.
A ces mots, Mana blêmit, elle se rappelait très bien la promesse faite à sa cousine au bas cloître de Dénérim. Le jour où un seigneur humain avait voulu l'acheter de force pour en faire sa servante, quand elles avaient cinq ans, autant dire qu'il avait des goûts douteux, et lorsqu'il avait essayé de donner une gifle à sa cousine, son bras s'était soudain retrouvé avec deux "articulations" de plus, ce qui le fit hurler comme un goret. Il partit les jambes à son coup, suivit de son escorte qui avait refusé de touché à la gamine qui lui avait cassé le bras sans le toucher. Ce jour là, Mana lui avait promis de ne jamais la laisser se faire blesser par un homme, humain ou même elfe, les templiers étaient venu la chercher le jour même, elle n'avait pas pleurée en quittant sa famille, composé de son père, de sa cousine et cousin. Mais elle s'était promis un jour de retourner au bas cloître, afin de revoir sa cousine.
Tous ces souvenirs lui avait fait baisser sa garde, et Pride en profita pour la prendre par derrière (DANS CES BRAS BANDE DE PERVERS !) et lui lécha, mordilla l'oreille droite, tout en lui soufflant.
-Mais te garder en vie m'a beaucoup éprouvé, car je n'ai transféré qu'une partie infime de ma force en toi, mais elle a suffit de justesse à te sauver…Du moins pour le moment.
-Comment ça "pour le moment" ? demanda anxieusement Mana sur les nerf, la proximité du démon, et le truc dur dans son pantalon n'améliorant pas son état nerveux.
-Je n'ai que contenu le poison, mais il n'est pas éliminé pour autant, j'ai besoin de plus de puissance, et pour ça, j'ai besoin de toi.
-Est ce que ça inclut que ça doit se passer dans un lit ?
-Tu comprends vite, et pas nécessairement dans un lit, on peut le faire dans l'herbe si tu veux, gloussa t il en lui prenant les seins dans les mains.
Elle était très mal à l'aise, mais si elle devait en passer par là pour survivre alors soit.
-Très bien, allons y, dit elle en commença à se dévêtir, mais Pride l'arrêta.
-Pas tout de suite, pas besoin d'être aussi pressé, tu ne veux pas savoir pourquoi tu va devoir en passer par là ?
-Quelle importance ? Tu m'as déjà dit que tu avais envie de me passer dessus, alors doit il y avoir une raison particulière autre que ton désir ?
-Oui, je vais te montrer, dit il en la prenant par la taille, soudain, de grande ailes aux plumes noirs apparurent dans son dos, et il s'envola. Lorsqu'ils dépassèrent les montagnes qui entouraient le bosquet, elle revit la même plaine que tout a l'heure, sauf qu'a cette endroit, elle était dévorer par un feu gigantesque, celui ci avançait lentement mais sûrement.
-L'incendie que tu vois là n'est autre que le poison que tu as ressentis, d'où la sensation de brûlure, dit il amusé, et la plaine est une représentation de ton corps, et le bosquet est la source de mon pouvoir que j'ai pu introduire dans ton corps. Pour pouvoir arrêter ce feu, il faudrait faire tripler la surface du bosquet, au moins.
-Comment faire ça ?
-En laissant mon pouvoir filtrer doucement dans ton corps, comme je fais d'habitude, afin d'éviter à ton corps de se transformer en abomination, il faudrait encore deux semaines, et on a clairement pas autant de temps, surtout que ton corps dépérirait entre temps, et je ne peux pas forcer ton corps sans le transformer de manière irréversible, mais en revanche, si nos deux âmes "fusionnent", la connexion me permettra d'amener le pouvoir qu'il me manque.
-Hm, ça à l'air d'une bonne excuse pour transformer un viol en sauvetage, fit remarque Mana acerbe.
-Crois ce que tu veux, mais je peux t'assurer qu'il est dans mon intérêt de te garder en vie, je n'essais pas de profiter de toi…enfin si un petit peu, mais comme ça te profite…
-Ça va j'ai compris, redescend moi maintenant, inutile de rester en l'air plus longtemps.
Une fois à nouveau dans la clairière dans le bosquet, Pride claque du doigt, et un grand lit apparu soudainement, il posa délicatement Mana dessus, cette dernière était très crispé, le corps tout raide, ce qui fit soupirer le Démon.
-Inutile d'être aussi nerveuse, je sais ce que je fais, et je peux t'assurer qu'après ça, tu viendras me supplier de recommencer, ce qui nous rendra plus puissant à chaque fois, c'est ce qui s'appelle faire d'une pierre deux coups, non ?
-Oui j'ai compris, dit elle d'une voix pincée, le corps toujours crispé.
Soupirant encore fois, et sentant que le temps pressait, il lui prit le visage entre les mains, et l'embrassa, elle était gênée et tendue, mais la douceur du baiser la détendit peu à peu. Le démon, qui avait plusieurs millénaires d'expérience derrière lui commença à la toucher à des endroits stratégique, d'abord les jambes, les bras, le cou, puis allant progressivement vers des endroits plus osées, tel que le ventre, les seins, et enfin l'entrejambe. Pendant ses attouchements, il avait enlevé doucement et langoureusement les vêtements de la jeune elfe, lorsque celle ci fut intégralement nu, il eut l'idée de l'émoustiller grâce à l'art du Cunnilingus. Il se pencha donc sur l'intimité de la jeune fille, et commença à lécher son petit bout de chair, appelé clitoris, ses léchouille fit haleter la jeune fille, qui commençait à transpirer et à trembler de plaisir, et hurla carrément lorsqu'il le mordilla légèrement. Elle avait beaucoup mouillé, et il se dit qu'elle était prête, et posa son sexe dresser à l'entré de l'endroit où est née le monde, selon un artiste dont il avait oublié le nom, et entra tout en douceur. Mana réagit à l'entrée de l'objet étranger dans son corps, mais plutôt que de le repousser, elle poussa un soupir de plaisir, encouragé par cette réaction, Pride continua jusqu'à ce que son pénis soit entièrement à l'intérieur. Le sexe de Mana était doux, chaud et profond, un vrai bonheur de s'y trouver, mais surtout, cette "connexion" lui permit d'introduire (sans mauvais jeu de mots) davantage de pouvoir dans le corps de son hôte. Il entama un lent mouvement de va et vient, qui fit réagir très positivement la jeune elfe, cette dernière croisa ses jambes derrière les reins du démon, et commença à se stimuler manuellement le clitoris, et ses gémissements se faisaient plus fréquents et plus forts, elle se massa également les seins, se pinçait les petits boutons roses au bout de ses deux bosses. Pride sentait lui aussi le plaisir monté, mais il avait envie de changer de position, voulant passer du missionnaire à la levrette, mais pour ne pas casser le moment, il fallait y aller doucement. Il commença donc par prendre la jambe gauche de Mana, la plia, afin de lui permettre de passer lorsqu'il fit tourner doucement l'elfe sur le côté droit, sans quitter de son doux fourreau, la mage ne comprit pas ce qu'il voulait faire, mais il la rassura, et continua son va et vient, puis deux minutes plus tard, il termina la rotation, et Mana se retrouva à quatre pattes, appuyer sur les coudes afin de faire monter son derrière. Pride commença à accéléré la cadence, et la jeune elfe commença à crier de plaisir, et elle prit part au jeu en remuant les fesses afin d'accompagner le mouvement du démon. Ce dernier sourit en voyant la jeune fille participer, et ce demanda s'il ne pouvait pas aller plus loin…Peut être une autre fois, pensa t il en caressant l'autre "entrée" de la mage avec désir, pour l'instant, ça sera suffisant pour lui permettre de survivre, d'ailleurs, il sentait que ça arrivait pour lui, mais il refuse de jouir avant Mana. Ce qui ne tarda pas, car après avoir encore une fois augmenter la cadence, Pride sentit le vagin de Mana se serrer sur son sexe, elle avait atteins le seuil critique et, puis soudain elle jouit, ce qui fit sortir soudainement une grande quantité de liquide du sexe de la jeune elfe, et lui jouit à son tour juste après, lâchant sa semence, contenant une grande quantité de sa puissance, au fond d'elle. Cette dernière était haletante, et avait du mal à tenir même à quatre pattes, tant ses jambes tremblaient, Pride se retira et l'allongea sur le côté, il pouvait voir son sperme couler le long des fesses la jeune elfe, mais cette dernière, outre son air épuisé, semblait aux anges.
-Alors tu vois, c'était pas si terrible, souffla Pride en l'embrassant dans le cou.
-Je dois…avouer que…c'était très agréable…et sinon, tu as fait…ce que tu voulais ?
-Oui, en injectant ma semence en toi, j'ai en quelques sorte transmit une bonne quantité de ma puissance dans ton corps instantanément et sans autre effet secondaire que le plaisir que tu as ressentit à l'instant. Maintenant, il va être possible de repousser le poison et l'éliminer, mais ça c'est mon affaire, repose toi, tu es épuisé.
Mana ne se fit pas prier, et s'endormit presque instantanément, ressentant encore une douce chaleur dans son bas ventre, elle s'enroula dans les draps puis tomba dans les bras de Morphée. Ce fut à nouveau le noir total, mais contrairement à la première fois où elle ne ressentait rien à part une grande plénitude, là elle sentait son corps, avec encore les sensations de ses ébats précédents, puis ça cessa brusquement, elle eut une atroce vision, un froid glacial la prit, la paralysant totalement, elle vit un dragon rugir et cracher des flammes, il la regarda quelque secondes, puis la vision s'interrompit. Revenant à la réalité, bien vivante, du moins, elle pensait qu'elle était dans la réalité, car il fait toujours sombre, mais cette fois, elle entendait du bruit autours, preuve qu'elle n'était plus dans le néant de la mort. En essayant de bouger, elle s'aperçu qu'elle était dans un lieu vraiment exigu, qui ne lui permettait pas de bouger les jambes ou les bras, et en touchant les rebords, elle sentait très clairement que c'était du bois, qu'elle était dans une boite, un cercueil, logique, elle était morte pendant l'Union, il l'avait donc mit dans un cercueil pour la mettre en terre. Apparemment elle n'était pas morte depuis longtemps, car vu les sons qui lui parvenait, elle n'était pas encore six pieds sous terre, juste enfermé dans cette boite en bois.
**Allez fais nous sortir de là, j'ai hâte de rejoindre la bataille ! rugie joyeusement Pride, avide de sang.**
Mana concentra son esprit pour lancer un sort télékinétique afin de ne pas faire de dégât autours d'elle, et lança son sort d'onde mental, ce qui fit exploser le cercueil, ne laissant pas un morceau en état. Lorsqu'elle se leva difficilement, elle s'aperçu que la bataille avait déjà commencer, paniqué, elle se demanda quoi faire, rejoindre la bataille ? Essayer de trouver Duncan pour avoir des instructions ? Que faire ?
En courant vers le pont, afin de voir l'avancer de la bataille, elle vit que cette dernière commençait à mal tourner pour l'armée des hommes, ils étaient clairement en sous nombres, et commençaient à faiblir, tandis que la horde des engeances continuait d'affluer sans tarir. Tous les archers sur le pont, ainsi que les scorpions (armes de sièges) avaient été tués ou détruit, elle décida donc d'apporter sa contribution, elle approcha du bord, s'arrêta devant la rambarde, et décida de tester les nouveaux pouvoirs qu'elle devrait avoir maintenant, enfin normalement, si son démon ne l'avait pas roulé. Elle chargea donc une boule de feu dans sa main, en y concentrant toutes la puissance qu'elle pouvait contrôler, créant une boule de deux mètres de diamètre, quand elle la lança en direction du centre de la horde, elle se baissa pour éviter le souffle. Lorsque l'explosion fut passé, qui avait d'ailleurs fait trembler le pont, il y avait un joli trou fumant là où se trouvait la bataille, atomisant du même coup l'armée humaine. Mana devint livide lorsqu'elle s'aperçut de ce qu'elle venait de faire, mais Pride prit ça avec bonne humeur.
**Waaaahahahaha ! Je t'adore…hahahahah…je n'ai pas autant rie depuis au moins cinq siècles, **s'esclaffa t il bruyamment, pendant que le visage de la jeune elfe se décomposait de seconde en seconde. Ils remarquèrent alors un feu au sommet de la plus haute tour de la forteresse, ressemblant un peu à un phare.
**Tient tient ? Qu'est ce qui se passe là haut, allons voir.**
_Tu ne crois pas qu'il vaudrait mieux partir vite, maintenant que les engeances ont le champ libre à cause de ma bêtise ?_ demanda sarcastiquement Mana.
**Mais non, je suis sûr que ça doit être intéressant, en plus, je parie que des survivants se trouves la haut, tu pourrais les sauver non ?**
Il avait fait mouche, si elle pouvait sauver quelques personnes, ce sera toujours ça de prit, alors qu'elle se dirigeait vers la tour, elle sentit une vive douleur dans le dos, au niveau des omoplates, tellement douloureux qu'elle tomba.
-Haaaa, mais qu'est ce qui m'arrive ! cria t elle à voix haute.
**Trois fois rien, juste une petite aide pour te permettre de rejoindre rapidement le sommet de cette tour**, murmura Pridre.
En tournant la tête, elle vu que deux grandes ailes noirs, identique à celle qu'avait Pride, était apparu dans son dos, elle se releva difficilement, les épaules endolorie, puis essaya d'utiliser ses nouvelles ailes, ce fut très difficile, car les mouvoir correctement était compliqué, même à terre, alors dans les airs.
**Ne t'inquiète pas, je vais t'aider.**
Pride prit soudainement le contrôle de son corps contre son gré, manifestement, son regain de puissance lui permettait de s'imposer, ce qui ne rassura pas du tout la jeune mage, consciente de s'approcher lentement mais sûrement à l'état de pantin. Pride se mit debout sur la rambarde du pont, et sauta sans hésitation, si Mana avait le contrôle de son corps, ou au moins de sa bouche, elle aurait crié de terreur, le démon redressa juste avant de toucher sol, volant presque en rase motte, et lança un cône de feu, qui lança un torrent de flamme trois fois plus grand que celui des terres sauvages, grillant plusieurs centaines d'engeances d'un coup. Une fois ça fait, il reprit de l'altitude très rapidement, dépassant le pont et se dirigea vers le sommet de la tour, quand soudain, une ombre lui cacha la lumière de la lune. Lorsqu'il tourna la tête, il fut réellement surpris, un gigantesque dragon volait juste au dessus de lui, et semblait l'avoir remarqué, mais il ne l'attaqua pas et l'ignora, ce qui énerva le démon qui préféra s'éloigné du dragon par mesure de sécurité. Le dragon était différent de celui qu'il avait vu dans la vision de Mana, celui ci de dégageait pas la même aura, elle était moins maléfique, plus calme, et il n'était pas noir, mais brun, presque bronze. Il atterrit au sommet de la tour, et rentra la tête à l'intérieur, sentant la panique de Mana, Pride se précipita à l'intérieur, et vit que le Dragon n'était pas là en ennemis. Les engeances avaient submergé ceux qui c'était apparemment barricadé au sommet de la tour, prit au piège, le dragon s'était empressé de faire le grand nettoyage, restant sur le balcon de la tour, il carbonisa rapidement les engeances, en prenant soin d'épargner les humains qui étaient couchés au sol, blessés ou morts. Il retira les ailes de son dos et rentra à l'intérieur de la tour, allant voir les soldats, le dragon sembla en faire de même car il s'illumina soudainement, avant de réduire à vu d'œil, et laissa place à la vieil femme qu'ils avaient rencontrer dans les terres sauvages. Cette dernière sourit en voyant la jeune mage, qui un instant avant avait des ailes noirs, et qui avait encore les yeux écarlates à la pupilles fendu, elle n'était pas dupe quand à son identité.
-Du calme démon, je ne suis pas là pour me battre, mais pour sauver ce garde des ombres, dit elle en désignant un soldat blond inconscient, Pride le reconnu comme étant celui qui avait accompagné Mana dans les terres sauvages, elle semblait l'apprécier, il se tourna vers la sorcière.
-Qu'est ce que vous lui voulez ?
-Moi, je veux juste les sauver, si tout les gardes des ombres tombent, le destin de ce royaume risquent d'être sérieusement compromis, surtout après l'exploit que cette gamine a réalisé tout à l'heure, dit elle d'un ton amusé pour parler de l'holocauste provoqué involontairement par Mana.
-Je vois, dans ce cas prenez le, je vous suis.
-Pourquoi cela ?
-Parce que la gamine est elle aussi garde des ombres, surtout après le mal que j'ai eu pour qu'elle survive à l'Union.
-Vraiment, je n'ai jamais entendu parler de Démon voulant sauver une mortelle, c'est une première pour moi.
-Comme quoi, même après avoir vécut des siècles, il vous restes des choses à apprendre Flémeth.
-Haha, je vois que vous n'êtes pas dupe, vous devez être un démon de très haut rang pour me connaître.
-En effet, mais si vous voulez en parler, faisons le dans votre hutte, cet endroit n'est guère propice à la conversation, dit il en entendant des bruits de pas et de métal au loin dans les escaliers
-Bonne idée, partons, dit la sorcière en prenant Alistair, avant de se retransformer, puis elle s'envol a, suivit de Pride qui avait reprit ses ailes pour la suivre.
xxxIIIxxx
Mana avait tout suivit du début à la fin, ce qui lui permit d'apprendre que cette vieille femme était Flémeth, celle de la légende, vu la réaction de Pride, elle avait ressenti une pointe d'inquiétude dans l'esprit du Démon, pour qu'il soit inquiété, cela voulait dire que cette Flémeth devait être aussi puissante que sa légende le laissait entendre. Elle la vit prendre Alistair, et quitter la tour, suivit par son corps toujours sous le contrôle du démon de l'Orgueil. Après dix minutes de vol, ils arrivèrent à la petite maison où elle l'avait rencontré pour la première fois, Flémeth repris son apparence humaine, et appela Morrigan, qui sortit de la maison. La sorcière lui ordonna de prendre Alistair, et de l'allonger dans la maison, elle allait le soigner dans quelques minutes, une fois la jeune sorcière rentrer avec le garde des ombres blessé, Flémeth se tourna vers Pride.
-Puis je connaître votre nom ? demanda t elle d'une voix chevrotante.
-Vous pouvez m'appeler Pride, si vous voulez, mais vous n'apprendrez rien d'autre.
-Pride ? Ho, je crois savoir qui tu es, un des plus anciens démon de l'Orgueil, mais tu es également parmi les plus faibles d'entre eux, à cause de ta tendance à t'emporter un peu trop vite, et ton manque de talent dans la manipulation.
-Que voulez vous ? Je préfère faire confiance à ma force qu'a la ruse, et côté puissance, je suis le plus puissant de tous, dit il avec fierté.
-En effet, mais la force brut ne peut rien contre la ruse, c'est pourquoi tu es considéré comme l'un des plus faibles, si ce n'est LE plus faible.
-Pensez ce que vous voulez, ma puissance combinez à celle de la jeune mage devant vos yeux me rendra plus puissant que toute les créatures qui foulent cette terre et qui la foulerons !
-Je vois que vous portez beaucoup d'espoir sur elle, c'est donc pour ça que vous avez tant fait pour lui permettre de survivre au rituel, mais je me demande pourquoi…
-Silence ! Plus de question ! Rugit Pride, exaspéré par cette vieille, cette dernière leva ses mains paumes en avant en signe de calme.
-Inutile de s'énervé, je suis juste curieuse. Si vous ne voulez pas en parler…
-Contentez vous de soigner ce garde des ombres, si vous tenez tant que ça à sa survie, coupa Pride en tournant les talons, en ce qui me concerne, je suis fatigué, je n'ai pas arrêté depuis ce maudis rituel, alors si vous le permettez, je vais me trouver un endroit calme, je reviendrais lorsque cet humain sera revenu à lui.
Puis il s'envola, Flémeth le regarda s'éloigner en ayant un petit sourire.
-Cet petite a un démon en elle, et n'est pas devenu une abomination ? Elle encore plus intéressante que je le croyais de prime abord, dit elle à elle même en se dirigeant vers sa maison.
xxxIIIxxx
Volant jusqu'au sommet d'une montagne, Pride cherchait un endroit où se reposé, mais il sentait Mana s'agiter.
**Qu'y a t il ?**
_Rend moi mon corps maintenant ! Comment as-tu pu prendre la contrôle sans mon consentement ! ce n'était pas dans le contrat !_
**Tais toi ! **Hurla t il avec une telle rage, que Mana se senti aussi insignifiante qu'une fourmis à côté d'un éléphant, elle préféra se taire, sentant la colère de Pride, mais cette dernière n'était pas diriger contre.
_Qu…Qu'elle que chose t'a contrarié ?_ demanda t elle d'une petite voix avec hésitation.
**Cette fichu sorcière a osé affirmer que je suis le plus faible des démons de l'Orgueil, c'est ça que me rend furieux !**
_Tu ne devrais pas l'écouter, tenta la jeune mage, ta puissance est titanesque, je l'ai bien sentit en te rencontrant, aucun démon ne peut t'égaler._
**Hum, merci de me réconforter, mais quelques part elle n'a pas tort, je devrais faire appel un peu plus souvent à la ruse.**
Mana aimerais bien lui affirmer qu'il était déjà très rusé, pour avoir eu l'idée de ne pas la posséder de force pour que ça passe inaperçu, d'après les livres qu'elle avait lu, ça n'était jamais arrivé. Mais elle s'abstint, elle ne l'appréciait pas assez pour…pas assez ? Ce pourrait il qu'elle l'apprécie ? Non, ce démon est là pour en faire son pantin, pas pour être son ami, elle ne doit jamais oublier ça, ou elle ne sera bientôt plus qu'une marionnette entre ses mains. Finalement le démon trouva un coin tranquille sur une petite montagne, il ramassa un peu de bois, le mit vaguement en tas puis l'alluma d'un claquement de doigt, et s'allongea devant.
**Si tu permet, je vais garder le contrôle pour le moment, quand nous serons avec le grand dadais blond, je te rendrais ton corps.**
Mana ne dit rien, approuvant par le silence, elle sentait le démon toujours frustré, et elle préféra ne pas l'énervé davantage.Elle prit le temps de réfléchir à la suite des évènements, maintenant que l'armée humaine était décimé, la horde de l'engeance pouvait continuer sa route tranquillement, sans compter qu'elle avait du sceller le sort du roi, de Duncan, ainsi des gardes des ombres qui devaient y être, cette idée la rendait malade, elle avait l'impression d'être une traîtresse, une alliée des engeances…Comment pourrait elle regarder sa famille en face maintenant ? Si bien sûr sa bêtise ne les condamne pas à tomber sous les lames des engeances. Et comment arrêter cette horde, Duncan affirmait qu'ils revenaient toujours plus nombreux même dans la défaite, comment arrêter une armée pareille, à ce niveau le nombre ne compte plus, si l'ennemi se renforce constamment.
**Arrête de te creuser le crâne et à te lamenter, ce qui est fait est fait, on ne peut pas retourner en arrière, plutôt que de te reprocher sur ce qui tu n'as pas pu sauver, essais plutôt de réfléchir à ce que tu peux encore sauver.**
Tient ? Depuis quand Pride donne t il de bons conseils, autre que les manières de massacrer sans se tâcher. Néanmoins il n'a pas tort, autant réfléchir sur ce qui doit être fait plutôt sur ce qui aurait du être fait. Mais elle n'avait pas vraiment d'idée sur ce qu'il fallait faire désormais, Duncan avait dit que tous les gardes de Férelden étaient réunit à Ostagar, alors il ne reste donc plus qu'elle et Alistair, qui est mourant, autant dire que ce n'est pas la joie.
xxxIIIxxx
Après une dizaine d'heures de sommeil, Pride se réveilla, voyant c'était le matin, il se dirigea vers la maison de Flémeth, une fois arrivé, il se posa et fit disparaître ses ailes. Flémeth sortit de la maison, avec un petit sourire en coin, elle semblait de bonne humeur.
**Bon, je te rends le contrôle à partir d'ici, j'espère que tu auras une bonne excuse à servir au garde pour expliquer ta présence dans le monde des vivants.**
Mana eut à nouveau le contrôle de son corps, ce qui la rassura, voir son corps faire des choses sans qu'on le veuille est particulièrement dérangeant. Le changement de contrôle dû être perçu par la sorcière car celle ci prit un ton différent à celle qu'elle avait en parlant au démon, et surtout, elle tutoya la jeune mage.
-Ah te revoila, et cette fois ci, c'est bien à toi que je parle, et non à Pride, tu te nommes Mana, c'est bien ça ?
-Oui, comment le savez vous ?
-Morrigan m'a raconté votre rencontre, ainsi que votre nom, vous venez voir comment va le jeune homme trouver dans la tour ?
-Oui, comment va t il ?
-Bien, compte tenu de l'état où on l'a trouvé, il s'est réveillé voilà une heure, mais apparemment la nouvelle ne lui a pas plus.
-J'espère que vous avez évité de dire que c'est moi la responsable de ce désastre.
-Oui, et je précise que vous n'êtes pas la seule responsable.
-Pardon ?
-L'homme qui devait répondre au signal, le feu au sommet de la tour, s'est retiré, abandonnant le roi à son sort, même sans lancer votre boule de feu, l'armée humaine aurait été décimé de toute façon, vous avez abrégé leur souffrance en quelque sorte.
-Hum, je doute que ça ai une quelconque importance maintenant, voyons plutôt comment ce porte notre garde des ombres, dit Mana en se dirigeant vers la maison. Une fois à l'intérieur, elle constata qu'Alistair et Morrigan étaient en train de se crêper le chignon ( s'engueuler) comme un vieux couple.
-Je dérange peut être ?
-Non, partons d'ici, je ne supporte plus cette garce, fit Alistair d'un ton énervé.
-La garce vous remercie et vous invite à ne plus revenir, grinça Morrigan.
Alistair était en train de remettre son armure quand il s'aperçu de ce qui n'allait pas. La femme qui venait de rentrer, interrompant un débat houleux entre la garce et lui concernant sa sagacité proche d'une huître, ne devrait pas être là, mais dans un cercueil. Il la regarda, se tourna, se massa les yeux et les tempes, puis la regarda à nouveau, pour constater qu'elle était toujours là, en le regarda avec un air amusé.
-Mais…Comment pouvez vous être là ?
-Je ne suis pas là, plaisanta t elle, je ne suis qu'une manifestation de ton esprit malade, qui pour combler sa solitude, te fais croire que je suis là, bien vivante.
-Haha…très drôle, dit il en avançant vers elle, il la toucha à l'épaule, et vu qu'elle était bien réel, ce qui déçu Mana, elle qui espérait le voir paniqué à l'idée qu'il devenait fou.
-Vous n'êtes pas drôle, vous n'avez pas marché, soupira t elle en roulant des yeux, mais bon, maintenant que vous savez que je suis bien là, on va pouvoir discuter des événements à venir.
Malheureusement, Alistair n'était plus là, du moins mentalement, apparemment, le fait qu'elle soit devant lui ne lui paraissait pas vrai, malgré le fait qu'il pouvait la toucher, puis soudain, son regard devint méfiant.
-Je vous ai vu mourir pendant l'Union, j'ai moi même vérifié, votre cœur ne battait plus, vous devriez être dans cercueil où l'on vous avait mit.
-Je me sentais à l'étroit, dit elle sur le ton de la plaisanterie en haussant des épaules.
-Répondez moi ! rugie t il de colère. Comment pouvez vous être là ?
Mana sursauta, ne s'attendant pas à ce qu'il hurle de colère, bien qu'elle ne comprenne pas pourquoi il le prenait comme ça, il devrait être content de ne pas être seul. La jeune elfe ne voyait pas ce qu'elle pouvait donner comme excuse, et elle ne pouvait pas lui avouer qu'elle abritait en son sein un des plus puissants démon existant. Elle essaya alors d'improviser un truc.
-Heu…Je ne sais pas…Franchement, je me suis réveillé comme ça, et j'étais dans un cercueil, après avoir réussi à en sortir, j'ai vu que notre armée avait été décimé, alors je me suis enfuis, entre temps je vous ai trouvé inconscient, alors je vous ai pris avec moi et amené ici pour être soigné, voilà.
-Comment avez vous pu me trouver en vous enfuyant alors que j'étais au sommet de la tour d'Ishal ? demanda t il perplexe.
-Et bien, en voyant le feu en haut, je me suis dit qu'il y avait peut être des survivants, et qu'il valait mieux aller les chercher pour fuir ensemble, afin de maximiser nos chances de survie.
Alistair resta silencieux et scruta longuement le visage de la mage, à la recherche d'un signe de mensonge. Mais apparemment il ne trouva rien de suspect et se détendit.
-Dans ce cas je vous remercie d'être venu me chercher, bien que j'ai du mal à croire que vous ayez vaincu les engeances qui nous avaient mis à terre, mais vous auriez du aller sauvez Duncan, il était notre chef et…
-Elle n'aurait pas pu, dit Flemeth en l'interrompant, elle vous a dit que la bataille était perdu, aller chercher quelqu'un la bas aurait été du suicide, même pour une mage aussi puissante qu'elle.
-Je vous remercie, madame ? demanda t il d'une voix mal assuré.
-Ah ? vous désirez connaître mon nom ? Les chasind m'appellent Flémeth, ce nom suffira pour le moment.
-Vous êtes la Flémeth de la légende ? s'écria Alistair, avec une certaine crainte dans la voix.
-Quelle importance ? Je connais des brides de magie qui vous a été salutaire, mon identité a t elle vraiment de l'importance ?
-Heu…Non, enfin peut être…
-Peu importe, merci de l'avoir sauvé, dit Mana pour couper court à balbutiement du grand blond.
-Mais ce que j'aimerais savoir, c'est pourquoi nous avons perdu. Le plan du tiern Loghain était parfait, après avoir vu le fanal s'allumé, ses troupes auraient chargé depuis leur couvert, et prit les engeances en tenaille, ce qui nous aurait assuré la victoire, alors pourquoi nous avons perdu ?
-L'homme qui devait répondre au signal n'est pas venu, il a fait replier ses troupes, et s'est enfuis, abandonnant le roi à son sort, répondit Flémeth, voyant que Mana ne semblait pas très à l'aise.
-Quoi !…Mais…Ce n'est pas possible, Loghain n'aurait jamais fait ça, pourquoi trahirait il le roi ?
-Voilà enfin une bonne question, qui sait ? Peut être qu'il croit que l'engeance est une armée qui peut être défaite sur le champs de bataille, il ignore que est la vrai menace.
-L'archidémon, dit Alistair d'un ton grave.
-L'archidémon ? Qu'est ce que c'est, une créature de l'immatérielle ? demanda Mana perplexe.
-Non, l'archidémon est un ancien dieu Tévintide corrompu par l'engeance, c'est une créature d'une puissance inimaginable, répondit Flémeth, ces créatures font parti des légendes et seul les fou et les imbéciles se défient des légendes.
-Vu que nous sommes des gardes des ombres, j'en déduis donc qu'on va devoir jouer le rôle des fous et des imbéciles, soupira Mana en ayant l'air fatigué rien qu'a l'idée de la tâche qu'il allait devoir accomplir. Quel est donc la marche à suivre ? demanda t elle à Alistair.
-Heu…Hé bien, je crois que nous devrions aller voir en premiers lieu le iarl Eamon, c'est un homme d'honneur, il nous aidera, surtout lorsqu'il apprendra que Loghain a trahis le roi.
-Bon, on a donc une piste, fit Mana, mais vous pensez que ses forces suffiront ?
-Non, je ne crois pas, pas seul contre la horde des engeances.
-Hum, et si nous utilisions les traités ?
-Mais bien sûr ! s'écria Alistair. Grâce à eux, nous pourrons solliciter l'aide des nains, des elfes et des mages, ils ont tous obligation de nous aider en cas d'Enclin.
-Des nains, des elfes des mages, votre iarl Eamon, ça ressemble fort à une armée, énuméra Flémeth avec un ton amusé.
-Tout n'est pas perdu, nous pouvons encore nous battre et gagner, dit Alistair avec un sourire, ayant retrouvé espoir.
-Du calme, c'est loin d'être gagné, on risque gros dans cette affaire, surtout que dans l'immédiat, nous ne sommes que deux, ce qui est un peu limite.
-Pour ça, vous n'avez pas à vous inquiéter, je vais vous fournir de l'aide, glissa Flémeth avec un sourire.
Sortant de la maison, Morrigan se dirigea vers sa mère.
-Le ragoût est prêt, mère, si vous et ces messieurs dames daignez venir…
-Les gardes des ombres sont sur le point de partir, et tu les accompagneras.
-Quel dommage…Quoi ! s'écria t elle, croyant avoir mal entendu.
-Tu m'a parfaitement entendu, jusqu'à preuve du contraire, tu es doté d'oreilles.
-Mais n'ai je pas mon mot à dire ? se rebella la jeune sorcière.
-Voilà des années que tu veux quitter les terres sauvages, c'est une occasion pour toi de partir découvrir le monde, répliqua Flémeth, puis elle parla plus doucement, de plus, ces gardes ombres vont avoir besoin d'aide, j'aimerais que tu leur prête tes pouvoirs.
-Très bien, finit par céder la jeune sorcière puis elle se tourna vers les deux gardes des ombres, si vous le permettez, je dois aller chercher mes affaires.
Cinq minutes plus tard, elle sortit de la maison, avec un sac en bandoulière et son bâton magique.
-Voilà je suis prête, nous pouvons y aller, dit elle sèchement, Adieu mère, faite attention au repas qui est en train de cuire, il serait embêtant que je doive extraire votre corps du logis calciné
-Hahaha, le moins surprenant serait que ma maison finisse engloutit par l'Enclin, ricana la vieille sorcière.
-Je…Je ne voulais pas…
-Oui je sais, va donc découvrir le monde ma petite, dit Flémeth d'un ton doux
-Moi je sais pas trop, ça risque de nous poser plus de problème qu'autre chose, vu qu'hors de cette forêt, c'est une apostat, marmonna Alistair, mais il reçut un coup de coude de la part de l'elfe.
-On ne crache pas sur de l'aide, surtout quand on en a tant besoin, répliqua t elle d'un ton acerbe.
-Ok j'ai rien dit, dit il en s'éloignant boudeur.
-Quel gamin, marmonna Mana en le suivant.
-J'aurais pas dit mieux, ricana Morrigan.
To be continued.
J'espère que le Lemon vous a plu, et si vous trouvez bizarre que le fait qu'ils "baisent" les rendent plus fort à chaque fois, n'oubliez pas que j'ai mit "Lemon power" au début du premier chapitre, et que c'était à prendre au pied de la lettre, c'est la puissance du sexe, baiser rend plus fort (du moins dans leur cas à eux(^_^). Heureusement, pour la description, j'ai pu utiliser des trucs vu dans step up love story.
5. La soeur
Voici la suite, alors là, je commence à emprunter à pas mal de manga pour approfondir les problèmes de mon personnage, à vous de deviner lesquelles (^_^) Si vous ne trouvez pas, et que vous voulez absolument savoir, demander moi en message privé, et je vous répondrais le plus rapidement possible. Vu que lusaphira semblait presser de connaître la suite, je la donne rapidement, par contre le prochain chapitre demandera beaucoup plus de temps.
Chapitre V La sœur
Après deux jours de marches, le groupe composé de Mana, Alistair et Morrigan sortirent enfin des terres sauvages, grâce aux connaissances de la sorcière. Ils arrivèrent près de la voie impériale, ce chemin de pierre surélevé, reliant la tour du Cercle des mages, Dénérim et Aeonar, la prison des mages. Ils préférèrent emprunter le chemin de terre un peu plus loin, car la voie impériale était certainement surveillée par l'engeance, car ils n'avaient pas encore dépassé la Horde. Soudain, Mana et Alistair sentirent des engeances approcher par devant, un groupe assez restreins, une dizaine peut être. Ils se préparèrent alors au combat, mais ce qu'ils virent arriver dans l'immédiat était un chien, un Mabari pour être précis, ce dernier courait ventre terre et s'arrêta devant Mana, il aboya, et ça ressemblait beaucoup à un avertissement. Et en effet, même pas dix secondes plus tard, un groupe d'une douzaine d'engeances, arriva par là d'où venait le chien. Ces engeances étaient des Hurlocks, des engeances crée à partir d'homme corrompu, ils sont grands et puissant, pouvant tenir en respect plusieurs hommes normaux en respect. Le chef, qui portait une armure lourde et donc le casque était pourvu de corne, fit passer son pouce levé le long de sa gorge, geste très explicite sur leurs intentions. Alistair dégaina son épée, prit son bouclier et chargea, il fonça dans le groupe d'engeance et en faucha deux d'un coup d'épée rageur. Les autres commencèrent à l'encercler, mais Mana ne leur laissa pas l'occasion de frapper son frère d'arme dans le dos, et invoqua un cône de feu, sans la puissance de Pride bien sûr, ce qui envoya un long jet de flamme, brûlant au moins quatre engeances. Morrigan envoya une puissante décharge électrique qui réduit instantanément un hurlock à l'état de cadavre calciné. Quand au chien, il sauta au coup d'une engeance, l'écrasa au sol sous son poids et l'égorgea de ses dents. Les engeances restantes reculèrent, voyant que le combat ne tournait pas en leur faveur, vu que plus de la moitié du groupe étaient déjà tombé, mais le chef, qui était resté derrière, faucha lui même la première engeance qui essaya de fuir, ce qui bloqua les autres, coincé entre le chef et les ennemis. Finalement ils chargèrent le groupe humains et elfe (et chien). Ils attaquèrent les deux femmes, tandis que le chef s'occupait du seul mâle du groupe. Il attaqua Alistair avec sa hache à deux mains, le garde des ombra tenta de bloquer le coup avec son bouclier, mais la hache traversa le bouclier de bois et se ficha dans le bras du blond. Il cria de douleurs, encore plus lorsque le hurlock retira son arme, et qui réattaqua, comme il ne pouvait plus bloquer les coups, Alistair dû esquiver les attaques de l'engeance, qui fort heureusement était lente. Hélas, Alistair se prit le pied dans une racine en reculant et tomba à la renverse, le chef profita de l'occasion et abattit sa lourde hache sur sa victime. Alistair prit son épée avec ses deux mains et essaya de parer le coup, qui brisa son épée pour se ficher dans sa poitrine, défonçait sa cotte de maille et sa cage thoracique par la même occasion, Alistair n'eut même pas la force de crier, crachant seulement du sang pour éviter de s'étouffer avec. Mana vint à sa rescousse, désarticulant le chef hurlock grâce à un sort télékinétique. L'engeance, devenue une poupée de chiffon, s'effondra sur elle même, tout les os broyées et les articulations déboîtés. La jeune elfe se précipita vers Alistair, le débarrassa rapidement de sa cotte de maille, et regarda la plaie, le coup avait été fait verticalement, les poumons et le cœur n'avaient pas été touché, mais la trachée avait été ouverte, et ça allait asphyxier le garde des ombres. Ce dernier respirait très difficilement, et son pouls avait presque disparu.
-Non non non ! répéta Mana, prise de panique, et elle utilisa un sort de soin qu'elle ne maîtrise pas très bien, mais elle priait pour que ça marche.
-Créateur ou Faiseurs peu m'importe, s'il vous plait, faite qu'il vive ! murmura t elle presque en concentrant toute sa puissance magique dans le sort de soin.
**Tu es ridicule, toi qui disais que tu ne prierais jamais et que tu ne te soumettrais jamais à une divinité quelconque, te voilà en train de prier pour qu'un pauvre humain vive. Quelle importance a t il donc pour que tu veuilles le sauver à ce point ? **demanda la voix suave et moqueuse de Pride.
_De toute façon, je me suis déjà soumise à toi, alors pourquoi pas à une divinité, je verrais pas la différence de toute façon_, répondit sèchement Mana.
**Tu ne t'es pas soumis à moi, tu t'es associer, c'est différent.**
Mana préféra ne pas répondre et se concentra sur son sort, hélas, la magie de la guérison n'avait jamais été son fort, et l'état d'Alistair se dégradait petit à petit. Ce qui fit paniquer encore plus la mage, ce qui brisa sa concentration, rendant son sort encore moins efficace, ce qui la fit paniquer davantage, une spirale vicieuse.
**Tu devrais laisser tomber, cet humain est presque mort, tu ne fais que prolonger son agonie, tu devrais l'achever, ce serait bien plus charitable, **fit remarquer le Démon avec une voix amusée.
Sa nonchalance énerva Mana au plus haut point. Au lieu de l'aider, il se moquait d'elle, n'était il pas sensé l'aider lorsqu'elle en avait besoin ? C'était pourtant les termes du contrat, mais cet enfoiré ne lui fournissait de la puissance uniquement lorsque ça l'arrangeait.
**Hé, je ne te permets pas, si tu as besoin de ma puissance, tu n'as pas besoin de moi, tu peux l'utiliser à ta guise.**
_Comment ça ? _
**Une partie de ma force est implantée dans ton corps, tu peux l'utiliser comme tu le souhaite, je ne peux pas t'imposer de restriction la dessus. Ceci dit fait très attention, utiliser la puissance démoniaque n'est pas sans…contrepartie, car même si j'ai pu te transmettre ma force sans détruire ton corps, l'utiliser est différent, ce n'est plus seulement ton corps que tu risque de mettre en péril, mais l'essence même de ton être.**
_Tu veux dire que je risque de changer…Si j'utilise ta puissance._
**Oui, car la magie démoniaque et la magie des mortelles sont diamétralement opposées, et comme l'âme sert de vecteur…**
_Pas besoin d'en jeter plus. J'ai parfaitement compris._
**C'est pour ça que je te déconseille fortement d'aider cet humain, car ça n'en vaut pas la peine.**
_Sur ce point, c'est à moi d'en décider, et je veux le sauver. Alors dis moi comment faire, vite._
Après un soupir de résignation, Pride finit par lui enseigner la méthode pour utiliser la puissance démoniaque en elle. Mais elle devait être prudente, car non seulement, son âme se verra altéré à chaque utilisation, mais son corps physique sera lui aussi modifier, du moins temporairement.
_Bon, j'ai compris, maintenant, c'est parti, _pensa t elle en puisant dans sa magie démoniaque_._
xxxIIIxxx
Lorsqu'il ouvrit les yeux, Alistair cru qu'il était arrivé dans l'au dela, mais une voix, qu'il détestait, lui prouva qu'il était bien vivant…à moins d'être tombé en Enfer.
-Ah, le grand garde des ombres est enfin revenu à lui, pas trop tôt, persifla Morrigan, assise en face d'un feu de camps, cinq mètres plus loin. Tu devrais la remercier, c'est grâce à elle que tu es encore en vie, bien que je trouve ça dommage.
Alistair remarqua alors que Mana était endormie, allongé à moitié sur le lit où il se reposait, elle avait certainement veillé pendant longtemps et c'était endormie ainsi. Alistair était gêné, dire qu'il avait été soupçonneux envers elle, bien que sa mystérieuse résurrection le laissait toujours perplexe, même s'il avait un petit doute en lui, car il avait aussi la possibilité qu'il avait mal prit son poids, et cru qu'elle était morte alors qu'elle avait seulement perdu connaissance. Il ne connaîtra sans doute jamais le fin mot de l'histoire, alors autant partir du principe qu'elle avait juste perdu connaissance. Il se leva difficilement, et vu qu'il n'avait aucun bandage autours du torse, en inspectant sa poitrine, il constata que la blessure avait disparu sans même laisser une cicatrice derrière, Morrigan du voir son expression surprise car elle répondit à la question qu'il se posait lui même.
-C'est Mana qui t'a soigné, avec un sort de soin, elle doué cette elfe, vu ton état, n'importe qui t'aurais jugé condamné, je crois que même ma mère n' aurait pas pu te sauver d'une telle blessure.
-C'est…Incroyable, je ne l'aurais jamais imaginée si puissante, balbutia Alistair.
_Puissante ? Non, elle est bien plus que ça,_ pensa nerveusement Morrigan.
**xxxFlashbackxxx**
**Mana avait fermé les yeux, comme pour se concentrer, mais son sort ne révélait pas plus efficace qu'avant. Soudain, l'atmosphère devint oppressante, dense, comme si une chape de plomb leur était tombé dessus, mais bizarrement, l'elfe ne semblait pas affecté alors que Morrigan avait des sueurs froides et des nœuds au ventre. Quelque chose de dangereux approchait, la sorcière le sentait, seule une créature purement maléfique pourrait posséder une telle concentration de puissance noire. Mais étrangement elle n'arrivait pas à en localiser la source, car la magie corrompue était partout autours d'eux. Elle se tourna vers Mana pour la prévenir du danger et lui demander de laisser tomber, et c'est là qu'elle la vit sous son vrai jour. Ses yeux d'ordinaire bleu cyan étaient maintenant écarlate, brillant d'une malice terrifiante, ses pupilles noires fendu comme celle d'un félin étaient plus menaçantes qu'une lame, ses dents semblaient avoir pousser, car les canines de sa mâchoire supérieurs dépassait maintenant de ses lèvres. Ses cheveux, autrefois noirs, étaient devenu aussi blanc que la neige, et l'ensemble était plus froid que le blizzard des plus hautes montagnes de la Dorsale de Givre. À peine Morrigan avait elle finit de l'observer que l'elfe avait finit son oeuvre, il ne restait plus une seul trace de la blessure béante, comme si elle n'avait jamais été là. Mana se releva, toujours sous cette apparence froide et menaçante, puis regarda Morrigan, qui l'observait toujours avec crainte, puis lui parla d'une voix dénuée de toute chaleur.**
**-Si tu racontes ce que tu as vu à qui que ce soit, je te tue.**
**xxxFlashbackxxx**
Morrigan eut un frisson en repensant à ce qu'elle avait vu quelques heures avant, mais elle savait que cette…créature…n'hésiterait pas une seule seconde à l'éliminer, ainsi que tout les témoins potentiels. Aussi elle se tu sur ce qu'elle avait vu, et préféra répondre sarcastiquement pour de pas éveiller des soupçons.
-Sûr qu'a côté de toi, elle a l'air puissante.
-Je constate que vous avez toujours toute votre verve malgré votre fatigue, remarqua Alistair en la regardant.
-Comment ça ?
-Vous êtes très pâle, soit vous êtes exténué, soit vous êtes malade, déclara le garde des ombres.
-Ce…Ce n'est rien, j'ai juste sommeil, et comme cette fichue elfe s'était endormis, j'ai du veiller, et pas la peine de compter sur le sac à puce, on venait à peine de dresser le bivouac qu'il ronflait comme une scie, dit elle avec un ton méprisant en désignant d'un geste de la tête le mabari qui dormait derrière Alistair. Ce dernier sursauta en voyant ce chien de guerre ronfler juste à côté de lui.
-Mais que fait ce chien là ?
-Aucune idée, après t'avoir soigné, Mana te porta jusqu'ici, et le chien nous a suivit, d'après elle, ce serait un chien qu'elle aurait soigné à Ostagar.
-Je vois, apparemment, il l'a choisit comme maîtresse.
-Hélas, on va devoir se coltiner ce corniaud maintenant, se lamenta la sorcière en se laissant tomber sur sa couchette. Bon, maintenant que t'es réveillé, tu va pouvoir veiller à ton tour, moi j'ai sommeil.
Alistair garda le silence et se leva, en prenant garde de ne pas réveiller Mana. Après s'être mit debout, il prit son armure, qui avait maintenant une belle entaille dans le plastron, l'armure était d'ailleurs bien tâchée de sang, sang qui était en grande partie le sien. Il s'assit près du feu, et entreprit de nettoyer son armure, ou ce qu'il en reste, il lui faudra trouver un forgeron pour la réparer. Alors qu'il était en plein nettoyage, il vu que Mana commençait à frissonner, voir à trembler, et compris d'où cela venait. Les cauchemars avaient commencé. Il se rappelait très bien des siens, faire partie de l'esprit collectifs de l'engeance était…dérangeant, et il était dit que c'était encore pire lorsque l'on rejoignait la garde durant un Enclin. Il se leva et prit la jeune femme dans ses bras, pour la poser délicatement sur le lit de camp où il dormait auparavant, puis rabattit la couverture sur le corps de la dormeuse afin de la prémunir de la fraîcheur de la nuit. Elle était encore plus belle pendant son sommeil, même s'il était tordu par une douleur mentale provoqué par les visions d'horreur commune aux gardes des ombres. Il alla ensuite se rasseoir près du feu et continua à nettoyer son armure, ce qu'il termina une demi heure plus tard. Il venait à peine de terminer, que Mana commença à émerger de son sommeil, il se leva et alla la voir. Elle était trempée de sueur, conséquence de ses peurs nocturnes, et avait le teint assez pâle.
-Est ce que ça va ? demanda Alistair en se penchant vers elle.
-Normalement, c'est moi qui devrait vous demander ça après ce qui vous arrivé cette après midi, répondit la magicienne avec un sourire fatigué.
-Normalement oui, mais vous venez de vivre ce que tout garde des ombres connaît lors de ses premières nuits après l'Union.
-Vous voulez parler du Dragon ? demanda t elle perplexe.
-Oui, enfin il en a l'apparence en tout cas, mais la créature que vous avez vu est l'Archidémon, c'est lui le responsable de l'Enclin.
-Mais comment puis je…
-Le voir ? compléta Alistair. Hé bien en fait, les gardes des ombres ont un lien privilégié, si l'on peut dire, avec l'engeance. Le dragon…parle à sa horde, et nous pouvons l'entendre nous aussi, ce qui nous confirme qu'il s'agit bel et bien d'un Enclin. Mais ne vous en fait pas, vous pourrez bientôt les repousser. On raconte d'ailleurs que les plus anciens gardes pouvaient comprendre ce que disait l'Archidémon, mais nous n'en sommes pas encore là.
-Et c'est tant mieux, répondit Mana avec un sourire, je ne sais pas pour vous, mais je tiens à rester jeune aussi longtemps que possible.
-Effectivement, le jeu n'en vaut pas la chandelle, concéda Alistair avec un hochement de tête entendu.
-En tout cas, merci pour votre sollicitude.
-C'est plutôt à moi de vous dire ça, dit le garde des ombres en reprenant la phrase de Mana, après avoir refermé une blessure qui aurait pu tuer un Qunari.
-Ce…n'était pas grand chose, murmura la magicienne en détournant les yeux.
-Ben voyons, c'est vrai que vous devez sauver beaucoup de gens éventrés, dit il avec une ironie dégoulinante, si je venais à perdre la tête, vous pourrez me soigner ? refaisant le signe de l'hurlock qui lui avait infligé cette blessure.
-Désolé, les maladie mentales ne font pas partie de mon rayon, répondit elle avec un sourire moqueur.
Alistair ne compris pas sur le coup, ne faisant pas tout de suite le rapprochement entre perdre la tête, ce faire décapiter, et perdre la tête, devenir fou. Après être resté coi pendant une dizaine de secondes, il ria de bon cœur.
-Hahaha, elle est bien bonne celle là, vous m'avez eu.
Ils continuèrent de discuter jusqu'au matin, ne voyant pas le temps passer. Une fois le soleil levé, ils reprirent leur marche vers le premier village "important" juste à la sortie des terres sauvage, un joli village appelé Lothering. Comme ils avaient dépassé la Horde, ils voyagèrent désormais sur la voie impériale, ce qui était beaucoup plus commode que les routes de terre. Après plusieurs heures de marche, ils arrivèrent finalement au village, mais un obstacle leur barrais la route. Un obstacle guère impressionnant, vu les dangers qu'ils avaient affronté, mais il fallait quand même le citer. Apparemment, un groupe de bandit n'avait rien trouvé de mieux à faire que de faire un barrage, réclament une "taxe de passage", autant dire un moyen de se faire de l'argent facile, hélas pour eux, ça ne tourna pas comme ils l'avaient prévu. Voici à peu près ce qui s'est passé.
-Regardez qui voilà, dit homme en armure de cuir en utilisant se mettant au milieu de la route puis il se tourna vers compères en train de somnoler, réveillez vous messieurs, nous avons de nouveaux clients, avec une elfette à leur tête, on aura tout vu, dit il d'un air condescendant en regardant Mana de haut en bas comme s'il pouvait évaluer le prix qu'il tirait d'elle sur le marché des esclaves.
Mana sentit sa colère poindre, et serra les poings, histoire de ne pas les carboniser sur place…pas tout de suite.
-Des brigands, ils rançonnent les réfugiés, des proies faciles, maugréa Alistair avec mépris.
-Ces imbéciles ne savent pas à qui ils ont affaire, dit Morrigan d'un ton arrogant, non sans regarder Mana avec appréhension, même si elle doutait que cette…chose allait se manifester devant témoin, Alistair en l'occurrence.
-Allons, en voici des manières, dit le brigand avec un ton sarcastique, mais donnez nous dix pièces d'argents et je ne vous en voudrais pas.
-Votre avis, je m'en moque, répondit l'elfe d'un ton froid, si vous voulez profiter des jours qu'il vous reste avant d'être dévoré par les engeances, je vous conseille de partir loin d'ici.
-Hum, c'est dommage, parce qu'on n'a pas l'intention de partir d'ici, fit le bandit en croisant les bras, les autres bandits approchant en dégainant leurs armes.
-Dans ce cas, je vais me charger de vous faire partir…pour toujours, dit Mana comme si c'était anodin.
Les bandits n'eurent même pas le temps de réagir qu'elle lança une pluie d'éclair avec ses deux paumes, foudroyant le chef ainsi que trois hommes se trouvant à côté de lui. Alistair en faucha un qui eu à peine le temps de tirer son épée avant d'être décapité, le mabari, baptisé Misha par la magicienne, égorgea l'un des brigands, et arracha l'avant bras d'un autre qui parti ventre à terre en tenant contre lui son moignon, Morrigan s'occupa d'envoyer valser le dernier à l'aide d'un carreau magique contre l'une des colonnes de la Voie impérial, lui brisant l'échine, il vivait encore malgré sa blessure, et Alistair l'acheva, par sollicitude.
Après cette petite purge des désagréments routiers, le groupe se dirigea vers l'entré du village. Alors qu'il allait y arriver, un templier les arrêta.
-Je vous déconseille de venir ici, cet endroit est perdu, vous devriez partir le plus loin possible.
-Nous n'avons pas l'intention de nous attarder ici, répliqua Mana d'un ton pincé, ton qu'elle prenait presque toujours lorsqu'elle s'adressait aux templiers, mais elle calma la colère qui brûlait en elle.
-Tant mieux pour vous, car la horde risque d'engloutir ce village très bientôt, alors fuyez, répéta le templier en s'éloignant.
Contente de ne plus l'avoir en face d'elle, Mana retrouva son sourire joyeux. Elle continua à avancer dans le village, elle constata de la pauvreté des lieux. Même si elle avait des souvenirs de son début d'enfance au bascloitre de Dénérim, elle n'avait plus l'habitude de la saleté, car si le Cercle était une cage, elle avait le mérite d'être au moins d'argent, à défaut d'être dorée. Elle fut donc presque repoussée par ce village qui n'était guère engageant. Non loin de l'entré, elle pu voir un couple d'elfe avec leur fille, tous les trois à la rue. Elle ne pu s'empêcher de les prendre en pitié, mais elle n'avait hélas que très peu d'argent sur elle, et il y avait quelque chose en elle, une petite voix qui lui soufflait de laisser ces "merdes" dans le caniveau où ils se trouvaient. Mais sa conscience, ainsi que sa bonté étaient plus forte que cette voix malveillante, et elle se décida à aller voir ses semblables, surtout s'ils ont une enfant à charge. Elle demanda à Alistair et Morrigan de l'attendre devant la taverne du coin, afin d'être tranquille lorsqu'elle leur parlera, à moins que ce soit un désir d'être "entre elfe". Lorsque ses compagnons furent parti, elle commença à s'approcher des elfes. A voir leurs vêtements, ils ne ressemblaient pas à des mendiants, même s'ils étaient habillé de vêtements simple, ce n'était pas des guenilles, ils ne devaient pas être à la rue depuis longtemps. La voyant approcher, le visage du père sembla s'éclairer, voir une personne "richement vêtu", il faut dire que les robes des mages sont assez belle, presque somptueuse même, il se releva, suivit de sa femme, et alla à la rencontre de l'elfe qui venait vers eux.
-Bonjour noble dame, commença l'elfe, pardonnez mon insolence, mais auriez vous quelques sous à nous donnez pour manger, s'il vous plais, demanda t il d'un ton presque implorant.
-Noble dame ? Moi ? Ne vous laissez pas berné par ma tenue, je ne suis pas riche, je suis mage, mais je peux peut être vous aider, que vous est il arrivé pour que vous soyez à la rue sans rien ?
-Nous sommes des réfugiés, et nous sommes venu à Lothering afin de rechercher la protection du bann et de ses soldats, mais il est partit à la guerre laissant le village sans défense, quand à notre situation, les brigand sur le chemin nous ont tous prit, bien que nous pouvons nous estimer heureux qu'ils ne nous ai pas tué.
-Je vois, dans ce cas, vous devriez retourner sur le Voie impériale, les brigands ont commis l'erreur de tenter de me voler, et ils en ont payé les conséquence, dit elle avec un sourire carnassier que fit déglutirent le pauvre couple. Se rendant compte qu'elle leur faisait peur, elle reprit un sourire chaleureux.
-En gros, je me suis débarrassé d'eux, donc vous pourriez récupérer ce qu'ils vous ont volé, sans parler de ce qu'il avait volé auparavant.
Le couple d'elfe était impressionné, intimidé même, mais comprenant ce qu'elle voulait dire, ils eurent la larme à l'œil, et la remerciant, car ils allaient pouvoir récupérer leurs biens, néanmoins, Mana leur glissa une recommandation.
-Je vous conseille de ne pas emmener votre fille sur les lieux, voir des cadavres n'est pas sain pour une enfant, surtout dans l'état où je les ai mis, chuchota t elle à l'oreille du père.
Celui ci compris parfaitement, et demanda à sa femme de rester avec leur fille, le temps pour lui d'aller récupérer ce que l'on leur avait volé.
-Merci noble dame, dit il en s'inclinant, et grâce à vous les autres réfugiés pourrons passer sans danger.
Puis il parti en direction de la voie, Mana salua la fille et sa mère et parti rejoindre ses compagnons à l'auberge. Mais alors qu'elle se dirigeait vers le pont, elle trouva un petit garçon humain en train de pleurer toute les larmes de son corps, ce qui lui fit fondre le cœur, lui donnant à elle l'envie de pleurer. Elle décida alors de l'aider, même si cette étrange voix lui conseillait de passer son chemin, que le petit shemlen n'avait aucune espèce d'importance, mais elle l'ignora, ayant autant de considération pour elle qu'un bruit de fond dans une salle d'auberge. Le petit garçon était assis par terre, les jambes plié vers lui, la tête caché entre ses genoux. Il entendit la magicienne approcher, et la regarda les yeux rouge de larmes, et lui posa d'office une question.
-Vous…Vous avez vu ma mère ? demanda t il d'une voix étranglé par la tristesse.
-Hein ? Heu…non, répondit Mana avec un air penaud, à quoi ressemble t elle ?
-C'est la plus belle des maman, avec des cheveux aussi rouge que la soupe de tomate qu'elle fait si bien et j'ai la chance d'avoir les même cheveux qu'elle, répondit il avec une once de fierté, bien que la douleur soit toujours prédominante dans le ton de sa voix.
Cette vague description n'allait pas vraiment l'aider, tout ce qu'elle avait apprit, ce que la mère devait avoir la même couleur de cheveux que le petit garçon lui même. Pas de quoi permettre de retrouver quelqu'un, même si elle en avait le temps.
-Où l'as tu vu pour la dernière fois ?
-Elle accompagnait mon père chez le voisin, car il avait besoin d'aide pour quelques chose, elle m'a demander de venir ici sans l'attendre, elle m'a promis qu'elle reviendrai très vite, mais ça fait longtemps que je l'attends…et elle n'est toujours pas là, termina t il en retenant difficilement un sanglot.
Mana ne savait pas vraiment quoi faire, elle ne pouvait pas se permettre de perdre du temps en vaine recherches, d'autant plus qu'avec la très vague description qu'elle avait, et impossible de savoir si cette mère était seulement vivante. Ne pouvant pas vraiment l'aider à trouver sa mère, elle eut une idée, elle sortit sa bourse, et en sortit une pièce d'argent qu'elle donna à l'enfant.
-Tient prend ça, ça te permettra de manger, va à la Chantrie, ils s'occuperont de toi.
-Une pièce d'argent ! Merci, dit il avec un grand sourire, puis il regarda Mana avec un regard perplexe, dite, vous êtes vraiment une elfe ? demanda t il candidement.
-Ce sont mes oreilles qui m'ont trahis ? demanda t elle avec un petit sourire.
-Mon père disait toujours que les elfes sont méchants, mais vous avez été gentille avec moi, merci beaucoup madame, dit il avec un grand sourire avant de filé vers la Chantrie.
Mana ne pu s'empêcher de sourire, elle se sentait légère et puis une bonne action n'est jamais perdue, on ne peut qu'en espérer un bon retour. Elle traversa le pont, et se dirigea vers l'auberge située à 50 mètre en face du pont, ses compagnons l'attendaient devant l'établissement. Après les avoir rejoins, ils se dirigèrent vers la porte d'entrée, mais un paysan leur barra la route.
-A votre place je ne rentrerais pas, c'est remplit de soldats guère recommandable.
-Comment ça guère recommandable ? demanda Alistair un peu perplexe.
-Ils sont dangereux, ils n'arrêtent pas de picoler depuis qu'ils sont là, et ils ont faillit tuer un type pour la simple raison que sa tête ne leur revenait pas. Je suis près à parier que ce sont des déserteurs, et si ce sont de vrai soldats, ils auraient pu nous débarrasser des brigands…Enfin j'ai entendu dire que quelqu'un les avait éliminé.
-Vraiment, dans ce cas, j'espère que cette personne à laisser les corps bien en évidence afin décourager les éventuels voleurs, dit Mana avec un sourire inquiétant, sur ce, j'aimerais entrer, mais merci pour l'avertissement, je me méfierait de ses fameux soldats.
-Comme vous voulez, je vous aurais prévenu, dit il en s'écartant de la porte.
Le groupe passa alors la porte de l'entrée, et ils sentirent tous de suite qu'il devait y avoir foule. Non seulement par la chaleur, qui était étouffante, et aussi humide que l'extérieur, ce qui les fit transpirer alors qu'ils venaient à peine d'entrer. La chaleur aussi était forte, un mélange de bière, de viande rôtie, d'urine et de vomi, le tout étant très désagréable pour l'odorat, donnant un haut le cœur à la magicienne, comme à la sorcière, le garde des ombre sembla s'en accommoder plutôt bien, peut être trop. Dire que la taverne était bondé serait un euphémisme, si la salle centrale, si l'on peut appelé ça comme ça, était relativement vide, le reste de l'auberge était tellement bondé qu'il n'est tout simplement plus possible de se déplacer ailleurs que dans la salle centrale. Hélas, ils n'eurent même pas le loisir de boire une bière, que les fameux soldats, une bonne dizaine, leur fonça dessus.
-Tient tient, regardez qui voilà, la fortune nous sourit, dit celui qui semblait être le chef, le visage assez anguleux, les cheveux et la barbe noir, le teint hâlé.
Apparemment, Alistair les reconnu rapidement, vu son expression.
-Des hommes de Loghain, ça sent les ennuis, dit il nerveux.
-C'est étrange, ce matin encore, personne n'avait vu d'homme répondant à cette description, c'est étrange, fit remarquer un des soldats.
-On nous aurait mentit ?! s'énerva le chef, puis il se tourna vers Alistair. Au nom du roi Loghain, je vous arrête pour le meurtre de feu le roi Cailan.
-Le roi Loghain ? répéta bêtement Alistair, n'en croyant pas ses oreilles.
-Il a posé ses fesses sur le trône plutôt rapidement, le père loghain, dit avec dérision Mana.
-Quoi, sale oreille pointue, je vais te faire ravaler tes…
-Du calme, il est inutile de recourir à la violence, fit une voix à la gauche de l'elfe, une voix douce et mélodieuse.
La mage regarda celle qui avait parlé, et vit une sœur de couvent. Elle portait la bure blanche et marron, ainsi que plus bizarrement une dague, accessoire qui n'avait rien à faire là. La jeune femme était une belle rousse avec des magnifiques yeux bleu, ses cheveux avait une coupe carré, avec une mèche tressé sur le côté de la tête.
-Ce ne sont que des voyageurs fatigués qui cherchent un peu de repos, continua t elle.
-Du vent la sœur, cracha le chef des soldats, si tu protèges ces traîtres, tu finira comme eux.
-Vous devriez vous éloigner mademoiselle, ce qui va se passer de devrais pas être vu par une si belle jeune fille, lui dit Mana avec un sourire reconnaissant, mais merci d'avoir essayer de les raisonner, je dormirais mieux cette nuit.
-Tuez les ! cria le chef barbu.
Le combat commença, se trouvant dans une auberge bondée, autant dire qu'il était difficile voir impossible d'utiliser la magie sans faire de victime innocente. Mana et Morrigan mirent derrière Alistair, qui leva son bouclier, mais il ne pouvait hélas pas bloquer une dizaine de soldats à lui seul, heureusement Misha était également là, la présence du Mabari intimidait grandement les soldats qui connaissaient très bien la dangerosité de ces gigantesques molosses. Alistair réussit à en occuper la moitié, et Misha en repoussa un qui n'osai pas s'avancer vers le molosse, mais le reste se jeta sur les utilisatrices de magie, gêné par l'étroitesse du champs du champs de bataille, et par la proximité de leurs adversaires, car c'est bien connu, les mages ne sont pas de grands combattants au corps à corps. Du moins, c'était le cas de Morrigan qui paraît le coup le mieux qu'elle pouvait avec son bâton. Mana réussi à en assommer un avec un coup de bâton bien placé, il tomba inconscient par terre, et réussit à repousser les deux autres agresseurs avec un poussé psychique minime, mais qui fit tomber tous les badauds aux alentours. Elle profita de ce répit pour prendre l'épée du soldat sonné, et se mit en garde, elle avait toujours pensé que cette faiblesse au combat rapproché pourrait provoqué sa perte très tôt, c'est pourquoi elle avait réussi à espionner plusieurs templiers en train de s'entraîner à l'épée, et elle les avait imité afin d'apprendre le maniement de l'épée. Elle n'était pas devenu une fine lame, loin de là, mais ça lui permettait de se défendre un minimum au corps à corps si besoin. D'ordinaire, l'épée en question, à une main, est faite pour être utilisé avec un bouclier, mais Mana avait crée son propre style, épée/bâton, l'épée servant à se défendre et à tuer, le bâton servait à assommer et lancer des sorts, si besoin est. Bien que dans le cas présent, il y avait un besoin pressant d'utiliser les forces des arcanes, elle ne pouvait les utiliser sans faire des dégâts collatéraux. Elle se borna donc au combat à l'épée, bien qu'elle avait du mal à tenir tête aux deux soldats qui lui faisait face. Alistair avait réussi à se débarrasser de deux de ses adversaires, mais le chef et les deux soldats restant le repoussait vers un mur, ce qui est dangereux pour lui. Morrigan avait réussit à se débarrasser de son ennemi à l'aide d'un carreau mystique, sort peu puissant mais sans risque de provoquer des dégâts aux alentours, ce qui donna l'idée à Mana de faire la même chose. Son carreau envoya l'un des soldats valser contre le mur, mais elle avait baissé sa garde un petit moment, et le soldat réussi à la blesser au ventre, lui infligeant une blessure assez profonde, qui fit tomber la jeune elfe. Maintenant qu'elle était à sa merci, le soldat leva haut son épée pour l'achever. Voyant sa mort arrivé, Mana se dit qu'il était peut être temps d'utiliser un sort plus conséquents, mais lorsqu'elle s'apprêtait à lancé le sortilège, le garde tomba soudainement par terre, raide mort, avec une dague plantée dans son dos. La mage ne comprit pas sur le coup, mais voyant que la sœur au loin n'avait plus sa dague, elle ne chercha pas plus loin, bien qu'il lui semblait étrange qu'une sœur puisse tuer, mais elle se dit que ce n'était sans précédent, vu qu'elle avait vu Lily, l'amoureuse de Jowan, l'aider à combattre dans les tréfonds de la tour du Cercle. Elle commença à soigner sa blessure grâce à un sort de soin, et la blessure fut rapidement guéris, pendant ce temps, Alistair, soutenu par Morrigan, avait éliminé les deux soldats restants et Misha avait finit par égorgé le soldat qu'il tenait en respect, il ne restait plus que le chef. Ce dernier lâcha son épée et se mit à genou.
-Pitié stop, je me rends, dit il d'un ton plaintif.
-Pitié ? demanda Mana d'un ton menaçant. As tu éprouvé de la pitié en ordonnant à tes hommes de nous tuer ? Et comment ose tu dire que nous sommes des traîtres ? Nous revenons tout juste d'Ostagar, et nous ne sommes pas des déserteurs.
-Les gardes des ombres sont des traîtres ! cracha le soldat. C'est à cause d'eux que notre roi est mort, aussi le roi Loghain as donné l'ordre que tous les gardes des ombres survivants soit arrêté et exécuté.
-C'est stupide, jamais les gardes des ombres aideraient l'engeance, vous êtes un imbécile si vous l'avez cru, répondit Alistair, furibond.
-Je ne suis pas un imbécile, j'ai moi aussi été à Ostagar, si le roi Loghain n'avait pas donné l'ordre à ses troupes de battre en retraite, elles seraient aussi tomber dans le piège des gardes des ombres.
-Quel piège ? Les gardes ont tous péri ou presque, si c'était un piège, ils ne seraient pas mort en si grand nombre, ils n'auraient même eu aucune perte, fit remarquer Mana.
Le soldat devint livide à cette idée, qui pourtant semblait évidente, mais qui pour ces fanatiques n'étaient même pas envisageable, aussi le soldat persista dans l'erreur, ce qui exaspéra la jeune mage, celle ci leva son épée, près à l'achever.
-Pauvre fou, meurt donc comme le misérable que tu es, cracha t elle en abattant son épée, mais celle ci s'arrêta car la sœur s'interposa.
-Arrêtez, cet homme est sans défense, vous ne pouvez pas le tuer comme ça, dit elle en lui servant de bouclier humain.
-Et pourquoi pas, il n'aurait pas hésité, et je suis sûr qu'il vous aurait tué également si vous vous étiez interposé comme vous venez de le faire, répondit Mana avec un ton neutre.
-Je n'en doute pas, mais vous valez mieux que ça, j'en suis sûr, affirma la sœur en regardant Mana dans les yeux. Cette dernière soutint longtemps son regard, mais finit par baisser les yeux, et lâcha l'épée, vaincu.
-Très bien, qu'il parte vite, avant que je ne change d'avis.
-Merci infiniment, dit le soldat en s'inclinant, puis alors qu'il allait s'éclipser, Mana le rappela.
-Un instant, j'aimerais que vous lui transmettiez un message de notre part.
-Heu…très bien, que dois je lui dire ?
-Qu'ils ne perd rien pour attendre, les gardes des ombres sauront lui faire payer.
-Entendu, répondit sobrement le soldat, qui sortit d'un coup de vent.
Mana souffla, épuisée, cette confrontation avait été fastidieuse, et sans l'aide d'une sœur de couvent, elle aurait rejoins le Créateur, ou les Faiseurs. Mana se dirigea vers le soldat frappé par la dague, lui arracha du dos, et tendis la poigné à la sœur rousse.
-Jolie coup ma sœur, j'ignorais que l'on enseignait le maniement de la dague dans les couvent, dit elle avec une pointe moqueuse.
-Si cela peut vous rassurer, c'est n'est pas au couvent que j'ai apprit ça, mais oublions ça, je suis Léliana, sœur de la Chantrie de Lothering…enfin je l'était, et vous ?
-Je suis Mana Kyromis, ancienne mage du Cercle, et garde des ombres, dit la jeune elfe avec un salut respectueux.
-Alistair, je suis également garde des ombres, dit le blond avec un petit clin d'œil.
-Morrigan, dit simplement la sorcière, sans vouloir en dire davantage sur elle, et elle a bien raison, Mana n'imaginait même pas la réaction si elle venait à dire qu'elle était en quelques sorte une sorcière des terres sauvage de Korcari.
-Enchanté de vous rencontrer, fit Léliana en les saluant à son tour, puis elle se tourna vers Mana. Alors vous êtes vous aussi garde des ombres, surprenant pour une elfe, enfin même les elfes désirent mettre fin à l'Enclin. Mais je ne comprends pas, le garde que ces soldats recherchait était seul, alors pourquoi êtes vous deux ?
-Parce que Mana n'était pas présente sur le champs de bataille, répondit Alistair qui avait comprit pourquoi il était le seul recherché, elle est malheureusement arrivé après, répondit Alistair, par conséquent, elle n'était pas connu de Loghain, mais ça ne va plus durer longtemps étant donné le message qu'elle a envoyer au nouveau "roi".
-Je comprends, donc vous êtes tous les deux des gardes des ombres, vous luttez contre l'Enclin, n'est ce pas, c'est très courageux de votre part. Vous aurez certainement besoin de toute l'aide que vous trouverez, c'est pourquoi je viens avec vous, dit elle avec détermination.
-Hein ? fit bêtement Alistair qui avait cru avoir mal entendu.
-Pourquoi voulez venir avec nous ? demanda poliment l'elfe.
-Hé bien…Ça va vous paraître fou, mais c'est parce que le Créateur me l'a demandé, en me transmettant une vision, dans laquelle il me poussait à agir contre l'Enclin.
Mana resta pensive, si elle avait été une personne normale, elle aurait ri en traitant cette sœur de folle, mais quand on a certaine vision comme celle montrant d'effrayant dragon, on ne peut pas vraiment lui jeter la pierre, et puis, elle semblait très capable, elle l'avait prouvé en lui sauvant la vie.
-C'est d'accord.
-Quoi ?! Vous…vous acceptez vraiment ? demanda t elle, les yeux pleins d'espoir.
-Oui, je ne sais pas quoi vous dire à propos de votre vision, mais vous avez prouvé que vous savez vous défendre, et vous m'avez même sauvé la vie, je ne vois pas d'inconvénient à ce que vous veniez avec nous, puis elle réexamina Léliana, par contre vous devriez mettre autre chose, cette tenue n'est guère pratique pour les voyages.
-…Je…je vous remercie, je ne vous décevrai pas.
-Pff, encore un boulet, déjà qu'avec le clebs c'était pas la joie, maugréa Morrigan, mais Léliana ne l'entendit pas, ou fit semblant de ne pas l'entendre.
Après avoir recruté un nouveau membre dans leur groupe qui commençait enfin à s'étoffer, Mana se dirigea vers l'aubergiste, ce dernier la remercia de l'avoir débarrasser des soldats, même s'il allait devoir enlever les cadavres. Lorsque Mana lui demanda s'il avait encore des chambres, l'aubergiste lui dit que s'il y avait dans la salle des gens qui dormait par terre, c'est justement parce qu'il n'y avait plus de place. Soupirant de lassitude après avoir compris qu'ils étaient bons pour une nouvelle nuit à la belle étoile, ce dont elle n'est toujours pas habitué, elle se contenta de commander de la nourriture et de la boisson. Elle et ses compagnons s'attablèrent à l'endroit où était les soldats, après que l'aubergiste ai passé un coup de torchon dessus. Après s'être restauré ils discutèrent de la suite des évènements.
-Bon si nous allons voir le Iarl Eamon en premier, nous devons aller à Golefalois. C'est à environ deux jour au Nord Nord Est d'ici, dit Alistair en sortant une carte sommaire de Férelden.
-Une fois ça fait, nous pourrions aller vous les mages au Cercle, proposa Mana en pointant l'autre côté du lac Calenhad, nous allons avoir besoin d'eux, même si mon retour ne sera guère apprécié.
-Pourquoi ça ? demanda Léliana.
-Heu…oubliez ce que j'ai dit, enfin de toute façon, vous comprendrez lorsqu'on y sera.
-Et ensuite, où va t on ?
-Nous devons également trouver les Dalatiens, ce qui risque d'être compliqué, rien que pour les trouver, ensuite ils sont assez hostile, même avec les elfes non dalatien, je doute qu'ils nous accueille chaleureusement, commenta la magicienne elfe.
-Nous devons également aller voir les nains d'Orzammar, dans les Dorsales de givre, dit Alistair en montrant un point dans la chaîne de montagne qui séparait Férelden de l'empire Orlésien, les nains ne sont guère ouverts aux "surfaciens" comme ils nous appellent, mais ils ont un très grand respect pour la Garde des ombres, alors ça ne devrais pas être compliqué pour nous d'y entrer.
-Bon, je crois qu'on a fait le tour, termina Mana, et ça va être très long, nous allons quasiment devoir traverser Férelden de long en large, ça va prendre des semaines, voir des mois, mais nous devons faire ça, sinon, ce royaume est perdu.
-Bon, si nous avons fini avec ces simagrées, nous pouvons nous mettre en route, objecta Morrigan.
Une heure plus tard, le groupe se dirigea vers la seconde sortie du village, et eurent une surprise au passage, car ils virent un géant enfermé dans une cage de fer. Intrigué, Mana s'en approcha, le géant parlait dans une langue qu'elle ne connaissait, et qu'elle n'avait même jamais entendu, il fermait les yeux, comme s'il psalmodiait une prière. Puis après avoir posé les yeux, il les posa sur la petite elfe qui lui arrivait à peine au niveau du ventre.
-Je n'ai rien à dire pour votre amusement elfe, laissez moi, dit il d'une voix neutre, sans aucune agressivité ou colère, il était d'un calme olympien malgré sa situation.
-Que fait vous dans cette cage ? demanda Candidement l'elfe.
-Je suis prisonnier, vous le voyez bien, c'est la prêtresse qui m'a fait enfermer.
-Pourquoi ?
-D'après la révérende mère, il aurait massacré toute une famille, enfant compris, dit Léliana.
-Elle a dit vrai, et je vous suggère de me laisser à mon sort.
-Qui êtes vous ? demanda la magicienne, ignorant le conseil du géant.
-Je suis Sten des beresaad, les régiments d'éclaireur des Qunari.
-Je suis Mana Kyromis, enchanté.
Le géant resta muet un instant, sans qu'aucune émotion ne transparaisse puis reprit.
-Soit vous vous riez de moi, soit vous faite preuve d'une politesse que je ne m'attendais pas à trouver dans ce pays.
-Vous devriez le libérer, ne serait ce par sollicitude, dit Morrigan, voir une si puissante créature être mis en cage m'insupporte.
-Nous pourrions le prendre avec nous, proposa Alistair, après tout les Qunari sont de féroce guerriers, et nous aurons grand besoin de lui.
-Bonne idée Alistair, dit Mana, puis elle se tourna vers Sten, si je vous libérais, me suivrez vous ?
-Pourquoi ?
-Je dois arrêter l'Enclin, et j'ai besoin de toute l'aide possible.
-L'enclin ? Êtes vous garde des ombres ?
-En effet.
-Etonnant, mon peuple a entendu bon nombre de légende sur les guerriers de cet Ordre, mais je n'ai jamais su si elle était vrai.
-Alors ? Vous accepteriez ?
-Si vous arrivez à convaincre la révérende mère de me libérer oui.
-Pas besoin de demander, dit elle avec un petit sourire effrayant, elle ouvrit sa main, paume vers la serrure de la cage, et concentra son pouvoir télékinétique. Hélas, la serrure était trop solide, et elle crissa un peu, mais elle n'arriva pas à l'ouvrit, son pouvoir seul ne suffisait pas.
_Tant pis, je vais devoir les utiliser, mais je ne vais en utiliser qu'une infime partie._
Mana fit alors appel à la puissance démoniaque de Pride, comme elle n'en utilisait que très peu, elle resta elle même, seul ses yeux changèrent. Sten le vu, mais ne fit pas de remarque et ne changea même pas d'expression, toujours imperturbable. Grâce à ce gain de puissance, la sort télékinétique réussit à broyer la serrure, laissant la cage s'ouvrir. Le géant resta toujours imperturbable face à ce tour de force, alors que les compagnons de la jeune magicienne elfe était plus qu'impressionné. Après avoir utilisé son pouvoir, Mana ressenti une vague de sensation très agréable, presque un plaisir sexuel, à travers tout le corps. Ce plaisir inhiba tout un instant, même la petite voix, qui souffla quelques chose
_J'attendrais, ton corps sera mien, un jour, _murmurait la voix.
Revenant à la réalité, elle vit Sten sorti de sa cage, il la regarda, puis parla.
-Ainsi soit il, je vous suivrais au combat, et ce faisant, j'y trouverais l'expiation.
-Merci de nous apporter votre aide Sten, heureuse de vous avoir avec nous, lui dit la jeune elfe avec un sourire.
-Partons d'ici, il me tarde de changer d'air, dit il avec la même voix monocorde, bien que Mana cru déceler un soupçon de joie dans sa voix, à moins que ça soit son imagination.
_Je me demande quand même d'où vient cette voix, ce n'est pas celle de Pride, c'est certain, mais alors qui ? _
Ils partirent donc, longeant la voie impérial, cherchant un escalier permettant de monter dessus, mais soudain, un groupe de paysan déboula, armé d'arme rudimentaire. L'un d'eux s'avança.
-On a entendu dans l'auberge, vous êtes des gardes des ombres, commença t il, j'ignore si vous avez réellement tué le roi Cailan et, le Créateur me pardonne, je m'en moque éperdument, mais cette prime sur votre tête pourra nourrir beaucoup d'estomacs vides. A l'attaque.
Les paysans, ou des réfugiés peut être, les chargèrent. Hélas pour eux, armé d'arme rudimentaire comme des fourches, et au mieux d'épée rouillé, et vêtu de simple vêtement, ils ne firent pas le poids contre une groupe de combattant aguerris. Même désarmé, Sten en tua deux rien qu'a mains nues, Léliana en tua un d'un coup de dague bien placé dans un organe vital, bien que sa bure la gênait pour se battre, Misha en invalida une autre en lui bouffant un bras, et le paysan parti ventre à terre, en tenant ce qu'il restait de son bras, Morrigan en tua un en absorbant toute son énergie vitale grâce à un sort de l'école de l'Estropie, Alistair en faucha deux à coup d'épée, et Mana foudroya le dernier avec un sort de foudre. Le combat avait duré une minute et demi, et le groupe de paysans avait été balayé. Constatant le massacre, Léliana joignit ses mains, et commença une prière pour les morts, la voyant faire, Morrigan ricana de mépris, mais s'étrangla en voyant Mana se mettre à prier, suivit par Alistair. Après une minute de silence, et de prière muette, le groupe parti, direction Golefalois.
To be continued…
J'espère que ce chapitre vous a plu, je sais que j'ai sauté pas mal de truc, comme le dialogue avec le marchand, la trouvaille de la mère du petit garçon, le guerrier chasind, ou la rencontre avec le chevalier de golefalois dans la Chantrie, mais en même temps, ils sont juste de passage. Ils ne vont pas se mettre à visiter le village et à régler les problèmes de tout le monde ,il n'y a que dans le jeu vidéo qu'on fait ça, dans la "réalité", si je puis m'exprimer ainsi, ils ne s'amuserais pas à régler tous les problème du village.
P.S : Concernant la description de la transformation démoniaque de Mana, non elle n'est pas devenu un vampire, elle aura certes un certain attrait au sang, mais elle n'est pas un vampire, que ce soit clair, mais je me suis belle et bien inspiré sur l'apparence d'un vampire, qui est dans un manga, comme dit au début, à vous de deviner lequel.
6. Le village détruit
I'm Back ! Avec un nouveau chapitre encore tout chaud. En espérant qu'il vous plaira.
Chapitre VI Le village détruit
-50 pièces d'argent pour l'ensemble, vous ne trouverez pas mieux, vous pouvez me croire sur parole.
-Hum, très bien bodahn, vous m'avez convaincu, dit Mana en donnant l'argent au marchant nain, celui ci lui donna l'armure de cuir clouté qu'elle lui avait acheté.
Le nain et son fils, Sondal, avaient faillit se faire tuer par un groupe d'engeance à un peine un lieu de Lothering, sur la voie impériale. Le groupe de la magicienne elfe les avait taillé rapidement en pièce, et Bodahn, impressionné par une telle efficacité leur avait demandé s'ils pouvaient les accompagné, en contre partie, tous les membres du groupe profiteront de rabais conséquent. Mana se dit qu'un marchand dans le groupe n'était pas une mauvaise idée, aucun d'eux n'était vraiment doué pour la négoce, alors un marchand, nain qui plus est, c'était parfait. Ce dernier s'était très diversifié sur sa marchandise, on trouvait des armes, des armures, des potions et des éléments alchimique, et des objets plus divers comme des livres et autres babioles. Grâce à lui, ils avaient pu équiper Sten d'une armure lourde, et d'une marteau à deux mains tout aussi lourd, et Léliana avait désormais une armure de cuir de qualité, bien plus protectrice que sa bure de religieuse. C'est d'ailleurs ça qui donna l'idée à Mana de s'équiper d'une armure légère, plutôt que d'une robe qui la protégeait aussi bien que ses sous vêtements. Elle était bien sur assez gêné et alourdit par cette armure, soi dite en passant légère, elle avait du mal à bouger, et se sentait atrocement serrer, mais comme l'avait fait remarquer Alistair sur le ton de la plaisanterie, ça ressortait bien mieux ses formes que les robes amples que porte habituellement les mages. Mana se promit un jour de faire bricoler une armure pour mage.
Ils se trouvaient actuellement à environ une vingtaine de lieux* de Golefalois, mais la nuit était tombée, et ils avaient dû monter un bivouac pour dormir jusqu'à matin. C'était le moment du repas, et c'était Alistair et Léliana qui étaient de corvée de cuisine, ils s'affairaient autours du grand feu au centre du campement, autours, il y avait trois tentes rudimentaire. Morrigan s'était étrangement éloigné du groupe, et bien qu'elle prétendait ne pas vouloir dormir à côté d'hommes, c'était surtout que la présence de Mana l'intimidait, même si elle le cachait bien en temps normal. Sten était debout à proximité du camps, le regard dans le vague, le visage neutre, il semblait méditer, Misha, quant à lui, dormait un peu à l'écart du camps. Mana, quand à elle, s'exerçait à la magie un peu plus loin, à côté d'un petit étang. Elle s'entraînait aux sorts élémentaires, mais également ceux de l'école de l'esprit, qu'elle maîtrisait naturellement, bien que jusqu'à présent, elle n'avait apprit que le sort de répulsion et la technique très bourrin enseigné par Pride, cette dernière était d'ailleurs utile pour ouvrir des portes ou des cages. Après avoir réussit à soulever la moitié de l'eau de l'étang par la seule force de son esprit et l'avoir gelé pour faire une espèce de statue abstraite, Mana laissa tomber l'entraînement pour la journée, et alla près du feu pour se réchauffer. Une fois face au grand feu de camps, elle pu entendre les deux cuisiniers…cuisiner, enfin surtout les instructions de Léliana, qui semblait désespéré face à la nullité du garde des ombres, tellement cordon bleu qu'il arrivait à faire bruler de l'eau.
-Non, éloignez le ragoût du feu du feu ! Et n'oubliez pas de touillez, sinon ça va attacher et ça sera immangeable ! lançait sans discontinuer la belle rousse en préparant la sauce ainsi que les légumes. Elle semblait désespérée, au point que Mana eu pitié d'elle et décida d'aller l'aider, pour qu'elle puisse prendre en charge la viande. La magicienne s'occupa donc des légumes, du moins du mieux qu'elle pu, étant donné qu'elle n'avait jamais cuisiné de sa vie, ce qui ne fut pas aussi catastrophique qu'Alistair, mais ça donna la migraine à Léliana.
-Pardon, piteusement Mana en baissant la tête face au massacres de légumes qu'elle venait de commettre, en effet, les carottes coupées n'importe comment, les patates tellement épluché qu'il n'en restait plus rien à la fin.
Léliana se fit conciliante, en lui disait que ce n'était pas grave, elle avait fait de son mieux et que c'était comme ça que l'on apprenait. Elle rattrapa le coup en épluchant les énormes épluchures de patate faite par l'elfe, et recoupa les morceaux de carottes afin qu'ils soient à peu près de la même épaisseur. Une demi heure plus tard, le repas fut servit, et ils mangèrent tous autours du grand feu, Bodahn et son fils les rejoins, même Morrigan se joins à eux, ce qui anima la conversation, car entre elle et Alistair, c'était toujours des joutes verbales savoureuses. Les conversations furent donc assez animés, même ponctuer par des jappements de Misha qui semblait presque suivre la conversation, seul Sten restait muet, à part quand il disait un ou deux mot, pour commenter. Mana pu en apprendre plus sur ses compagnons, elle apprit ainsi que Bodahn avait fuit Orzammar afin d'échapper à une condamnation injuste qui lui aurait probablement coûté la vie, Léliana fut très évasive sur son passé avant la Chantrie, elle a juste dit qu'elle venait d'Orlaïs, bien qu'elle soit féreldienne de naissance et Sten muet comme une souche, même plus. Alistair raconta qu'il était orphelin et il avait été placé dans un monastère à l'âge de dix ans, et qu'ils n'avaient jamais connu ses parents, mais sur son enfance avant le monastère, il resta vague, comme quoi il aurait été recueillit par une famille amie de ses parents, quand à Morrigan, elle raconta simplement qu'elle avait passé toute sa vie dans les terres sauvages. Lorsque fut au tour de Mana de se présenter, elle raconta qu'elle était née dans le bascloitre de Dénérim, mais que ses pouvoirs s'était manifesté quant elle avait réduit en morceau tout le squelette d'un noble s'en prit à sa cousine, noble qui venait s'amuser avec les elfes, incapable de se défendre. Elle fut emmenée par les templiers le jour même à l'âge de cinq ans, elle était restée douze ans au Cercle, afin d'apprendre à maîtriser ses pouvoirs, et après un moment d'hésitation elle décida de raconter sa mésaventure avant de devenir garde des ombres, une fois qu'elle eu finit, les autres la regardait différemment.
-Vous avez aidé un mage du sang ?! s'écria Alistair.
-Je vous l'ai dit, j'ignorais que c'était un mage du sang, je ne l'aurais jamais cru de sa part, dit elle, bien qu'elle mentait en partie, car elle se souvenait bien de ce jour où elle l'avait vu lire un livre sur cette magie, même si elle avait pensé qu'il avait abandonné depuis, mais elle s'était fourvoyé.
-Elle voulait aider un ami, l'intention était noble, on peut la pardonner, dit Léliana pour soutenir l'elfe.
-Je suppose, j'espère juste que nous n'aurons pas la Chantrie qui nous tombera dessus à cause de ça, les engeances sont plus que suffisante, dit finalement le garde des ombres en haussant des épaules. Quoique, s'ils nous tombait dessus en même temps, avec un peu de chance, ils s'entretueraient et on pourrait filer discrètement, rajouta t il avec un petit sourire ironique.
-Cette conduite est très lâche, dit Sten d'un ton monocorde.
-Il semble que les Qunari ne comprennent pas le concept appelé « humour », remarqua Morrigan.
A la fin du repas, tout le monde rejoignit sa couchette, Léliana et Mana se partageait la même tente, pareille pour Alistair et Sten, Misha dormait près de l'entrée de la tente de sa maîtresse, Morrigan avait installé sa propre tente plus loin afin d'être tranquille, Bodahn et son fils avaient monté leur tente près de leur chariot de marchandise, refusant de s'en éloigner. Tous le monde dormaient, sauf Mana, qui avait prit le premier tour de garde, puis ce serait au tour d'Alistair, et enfin Sten. La nuit passa lentement, jusqu'à ce que son frère d'arme prit la relève, elle pu donc rentrer dans sa tente pour dormir, en rentrant, elle se rendit compte que Léliana avait pris sa couchette, après l'avoir ouvert. Elle vu pendant quelques secondes le corps de la belle sœur rousse, et referma la couchette en ayant une sacrée bouffé de chaleur, elle alla dans l'autre couchette après s'être déshabillé, et se coucha. Elle essaya de s'endormir, mais le souvenir du corps de Léliana restait dans son esprit.
**Haha, je savais que tu préférais les filles.**
_Tient, un revenant , qu'est ce que tu était devenu ? Je commençais à être inquiète._
**Epargne moi tes sarcasmes. Disons que j'ai quelques…Problèmes, et j'ai du m'absenter un moment.**
_Un problème ?_
**Oui, mais ne t'en occupe pas, dors maintenant.**
Mana suivit son conseil, ou son ordre, et s'endormit.
xxxIIIxxx
Le lendemain, ils arrivèrent enfin à Golefalois, ils s'arrêtèrent à environ deux lieux, afin de constituer l'équipe.
-Quelle équipe ? demanda Morrigan, agressive.
-On ne peut pas tous y aller, ce serait trop difficile à gérer en combat, de plus, il faut bien que certains reste pour protéger nos chères compagnons nains, dit Alistair en faisant un mouvement de tête vers Bodahn et sondal. Une équipe de quatre est l'idéal, assez réduite pour être discrète en cas de besoin, et assez nombreuse pour combattre n'importe quelle opposition tant qu'elle n'est pas organisé.
-Qui va donc rester ? demanda Léliana Nous sommes six combattants, ça signifie que deux resteront ici en attendant les autres.
-Hé bien, comme on ne sait pas ce qui nous attend, il va falloir équilibrer le groupe je crois, dit Mana, Il faudrait deux combattant au corps à corps, un à distance et si besoin au corps à corps, et au moins un mage. Pour ce groupe ci, il faut prendre Alistair vu qu'il a vécu à Golefalois, comme deuxième guerrier, on a le choix entre Sten et Misha, elle se tourna vers Sten, vous voulez y aller ?
-Non.
-Bon, dans ce cas, ce sera Misha qui ira. Pour le combattant polyvalent, il n'y a que Léliana, qui sache à la fois tirer à l'arc et combattre au corps à corps. Et comme mage, vous voulez y aller Morrigan ?
-J'ai déjà eu Lothering alors non merci.
-Bon, dans ce cas j'irai, Sten et Morrigan resterons donc ici. Maintenant allons y, histoire d'y arriver avant la tombé de la nuit.
Le groupe parti, parcourant les deux lieux restants, à leur arrivé, le crépuscule était arrivé, le soleil sera sûrement couché dans même pas deux heures. Lorsque le village fut en vue, Alistair tira Mana à l'écart.
-Attendez, avant que l'on arrive au village, j'aimerais vous parler de quelque chose, quelque chose dont je n'ai pas osé parler lors du repas d'hier, dit il presque en murmurant.
-Qu'y a t il ? Vous semblez inquiet.
-Hé bien, en fait, pendant mon enfance, avant mon entrée au monastère, c'est le iarl Eamon lui même qui m'a élevé.
-Vraiment ? Vous seriez son fils illégitime.
-Non…Enfin si je suis effectivement un enfant illégitime, mais pas le sien, ma naissance et mon existence a été bien caché. Ma mère était servante au château de Golefalois, et si je suis resté cacher, et bien c'est parce que mon père est le Roi Maric, ce qui fait de Cailan mon demi frère je suppose.
Mana bloqua un moment, se rendant compte qu'elle côtoyait un membre de la famille royale, puis pensa à quelques chose.
-Vous savez si Loghain le sait ?
-Evidemment, Maric et lui était comme des frères, alors il doit être au courant de mon existence.
-Cailan avait il des enfants ?
-Non, pas que je sache.
-Alors pas la peine de chercher plus loin la raison de la prime sur votre tête, fit remarquer Mana.
-Vous pensez que…
-Bien sûr que j'y pense, Loghain veut vous éliminer parce que vous êtes désormais l'héritier du trône.
-M…Moi ? demanda Alistair éberlué en se pointant du doigt. Bien sûr que non, je ne suis qu'un bâtard du roi, et personne ne connaît mon existence. Et toute mon enfance, on m'a répété que je ne pourrais jamais prétendre au trône.
-Très bien comme vous voulez mon prince, dit Mana en haussant des épaules et tourna les talons pour rejoindre Léliana et Misha qui attendaient un peu plus loin.
Après une dizaine de minutes de marche, ils arrivèrent à un petit pont, qui était gardé à première vu, mais le garde, qui en passant semblait être un gamin qui venait tout juste d'avoir de la barbe au menton, avait pour seul arme une pauvre épée, qui ne semblait pas très bien entretenu d'ailleurs, et avait pour seul armure… des vêtements de tissus, bref pas vraiment la sentinelle idéal, mais tant qu'il donnait l'alerte avant de crever, c'était l'essentiel. Lorsque Mana et son groupe s'approchèrent, il les apostropha en s'approchant d'eux.
-Hola, je pensais avoir mal vu en voyant des gens venir par ici, vous êtes venu nous aider ?
-Vous aidez à quoi ? demanda l'elfe.
-Quoi ? Vous n'êtes pas au courant ? Le message n'est pas arrivé ?! s'écria t il surpris.
-J'ai ouie dire que le iarl était malade, si c'est ce que vous voulez dire, répliqua Mana, qui commençait à perdre patience.
-Vivant ou mort, pour ce que j'en sais ça fait au moins trois jours que l'on a pas reçut de nouvelle du château. Nous sommes attaqués, chaque nuit ils nous attaquent, et nous combattons et mourrons.
-Doucement, qui vous attaquent ? demanda Alistair conciliant.
-Il vaudrait mieux que je vous mène au Bann Teagan, c'est lui qui nous dirige, il voudra sûrement vous parler suivez moi, dit il en tournant les talons en direction du village en leur faisant signe de le suivre.
Le groupe le suivit, et ils rentrèrent dans le village. C'est là qu'ils purent constater à quel point ce dernier est en triste état, il ne devait pas être reluisant en temps normal, mais là…Le village était construit sur une pente, avec des maisons soit bâtit sur des terrasse soit monté sur des piliers. Une petite rivière semblant descendre de la montagne en surplomb, traversant le village et alimentant un moulin à eau, pour finalement finir dans le lac Calenhad. Ils arrivèrent à la place centrale du village, en face de la Chantrie, des paysans et des pêcheurs reconverti en milicien, s'entraînaient au tir à l'arc, Léliana fit d'ailleurs remarquer qu'ils avaient beaucoup de progrès à faire, surtout s'ils arrivaient à rater la cible à vingt mètres. A leur entrée dans la Chantrie, ils purent constater que tous ceux qui ne pouvaient pas se battre étaient réuni ici, que ce soit des femmes, des vieillards ou des petits enfants, ce qui était logique, vu que cette église était le seul bâtiment de pierre de tout le village. Ils étaient très nombreux, beaucoup plus nombreux que les défenseurs, ces pauvres gens attendaient, tous allongé ou assis le long des murs, craignant que ce jour ou cette nuit soit leur dernière. Ils allèrent vers le fond de la Chantrie, et virent le bann en pleine discussion. Une fois cette dernière terminée, le bann se tourna vers eux.
-Tomas ? Qui sont ces gens ? Des voyageurs ?
-Oui seigneur, je les ai vu venir dans le village, compte tenu de la situation je me suis dit que vous voudriez leur parler.
-Tu as bien fait, merci, tu peux retourner à ton poste.
-A vos ordres, fit le garçon avant de tourner les talons.
-Bienvenu à Golefalois, je suis le Bann Teagan, frère du Iarl Eamon, déclara teagan en se tourna vers le groupe. Le bann en question était un homme dans la trentaine, il portait une petite barbe brune, ses cheveux était court, mais une natte tressé sur le devant de sa chevelure partait derrière son oreille gauche. Il portait un tunique de très bonne facture mais qui ne semblait guère adapté pour le combat.
-Je vous connais bann teagan, bien qu'a l'époque j'était plus jeune et couvert de boue, dit Alistair avec un sourire triste.
-Couvert de boue ? Alistair, c'est bien vous ?! vous êtes vivants, quel excellente nouvelle !
-Vivant peut être, mais pas longtemps si Loghain a voix au chapitre.
-Je vois, il y a une semaine, le régent nous a convoqué à Dénérim, pour nous annoncer sa régence, et surtout pour nous faire croire que les gardes des ombres sont responsables de la mort de mon neveu.
-Vous ne le croyez pas ? demanda Mana agréablement surprise.
-Que Cailan les a tous mit en danger par désire de gloire ? Que Loghain a donné l'ordre a ses troupes de se retirer par sollicitude ? Pas vraiment non. D'après lui, les gardes des ombres ont trahis le roi, mais pour moi, ce sont les paroles d'un homme désespéré. Bon nombre de bann l'ont compris et se sont opposé à lui, nous allons droit vers la guerre civil. Mais ce n'est pas notre problème le plus urgent.
-En effet, j'ai cru comprendre que l'on vous attaquait, mais il ne m'a pas dit qui était l'ennemi.
-En fait, l'ennemi vient du château, voici plusieurs jours que nous n'avons plus de nouvelle, et chaque nuit…Ils arrivent. Les cadavéreux, des cadavres ambulants, pourrissant, avide de chair humaine, on a beau les tailler en pièce ils continuent d'attaquer sans répit. Leur nombre ne cesse de croître tandis que nos rangs diminuent comme peau de chagrin, et j'ai bien peur que l'attaque de cette nuit risque d'être la plus meurtrière…Alistair, il m'en coûte de vous le demander mais…
-Ce n'est pas à moi de décider, dit il en désignant Mana d'un mouvement de tête.
-Nous vous aiderons, répondit Mana.
-Merci, votre aide nous sera inestimable ! s'exclama Teagan visiblement rassuré. Concernant la défense du village, deux personnes s'en occupent, Murdock le maire du village et le Chevalier Ser Gurvan. Vous devriez aller les voir pour savoir comment préparer notre défense, surtout qu'il y a beaucoup à faire.
-Bonne idée, mettons nous à la tâche tout de suite, la nuit va tomber dans quelques heures, dit Mana, je prends congé, dit elle en s'inclinant poliment devant le bann.
-Bon courage, dit il simplement en les voyant s'éloigner.
Une fois dehors, Mana demanda à l'un des paysans en train d'apprendre à utiliser un arc où pouvait se trouver le maire. Le villageois lui désigna un type dans la quarantaine, avec une moustache et une barbe, habillé de vêtement simple, il était en train de donner des ordres à un milicien, l'un des seuls hommes décemment armé qu'elle avait rencontré depuis sa venue dans ce village. Lorsque la magicienne et son groupe approchèrent, le milicien avait visiblement reçut ses ordres et s'éloigna d'un pas vif. Le maire se tourna alors vers eux.
-Alors comme ça vous la êtes garde des ombres qui est là pour nous aider ? J'ignorais qu'ils embauchaient des femmes, encore moins des elfes, dit il tout à trac en regardant Mana des pieds à la tête avec un regard perplexe.
-Nous sommes effectivement là pour vous protéger, répondit rapidement Alistair voyant le regard énervé de Mana.
-Bah, à vrai dire, si on nous propose de l'aide, on ne va pas la refuser, ne me prenez pas pour un ingrat surtout, dit il en haussant des épaules.
-Pour ça aucun risque, en revanche, aucune chance pour que l'on vous prenne pour un gentilhomme, répliqua Léliana, qui ne supportait pas ceux qui manquait au civilités élémentaire, qui commence par "bonjour" ou "salutation".
-Je n'ai pas la prétention de l'être, je ne suis qu'un maire d'un petit village après tout, pas vraiment différent des villageois qui le peuple. Mais contrairement à eux, j'ai sur moi la responsabilité de leur survie et…
-C'est justement pour assurer cette survie que nous sommes là, coupa Mana, déjà fatigué par l'homme en face d'elle. Alors pourriez vous avoir l'obligeance de nous dire ce qu'il vous faut.
-Grmb, grommela le maire fâché d'avoir été coupé, pour commencer, nous ne pouvons pas combattre avec des armures et des armes qui tombent en morceau. Nous avons un forgeron dans le village, appelé Owen, il est plutôt doué avec un marteau et une enclume, mais cet abruti s'est barricadé dans sa forge, et passe le plus clair de son temps au fond d'une bouteille.
-Pourquoi ça ? demanda Alistair, qui sait pertinemment que les hommes ne se bourrent jamais la gueule sans raison.
-Sa fille est servante au château, lorsqu'on a perdu tout contact, il a voulu que l'on y fonce tête baissée pour la récupérer, je lui dit que c'était impossible, surtout que nous avions déjà essuyé une attaque de cadavéreux, et nous avions perdu la moitié de nos forces, alors attaquer comme ça l'endroit d'où venait ces morts vivants…Il faudrait être fou. Il nous a tous traité de lâches, et depuis il s'est enfermé là dedans, refusant de réparer notre équipement.
-Je vois, c'est compréhensible, surtout que vous n'avez pas vraiment d'hommes expérimentés parmi vous.
-En fait si, mais on peut s'en occuper plus tard, dans l'immédiat, il faut faire en sorte que ce soiffard accepte de nous aider, sinon nous risquons de combattre cette nuit à poil, armé de balai, termina le maire.
-J'ai bien compris, fit Mana, puis elle se dirigea vers la forge située à l'opposé de la Chantrie sur la place du village, on s'en occupe.
-Mais comment comptez vous le faire sortir ? demanda Léliana.
-Je ne sais pas trop, on verra, répondit l'elfe en haussant des épaules.
Une fois arrivé, ils purent constater que la porte avait été renforcée par un grille d'acier, de quoi résister aux coups de hache et tenir tête à un petit bélier. Il serait plus facile de venir à bout d'un des murs que de la porte. Pour commencer, Mana frappa à la porte et attendit, mais rien ne vint, elle appela donc le propriétaire.
-Ho hé, il y a quelqu'un là dedans ?! cria t elle vers la porte, ce qui fut beaucoup plus efficace que de taper.
-Hein ? Allez vous en coquin, je sortirais pas de là ! dit une voix de quelqu'un qui semblait de se réveiller, sa voix était assez rauque et graveleuse.
-Je voudrais vous parler.
-Qui êtes vous ? Je reconnais pas vot' voix, demanda la voix derrière la voix.
-Ce serait plus facile de se présenter sans cette porte entre deux.
-Hum, très bien, je vous ouvre. Il eut le bruit de plusieurs serrures et de verrous qui coulissent, puis plus rien, la porte devait être ouverte.
-Tire la bobinette et la chevillette chéra, chantonna Alistair avec un petit sourire.
Après un soupir d'exaspération, Mana abaissa la poignet et ouvrit la porte, à peine cette dernière ouverte qu'elle reçut en plein visage une vague de chaleur, accompagné d'une odeur assez désagréable. Pour la chaleur, c'est à peu près normal, après tout, le risque de prendre froid dans une forge est assez faible, sauf si bien sûr elle est éteinte, en revanche, cette odeur, un savant mélange de sueur, d'urine et de d'alcool, ne devrait pas s'y trouver, enfin le premier est normal, conséquence directe de la chaleur et du travail, mais les deux suivants…Ce Owen ne doit pas avoir une hygiène de vie très salubre.
-Par le souffle du Créateur, quelle est cette odeur ? On croirait que quelqu'un a incendié une brasserie, demanda Léliana en mettant sa main devant son nez afin de se préserver de l'odeur.
-La dive bouteille a encore frappé, se moqua Alistair.
-Je crois que c'est bon, vous en êtes à votre deuxième blague douteuse en l'espace deux minutes, ça commence à être agaçant, répliqua Mana, plus cinglante qu'elle ne l'aurais voulu.
-Désolé, dit il d'un ton penaud.
-Dit, si je vous gênes, vous pouvez allez vous disputer dehors, dit la voix graveleuse.
Mana se tourna vers l'endroit d'où venait la voix. Appuyé contre une colonne en bois, un homme assez âgé, avec une barbe de belle taille, très costaud. Il portait un tablier en cuir bouillit, sans rien en dessous à par un pantalon, montrant un torse et des bras très musclé.
-Je vous ai ouvert, vous vouliez qu'on discute, alors discutons.
-Je m'appelle Mana, enchanté, dit elle avec un signe de tête.
-C'est drôle, vous n'avez pas la même voix tout à l'heure, vous m'avez eu. Il se décolla de la colonne, et marcha difficilement vers le groupe. Enfin bref, moi c'est Owen, mais ça vous le savez sûrement déjà, ça vous dirait de prendre un cuite mémorable avec moi ? dit il en s'avançant d'un pas chancelant.
-Hum…Sans façon, répondit la magicienne en dodelinant de la tête, j'aimerais plutôt que vous aidiez les habitants du village à se préparer à ce qui va arriver cette nuit.
-Pourquoi les aiderais je alors qu'eux ne veulent pas m'aider !répliqua t il d'un ton énervé. Ma fille Valena est bloqué au château, et ils refusent d'aller la chercher, alors moi, je n'ai pas envie des les aider non plus.
-Bon, soupira l'elfe, et si j'allais la chercher, vous accepteriez de réparer l'équipement des habitants.
-Vous feriez ça ?!
-Nous devons aller au château de tout façon, alors nous en profiterons pour chercher Valéna, mais pour ça il faut que nous survivions à ce qui va arriver cette nuit, et pour ça, on a besoin de votre aide.
-Bon d'accord, j'accepte si vous promettez de la trouver.
-Et si je ne trouve que son cadavre ?
-Ça me suffira, c'est toujours préférable de la savoir morte que de ne pas savoir.
-Je vous promet de la retrouver, morte ou vive.
-Alors marché conclue, mais je me remet au travail tout de suite.
-Dépêchez vous surtout, la nuit ne tardera pas à tomber, lui fit remarquer Alistair.
Une fois sortie, ils purent tout les trois respirer un grand coup d'air frais, rester dans ce lieu renfermé, où l'odeur est presque insupportable. Après avoir annoncé à Murdock que la forge et surtout son forgeron étaient de nouveau opérationnels, malgré que ce dernier soit beurré comme un petit Lu, le maire leur demanda de convaincre un nain de rejoindre leur force. Apparemment, ce vétéran pourrait mettre du baume au cœur aux hommes. Après avoir demandé où ce trouvait la maison de ce nain, ils s'y dirigèrent immédiatement. La maison se trouvait le long des quai, Mana essaya de toquer mais personne ne vint, et elle était évidemment fermé.
-Permettez moi, je pourrais m'en charger, fit remarquer Léliana en poussant gentiment Mana pour l'écarter, l'ex sœur s'agenouilla devant la serrure et commença à la manipuler. Au bout d'une dizaine de seconde, la porte se déverrouilla, Léliana se releva tout sourire en s'écartant de la porte pour laisser Mana entrer en première. Celle ci ce dit qu'il faudrait qu'elle parle des talents de cette ancienne sœur de couvent, qui ne correspondais pas vraiment au profil qu'on lui connaissait. Une fois rentré, elle tomba sur un nain entouré de deux armoires à glace.
-Qui êtes vous ? Qui vous a permit d'entrer ici ? Demanda t il d'un ton bourru.
-J'ai apprit que des poules mouillé étaient resté bien au chaud alors que d'autre risque leurs fesses dehors, je suis donc venu savoir pourquoi vous restez enfermé ici, répondit Mana d'un ton amusé.
-Je reste en vie, on assez de vivre en stock pour tenir aussi longtemps que nécessaire, et mes gars et moi même, on sais mieux se servir d'une arme que tout les loqueteux là dehors.
-Ces loqueteux en question en on plus dans le pantalon que vous, dit elle acide.
-Tu commences à me les briser poupée, alors sort d'ici avant que ton joli cul ne fasse connaissance avec mon pied, ou les queues de mes gars.
Mana n'apprécia pas la menace, d'ailleurs, elle pu voir Alistair empoigner son épée, et Misha grognait en montrant les crocs. Ceux d'en face s'apprêtait eux aussi à dégainer, mais ne voulant pas que cette rencontre se termine par un bain de sang, l'elfe préféra y couper court.
-Je vous que vous avez le sens de la plaisanterie, mais faite attention à ce que vous dites, certain pourrait s'en offusquer, dit elle en laissant dégager une telle aura de mort que les hommes en face d'elle se figèrent avant de trembler, même ses compagnons furent surpris et Misha émis un gémissement craintif.
-Maintenant que tout le monde est calmé, nous pouvons discuter d'un arrangement à l'amiable.
-Comment ça ? demanda le nain, nerveux.
-C'est simple, je vous engage pour défendre le village.
-Sérieusement ?!
-Aie je l'air de plaisanter ?
-Non bien sûr, bredouilla t il, mais je ne mettrais pas le nez dehors en dessous de 100 pièce d'argent.
-Marché conclu, voici, dit elle en lançant sortant l'argent de son sac.
-Bon, alors allons y, souffla le nain en faisant signe à ses hommes de le suivre.
Le nain est maintenant recruté, reste encore à s'occuper des chevaliers. Elle retourna donc au moulin près de l'entrée du village, où était rassemblé les chevaliers qui étaient rentré. Une fois monté en haut de la colline, elle trouva un groupe de chevaliers, et se dirigea vers celui qui semblait être le chef, celui ci ce présenta respectueusement, il était vêtu d'une armure de plate argenté plutôt impressionnante, elle ne voyait pas vraiment comment une lame pourrait l'atteindre à travers ça, même les épaules, le cou et les coudes sont très bien protégé, il faudrait la force d'un ogre pour percer une telle protection.
-Je me présente, Ser Gurvan, mais à mon grand regret, je ne sais pas comment appeler une elfe de votre stature, dit il avec hésitation.
-Mana Kyromis, mais vous pouvez m'appelez simplement Mana.
-Si fait grand merci, en ce qui nous concerne, nous ne manquons ni d'arme ni d'armure, mais nos rangs sont trop clairsemés pour pouvoir tenir.
Que vous faut il ? Que j'aille recruter des chevaliers ?
-Non, nous aurions besoin d'autre chose, si nous pouvions avoir des amulettes comme celle que porte les hommes de foi. Si vous pouviez demander à la Mère qui dirige notre Chantrie de nous donner des amulettes, notre courage ne sera que redoublé. Nous savoir protégé par le Créateur est la meilleure des protections.
-…Heu, je vais voir ce que je peux faire, répondit elle un peu hésitante.
_A part les templiers, je n'aurais jamais pensé qu'un chevalier penserait avec une telle logique, il confond prêtre et mage ou quoi ?!_ pensa t elle à la fois amusée et blasée.
Après cette discussion très axé religion, elle se dirigea à nouveau vers le centre du village, mais en passant, elle remarqua qu'il y avait une auberge sur le sommet d'une petite butte, elle ne l'avais pas vu auparavant, mais ça lui donnait envie de boire quelques chose. Sans parler que cette histoire de protection magique à partir d'une breloque l'ennuyait, il n'y a rien de pire que des hommes se croyant protégé par un dieu, ils deviennent totalement imprudents, ce qui leur est très souvent fatale.
-J'ai une idée, et si on allait boire un verre ? On risque de ne plus en avoir l'occasion avec ce qui se prépare, proposa t elle aux membres du groupe.
-Heu, comment pouvez vous penser à boire dans un moment pareille ? demanda Alistair, choqué.
-Je suis d'accord, la nuit ne va pas tarder à tomber alors nous devrions nous dépêcher.
-Bon d'accord, finissons ça et ensuite on va boire.
-Je ne vous pensais pas alcoolique, dit Léliana, un poil de déception dans la voix.
-Je ne le suis pas, mais je n'ai jamais eu l'occasion de boire de l'alcool, ça nous était interdit au Cercle, paraîtrait que ça nous rends plus dangereux en stimulant notre organisme, le rendant plus apte encore à utiliser la magie, mentit Mana
-L'alcool renforce les capacités magiques des mages ?! Je n'en avais jamais entendu parler, dit Alistair, perplexe.
-Ben si, alors je me suis dit qu'un petit surplus de force ne serait pas de trop pour ce soir.
Si Alistair semblait convaincu, ce n'était pas le cas de Léliana, qui la regardait de travers. Elle n'était pas dupe apparemment, il faudra qu'elle garde ça en mémoire au cas d'une situation plus dangereuse.
Ils repartirent donc en direction de la Chantrie avec une elfe qui marmonnait des malédictions dans sa barbe, bien qu'un elfe ne puisse pas avoir de barbe. Après être entré, ils n'eurent aucun mal à trouver la mère de l'église, il n'y avait qu'a suivre ces écoeurants prêchi-prêcha pour la trouver. Elle était en train de réciter le cantique aux enfants, comme quoi ils seront auprès du Créateur après leur mort, ce genre d'ineptie pour rassurer les esprits faibles. Une fois qu'ils eurent trouvé la vieille femme qui était la mère, elle se tourna vers eux une fois sa messe improvisée terminée.
-Tu es une étrangère, de sang elfique de surcroît et pourtant tu défends ce village comme s'il était le tient, nous t'en remercions, dit elle en s'inclinant légèrement devant Mana.
-Il est trop tôt pour remercier, faites le seulement si l'on se reparle demain matin, à moins que l'on serve de souper aux zombis avant, répliqua la magicienne.
-NOOON, LES ZOMBIS VONT NOUS MANGER ! crièrent les enfants qui écoutaient bêtement la messe. Ils commencèrent à paniquer et la mère réussi à les calmer tant bien que mal.
-Modéré vous paroles, vous êtes devants des enfant ! dit elle un peu en colère.
_Aaaah, que c'es jouissif d'énerver des prêtes sans rien avoir à craindre en retour, j'en mouillerais presque_, pensa Mana amusée de voir la vieille s'énerver en essayant de calmer les marmots braillard, _je crois que je vais en rajouter une couche._
-Je suis venu vous demander des amulettes, de la part de Gurvan, comme il a l'air de penser que son armure de plate de suffira pas à arrêter les dents des zombis, ils voudraient avoir des amulettes pour les utiliser comme bloque-mâchoire à zombis, mais je doute que ça servent à grand chose. Si leurs dents peuvent arracher l'acier, des amulettes ne peuvent pas grand chose. Pauvres mômes, dit elle en se tournant vers les enfants avec un air attristé totalement hypocrite, ils n'ont que leur peau comme protections, j'espère pour eux qu'elle est aussi solide que les écailles d'un dragon, sinon elle va finir au fond de l'estomac d'un zombi.
Les enfants étaient si effrayés qu'ils n'osaient plus bouger, les yeux complètement révulser, la bave aux lèvres, à croire qu'ils ont tourner de l'œil tout en restant debout. Mais ce n'était pas vraiment la réaction qu'elle espérait, elle voulait les voir paniquer, en courant dans tous les sens, de quoi rendre chèvre cette maudite prêtresse.
-Décidément, je commence à me demander si votre présence est réellement profitable pour nous, dit la mère en la regardant d'un œil noir.
-C'est pas très gentil, je viens de le calmer je vous signal, répliqua Mana d'un air faussement vexé.
_Zut, j'ai laissé mon engouement m'emporter et j'en ai trop fait, du coup j'ai tout foiré !_ pensa t elle en ayant envie de se taper la tête contre les murs.
-Je ne vous connaissait pas aussi sadique, murmura Alistair à son oreille, vous devriez être un peu charitable envers ces enfants.
-Ce n'est pas des enfants que je veux me venger, dit elle dans un murmure, que le garde des ombres fut le seul à entendre. Léliana resta muette, mais visiblement désagréablement surprise.
-Bref, reprit elle, je suis là car ser Gurvan voudrait que vous…
-Je sais ce qu'il veut, mais je ne peux pas. Gurvan pense que je peux les protéger de ces monstres, mais il me prête des pouvoirs que je n'ai pas, seul le Créateur pourrait lui donner ce qu'il désire.
-Alors pourquoi ne pas lui dire que le Créateur les protège vraiment, la motivation est la clé de la victoire.
-Vous voulez que je lui dise que le Créateur les protège au sens propre ?! Je refuse de leur mentir ainsi !
-Quel importance ? Tout ce qu'ils veulent, c'est un peu de réconfort, et ces amulettes peuvent la leur apporter, voulez vous vraiment les en privée ? demanda Mana la voix douce et mielleuse.
-Je…Non, vous avez raison, ils vont faire face à de grand danger pour nous protéger, s'ils souhaitent ces amulettes afin de se sentir protéger, je me dois de le leur donner, dit finalement la prêtresse.
**Bravo, tu t'améliore, tu commences à utilisé le pouvoir des mots et de la persuasion avec un certain talent. Continu ainsi et même un démon du désir ne pourra faire mieux que toi.**
_Si tu le dis._
Après avoir récupéré les amulettes, elle retourna voir Gurvan et les lui donna, autant dire qu'il était aux anges, tant mieux, comme ça il sera encore plus motivé.
-Bon, je crois qu'on a fait tout ce que l'on pouvait, nous n'avons plus qu'a attendre la nuit pour voir ces fameux cadavéreux à l'œuvre, fit la magicienne en s'étirant.
-Laissez moi devinez, vous voulez faire un tour à la taverne, c'est ça ? demanda Alistair.
-Vous lisez dans mes pensées, je vous invite ça vous dit ?
-Moi ça me va, après tout on a le temps, par contre attention à ne pas trop boire d'accord ?
-Chef oui chef, dit l'elfe d'un signe militaire, mais toute sourire, avant de partir au trot vers le lieu dit.
Une fois rentré dans l'auberge, ils constatèrent tristement qu'elle avait connu des jours meilleurs, surtout niveau propreté. À leur arrivé, une jeune femme les accueillit avec le sourire, triste mais un sourire franc.
-Bienvenu, je vous en prie, entrez vous mettre au chaud.
-Merci de l'accueille, il ne fait pas très chaud dehors, fit Alistair en se frottant les mains.
-Venez, je vais vous trouvez une place près du feu.
Alors qu'elle les amenait vers une table libre près de l'âtre, elle se tourna vers eux.
-Vous semblez être des voyageurs non ?
-Effectivement, pourquoi cette air surpris, les affaires ne sont pas bonnes ? demanda Mana avec un air amusé.
-Pas bonne, bel euphémisme, ce trou est déjà assez dur à supporter en temps normal, mais vu que ces derniers temps, cette salle est complètement vide, c'est encore pire, sans parler que Lloyd, mon patron, est un grippesou doublé d'un pervers.
-Pervers, ça veut dire qu'il t'a touché ? demanda Mana, passant directement au tutoiement.
-On peut dire ça, vu ce que j'ai du faire pour me faire embaucher…laissa t elle planer avec un frisson de dégoût. Bref, je vais pas vous accablez avec mes problèmes.
-Attends, on peut être t'aider, comment tu t'appelles ?
-Bella, mais je vois mal comment vous pourriez m'aider. Est ce que vous vous battez ce soir ?
-Oui.
-Je vois, c'est…rassurant.
_Heu, elle a pas l'air convaincu là._
Après qu'ils furent installés, ils purent passé commande, demandant une pinte pour Mana et Alistair, Léliana prit une cruche de vin. Quand la serveuse fut repartie, les trois compagnons purent entendre des hommes du village ronchonner au loin. En tendant l'oreille, Mana réussi à entendre leur conversation.
-Quand je pense qu'on risque notre cul depuis plusieurs nuits contre ces fichu morts vivants, et cet enfoiré de Lloyd ne veut même pas nous filer de la bière à l'œil, quel crevard, même une racoleuse d'Antivan n'est pas aussi près de ses sous !
L'elfe alla les voir, afin pouvoir parler du problème.
-Hé bien les gars, ça n'a pas l'air d'aller, demanda t elle par pur rhétorique. Vous ne devriez pas être trop bourré pour le combat, ça risquerait de vous être fatal.
-Trois fois, j'ai combattu soûl, et je compte bien remettre ça cette nuit, si vous aviez vu ces morts vivants…Mais vous ne pouvez pas comprendre, elfe, fit celui tout à gauche de la table avec un ton dédaigneux.
-Pas comprendre !? Moi ? Je suis mage, j'ai vu des choses qui vous ferait si peur que vous vous chieriez dessus avant de crever, dit elle d'un ton menaçant, car si il y a bien une chose qu'elle déteste, c'est qu'on lui manque de respect, surtout parce qu'elle est une elfe.
Les trois types semblèrent avoir vu un fantôme et désoûlèrent aussi sec.
-Pardon, dirent ils piteusement.
-C'est pas à vous de demander pardon, mais à lui, dit elle d'un ton froid en désignant le type de gauche. Mais je serais indulgente. Alors pour en revenir à ce que vous disiez, vous étiez en train de dire que le tavernier refusait de vous offrir de la boisson alors que vous risquez vos vies, c'est bien ça ?
-Oui, dirent ils en même temps, toujours intimidés.
-Bon, dans ce cas, je vais avoir une petite discussion avec ce gérant.
Elle partit donc vers le bar, où un homme en surpoids, voir même obèse, nettoyait le comptoir avec un chiffon tellement noir qu'il s'était peut être torché avec pour être arrivé à cette couleur, au point qu'elle eu une grimace de dégoût, sans parler que le type en question empestait, et pas seulement l'alcool d'ailleurs.
-Vous voulez quoi ? demanda t il d'une voix aussi aimable que celle d'un maton hurlock, pour peu que ça existe.
-J'ai entendu dire que vous n'offriez pas la bière à ceux qui ce battent cette nuit, commença t elle doucement.
-Evidemment que non, c'est pas parce que l'on va tous mourir que je devrais leur payer un coup ! dit il d'un ton moqueur.
-C'est bizarre, d'habitude, lorsque l'on sait que l'on va mourir, on n'est pas vraiment du genre à garder des choses pour plus tard, à quoi vous servira votre bière et votre argent lorsque vous servirez de repas aux morts vivants ?
-Dites donc, qu'est ce que vous me chantez là ? Je…
-Vous devriez faire preuve de générosité, car sinon, la mort pourrait venir encore plus vite que ce que vous ne pensez.
-Hé c'est quoi ces menaces, vous n'oseriez pas !
-Pensez vous que quelqu'un ici regrettera votre disparition ? demanda t elle avec un petit signe en direction de la salle, puis elle se tourna à nouveau vers lui, et leva sa main devant son visage, faisant apparaître une flamme par magie. Moi si j'étais vous, je me montrerais plus généreux.
-Heu…Je…
-Alors ?
-Ho, tenez, voici 50 pièces d'argents, et vous « protégé » mon auberge, qu'en dite vous ? dit il en essayant de l'acheter en posant une bourse sur le comptoir.
Ce qui fut sa dernière erreur, Mana n'eut besoin que d'un claquement de doigt pour broyer la tête du tavernier véreux. Tous fut complètement ébahis et horrifié par ce qui venait de ce passer. Mana se tourna ensuite vers la servante.
-Toute mes félicitations Bella, te voici maintenant propriétaire de cette auberge, j'aurais bien ajouter l'adjectif « belle », mais sans vouloir être blessante, ce serait mentir.
La servante resta coite encore un moment avant de ce ressaisir. Elle eut un moment de peur face à la magicienne, mais celle ci lui souriant de manière si douce et franche qu'elle ne pu s'empêcher de se détendre, avant d'annoncer.
-Ecouter tout le monde, c'est la maison qui régale, vous pouvez boire jusqu'à plus soif.
-Ah t'es une sainte Bella ! s'écrièrent les trois paysans présent.
Bella se tourna vers Mana, avec à la fois un air reconnaissant et craintif.
-Je ne sais pas comment tu as fait ça, mais merci.
-Pas de problème, et puis je suis mage, alors ça n'a rien d'extraordinaire, dit elle en haussant des épaules.
-Y a t il quelque chose que je puisse faire pour vous remercier ?
-Moui, un petit baiser ne serait pas de refus…Voir plus si tu en a vraiment envie, fit l'elfe en lui faisant un clin d'œil.
-Je vois, dire que je pensais qu'il n'y avait que les hommes pour demander ce genre de choses. Ecoute ma belle, si nous survivons à cette nuit, tu l'auras ton baiser…
-Seulement le baiser ? Zut !
-…Pour le début en tout cas, termina Bella en lui renvoyant son clin d'œil, ce qui donna un grand sourire à la magicienne.
-Décidemment, cette fille m'étonnera toujours, fit Alistair en soupirant.
xxxFINxxx
* :Une lieu correspond environ à 4,3 kilomètre, sept lieux font trente kilomètre.
Bon voilà, le chapitre est terminé et c'est pas dommage ! Comme pour Lothering, il y a des trucs que j'ai sauté, mais bon, moi mes chapitres font autours de 7000-8000 mots, pas 15000, ou du moins rarement. Et si vous voulez tout voir le mieux c'est de jouer au jeu, mais je vous raconte là ce que je juge de mieux. Et si vous trouvez que Mana commence à devenir mauvaise un peu trop vite, ben disont que c'est parce qu'à la base elle déteste la Chantrie et tout ceux qui y croient, et la corruption de son âme par ses pouvoirs démoniaque n'arrangent rien. En tout cas, j'espère que ce chapitre vous a plu.
End file.
| fanfiction |
recent high - resolution near - infrared imaging reveals a tight cluster of at least a dozen stellar sources projected within 05 of the putative massive black hole in the galactic center ( genzel et al .
1997 ; ghez et al .
genzel et al .
( 1997 ) suggest that this cluster contains early - type stars with initial masses @xmath815 to 20 . while their low - resolution spectra ( r @xmath0 35 ) and photometry can be fit by early - type stars , they can also be fit by much lower mass k giants of a few .
the implications for star formation near a massive black hole are heavily dependent on whether the stars are of early or late type . in the former case ,
the stars are a few old and probably formed very near to the central black hole . in the latter case , they are on the order of a old and represent a central concentration of the general old population seen throughout the galactic center ( alexander 1999 ) . if stars have formed near the central black hole , then it is important to know the physical properties of the gas there .
the intensity of recombination line emission can be used to constrain the gas density and ionizing environment near the center , and the line width might be used to probe the central mass to smaller size scales than the stellar velocity dispersions . with these issues in mind , we obtained high resolution ( r @xmath8 22,400 ) and moderate resolution ( r @xmath8 2,700 ) long - slit spectra of the central few arcseconds of the galaxy in the [email protected] region ( _ k_-band ) .
we present spectra of the combined light from the central stellar sources ( hereafter the `` s sources '' ; genzel et al .
1997 ) , nearby stars , and ionized gas .
the observations were obtained with nirspec , the facility near - infrared spectrometer , on the keck ii telescope ( mclean et al .
1998 , 1999 ) .
a log of observations is given in table 1 .
the plate scale was measured by comparing the locations of the spectra of irs7 , irs16nw , irs33e , and irs33w to the positions in eckart & genzel ( 1997 ) , giving 014@xmath9020 per pixel in the spectral@xmath9spatial directions of the high - resolution mode , and 020@xmath9014 per pixel in the spectral@xmath9spatial directions of the low - resolution mode ( note that the axes are flipped with respect to the camera in the two modes ) .
the slit viewing camera ( scam ) was used to obtain images simultaneously with the spectra .
we measured a plate scale for the scam of 018 per pixel by comparing the locations of irs16nw , irs16ne , irs33e , and irs33w to those given by eckart & genzel ( 1997 ) . from scam images
, we estimate seeing ( fwhm ) of 0@xmath105 on 28 april 1999 and 0@xmath103 on 3 june 1999 . we chose to use the 3-pixel - wide slit ( 043 ) in high - resolution mode and the 2-pixel - wide slit ( 039 ) in low - resolution mode in order to match the seeing .
quintuplet star # 3 , which is featureless in this spectral region ( see figure 1 in figer et al .
1998 ) , was observed as a telluric standard ( nomenclature from moneti , glass , & moorwood 1994 ) .
arc lamps containing ar , ne , kr , and xe , were observed to set the wavelength scale .
a field relatively devoid of stars ( ra 17@xmath11 44@xmath12 49@xmath138 , dec @xmath128@xmath14 54@xmath15 6@xmath108 ,
j2000 ) was observed to provide a dark current plus bias plus background image .
a quartz tungsten halogen lamp was observed to provide a `` flat '' image .
all data reduction was accomplished using iraf routines .
bad pixel removal , flat - fielding , and coadding of object - sky frame pairs were performed to produce the final spectral images .
the spectra were extracted and then divided by a similarly extracted spectrum of the telluric standard corrected for its apparent spectral energy distribution ( figer et al .
we have compared the flux in the spectrum to that expected from the stars in the slit ( wizinowich et al .
1999 ) , and the detected flux in the low - resolution spectrum confirms our pointing . the total background - subtracted flux from the combined low - resolution spectrum is = 12.8 , in good agreement with the sum of the previously reported fluxes for the sources , reported as = 12.6 ( genzel et al .
1997 ) .
figure 1 shows the low resolution spectra for the s sources , irs7 , and irs16nw .
the spectra demonstrate the very deep co absorption in the spectrum of a cool star ( irs7 ) and the total lack of any similar feature in that of a hot star ( irs16nw ) .
the spectra for the s sources were extracted from synthetic apertures centered 138 south of irs16nw and 075 wide to give w@xmath2 @xmath0 6@xmath162 .
figure 2 shows that the co bandhead strength gradually increases in apertures to the south of sgr a@xmath6 , and to the north of irs16nw .
for instance , w@xmath2 @xmath0 11@xmath162 for an aperture centered 078 to the south of sgr a@xmath6 . a similar measurement for @xmath17 cep ( k0iii )
, whose spectrum was taken from the kleinmann & hall atlas ( 1986 ) , gives w@xmath2 = 11.5 ; note that later red giants would have deeper co absorption .
it appears , then , that the off - source spectrum is similar to that of a k giant .
the total on - source continuum flux level ( with background ) is about 1.8 times the off - source flux level .
so , if the collective spectrum for the s sources is truly featureless , and the spectrum of the background mimics that of a k giant , then we would expect to measure an equivalent width of 6 in the combined spectrum , in good agreement with our measurements .
we find that no more than 30% of the light in the composite spectrum can come from k giants or later types .
note that this limit is conservatively determined by using the upper error limit of w@xmath2 = 8 , for the combined light spectrum .
the spectrum of the light from all sources in the central 039 @xmath9 085 ( ew @xmath9 ns ) suggests at least some population of stars earlier than k0 , and we find that the nearest blue supergiant , irs16nw , does not contribute significantly to the light falling in the aperture .
the peak of the s sources is 143 south of irs16nw , and the point spread function ( measured from irs7 ) suggests that the light from irs16nw should contribute @xmath3 1% of the total flux in the synthetic aperture .
we are also interested in detecting possible emission - line flux from the stellar sources , in order to constrain their nature , and from any gas associated with the black hole , in order to constrain the physical properties of material near the black hole .
the high resolution data are particularly useful for this purpose ( see table 1 and figure 3 ) .
we find three distinct components to the br-@xmath7 emission : 1 ) a faint `` zero - velocity '' component which is distributed throughout the low - resolution slit region , and is not easily identified in figure 3 , 2 ) a very bright , high - velocity , component associated with the `` mini - spiral , '' and 3 ) a near - zero - velocity component near the position of sgr a@xmath6 and extending 15 to the north and 7 to the south .
the first component can also be seen in the h@xmath18 ( 2.122 ) and ( 2.058 ) lines , suggesting that and gas are distributed in projection over the whole region , and are being ionized by the ambient radiation field .
the third component varies considerably along the north - south direction in peak location , 0 @xmath19 v@xmath20 @xmath19 + 55 , and line width , 25 @xmath19 v@xmath5 @xmath19 110 , gradually increasing from south to north . at the position of sgr
a@xmath6 , the emission is centered at v@xmath20 = + 15 , and v@xmath5 = 80 at the peak emission .
within 2 of sgr a@xmath6 , the line center has a linear gradient of @xmath2118 arcsec@xmath22 ( south - to - north ) , and the line width has a peak value of + 90 at @xmath106 south of sgr a@xmath6 .
the only distinguishing characteristic of the emission at the location of sgr a@xmath6 with respect to surrounding regions is the local maximum in the line width which is 50% greater than the value @xmath0 1 in either direction .
the otherwise nondescript appearance of the line emission near sgr a@xmath6 suggests that it has little to do with the black hole .
forbidden iron - line emission can also be seen throughout the spectroscopic field .
there appears to be a broad [ ] emission line near 2.2178 with v@xmath5 @xmath0 1,000 , peaking near the center of the spectroscopic field shown in figure 2 ; a similar broad feature is not seen in the br-@xmath7 line .
there is also a velocity component of the [ ] emission lines at 2.1451 , 2.2178 , 2.2420 , and 2.3479 which is narrow and follows the pattern of the mini - cavity , the spatial distribution of which agrees well that described in lutz , krabbe , & genzel ( 1993 ) .
the s sources span a range of brightness of 14.0 @xmath23 @xmath23 16.0 , implying a range of absolute magnitudes of @xmath13.2 @xmath23 m@xmath24 @xmath23 @xmath11.1 , assuming d=8000 pc ( reid 1993 ) and @xmath0 2.7 .
the absolute magnitudes match those of o9v to b1v stars having 25 @xmath25 @xmath25 10 , and 6 @xmath3 @xmath4 @xmath3 20 ( assuming the geneva models , twice mass loss rate , twice solar metallicity , and @xmath4 @xmath81 old ; meynet et al .
the absolute magnitudes can also be fit by red giants of type k0iii to k3iii with ages @xmath0 1 .
the early - type stars are most easily distinguished from the red giants by the presence of co absorption in the -band spectra of the latter .
for instance , the deepest co bandhead in the -band ( 2.2935 ) for an early k giant has w@xmath2 @xmath0 11 .
the data suggest that the majority of the s sources in our synthetic aperture are hot stars formed within 0.1 pc of the black hole .
this is in agreement with genzel et al .
( 1997 ) and eckart , ott , & genzel ( 1999 ) .
it is unlikely that the observed stars are actually red giants minus their outer envelopes , such as might be produced via stellar collisions ( lacy , townes , & hollenbach 1982 ; bailey & davies 1999 ) .
even a particularly luminous red giant ( _ l _ @xmath0 10@xmath26 ) with its envelope stripped to an extent consistent with the lack of strong br-@xmath7 absorption would have @xmath25 16 , far too faint to be a likely candidate for the s sources .
it is also unlikely that they have formed outside of the center and have been transported inward via dynamical friction . using figure 1 and equation 1 in morris ( 1993 )
, we find that it would take longer than the lifetime of an o- or b - star to transport them into the center if they were formed more than 0.1 pc from the center . the requirements for star formation so near the supermassive black hole are extreme .
consider a protostellar clump of sufficient density to form an o - star near the black hole .
such a clump would need to be very dense to be bound against tidal disruption : @xmath27 where _
r@xmath28 _ is the distance between the clump and the galactic center , and _
m _ is the enclosed mass within the orbit of the clump .
let s assume that the clump is as far away from the center as possible while still allowing for dynamical friction to operate as described above , i.e. , _ r@xmath28 _
@xmath0 0.1 pc . with m
= 2.6(10@xmath29 ) , we find , n@xmath30 @xmath31 4(10@xmath32 ) @xmath33 . since gas near
the gc is presently at least 5 orders of magnitude less dense than this , one must appeal to a much denser environment during the formation epoch , or to an event which was exceptionally strongly compressive , or to both .
as discussed by morris , ghez & becklin ( 1999 ) , the formation of stars this close to the supermassive black hole would inevitably be accompanied by the violent release of accretion energy with a total luminosity near the eddington limit of the black hole , since the black hole would then be immersed in a relatively dense medium .
indeed , this outpouring of energy may be required to compress the gas to densities sufficient to overcome the tidal forces . given the challenge of forming stars in this tidally extreme environment , other possibilities might be considered .
for example , have the masses of these stars been built up by stellar coalescence or by continuous accretion , making them much older than we infer ?
the calculations of lee ( 1996 ) suggest that this is unlikely , although bonnell , bate , & zinnecker ( 1998 ) argue that all stars with @xmath25 10 form by coalescence in very young dense clusters ; it remains to be seen if the steady - state conditions in the central parsec can mimic those in the formation epoch of a young cluster . or are these `` stars '' really more exotic objects such as compact stars with atmospheres acquired by passage through a dense medium or by collisions with red giant stars ( morris 1993 ) ?
perhaps they are stars powered by dark matter annihilation in their interiors ( salati & silk 1989 ) , in which case they would be much longer - lived than a star of comparable mass . in any of these cases ,
the explanation for the presence of these stars would be exceedingly interesting , and continued investigation well worthwhile .
we find that about half a dozen of the stars projected within a few thousand au of sgr a@xmath6 have little , if any , co absorption in their _
k_-band spectra , indicating that the stars are hot .
coupled with their brightnesses , we suggest that the stars are obv types , and therefore @xmath3 20 old . given the lifetimes of such stars , it is improbable that they formed beyond 0.1 pc of the galactic center , forcing us to consider the possibility that gas clumps having n @xmath31 10@xmath32 @xmath33 can exist within a few thousand au of a supermassive black hole .
it is a pleasure to acknowledge the hard work of past and present members of the nirspec instrument team at ucla : maryanne angliongto , oddvar bendiksen , george brims , leah buchholz , john canfield , kim chin , jonah hare , fred lacayanga , samuel b. larson , tim liu , nick magnone , gunnar skulason , michael spencer , jason weiss and woon wong .
in addition , we thank the keck director fred chaffee , cara instrument specialist thomas a. bida , and all the cara staff involved in the commissioning and integration of nirspec .
we especially thank our observing assistants joel aycock , gary puniwai , charles sorenson , ron quick and wayne wack for their support .
finally , we thank diane gilmore of stsci for assisting in preparing the figures .
alexander , t. 1999 , , in press bailey , v. c. , & davies , m. b. 1999 , , in press bonnell , i. a. , bate , m. r. , & zinnecker , h. 1998 , , 298 , 93 eckart , a. , & genzel , r. 1997 , , 284 , 576 eckart , a. , ott , t. , & genzel , r. 1999 , a&a , submitted figer , d. f. , najarro , f. , morris , m. , mclean , i. s. , geballe , t. r. , ghez , a. m. , & langer , n. 1998 , , 506 , 384 genzel , r. , eckart , a. , ott , t. , & eisenhauer , f. 1997 , , 291 , 219 ghez , a. m. , klein , b. l. , morris , m. , & becklin , e. e. 1998 , , 509 , 678 kleinmann , s. g. , & hall , d. n. b. 1986 , , 62 , 501 lacy , j. h. , townes , c. h. , & d. j. 1982 , , 262 , 120 lee , h. m. 1996 , in dynamical evolution of galactic center star cluster and importance of stellar collisions , eds .
l. blitz & p. teuben ( dordrecht : kluwer ) , 215 lutz , d. , krabbe , a. , genzel , r. 1993 , , 418 , l244 mclean et al .
1998 , spie vol . 3354 , 566 mclean et al . 1999 ,
, in preparation meynet , g. , maeder , a. , schaller , g. , schaerer , d. , & charbonnel , c. 1994 , supp . , 103 , 97 moneti , a. , glass , i. s. & moorwood , a. f. m. 1994 , , 268 , 194 morris , m. 1993 , , 408 , 496 morris , m. , ghez , a. m. , & becklin , e. e. 1999 , adv . spa .
res . , 23 , 959 reid , m. j. 1993 , , 31 , 345 salati , p. , & silk , j. 1989 , , 338 , 24 wizinowich , p. et al . 1999 , in preparation | arxiv |
Fischler is a German jewish surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Abraham S. Fischler
Claude Fischler
Franz Fischler
Georg Fischler
Patrick Fischler
Stan Fischler
Willy Fischler
See also
FischlerSusskind mechanism
Category:German-language surnames | wikipedia |
the pursuit of topological states of matter has fueled substantial experimental and theoretical developments in physics . from the integer quantum hall effect @xcite to topological insulators @xcite and beyond , topological states possess remarkable properties of both fundamental and technological interest .
for instance ,
certain correlated topologically ordered states , such as fractional quantum hall ( fqh ) states @xcite , have the potential to be used for fault - tolerant quantum computation @xcite . the functionality required for novel high - end technological applications , however , steers material design towards microscopic structures with increasingly complex features .
several steps have been taken in order to bridge the gap between theoretical descriptions of fqh - type topological order and experimentally accessible systems .
following the first theoretical proposal suggesting the presence of fqh states in a lattice model @xcite , fqh physics was predicted to arise in the context of optically trapped cold atoms @xcite .
more recently , a class of lattice models called chern insulators @xcite have been shown to develop fqh - like ground states , termed fractional chern insulators ( fci ) @xcite , upon introduction of a short - range repulsion between particles occupying a fractionally filled band , even in the absence of an external magnetic field ( see refs . for comprehensive reviews ) .
initially , these models were fine tuned so that the lowest band of their energy dispersion imitates the lowest landau level : it is almost perfectly flat and topological , i.e. , characterized by a chern number @xmath0 and hence named chern band .
proposals for realizations of fci states based on oxide heterostructures @xcite , layered multiorbital systems @xcite , optical lattices @xcite , and strained or irradiated graphene @xcite followed soon thereafter . as bands in solids are generally not flat and interaction strengths vary , an obvious way to bring fqh - like states closer to reality is to relax the energetic conditions imposed on relevant systems in order to emulate landau levels .
it was recognized early on that interaction strengths may be allowed to increase beyond band gaps @xcite , and subsequent results showed that a finite dispersion may actually favor certain fci states @xcite .
one can then venture into the strong - correlation regime by allowing for arbitrarily strong repulsion strengths .
surprisingly , one still finds robust fci states as well as more exotic , topologically ordered states @xcite even though interactions now mix bands with opposite chern numbers @xcite .
strongly correlated materials without sharply defined bands may therefore be considered as candidates for the realization of fci or similar states . when particles repel their neighbors very strongly , it is reasonable to approximate the interaction as a hardcore constraint which does not allow particles to occupy neighboring sites . on two - dimensional lattices of corner- or side - sharing triangles ,
the configurations allowed by this constraint are identical to those of the so - called hard - hexagon ( hh ) model of classical lattice gases @xcite . in the quantum version of these hh models ,
transitions from one configuration to another are caused by hopping terms .
when the hoppings considered give rise to chern bands , imposing a hardcore constraint in partially filled lattices can lead to fqh - like ground states @xcite . here
we explore the possibility of obtaining the same physics by replacing the hardcore constraint with a kinetic one . instead of energetically penalizing or in the infinite - interaction limit removing configurations from the fock space altogether , we start with all configurations being a priori equivalent .
constraints are then introduced only in the transitions between configurations .
the resulting systems can be thought of as quantum versions of cooperative lattice gases @xcite .
similarly constrained quantum particles have been studied in several contexts in the past , with the kinetic constraints often giving rise to nontrivial correlation effects @xcite . in this paper , we show that when the constrained kinetic terms are endowed with appropriate berry phases that break time - reversal symmetry , the obtained ground states show definitive features of fqh topological order .
this result is far from being purely academic : current experiments on optical lattices can generate a partially filled chern band in the laboratory , with tunable interaction strengths @xcite .
some of the terms that arise in the modeling of the experimental setups exhibit precisely the type of constraints studied here @xcite .
the same kinetic constraints are also an approximate limit of strong short - range repulsion and therefore relevant to the realization of fqh physics in strongly correlated materials , as will be shown below .
the rest of this paper is structured as follows : in sec .
[ sec : models ] we present a general formalism of tightly - bound particles interacting via strong nearest - neighbor repulsion . in the infinite - interaction limit particles obey a hardcore nearest - neighbor exclusion principle , motivating us to re - interpret the problem as a quantum hard - hexagon model .
we then relax the static exclusion constraint to a kinetic one , derive two examples of constrained fermionic models , and pose the question : can topological order arise from the kinetic constraints ? in sec .
[ sec : results ] we investigate the topological nature of the ground states of the constrained models using exact diagonalization .
the results we obtain prompt us to answer the question affirmatively .
our conclusions are summarized in sec .
[ sec : conclusions ] .
to establish a general formalism , we consider @xmath1 quantum particles of a single species that hop on a two - dimensional lattice @xmath2 . the discussion below will be limited to spinless fermions , but there is no fundamental obstacle to treating bosons in the same fashion .
distances between nearest - neighboring sites of @xmath2 are set to unity for convenience , and periodic boundary conditions are assumed in both spatial directions .
the general form of the hamiltonians we consider below reads @xmath3 where @xmath4 is a regular particle annihilation ( creation ) operator acting at position @xmath5 of @xmath2 .
an appropriate choice of the operator - valued function @xmath6 can result in any possible @xmath7-body intersite term .
for example , setting @xmath8 yields all possible hopping terms with equal amplitude , whereas @xmath9 yields all possible density - density interactions with equal magnitude . in the following ,
we restrict the @xmath6 to products of hole - density operators of the form @xmath10 acting in the neighborhood of @xmath5 and @xmath11 .
such terms emerge effectively from strong interactions @xcite . to see this , consider particles that hop around the lattice and at the same time interact with each other via a nearest - neighbor repulsion of strength @xmath12 . in the infinite-@xmath12 limit
, particles can not occupy nearest - neighbor sites .
this suggests that states containing nearest - neighboring particles can be removed from the fock space .
accordingly , for any site @xmath13 we define the projected operator @xmath14 by demanding that its action on any state is to create a particle at @xmath5 if and only if this site and all of its nearest neighbors are empty .
formally , @xmath15 where @xmath16 .
if we allow particles to hop while obeying the above hard - core condition , then the system can be described by eq . with @xmath17 where @xmath18 are generally complex - valued hopping amplitudes .
the strong - repulsion limit can therefore be recast into a hamiltonian of the form of eq .
, with @xmath6 being a product of hole - density operators in the vicinity of @xmath5 and @xmath11 . on two - dimensional lattices of corner- or edge - sharing triangles ,
the allowed states are exactly the configurations of classical hh models , widely studied in the context of glassiness . due to this resemblance
, we shall call the above hamiltonians quantum hard - hexagon ( qhh ) models .
we now wish to reduce the above hardcore constraint to a new one that does not correspond to a density - density interaction .
one motivation for doing so is that density - hopping terms of the form @xmath19 have been shown to arise in the description of optical lattice experiments , where trapped atoms are periodically driven using circularly polarized light or equivalent settings @xcite .
the theoretical treatment of relevant models describes how the driving , apart from affecting the preexisting hopping and density - density terms , introduces new frequency - dependent density - hopping terms @xcite .
the relevance of these terms in the experimental setups depends on the interaction strength between particles , which is in principle tunable .
nevertheless , their precise effect in that setting requires careful study , as it may very well be scrambled by other processes . as a first step
, however , it is of intrinsic interest to isolate the kinetically constrained terms and determine their properties in a simpler context . as we shall show below
, such terms can generate nontrivial behavior even on their own .
notice that @xmath20 is just a product of hole - density operators at different sites . in any partially filled system
, products of @xmath10 operators that act on different sites are more likely to vanish than single @xmath10 operators .
we can therefore attempt to restrict the product in eq .
to only a few @xmath10 operators and see whether this captures the same physics as the full product . to decide which terms to truncate , we draw inspiration from classical models of diffusion . as mentioned above , @xmath20 is the quantum counterpart of the hh model on the triangular lattice . in the hh model ,
each particle can be visualized as a hard disk of radius @xmath21 , so that configurations with particles on nearest - neighboring sites are forbidden .
if the disk radius is reduced to @xmath22 , then all particle configurations are a priori allowed . the particle motion ,
however , is still constrained if we assume that hard discs move from site to site along straight lines : on lattices of edge- or corner - sharing equilateral triangles , they can not move past one another ( see fig .
[ fig : cartoon ] ) .
this is an example of a cooperative lattice - gas model @xcite .
a quantum analog of the kinetically constrained model described above can be straightforwardly constructed by discarding all factors in eq . apart from those which pertain to common neighbors of @xmath5 and @xmath11 . with this choice , @xmath23 examples of the resulting terms are pictorially represented in fig .
[ fig : cartoon ] for two lattices . following the classical terminology
, we shall call the processes represented by @xmath24 vacancy - assisted hoppings ( vah ) . note that this type of constraint is not specific to lattices containing triangular plaquettes : next - nearest neighbor hoppings on checkerboard or honeycomb lattices can be similarly constrained . here
we focus on the triangular and kagome lattices because all hoppings present in the models introduced below are constrained in the manner enforced by eq . , and also because these models are known to yield the most robust fermionic fci states .
we now ask whether the correlations induced by the vacancy - assisted hoppings described above can generate topological order . to answer this
, we shall impose this kinetic constraint to tight - binding models with topologically nontrivial bands .
we choose @xmath18 that correspond to two thoroughly studied fci models , diagonalize the constrained hamiltonian exactly on finite periodic clusters and look for signatures of topologically nontrivial states .
tight - binding hamiltonians are represented as @xmath25 , where @xmath26 is the spinor of annihilation operators on each of the @xmath7 sublattices of the lattice model at momentum @xmath27 .
the triangular - lattice model introduced in refs .
is given by @xmath28 [ eq : tri ] where @xmath29 , @xmath30 , @xmath31 and @xmath32 is the vector of pauli matrices including the @xmath33 unit matrix as @xmath34 . the kagome - lattice model introduced in ref .
is defined as @xmath35 [ eq : kag ] where @xmath36 , @xmath37 , @xmath38 , @xmath39 , @xmath40 , @xmath41 and @xmath42 , @xmath43 are vectors of the gell - mann matrices @xmath44 we set @xmath45 for the triangular lattice and @xmath46 for the kagome lattice .
these values of the hopping terms are chosen to yield relatively flat lowest bands with chern number @xmath47 .
we have verified that all our results remain valid in a finite range around the values chosen here .
we focus on average particle densities @xmath48 for the triangular lattice and @xmath49 for the kagome lattice , at which the lowest band of the pure hopping counterparts of the models we study here would be at filling @xmath50 .
we then impose the constraint encapsulated in eq . .
the resulting vacancy - assisted hopping models are sketched in fig .
[ fig : cartoon ] . through one of the handles of the toroidal system for ( a),(b ) the triangular and ( c),(d ) the kagome lattice .
( a ) , ( c ) correspond to qhh models ( i.e. , @xmath51 ) and ( b ) , ( d ) to vah models ( i.e. , @xmath52 ) . ]
fqh - like topological order at @xmath50 manifests itself in the many - body energy spectrum as spectral flow , which is the exchange of the threefold quasidegenerate many - body ground - state levels upon insertion of a flux quantum through one of the handles of the toroidal ( i.e. , periodic ) system .
this spectral property is shown in fig .
[ fig : flow ] . to establish consistency with previous results @xcite , fig .
[ fig : flow](a ) shows the spectral flow of the qhh version of the triangular - lattice model , where simultaneous occupation of nearest - neighboring sites is prohibited but hoppings are unconstrained . in fig .
[ fig : flow](c ) we show that the same physics occurs in the kagome - lattice model .
apart from the characteristic fqh features in the energy spectra , the ground states obtained have a very precisely quantized hall conductivity @xmath53 .
-site cluster with @xmath54 as a function of the magnetic fluxes @xmath55 and @xmath56 threading the two handles of the toroidal system ; ( b ) error in the quantization of @xmath57 as a function of the number of subintervals in the partition of the brillouin zone of fluxes .
the unidirectionality of the stripes along @xmath55 is merely an artifact of the choice of the alignment of the two - site unit cell of the model [ see fig . [
fig : cartoon](a ) ] . ]
we now reduce the hh constraint of eq . to the kinetic constraint of eq . , as outlined above .
we notice that the energy spectra , shown on the right of fig .
[ fig : flow ] , are qualitatively equivalent .
the symmetry sectors in which the quasidegenerate ground states reside are the same as in the case of hardcore interactions and can be predicted by methods already in use for finite fqh and fci systems @xcite .
more importantly , the ground states of the vah models have nontrivial topological characteristics .
their many - body berry curvature is a smooth function that integrates to a precisely quantized hall conductivity , even for the finite systems considered here .
an example of this quantization is presented in fig .
[ fig : berry ] for the triangular - lattice model .
equivalent results can be obtained for the kagome - lattice model as well .
the fqh - like ground states of the vah models are generically less gapped than those of their qhh counterparts , as can be seen in fig .
[ fig : fsize ] . nevertheless , there is a finite volume in parameter space in which one obtains gapped fqh - like ground states even in the vah models for most clusters .
finite - size effects such as the noticeable energy separation between quasidegenerate ground - state levels are sizable and do not allow for a definitive answer as to whether there is topological order in the ground state of the vah models in the thermodynamic limit .
we note , however , that the gaps of the vah models do seem to follow the same trend as those of their qhh counterparts , which remain well gapped up to the largest accessible system sizes ( see also ref . ) .
the finite - size effects observed in our calculations are similar to the ones observed in previous , more detailed studies of the dependence of fci state energies on cluster size and aspect ratio , which concluded that these effects are indeed irrelevant to the underlying physics @xcite .
furthermore , we find no signatures of a charge instability , so the only evident competitor for the ground state is a compressible metallic state .
the latter is clearly disfavored according to previous detailed studies of fcis in the models defined by eqs . and in the parameter regimes chosen here @xcite . for qhh ( solid triangles ) and vah ( empty triangles ) on ( a ) the triangular - lattice model and
( b ) the kagome - lattice model .
the value of the gap is the energy difference between the highest in energy quasidegenerate fci level and the lowest level that does not belong to the fci state manifold . ]
regardless of the detailed energetics of the models derived above , the key conclusion of this work is that kinetic constraints in partially filled chern bands can generate topologically ordered states .
this can be intuitively understood by noting that kinetic constraints can be seen as an approximate generalization of hardcore nearest - neighbor repulsion .
the ground states of the latter can be adiabatically connected to fci states , which in turn means that correlations crucial for fqh - like states can be generated by kinetic constraints alone .
this may be a stepping stone for further intuition into the microscopics of the fqh effect itself .
more hints in this direction can be found in recent work @xcite , where the intimate relation between fqh and fci states gives rise to similar density - hopping terms . finally , we briefly comment on choosing to introduce fermionic models in this work .
the reason for our choice is that the @xmath50 fermionic fci state is the most robust state and therefore the easiest one to study that requires short - range interactions .
if one is interested in modeling current experiments precisely , it would be more meaningful to pursue bosonic fci states .
however , the most robust bosonic fci state at @xmath58 requires only an on - site interaction , whereas the @xmath59 state requires longer - range repulsion , which would consequently give rise to less intuitive kinetic constraints .
since here we are interested in whether kinetic constraints can in principle induce topological order , we have focused on the simpler case of the @xmath50 fermionic fci .
nevertheless , similar tendencies towards topological ordering are to be expected when suitable kinetic constraints are introduced in bosonic versions of haldane - like models @xcite , with potential repercussions on the realization of topologically ordered cold - atom systems @xcite .
this work was supported in part by engineering and physical sciences research council grant no .
ep / g049394/1 , the helmholtz virtual institute `` new states of matter and their excitations '' and the epsrc networkplus on `` emergence and physics far from equilibrium '' .
s.k . acknowledges financial support by the icam branch contributions .
the authors are grateful to m. bukov , c. chamon , n.r .
cooper , m. daghofer , a.g .
grushin , c. mudry , t. neupert , and j.k .
pachos for stimulating discussions .
44ifxundefined [ 1 ] ifx#1 ifnum [ 1 ] # 1firstoftwo secondoftwo ifx [ 1 ] # 1firstoftwo secondoftwo `` `` # 1''''@noop [ 0]secondoftwosanitize@url [ 0 ] + 12$12
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Mass Effect 1. Chapter 1
Mass effect through the darkness (An alternative ME3) Focusing mainly on shepherd and Miranda but will have the bulk of character from ME1 and ME2. Written by someone completely disappointed by ME3. Am writing a slightly altered version of ME2 that will explain back story.
Prelog.
Commander Elena shepherd was jolted awake by a noise in the distance. She glanced up at the window to see the sun setting. She stood up to look over the city stretching out in front of her. She been born on a ship that bore the city name but the SSV Manchester had long scraped.
Both her parents had been born on the Island, thus shepherd faint British accent. She stood there for a long monument before returning to the couch. She been here for six months just waiting, the alliance parliament was dragging its heels on what to do, so other than being charged nothing had happened.
She glanced down at the copper ring on her finger and her thoughts turned to Miranda. She had not seen her since she handed back the Normandy over to alliance force. She had no idea where the former Cerberus was but hoped she be busy, trying to find so way to stop the reapers. Suddenly there was a beeping from the intercom. She made her way over and pushed the receive button.
''Shepherd you've lawyer is here to see you.''
Shepherd was confused, she had a vague reference of being told who her lawyer was but had never actual met them.
''Well I'm not going anywhere.''
Shepherd retuned to couch and picked up the book she been reading. It was five minutes before she heard the noise of the door opening. She glanced up to see a woman entering accompanied by a marine. The woman step forward, she was wearing a suit jacket over a light blue shirt accompanied by a very short skirt.
''Hello Miss Shepherd I'm Hanna Gray...''
Shepherd blinked, the woman had blond hair and glasses but behind that it was.
''Miria...''
The woman shot her a look than turned to the guard.
''Unless you plan to Miss the game I'd head back down, I'll call when we done.''
The guard, who already look disgruntled, turned and exited the room. Shepherd attempt to speak but the woman held up a hand. She waited until the door had closed and the sound of the elevator had faded.
''They really know how to pick them, don't they shepherd.''
The woman grasped her hair and pulled it off to relive the black hair below it.
''Mindi how on...''
Miranda tossed the wig on to a table and took of the glasses.
''Funny what you can do with a little appearance change.''
They both stood there for a monument, staring at the woman they agreed to marry. Shepherd spoke first.
''Missed me.''
''Night were the worst, I almost miss sneaking up to your quarters.''
There was silence.
''Elen...''
Miranda didn't get to finish as shepherd pined her to the wall. Their lips locked as they began making up for lost time.
Shepherd laid back on the bed, the sun had now set beyond the horizon filling the bed room with only the glow of the city light. She turned to see Miranda lying beside her.
''Satisfied Miss Lawson.''
Miranda turned to look at her.
''Very.''
Miranda took shepherd hand and pulled her in close.
'' Well how have you, been Elena?''
Shepherd smiled.
''The last few hours have been great, the rest...''
Shepherd trailed off.
''Told you.''
Shepherd shot her a look.
''I'm starting to think your right ... how are things out there.''
''I've kept busy, the shadow broker given me a few leads.''
''and Cerberus.''
''I've heard nothing since I quit.''
Shepherd kissed her on the fore head.
''Just be careful.''
''Always am.''
''Says the woman who pulled a Clark Kent, to see her girlfriend.''
'' fiancée commander.''
Shepherd smiled. Miranda glanced over at the clock.
''I'd better go, the guard may not be the smartest but they realise something up.''
Miranda stood up and began pulling on her clothes. Shepherd wanted her to stay but knew it was impossible so said nothing. She glanced at the stars, somewhere out there the reapers were slowly moving towards them and at the monument no one was doing anything.
''Elena.''
Miranda climbed back on to the bed and handed her a pendent. She opened it to reveal a picture of them. It was of them curled up on the couch in shepherd quarter on the Normandy two.
''When did you, take this?''
''You were pretty much asleep.''
Shepherd grinned and then placed the pendent over her neck. Miranda exited back into the main room, shepherd pulled on dressing gown and followed her out.
''Promise me you be careful.''
Miranda pulled on the wig and then turned to shepherd.
''Elena stop worrying, anyway I want that beach house ''
They hugged each other and then Miranda hit the intercom. They said nothing as they waited for the guard to arrive. It was only when the door opened, that they said anything.
''See you around commander.''
Shepherd said nothing as the door closed, leaving her alone again. She moved over to the window and stared out at the stars.
At the same time someone ell was staring out at them. Major Agustin De La Hoz turned to the men and women sitting in the vehicle behind him, who all wore the uniforms of the alliance army.
''Anyone who wants out this is your last chance.''
There was silence.
''Good luck everyone.''
They burst out onto the street and cover the distance to their target. As they may their way through the building, people scatted in front of them, Agustin mad his way to the target. By even being here he knew he was committing treason but he couldn't just sit back and do nothing. On finding his target he kicked the door in.
''What is the meaning of this?''
He turned to see the man he was after, he aimed a pistol at him.
''Tell me minister, how much did they buy you for?''
''What... this is treason.''
Agustin moved closer and grabbed the alliance parliament member by the collar.
''I know you work for Cerberus.''
Part one will hopeful be up soon.
Comment and reviews welcome
Please excuse any spelling and punctuation mistakes.
Thank you for reading.
2. Chapter 2
Army of Albion.
Shepard was awoken by beeping from the intercom. She left it for a monument but the beeping continued. Grudgingly she climbed out of bed and over to the intercom.
''What?''
''Get dressed you got a visitor.''
Shepard glanced over at the clock. Three o'clock AM.
''Do you know what time it is?''
''Five minutes Sheppard, make sure it decent.''
The intercom went dead, Shepard turned and located the clothes she worn at the hearing yesterday. The situation had been made worst with the violence in Madrid; twelve Spanish army officers had seized the Spanish parliament building and arrested the Spanish representative on charges of treason. Alliance army units had surrounded the building but refused to storm it. The political situation was again split and poised on a knife edge.
She changed and then exited the room. To her surprise she found the door open and the elevator sitting open.
She entered it and was soon being whisked down toward the ground floor. It came to a stop well short of the ground floor and Shepard was greeted by a corridor she hadn't been in before. A man stood waiting for her.
''This way please Miss.''
The man was dressed in a suit, there was a emblem over the left breast but he had turned and moved off before Shepard got a closer look.
''Right a few ground rules. One speak only when spoken to, don't curtsey it drives him mad, call him your highness and finial don't mention his cousins are we clear.''
They arrived at a door two soldiers were standing ever side of it. They both wore dress uniform of scarlet one emblazed with the Cross of Saint Andrew, the other the red dragon of Wales. Shepard blinked.
''Wait, who, do you mean?''
''Yes Madam your about to meet a king.''
The doors opened to revile an office with a man standing, staring out at the city. On hearing the noise he turned. Shepard was greeted by the face of King Edward the XVIII (eighteen). She went to curtsey but stop before she finished.
''Miss Shepard I presume?''
The voice was not what she had expected, a real down to earth voice which all most didn't want to be heard.
''You're...''
He cut her off.
''Please none of that, if anyone in this room deserves respect it you.''
He degusted for her to sit and waited for her to take a seat before sitting down.
''Tell me Shepard... did you ever ...did you ever want this?''
''Want... What sir?''
There was silence for a monument.
''You're a hero Shepard, I mean some people see you as the second coming.''
''I never asked to be a hero sir.''
There was silence for a monument.
''Well then we both didn't ask for this.''
Edward stood up and looked out the window.
''I know there out there shepherd, the reapers I mean, most of the alliance brass does... but the other, they just hope it will just go away.''
'' Can't you do something sir?''
Edward laugh.
''Maybe a hundred years ago, I could have done something but today no.''
''Then why are you here sir.''
Edward turned to look at her.
''I may have found something, something that could help with the reaper problem.''
Shepard sat up.
''What...have you ...''
''Yes I informed the military, it was laughed off.''
Shepard sat back; she was beginning to think Edward was wasting her time, suddenly she hared a slam as a huge file was dropped on the table.
''Surprisingly Shepard my life is rather boring, giving me plenty of time to read... ''
Shepard began flicking threw the file; it contained pictures of what appeared to be ancient artwork but with what appeared to be reapers.
'' I found theses just sitting in museum across the world, I first I thought it was coincidence but then I looked at the data recover from the beacon on mars. There was what appeared to be a map which combined with several of theses. ''
Shepard flicked over to see a partial map pasted over several of the art work, a match.
''That map when laid over earth, point to south east England, I then thought I reached a brick wall but then I found this report.''
The file suddenly turned to a report. The bulk of it was blacked out but enough was visible to make sense what the report was about.
''In 1942 the British found something down a mine shaft in Kent; it scared them enough to seal the mine and collapse the shaft. ''
Shepard turned the page and was shocked with what see saw. A grimy black and white photo showed a crocodilian life form, clad in power armour slump against a wall, on the wall was another image showing a reaper being destroyed by some huge cannon. Shepard stood up.
''Sir we need to find this. ''
Edward look surprised but delighted at the same time.
''If only the alliance top brass, were that easily persuaded.''
Edward stood up.
''Well then Shepard If we leave now we should be there in an hour.''
It was only much later that Shepard realized how many rules she was breaking but by then there were far bigger problems.
Kent
Shepard glanced out the window of the shuttle. It had started raining obscuring the ground below. However there was enough activity on the ground to stand out. Edward hadn't stop talking since they left explaining on how he found every detail of his information. Shepard was surprised that the alliance hadn't even given him a token response, especially with Anderson as councillor. There was a bump as the shuttle landed. The door opened and a figure was standing there, glad in a green khaki military uniform. Shepard recognised it as the uniform of the alliance army. The star on his shoulder indicted the rank of major general.
''Well Eddy clad you could join us.''
The thick Scottish accent cut through the air and caused Shepard to jump. The figure glanced over to her.
''Well the great Shepard has chosen to join us.''
A flash of lighting broke across the sky, illuminating the figure face. Shepard recognised it almost instantly. It was General James Thomas Campbell, hero of the alliance and the only man who emerged from Shanxi with any honour.
When General William surrender the garrison, Campbell just a lowly company commander in the black watch had uttered a phrase not suitable for polite conversation and the basically went rogue with over a company of the black watch. The turian were unable to use their fleet fire power due to the fact the mining tunnel and sewers that covered the northern part of the colony provided natural cover for Campbell troops.
The turian's sent to flush them out came to call them demons due the ferocity they fought with and the bagpipes which drove them mad. By the time alliance relief force arrived there were only 14 able to answer the call to arms. The alliance made Campbell and his surviving troops the hero's of Shanxi and the black watch added Shanxi to its battle standard. Campbell response was simple ''for two hundred year this regiment has never surrender, I wasn't about to let those men down.''
'' don't tell me your worried about a little competition Campbell.''
Edward stood up and exited into the pouring rain. Campbell stood staring at Shepard for a second before turning and following Edward. Shepard had to sprint to catch up with them despite them both being at least 20 years older than her.
''We breeched the old mine yesterday, look like they went back at some point during the cold war, there a control room been dug into the side of the old shaft, we've set up shop there. There then a 50 foot drop down to the location where the brit's found the croc, were still to send a team down there.''
'' Well let just send a team down.''
Campbell turned to look at her.
''Shepard this place has had several cave in, we barely finished adding supports to the enter passage.
'' well then let me go, the reapers are coming and there may be a solution under our feet. ''
Campbell stood for a monument.
''Fine get yourself suited up, there should be something in the supplies.''
Campbell opened his omni-tool.
''Douglas get your squad suited up, you're going in.''
''Aye sir.''
Campbell gestured toward a group building. Shepard turned and jog over to the largest building. The door hissed open and she stepped in. A group of soldiers stood round a television screen, one turned on hearing the door open.
''Commander Shepard.''
On hearing her name they all turned round and snapped to attention.
''Ma'am, what are you doing here?''
''Campbell told me to suit up.''
One of them step forward.
''If you would follow me then Ma'am. ''
Shepard followed him threw corridor of the building; it had clearly been the control building for the mine and had clearly seen better days. They were passed by a group of soldiers kitted out with climbing equipment, probably the squad Campbell had called. They entered a room being used as an armoury.
''May I have your measurement Ma'am.''
Shepard opened her omni tool and send over her specs. The solider moved off along the shelves of equipment. He began pulling items of shelves, before turning back to Shepard.
''I must say, Ma'am your bigger in real life, the ads had you more like a stick insect.''
''Thank, I think.''
The equipment was placed in front of her.
''No N7 stuff Ma'am, just standard issue.''
''No problem.''
He handed over a pad, which Shepard signed.
''You can change in there Ma'am.''
He gestured to a room of to the side. Shepard entered and then closed the door. She stood there for a monument, she should have been thinking about what was going on but her thought were on one person.
''Be safe Miri.''
Outer alliance space New Washington
Miranda step out of the car and made her way toward the house. Jacob had contacted her a few days ago saying he found something. She made her way up to the house he sent as a place to meet. She found the door open and entered.
''Jacob.''
There was silence causing her to draw the pistol from her waist. She moved through the house, despite it outside look the house was run down and covered in cobwebs. She emerged in a dining room with an old table and chairs.
''Miranda.''
She turned to see Jacob sitting in the chair at the end of the table. On seeing him she lowered the pistol.
''Jacob what are we doing here, what with all the clock and dagger? ''
''I been told to bring you back.''
Suddenly she heard a noise, this was a trap. She felt something pierce her leg and her vision began to go blurry. She glanced down to see a dart emerging from her leg. She fell to the ground as the world began to go black but voices were still audible.
''Tell the Illusive man we collected the target. ''
In the growing darkness Miranda could only see pairs of blue eyes staring back at her. The world of sound and images both vanished and Miranda was alone in the darkness.
Codex entries
King Edward XVIII (eighteen).
Never has there been a more unlikely Monarch. Born 8th of March 2154 Edward wincer was fifteenth in line to the throne of Great Britain, Edward was deemed an almost no essential and was allowed to join the alliance military at the age of eighteen. Choosing the alliance medical service Edward had risen to the rank of medical officer Edward life seemed destined for normality until the event's of the 13 November 2176. A bomb placed inside Buckingham place during the Prince of Wales birthday celebrations explode, killing the royal family as well as over a hundred others. Edward was stationed with alliance 5th army on desert exercises and avoided the events, after a week it had become clear that he was now king. Edward was crowned Edward the eighteenth a month later.
General James Thomas Campbell.
Born in Orkney 2137 James Thomas Campbell rose quickly within the rank of the alliance army but it was during the battle of Shanxi where he came to the spotlight. Fighting a fanatical defence against superior Turian forces, Campbell and his troops held out until the alliance counter attack swept the Turians form the planet. He has since risen to the rank of general and appointed as head of northern command, earth defence force.
Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed.
3. Chapter 3
Shepard stood on the edge of the precipice; there were faint glimmer of light, from the beacon already lowered into the pit.
''It's a fifty foot drop down to the other shaft, that where they claimed to find the body.''
Campbell stood away from the edge addressing the group preparing to descend.
''I know you take orders from Douglas but this time you take orders from Shepard. ''
There was a mummer.
''No problem sir.''
The solider next to Shepard turned to him.
''You saved my life, on the citadel Shepard; I've got your back. ''
Shepard smiled beneath her helmet.
''Thanks.''
Shepard took a step back and let the rope take her weight. She began repelling down the side of the shaft her boots making imprints in the side of the pit. Slowly the lights of enters passage began to fade. Shepard suddenly heard something, as if someone was talking in the distance.
''Sorry say again.''
''No one said anything Shepard.''
The noise stopped, leaving nothing but the tunnel. Suddenly the bottom of the pit appeared out of the darkness. Shepard lowered herself the last couple of feet and dropped to the floor. She looked down the tunnel the first person for a least a century.
''I'm at the floor.''
Her torch beam lit up the dark passage. She saw a faint glimmer of something bone white at the end of the passage. Suddenly the noise was back as if someone was talking next to her, she spun round only to see the rest of the soldiers just stepping of the rim of the shaft. The noise vanished again, leaving the dank silence of the pit.
The hours passed.
Madrid
Agustin was jolted awake as the sound of shuttle appeared over head. He made his way over to the window. The shuttles began touching down on the other side of the police perimeter.
''anybody got an I.D?''
''presidential guard sir.''
Agustin picked up his assault rifle.
''So Look like Hudson, send in the goon squad.''
A click rang out as safeties were turned off. Agustin crouched down behind the window. He glanced down the scope; the guard were forming up on the other side of the perimeter. The crowd on the side street emerged from tents and other temporary structures, a wave of hissing and catcalls rang out as the guard formed a line on the edge of the square.
''Sir his eye are glowing.''
Agustin raised an eyebrow.
''Have you been drinking?''
''No sir, middle row in the third platoon.''
Agustin scanned the ranks of guardsmen, they all had there helmet's on with visors down but on one of them a crack ran along the visors. A blue light emerged from beneath the metal a light Agustin had seen before coming from those husk on Eden prime.
No one was ever sure of what happened next. A shot rang out from across square catching the guardsmen in the face smashing the visor; he spun round as a camera drone moved in, the face which was revelled was soon broadcast across the whole alliance a face worn down to the skull with nothing but the staring blue eyes.
It was then the shooting started.
Kent
Shepard slumped against the wall; they'd been down there for a few hours now but to no avail. Her thought turned to Miranda.
''Elena.''
Miranda voice rang softly around the shaft, nobody ells seemed to hear anything. Shepard turned half excepting to see Miranda standing next to her. She found she was facing the caved-in side of the shaft but it seemed odd. She made her way over to stare at the rock face, the rest of the shaft was covered with a thin slime but this rock face was completely dry.
''Shepard.''
Douglas appeared behind her.
''Why are these dry, whilst all the rest is damp?''
''I'll get one of the egg head to take a look.''
Shepard placed a hand on the rock, it felt solid but something still felt wrong. Suddenly the noise returned not a whisper but a yell. Suddenly the cave was gone replaced only by darkness.
''Shepard ... Shepard.''
Douglas looked around, Shepard had vanished.
Edward was awoken by the sound of Campbell yelling down the radio.
''What do you mean she Vanished?''
There was a muffled reply down the radio.
''Well find her''.
Campbell deactivated the radio and turned to Edward.
''Shepard Vanished.''
''Vanished.''
''Into thin air.''
Both men stared at each other. They were brought back to life by a radio operator.
''Sir there fighting in Madrid.''
''What?''
''Report coming in of Police and Army fighting the presidential guard, sir there report...''
Silence filled the control room.
''... there reports the guards are indoctrinated.''
The sound of a pen hitting the floor and the faint hum of computers was the only thing heard in the room. The silence continued before Edward's voice broke it.
''If the guards indoctrinated ...''
Campbell finished Edwards's sentence.
''then they could have the president.''
Suddenly there was a beep on the radar.
''Sir there a shuttle inbound, redcaps''
Campbell swore before turning out of the control room, for the monument Shepard was on her own.
Shepard body ache. It was as if all the scars healed during Lazarus had suddenly ripped open. She tried to move her arm but nothing happened other than another burst of pain, she stop trying to move and tried to take in her surroundings. There was nothing no sound, no light just nothing.
Suddenly voice filled her head; voices from her childhood all the way up to Campbell and Edward voices, all merging into one almost unbearable noise. Images began to fill her mind, her first kiss, her father funeral, join the marines, N7 training, sovereign, the destruction of the Normandy and then the collector base.
''has the committee come to a decision.''
A voice broke through the madness of swirling images and noise but then they were gone and sudden there was bright light. The sound of waves lasing against the shore, she was lying on a beach with the warmth of the sun lashing against her face. She moved her hand across her face to find the skin completely fine; her armour was gone replaced by a dark blue bikini.
''Elena.''
She turned to see Miranda sitting in a hammock slung between two palm trees.
''Mindi where is this?''
Miranda smiled.
''Just sit here please.''
She placed a hand on the hammock. For some reason all of Shepard problems vanished. She made her way over to the hammock and slid in next to Miranda, she felt an arm being placed around her and being pulled close.
''It will be ok Shepard.''
''Enough of this.''
The voice was back and this time it had a face, two yellow eyes staring at her. The beach was gone replaced again by the darkness, she was back wearing her armour but now she was in a swamp with foul smelling liquid bubbling up from a pool. Stone chair ringed it; each had a hole in the back a scaled tails emerged from them.
''We are agreed it not indoctrinated.''
A voice different from the first one emerged from one of the chair. She took a few steps forward; the creatures sitting in the chair looked like the one in the mine shaft, Scaled crocodilians with webbed arms that reached down to grasp the arms of the chairs. They ranged in colours from brown to dark green some had red scales dotted across their faces but with perusing yellow eyes staring across the low light.
''yes but the fact it down here is a big enough problem. ''
''The next cycle is nearly upon us, we should hid like we always done.''
''We won't survive another cycle, we lose members every day.''
''Do you believe theses warm blood can stop them?''
''Why don't we let it speak.''
Several pairs of eyes turned to her, she moved forward into the centre of the circle.
''Who...what are you?''
''We are the comity, Commander Shepard.''
''How do you, know my name?''
''We know everything.''
''We are thought walkers, we know and hear all.''
''Then you know why I'm here?''
''Yes you seek a super weapon do defeat the machines you call reapers, you will find none here.''
''but the...''
''Propaganda.''
Shepard turned round; the faces staring back at her seemed to look straight threw her, all except one.
''Do you think you can win?''
Shepard starred straight back at the creature that had just spoken; it was different from the others a scare ran the length of it face, It eyes looked dull but still burnt with the fire of a warrior.
''I don't know?''
A torrent of voices irrupted but was silenced by the creature with the scared raised it hand.
''Would you, die for her?''
The image of the first time she seen Miranda, that faint drug filled hallucination crept into Shepard head.
''Yes.''
Silence filled the room. The creature stared at Shepard before standing up.
''The warrior, votes to awaken, call the vote.''
The room vanished replaced with emptiness but suddenly light broke through. Shepard was lying on a table in what appeared to be a medical room. Something was moving off to one side. Suddenly a hiss broke the stillness and a pod emerged from the wall. She felt something on the back of her head, she tried to stand up but found one of her hands tied to the table. The pod opened to revile one of the crocodilians emerged. It stared at her for a monument before falling to its knees. The clasp on Shepard arm opened she stood up and was surprised to find her pistol still in it holster. She drew it and aimed it at the creature.
''right what the...''
''Red vile.''
Shepard looked puzzled before noticing a red vile on the table she been tied to. She moved over being careful to keep the gun aimed at the creature. She picked it up and then rolled it over to the creature. It picked up the vile and slid into a segment of it armour. It pulled itself up and leaned against the wall.
''Right who are you what is going on?''
''My name is Zanta am a solider of the Ival and we must act soon commander or the reapers will take your world without a shot being fired.''
Thank for reading.
All mass effect character property of bioware.
End file.
| fanfiction |
it is now quite widely accepted that in the formation process of low - mass ( @xmath0 ) stars , a disc accretion phase is typically present ( see hartmann 1998 for an extensive review and references ) . in particular , the classical t tauri stars ( ctts ) are thought to be still surrounded by discs and the emission properties of some typical objects suggest that these discs are not merely passive " dust bodies , irradiated by the central star , but are rather bona - fide energy producing , viscous accretion discs , similar to the ones present in mass transferring close binary systems , and whose modeling dates back to the classical works of shakura & sunyaev ( 1973 ) and lynden - bell & pringle ( 1974 ) . because of their ubiquity and of some interesting theoretical challenges they pose , accretion discs have remained at the centre stage of astrophysical research ( see e.g. frank , king & raine 1992 ; papaloizou & lin 1995 ; lin & papaloizou 1996 for reviews ) .
one particular issue in this context is the fact that in many ctts the measured spectrum presents an unusually high emission in the infra red ( called ir excess ) , far more than expected from disc reprocessing of stellar light or viscous heating of the disc ( see bertout 1989 , beckwith et al . 1990 , hartmann et al .
our wish to investigate this problem , as well as some other facets of ctts discs , has been the main motivation for the work reported on in this paper .
it consists of setting up a numerical calculation of the properties of an accretion disc around magnetic ctts , using a scheme of magnetic interaction , originally proposed in the context of diamagnetic accretion by king .
this description of the magnetic interaction assumes that as material moves through the magnetosphere it interacts with the local magnetic field via a velocity dependent acceleration ( force per unit mass , @xmath1 ) of the form : @xmath2_\bot , \label{general}\ ] ] where @xmath3 and @xmath4 are the velocities of the material and magnetic field lines respectively , @xmath5 is a suitable `` magnetic drag '' coefficient ( see below ) and the suffix @xmath6 refers to the vector component perpendicular to the field line . the magnetic acceleration , as expressed in equation [ general ] ,
is intended to represent the dominant term of the magnetic interaction , with @xmath5 containing the relevant parameters determining the effective magnetic time - scale . within the above description ( [ general ] ) there are still a number of different possibilities to model the inner disc - magnetosphere interaction . in this paper
we shall use the diamagnetic blob accretion ( dba ) model , although it is possible to formulate the diametrically opposite case ( complete magnetic penetration of the disc ) in the general form ( [ general ] ) as well .
wynn , leach & king show how to calculate the appropriate coefficient @xmath5 for the latter case and we plan to repeat our calculations in the future , using this prescription . in the dba approach
one assumes that the fluid constituting the accretion flow , i.e. the disc and its surroundings , is composed of blobs immersed in a dilute interblob plasma ( see aly & kuijpers 1990 ) .
the blobs behave diamagnetically in the presence of the stellar magnetic field and thus suffer a surface drag force acting on them .
the model has since its introduction been applied to various systems , notably to the intermediate polar class of cataclysmic variables ( cv ) .
wynn & king and wynn , king & horne incorporated the diamagnetic drag force into a particle hydrodynamical numerical code ( hydisc ) , originally developed by whitehurst to simulate the accretion disc in non - magnetic close binary systems .
they found important properties of the white dwarf s spin evolution and its effect on the disc and explicitly applied their findings to the moderately magnetic cv ae aqr .
a more recent study using this approach was its application to the system ex hya @xcite .
the dba approach was extended to the study of accreting t tauri stars for the first time by king & regev , hereafter kr .
they performed calculations of _ individual _ blob ( that is , ballistic ) orbits , including the interaction with magnetic loops of the central star and have shown that this mechanism can eject blobs from the system , in directions pointing away from the disc plane . by estimating the angular momentum thus expelled and including it in the overall angular momentum budget kr found that a stellar spin equilibrium value is compatible with the observations ( i.e. @xmath7 an order of magnitude less than the breakup value ) if the magnetic loops extend to a few stellar radii .
pearson & king , hereafter pk , generalised the above work into a @xmath8-particle simulation , in a similar manner to the one mentioned above for cvs .
this work also focused on the issue of the slow observed t tauri spin rates and confirmed the idea that such equilibrium spin rates can be achieved by the expulsion of matter from the disc until the corotation radius ( see below ) coincides with the edge of the magnetic loop .
the additional new finding , not anticipated by kr , of this work was that the ejection of material comes to a halt as the star approaches its spin equilibrium value .
the problem of the slow spin rates and rotational evolution of t tauri stars as a result of the star s magnetic interaction with its accretion disc has been also approached , in a number of works , by analytical and semi - analytical methods , that is , stopping short of multi - dimensional numerical simulations .
knigl ( 1991 ) , cameron & campbell ( 1993 ) and armitage & clarke ( 1996 ) used quite different approaches and all found that a stellar dipole magnetic field of strength @xmath9 is able to regulate the stellar spin to a quasi - static value , in the observed range . in the process of the magnetic interaction the inner accretion disc gets disrupted and the inner ( abrupt ) termination radius of the disc was estimated in the above papers .
kr and pk used the dba approach focusing on the ejection of mass from the disc , in an effort to link the low spin rates of t tauri stars with outflows from young stellar objects ( yso ) within a unified scenario . in the present work we utilise the dba model in the calculation of the properties of the steady ( or quasi - steady ) accretion disc itself , that is , the material that remains close to the equatorial plane while spiraling in due to viscous torques , _ after _ the spin period has already stabilised .
some pecularities of t tauri _ light - curves _
( i.e. the temporal luminosity variations ) have already been treated using a model based on single blob ballistic orbits , which leave the the disc plane but ultimately return and impinge on the disc surface @xcite . in order to investigate whether the dba model is consistent with some of the basic properties of t tauri _ spectra _ ( see bertout 1989 and references therein ) and in particular the above mentioned ir excess
, we have performed numerical simulations using a code based on hydisc , suitably modified so as to adapt it for the problem at hand .
this paper is organised as follows . in the next section
we discuss the basics of blob dynamics and estimate the relevant time - scales .
3 describes the numerical code used in the accretion flow simulation and the procedure for finding the spectrum emitted by such flows . in
4 the results of our simulations for a score of parameter values are described in some detail and finally , 5 summarises this work in comparison to the results of other approaches .
following kr and pk we model the material of a t tauri disc as being composed of gas blobs immersed in a tenuous interblob plasma .
these blobs are assumed to behave diamagnetically in the presence of the magnetic field of the central star , which threads the plasma .
drell , folley & ruderman ( 1965 ) showed that the typical time - scale on which a diamagnetic object of mass @xmath10 ( i.e. a blob ) loses energy , when it moves in a magnetic field @xmath11 , is @xmath12 where @xmath13 is the alfvn speed of the interblob plasma , whose density is @xmath14 , and @xmath15 is the blob size .
there is a minimum condition on the conductivity for this equation to hold and , as it was shown by kr , this condition is satisfied for all reasonable parameters in the conditions appropriate for t tauri accretion .
this allows to cast the diamagnetic force per unit mass , acting on a blob , into one simple formula , whose form is in accordance with equation [ general ] : @xmath16_\bot\ ;
\hat{\bf n } , \label{perp}\ ] ] where @xmath17 ( see below ) is the diamagnetic drag coefficient .
the magnetic drag force obviously vanishes if the blob velocity @xmath18 _ relative _ to the velocity of the local field line @xmath4 is _ parallel _ to the field lines , it is proportional to the perpendicular ( to the local field ) component of this relative velocity and is directed in the normal direction @xmath19 to the field .
this is the meaning of the shorthand vector notation in equation [ perp ] .
its explicit component form will be given below .
assuming that the magnetic field rotates with the star and does not change on the time - scale of interest , the above equation is best explicitly written in the frame of reference _ rotating with _ the central star and had the form @xmath20,\ ] ] where @xmath21 is the blob velocity _ in the rotating frame _ , that is , relatively to the field lines , and @xmath22 is a unit vector in the local field direction ( see kr ) . substituting explicitly the above form of @xmath23 and @xmath24 , where @xmath25 is the blob density , in the drag coefficient one gets @xmath26 where the second equality parametrizes @xmath27 in terms of a constant coefficient @xmath5 and a spatially dependent ( @xmath28 denotes the position vector ) function , which is of order @xmath29 .
the blob parameters and their space dependence , as well as the plasma density , are rather uncertain .
the only variable which can be explicitly written is the magnetic field ( in the approximation that it is fixed in the rotating frame , that is , anchored to the star ) , because it can be chosen a priori . in this work
we shall mainly use a dipolar magnetic field configuration and group , for the sake of convenience , all the other variables into a single fixed parameter , incorporating in it most of our ignorance of the complex plasma instabilities , which are supposed to create and shape the blobs . within this framework
we have @xmath30^{1/2 } , \label{key}\ ] ] in cylindrical coordinates @xmath31 whose @xmath32 axis coincides with the dipole axis .
@xmath33 is the stellar radius and @xmath34 where @xmath35 is the polar field strength .
this @xmath5 is assumed to be constant and will serve as a parameter of our problem . for a discussion of the different options to chose @xmath27 see e.g. wynn , king & horne ( 1997 ) .
we focus in this work on the case of an _ aligned _ dipole , that is , when the dipole axis coincides with the disc axis , but will briefly discuss ( in 4.3 ) the inclined dipole case as well .
the magnetic drag term has to be added to the blob equations of motion , which include also gravitational , centrifugal and coriolis terms ( in the rotating frame ) . scaling the independent variables by their natural values ,
that is , lengths by the corotation radius , @xmath36 ( with @xmath37 the central star s mass and @xmath38 its rotational angular velocity ) and time by @xmath39 , the following blob equations of motion are found @xcite : @xmath40 , \label{xeq}\ ] ] @xmath41 , \label{yeq}\ ] ] @xmath42 , \label{zeq}\ ] ] these constitute the nondimensional equations of motion for the cartesian components , in the _ rotating frame _ , of the blob trajectory @xmath43 and are thus ready to be incorporated into hydisc ( see in the next section ) .
@xmath44 , the cylindrical radius , is obviously @xmath45 and the calculation of @xmath46 is quite simple for an aligned dipole .
for a tilted dipole , a somewhat more involved ( but straight forward ) calculation is needed .
the drag term has been written as @xmath47 , the nondimensional version of @xmath27 ( of equation [ key ] ) .
the explicit form of this function , following from equations [ key ] and [ key0 ] , brings out the physical meaning of the constant coefficient @xmath48 appearing in front of the nondimensional spatially dependent part of the magnetic field @xmath49^{1/2 } , \label{kapa}\ ] ] which is @xmath50 here reasonable ( order of magnitude ) estimates of the parameters for accreting t tauri systems have been used to scale the relevant variables .
@xmath51 is the stellar spin period and @xmath35 the polar magnetic field strength .
the disc density scaling value is estimated from models of standard accretion discs around t tauri stars , using a representative accretion rates of @xmath52 @xcite .
the blob parameters are rather uncertain , but it is reasonable that the blob size is probably of the order of the vertical scale height in the disc while its density should be several orders of magnitude larger than that of the disc .
this gives the value with which we scale @xmath53 . in any case
, our results will be seen to depend only on the parameter @xmath48 ( and several other quantities related to the numerical model ) and hence on the particular combination given in equation [ kapa0 ] .
time - scale estimates can now be easily seen to demonstrate that for @xmath54 the magnetic drag time - scale near the star ( where @xmath55 and thus the contribution of the space dependent part , arising from eq .
[ kapa ] , is very close to @xmath29 ) for a polar field of @xmath56 , denoted here by @xmath57 , is much larger than the dynamical time - scale there , since the latter is much shorter than @xmath58 ( t tauri stars are slow rotators ) .
thus we do not expect a significant effect near the star due to the magnetic drag in this case .
since the magnetic field decays ( and thus the magnetic drag time scale grows ) faster with @xmath44 than the dynamical time - scale , the effect of the magnetic field on the motion will be small everywhere for @xmath54 let us examine now what happens at the corotation radius . from the functional dependence of the dipole field ( eq . [ kapa ] )
we have the term @xmath59 , with the ratio of the @xmath38-s evaluated at the stellar surface .
this term is of the order of @xmath60 in t tauri stars , but @xmath61 , by definition , is equal to the dynamical time scale at the corotation radius . if one chooses @xmath62 , a significant effect of the magnetic force at corotation is expected and obviously more so inside corotation .
thus we expect a significant modification of the inner accretion disc in this case .
these time - scale estimates provide the rationale for our choice of the @xmath48 parameter range ( or @xmath35 with all the other parameters constant ) in the simulations ( described in 4 ) .
note that the viscous time - scale did not enter our considerations here .
in accretion disc theory it is always assumed that this time - scale is much larger than the dynamical time - scale and consequently if the the magnetic time - scale approaches the dynamical one they are both much shorter than the viscous time scale .
however , in regions where the magnetic time - scale is extremely long ( far out in the disc , or even quite close in , if the field is weak enough ) it might be even longer than the viscous time - scale and thus the magnetic drag would not interfere with the viscous evolution of the disc .
to facilitate an accretion flow simulation in our system we adapt hydisc , a numerical particle code originally written by whitehurst to study accretion in cv , to the problem of a single central magnetic accretor ( a t tauri star ) .
the introduction of the magnetic interaction into the particles equations of motion , using the dba approach , has already been explained in the previous section .
our blobs are being considered as the particles of the particle scheme , utilized in hydisc to simulate the hydrodynamical aspects of the flow , like pressure and viscosity . as it was already mentioned in the introduction ,
similar schemes based on hydisc have been designed for simulating accretion flows in magnetic cv @xcite and also for investigating the outflows and spin evolution of an accreting t tauri star @xcite .
our calculation is , in principle , similar to the latter work because the gravitational effects of the companion star are removed from the code , however the purpose of this work and therefore the simulation details are quite different .
we are interested in obtaining a steady - state structure of the disc itself and the spectral shape of the emitted radiation after the spin period of the central star has settled onto its equilibrium value .
this calls for the determination of an appropriate spatial computational domain , a suitable particle injection scheme ( initializing the calculation ) and the need for a method to assess the temperature ( and from it , the integrated spectrum ) of the accreting matter . the inner and outer boundaries of our _ computational region _ are the stellar radius , @xmath63 , and the `` escape '' radius , @xmath64 ( which is a parameter typically set at @xmath65 ) , respectively .
particles are injected into the computational domain ( in a manner described below ) and if during the course of the evolution they are found to leave this domain , they are removed from the calculation altogether . once in the computational zone , each particle is subject to the field forces formulated explicitly in the rotating frame by the equations of motion [ xeq ] through [ zeq ] .
in addition , short - range forces , reflecting the interaction between adjacent particles and thus simulating the hydrodynamical aspect of the dynamics , are employed using the hydisc version of the particle hydrodynamics approach @xcite .
these forces are controlled by three parameters : @xmath66 , determining the pressure force ; @xmath67 , a constant of order unity and @xmath68 , the `` chaining '' mesh size .
physically @xmath66 is the sound speed , @xmath67 is in fact the coefficient of restitution of the particle - particle collisions and is less than @xmath29 for inelastic collisions , which must be assumed to simulate viscous flows , and @xmath68 is the viscous scale - length ( for details , see whitehurst 1988 ) .
the fact that hydisc separates the treatment of the long - range ( field ) forces from the short - range ( hydrodynamical ) ones makes this code convenient for application to our problem .
most changes are introduced in the field part ( as explained in the previous section on the equations of motion ) and in the initialization schemes , that is , particle injection ( see below ) , while the treatment of particle interactions remains essentially the same as in hydisc , with an appropriate choice of the parameters .
the structure of hydisc , as explained above , allows also to estimate , relatively easily , the energy dissipation ( see below ) .
our problem involves an accretion disc around a single star and thus the injection scheme has to be chosen accordingly .
the disc around a t tauri star is not being continuously replenished by an external stream , as is the case in discs fed by the secondary star in a close binary system , like a cv .
this said , we still may chose between two distinct possibilities : a `` burst '' injection , in which all particles are injected simultaneously ( or almost so ) and a continuous injection . in both cases we have also to select the _ spatial _ distribution of the injected particles .
clearly , in order to obtain meaningful results the ultimate configuration should not depend on the initial conditions .
computation time limitations dictate that the computational zone must be limited ( as well as the total number of particles ) .
thus , the seemingly best option , i.e. to continuously inject particles at a radius much larger than @xmath69 and wait for the disc to be built up by viscosity , is prohibitive .
we have adopted instead what we call a `` modified burst '' injection scheme .
the particles were injected at an equatorial ring around a radius @xmath70 with a gaussian spread in the individual particles injection radii and a small gaussian displacement out of the disc plane as well .
each particle was initially assigned an azimuthal keplerian velocity plus a random contribution , appropriate for the local disc temperature .
the temperature of the disc , used to calculate the above mentioned random contributions to the injected particles velocities and the sound speed ( and thus the constant @xmath66 ) , was estimated using the analytical standard disc model . the actual formula
which we have used is identical to formula 6 of pk : @xmath71^{1/4},\ ] ] where @xmath72 is the radius in units of @xmath73 and t(3 ) , is the temperature at 3 stellar radii , where true estimates are available @xcite .
although the temperature in our disc is somewhat different , this estimate actually influences only the pressure in the disc ( in addition to the initial condition ) and therefore the error it introduces should be negligible ( see pk ) . in order not to lose too quickly significant numbers of particles from the simulations , the `` modified burst '' scheme consisted of extending the burst duration to a finite ( typically a few stellar rotation periods ) time @xmath74 , with the injection rate decaying with time in a gaussian manner .
in addition , particles were added at a constant ( but rather slow as compared to the burst ) rate @xmath75 so as to compensate for particles lost from the computational zone ( accreted or expelled ) .
the spatial distribution of the added particles was kept fixed in time .
thus the modified burst scheme actually gave rise to the following number of injected particles as a function of time ( expressed here in units of the rotation period ) @xmath76 where @xmath77 .
typically , in our simulations the total number of particles in the burst ( i.e. @xmath78 say ) was between 5000 and 10000 and @xmath79 particles per rotational period ( see below ) . with the present dba scheme it is impossible to obtain a detailed thermal structure of the accretion flow and therefore we aim at approximating just the effect of the magnetic field on the emitted spectrum , _ relatively _ to the non - magnetic ( @xmath80 ) case .
we assume that the disc is optically thick in the region of interest and that the energy dissipated in it by the viscous interaction is immediately locally radiated out in the vertical direction .
these assumptions are essentially the same as in the standard shakura & sunyaev treatment of geometrically thin and optically thick accretion discs . what is different here is the fact that the viscous dissipation rate must be computed from the details of the numerical particle scheme and can not be found directly from the disc s viscous flow
as explained above , a part of the kinetic energy of the particles ( blobs ) is lost in collisions as these are inelastic ( @xmath81 ) . after dividing the computational zone into cells , by a two - dimensional grid in the disc plane
, one can calculate the energy released in each cell @xmath82 during a given time @xmath83 , provided the _
masses _ of the particles are known .
the composite spectrum can then be found by adding up the contributions of all the cells in the computational domain , with each cell assumed to contribute a black - body emission spectrum , corresponding to its effective temperature @xmath84 where @xmath85 is the cell surface area and @xmath86 is the stefan radiation constant . as explained in
2 ( see equations [ kapa ] and [ kapa0 ] ) we have lumped the unknown values of the blob properties into a single parameter and chosen a specific spatial dependence for it . thus for a given value of the coefficient @xmath48 , different combinations of the constituent parameters ( and among them the blob s mass ) is allowed . assuming some fixed average blob mass can thus give a spectral shape , which should be considered as a _ qualitative _ estimate and have a _ relative _ meaning ,
that is , the spectral shapes for different values of @xmath48 can be perceived as an assessment of the effect of the magnetic field strength on the shape of the spectrum .
in addition , since our computational zone does not include ( due to computing time limitations ) the extended outer portion of the disc , the results must be interpreted remembering this fact . in particular , since the outer cool parts of accretion discs contribute mainly to the long wavelength part of the emitted spectrum , our computed spectra clearly _ underestimate _ the spectrum strength for large @xmath87 ( see below in fig .
in choosing the parameters of the simulations we have tried to optimize the sometimes conflicting demands to obtain , on the one hand , meaningful results and on the other hand to limit , as much as possible , the cpu demands of the numerical calculations . we have set the stellar parameters in all the simulations to be @xmath88 ,
@xmath89 , @xmath90 , giving for the corotation radius @xmath91 .
as explained before , the corotation radius serves as our length unit . experimenting with different injection radii ( the location of the centre of the injection ring )
, we have found that with the injection scheme ( [ inject ] ) an injection radius of @xmath92 is effective in building up rather quickly an accretion disc , which does not differ essentially from the one resulting ( after a longer calculation ) from a larger injection radius . in these tests
we have shut off the magnetic interaction , but remembered from previous works that the injection radius should not be too close to corotation . consequently in all the simulations we have used this value of the injection radius , with a gaussian spread of up to @xmath93 . as discussed in the previous section ,
the parameters related to the particle scheme treatment of the pressure and viscosity include @xmath66 , @xmath67 and @xmath94 .
we chose @xmath66 to be equal to the isothermal sound speed , derived from the standard shakura & sunyaev disc temperature distribution . @xmath67 and
@xmath94 determine the viscous effects and have to be chosen with care .
@xmath67 , the restitution coefficient has a global effect on the simulation and since its reasonable values should lie between @xmath95 and @xmath29 ( @xmath96 allows particle interpenetration and @xmath97 corresponds to elastic collisions ) .
we have found that changing @xmath67 within the above mentioned range has only a small effect on the final quasi steady state , but it influences the length of the time until such a state is reached .
whitehurst ( 1988 ) reached a similar conclusion by experimenting with @xmath98 and @xmath99 values in the original hydisc code .
thus , wishing to shorten the simulation time , without , however , making the viscosity unphysically large , we have opted for @xmath100 and used this value in all our simulations , save for a few test cases .
the parameter @xmath94 , setting the viscous interaction length scale , has a local effect on the simulation .
when deciding on the range of variation for this parameter we have taken into account the fact that too small a value of @xmath94 causes the viscous evolution time to be unacceptably long . in addition , because the number of cells in the computational range becomes large , one has to increase the number of particles in order to keep the particle treatment meaningful .
both effects increase the cpu time and we have found that for @xmath101 we were unable to efficiently compute the disc evolution . on the other hand for @xmath94 approaching the value of @xmath102 the increase in viscosity causes the particles to clump together and the evolution becomes unrealistically viscosity dominated . performing test calculations with no magnetic interaction ( @xmath80 ) we found that an initial ring injected around @xmath103 viscously spreads to a structure very similar to a standard thin disc in a time of @xmath104 rotational periods when @xmath94 is kept within the range @xmath105 .
using such a calculation it is also possible to find what is the effective @xmath106 ( the viscosity coefficient in the shakura & sunyaev prescription ) with a given choice of @xmath67 and @xmath94 . a test calculation with @xmath107 ( in units of @xmath69 ,
see below ) and @xmath100 was very similar to the evolution of a ring of matter to as it is found from a standard exercise with an @xmath106 viscosity ( see e.g. pringle 1981 ) value of @xmath108 .
the parameters @xmath48 and @xmath94 were varied in the different simulations .
the range of the variation of @xmath48 was chosen so as to correspond to polar stellar magnetic value of up to several kilogauss ( when the other parameters in @xmath48 are set to their representative values , see equation [ key0 ] ) and @xmath94 was chosen within the range mentioned above .
we have performed 12 full simulations of an accretion disc in an aligned dipole magnetic field for different choices of the pair of parameters @xmath48 and @xmath94 .
the simulations were initialized using the injection scheme described in equation [ inject ] with parameters chosen so as to insure that the number of particles does not drop below @xmath109 during the simulation .
the simulations were continued until a quasi - steady configuration was achieved , that is , no significant changes of the structure were observed over a significant time ( see below ) .
we have chosen to describe here in some detail the simulations with @xmath110 ( simulation group 3 in our list ) , that is , with the viscosity strength chosen in the middle of its feasible range . as discussed in the previous section this choice corresponds to an effective @xmath111 .
three runs were performed for different values of the magnetic interaction strength ( @xmath112 ) , where the non - magnetic case ( @xmath80 ) was run to serve as reference , in particular for the spectra , which have quantitative meaning only in comparison to each other ( as explained before ) .
these three runs were all allowed to continue for a total simulation time of @xmath113 .
a quasi - steady state was achieved already after approximately half of this time .
the cpu time requirement for each run , with the number of particles kept at @xmath109 ( the accreted and ejected particles were replenished as explained above ) , was about @xmath114 hours on a sun ultra 2 workstation , when the program was coded in c , to increase its efficiency . in fig . 1 we show the surface number density of the particles ( a quantity proportional to the disc surface mass density , customarily called @xmath115 ) as a function of radius for the three values of @xmath48 .
note that in the innermost and outermost parts of the disc , regions in which the surface density curves are dashed , the number of particles is too small to render the result to be quantitatively reliable .
we also plot on this graph the analytical result , arising from a standard thin disc formula with inner cutoff ( see below ) .
this is represented by the fully dashed curve , which which follows the @xmath116 case for most of the range . from this figure
it is evident that the effect of the magnetic field on the disc structure is important , as it significantly modifies the functional dependence of the surface density on the radius . for @xmath80 ( no magnetic field )
the particles form a rather `` collapsed '' with its density growing sharply towards the central object .
this is so because our simulations were tailored for the high @xmath48 case and therefore the particle injection rate was too small for the buildup of a steady disc in a small @xmath48 case .
a growing magnetic field strength has a dynamical effect on the disc .
as could be expected from a previous study , in which individual orbits of particles were calculated @xcite , and from the dba simulations of pk , the magnetic interaction drags blobs residing inside corotation towards the star and pushes out blobs whose orbits are outside corotation .
these effects are modified here by the fact that the dipole magnetic field decays outwards and by the interblob interactions .
the combined effect is a significant depletion of blobs close to the star ( a `` hole '' ) and an increase of density at large radii ( a `` flattening '' of the functional dependence of the surface density on radius ) .
the size and depth of the hole and the extent of the flattening of the surface density obviously depend on @xmath48 , that is , on a combination of the disc density ( which depends on the accretion rate ) and the strength of the magnetic field .
analytic estimates of the hole radii at spin equilibrium , as given by cameron and campbell ( 1993 ) , predict that the disc should end abruptly close to the corotation radius ( but depending also on the fastness parameter of the star ) .
our numerical results do not yield an abrupt disc termination , but the value of @xmath117 is certainly consistent with these results . in the following comparisons of our results to analytical solutions
we have used this value of the inner cutoff radius , that is , the analytical formulae giving rise to the fully dashed curves in figs . 1 and 2 ( see below ) result from @xmath118 \label{ss1}\ ] ] and @xmath119 , \label{ss2}\ ] ] with the values of @xmath120 and @xmath121 chosen appropriately , from our calculation , so as to enable the comparison . if fig .
2 we show the comparison of the analytical ( effective ) temperature distribution as given in ( [ ss2 ] ) with the numerical result for the case of @xmath116 , when the outer parts of the disc resemble most the analytical result ( see fig . 1 ) .
the lack of the inner , hottest , part in the numerical results is apparent . in these calculations
the method described in 3.3 was used to monitor the energy dissipation during the simulations and calculate the discs temperature structures and their spectra .
the spectral flux distributions ( @xmath122 ) in the three cases of @xmath48 depicted in fig . 1 are displayed in fig .
it is apparent from the figure that with increasing @xmath48 the spectral distribution of the emitted radiation is shifted towards longer wavelengths .
this trend is quite clear since as we have seen in fig . 1 and 2 , the hottest material , which resides close to the star , is significantly depleted by the magnetic interaction .
in addition , as a result of the increase of the surface density in the outer cooler parts , the contribution to the long - wavelength part of the spectrum is more prominent .
we stress once again that the temperature calculation and hence that of the spectrum suffers from the fact that the _ mass _ of the blobs is essentially unknown , so that the results displayed in fig .
3 are of a qualitative nature and their value is mainly in uncovering the trend of the spectral behaviour . in addition , computer time limitations do not allow us to extend the calculation to the outer parts of the disc ( here , in simulation 3 we have @xmath123 ) . thus the spectral energy distributions in fig . 3 fail to account for the cool material lying outside the outer limit of the computational zone and which should have an effect of increasing the strength at long wavelengths .
since the disc is more extended for large @xmath48 this effect should matter the most in the strongly magnetic case . the actual structure of the accretion disc for the three values of @xmath48 can be seen in fig . 4 , in which maps of the the surface density and temperature are shown . from the examination of fig . 3 and the above considerations it is thus reasonable to conclude that the magnetic interaction , at least as it is dealt with in this work , tends to flatten the spectrum for long wavelengths , consistently with the observed ir excess mentioned in the introduction . the results of all the other simulations ( i.e. the ones with a different value of the viscosity scale parameter @xmath94 are similar to the ones described above and thus the conclusions are similar .
the actual value of @xmath94 has only a little effect on the final ( i.e. quasi - steady ) surface density and temperature distribution , as long as this value is within the calculation feasibility range ( see above ) .
the difference is in the time that has to pass until the configuration settles down .
this is understandable as the evolution time is essentially the viscous time scale and the latter decreases with increasing @xmath94 .
we have performed , in addition to the simulations described above in which the magnetic field was that of an aligned dipole , two similations with different magnetic configurations . in the first one
we have used a magnetic dipole whose axis was tilted to the disc axis and in the second one a `` dipole slice '' ( see below ) was introduced in order to estimate the effects of a localised magnetic field configuration .
a single simulation was performed with @xmath124 , that is , similar to one of the simulations described above , but with the magnetic dipole axis tilted at an angle of @xmath125 to the disc axis .
the results show relatively few changes as compared to the aligned dipole case .
there was almost no perturbation of the disc matter , relatively to the aligned dipole case , far out of the corotations radius .
this is understandable since the blobs orbiting at these positions experience in this case a magnetic field whose direction oscillates with the period of the stellar rotation ( which is considerably shorter than the blob s keplerian period ) .
thus , it is expected that the blobs actually react to the average magnetic field , i.e. behave in a similar way as in the aligned dipole case .
this expectation is wrong for blobs close to and inside corotation .
indeed , their motion should be channeled there by the magnetic field .
this effect could not be observed in our simulations since the density of the particles in the magnetosphere , above the disc plane , is very small .
a very high number of particles or alternatively an extremely strong magnetic field is needed in order to resolve , in our type of calculation , the particle flow along field lines .
this remark obviously applies to the aligned dipole case as well . to simulate the case in which the actual stellar magnetic field resembles a localized loop , similar to the case studied by pk
, we have used a `` slice '' of the aligned dipole , with gaussian fall - off in strength in both the radial coordinate @xmath44 and the azimuthal angle @xmath126 .
thus we have performed a simulation with @xmath127 and with the magnetic field centered on the position @xmath128
@xmath129 \exp[-(r - r_0)^2/2d_r^2],\ ] ] where @xmath130 is a dipole field ( see the functional dependence in equation [ key ] and @xmath131 , @xmath132 are the radial and angular gaussian fall - off scales in the radial and azimuthal directions . in the simulation we have chosen @xmath133 , consistently with the findings of kr that this should be the equilibrium configuration .
the results clearly depend on @xmath131 and @xmath132 .
when we chose @xmath134 , the disc beyond @xmath69 resembled the non - magnetic case ( @xmath80 ) , since the field is practically zero there .
closer to corotation and inside it , the density distribution looked like that of a full but _ weaker _ dipole , since the dipole slice field effectively acts on the orbiting blobs only along a fraction @xmath135 of the blob s orbit .
the most prominent feature of our simulation results is the formation of a low density region ( a hole ) in the inner part of the disc as a result of the magnetic interaction .
in addition , the density distribution becomes more spread out , as the slope of @xmath136 decreases with increasing @xmath48 .
this behaviour is typical and essentially qualitatively independent of all the other parameters . although the `` hole '' is the more noticeable feature ( see e.g. the density maps in fig . 4 ) , it is less significant to overall observable features than the global change in the density distribution .
we have also seen , by comparing our calculations with what can be expected from analytical results , that we uncover some features ( like the absence of hot material close to the inner hole ) which can not be obtained from just classical disc models with a hole inside . due to computer power restrictions we were unable to achieve a high enough resolution , so as to see the accretion flow along the field lines and outflows from the system .
in addition we were able to simulate only a limited portion of the disc and thus the calculations of the spectrum reveal only the general trend .
this trend , resulting from the flattening of the surface density distribution , was always to shift emission power toward longer wavelengths .
the flattening of @xmath122 is most apparent near its maximum and it is reasonable that were it not for the close ( computational ) cutoff in @xmath44 , the shape would remain flat to longer wavelengths .
we propose therefore that the ir excess in t tauri stars can be attributed to magnetic interaction , which modifies the functional dependence of the surface density in the surrounding discs .
existing models attempting to explain the ir excess in t tauri stars fall into two distinct categories : those invoking geometrical factors and others , proposing energy dissipation mechanisms operating preferably in the outer parts of the disc .
our model suggests a correlation between the spectrum flatness and the magnetic field strength , appears to be quite robust ( practically any shape of the magnetic field would do ) and does not require assumptions about flared shapes of discs or unusual energy dissipation modes . at this stage ,
the results of our calculation provide little more than support for a _ qualitative _ promising idea . as it was mentioned in the introduction
, it is possible to apply a similar prescription to the case in which the magnetic field penetrates the disc .
we can reasonably expect that the results of such a calculation should not be too different , at least qualitatively , from the ones presented in this paper .
it appears that all that is required is magnetic field lines imparting a torque on the gas , which changes in sign as we cross the corotation radius .
significant results for both models of the magnetic interaction can be achieved in high resolution ( significantly larger number of particles ) .
however , to extend the idea into a reliable quantitative model , full multidimensional mhd simulations , including radiative transfer , have to be ultimately performed .
we thank giora shaviv for helpful remarks and suggestions .
yigal ultchin acknowledges the hospitality of the astronomy group at leicester university and the financial support extended to him at the technion .
this research was supported by grants from the israel science foundation , the helen & robert asher research fund and by the fund for the promotion of research at the technion .
we would also like to thank the referee , whose insightful comments helped considerably in improving this paper .
99 aly j.j . , kuijpers j. , 1990 , a&a , 227 , 473 armitage p.j . , clarke c.j . , 1996 , mnras , 280 , 458 basri g. , bertout c. , 1989 , apj , 341 , 340 beckwith s.v.w . , sargent a.i .
, chini r.s . , gsten r. , 1990 , aj , 99 , 924 bertout c. , 1989 , ara&a , 27 , 351 cameron a.c . ,
campbell c. g. , 1993 , a&a , 274 , 309 drell s. , foley h.m . , ruderman m.a
. , 1965 , j. geophys . res .
, 70 , 3131 frank y. , king a.r . ,
raine d.j . , 1992 ,
accretion power in astrophysics , 2nd edn .
, cambridge university press , cambridge hartmann l. , hewett r. , calvet n. , 1994 , apj , 426 , 669 hartmann l. , 1998 , accretion processes in star formation , cambridge univ . press ,
cambridge king a.r . , 1993 , mnras , 261 , 144 king a.r . , regev o. , 1994 , mnras , 268 , l69 ( kr ) king a.r . , wynn g.a , 1999 , mnras , 310 , 203 knigl a. , 1991 , apj , 370 , l39 lin d.n.c . , papaloizou j.c.b . , 1996 , ara&a , 34 , 703 lynden - bell d .. pringle j.e . , 1974 , mnras , 168 , 603 papaloizou j.c.b . , lin d.n.c
, 1995 , ara&a , 33 , 905 pearson k.j . , king a.r . , 1995 , mnras , 276 , 1303 ( pk ) pringle j.e . , 1981 ,
ara&a , 19 , 137 shakura n.i . ,
sunyaev r.a . , 1973 ,
a&a , 24 , 337 ultchin y. , regev o. , bertout c. , 1997 , apj , 486 , 397 whitehurst r. , 1988 , mnras , 233 , 529 wynn g.a . , leach r. , king a.r . , 2001 , ( submitted to mnras ) wynn g.a . , king a.r . , 1995 , mnras , 275 , 9 wynn g.a . , king a.r .
, horne k. , 1997 , mnras , 286 , 436 | arxiv |
<?php
/* vim: set expandtab tabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 softtabstop=4: */
/**
* PHP Version 5
*
* Copyright (c) 2002-2006, Sebastian Bergmann <[email protected]>.
* All rights reserved.
*
* Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
* modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
* are met:
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* * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
* notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
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* * Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
* notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in
* the documentation and/or other materials provided with the
* distribution.
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* * Neither the name of Sebastian Bergmann nor the names of his
* contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived
* from this software without specific prior written permission.
*
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* "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
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* LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN
* ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
* POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
*
* @category Testing
* @package PHPUnit2
* @author Sebastian Bergmann <[email protected]>
* @copyright 2002-2006 Sebastian Bergmann <[email protected]>
* @license http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.php BSD License
* @version CVS: $Id: TestResult.php,v 1.32.2.7 2006/02/25 09:44:23 sebastian Exp $
* @link http://pear.php.net/package/PHPUnit2
* @since File available since Release 2.0.0
*/
require_once 'PHPUnit2/Framework/AssertionFailedError.php';
require_once 'PHPUnit2/Framework/IncompleteTest.php';
require_once 'PHPUnit2/Framework/TestFailure.php';
require_once 'PHPUnit2/Framework/TestListener.php';
require_once 'PHPUnit2/Util/ErrorHandler.php';
require_once 'PHPUnit2/Util/Filter.php';
/**
* A TestResult collects the results of executing a test case.
*
* @category Testing
* @package PHPUnit2
* @author Sebastian Bergmann <[email protected]>
* @copyright 2002-2006 Sebastian Bergmann <[email protected]>
* @license http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.php BSD License
* @version Release: 2.3.6
* @link http://pear.php.net/package/PHPUnit2
* @since Class available since Release 2.0.0
*/
class PHPUnit2_Framework_TestResult {
/**
* @var array
* @access protected
*/
protected $errors = array();
/**
* @var array
* @access protected
*/
protected $failures = array();
/**
* @var array
* @access protected
*/
protected $notImplemented = array();
/**
* @var array
* @access protected
*/
protected $listeners = array();
/**
* @var integer
* @access protected
*/
protected $runTests = 0;
/**
* Code Coverage information provided by Xdebug.
*
* @var array
* @access protected
*/
protected $codeCoverageInformation = array();
/**
* @var boolean
* @access protected
*/
protected $collectCodeCoverageInformation = FALSE;
/**
* @var boolean
* @access private
*/
private $stop = FALSE;
/**
* Registers a TestListener.
*
* @param PHPUnit2_Framework_TestListener
* @access public
*/
public function addListener(PHPUnit2_Framework_TestListener $listener) {
$this->listeners[] = $listener;
}
/**
* Unregisters a TestListener.
*
* @param PHPUnit2_Framework_TestListener $listener
* @access public
*/
public function removeListener(PHPUnit2_Framework_TestListener $listener) {
for ($i = 0; $i < sizeof($this->listeners); $i++) {
if ($this->listeners[$i] === $listener) {
unset($this->listeners[$i]);
}
}
}
/**
* Adds an error to the list of errors.
* The passed in exception caused the error.
*
* @param PHPUnit2_Framework_Test $test
* @param Exception $e
* @access public
*/
public function addError(PHPUnit2_Framework_Test $test, Exception $e) {
if ($e instanceof PHPUnit2_Framework_IncompleteTest) {
$this->notImplemented[] = new PHPUnit2_Framework_TestFailure($test, $e);
foreach ($this->listeners as $listener) {
$listener->addIncompleteTest($test, $e);
}
} else {
$this->errors[] = new PHPUnit2_Framework_TestFailure($test, $e);
foreach ($this->listeners as $listener) {
$listener->addError($test, $e);
}
}
}
/**
* Adds a failure to the list of failures.
* The passed in exception caused the failure.
*
* @param PHPUnit2_Framework_Test $test
* @param PHPUnit2_Framework_AssertionFailedError $e
* @access public
*/
public function addFailure(PHPUnit2_Framework_Test $test, PHPUnit2_Framework_AssertionFailedError $e) {
if ($e instanceof PHPUnit2_Framework_IncompleteTest) {
$this->notImplemented[] = new PHPUnit2_Framework_TestFailure($test, $e);
foreach ($this->listeners as $listener) {
$listener->addIncompleteTest($test, $e);
}
} else {
$this->failures[] = new PHPUnit2_Framework_TestFailure($test, $e);
foreach ($this->listeners as $listener) {
$listener->addFailure($test, $e);
}
}
}
/**
* Informs the result that a testsuite will be started.
*
* @param PHPUnit2_Framework_TestSuite $suite
* @access public
* @since Method available since Release 2.2.0
*/
public function startTestSuite(PHPUnit2_Framework_TestSuite $suite) {
foreach ($this->listeners as $listener) {
$listener->startTestSuite($suite);
}
}
/**
* Informs the result that a testsuite was completed.
*
* @param PHPUnit2_Framework_TestSuite $suite
* @access public
* @since Method available since Release 2.2.0
*/
public function endTestSuite(PHPUnit2_Framework_TestSuite $suite) {
foreach ($this->listeners as $listener) {
$listener->endTestSuite($suite);
}
}
/**
* Informs the result that a test will be started.
*
* @param PHPUnit2_Framework_Test $test
* @access public
*/
public function startTest(PHPUnit2_Framework_Test $test) {
$this->runTests += $test->countTestCases();
foreach ($this->listeners as $listener) {
$listener->startTest($test);
}
}
/**
* Informs the result that a test was completed.
*
* @param PHPUnit2_Framework_Test
* @access public
*/
public function endTest(PHPUnit2_Framework_Test $test) {
foreach ($this->listeners as $listener) {
$listener->endTest($test);
}
}
/**
* Returns TRUE if no incomplete test occured.
*
* @return boolean
* @access public
*/
public function allCompletlyImplemented() {
return $this->notImplementedCount() == 0;
}
/**
* Gets the number of incomplete tests.
*
* @return integer
* @access public
*/
public function notImplementedCount() {
return sizeof($this->notImplemented);
}
/**
* Returns an Enumeration for the incomplete tests.
*
* @return array
* @access public
*/
public function notImplemented() {
return $this->notImplemented;
}
/**
* Gets the number of detected errors.
*
* @return integer
* @access public
*/
public function errorCount() {
return sizeof($this->errors);
}
/**
* Returns an Enumeration for the errors.
*
* @return array
* @access public
*/
public function errors() {
return $this->errors;
}
/**
* Gets the number of detected failures.
*
* @return integer
* @access public
*/
public function failureCount() {
return sizeof($this->failures);
}
/**
* Returns an Enumeration for the failures.
*
* @return array
* @access public
*/
public function failures() {
return $this->failures;
}
/**
* Enables or disables the collection of Code Coverage information.
*
* @param boolean $flag
* @throws Exception
* @access public
* @since Method available since Release 2.3.0
*/
public function collectCodeCoverageInformation($flag) {
if (is_bool($flag)) {
$this->collectCodeCoverageInformation = $flag;
} else {
throw new Exception;
}
}
/**
* Returns Code Coverage data per test case.
*
* Format of the result array:
*
* <code>
* array(
* "testCase" => array(
* "/tested/code.php" => array(
* linenumber => flag
* )
* )
* )
* </code>
*
* flag < 0: Line is executable but was not executed.
* flag > 0: Line was executed.
*
* @return array
* @access public
*/
public function getCodeCoverageInformation() {
return $this->codeCoverageInformation;
}
/**
* Runs a TestCase.
*
* @param PHPUnit2_Framework_Test $test
* @access public
*/
public function run(PHPUnit2_Framework_Test $test) {
$this->startTest($test);
set_error_handler('PHPUnit2_Util_ErrorHandler', E_USER_ERROR);
$useXdebug = (extension_loaded('xdebug') && $this->collectCodeCoverageInformation);
if ($useXdebug) {
xdebug_start_code_coverage(XDEBUG_CC_UNUSED);
}
$globalsBackup = $GLOBALS;
try {
$test->runBare();
}
catch (PHPUnit2_Framework_AssertionFailedError $e) {
$this->addFailure($test, $e);
}
catch (Exception $e) {
$this->addError($test, $e);
}
$GLOBALS = $globalsBackup;
if ($useXdebug) {
$this->codeCoverageInformation[$test->getName()] = PHPUnit2_Util_Filter::getFilteredCodeCoverage(
xdebug_get_code_coverage()
);
xdebug_stop_code_coverage();
}
restore_error_handler();
$this->endTest($test);
}
/**
* Gets the number of run tests.
*
* @return integer
* @access public
*/
public function runCount() {
return $this->runTests;
}
/**
* Checks whether the test run should stop.
*
* @return boolean
* @access public
*/
public function shouldStop() {
return $this->stop;
}
/**
* Marks that the test run should stop.
*
* @access public
*/
public function stop() {
$this->stop = TRUE;
}
/**
* Returns whether the entire test was successful or not.
*
* @return boolean
* @access public
*/
public function wasSuccessful() {
return empty($this->errors) && empty($this->failures);
}
}
/*
* Local variables:
* tab-width: 4
* c-basic-offset: 4
* c-hanging-comment-ender-p: nil
* End:
*/
?>
| slim_pajama |
fundamental concepts in psychology and philosophy of the mind are the notion of sensation and perception . when a stimulus produces an effect on different sensory receptors it induces sensation .
subsequent interpretation and organization of this sensory stimulus produce a meaningful experience of the world and of one 's perception .
although in most cases perception is conscious , perception without awareness does exist , that is , the interpretation of semantic stimuli . normally wakefulness and awareness are related ; one has to be awake ; that is , there has to be a certain level of consciousness to be aware of something ; that is , there is content in consciousness . in states of deep sleep , anesthesia , and coma
there is little or no wakefulness and hence no awareness . in drowsiness and light sleep
however , in certain states , dissociations exist between wakefulness and awareness , such as in the vegetative state , when there is wakefulness presumably without awareness ( eyes open , brain shut ) . in the dream state
there is awareness ( content in consciousness ) with decreased wakefulness ( level of consciousness ) .
dreams are succession of images , ideas , emotions , and perceptions without sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind predominantly during rapid eye movement ( rem ) sleep .
nonpulsatile subjective tinnitus is considered a phantom perception , the conscious awareness of a percept in the absence of an external stimulus .
it is characterized by the perception that the phantom sound comes from an external sound source , even though the sound might be pulled from memory [ 1 , 6 , 7 ] .
this is reminiscent of a dream state , when there is awareness , with stimuli attributed to the external world but generated internally .
whereas tinnitus can be considered a simple phantom percept , dreams could be considered complex phantom percepts , like hallucinations and hallucinosis [ 9 , 10 ] . however , in contrast to hallucinations and hallucinosis that occur during wakefulness , dreams occur during certain stages of sleep .
stimulus - evoked auditory cortical activation does not necessarily produce conscious auditory perception , and auditory perception is possible in the absence of auditory input : more than 80% of people with normal hearing perceive phantom sounds when placed in a soundproof room .
likewise , after limb amputation almost all people experience a phantom limb , whereas 70% suffer from severe phantom pain .
a clear clinical analogy exists between phantom pain and disabling tinnitus [ 1 , 14 , 15 ] .
there are also parallels between the pathophysiology of tinnitus and pain , as well as in the treatment [ 16 , 17 ] . however , there are also differences between tinnitus and pain . while physiological pain is mediated via nociceptive pathways ,
this could explain why commonly available analgesics that suppress acute physiological body pain are inefficient in ameliorating tinnitus .
also , medications such as antiepileptics and antidepressants , which are effective in the treatment of neuropathic pain , tend to be ineffective for tinnitus .
many to most ( 33100% ) patients who suffer from phantom limb percepts do not experience phantom limb percepts in a dream state [ 2023 ] .
this has been explained as follows [ 8 , 21 , 23 ] : neural representation of the body derives from sensory and proprioceptive feedback from the body . during sleep ,
when the brain / mind is actively kept offline , this sensory feedback is lacking . moreover , during rem sleep and in the absence of external inputs , dreaming could activate a set of innate or early life spatial - temporal categories .
so if rem sleep is a state of protoconsciousness , that is , a contextually emergent property of self - sustaining systems , the self as it appears in rem sleep dreams is no longer affected by waking experiences because it feeds from an embodied and functionally intact body scheme [ 8 , 21 ] . in view of the pathophysiological analogy between tinnitus and pain , it can be hypothesized that tinnitus is absent in the dream state as well .
we therefore explored this in a group of 78 consecutive tinnitus patients attending the multidisciplinary tinnitus research initiative clinic at the university of antwerp .
a recently proposed pathophysiological model of phantom sound based on a predictive brain concept with bayesian updating might explain why tinnitus is not perceived during dreaming .
seventy - eight patients ( 57 males and 21 females ) with chronic , nonpulsatile tinnitus were included in this study with an average age of 48.78 years ( sd = 12.87 ) and an average tinnitus duration of 5.74 years ( sd = 6.96 ) .
thirty - five patients perceive noise - like tinnitus , while 43 patients experience pure tone tinnitus .
forty - three patients had bilateral tinnitus ; 12 patients perceive tinnitus holocranially , 12 on the left side and 11 on the right side .
the first question asked whether the tinnitus patient recalled if they dreamed during the night ( 1 ) , followed by the question whether in their dreams they perceive tinnitus ( 2 ) .
of the 78 participating patients only 2 ( 2.56% ) declared that they do not recall their dreams , while 76 ( 97.44% ) do .
of those 76 patients that do recall their dreams 74 ( 97.73% ) state that they do not perceive tinnitus while dreaming or are not aware of having tinnitus during sleep .
people with tinnitus do not perceive tinnitus in their dreams analogous to what is reported for many phantom limb perceptions [ 21 , 25 ] .
dreams and wakefulness are both associated with awareness , but in one state of awareness there is no tinnitus ( dreams ) , whereas in the other ( wakefulness ) there is tinnitus .
the reason why patients with tinnitus do not perceive tinnitus in their dream state can be theoretically explained by the bayesian brain model which has been used as an explanation for the development of tinnitus in relation to auditory deafferentation .
this bayesian brain model is founded on an extension of a predictive brain model ( see figure 1(a ) ) . whereas other models ( see for an overview ) can explain the tinnitus in the presence of deafferentation
the bayesian model is compatible with both the deafferentation and noise - cancelling models and provides a rationale why tinnitus develops in a wake state and not in a dream state .
physiologically the brain can be conceptualized as a helmholtz machine that constantly makes one or possibly multiple predictions about the world .
since the examples given to the learner are unlabeled , there is no error or reward signal to evaluate a potential solution ; in other words , there is no updating of the predictions .
a bayesian brain however updates predictions based on what it actively explores in the environment by means of the senses [ 24 , 29 , 30 ] .
bayesian inference can therefore be conceptualized in a way that would be familiar to john hughlings - jackson as using sensory information from the environment to update memory - based expectations ( held before acquiring sensory inputs ) to produce posterior beliefs represented as percepts .
this mechanism permits decision making based on predictions updated by actively sampling the environment for confirmation or rejection of expectations ( see figure 1(b ) ) .
auditory deafferentation limits the amount of information the brain can acquire to make sense of the world .
the topographically specific deafferentation induces a topographically specific prediction error hypothetically based on temporal incongruity . in other words , it is inconsistent with what is stored in memory and should be updated .
the model hypothesizes that deprived auditory information depends on the amount ( bandwidth ) of deafferented auditory channels .
limited damage to auditory receptors causes loss of functional surround inhibition in the cortex , unmasking of latent inputs , and significantly altered neural coding .
this suggests that the missing information can be obtained via access of overlapping tuning curves of the neighboring cortical cells .
if the deafferentation is somewhat larger , a widening of auditory receptive fields will permit pulling the missing information from the auditory cortical neighborhood .
if this is insufficient , due to a still larger deafferentation , dendritic and axonal rewiring can occur .
if this is still insufficient , the missing auditory information can be pulled from ( para)hippocampal memory .
when we dream , we create an image of the world that is entirely detached from sensory feedback ; that is , it can not be updated .
aminergic activity is highest during waking , declines during nrem sleep , and is lowest during rem sleep .
this means that the discrepancy between top - down predictions and ( the absence of ) sensory signals received will not be registered , and the auditory deafferentation will not be filled in , resulting in the absence of tinnitus in the dream state ( see figures 2(a ) and 2(b ) ) .
it has been argued that the cerebellum is involved in motor , sensory , and cognitive predictions .
it is therefore possible that auditory predictions are made in the paraflocculus , as removing this cerebellar structure can prevent tinnitus from arising and arrest the presence of tinnitus in animals .
this conceptually suggests that removing the prediction can prevent or abolish tinnitus , which is in accordance with the concept that tinnitus could be a malprediction .
however , apart from its theoretical implications , the data might also help to find the neural correlates of tinnitus .
the putative on / off switch for tinnitus is to be found in these areas that differ between waking and rem state , that is , the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex / frontopolar - inferior parietal - cerebellar - parahippocampal network .
these areas overlap with a recent meta - analysis of pet studies in tinnitus and provide a framework for zooming in on the pathophysiology of this enigmatic symptom .
in addition to its evident benefit for tinnitus research , it could also provide clues for consciousness research , by delineating the core areas involved in the neural correlates of consciousness ; that is , minimal assembly of brain areas required for consciousness per se [ 38 , 39 ] .
other potential explanations for the absence of tinnitus in the dream state have to be considered .
it is possible that during the dream state there is an attention shift from the tinnitus to the dream , analogous to what is noted in patients who do not perceive their tinnitus when intensely engaged in a task . in conclusion
, this report demonstrates that tinnitus perception is switched off during dream sleep even though there is awareness , like in wakefulness .
this suggests that it is theoretically possible to find the neural correlates of phantom sound and thereby find a potential avenue for suppressing this enigmatic symptom . | pubmed |
Why does ionization violate the stable or lowest energy rule in atoms?
Electrons that fill orbitals always do so in such a way that the resulting structure has the lowest energy state possible, though there are anomalies like chromium and so on.
But ionization no matter which element tends to violate this rule. When electrons are ionized they are from the outermost (valence) shell. But this doesn't always produce the lowest energy state possible like the case with 3d and 4s.
To clarify, all I am asking is why in that specific case, is the electron taken out of the 4s orbital first instead of the 3d orbital, since the 3d orbital is a higher energy level?
Textbooks won't bother to dig into details. Most of them are satisfied with saying that such thing exists. They're right I guess. I'll do a [chemguide](http://www.chemguide.co.uk/atoms/properties/3d4sproblem.html) approach to the answer since I find it most understandable.
>
> We draw this diagram, and then assume that it works for all atoms. In other words, we assume that the energies of the various levels are always going to be those we draw in this diagram.
>
>
> If you stop and think about it, that has got to be wrong. As you move from element to element across the Periodic Table, you are adding extra protons to the nucleus, and extra electrons around the nucleus.
>
>
> The various attractions and repulsions in the atoms are bound to change as you do this - and it is those attractions and repulsions which govern the energies of the various orbitals.
>
>
>
Going through the Aufbau principle, when you pass Ca (Z = 20) you will face Sc, the first element in which a d orbital is going to be filled. But, you must make a really important change in your train of thoughts.
As chemguide explained, with change in the number of protons and electrons due to the change of Z, the way their orbitals' energies are defined changes. Till Ca, the behavior insisted that 4s has a lower energy state than 3d and thus, fills sooner. But, starting from Sc, the pattern changes: **In Scandium, 3d has a lower energy than 4s. The behavior changed**.
This change in behavior results in the current confusion of yours. This much answers the problem you have, and you can visit the page at chemguide to learn more. If you want more info, I can freely add. Hope I've helped!
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Dielkirchen ist eine Ortsgemeinde im Donnersbergkreis in Rheinland-Pfalz. Sie gehört der Verbandsgemeinde Nordpfälzer Land an.
Die heutige Gemeinde entstand am 7. Juni 1969 durch Neubildung aus den bis dahin eigenständigen Gemeinden Dielkirchen (damals 575 Einwohner) und Steingruben (damals 87 Einwohner).
Geographie
Der Ort liegt im Alsenztal im Nordpfälzer Bergland nordwestlich des Donnersbergs ungefähr in der Mitte zwischen Kaiserslautern und Bad Kreuznach direkt an der Bundesstraße 48. Die Gemeinde Dielkirchen besteht aus den Ortschaften Dielkirchen und Steingruben sowie den Weilern Hanauerhof, Hoferhof und Giebelsbacher Hof.
Etymologie
Zum Ursprung des Ortsnamens gibt es mehrere Deutungen. Während das Grundwort Kirche unstrittig ist, wird das Bestimmungswort, das eine nähere Bestimmung der Kirche enthält, verschieden gedeutet. Darin wurde der Männername "Tilo" vermutet. Eine andere Deutung lautet gemäß Pfarrer Stock "Diel = del = Tal = Talkirche, da die Kirche in Dielkirchen auch die einzige im Tal war". Die Namensform Tilentkiriche in der ältesten Urkunde von 1144 legt es nahe, im Bestimmungswort den Frauennamen Diotlinda oder Thiotlinda bzw. Dietlint zu suchen.
Geschichte
Römerzeit
In der Zeit um 50 n. Chr. bis 400 n. Chr. siedelten Römer während ihrer Besatzungszeit im Rheingebiet im Alsenztal und damit in der Nähe von Dielkirchen. Belegt ist dies durch die Funde zweier mit Inschriften versehener Denkmäler in Rockenhausen sowie eines mit Götterdarstellungen versehenen Altares bei Dielkirchen, eines Denksteins bei Mannweiler und durch viele in den umliegenden Dörfern aufgefundene Münzen.
Mittelalter
Im Jahr 863/64 (nach anderen Angaben 868 oder 872) stifteten Herzog Nantharius und seine Frau Kunigund das Benediktinerinnenkloster Münsterdreisen. Diese Stiftung ist in einer Bestätigung aus dem Jahr 1144 durch den römisch-deutschen König Konrad III. überliefert, der das Kloster an die Prämonstratenser übergab, und unter den gestifteten Gütern auch Dielkirchen (Tilentkiriche) aufführt. Die Dörfer Dielkirchen, Steingruben, Steckweiler, Bayerfeld, Cölln und Menzweiler bildeten die "Herrschaft Stolzenberg" und wurden auch "Dielkircher Tal" genannt. Das Kloster Otterberg war im Ort begütert.
Graf Friedrich I. von Veldenz kaufte 1367 einen Teil des Stolzenberger Waldes und ein Drittel der Herrschaft Stolzenberg. Dielkirchen war damit zwei Herren untertan. 1401 ging ein weiteres Drittel der Herrschaft Stolzenberg an Philipp II. von Daun-Oberstein über. Dadurch war Dielkirchen dreiherrig. 1444 erbte Pfalz-Zweibrücken das Veldenzer Drittel. 1456 erwarb Wirich IV. von Daun-Oberstein die Herrschaft Falkenstein. Das Daun'sche Drittel an Stolzenberg wurde der Herrschaft Falkenstein zugeschlagen, welche ab 1458 vom Herzogtum Lothringen lehensabhängig war. Friedrich der Siegreiche zerstörte 1471 Schloss Stolzenburg, 1514/15 erwarb Pfalzgraf Alexander von Pfalz-Zweibrücken ein weiteres Drittel von den Raugrafen und Dielkirchen war wieder zweiherrig. Der nördliche Teil des Dorfes bis zum Grenzbach (= Grenze, im Volksmund "Gretzbach") gehörte zu Pfalz-Zweibrücken, der Teil südlich des Baches zu Falkenstein.
Neuzeit
Die Auswirkungen der Reformation waren 1548 spürbar, ab 1621 die Folgen des Dreißigjährigen Krieges, sodass aufgrund von Seuchen und Krankheiten um 1628 nur noch 370 Menschen in Dielkirchen lebten. 1635 war die Gegend gänzlich entvölkert, die Pfarrei "steht 4 Jahre ledig". 1654 gab es im Dielkircher Tal einen Bauernaufstand. Ursache waren sowohl drückende Abgaben als auch andauernde kriegerische Raubzüge infolge des Krieges. Die finnischen Grafen Lewenhaupt verkauften 1667 Falkenstein (und damit einen Teil Dielkirchens) an Herzog Karl IV. von Lothringen, 1669 wurde sein Sohn Karl Heinrich von Vaudémont neuer Eigentümer der Herrschaft Falkenstein. Die Kirche wurde im Jahr 1738 erbaut. Durch die Heirat Franz Stephans von Lothringen mit Kaiserin Maria Theresia kam Falkenstein, und damit ein Teil Dielkirchens, 1736 zum vorderösterreichischen Oberamt Winnweiler, wo es bis 1801 verblieb.
Französische Zeit
1792 besetzten französische Truppen im Ersten Koalitionskrieg die Pfalz, ein Jahr später quartierten sich Kommissäre mit militärischer Begleitung in Dielkirchen ein und machten die Ablegung des Eides auf die neuen Herren zur Bedingung für ihren Abzug. Die hohen Kosten für die Gemeinde durch die Einquartierung zwangen die Bewohner zum Eidschwur. In der Folge kam es ein Jahr später im Winter 1793/94 sowohl in der Herrschaft Falkenstein als auch in Dielkirchen zu Plünderungen und Brandschatzungen durch französische Truppen, die etwa am 31. Dezember 1793 die Orte der Grafschaft Falkenstein überfielen. In einem Aufruf zur Unterstützung der Beraubten heißt es in einem Bericht: "Erst plünderten die Franzosen die Scheunen, die Böden, die Früchte und Vorräte, dann drangen sie in die Ställe, schleppten das Vieh auf die Straße und schlachteten es vor den Augen der jammernden Eigentümer. Gerätschaften luden sie auf mitgebrachte Wagen. Was zum Fortschaffen zu zerbrechlich war, wurde zerschlagen. Die Esswaren, die sie nicht wegbringen konnten, vernichteten sie mutwillig. Den Wein, den sie nicht tranken, ließen sie auslaufen und zerschmetterten die Fässer. Bares Geld forderten sie mit gezücktem Dolch oder mit gespannter Pistole ab. Zum Schlusse rissen sie den armen Untertanen die Kleider vom Leib." Von Dielkirchen selbst berichtet die Beschreibung des Pfarrers:
"Etliche Tage vor dem 06.01.1794, dem Feste der heiligen Drei Könige, sind mehrere französische Offiziere das Alsenztal hinuntergeritten. Wahrscheinlich von mitleidigen Gefühlen getrieben, haben sie sich einzelnen Bürgern genähert und sie von einer bevorstehenden Plünderung in Kenntnis gesetzt mit ungefähr diesen Worten: 'Ihr lieben Leute, sucht soviel wie möglich eurer Habe zu verstecken, es gibt eine große Plünderung, da wird alles mitgenommen, was zu kriegen ist.' Die Dielkirchner taten wie geraten. Der Raubzug, Militär und Zivil, ist dann auch am 6. Januar gekommen und hat das Tal bis Hochstätten durchzogen. Die Betten und das Leinenzeug, was die Plünderer nicht mitnehmen konnten, haben sie auf der Au zusammengetragen und verbrannt."
Ab Anfang Februar mussten sich die französischen Truppen vor den Preußen zurückziehen; ab Mitte Oktober war die ganze Gegend wieder im Besitz der Franzosen. Schließlich schlossen Preußen und Frankreich 1795 den Separatfrieden von Basel. Die Pfalz und somit Dielkirchen wurde dabei französisch, jedoch wurde dieser Waffenstillstand gebrochen und es kam zu Kämpfen in der Gegend. Die Franzosen besetzten 1797 Stadt und Festung Mainz. Die linksrheinischen Gebiete wurden der französischen Verwaltung unterstellt. Dielkirchen gehörte nun zum Département du Mont-Tonnerre (Departement Donnersberg) und nach einer Verwaltungsneugliederung zum Kanton Rockenhausen. Ein Jahr später mussten erneut sämtliche Bewohner den Eid auf die erste Französische Republik schwören.
1813 besiegten Preußen, Russen und Österreicher die Franzosen in der Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig. In der Neujahrsnacht 1814 überquerte Marschall Blücher den Rhein und Ende Januar 1814 waren die linksrheinischen Gebiete von den Franzosen geräumt.
Bayerische Zeit
1816 kam die Pfalz und somit das Dielkircher Tal zum Königreich Bayern. 1818 kam es zur Vereinigung der Lutheraner und der Reformierten zu einer Kirchengemeinschaft. Am 1. Advent dieses Jahres wurde die Union kirchlich gefeiert. Die Bevölkerungszahl wuchs im 19. Jahrhundert und es wurde die Freiwillige Feuerwehr Dielkirchen gegründet.
Die Weltkriege
Der Erste Weltkrieg von 1914 bis 1918 forderte in Dielkirchen 24 Menschenleben. Am 1. Juli 1917 läutete zum letzten Mal die kleine Glocke der Kirche. Sie wurde am 2. Juli abgenommen und der Kriegsverwaltung übergeben. Die Inschrift lautete: "Eigentum der prot. evangel. Kirchen zu Dielkirchen, gegossen von A. Hamm, Frankenthal 1858". Ihre Höhe betrug 46 cm, der untere Umfang 167 cm und der obere Umfang 95 cm. Das Gewicht betrug 47 kg und es wurden dafür 387 Mark bezahlt. Der Betrag war als Glockenfonds bei der Bezirksverzinsungskasse Rockenhausen angelegt. Nach der Niederlage Deutschlands besetzten die Franzosen das Gebiet links des Rheins erneut und französische Truppen wurden erstmals am 7. Dezember 1918 einquartiert. Im Juli 1930 war der Ort nach 12 Jahren der Besatzung wieder frei von fremden Truppen. Bei der Kommunalwahl 1933 verhinderte die NSDAP die Amtseinführung des bereits gewählten Bürgermeisters und setzte einen Bürgermeister der eigenen Partei ein, das Rathaus wurde zwei Jahre später neu gebaut. 1939 stürzte aus ungeklärter Ursache ein Flugzeug der deutschen Luftwaffe nahe Dielkirchen ab. 1942 traf ein wahrscheinlich britischer Bomberverband mit einer Brandbombe Dielkirchen. Es entstand erheblicher Schaden. Bei Beendigung des Zweiten Weltkrieges zählte man in Dielkirchen 47 Gefallene und Vermisste. Dielkirchen wurde Teil der französischen Besatzungszone.
Politik
Gemeinderat
Der Gemeinderat in Dielkirchen besteht aus zwölf Ratsmitgliedern, die bei der Kommunalwahl am 26. Mai 2019 in einer Mehrheitswahl gewählt wurden, und dem ehrenamtlichen Ortsbürgermeister als Vorsitzendem.
Ortsbürgermeister
Werner Maximilian Lieb wurde im August 2019 Ortsbürgermeister von Dielkirchen. Bei der Direktwahl am 26. Mai 2019 war er mit einem Stimmenanteil von 70,49 % für fünf Jahre gewählt worden. Lieb ist Nachfolger von Ralf Mayer, der nach 15 Jahren im Amt nicht erneut kandidiert hatte.
Wappen
Söhne und Töchter der Gemeinde
Fritz Baumgärtner (1897–1957), Politiker (KPD)
Gunther Kuhns (* 1961), zweifacher Deutscher Meister im Ordonnanzgewehr
Literatur
Dieter Hoffmann: Dielkirchen – Die Geschichte eines Dorfes. Mainz 1985, Verlag Dieter Hoffmann.
Erich Dudy: Dielkirchener Berichte – Eine Dorfgemeinschaftsarbeit, 1954.
Siehe auch
Liste der Kulturdenkmäler in Dielkirchen
Weblinks
Ortsgemeinde Dielkirchen auf den Seiten der Verbandsgemeinde Nordpfälzer Land
Einzelnachweise
Ort im Donnersbergkreis | slim_pajama |
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Westerdals Oslo School of Arts, Communication and Technology was established in July 2014 as a result of the merger of the three colleges Westerdals School of Communication, NISS Nordic Institute of Stage and Studio and NITH The Norwegian School of Information Technology.
Westerdals Oslo ACT offers an interdisciplinary learning environment, where students have an opportunity to collaborate widely across various fields, and the school, owned by the company Anthon B Nilsen, is part of the Erasmus+ student exchange programme.
External links
Westerdals Oslo School of Arts, Communication and Technology
References
Category:Education in Oslo
Category:Universities and colleges in Norway
Category:2014 establishments in Norway | wikipedia |
copd is a common condition that progresses into a life - threatening disease , and it has become the third leading cause of death in the world in 2012.1 population - based studies have demonstrated overall copd prevalence rates of between 5% and 15%.26 a large epidemiological study ( the nippon copd epidemiological [ nice ] study ) in japan showed that the prevalence of airflow limitation was 10.9% , and at least 8.6% of subjects were estimated to have copd.7 copd is commonly underdiagnosed and untreated,7,8 and many patients with early copd are unaware of related symptoms.9,10 the importance of early copd detection has been emphasized,11 since it is a preventable and treatable disease .
however , in its advanced stages , there is a greater risk of developing other comorbidities , and mortality is increased .
specifically , there must be persistent airflow obstruction ( ao ) , defined by a post - bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second ( fev1)/forced vital capacity ( fvc ) ratio < 0.7,12 or by age - dependent values below the lower fifth percentile of this ratio ( the lower limit of normal [ lln]).13,14 however , it is difficult to screen the general population for copd using spirometry , since it is not available in many settings .
there is no proven benefit of using spirometry to screen adults who have no smoking history and no respiratory symptoms.15 the use of simple copd screening tools , such as the copd population screener ( copd - ps)16 and the international primary care airways guidelines ( ipag ) questionnaires,17 has been shown to be helpful for people at risk of developing copd .
these questionnaires reliably detect ao in the general population , and may facilitate the early , accurate diagnosis of copd in general practice settings.18,19 however , the copd - ps and ipag questionnaires were originally developed and primarily validated in western countries .
we recently validated the copd - ps and ipag questionnaires in a general japanese population and determined that the diagnostic cutoff point was different from the originally established cutoff points.20,21 one study found that the body mass index ( bmi ) item in the ipag questionnaire was not statistically relevant in japanese subjects who had early copd identified by questionnaires.22 thus , these questionnaires may inadequately assess copd in the general japanese population .
therefore , for the early detection of copd in general japanese populations , we sought to develop an original persistent ao questionnaire as a copd screening questionnaire ( copd - q ) .
to develop a self - scored persistent ao screening questionnaire , we performed the following two studies ( figure 1 ) . in study
i , a working group was assembled to generate initial draft items for the development of the copd - q .
these items were administered to subjects at a comprehensive health examination23 in kagoshima kouseiren medical health care center in japan , and the final questionnaire items comprising the copd - q were determined statistically by comparing their responses to fev1/fvc scores to identify individuals likely to have copd . in study ii , the working group determined weighted scores for individual items and the cutoff point for the copd - q based on data derived from june 2015 to august 2015 from the hisayama study , an ongoing , population - based epidemiologic study designed to investigate the morbidity , mortality , and risk factors of cardiovascular and smoking - related diseases in the community of hisayama , japan .
the working group comprised three pulmonologists , one general physician , and one statistician , and met from august 2013 to april 2014 to generate initial draft items for the development of the copd - q .
first , initial items were identified based on the following seven conceptual domains that were relevant to the detection of copd and that could be easily evaluated by subjects : dyspnea , cough , phlegm , colds / bronchitis , wheezing , functional impact , and personal characteristics . the initial draft questionnaire consisted of 19 items ( 53 total questions ) assessing the conceptual domains in terms of presence , frequency , duration , and/or quality . in study
i , japanese participants aged 4079 years who received comprehensive health examinations at kagoshima kouseiren medical health care center were enrolled in this study .
study ii was based on data from the hisayama study , a town located in a suburban area adjacent to fukuoka city , a large urban center on kyushu island in the southern part of japan .
the population of hisayama is approximately 8,000 and has been stable for over 50 years .
national census data show that the distributions of age and occupation in hisayama have been almost identical to those across japan since the 1960s .
the initial draft questionnaire was administered to the participants of study i. of the 2,367 subjects who were enrolled from april 2014 to february 2015 , three were excluded due to having asthma and 26 were excluded because data were missing in their records .
the final analysis included data for 2,338 subjects with fully completed initial draft questionnaires and valid spirometry measurements .
a random subsample of subjects ( 22.9% ) completed the survey again 24 weeks later to generate an estimate of test retest reliability . in study
ii , registered subjects aged 40 years and older were solicited to participate in a town - wide health checkup that included spirometry . of the 2,598 subjects who were enrolled from june 2015 to august 2015 ,
532 were excluded for the following reasons : 342 were not between the ages of 40 and 79 years , 67 had physician - diagnosed asthma , 12 had a previous lung resection , two had poor study data , and 64 had records with missing data .
furthermore , 45 subjects who had pre - bronchodilator fev1/fvc < 0.70 were not eligible for post - bronchodilator testing because of underlying heart disease or other reasons . the final analysis included data for 2,066 subjects who had fully completed the copd - q and had valid spirometry measurements .
all subjects underwent spirometry using a chestgraph hi-105 spirometer ( chest mi , tokyo , japan ) .
the data were examined by two pulmonary physicians who visually inspected the flow volume curves and excluded subjects with poor study data .
subjects with a pre - bronchodilator fev1/fvc < 0.70 were required to undergo post - bronchodilator spirometry after 15-minute inhalation of salbutamol ( glaxosmithkline , tokyo , japan ) via a metered - dose inhaler with a spacer , according to the recommended procedure .
the severity of subjects with persistent ao was categorized in accordance with the global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease criteria ( mild , fev1 80% predicted ; moderate , fev1 50%80% predicted ; severe , fev1 30%50% predicted ; very severe , fev1 < 30% predicted ) .
the study protocol was approved by the institutional review board for clinical research of kyushu university , by kagoshima university , and by the kagoshima prefectural federation of agricultural cooperatives for health and welfare .
the demographic characteristics of each study population and the questionnaire results were summarized with descriptive statistics . for subjects who used a bronchodilator ,
for study i , univariate / multivariate logistic regression models were used to compare questionnaire responses in the no - ao and ao groups , and to investigate initial draft items for the development of the copd - q .
retest reliability of the initial draft questionnaire was assessed with pearson s correlations between scores at study entry and after 24 weeks of follow - up . for study
ii , multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the weighted scores of each response to questions in the copd - q and to identify the copd - q cutoff point that would discriminate between subjects with and without persistent ao .
sensitivity , specificity , and positive ( ppv ) and negative predictive value ( npv ) were calculated .
receiver operating characteristic ( roc ) curves were generated and area under the roc curves ( auc ) were determined to reflect the ability of the copd - q to discriminate between subjects with and without persistent ao graphically and quantitatively .
distribution of the number of subjects and copd - q scores , and their estimated probabilities of ao were evaluated .
these statistical analyses were performed using stata release 13 ( statacorp , college station , tx , usa ) and sas release 9.4 ( sas institute inc . , cary , nc , usa ) .
to develop a self - scored persistent ao screening questionnaire , we performed the following two studies ( figure 1 ) . in study
i , a working group was assembled to generate initial draft items for the development of the copd - q .
these items were administered to subjects at a comprehensive health examination23 in kagoshima kouseiren medical health care center in japan , and the final questionnaire items comprising the copd - q were determined statistically by comparing their responses to fev1/fvc scores to identify individuals likely to have copd . in study ii , the working group determined weighted scores for individual items and the cutoff point for the copd - q based on data derived from june 2015 to august 2015 from the hisayama study , an ongoing , population - based epidemiologic study designed to investigate the morbidity , mortality , and risk factors of cardiovascular and smoking - related diseases in the community of hisayama , japan .
the working group comprised three pulmonologists , one general physician , and one statistician , and met from august 2013 to april 2014 to generate initial draft items for the development of the copd - q .
first , initial items were identified based on the following seven conceptual domains that were relevant to the detection of copd and that could be easily evaluated by subjects : dyspnea , cough , phlegm , colds / bronchitis , wheezing , functional impact , and personal characteristics . the initial draft questionnaire consisted of 19 items ( 53 total questions ) assessing the conceptual domains in terms of presence , frequency , duration , and/or quality .
in study i , japanese participants aged 4079 years who received comprehensive health examinations at kagoshima kouseiren medical health care center were enrolled in this study .
study ii was based on data from the hisayama study , a town located in a suburban area adjacent to fukuoka city , a large urban center on kyushu island in the southern part of japan .
the population of hisayama is approximately 8,000 and has been stable for over 50 years .
national census data show that the distributions of age and occupation in hisayama have been almost identical to those across japan since the 1960s .
the initial draft questionnaire was administered to the participants of study i. of the 2,367 subjects who were enrolled from april 2014 to february 2015 , three were excluded due to having asthma and 26 were excluded because data were missing in their records .
the final analysis included data for 2,338 subjects with fully completed initial draft questionnaires and valid spirometry measurements .
a random subsample of subjects ( 22.9% ) completed the survey again 24 weeks later to generate an estimate of test retest reliability . in study
ii , registered subjects aged 40 years and older were solicited to participate in a town - wide health checkup that included spirometry . of the 2,598 subjects who were enrolled from june 2015 to august 2015 ,
532 were excluded for the following reasons : 342 were not between the ages of 40 and 79 years , 67 had physician - diagnosed asthma , 12 had a previous lung resection , two had poor study data , and 64 had records with missing data .
furthermore , 45 subjects who had pre - bronchodilator fev1/fvc < 0.70 were not eligible for post - bronchodilator testing because of underlying heart disease or other reasons . the final analysis included data for 2,066 subjects who had fully completed the copd - q and had valid spirometry measurements . all subjects underwent spirometry using a chestgraph hi-105 spirometer ( chest mi , tokyo , japan ) .
the data were examined by two pulmonary physicians who visually inspected the flow volume curves and excluded subjects with poor study data .
subjects with a pre - bronchodilator fev1/fvc < 0.70 were required to undergo post - bronchodilator spirometry after 15-minute inhalation of salbutamol ( glaxosmithkline , tokyo , japan ) via a metered - dose inhaler with a spacer , according to the recommended procedure .
the severity of subjects with persistent ao was categorized in accordance with the global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease criteria ( mild , fev1 80% predicted ; moderate , fev1 50%80% predicted ; severe , fev1 30%50% predicted ; very severe , fev1 < 30% predicted ) .
the study protocol was approved by the institutional review board for clinical research of kyushu university , by kagoshima university , and by the kagoshima prefectural federation of agricultural cooperatives for health and welfare .
the demographic characteristics of each study population and the questionnaire results were summarized with descriptive statistics . for subjects who used a bronchodilator ,
for study i , univariate / multivariate logistic regression models were used to compare questionnaire responses in the no - ao and ao groups , and to investigate initial draft items for the development of the copd - q . test
retest reliability of the initial draft questionnaire was assessed with pearson s correlations between scores at study entry and after 24 weeks of follow - up . for study
ii , multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the weighted scores of each response to questions in the copd - q and to identify the copd - q cutoff point that would discriminate between subjects with and without persistent ao .
sensitivity , specificity , and positive ( ppv ) and negative predictive value ( npv ) were calculated .
receiver operating characteristic ( roc ) curves were generated and area under the roc curves ( auc ) were determined to reflect the ability of the copd - q to discriminate between subjects with and without persistent ao graphically and quantitatively .
distribution of the number of subjects and copd - q scores , and their estimated probabilities of ao were evaluated .
these statistical analyses were performed using stata release 13 ( statacorp , college station , tx , usa ) and sas release 9.4 ( sas institute inc . ,
table 1 shows the baseline characteristics of the 2,338 subjects in study i , stratified by ao category following post - bronchodilator spirometry .
the majority of subjects ( 95.8% ) showed an initial fev1/fvc 0.70 . following post - bronchodilator spirometry ,
were estimated as having mild or moderate copd , while only 10.8% of ao subjects had severe or very severe copd .
ao subjects were older , predominantly male , had a higher number of pack - years smoked , and were more likely to be former or current smokers ( table 1 ) .
scale reliability was confirmed with the test retest reliability method , with analysis of 535 subjects ( 22.9% ) who completed the study survey at entry and at 24 weeks of follow - up . in this population ,
initial univariate logistic regression analysis was performed on the initial draft items ( tables s1 and 2 ) .
as stated above , items were grouped into the following conceptual domains : dyspnea , cough , phlegm , wheezing , functional impact , and personal characteristics .
a combination of one item based on two conceptual domains , namely cough and phlegm , and one based on dyspnea on exertion , showed a significant ability to discriminate between subjects with and without ao .
the final version of the copd - q consisted of the five questions ( q ) that demonstrated the greatest discriminatory capacity : how old are you ? ( q1 ) ; how often do you cough up phlegm when you are not sick ? ( q2 ) ; are you prone to being out of breath when running or carrying a heavy load , compared to people of your own age group ? ( q3 ) ; in the past year , have you ever had wheezing or whistling when breathing while running or carrying a heavy load ? ( q4 ) ; how many cigarettes do you smoke ?
( brinkman index : the number of cigarettes the number of years ) ( q5 ) .
table 2 presents the results of univariate logistic regression analysis of these five questions ( copd - q ) as a screening questionnaire for persistent ao estimated to have copd .
table 3 presents the results of odds ratios , and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals [ cis ] were obtained by multivariable logistic regression analysis using age and cigarette consumption as covariates .
table 4 shows the baseline characteristics of the 2,069 subjects , based on data from the hisayama study , stratified by airflow limitation category following post - bronchodilator spirometry .
the majority of subjects ( 95.2% ) showed an initial fev1/fvc 0.70 . following post - bronchodilator spirometry ,
almost all ao subjects ( 93.0% ) were classified as having mild or moderate copd , while only 7.0% had severe or very severe copd . as in study
i , ao subjects were older , predominantly male , had a higher number of pack - years smoked , and were more likely to be former or current smokers ( table 4 ) .
the copd - q was administered to all 2,069 subjects in hisayama , and several versions of weighted scores were assessed to produce the best results for discriminating between patients with and without ao .
we ultimately derived weighted scores for the five copd - q questions according to individual coefficients of the multivariate logistic regression analysis ( table 5 ) .
responses to each question were assigned weighted scores ( specifically , depending on the question , 0 or 1 ; 0 , 1 , or 2 ; or 0 , 1 , 2 , or 3 ) based on the relative contribution of the response to identifying ao , and response values were summed across the items to produce a scale score ranging from 0 to 10 .
three of the five copd - q assessed copd - related symptoms , namely coughing up phlegm ( q2 ; 5-point scale ) , breathlessness on exertion ( q3 ; 2-point scale ) , and wheezing on exertion ( q4 ; 5-point scale ) .
one evaluated subject age ( q1 ; four categories ) , and the last assessed smoking history ( q5 ; 4-point scale ) ( figures 2 and s1 ) .
an roc curve was generated to evaluate the ability of the final version of the copd - q to discriminate subjects without ao from those with ao in study ii ( hisayama study ) ( figure 3 ) .
the overall auc for the continuous copd - q score for discriminating ao from no ao was 0.796 ( 95% ci , 0.7500.841 ) .
the appropriateness of various cutoff points of the copd - q was then evaluated ( table 6 ) .
a cutoff of 4 points showed a sensitivity of 71.0% and a specificity of 70.1% .
the ppv was 10.8% , the npv was 97.9% , and the crude odds ratio ( or ) of the copd - q for ao was 5.8 .
the relationship between copd - q score of ao subjects ranging from 0 to 10 and estimated probability is shown in figure 4 .
table 1 shows the baseline characteristics of the 2,338 subjects in study i , stratified by ao category following post - bronchodilator spirometry .
the majority of subjects ( 95.8% ) showed an initial fev1/fvc 0.70 . following post - bronchodilator spirometry ,
were estimated as having mild or moderate copd , while only 10.8% of ao subjects had severe or very severe copd .
ao subjects were older , predominantly male , had a higher number of pack - years smoked , and were more likely to be former or current smokers ( table 1 ) .
scale reliability was confirmed with the test retest reliability method , with analysis of 535 subjects ( 22.9% ) who completed the study survey at entry and at 24 weeks of follow - up . in this population ,
initial univariate logistic regression analysis was performed on the initial draft items ( tables s1 and 2 ) .
as stated above , items were grouped into the following conceptual domains : dyspnea , cough , phlegm , wheezing , functional impact , and personal characteristics .
a combination of one item based on two conceptual domains , namely cough and phlegm , and one based on dyspnea on exertion , showed a significant ability to discriminate between subjects with and without ao .
the final version of the copd - q consisted of the five questions ( q ) that demonstrated the greatest discriminatory capacity : how old are you ? ( q1 ) ; how often do you cough up phlegm when you are not sick ? ( q2 ) ; are you prone to being out of breath when running or carrying a heavy load , compared to people of your own age group ? ( q3 ) ; in the past year , have you ever had wheezing or whistling when breathing while running or carrying a heavy load ? ( q4 ) ; how many cigarettes do you smoke ?
( brinkman index : the number of cigarettes the number of years ) ( q5 ) .
table 2 presents the results of univariate logistic regression analysis of these five questions ( copd - q ) as a screening questionnaire for persistent ao estimated to have copd .
table 3 presents the results of odds ratios , and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals [ cis ] were obtained by multivariable logistic regression analysis using age and cigarette consumption as covariates .
table 4 shows the baseline characteristics of the 2,069 subjects , based on data from the hisayama study , stratified by airflow limitation category following post - bronchodilator spirometry .
the majority of subjects ( 95.2% ) showed an initial fev1/fvc 0.70 . following post - bronchodilator spirometry ,
almost all ao subjects ( 93.0% ) were classified as having mild or moderate copd , while only 7.0% had severe or very severe copd . as in study
i , ao subjects were older , predominantly male , had a higher number of pack - years smoked , and were more likely to be former or current smokers ( table 4 ) .
the copd - q was administered to all 2,069 subjects in hisayama , and several versions of weighted scores were assessed to produce the best results for discriminating between patients with and without ao .
we ultimately derived weighted scores for the five copd - q questions according to individual coefficients of the multivariate logistic regression analysis ( table 5 ) .
responses to each question were assigned weighted scores ( specifically , depending on the question , 0 or 1 ; 0 , 1 , or 2 ; or 0 , 1 , 2 , or 3 ) based on the relative contribution of the response to identifying ao , and response values were summed across the items to produce a scale score ranging from 0 to 10 .
three of the five copd - q assessed copd - related symptoms , namely coughing up phlegm ( q2 ; 5-point scale ) , breathlessness on exertion ( q3 ; 2-point scale ) , and wheezing on exertion ( q4 ; 5-point scale ) .
one evaluated subject age ( q1 ; four categories ) , and the last assessed smoking history ( q5 ; 4-point scale ) ( figures 2 and s1 ) .
an roc curve was generated to evaluate the ability of the final version of the copd - q to discriminate subjects without ao from those with ao in study ii ( hisayama study ) ( figure 3 ) .
the overall auc for the continuous copd - q score for discriminating ao from no ao was 0.796 ( 95% ci , 0.7500.841 ) .
the appropriateness of various cutoff points of the copd - q was then evaluated ( table 6 ) .
a cutoff of 4 points showed a sensitivity of 71.0% and a specificity of 70.1% .
the ppv was 10.8% , the npv was 97.9% , and the crude odds ratio ( or ) of the copd - q for ao was 5.8 .
the relationship between copd - q score of ao subjects ranging from 0 to 10 and estimated probability is shown in figure 4 .
the five - item , self - scored copd - q is a simple and reliable japanese - language questionnaire that was developed to screen for persistent ao estimated to have copd in a general japanese population . in study
i , the working group generated initial draft items derived from 19 items comprising 53 total questions based on seven conceptual domains .
although bmi was assessed by an item in the ipag questionnaire , it was not a significant predictive factor for ao in this study ( tables 1 and 4 ) , a result that is consistent with a previous report.22 an obvious problem concerning bmi is that the cutoff values of bmi of 25.4 and 29.7 kg / m in the ipag questionnaire are well above the average bmi of japanese subjects , and even above the japanese criteria for obesity of 25.0 kg / m .
thus , there are reports stating that modified cutoff values for bmi should be used for determining the discriminatory power of the ipag questionnaire for the japanese population.22,24 however , regarding bmi in the present study , there were no significant differences between subjects with ao and those without ao in study i ( table 1 ) or study ii ( table 4 ) , and as a result , we excluded bmi as an item in the copd - q .
in addition , some reports have shown that the association between bmi and mortality was especially significant in severe copd and differed according to the severity of ao;25,26 however , subjects of ao in the present study ( 89.2% in study i and 93.0% in study ii ) were in global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease stage i and ii .
the bmi in subjects with early - detected copd may not be a significant item in japanese population .
univariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify five items that predicted copd ( table 2 ) .
coughing , as identified by a general clinician in relation to copd , did not by itself distinguish between subjects with ao and those without ao .
the combination of coughing and phlegm production ( addressed by q2 ) showed significant discriminatory ability , similar to that of dyspnea on exertion ( addressed by q3 ) , and the ors of both q2 and q3 were significant in a multivariate logistic regression analysis ( table 3 ) .
the prevalence of persistent ao estimated to have copd was 2.8% , which is very low compared with a previous report.7 the study population comprised individuals who voluntarily agreed to participate in an annual comprehensive health examination program that is conducted in japan to detect potential health risks at an early stage.23 this survey population may be healthier or more health conscious than the general japanese population , which would affect the prevalence of persistent ao estimated to have copd in study i. therefore , we analyzed the weighted scores for individual items and established a cutoff point for the copd - q based on the data from the hisayama study ( study ii ) .
it is necessary in the future to confirm the performance of the copd - q in other validation cohorts . in study
ii , the five items on the copd - q were scored as 0 , 1 , 2 , or 3 based on coefficients of multivariate logistic regression analysis for identifying ao , with a summed total score ranging from 0 to 10 ( figure 2 ) . to evaluate the contribution of smoking status
, we used the brinkman index and derived weighted scores based on coefficients of multivariate logistic regression analysis for predicting copd .
have you smoked at least 100 cigarettes in your entire life , and a yes response was assigned a value of 2 .
conversely , in the present study , the responses to the smoking status item were assigned values of 0 , 1 , 2 , or 3 , because a total brinkman index value over 1,000 was most useful for distinguishing copd ( table 5 ) .
the overall auc for the continuous copd - q score was 0.796 ( 95% ci , 0.7500.841 ) ( figure 3 ) . in a previous study
, we administered the copd - ps and ipag questionnaires to a general japanese population ( hisayama study),21 and found that the overall auc for the copd - ps was 0.747 ( 95% ci , 0.7070.788 ) and 0.775 ( 95% ci , 0.7350.816 ) for the ipag questionnaire . in the present study with almost the same population , the copd - q showed a large auc for distinguishing subjects with ao from those without ao compared to the copd - ps and ipag questionnaire .
the ppv of 10.8% with a copd - q cutoff point of 4 is lower than the ppvs obtained using the copd - ps and ipag questionnaires in our previous study.21 however , ppv and npv vary with disease prevalence , with ppv decreasing with lower disease prevalence .
the nice study estimated that the copd prevalence in japan ranged from 8.6% to 10.9%.7 in residents aged 40 years or older from hisayama , matsumoto et al estimated that the combined prevalence of copd and a copd phenotype with variable airflow limitation was 9.3%.27 however , the prevalence of confirmed persistent ao in the present study was 4.8% ( table 3 ) in residents from hisayama aged 4079 years
. the following reasons may account for the underestimated persistent ao prevalence in study ii .
first , 342 subjects were excluded from the present study because they were not between 40 and 79 years old , and since the prevalence of copd increases with older age , this age restriction may have affected the prevalence of ao .
the prevalence of ao was previously found to be 19% in individuals in hisayama between the ages of 80 and 89 years.27 the second potential reason for the underestimated persistent ao prevalence is that 67 subjects with physician - diagnosed asthma were excluded ; however , these subjects may have had a copd phenotype with variable ao , which exhibits features of both asthma and copd.2830 the third possible explanation is that the 45 subjects with pre - bronchodilator fev1/fvc < 0.7 were ineligible for post - bronchodilator testing and were excluded from the present study , and this group may have included subjects with persistent ao .
another limitation of this study was that persistent ao estimated to have copd was defined as a post - bronchodilator fev1/fvc < 0.7 without using an lln , though previous studies demonstrated the successful use of an lln for defining ao in japanese populations.31,32 application of an lln value for determining the existence of copd may prevent overdiagnosis in elderly subjects and underdiagnosis in young subjects.33 despite these limitations , the copd - q developed in the present study was found to be a simple and useful screening questionnaire for persistent ao in a general japanese population .
although validation studies are necessary to confirm the performance of the copd - q in other cohorts , the cod - q can be evaluated for its utility as a first - stage screening tool for detecting copd in the general japanese population .
the initial draft questionnaire notes : na : not available because of no subjects in both / either cases and controls .
odds ratios and corresponding 95% cls were estimated models by logistic regression using age and cigarette consumption as covariates .
odds ratios were estimated using no group as reference for all conditions . almost none group was used as reference , and the risk estimates for the remaining groups are shown for all conditions . | pubmed |
Mass Effect 1. list of races
From Another World races
Race: Tiberians
Home world: Tibera (TI-BE-RE-A)
Average height: 6.5 7.4
Lifespan: 160 years est
Population: 7 thousand est
Appearance: look exactly human
Culture: Monarchy/ Militaristic/ Survivalist/ Honour
info:
Tiberians are the most technological advanced race in the galaxy and life on the highly radioactive world of Tibera. Because of the radioactivity of their world they have a an extreme high tolerance to radiation. Apart from the radiation on the world Tibera is know as the jewel of the galaxy.
Tiberians also have a natural inner power called Delta energy that they developed over years of war and living in a harsh and hostile. Delta energy is INFORMATION DELETED. because of the hostile environment they are stronger, faster, hard to kill, natural survivors (they can take a round to the heart and still come for more).
When Tiberians fall in love they INFORMATION DELETED. Tiberains also have the ability to share memories with one another like the Asari only on a grander scale. They have also developed the ability to accesses the genetic memory of their ancestors but this can be blocked out that can be the cause of headaches from time to time. While they may look human their DNA can INFORMATION DELETED.
The Tiberians are responsible for creating the the Joint Federal Union along with the Exocrons, Tolashners, the Shel'trakans and the Aqultrons. This government has lasted for over 70'000 years in relative peace with the Tiberians acting as the police force ahead with the other races.
Tiberians are brought up with a strict code of honour. This code is varied between family's and colony's and has changed over time. This causes them to view life and freedom as extremely important to a utopia even though they are militaristic they do not take life without good reason according to their code. Because of their royal family they have an undoubted loyalty to them and a sense of individuality.
After the infection that has destroyed most of their population there are only est 70'000 left and as for the royal family they are all gone except for the prince who's location is unknown.
Race: Exocrons
Home world: Exocronda (a neighbour world to Tibera)
Average height: 6.5 7.4
Lifespan: 1,500 years est
Population: 1 billion AI cores constructed
Appearance: look exactly human however they are synthetic beings who have different coloured eyes and marking around their body witch is part of their law and culture.
Culture: Republic/ AI/ Electronic
info:
The Exocrons are a sapient race of humanoid machines created by the Tiberians for much dangerous work task's like orbital engineering. However after a number of years they started to evolve into AI's that could think for themselves. At that point the Tiberians offered the Exocrons a planet of their own because the evolved AI fell into the category of sapient life.
While many Exocrons have emotions around 3% of their population don't but they are trying to rectify this. The most resent AI cores are 7th gen. This is because the Exocrons are the only race allowed to develop AI's to increase their population.
After they joined the JFU they became workers to advance the racers further. Exocrons can be identified from Tiberians or humans by their eyes because they glow. They can also be identified by coloured lines on their body witch is part of their culture. while they may be a republic they are loyal to the Tiberian royal family and most covert officers have removed their coloured lines to blend in and find the prince in this parallel universe.
Race: Tolashners
Home world: Tolash
Average height: 7.7 9.4
Lifespan: 600 years
Population: 1.6 billion
Appearance: bipedal humanoids with slits for a nose and wings. they also have 2 sets of eyes 1 larger pair witch are identical to human/ Tiberian eyes and a smaller pair that are just above the larger pair. they have spikes for hair so they can fly better and have 3 fingers on each hand with large claws.
Culture: Democracy/ Cast system
info:
the Tolashners are human like beings with the ability to fly over long distances. Their low gravity world of Tolash has little animal life on it that made prehistoric Tolashners had to fight over food. After they were uplifted Tiberians a war broke out that lasted for 2 weeks after the war the Tolashners were offers to join a federation that later became known as the Joint Federal Union. The Tolasners also have the greatest respect for the Tiberians.
Race: Shel'trakans
Home world: Shel'tra
Average height: 5.9 6.3
Lifespan: 800 years
Population: 1.7 billion
Appearance: 6 limbed insect like creatures with a long spine tail. they have greenish skin and 4 eyes that vary in colour. they only use 2 limbs for walking and the outer 4 for work.
Culture: Communist/ Workers/ Religious
info: The Shel'trakans are an insect like people who work diligently for their religion of a better future. They where discovered by the Exocrons when that started space travel and joined the JFU soon after. They work with the Exocrons to produce a better future.
Race: Aqultrons
Home world: Aqult
Average height: 6.2 6.8
Lifespan: 400 years
Population: 1.9 billion
Appearance: The Aqultions are Asari like being's with the distinct male/female appearance. they have purple skin tones however the skin is scaly. The also have webbed feet and gills on their neck. it is also known that they have membranes on their shoulders, knees and elbows for better swimming.
Culture: Female dominated/ Republic/ Amphibian
info: The world of Aqult is made up of 90% and constantly rains due to a white star in the system. Since prehistoric times the females were considered the dominant sex until the Tiberians came on the scene. after first contact the Aqultrons changed and made males equal to them.
Race: Ranzan
Home world: UNKNOWN
Average height: UNKNOWN
Lifespan: UNKNOWN
Population: UNKNOWN
Appearance: Transparent humans like ghosts
Culture: UNKNOWN
info: Not allot is known about this race other than the fact they look like ghosts of Tiberians or humans. There are many rumours about this race but the most recent one is that a woman named Kareena gave birth to the Tiberian prince making him the INFORMATION DELETED.
2. Chapter 1 A boy named Shepard
DISCLAIMER I do not own mass effect this is fan fiction and in no way related to the games. All credit for the idea goes to Hrams1 parallel reality.
Chapter 1 a boy named Shepard.
2161 CE
Gunfire and screams surrounded the city as 3 men ran away from it. All 3 of them saw themselves as cowards for running away. They are Tiberian a human like warrior race. As they ran the older man of the three fell over.
The two men then tuned and helped the old man back up.
"My king the area is getting unstable we have to retu..." one of the men started to say but was interrupted.
"No!" the man yelled. "I will not let my children be test subjects to those barbarians."
The other two men then looked around at their burning world. They knew if the there was any hope of restoring their world they would need the children of the king. As much as they hated to leave his side they knew what to do.
"We'll stay here give you cover."
"You need to find the hair's to the throne. Give Cerberus hell." the other one said.
The old man smiled as he placed his hands on the men's shoulders. He had a big smile on him.
"You two make me proud to call my friends. May the spirits of war be with you." the king said before turning and ran away.
The two men then turned to face an undead horde coming straight at them. They both took out their weapons and charged at the horde.
"FOR THE KING. FOR TIBERIA." they both yelled in unison as they charged.
As the king ran he heard the yell. He took pride in the spirit of his men. He just wished that it was under better circumstances. After a while he made it to a small ship. Just as he was about to enter his senses kicked in. He drew his pistol and turned to face a beautiful undead woman approaching.
His blood ran cold as he recognised the woman's face as his old lover. He froze as she approached. But he then realised what needed to be done. He looked away not wanting to see her fall.
"Ash'ia I'm sorry my you find peace with the spirits." he said before firing his pistol.
He then heard a thud and climbed into the shuttle and took off. As the ship gained altitude he looked out at the destroyed city the gunfire and battle made him feel uneasy. Resting his head on the headrest tears fell from his eyes.
"I've known you for over 35 years and I have never seen you like this what's the matter getting soft in old age?" said a voice that came from his right arm.
"It does not feel right leaving that battle." the king replied in a sad voice. "I'm Tiberain war is in my blood now I'm leaving to find my children in some alternate reality. The spirits won't forgive me for this."
"They'll forgive you the same as she will we both know that and we both know what your son is. This was mapped before we came into the world this is destiny we could have avoided this."
"You almost sound religious Solvan I did not know Exocrons could get religion" the king said with a chuckle.
"Maybe I am but I'm just a machine I'm compelled by logic and emotion or did you forget that Alk'drn."
The king slowly smiled "that's the first time you used my name in months thanks for making me feel better."
"Any time now lets get your children and make Cerberus pay."
"Only I will." he then said typing something on his wrist.
"What ar..." Solvan was about to say before he vanished from the king's wrist.
"I'm sorry old friend but this is something that I have to do alone." he wiped his eyes. "Goodbye."
The ship then glowed blue and dispersed.
Solvan sat bolt upright on his bed. He took a quick look round and cursed. The king downloaded him back into his own body. He could not believe it. At that moment gunfire and screams came form his door.
Gritting his teeth he jumped up and ran out the door.
A man in a white coat stood in front of a large window looking down at a boy aged 5 or 6 in a white room and cuffed to a chair to prevent him from escaping. The boy looked at the man with hatred. The man just stared back with a smile on his face. After a few minutes a door behind him opened and a man reading a OSD came in.
"The tests show promise that we can use this boy's DNA with human DNA. This is because of how close they are to us." he said while moving next to the man white.
"The girls have not shown any unique powers like the boy or extensive power. But all of them seem to have the 'normal ability's' of Tiberians such as being stronger, faster and smarter they are naturally superhuman."
Looking up from the OSD he noticed the man in white was still looking at the boy.
"Dr?"
"...Sorry I was miles away it sounds good The Illusive Man will like this. He'll be more that pleased of this." said the Dr not taking his eyes of the boy.
"Are we certain that the Tiberians won't come seeking vengeance for taking for taking the members of the royal family and killing trillions with the infection?"
"We are certain no one can be surviving the infection even if they have a militaristic culture. We will take humanity into the next age with these powers." the Dr said in a cold voice. "Continue with the experiments of the boy dispose of the girls."
"Yes sir." replied the man and left the room. The Dr soon left the room leaving the boy alone.
The boy started struggling against his bonds. After a moment of struggling a bright light made him stop and close his eyes. When he opened them a beautiful woman stood in front of him. The woman came towards the boy holding out her hand.
A warm feeing made him comfortable with her presence the boy did not flinch as the woman touched his face. Her skin felt soft and warm as she stroked his face the boy noticed that she began to cry.
"Wwwww what's wrong?" the boy asked in a soft voice.
"You must escape and free your sisters then find your father." the woman said in a voice that seemed to echo.
"Why who are you?"
"My name is Kareena and you are Jol'an Shardan Prince of Tibera"
Apon hearing the name Jol'an gasped.
"Very well I will." he said this caused Kareena to smile. She then kissed him on the cheek and disappeared.
Jol'an felt a surge of power and broke out of his restraints with ease. Once out the intruder alarms sounded. Feeling this was the beast time to escape he walked up to the door.
Stopping in front of the door he punch the door so hard it came off crushing 2 Cerberus soldiers. After picking up an assault rifle from one of the soldiers he ran through the corridors. As he did he realised he came across no more soldiers. 'They must be busy with one hell of intruder' he thought to himself as he ran down a long corridor. 'Nearly there' he thought tuning to the right.
"HELP US!" someone screamed.
Not stopping Jol'an followed the sound and came across 3 Cerberus soldiers. Running up to them he dropped the assault rifle the noise made the soldiers look at him.
"THERE HIS IS THE DOC WANTS HIM ALIVE SHOOT TO WOUND." one of the soldiers yelled.
All the of the soldiers then started shooting at Jol'an. As the soldiers fired at the boy but he just kept on coming inhumanly fast. Before they knew it 2 soldiers fell to the ground with their helmets broken. The shards of the broken helmet went into their heads that killed them instantly the remaining soldier stopped firing and turned to look behind him to see the boy standing a few meters away from him.
After a few moments the soldier noticed that the buy had a number of bullet holes in his clothing. 'How can this boy survive that without armour?' the soldier thought to himself as he raised his weapon. Before the soldier could fir the boy jumped on the solder and pulled a out a knife from his belt that somehow avoided detection.
The soldier was pinned and could not move as the boy removed the soldiers helmet. As the soldier struggled to get free he saw the bullet hole in the boy healing unnaturally fast. The boy then slashed against the soldier's face not killing him but giving him a deep cut.
"I don't kill unarmed opponents but you don't deserve to live." the boy said as he got off the soldier and kicked his assault rifle away.
"Get out of my sight." he then said in an calm tone. The soldier complied and ran.
Sheathing his knife the boy then opened the door that the soldiers were guarding and walked inside. It was dark and cold Jol'an could also smell blood and feared the worst. As he walked in a bit further his eyes became used to the dark and everything became clear as if it was lit. What he saw confirmed his fears and fell to his knees.
2 teenage female body's layed in front of him he recognised their faces they were his sisters he failed to save them. A tear came from his eye as he tried to hold back his emotions. Realising what he had to do he got up and walked over to one of the body's and took a necklace from around the neck and tied it around his neck. After kissing the cheeks of the body's he ran out of the room making his way to the hanger.
"Ash catch." an older man said throwing a small ball to a younger girl.
A 5 year old jumped up to catch the ball. But a voice cried out in pain making her stop and look around. The older man approached and got down on one knee.
"Ashley honey what's up?" he asked with concern.
"I heard a voice daddy. Someone's in pain." she said.
Her farther became thoughtful for a moment then smiled.
"Well it's probably your soul mate." he then said.
"Soul mate?" she said with a confused look.
"Yeah someone who connects to you. It's a spiritual bond between people."
"So you mean this person who I heard will meet and fall in love?"
"Yes and get married and have kids." he then moved to her ear. "And there will be a lot of kissing."
"Eeewwww dad that's gross." she said pushing her dad back.
A large group of Cerberus soldiers set themselves up in the main lobby with all guns pointed at the door to the hanger. Waiting for the intruder to come through the doors. Everyone on the station knew about the other universe and guessed that the intruder had to be Tiberian but who they had no idea.
The soldiers slowly became on edge as time passed then a loud thud hit the door. A number of seconds came until another thud then another and then the door came off and crushes 4 soldiers on the opposite wall. A man stood in the door way holding an assault rifle in is right hand and a sword in the other.
"OPEN FIRE". All the soldiers opened fired at the man. But the man just dodged as many bullets as he could and only a few managed to hit him.
Firing the assault rifle as he ran the man made short work of the Cerberus troops. The only one left was the leader who just pointed his assault rifle at the man not flinching. The man then dropped the assault rifle and turned to the leader and smiled.
"Die you Tiberian bastard!" said the leader then pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened he pulled it again nothing happened cursing the leader throw down the assault rifle and pulled a knife out. Bending his knees he used his left hand to say 'come at me'. Twisting the sword until it was against his arm the man bent his knees as well. A moment passed before both men charged at each other. They ended up at the opposite sides of the room not facing each other.
After a long time the Cerberus leader collapsed dead. Recovering himself the man then stood up strait before collapsing on his knees and looking at his side. The Cerberus leader got a good hit with the knife. Despite his healing ability the man knew he is going to die.
"Father" said a young voice from the side of the room. The man looked to see a boy running up to him. The boy came up and crouched next to the man.
"Jol'an." said the man. "It's good to see you are alive were are your sisters?."
Jol'an looked down shaking his head. "Th... th... they were killed farther." he said in a sad voice.
"Dammed spirits but listen I wont be able to make it in time. I have set this station has been set to self destruct you must get out I'm already dead."
"No no no I just lost my sisters I can't lose you too" Jol'an said in a sad and angry voice.
"You don't have a chose my son but I can give you this." The man raised is hand until it touched Jol'an face. Both of their eyes glowed white for a few minutes before they went back to normal. "I have given you all the training and information of our race for you to survive in this universe. All you need to do is meditate. And take this."
His father removed a sheathed blade from his right arm and handed it to his son.
"Take this as a sign of what you truly are." the boy took the sheathed blade. "Now go my son."
Reluctantly Jol'an ran for the hanger to find a ship and be saved. With the hanger in site an explosion made him stumble. Not looking back he made it to the hanger and got onto the nearest ship and escaped.
The man layed on his back looking at the stars relieved that his son made it.
"He'll be a hero of both galaxy's." a female voice said.
"Yes he will but can you forgive me for being so blind to Cerberus's true intentions?" the king asked.
A woman with long red hair and a white dress came down on top of him.
"Of course I will. After all you are the man I love". She layed herself on top of him and kissed him "Time for you to join me my king."
They then disappeared in a bright flash of light.
Jol'an watched as at the station as it blew. Thankfully he was far enough away from the shock wave to survive. A tear came down his eye.
"Goodbye father, Sel'tra and Far'ti I'll miss you" he said to himself in a drowsy voice.
Before he fell asleep from his injury's he activated the distress signal in the hopes that someone will find him.
Anderson sat in the mess hall having a drink and reading a report on an OSD. In the background one of the crewmen had been playing with his daughter. Anderson never really minded this and kept glancing at them with a small smile. He knew that he would never had children of his own but watching them was enough for him.
"Lieutenant Anderson? we are picking up a distress call you should come up and have a look." said the pilot over the intercom.
Anderson then put down the OSD and sighed.
"OK ill be right up." he said getting up the then turned to the crewmen with his daughter.
"Williams I could use your expertises" he said.
"Yes sir." Williams said with a salute before turning to his daughter.
"Ashley would you stay here for me while daddy goes and does something for Anderson?"
"OK daddy." she said in a playful tone as she watched her father walk away.
walking to the cockpit Anderson looked at Williams who seemed to be depressed.
"What's the matter Williams?" he asked while climbing the stairs.
"Sorry sir just distracted but permission to speak freely sir."
"I welcome it."
"I'm getting sick of the brass keeping me at this godamn rank." Williams half yelled.
"I know how you feel Williams the brass really need to sort their minds out. They need to understand that you are not your farther you never give up that's why I picked you for my team. If the brass does not like it they can go to hell."
"Yes sir thank you."
"Any time."
Arriving at the cockpit Anderson looked at the distress signal.
"That's a Cerberus distress signal." he said in surprise.
"They may be Cerberus but I think we should investigate anyway to see what they want. Besides we can interrogate them once their healed." Williams suggested.
Anderson agreed and told the pilot to head to the source of the signal.
After the ship left FTL the group in the cockpit saw a small shuttle drifting in space.
"It's too small to be an ambush." Anderson noted.
"Williams you and I will investigate."
"Yes sir."
After connecting the docking tube to the shuttle Anderson and Williams walked across the tube to the shuttle. As they walked into the small interior of the craft Williams turned his Omni-light on.
Anderson looked at the interior then something got his attention. Something reflected the light from Williams Omni-light.
"Williams point your light over there." he said in a low voice.
Williams complied and moved his light over to where Anderson was pointing. The both saw a boy curled up on the floor holding a sheathed blade his necklace reflecting the light.
Immediately both of them went to see if they boy was all right.
Placing his hand on the boy's forehead Williams then went pale.
"Sir he's burning up." he said in a panicked voice.
Anderson looked at Williams for a moment then grabbed the boy's legs. Williams then grabbed the boy's arms and both of them rushed out of the shuttle carrying the boy. As they ran Ashley saw the boy her father and Anderson where carrying. But they did not stop as they entered the medbay.
Lying the boy down on a bed they looked at each other before the doctor came in. "What's the matter then with this boy." he said getting his gloves on.
"He's got a fever doc we got him here as soon as we could." Williams said in a panting voice.
"OK lets see now... Ah these will do." said the doc pulling out a plastic jar full of pills.
Walking over to the boy he then helped helped him up. He then put a pill into the boy's mouth and tipped some water in the boy's mouth. He then layed the boy down and waited. After a few minutes of waiting the boy then lazily opened his eyes.
"How are you feeling?" asked the doc.
"Tired but better than I was." the boy answered in a drowsy voice.
"What's your name?" Anderson asked
The boy fell silent for a minute before saying "My name is John Shepard."
Unknown the the 4 Ashley watched from the doorway. She was interested in the boy. But why she had no idea.
3. Chapter 2 A new life
From Another World Chap 2
Chapter 2 A new life
After 2 weeks of being in the med-bay Shepard was relieved that he could leave and look at the rest of the ship. 'This ship is primitive but well built. Not bad.' He thought to himself. After looking round the ship and talking to Anderson and Williams he found a large window overlooking the stars. Shepard took a fancy to the room and started meditating to start his training.
He did not know how long he was there meditating for but it was relaxing. A noise that broke his concentration. Still on his knees Shepard turned around fast looking behind him. The door was open but he couldn't see who it was. Turning back around he then took a deep breath then focused not closing his eyes he then sensed someone else in the room. Knowing who it is he took a quick smile before closing his eyes.
Ashley looked at Shepard from behind a bench wondering if he heard her. Feeling that he did not her she moved around to look at his face. Getting down on one knee looking at him. He seemed so peaceful and cute. She then waved a hand in front of his face. She then stopped after a moment then thought 'is he asleep?'. Moving in closer to see if he is asleep.
"BOO" Shepard yelled. Ashley jumped hitting the window. A look of surprise on her face not expecting him to do something like that.
"Sorry I just could not resist." He said half giggling.
"Ssss so you heard me come in?". She said in a sad voice.
"Not quite the door was open so it's hard not to think that someone would sneak in." He answered half lying.
Getting herself up she than sat down in front of Shepard. "Your that boy my dad found on that ship."
"Yes I am. Although I'm still felling a bit ill but I'll be fine. Your dad found me? So that means your name is Ashley right?."
"Yes. Did you talk to my dad?"
"Yep nice guy. Career military?"
"Yes my family has to be in the Alliance military. Family tradition" she said with a sigh.
"You don't sound too pleased about it" he said raising an eyebrow.
"I'm a Williams it's in my blood. But we have a curse because my granddad surrendered to the turians. Because of that my dad is the lowest rank even though he's tried to upgrade it he has worked hard for it. I iiii just know...". She nearly burst out into tears but John put a hand on her shoulder. Ashley could not but help and look into his lovely blue eyes and smiled.
Gathering herself together she than asked what his name is.
"My name is John Shepard".
"Let's be friends" she said.
-
Williams breathed a sigh of relief he finally finished is report. Grabbing a drink of coffee he then got up to look for Ashley. He walked the length of the ship and back looking for her.
"Hey Williams" a crewman called. Williams turned to face him. "if your looking for Ashley she's with John in the starboard observation deck."
"Thanks" Williams said before making his way for the observation deck. As door opened he walked inside and found Shepard on the bench asleep with Ashley on top of him also asleep. Deciding to leave them he went back to his quarters for a nights sleep.
On his way Anderson bumbled into him. "Williams have you seen Shepard?" Anderson asked.
"Sleeping in the observation deck with Ashley" he said with a smile.
-
10 years later.
A woman with a robotic right arm and a man in black walked into the ministers chambers. Walking in the representatives of the Tiberians, Exocrons, Tolashners, Shel'trakans and Aqultrons stopped talking. The man and the woman saluted the ministers then stood to attention.
"Have you found them?" the tiberian minister asked in a hopeful voice.
"I'm sorry minister but no there has been no evidence to say that they survived." The woman said in an apologetic voice.
"But we found a ship leaving the station." The exocron minister said. "Have you located the whereabouts of that ship?"
"The only evidence we found you already know. A human alliance ship named 'Hastings' found the ship. We intercepted a report saying they found a boy at the age of 6 who was on the ship. However we have learnt the boys name its John Shepard but because of his adoption he has been going by John Hunter." The man in black said.
At the mention of the name the tiberian minister's eyes widened.
Noticing this the aqultron minister realised something. "Do you know something about this Hal'yon" she asked the tiberian minister directly.
A look of relief came across his face and a smile. " John Shepard is the human translation Jol'an Shardan".
Hearing this everyone's eyes widened and turned to look at the tiberian minister.
"Do you mean to say that you knew this and said nothing for 10 years?" The exocron minister half yelled.
"No no no no by the spirits of war no. If I knew something about this I would have told you then. Now we know. But we have to make sure that it is the prince."
"I agree we can't be certen that it is him. Lets keep him under observation. Are we in agreement?" The exocron minister asked. With a nodding of heads from the other ministers. The exocron minister then said "inform all operatives to keep an eye on John Hunter on the suspect that he is the prince of tiberia".
The man and woman saluted then left the room. As they dis the man's eyes glowed red for a minute before saying "mission perimeters updated all operatives informed". The woman smiled then grabbed the man's head and kissed him.
"I love it when you talk like that" she said.
"It has been a long time if you are being this aggressive" the man replied.
Mindoir
Ashley stood nearby watching John skim stones as he tried to pass the time. She just stood by in her alliance cadet uniform smiling at him. John also wore the same uniform but he had his knife strapped to his left arm. Despite it not being allowed weapons on someone's person he rarely took it out that meant he could keep it.
John and Ashley had been on Mindoir for a week because Ashley needed to look after her sisters with her Mom . John on the other hand was on Mindoir because his adoptive parents had a meeting with the government of the planet. Nether of them had expected to see each other on the planet. Ever since they met on the Hastings they had been good friends.
"You've been quiet what's on your mind?" John asked braking the silence while still throwing stones.
"Nothing just admiring the view" she answered half lying.
"Your one of a kind you know".
"Yea I know. But your the one who one one knows about except for the fact you were found in space".
"And that how I like it".
Ashley giggled at the reply. Then looked up after hearing a flock of birds take off she then spotted something in the clouds.
"John" she said in a worried voice. John turned to face her then looked to were she was looking. The objects seemed to be ships. He then activated his Omni-tool to call the colony space port.
"Mindior space port what can I do for you" the man asked.
"This is John Hunter are you expecting anyone today. I've sighted a dozen ships batarian silhouettes".
"We aren't expecting anyone today." His voice then changed to a worried one "you said batarians right?"
"Yes"
"Shit I'm calling the alliance". another man then came on the radio "INCOMING". One of the silhouettes the let a blue projectile fly at the space port destroying it. John turned to Ashley who was in shock about what happened. "Ashley" he said grabbing her attention.
"Grab your family and head the govank hills there you'll find some caves hide there until it's safe to came out". He said walking towards were the ships were landing.
"But what are you going to do John?" she asked.
Pulling his knife out he said "going to give these batarians hell."
"NO YOU CAN'T. You can't face them all alone. You'll die". she said in a panicked and worried voice.
"Then so be it." John said in a calm voice.
"NO NO NO NO" she yelled moving in front of him preventing him from going to stop the batarians. "I've already lost my father I'm not going to lose my best friend." As she said it tears ran down her face.
Hearing this John walked up to her and place his left hand on her shoulder. "I'll be ok Ash go and see to your family and make sure the word spreads."
Ashley then looked up into his lovely blue eyes then got out of his way and ran towards the settlement. Not looking back John then ran as fast as he could to get to the ships.
-
Ashley made it to her family's temporary condo she ran inside yelling " MOM, ABBY, LYNN, SARAH GRAB FOOD AND WATER WE NEED TO GO NOW!"
"What's the matter Ash" her mum said in a worried tone.
"Batarians mum they are on their way here" she replied panting.
"A slave raid?"
"I don't know but John gone to try and stop them"
-
As he ran John could hear gunfire and screams. He then slowed down and stopped as 16 batarians came over the hill.
"Good boy for coming saves us from finding you" the leader said. "So what do we think slave or death." He asked is soldiers.
"Slave" they all cried out.
"You'll be dead long before you do that to me." Shepard said which made the batarians laughed.
"I don't think you noticed kid but it's 16 to 1."
He smiled as his left arm glowed white which made the batarians stop. "That just makes it more of a challenge."
Raising their weapons to fire John launched himself at the nearest enemy solider. As the soldier began to fire Shepard moved as fast as he could and cut the soldier's arm off. Yelling in pain the soldier dropped his assault rifle that Shepard court. he then moved and cut the soldier's head off.
"KILL HIM" yelled the leader.
As the soldiers started firing at Shepard as he moved fast he then launched a warp ball at 5 of the soldiers. As soon as their shields went down he fired the assault rifle at the soldiers heads killing them instantly.
"FUCKING BIOTIC" yelled another soldier.
Shepard then ran at another 5 man group. As they fired at him he moved out of the way of the gunfire. At the speed he was going the soldiers could not hit him. He then used his biotic's to slam one soldier into another. He then used his knife to make the finishing blow. The body's of the soldiers lay mangled and Shepard had nothing not even a scratch.
Standing up from the kill he then turned to the final 5 soldiers who stopped firing and shaking in fear. Only the leader wasn't shaking he then yelled "KILL HIM OR ILL SELL YOUR HIDES".
The remaining soldiers charged at John but he just smiled. Dropping the assault rifle he twisted his knife in his hand. The soldiers continued running towards him he them took a deep breath then ran at them. In no time he was behind the soldiers. The soldiers then stopped and turned around to see Shepard behind them. The soldiers then collapsed after a few seconds and blood came from their necks.
A loud roar of a tank then came over the hill. While Shepard was fighting the leader called for tank support. The tank then aimed at him but before it could fire he was on top of the tank. His arm then started glowing white he then punched at the tank's hull until it blew from underneath him.
Recovering himself Shepard then noticed alliance ships coming into view breathing a sigh of relief 2 shots from a gun then echoed. He looked down to see were the rounds landed. Both rounds hit his heart. Turning around to see who fired the shot he had forgotten about the leader who stood there with is pistol pointed at Shepard. The batarian the fired again the shots did not phase him. the leader then fell over backward while still firing at the oncoming monster. No human could survive 2 shots to the heart no one could.
John then sheathed his knife as he walked up to the leader who was still firing at him but missing. Standing over the leader he the picked the leader up by the throat. "What are you?" the leader managed to get out.
"I'm Tiberian." He answered before crushing the leader's throat.
Dropping the corpse of the leader Shepard then fell on his back. He wasted so much energy that he needed to sleep but it felt like he was going to die. Darkness surrounded him he could hear Ashley's voice calling him but it eventually faded.
"Am I dead?". he asked
"No" replied a female voice. "You have done well you have passed the trial by fire. Well done Ta'shar."
"Now I'm the Ta'shar the spirits chosen?"
"Yes you must complete the tests and trial's of the spirits. You are tiberia's hero you must face the storm with all you have to face the destruction of both galaxy's".
"I will take Cerberus down with all I have". he said with determination.
"They are not the destructive storm I speak of."
"If they are not then who is".
"You will find that out in the future".
-
Shepard blinked a few times before slowly sitting up. Looking around he found he was in the hospital. Noticing that he was up a doctor came to his bed.
"Your finally awake that's good. You've been out for 48 hours" the doctor said.
"What happened?"
"It seemed that the slaver leader wasted too much time in trying to take you down so that the alliance managed to destroy the invaders and free the slaves. However the slavers massacred everyone in the surrounding area of the space port. But you saved thousands of lives."
"Did the Hunters survive?"
The doctor looked grim "I'm sorry no they did not."
Shepard did not take the news lightly it hit him hard. He could feel a tear come down his cheek.
"But" the doctor said with a smile on his face. "You have a visitor. A girl at the age of 15 name of Ashley she's been waiting for you to wake".
"Send her in please" John said feeling his heart skip a beat. After the doctor told her that she could come in he left to see someone else
Ashley walked in with a book in her hand. Seeing him like this she almost ran up to him and hug him but restrained herself.
"How are you felling John?" she asked pulling up a chair and sitting down.
"I've got a bit of a pain on my side but I'm fine"
She just shook her head with a smile on her. "I got you this I thought you mite like it." She handed him a book that said 'Most famous poetry'.
He smiled. "Thanks Ash."
She then looked down "I heard about the Hunter's they we good people."
losing his smile "yes they were."
"So what are you going to do now?"
"I'm old enough to change may name so I'm going to change it back to Shepard. And because I'm nearly 17 and joining the Alliance soon so they'll provide me with an apartment and payment so I'll be fine".
Ashley and Shepard talked for a long time unknown to them they were being watched. A man in black who passed by said to himself "target confirmed as Jol'an Shardan mission accomplished".
4. Chapter 3 A hero rises
From Another World Chap 3
Chapter 3 A Hero rises
2170 CE
The ministers stood reading a report of an exocron operative about John Shepard who has been confirmed to be Jol'an Shardan the prince of Tibera.
"Are you sure it's him?" The Tiberian minister asked.
"With out a doubt he survived 2 shots to the heart. No one else could survive that." The exocron replied.
"We finality found him?" A female voice asked.
Everyone in the room turned to face a woman who just walked in. The woman had a tiberian soldier uniform on and long brown hair.
"Who are you?" the aqultron minister asked.
"My name is Ki'sla Darvan I have been selected by the King to be the prince's Lo'targ." She said.
"If my data banks serve me right that means you are to be his wife if he has no lover. Am I right?" The exocron minister asked.
"Yes you are but as you all know we are at war with Cerberus so I can't be his wife until this war ends."
"We are currently still rebuilding because of the infection. It will take time until we can rage a proper war."
"What can I do to help?" She then asked eagerly.
"We would like you to monitor John Shepard and find the right opportunity to bring him up to speed on us."
Standing straight and saluting she said "yes sir" and walked out.
Elysium 6 years later
Fires raged across the colony's capitol gunfire and screams echoed through the ruined city. The buildings ready to fall from artillery fire and enemy soldiers closing in.
"CORPORAL GIVE ME AN UPDATE" Shepard yelled through the gunfire.
"RECON SHOWS A MASSIVE BATARIAN FORCE INCOMING WE CAN'T HOLD OUT MUCH LONGER SARGE". The corporal yelled back.
"WHAT ABOUT THE CIVILIANS?"
"THEY ARE SAFE NO CASUALTY'S."
"GOOD NOW GET THE SQUAD OUT OF HERE I'LL HOLD THEM OFF."
Realising what he said the rest of the squad turned to face Shepard.
"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS SARGE THEY OUTNUMBER US 4-1" another squad mate yelled.
"I GAVE YOU GUY'S AN ORDER NOW GO PROTECT THE CIVILIANS" Shepard said turning to face them. Reluctantly the squad retreated leaving Shepard behind.
Once his squad was out of sight he left his cover and put his assault rifle away. He then started walking slowly towards the oncoming force. Taking his knife out he said "May the spirits of war protect me."
Looking at his knife the blade started to glowed a bright white. Once the light faded the knife changed. The blade stretched itself to 2 feet and had become sharper.
While Shepard walked a batarian sniper aimed at his head. Smiling he said "die human". Before he could pull the trigger a searing pain came from his chest looking down he could see a sword had stabbed him.
"W www what" he managed to spit out.
"You will not kill my future husband slaver" a female voice whispered in his ear. The woman then removed the sniper's head and dispersed.
Shepard then saw the batarian force. As the force advanced he then said "father protect me". He then charged at the oncoming force.
-
"Come on" Kadian said helping a young girl up onto the ship.
"How's the evacuation coming?" An officer asked.
"Slowly but we are managing sir" a soldier said.
"Sir recon says that the batarian force is gone" said a man working a radio.
"WHAT?" the officer roared in surprise.
"Apparently a lone alliance soldier wiped out the force."
"Alone are you expecting me to believe that?"
A foot step from behind them made them turn around. A figure walked to them as they grabbed their weapons. Kadian then squinted his eyes the figure had a blade attached to his left arm.
"Sargent Shepard is that you?" he said in surprise.
"What other Shepard's do you know?" Shepard said coming into view with a smile.
Akuze 1 year later
Shepard ran through broken trees and muck carrying an injured squad mate. As he ran he could see ships taking off. A roar then came from behind him. Turning his head quickly he cursed and ran faster. A Thresher Maw closed in fast but he was faster.
"Sir just leave me I'm dead weight." The injured soldier said.
"Never you've got a family to look after I'm not leaving you." He scolded.
Finally the evac ship for his squad came into sight his men waving to him. He then made it.
"There's only one more seat sir" the pilot said.
The Thresher maws came closer. A roar made Shepard turn round. Then without thinking he shoved the injured squad mate on the ship.
"Make sure he gets medical attention" he said backing way from the ship.
"What about you sir you can't stay hear the maws will kill you." One of his squad mates said.
"Then so be it" he said as the ship took off.
"We'll come back for you." Another soldier yelled.
"If you don't when you get to hell I'm kicking all your asses."
"Yes sir" they said in unison.
The Thresher maws came closer and Shepard pulled out his blade and started to glow white.
2 weeks later
Kadian got out of the ship and scanned round the area. Looking up he could see smoke nearby. Smiling he ordered 2 other people to follow him. Making their way through the mess of branches and blood. A smell of freshly cooked meat met their noses. Passing through a large hole in the trees then saw a small fire with Shepard cooking maw meat.
Eden prime
The line moved forward as people got their food. Ashley got her tray and moved down as well. After getting some food she then moved to a seat net to a window and looked out of it while eating. After taking a swig of water the news came on.
"Today Alliance forces on Akuze returned to find that the Maw nest has been destroyed by Sargent Shepard. Who stayed behind 2 weeks ago to give an injured squad mate a ride on a shuttle back to the ship for medical attention." The news reporter said.
Hearing this Ashley smiled then felt her heart skip a beat. She missed Shepard more than she cared to admit. She had a crush on him ever since he was on the Hastings. She then thought about him and her spending time together. She then remembered the time on Mindoir when he nearly died. Lying there next to the slaver leader his heart slowing down. Remembering it she just could not take it and a tear came from her eye.
Shaking her head she continued to eat her lunch. Then a thought came to her. 'What if he is seeing someone' she then shook her head again telling herself that he would tell her. She then decided to ask him if he is and continued eating.
-
Torfan 1 year later
The battle was hard but thankfully no casualty's on both sides. Shepard did an extremely risky tactic by leasing his team round the back of the batarians and knocking them out. Now they have a whole group of batarian POW's.
Shepard sat on a crate talking to Kadian.
"So that was my first love" said Kadian "what about you? I bet girls throw them selves at you."
"Yes they do but I got my eyes on someone." Shepard said "but I'm not telling you."
"AAAA come on."
"nope"
"please?"
A gunshot made the 2 stop talking.
"What was..." Kadian started to say.
"The commander." Shepard said jumping down and running towards the POW's.
The commander aimed his pistol at another batarian before he could pull the trigger Shepard stood in the way between him and his target.
"Move lieutenant." The commander said in a angered tone.
"I can't do that sir." Shepard said in a calm voice.
"They DESERVE IT they killed thousands and sold more."
"I know that sir but I can't let you kill them."
"WHY THE FUCK not you killed few dozen on Mindoir and a whole battle group during the blitz."
"LIVES DEPENDED ON ME. They depended on me for holding the positions. If I didn't the one who I love would be dead or worse a slave. But they were armed. H is not if you think that you are doing the dead a favour you are not. All your doing is committing a war crime a capitol offence."
The commander lowered his pistol seeing what he has done. "What do we do to them then?"
"Interrogation they have to have some juicy Intel that we can use."
-
2183 CE
"Well what about Shepard?" Asked Udina. "He was found in space but no one knows were he was born."
"Myself and Williams gout him out of a shuttle craft however there was no DNA match. However those who are born in space tent not to have DNA profiles. So the likely hood of him being born on a shuttle are high. He also has a troubled past he won't talk to anyone about it."
"Can we trust someone like that?"
"Everyone has secrets Shepard is no different."
"He fort against an entire batarian battle group during the blitz." Hackett said "He nearly sacrificed himself to keep that colony standing. A year after that on Akuze he saved most of his platoon from a Thresher maw nest. He even gave up a seat on a shuttle for a wounded man. Then 2 weeks later he was found eating maw meat witch made him popular with the krogan. Another year later on Torfan he and his team ambushed slavers and had no casualty on ether side. He even convinced his commander to keep the prisoners alive we managed to get a lot of slave trading Intel from them."
"Interesting" Udina replied. "What about his combat speciality?"
"It's mixed he's mostly a soldier however he dose have biotic powers that are extremely powerful and does not need an implant. His engineering skills are beyond me. He practically built the Normandy single handed."
"Is that the kind of person we want protecting the galaxy?" Udina asked for conformation.
"We need the beast Shepard isn't some grunt in all insentience and purposes he is a super soldier." Anderson said with authority.
"I'll make the call."
5. Chapter 4 The machine threat
From Another World Chap 4
Chapter 4 The machine threat
Shepard slowly got up out of bed and grabbed his armour. 'Eden prime' he thought to himself as the words moved about in his head. He knew Ashley was there but something was wrong. After a few hours of leaving from lunar he felt uneasy like a storm was coming. No matter what he did he just couldn't shake the feeling.
Breathing lightly he then got up and strapped his knife around his left arm and walked out. The Normandy was the new ship in the Alliance a frigate with top of the line weapons and drive core. The ship had been designed and built by him and a few other scientists and engineers. The ship is the Alliance's most advanced ship but what they did not know was that the weapons, drive core and hull are all tiberian tech salvaged from human tech. The brass did not know this or the scientists or the engineers only Shepard knew.
As he walked to the captain's quarters a sharp pain hit his side. He grunted and clenched his ribs. 'Ash is in trouble' he thought ' Father please protect her'. He then made it to the captain's quarters letting go of his side he pressed the buzzer on the door and entered.
Anderson looked up from an OSD at Shepard who just walked in.
"Shepard what can I do for you" he asked and indicated to him to sit.
"Captain I was wondering when we get to Eden Prime may I take a day's shore leave?" he said while taking a seat.
"Why?"
"I have a friend on Eden Prime I would like to see how she's doing".
The captain just smiled. "You can't hide anything from me John".
"I'm not hiding anything David. I just what to have day's shore leave in paradise to see a friend".
"I've known you since we recovered you from that shuttle. I also know Ashley Williams is there. I'm not blind Shepard I know you've had you eyes on her for a long time."
Smiling Shepard then said "I can't hide anything from you can I".
Chuckling "no you can't I may give you a couple of hours but not the day will that be okay?"
"A few hours is good. Thanks Anderson. I'll go check on joker." He said as he got up and walked out.
As Shepard walked out he opened a draw and took a picture. The picture was of a young woman in an alliance uniform. He just smiled and lied it down on the desk. He sighed as the memories of the woman came back and although Shepard had not said it he wanted a girl in the alliance to be his. 'History has a way of repeating itself and this is one of those times but this time it's Shepard' Anderson thought to himself. 'I hope he gets her'.
As Shepard walked into the cockpit Joker was doing is final relay jump check wile a turian in red armour stood behind him. The turian was known as Nihlus a well respected spectre. The Citadel council sent him to keep an eye on the Normandy. But Shepard knew that he had other ideas.
"Thrusters check, navigation check, internal emissions sink engaged, drift just under 1500k". Joker said.
"1500 is good your captain will be pleased" Nihlus said before walking away. Joker watched him walk away until he was out of earshot then turned around and said " I hate that guy".
"Nihlus gave you a complement. So you hate him?" Kadian said in a disapproving voice.
"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit when you come out of the bathroom that's good". He said in a sarcastic tone as Shepard moved behind joker. "I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pin head. So that's incredible! Besides Spectres are trouble. I don't like having them on board. Call me paranoid."
"Your paranoid the council helped fund this project they have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment".
"Yeah that is the official story but only an idiot believes the official story".
"You always expect the worst Joker". Shepard said joining in with the discussion. "But I agree with Kadian to keep an eye on this project but a spectre they could have sent an engineer or Politian this makes no sense".
"So the higher ups are keeping more than they are letting on?" Joker said in concerned voice.
"Joker! Status report!" Anderson said in a angry voice over the comm. link.
"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid."
"Good. Find a comm. buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."
"Aye, aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is heading your way."
"He's already here, Lieutenant."
Joker shook his head in embarrassment.
"Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm. room for a debriefing."
"You get that, Commander?"
"I'm on my way". Shepard confirmed and walked away.
"Is it just me or does the captain always sound mad?"
"Only when he's talking to you Joker". Kadian said.
As Shepard walked down past the galaxy map over heard navigator Presley talking to Adams in engineering. They were having argument about Nihlus. It was obvious that Presley did not trust him due to the tone of his voice. Letting them have their conversation he continued walking to the comm room.
"I grew up on Eden Prime Doc it's not the kind of place spectres visit" Jenkins said as he talked to doctor Chakwas. He then saw Shepard approach them so he stood up straight and saluted.
"What do you think Commander? We won't be staying long on Eden Prime too long, will we? I'm itching for some action."
"I sincerely hope you're kidding, Corporal," Chawkas chided. "Your 'real action' usually ends up with me patching up crew members in the infirmary."
"There is a difference between waiting to fight and wanting to," Shepard said. "Just remember a good soldier stays cool under fire and expects the unexpected."
"Sorry Commander," Jenkins apologized. "But this waiting's killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before. Not one with a Spectre on board."
"Just treat this like every other assignment you've had and everything will work out."
"Easy for you to say," Jenkins pointed out. "You proves yourself during the Blitz, Akuze and Torfan. Everyone knows what you can do."
"You're young, Jenkins. You have a long career ahead of you. Don't make mistakes."
"Don't worry, sir, I won't."
"Do either of you know anything about Nihlus?"
"I've barely said a couple words to him," Chakwas answered. "So we don't really know too much."
"What do you know about the Spectres?"
"Only they answer directly to the Council and act as a shadow organization. Their job is protect galactic stability."
"Protect it at any costs," Jenkins corrected. "Spectres operate outside the law. Humanity's been trying to get one of us in their organization for years. You know, Commander, you would make a good Spectre! You held off an entire battarian battle group on Elysium single-handedly. Killed a dozen maws on Akuze and took an entire slaver group hostage on Torfan."
"You've been watching too many spy movies, Jenkins," Chakwas sighed. "The Spectres aren't interested in recruiting any of us. All of this is just wild speculation."
"The captain is waiting for me" Shepard then said.
"Of course commander don't let us keep you" Jenkins then said.
John then turned the corner and entered the comm room. Nihlus stood in front of a screen looking at images of Eden Prime. As he came closer the turian turned to face him.
"Ah, Commander. I was hoping you would get here first. Gives us time to talk."
"What about?"
"I want to know more about this colony."
"I went there once with my foster patients on a business trip," Shepard answered. "It's the perfect paradise."
"Yes... serene tranquil safe Eden Prime is a symbol to your people. A perfect little world at the edge of your territory." Nihlus turned around to face the screen. "Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies, but also protect them. But how safe is it really?" Nihlus faced Shepard again.
"Stop playing games, because I don't like them. Nihlus, and tell me what's going on?"
"You're quick to catch on."
"I think it's time we tell the Commander what's really going on," Anderson said as he walked up to them, after hearing part of their conversation.
"This mission is far more than a shakedown run."
"You being here proved that."
"The Normandy is making a covert pick-up. That's why we needed the stealth systems."
"The Prothean relic."
Anderon's and Nihlus' eyes widen.
"How did you know that?" Anderson demanded. "This was classified."
"The extranet," he replied. "And I suspected something on Eden Prime when I first went there."
"That's... Very interesting," he said. "But we wanted to do this covertly, so the Terminus systems don't get wind of this. If they do, they might attack to get this Prothean beacon."
"If they do that that would start a war with the Council races."
"The Terminus might be willing to risk it, to get their hands on intact Prothean. But the fact that the information is on the extranet is a concern."
"I didn't say that the information was free or shared." Hearing this the 2 relaxed a bit.
"Well, either way there's more. Nihlus isn't just here for the beacon. He's here to evaluate you."
"The Spectres are considering me to be one of them?"
"The Alliance have been pushing for this for a long time. Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come."
"I was... beyond impressed reading your record. Amazing intellect, extremely powerful biotics and combat skills. Your actions in the Blitz, Akuze and Torfan. If I didn't see the records myself I would have called your military history a series of optimistic tales. Your impressive record is the reason why I put your name forward as a Spectre candidate."
Nihlus sounded like he knew Shepard his history and secrets. This made him feel uneasy .
"I can assume that my one day shore leave on Eden Prime is not going to happen". John said with a bit of annoyance.
"I'm sorry Shepard I can only give you a few hours at best if that's okay".
"A few hours is fine".
"A few hours leave? The turian is lost here".
"I requested Anderson to give me a day's leave on Eden Prime to see a friend. I promised her mother I'd look after her when she joined the alliance military and I try to keep my promises".
The turian's mandibles twitched hearing this.
"Commander I heard that on Torfan that a batarian armed with a knife wounded one of you team mates but you didn't kill him because he was unarmed. Why is that?".
" I don't kill unarmed opponents. It's part of my fathers honour code that I read when I was young".
"I thought that humans don't have honour any more".
"Some do but others don't".
"I like someone with honour I won't put it on the report".
"Thanks I appreciate it".
"Capitan sir we've got a problem" Joker said over the intercom.
"What's wrong, Joker?"
"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this!"
The holoscreen before them changed to a recording of a battle on Eden Prime. A female soldier in white and pink armour warning of an invasion. "Ashley" Shepard said in quiet fearful voice. The three soldiers watched the screen but couldn't who they were fighting. The video then ends with static.
"Everything cuts out after that," Joker said. "No comm. traffic. Just goes dead. There's nothing."
"Reverse and hold at 38.5," Anderson ordered.
The video reversed and held at 38.5 seconds. It showed a red Dreadnought that had red lighting spark around it.
As they looked at the image Shepard seemed to remember something like it from when he was meditating. An old enemy that threatened his galaxy an unknown threat but they were machine. He then remembered an e-mail that he got.
"Geth" Shepard said.
"How can that be the Geth. They haven't been seen outside the veil in over 200 years".
"I received a message saying that the Geth have emerged. But the message was not addressed it was sent by an unknown".
"That's disturbing commander. Why did you not report it?" Anderson said with concern.
"You know how famous I am. My e-mail address is common knowledge. So I get a lot of fan mail, hoaxes and …." Shepard's cheeks went a little red. "Marriage proposal's. I tend to skim through them however when I got the message of the Geth returning I just assumed it was a joke but this conforms it. The message was not a hoax but the strangest thing was that it was not sent by the shadow broker".
This made all 3 fall silent. Shepard could only guess who sent it. What he had not told them was that the message was in tiberian. His language, his people who he thought had died. But what concerned him the most was that if his people are dead then he is the last tiberian. But there was always the possibility of one of the other races of the Joint Federal Union sending the message he may never know.
"If the shadow broker didn't send it who did?" Nihlus said with concern.
"Your guess is as good as mine. But right now if the Geth are on Eden Prime that beacon isn't going to waiting for us to pick it up".
Anderson nodded "take us in Joker fast and quiet this mission just got complicated". He said as he looked at Nihlus.
"A small strike team can make it without drawing any unwanted attention".
"We may want to split into 2 teams. Cover more ground that way". Shepard said remembering how big Eden Prime was.
"Good idea commander. I like your tactics lets do it".
"Grab you gear and meet us in the cargo hold" Anderson the told Nihlus as he walked out of the comm room. "Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up commander your going in".
They both then turned to face the image of the screen.
"Looks like war is going to happen after all". John then said in a calm tone.
"Looks like it commander. Looks like it".
6. Chapter 5 The Ancients warning
**Chapter 5 **
**The Ancients warning **
As Alenko and Jenkins suited up Shepard felt more sharp pains across his body. They felt like burns but he tolerated it. While he fastened his helmet on Alenko and Jenkins made their way to the cargo hold. Then made his way there. Walking into the cargo bay he sensed someone behind him and turned around fast. All there was were some crates 'Something weird is going on' he thought to himself and continued to the cargo bay.
Anderson, Nihlus, Alenko and Jenkins stood in front of the cargo bay door.
"You took your sweet time Shepard." Anderson said.
"Sorry I've been dealing with a headache for the past hour." Shepard replied.
"Suffering from your implant?"Alenko asked.
"Don't have one." This made Alenko and Nihlus look at him with raised brows. Jenkins' jaw
dropped.
"How can that be ….I...I heard that biotics had to have an implant in order to use their biotics. Otherwise they die of neurological degeneration". Jenkins said with confusion
"They do I'm... a unique case. When I was found I could use my biotics without an implant. However I only use them in emergences".
"Why? because they will kill you if you use them too much?"
"No because it is more fun to use my fists". He said while cracking his knuckles.
The others just looked at him with wide eyes. They had heard that Shepard sometimes used martial arts in close combat but never believed it. The Turian then smiled.
"HA! You have honour and you use your fists. I like you even more now Shepard" he said with a chuckle.
He'd obviously been around krogan for a long time.
"Approaching drop point one." Joker announced over the comm. Nihlus then cocked his shotgun as the door opened.
"Good luck Nhilus." Shepard then said.
"Same to you" he thanked as he disembarked.
"Nhilus will scout out ahead. He'll give you status reports throughout the mission". Anderson said
"We've got his," Shepard's voice cut off as another sharp pain hit him. "... back captain" he continued confidently. John then said with confidence as another sharp pain it him.
"Are you sure you're okay Commander?" he said with concern.
"I'll be fine sir."
"The mission is yours now Shepard good luck."
As the Normandy made it's way to the next point Shepard felt something hit him. Whatever it was it was not a sharp pain. It was more like his body was washed in warm light. But like with the sharp pains he did not react. He just knew that the spirits where watching him.
"Approaching drop point two" Joker then said.
As Shepard, Alenko and Jenkins jumped down they could see what was left of the colony. The sky was red like blood and the nearby buildings were destroyed from cannon fire. The colony that was once a paradise was now in ruins.
"No." Jenkins said quietly.
"It's aright Jenkins we will make them pay." Shepard said while putting his hand on his shoulder.
"Aye aye commander."
"What are those?" Kaidan pointed.
"Gas bags," Jenkins answered. "Don't worry, they're harmless."
Shepard's squad approached a clearing filled with rocks. They stopped next to a couple of spaced out rocks as Shepard scanned the area. It seemed clear. He signalled Jenkins to move forward to a small cropping of rocks. A whirling sound made their presence noticed as two drones came out from behind the trees ahead and opened fire on Jenkins.
Jenkins screamed as the rounds cut right through his shield. Shepard slid out from his cover and ran up to one of the drones and grabbed it. The drone tried to shake him off with no success. His right arm then glowed white and he punched straight through the drone.
Kadian then realised what John was doing. He used his biotics to hold the other drone as Shepard directed the drone to smash the other drone before he dropped to the ground. John and Kaidan then rushed to Jenkins side. He was dead. Shepard gently closed his eyes.
"Went right through his shield," Kaidan commented. "Never stood a chance".
"We'll see that he is honoured, but right now I need you to keep your wits about."
"Yes, Commander."
Two more drones entered the area and opened fire on the two soldiers. Shepard and Kaidan took cover behind the rock outcropping that Jenkins failed to reach. Kaidan took out his pistol while John pulled out his rifle.
"Aim for the closest one" he ordered.
Both soldiers aimed and destroyed the closest drone. The remaining drone tried to flee but before it could Shepard jumped up and grabbed it. Like the other drone it tried to shake him off with no success. He then grabbed the drone's gun and ripped it off and caused it to fall. After it it the ground he pulled up his omni-tool and downloaded some data before it self-destructed.
"What did you do?" Kaidan asked as he walked to stand next to Shepard.
"Got a valuable shield upgrade. Hold out your omni-tool." he answered.
He complied by holding out his arm. His tool screen then popped up as something was downloaded.
"There we go your shields are set to a rotating frequency. This will make you more resistant to plasma rounds"
"That was fast." Kadian said in surprise.
"I've been named humanity's super soldier. I can fix anything, build anything and make all the women in the galaxy fall in love with me. So creating a shield upgrade is child's play."
Alenko gave out a small chuckle in amusement. Then felt a bit guilty for it due to the death of Jenkins. A man they knew and fought with them for several months had died both of them felt sorrow for his death but didn't dwell on it. At that moment Nihlus came on the radio.
"Lots of burnt out buildings here, Shepard," he said over the comm. "A lot of bodies. I'm going to check it out. I'll meet you at the dig site."
"Aye, aye." Shepard said back. "See you there. Nihlus, I'm sending you a program to execute. It'll tune your shields to a rotating frequency making you more resistant against Geth plasma rounds."
"Got it," he confirmed. "Thank you, Commander."
"Any time Nhi-" Shepard stopped in the middle of the sentence and collapsed to his hands and knees breathing heavily. Kadian got down onto his knee to see how he was doing. Before he could say anything John coughed up a large amount of blood.
"Shepard are you there?" Nihlus started to yell.
Alenko started to panic he had never seen Shepard like this. In pain the sight frighted him like he was going to lose one of his best friends.
"I'm fine Nihlus" he then said slowly getting up.
"Ok I'm continuing on commander."
"John what's wrong I've never seen you like that." Kadian said with obvious concern.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Shepard knew what it was. An old Tiberian trait. He could not afford to waste time saving Ashley. Otherwise his life will be forfeit. A sadness started to fill him he had lost his father and sisters now he is going to lose the love of his life. Before Kadian could say anything else a scream filled the area.
"ASHLEY!" Sheppard yelled before running through the trees. With Kadian close behind.
A small clearing came up as he and Kadian stopped. A female alliance soldier in white and pink armour was being dragged to a big metal spike by two Geth soldiers.
"Let me go you metal bastards!" she yelled thrashing against her captors.
Without warning Shepard's body glowed white with biotic power and ran at the Geth. Noticing how close she was to the Geth he feared about hitting her. The female soldier looked at the person running towards them then recognised his face as he got closer.
"Shepard!" she yelled.
The Geth soldiers turned to face him letting the soldier go to grab their weapons. Ashley moved behind a few nearby rocks for cover. She knew what he was capable of. As the Geth started firing on Shepard, five more joined them. Shepard then grabbed his blade from his left arm and ignored the rounds coming at him.
The Geth kept firing at him but to no avail. Shepard hit the one nearest him with a warp ball and flew into a rock behind the other Geth. The impact smashed it into thousands of pieces. Before the other Geth could react he stood behind them and sheathed his blade. The remaining Geth the split in two and exploded.
'That was for Jenkins you tin can's' he thought.
"Shepard" Ashley said, running up and hugging him. "I thought you'd never get here."
"When have I ever let you down." he replied as they left the hug.
"Are you wounded?" Kadian asked Ashley as he stood next to Shepard.
"A few scrapes, burns and a punch to the stomach." She said "The others weren't so lucky. We where patrolling the perimeter when the attack it. We tried to double back to the beacon but we got cut off. I've been fighting for my life ever since."
'More than just your life, my love.' Shepard thought. 'Mine too.'
"You did what you had to do Ash. Don't blame yourself." he then said.
"Thank you Jo-" she trailed off noticing the lieutenant marks on Kadian then corrected herself. "I mean Sir."
"Where's the rest of your squad?" Kadian then asked.
"They...they are dead sir" she said with sadness in her voice.
"We need to get to the beacon. We could use you help." John then said.
"Of course sir. It's time for payback."
Ashley then picked up an assault rifle of a fallen alliance soldier and lead them to the beacon. As they walked she noticed something around Shepard's neck glinting in the light. She knew what it was an heirloom from his eldest sister. The purplish crystal with a blue core was more than beautiful and radiant. It was almost hypnotic to other people but not to her. He had that necklace since he was found and never took it off. It was always there. Apart of him that could not be removed.
Ashley unconsciously let her mind wander for a second before being shoved to the side by Shepard. Gunfire and mechanical noises came from the dig sight.
"Thanks commander" she said recovering herself behind a few rocks.
"Your not dying on me girl." he replied as he fired his assault rifle at the Geth that stood in their way.
She felt her heart beat so fast as she looked at him. She admired him and loved him like all the women in the galaxy. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him but was always afraid of being turned down. 'This man is the one I want' she thought to herself and joined in shooting the Geth.
After a while Shepard started to get noticeably angry and his arms started to glow.
"We don't have bloody time for this," he said moving out of cover and used his arm to launch a white projectile at the Geth. The projectile exploded blinding the Geth which made it easer to take them down. The three then moved into the empty dig-sight.
"The beacon was just here a minute ago," Ashley said in disbelief. "They must have moved it."
"Which side?" Kadian asked. "Theirs or ours?"
"Don't know. Maybe we can find out more at the research camp."
John moved to where the beacon stood and crouched down.
"What is it commander?" Ash then asked as he picked up a small hexagonal sphere that fitted in his hand.
'It can't be!' he thought 'This is Tiberian tech how did the Geth get their hands on it?'
"Do you know what it is commander?" Kadian asked with interest.
"No I don't." he said, lying "You two go on ahead, I'll be with you in a minute."
Ash and Kadian left him looking at the sphere. On her way up the ramp Ash watched Shepard as he crushed the sphere with his hand. A look of anger came across his face as he got up and threw the crushed object away. He then joined them at the top of the ramp. He was obviously pissed about the device.
"Change in plan, Shepard," Nihlus reported in over his omni-tool. "There's a space port just ahead. I'll meet you there."
Ashley decided to watch him closely. 'He knows something,' she thought 'or he's hiding it and I'm going to find out.' They then made it to the camp. Shepard became focused on the occupied spikes and pulled his shotgun out.
"Looks like they hit the camp hard." Ashley commented.
"Keep your guard up," Kaidan cautioned. "This is a good place for an ambush."
The humans at the top didn't look human any more. They looked more like a mixture of organic and synthetic tissue. The remaining organic flesh was grey from decay. The spikes shook and then lowered.
"My god they're still alive!" Kaidan gasped.
"What did the Geth do to them?" Ashley asked out loud.
"Finally, something to kill!" John then said as the creatures approached them.
The other two just looked at him. Never had they heard him say that. Even Ashley who knew him for over twenty years. 'Something is wrong with him.' she thought.
As the creatures approached Shepard fired his shotgun at the closest one. The shot severed the torso of the creature. The moaning of the other creatures made Ash and Alenko opened fire on them. Another one then ran up to John. Once it was close enough he whacked it with the butt of his weapon. The creature fell backwards but before it could get up he put his foot on it's chest.
The creature struggled as John pointed his shotgun at it. As he looked in it's eyes he could see something 'A last shred of humanity?' he thought.
As the last one fell Kadian and Ashley looked at him just staring at the creature. A gunshot then rang out after he said something that the other 2 couldn't make out.
"Let's move" he then said.
He then saw some movement between the shutters of one of the buildings. He signalled to his squad to move up quietly. John opened his omni-tool and hacked through the door. It slid open and he went in with his rifle raised.
"Don't shoot!" a woman yelled. Her eyes widen. "Humans! Thank god."
"Hurry, close the door!" the other scientists pleaded. "Before they come back."
Shepard lowered his rifle. "Don't worry. We'll protect you."
"It's okay," the woman reassured. "It looks like everyone's gone."
"You're Doctor Warren," Ashley said. "In charge of the excavation. Do you know what happened to the beacon?"
"It was moved to the spaceport this morning," Warren answered. "Manuel and I stayed behind to pack up the camp. When the attack happened, the marines held them off while we hid. They gave their lives to save us."
"No one is safe!" Manuel interrupted. "The age of Humanity is ended. Soon, only ruins and corpses will remain."
"Is your assistant okay?" Shepard asked.
"Manuel has a brilliant mind, but he's always been a bit... unstable. Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin."
"Is it madness to see the future?" Manuel asked. "To see the destruction rushing towards us? To understand that there is no escape? No hope? No, I am not mad. I'm the only sane one here."
"I gave him an extra dose of his meds after the attack."
"The prophet led the Geth here. He is the bringing of the destruction that is to come!"
"Who is this prophet?" Shepard asked genuinely curious.
"The Turian. He came here with the Geth."
"A Turian?"
"Can't be Nihlus," Kaidan commented.
Manuel then got a good look at Shepard and stepped back. Everyone's eyes where on him.
"You!" He said. "You the inhuman look alike. The saviour of the galaxy's."
John stiffened up on the mention of inhuman. How could this man know he was not human. Ash noticed he stiffened up and started to wonder why.
"The hero king, Tiberian soldier, high commander Jol'an Shardan. The commander of the frontier knights corps. Son of the spirits." he continued.
This got his undivided attention the things that the man said were impossible for him to know. But the most interesting bit he said was 'Son of the spirits'. 'Is he referring to the...' he thought as Manuel said some unimportant things. 'By the spirits of war he is. He's referring to the... the black storm prophecy'.
"When crew become family, when the king is resurrected, the betrayal of the guards will see the worlds unite with an unseen power. The Black storm of death will rise and sweep across the galaxy destroying all life. But a battle between brothers will decide the fate of two universes."
Shepard just stared at him with wide eyes. This man recited the Black Storm prophecy perfectly and with no problem. What ever was going on the prophecy is the centre of it all.
"Manuel what are you talking about?." Warren asked.
"Doctor does your assistant have any precognitive ability's?" Shepard then asked making eye's fall on him.
"Not that I know of why?"
"Just curious. Lets go." he said walking out with is team.
Once outside he gave a big sigh. At this point Ashley knew something was up. In the years that she knew him, out of all the strange things that happened this was the strangest.
* * *
Nihlus saw something move ahead so he took cover. He waited a second and then stepped out again aiming his assault rifle at whoever was ahead. He got a good look at the person and immediately recognized him as his friend, "Saren?"
Saren turned around to see him. His right arm was synthetic with metal plates on his head. His eyes glowed blue from his artificial eyes. "Nihlus," he stated. Saren slowly walked towards him.
"This isn't your mission, Saren. What are you doing here?"
"The Council thought you could use some help on this one," Saren assured him. He walked by him, patted him on the shoulder and walked behind him.
Nihlus dropped him guard. "I wasn't expecting to find Geth here. The situation's bad."
"Don't worry," Saren said as he turned around. He pulled out his hand cannon and aimed at the back of Nihlus' head. "I've got it under control."
* * *
A loud bang filled the area.
"What was …..." Kadian began.
"NIHLUS!" Shepard yelled as he and the squad ran around the corner. They then stopped on a platform on a small hill looking at a large ship in the distance. A large black dreadnought arose from behind the horizon. A trail of red smoke and lightning followed it as it took off from the planet's surface.
"That thing is massive!" Ashley gasped.
Fear gripped John as it flew away. The ship was light black and looked like the squid of earth. It quickly flew out of eyesight.
"We have to find Nihlus" Shepard then said.
Several spikes ahead activated and lowered down. Half a dozen husks groaned and moaned as they woke up.
"Get ready incoming" Kadian said.
* * *
Nihlus took cover behind some crates and made a note to thank Shepard for the upgrade.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he yelled.
"Giving the galaxy a future old friend. You are in the way of that objective." Saren said.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?"
"You can't understand" he said before throwing a grenade.
As the grenade exploded Nihlus moved around some more crates. Saren threw a another grenade at his newest cover. The grenade was unsuccessful is destroying it, but the shrapnel hit Nihlus in the chest he then fell in a slump to the ground. 'I'm not going down without a fight' he thought with determination.
He popped out of cover and fired his rifle at Saren in full force. Saren's barrier seems to absorb all of his attacks. As Saren raised his rifle Nihlus when back behind cover.
"N...nn...nn...need some help?" a voice asked.
Nihlus turned to face the voice. A human crouched there he was shaking from head to toe.
"What can you do?" he asked.
The man gave a weak smile and handed him a couple of grenade's. The Turian just looked at the human and smiled. He then throw one of the grenade's at the Turian standing in his way. The grenade achieved little but making Saren mad.
Nihlus then popped out of cover again but this time a few rounds hit his chest destroying his shield and pushed him back. The rounds burned him if help didn't come soon he would die.
Saren walked over to Nihlus to see if he was dead but a shot narrowly missed him. He looked to see who did it. Three alliance solders came running in his direction. He then ran to the tram to get to the beacon.
"Did you see who that was?" Kadian asked as they walked up the stairs.
"No but he was defiantly Turian." Shepard said.
At the top of the stars a body lay one that Shepard and Kadian instantly recognised. "Nihlus" they both said as they ran and crouched next to him.
"S Shepard?" he said weakly.
"He's lost a lot of blood" Ashley then said pulling up her omni-tool. "Burns and- SHIT."
"What?" John asked.
"He's got shrapnel inside him."
Shepard's mind raced. 'What do I do' he kept on thinking then thought of something.
"Shepard" Nihlus said wheezing. "The one who shot me is Saren a spectre. He's gone rouge. He's working with the Geth!" he managed to get out before his eyes closed.
"He's alive but unconscious." Kadian said scanning the Turian.
"Let's go, we have to stop Saren" John then said running to the trams with the team.
* * *
Saren looked at the glowing beacon. He turned to the Geth next to the beacon and said, "Set the charges. Destroy the entire colony leave no evidence that we where here."
The Geth nodded and went over to set the nuclear devices with the other platforms.
Saren approached the beacon. A burst of energy emanated from it. Saren levitated in the air to receive the beacon's message.
-
The tram reached its destination. Every Geth in the area was notified of its presence. "There planing to destroy the colony" Shepard said while jumping over the ralings. "Cover me while I disarm the bombs."
Despite the Geth's advanced technology, they still did. He just severed the firing mechanism. In order to avoid it detonating he used is biotics to prevent it from firing. Ashley and Kaidan worked in unison in covering him. As they ran to each bomb Shepard used is assault rifle on the Geth.
The last bomb was disarmed to the relief of all three of them. All that was left was the beacon. The beacon glowed with a brilliant green light. The area was cleared and the beacon was secured.
Shepard opened his comm. link. "Normandy, we've recovered the beacon. We need pick-up at my location and at the other end of the spaceport for Nihlus..."
"An actual working beacon," Kaidan said in disbelief. "Incredible."
"It wasn't doing anything like that when they first dug it up," Ash commented. She slowly approached the Prothean relic. A burst of energy came from the device. A force started to pull Ashley towards it.
Shepard did a double take at Ash before charging in. "ASHLEY!" he yelled as he jumped up and grabbed Ash by the waist. John threw her away as far as he could before the beacon pulled him into the air.
"NO JOHN!" Ashley tried to run to him.
Kaidan grabbed her and yelled, "No! It's too dangerous!"
Images rushed through Shepard's head. Millions being slaughtered on many worlds. Synthetic creatures. A roar from the ship they saw earlier as it stood before an eclipsed planet. Pain shot through his entire body. The beacon overloaded and the blast knocked Shepard to the ground causing him to finally black out.
Kadian let Ashley go. She ran up to him 'Don't be dead please!' she thought as she checked his pulse.
* * *
Darkness consumed him again like it did on Mindoir. As he opened his eyes he saw fields of lush green grass and trees. Birds squawked in the distance. He then looked up and saw three orbiting moons and a yellow sun. He then span around taking it all in.
"Tibera, my home" he said with joy.
"Yes this is your home" a voice said from behind him. He then turned to see who it was. A woman with long red hair and white dress stood there.
"Kareena."
"Yes."
"Am I dead?"
"No you are unconscious. You are dreaming."
"Why here?"
"Your subconscious brought you here because you needed a new scene."
"Those machine's the 'Reapers' are responsible for the extinction of the Protheans. Aren't they?"
"Yes"
"So the reason why I became the spirits champion is not to take out Cerberus. But the reapers."
"Yes. The reapers are a threat to your galaxy as well as this one. Your people will face them with you."
The last words she said enraged him. "I'M THE LAST SURVIVOR OF THAT UNIVERSE. MY KIND ARE DEAD!" he yelled.
"Your kind lives. Like this galaxy you are not alone. The infection did not wipe them out." she said holding out her hand. Showing images of people rebuilding on a number of different worlds.
He could not believe it. All his life he thought he was the last from his universe. Now he is not the last. "I...I...never knew that. I'm sorry."
"It's alight. Like you said you never knew. But there is something you should know the Ranzan are not from your galaxy. We are from this one."
"But why me then? Why not someone from this galaxy?"
Kareena looked down in disappointment. "We have tried to contact the people here but we have had no success because of a powerful entity in this universe. Yours is the only one we could connect to."
"Then how are you talking to me?"
"You are foreign to this realm therefore the entity can't do anything."
"What is this entity? And how are the reapers connected to the Black storm prophecy?"
" I'm sorry I can't tell you."
"WHY!" John demanded.
"You have to find the answers yourself." she said as she started to disappear.
"NO TELL ME NOW!" he then yelled but she was gone. The world around him then went black light then swirled above him. As he slowly opened his eyes he found himself in the med-bay with Ashley and Chakwas looking over him.
"He's awake!" Ashley said as he sat up.
"You gave us a scare, Commander," Chakwas said. "How're you're feeling?"
"Minor throbbing, nothing too bad," Shepard replied. "How long was I out?"
"About fifteen hours. Something happened down there with the beacon."
"It was my fault, Commander," Ashley interrupted. "I must have triggered some security field."
"You had no idea if that's what set it off," Shepard assured her. "It wasn't your fault."
A smile came across her face.
"We may never find out," Chakwas said.
"The beacon overload and the blast knocked you out," Ashley filled in. "LT and I carried you back here."
"Thanks Ash." Shepard's eyes were drawn to Nihlus who was still out. "How's Nihlus?"
"Sadly, Agent Nihlus is in a coma," Chakwas answered. "We managed to get the shrapnel out of him. But the damage is quite bad. He may never wake up. Now moving back to you. While, you're physically fine, I've detected odd brain readings. Abnormal beta waves usually connected with intense dreaming. Did anything happened while you were out?"
"I saw, I'm not sure, death and destruction. It's really hard to tell."
"Hmm, I should add this to my report it may be connected with something." she then checked her omni-tool an cursed.
Ashley and Shepard looked at her. "Sorry my omni-tool is broken again. I need to go see Adams to see if he can do anything." Chakwas said before walking out the med-bay leaving them both alone.
"So don't we.." John said before a slap came across his face. "What was that for."
"For scarring me half to death again like on Mindoir." she said before hugging him. "I'm sorry I'm still... I'm still..."
"It's all right you needed to let off some steam." he said while wrapping his arms around her.
Ashley then broke off from the hug and gave him a serous look. "I want the truth. I saw you crush that sphere with intense hatred. And those things on what the assistant said. I'm not accepting no for an answer do you know something? Give me a straight answer."
Before Shepard could answer Anderson walked in. "How's our XO doing?" he asked.
Ashley gave a big sigh and turned to face him "He'll be fine," she answered.
"That's good to hear. I'm going to need to talk to Shepard, in private."
"Aye, aye, I'll be in the mess Commander."
"It seems that beacon hit you hard, Commander. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I don't like soldiers dying under my command." John replied.
"Jenkins wasn't your fault, Shepard. You did a good job. Kaidan told me about your on ground shield upgrade. I'm guessing Nihlus would be dead without it."
"So you wanted to speak to me?"
"I won't lie to you Commander. Things look bad. Nihlus is in a coma. The becaon's been destroyed and the geth are invading. The Council are going to want answers."
"I did nothing wrong, Captain. I just hope they know that."
"I'll stand behind you and your report, Shepard. You're a damn hero in my books. Though that's not why I'm here. It's Saren. The other turian Spectre. He's one of the best. A legend. But if he's working with the geth that means that he's gone rogue. A rogue Spectre is trouble. Saren's dangerous and he hates humans."
"Why?"
"He thinks that we're expanding too fast. Most aliens think that way, but most don't do anything about that. But Saren has allied himself with the geth. I don't know how or why, but it has something to do with the beacon. You were there just before the beacon self-destructed. Did you see or hear anything that could give us a clue?"
"Before it blew, the beacon gave me a vision."
"A vision? A vision of what?"
"Destruction of everything in the galaxy. Reapers killing everything."
"We need to report this to the Council."
"And say what? I had a bad dream?" he asked with a slight chuckle.
"We don't know what type of information was stored in that beacon. Saren took it. He has influence in politics and has forces of geth. He will stop at nothing to see humanity wiped from the galaxy."
"I'll find some way to take him down."
"It's not that easy. Saren's a Spectre and can do almost anything. We need to get the Council to revoke his Spectre status. The ambassador will set up our meeting and will want to meet us right away. We should be getting close to the Citadel now. Go up and tell Joker to bring us into dock."
"Aye, aye, Captain."
7. ideas
Okay I'm currently working on chapter 6 but after that I need some help. If it is not too much trouble I could use some beta readers. Also reviews will help.
But for the time being here some ideas that I have.
Jack has some Tiberian powers that are slowly killing her but she does not know it.
Miranda is made using Tiberian tech so when she gets emotionally enraged she can use her Tiberian powers.
Shepard's oldest sister is found at Telten and joins her younger brother.
Ashley joins Shepard after horizon.
Sarah gets kidnapped by slavers (Ashley's loyalty mission)
Ideas and comments are welcome. Note all ideas that I use witch are given by you will be credited.
8. Chapter 6 True identity
At the end of this chapter there are a few notes about the story like the mass effect codex. If you what me to continue this just say so. Please review.
Chapter 6 True identity.
Shepard, Ashley and Kadian looked at the Presidium. Admiring the view from ambassador Udina's office. Shepard had been to the Citadel twice with his foster parent's. The place was impressive.
His mind wondered as he thought of the walk over to the embassy. Eyes where on him and giggling from teenage girls. All he did was smile back at them.
This kind of thing would make Ashley jealous but this time it didn't. Her mind was wondering what John was going to say. She thought she knew him but all of that has know changed. After he woke up he seemed distant not talking like usual. She needed to find the right time to talk to him and find the truth.
"This is unacceptable!" Udina roared. "The Council would step in if the Geth attacked a Turian colony! I demand action!"
"You don't get to make demands of the Council!" the Turian snapped at him.
"Humanity knew the risks when the Alliance colonized the Traverse." the Asari said.
"What about Saren. You can't ignore a rogue Spectre!"
"C-Sec is finishing their investigation into your accusations. We'll speak more at the meeting. Not before" at that the holograms vanished and Udina turned to Anderson.
"I'm see you got the Council to agree to the meeting," Anderson said.
"Yes, but they aren't happy," Udina grumbled. "Saren is one of their best Spectre agients. They don't like it when one of their Spectres are charged with treason."
As Shepard moved next to Anderson annoyance started to grow in him. "It does not change the fact that Eden prime was attacked by the Geth. And a rogue Turian Spectre who is leading them." he said in an aggressive tone.
"Calm down, Shepard," Udian chided. "You've already done enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres. The Eden Prime mission was to prove you could handle things. Instead Nihlus ends up in a coma and the beacon was destroyed."
"That was Saren's fault not his," Anderson defended.
"Well, we better hope that C-Sec turns up some evidence or the Council may use this as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres." Udina quickly left the room.
"And that's why I hate politicians," Ashley scowled.
"Your not the only one." John said.
"Shepard, you and your squad should hurry to the Citadel," Anderson said. "I'll meet you there."
"Oh, Captain," Shepard said at the last minute.
Anderson turned around. "Yes?"
"How is Nihlus and where is he?"
"He's at a Huerta memorial hospital here on the Citadel. However since he's a Spectre you can't go and see him. But from what I've heard, he has a whole security detail, so I wouldn't worry too much about him. See you at the meeting."
"Yes sir." he said as Anderson walked out. John then turned to Ashley and Kadian who faced him.
"Shall we get going?" Kadian then asked.
Shepard nodded and walked out the office with the other two following him. Walking out of the embassy's eyes where on him again. But unknown to them a shadowy figure watched them. The figure then tapped his ear to activate his communicator.
"This is operative Ni'falon" he said in Tiberian. "That's right the reports are accurate. We need everyone to try and find evidence against the Spectre named Saren." he then fell silent for a moment. "That's right no one it to make contact with Jol'an until this is settled. Standby for mission update." The operative then tapped his ear again to deactivate his communicator. A moment later his eyes glowed red for a few seconds. "Mission updated." he then said before disappearing.
The walk to the Citadel tower was uneventful. Apart from the odd signature signing. As Ashley and Kadian entered the lift Shepard felt familiar eyes on him. He turned round to look. He scanned the area thoroughly. Nothing. There was no one out of the ordinary.
"Commander is something wrong?" Kadian asked.
"No nothing." he said in a calm voice as he entered the lift.
Ashley then entered the destination on the keypad and the lift took off.
"So chief how long have you known the commander?" Kadian asked Ashley trying to start a conversation.
"About 20 odd years. We met on the Hastings after Shepard was found." she answered.
"Really? That's a long time."
"Yeah. Skipper has helped me and my sisters when he was around. He's like a brother to all four of us."
"When he was around?"
"My foster parents where political advices for hire." Shepard said joining the conversation. "They travelled around a lot and took me along."
"But why?"
"Two reasons. The first was because they could not have their own kids. The second was because they had a wonder lust." he chuckled. "Thankfully I did not get the wonder lust. But I did get their knack for handling difficult political situations."
"What happened to them?"
Hearing this a tear came from his eye. "They died during the Mindoir slave raid."
"Sorry commander."
"It's all right Kadian. Remembering the past even one that is brutal is no crime. Just upsetting."
Before anyone else could say anything the lift stopped and the doors opened. As they stepped out two Turians started arguing about currant events.
"Just give me some more time," the Turian in the blue armour said. "Stall them!"
"Stall the Council?" the other chided. "Your investigation is over, Garrus."
Shepard's group approached the Turian. "Commander Shepard? Garrus Vakarian," he introduced himself. "I was in charge of the investigation into Saren."
"It sound like you didn't have much luck."
"No," he replied. "Saren's a Spectre. Anything he touches becomes classified. I couldn't find anything solid. But like you Humans say 'I feel it in my gut'. He's up to something. I know it" Garrus let out a sigh. "But hopefully the Council will listen to you."
"Thanks, Garrus." Shepard nodded to his squad.
They approached the stand with Anderson and Udina. The three Council representatives stood behind their podiums. The look of contempt was very clear on the Turian councillor's face. A twenty foot tall hologram of Saren was displayed to the left side of the room.
As Shepard approached he could have sworn that Saren stiffened a little. Probably because of the shot that missed him.
"The Geth attack is a matter for some concern, but there is nothing to suggest that Saren was involved in any way," the Asari declared.
"The investigation by C-Sec turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason," the Turian added.
"Nihlus told Commander Shepard that it was Saren who attacked him," Udina countered.
"And we can only rely on Shepard's word for that evidence," the Turian scoffed.
"I resent these accusations," Saren said. "Nihlus was a fellow Spectre. And a friend."
"That just let you catch him off guard," Anderson argued.
"Captain Anderson? You always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me." Saren looked to Shepard. "And this must be your protégé. Commander Shepard. The one who let the beacon get destroyed."
"Tell me how in the hell you know about the beacon?" Shepard asked, remembering what the Hunters did in this kind of situation. He did this to try and catch the Spectre off guard. "Eden Prime was a classified mission and if I recall Spectre files and records do not transfer to other Spectres unless they die, as stated in the Spectre Protocols Mission succession protocol. Nihlus is only in a coma. In cases such as that, the records and files go to the Council representatives and not too fellow Spectres."
Udina and Kadian looked at Shepard in a sort of awe. While Ashley and Anderson just smiled and shook their heads. The Commander was able to mention that protocol was impressive. Despite Spectres given almost unlimited freedom to achieve their goals, there are still some rules and regulations that centre around if they go rogue or in times where they are incapacitated.
The Spectre's mandibles twitched witch Shepard gave a small smile for.
"If you know the protocols you should know that in the same section in the last paragraph, that states that 'in times of war said rule is null and void'. I read the reports. I was not impressed. But what can you expect from humans?"
John looked to the Council. "If I recall we aren't at war with anyone. Saren despises Humanity. That's one of the reasons why he attack the colony."
"Humanity needs to learn its place," Saren scolded. "You're not ready to join the Council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres."
"He has no right to say that!" Udina roared. "That is not his decision."
"Shepard's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting," the Asari said to bring order back to the meeting.
"This meeting has no purpose!" Saren scowled. "The Humans are wasting your time Councilor. And mine."
"Saren is hiding behind his status to cover up everything he's done," Shepard argued.
"There is one outstanding," Anderson said. "Shepard's vision may have been triggered by the beacon."
"Are we allowing dreams into evidence?" Saren asked sarcastically. "How can I possibly defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?"
"I agree," the Turian Councillor said. "Our judgement must be based on facts and evidence. Not wild imaginings and reckless speculation."
"With respect councillor visions from the beacon and other Prothean devices deserve merit." Shepard answered matter-of-factly.
The Councillor's looked at each other. The Salarian and Asari nodded while the Turian shook his head. The Asari then gave a serous look at the Turian who then nodded.
"Commander Shepard please tell us what you saw." the Asari then said.
"To tell you the truth I'm not too sure what I saw. Death, destruction machines killing millions. Maybe more. It's not too clear."
"Do you know if these machines are Geth?" the Salarian councillor asked.
"I'm sorry I have no idea." Shepard replied. "If I find anything else I'll let you know."
"Thank you commander." the Asari then said. "But back to the subject at hand. Is there anything else you would like to say for this hearing?"
"I have no more evidence to put forward."
"The Council have found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the Geth," the Asari announced. "Ambassador, your petition to have Saren disbarred from the Spectres is denied."
"I'm glad to see justice has been served," Saren said cockily.
"It will be," Shepard said to him as a small flash of white came from his eyes.
Saren's eye's widened slightly as the hologram cut out. Shepard's squad and Anderson left the platform. Udina still stood there, slowly he followed them.
"It was a mistake bringing you to that hearing, Captain," Udina scolded. "You and Saren had too much history. It made the Council question our motives. And Shepard! What the hell were you thinking? Threatening Saren in front of the Council."
"Just letting Saren know what's coming."
"Well it just only added to irritate the Council. We don't need to worry about them as well as Saren."
"I know Saren," Anderson said. "He's working for the Geth for one reason. To exterminate the entire Human race. Every colony we have is at risk. Every world we control is in danger. Even earth isn't safe!"
"I know I saw him and took a shot at him before he ran. Though right now we need to find evidence of Saren's treachery." Shepard said
"As a Spectre, Saren is untouchable," Udina commented. "We need to find some way to expose him."
"What about Garrus?" Kaidan suggested. "That C-Sec investigator. We saw him arguing with the Executor."
"That's right!" Ashley said. "He was asking for some more time. It seems like he was close to finding something."
"Anyone know where we could find him?" Shepard asked.
"I have a contact in C-Sec who may be able to help track him down. He's name is Harkin."
"Forget it," Anderson scolded. "Harkin was suspended for drinking on the job. I wouldn't waste my time with him."
"You won't have to," Udina growled. "I won't have the Council use your past with Saren to dismiss anything we come up with. Shepard will handle it."
"You can't just cut the Captain out of this!" Shepard roared.
"No, Shepard, he's right," Anderson complied. "I need to step aside. My history with him could have some negative effects against us."
"Witch would hinder our progress because of the political blow back due to your history."
"That's right. I have some business to take care of," Udina informed the two soldiers. "Captain, meet me in my office later."
"Harkins probably getting drunk at Chora's Den," Anderson said to Shepard.
"I thought you said he was a waste of time."
"Yes, but he might be able to help. Emphasis on 'might'."
"Maybe there's another way."
"Try Barla Von in the Financial District. Rumour has it he's an agent for the Shadow Broker."
"Shadow Broker?" Ash asked.
"An information dealer. Buys and sells secrets to the highest bidder. I hear Barla Von is one of his top representatives. He might be able to help you, but his information likely won't come cheap."
"Isn't anything cheep or easy these days?," Shepard said. "I'll check my mail see if anything is worth reading."
"Good idea. I'll speak with you later, Shepard. And good luck." Anderson left for the elevator.
"Check your mail?" Ashley asked with interest.
"Errrr" Shepard said as he looked away and his cheeks going a bit red.
"His E-mail address is common knowledge. He gets fan mail, hoaxes, interview requests and … marriage proposals." Kadian said with a mocking smile.
Hearing the last bit 'marriage proposals' made her feel uneasy. She knew how famous he was but that did not make it any easer to take in.
"OK lets just leave it there lets go see Barla Von." John then said.
The other two nodded and all three made their way to the lift.
* * *
Saren walked up and down his quarters thinking about what had happened in the council chambers. He and only he saw Shepard's eye's glow no one else did. This could mean one of two things. Ether that Shepard was not Human or he has unimaginable biotic power. Maybe both.
At that moment an Asari came in.
"You wanted to see me?" she asked.
"Yes" Saren answered still walking up and down his quarters. "Do humans have the ability to make their eyes glow?."
"No why?"
"When I was at that hearing at the end Shepard's eye's glowed. What are the possibility's of him not being human?"
The Asari was confused by this question. How could someone who looks human not be human?
"But then what is he if not human?"
"I don't know. Start an investigation to find out what he truly is. I want to know."
"Right away." the Asari said and left.
Saren then stopped to think. It started to make sense now. Shepard's strength, speed, reflexes and power are beyond Human way beyond Human. The only thing for him to find out now is what and who is commander Shepard.
* * *
Barla von turned out to be a great help. The three made their way to one of the wards to find a doctor Michel in a med-clinic. As they approached Shepard could hear voices inside and did not sound friendly.
Shepard signalled the two to move to the sides of the door. As they did Shepard removed his knife from it's sheath and held it in his left hand. He also had his pistol in his right hand.
"I'll go in first you two follow me." he then ordered as he stood in front of the door.
The two then nodded and ready their weapons. He then entered through the doorway to see a few thugs speaking with the doctor. Garrus was behind cover and was moving around the corner in a crouched position.
"I swear I didn't say anything to anyone!" she said.
"Good, and if that Turian comes back you'll still say nothing," he threatened. The thug saw Shepard enter through the doorway and grabbed the doctor to use as a hostage.
Shepard then threw his blade witch hit the leader dead in the eye. The leader fell limp on the ground. As he did the remaining thugs backed away. the doctor ran behind to counter as the Turian stood up and made his prescience known. At that point Kadian and Ash came in.
Shepard then vaulted over the room divider and used his pistol to take out the thugs. Ending the battle quickly. As the last thug fell the other two came to join him.
"Perfect timing, Shepard," Garrus complimented walking over to him while John removed his blade from the thug leader. He then wiped it on his armour then sheathed it.
"And that throw was amazing. But wouldn't it have been easer to use your pistol to take them out?"
"If I did that my skills would have rusted up."
The Turian gave a weak smile then turned to the doctor.
"Doctor Michel were you hurt?" he asked.
"Just a little shaken," she replied.
"Why were those men threatening you?" Shepard asked.
"They were sent by Fist. They wanted me to shut up about a Quarian I patched up."
"Patched up?" Shepard said. "How bad were her wounds?"
"It was a minor suit puncture with a cut. I couldn't really tell where it came from. The suit was repaired and I gave her some extra-strength anti-biotics. She should be okay, maybe a fever, but that's about it. She wanted to trade information for safety. So I sent her to Fist."
"What kind of info are we talking about?" Ashley asked.
"Something to do with Saren and the Geth. Plus a rumours about an investigation."
This pecked Shepard's interest.
"What kind of investigation?" he asked.
"Oddly it's about you commander."
"Me?"
"Yes rumour has it that you are not what you appear to be."
On hearing this he did his best not to show any fear or panic. Ashley then noticed his reaction and started to wonder why. 'John what is this about?' she thought to herself.
"Who started this investigation?" John then asked.
"According to rumour Saren."
Shepard mentally thanked the spirits of war and cursed himself for letting his eyes glow in front of Saren.
"Saren is probably afraid that I'm going to take him down. So he's using an investigation to find dirt on me."
"I agree commander it's the only way he can get out of this mess." Garrus then said. "But onto more important matters. I know this is your show Shepard, but I want to bring Saren down as much as you do. I'm coming with you."
"I'll take all the help I can get mate. Welcome aboard." Shepard welcomed and shook Garrus's hand.
"You know we are not the only ones after fist. The shadow broker hired a Krogan bounty hunter named Wrex to take him down."
"A Krogan will be useful." Kadian added.
"Where can we find him?" Shepard then asked.
"At the C-sec academy we took him in for a talk if we move now we can catch him." the Turian answered.
"Lets go." John then ordered moving to the door with Kadian and Garrus before realising that Ash was not with them.
He stopped and turned looked at Ashley who seemed to be thinking.
"Ashley." he said witch grabbed her attention.
"Sorry Skipper." she said following them.
* * *
The Salarian councillor sat in his apartment reading the latest STG report. Just as he finished his omni-tool bleeped he activated it and a image of a STG captain came up.
"Captain Venda I was not expecting to hear from you until tomorrow." the councillor said.
"And you will but there is something that you must be aware of." the STG agent said.
"Witch is?"
"Have you heard the rumour of an investigation? ordered by Saren to find out who and what Commander Shepard truly is."
"Yes."
"We have found out that this investigation is indeed taking place. So far they have found nothing. It is the same thing with us. But it seems that what he is doing is not out of fear. His reason for doing this is because Shepard's skills, strength, speed and reflexes are way beyond Human."
The councillor's eyes widened in realisation.
"But if he is not human what is he?"
"We will continue to investigate. But we do have a few possibility's. The first is he was experimented on to become some kind of super soldier. The second is that he is an evolutionary stepping stone for humanity. The final one is that he may not be human at all."
All of the explanations made sense. The things Shepard could do were way beyond human. There were even rumour's of him being able to survive a gunshot to the heart and head. These rumours were never proven. But what was more disturbing was no one knew anything about Shepard prior to when he was found. And when anyone asked he'd just say 'They are dead'.
From the outside Shepard looked human but from what he showed during his career says otherwise. No one questioned it because everyone thought he trained a lot while he was growing up. But now that just seems like fantasy.
"Continue your investigation captain I hope to hear from you soon."
"Of course councillor."
The screen closed and the councillor lent back in his chair to process the information. The fact's are as clear as day. But information about Shepard is scares at best. So the be thing to do now is to wait and see what comes.
* * *
Shepard and his squad went down in the C-Sec Academy. Wrex immediately stood out among the crowd of people in the area. He was a scarred and wore a crimson-colored armor. Wrex was surrounded by three officers with one speaking to him face-to-face.
"I mean it, Wrex," the man warned. "Stay away from him."
"I don't take orders from you," he growled in his deep voice.
"This is your only warning Krogan. Otherwise you will be arrested."
"You should warn Fist. I will kill him."
"Do you want me to arrest you?"
"I want you to try," he dared. Wrex walked away from the officer towards Shepard's group. He took a good look at Shepard. "Human. Where have I seen you before? Ah. You're Shepard."
"You know me?" Shepard asked in surprise.
"Every Krogan in the galaxy know you. You're the only alien any Krogan respects. The Human that killed a dozen Maws on foot. Killing one Thresher Maw is a difficult feat for a Krogan. Killing a dozen is on a whole other level. What are you doing here?"
"I'm trying to bring down Saren. You can help me in that matter."
"Mmmm there is a saying among my people 'seek the enemy of my enemy and you will find a friend."
Shepard smiled and shook his hand. "We are going to get along just fine."
"But I'll give you warning. I'm going to kill fist."
"As long as he is armed that's ok."
The Squad now joined by Wrex then made their way to Cora's den. As they entered the lift to the wards Shepard once again felt familiar eyes on him and turned to see who it was. Again nothing. He then sighed as he entered the lift. After a few minutes they reached their destination as they exited they removed their weapons ready for a fight. As they approached Chora's Den where they were greeted by a couple of Turians.
"Assassins!" Ashley yelled.
Shepard fired his pistol in rapid succession taking down the assassins.
"At least give us something to fight, Shepard," Wrex remarked.
He then turned to Wrex with a smile.
"They were expecting us they have the inside fortified. That is were you'll find your fight."
All except Ashley stared at him like he was crazy. Seeing their face's he continued.
"Well it's what I do if was being hunted by a Krogan bounty hunter."
All except Ashley looked at each other. They then moved to the entrance and as soon as it opened gunfire came through the door making the squad take cover. As they did Shepard gave a mocking smile.
"As soon as they stop firing move." he then ordered. He then got a nod from the squad.
The firing then stopped and as soon as it did the squad moved through the door firing on the mercs that they could see. Shepard however ran up to the counter jumped on it then jumped on the platform and started taking out mercs from his vantage point.
Once the last merc fell John jumped down and approached the back door. The doors opened with two workers standing there petrified in fear.
"Don't come any closer," one of them warned.
"Warehouse workers," Ashley commented. "The real thugs must be gone."
"This might be a good time to find a new job," Shepard suggested.
"Y-Yeah," the other worker said.
"I never liked Fist any way." The two walked out of the room.
"Would have been quicker to just kill them," Wrex said.
"Violence isn't always the answer," Garrus replied.
They went through the final door to Fist's office. A two turrets activated as soon as they entered the room. Shepard pulled up his omni-tool and activated an overload. The two turrets were disabled leaving just Fist who made a last ditch effort to stop them. Shepard ran up to him with his squad behind them. Fist fired several rounds at Shepard which he dogged.
Before he knew it fist was starring John in the eyes. Then he found himself on the floor with a pistol in is face.
"Where's the Quarian?" Shepard demanded.
"I-I don't know!" he answered in a distressed. "That's the truth"
"He's useless to us," Wrex grumbled. "Let me kill him."
"Wait!" Fist pleaded while standing up. "I don't know where she is, but I know she will be. I set up a meeting for her. Told her she would meet the Shadow Broker."
"Face-to-face?" Wrex said. "Impossible. Even I was hired through an agent."
"No one ever meets the Shadow Broker. Even I don't know his true identity. But she didn't know that. When she shows up for the meeting, it'll be Saren's men who will be waiting for her there."
He grabbed Fist by the collar pushed him on the wall closely while aiming his pistol at his head. "Tell me the time and place of the meeting and I won't shoot."
"The back alley of the Wards near here. She's supposed to meet them right now. You can make it if you hurry."
Wrex pulled out his shotgun.
"Wait! You said-" be for he could finish his head blew off from the shotgun.
"You deserve it traitorous scum." Shepard said in a cold tone before running out the door.
The squad followed dumbstruck about what he had just said. Wrex just thought it was normal while the rest of them knew that something was wrong.
They followed him out of the club and into the back alleys. As they reached the stars they heard voices coming from the other side. Shepard stopped in front of the stars and walked up them slowly taking his assault rifle out. The others did the same.
As they listened the Quarian said, "No, deals off."
Hearing an explosion Shepard feared the worst and ordered the squad to move. Jumping past the rest of the stars Shepard charged at the Turian while the others fired at the other mercs.
The Turian stumbled back after being hit in the face. He then recovered and took a fighting posture. He then got a good look at the human. The human stood also in a fighting pose with a short blade in his right hand.
They circled each other waiting to make a move. As they kept moving Wrex aimed his assault rifle at the Turian. Before he could fire a hand pushed down on his rifle. He then turned to find Ashley lowering his weapon.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Don't do anything he wants this one to himself." She answered. Wrex just looked at her then turned his attention to the fight.
Shepard and the Turian circled for a minute be fore the Turian charged at him. Just as he got close to the human he was gone then his chest started to scream in pain. He then looked down and saw a silver blade sticking out of him.
The the blade came out of his chest slowly. Once the blade was removed the Turian fell limp on the floor.
The Quarian left cover as Shepard put his blade away.
"Fist set me up I knew I could not trust him. Are you with him?" she asked Shepard pointing a pistol at him.
He turned to look at her. "I do not work for fist anyway he's dead." he said in a calm tone.
She lowered her weapon and looked at him. "Well now I have two things to thank you for. Who are you?"
"Commander Shepard yours/."
"Ho Tali'Zorah nar Rayya errr...ss...s. She said as she tried to apologize.
"It's all right I under stand but onto more important matters do you have information about Saren?"
"Yes I do but it is best if I show you somewhere safe."
"We should take her to the Human embassy," Ash suggested.
-
Shepard and his group entered the Human embassy. Udina was facing away. He shook his head disapprovingly.
"You're not making my life easy, Shepard. Firefights in the Wards? An all out assault on Chora's Den? Also add in the fact you like to use blades did you know we are in the 23 century? Do you know how many-" Udina looked to Tali. "Who's this? A Quarian? What are you up to Shepard?"
"Miss Zorah here has evidence to implicate Saren in the Eden Prime attack," Shepard answered.
"Really? Maybe we should start at the beginning. Why did you leave the Flotilla?"
"My Pilgrimage. It's my people's rite of passage into adulthood."
"What happened?" Shepard asked.
"Well, I heard rumours that the Geth were leaving the Perseus Veil. I was curious as to why. I tracked a patrol of Geth to an uncharted world. I waited until one left the group. I attacked, disabled it and then I took its memory core."
"I thought that the Geth fried their memory cores when they died," Anderson pointed out. "Some kind of defense mechanism."
"That's true," Shepard said. "But if you're fast enough and lucky you can get some useful data. It's how I was able to create that shield upgrade."
"I remember that," Kaidan added. "I didn't really know what you were doing there, but those upgrades really did help. Guess those tech skills come in handy."
"Like what The commander said. Most of the core was frayed but I was able to extract some audio files." Tali pulled up her omni-tool and play the file.
"Eden Prime was a major victory," Saren's distorted voice said. "The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."
"That's Saren's voice!" Anderson exclaimed. "This proves he was involved in the attack."
"The Conduit?" Shepard said. "Sound's familiar what is it?"
"I'm not sure, but there's more to the file," Tali answered.
"Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."
"And one step closer to bringing back the Reapers."
"I don't recognize that voice," Udina said. "The one speaking of the Reapers."
"I do." Shepard then said making everyone look at him
"You do?" Anderson asked.
"Remember when I was talking about machine in my vision."
"Yes but still does not explain every thing."
"If the vision serves me right the Reapers are a race of sentient machines. They've repeated a cycle of extinction for god knows how long. Its possible that the Protheans where wiped out by them."
"That sounds a little far-fetched," Udina said dismissively.
"The Geth memory core said the exact same thing!" Tali said in a surprised voice. "The Geth worship these advance machines. They see them as the pinnacle of non-organic life."
"The Council is going to love this," Udina grumbled.
"True but we can't fully dismiss it until there is no other explnation." Shepard
"Regardless of what the Council thinks, these audio files prove that Saren is a traitor," Anderson concluded.
"The Captain's right," Udina said. "We need to present this to the Council right away."
"What about her?" Wrex asked while nodding to Tali. "The Quarian."
"My name is Tali!" she scolded. "You saw how I handle myself in the alley. Let me come with you."
"But what about your Pilgrimage?" Shepard asked
"it can wait plus I can go any where."
"I'd be a fool not to accept your help."
"Thank you, Commander," Tali said. "You won't regret this."
John turned to Garrus and Wrex. "What about you two?"
"I'm not missing the opportunity to take that treacherous bastard down," Garrus replied.
"I always know when a good fight is coming," Wrex answered. "And I always do appreciate a good fight."
"Anderson and I will get things set up with the Council," Udina said. "Meet us at the tower."
* * *
From the other side of the embassy a woman with golden hair watched Shepard and some others walked to the tower. She smiled at seeing how much Shepard has grown. She then taped her ear.
"This is operative Ki'sla." She said in Tiberian. "The prince has found evidence against the Spectre. Solvan and Tikus as soon as the meeting is over we will make contact with our future king."
* * *
"Hurry, we are about to present the evidence," Anderson said quickly.
Shepard and his group stepped onto the platform. The audio file played for all to hear. Udina had a smug look on his face.
"You wanted evidence? There it is!"
"This evidence is irrefutable," the Turian replied. "Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in."
"I recognize that other voice," the Asari said. "It's Matriarch Benezia."
"Who's she?" Shepard asked.
"A powerful biotic with many followers. She would make a formidable ally for Saren."
"I'm more interested in the Reapers," the Salarian said. "What do you know about them?"
"Only what the Geth memory core and Shepard's vision said," Anderson answered. "They were an ancient race of machines that wiped out the Protheans and then they vanished."
"The Geth worship them as gods and the Conduit is the way to bring them back," Shepard added.
"Do we know what the Conduit is?" the Salarian followed up.
"Just that it can bring back the reapers," Shepard replied.
"Listen to what you're saying!" the Turian scoffed. "An ancient race of machines that wiped out all life. Impossible. Has to be. Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? How come we've found no evidence of them? If they were real, we would have found something?"
"I tried to warn you about Saren and you refused to see the truth," Shepard pointed out. "Don't make the same mistake."
"This is different," the Asari defended. "You presented us with evidence to prove Saren's guilt. We all agree that he and the Geth are looking for the Conduit, but we really don't know why."
"The Reapers are obviously a myth, Commander," the Salarian agreed. "A convenient lie to cover Saren's true purpose. A legend he used to bend the Geth to his will."
"Maybe but I would lake to say that I maybe best to investigate this. Before we can rule them out."
"Don't be ridiculous Commander," the Turian scolded.
"I'm just saying that we should not leave it to chance."
"And your explanation is a race of sentient machines that no one has ever heard of."
"Please," the Asari pleaded to bring order back. "This is getting us nowhere."
"I agree," the Turian said. "As of now Saren is a rogue agent on the run. He doesn't have the resources of the Spectres."
"That is not good enough!" Udina yelled. "You know he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse. Send your fleet in!"
"A fleet cannot track down one man, Ambassador," the Salarian chided.
"The Citadel fleet could secure the region. To keep the Geth from attacking anymore of our colonies."
"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus system," the Turian scolded. "We will not be dragged into a galactic confrontation over a few dozen Human colonies."
"Send me after him," Shepard interrupted.
"No it's too soon!" the Turian roared.
"The Council doesn't have to send a fleet and the Ambassador gets his Spectre. Everyone's happy."
The Assari and Salarian looked to the Turian. They both knew it was the best option. The Turian sighed in annoyance. The three tapped into their consoles.
"Commander Shepard, please step forward," the Asari said.
Shepard looked to Anderson who smiled and nodded. John took a few steps forward. The area gained a crowd. People from various races leaned over the balcony above them to watch the historic event take place. Shepard took notice of the crowd.
"It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel."
"Spectres are not trained, but chosen," the Salarian continued. "Individuals forged in the fires of service and battle. Those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file."
"Spectres are an ideal. A symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self reliance. They are the right hand of the Council. Instruments of our will."
"Spectres bear a great burden," the Turian continued in the third section of the creed. "They are protectors of galactic peace. Both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."
"You are the first Human Spectre, Commander," the Asari reminded. "This is a great accomplishment for you and your specie."
"I'm truly honored, Councillor."
"We are sending you into the Traverse after Saren," the Salarian informed. "You are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him."
"I will bring him to justice." Shepard said
"This meeting of the Council is adjourned," the Asari concluded.
Shepard turned to the group to see most of them smiling. Anderson approached him and reached out a hand. John grabbed it and shook.
"Congratulations, Commander."
"We have a lot of work to do Shepard," Udina said. "You're going to need a ship, crew, supplies..."
"You'll get access to special gear and training. You should head down to C-Sec academy and speak with the Spectre Requisition officer."
"Anderson! Come with me! I'll need your help to set all this up."
The Ambassador and Captain both left in a hurry.
"You'd think the Ambassador would be more thankful," Ashley commented.
"Until I've caught Saren, I haven't done anything yet," Shepard replied.
A small chuckle came from Wrex. "Considering you were able to take down a pack of Maws on foot... I feel sorry for Saren. Almost."
Shepard's omni-tool beeped. "Okay who's e-mailing the line?" He looked at it and noticed the message. His eyes widen. Every part of the message was in Tiberian and what was more was that his old friends sent it. He then closed the message and looked at his squad
"I need to go see someone alone. If you need me I'll be at the alleys in the wards OK?"
"Ok commander where shall we meet?"Garrus asked.
"I'll give a call to meet at C-sec. Will that be ok with every one?" in response he got a series of nod's and walked to the lift. As he got on he could see the squad having a discussion of currant events.
Ashley watched as Shepard disappeared down the lift shaft and decided to follow him making her way to a transport terminal. Before she could press anything Kadian called out to her.
"Hey chief where are you going?" he asked.
"One of my sisters is on the Citadel I'm going to see how she is doing." she lied.
"Ok catch you later." he then said turning back to the discussion.
Ashley then taped a few keys on the holo pad.
* * *
The ride was smooth and calm. Once Ashley left the car she made her way to the ally as fast as she could. This was the only time she could get Shepard alone. She then made it to the ally there was no one.
'Good' she thought. 'He's not here yet'.
She then found a few large crates near by and decided to hide behind them. She squeezed through and made herself comfortable. After a while of waiting she began to think if she had got the wrong ally. Then the sound of footsteps made her peep from cover to see who it is.
Shepard walked down the stairs slowly then stopped in the middle of the ally. He then looked around.
"Show yourself." he then said. A man wearing a large black trench coat appeared a couple, of feet in front of Shepard.
"Yoha na taragon. (Greetings my prince.)" the man said while he bowed.
"Yoha ne Delna Solvan. (Greetings Solvan Delna.)" John replied bowing too.
Ashley could not under stand what they where saying. Her mind as a buzz what was happening and what was the language they are speeking.
"It has been many years since we last met. Hasn't it Jol'an?" the man said.
"Yes it has old friend." John then said.
"Oi you can't leave me out of this conversation." a voice then said.
"Hello Tikus." Shepard then said smiling.
This time a younger looking man appeared leaning on the wall. He wore a hoodie and jeans.
"Long time no see Jol'an. About 20 odd years since we have seen you. And look how you have grown. Man Ki'sla is going to love this."
"Speaking of witch where is she." John then asked.
The word 'she' got Ashley's attention. 'Okay John what's going on who are these people and what do you mean by she?' She thought
"Here hero." a female voice then said.
All three men looked towards the crates where a tanned golden haired woman sat. She wore a tight black dress and had black elbow gloves on. She jumped off the crates and walked to Shepard.
Ashley managed to get a good look at 'Ki'sla' who looked like an Amazon warrior.
Once she was close enough Ki'sla she grabbed Jon and kissed him on the lips. Everyone who was present was surprised by this. Ash had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from gasping. Ki'sla then broke the and backed up a few feet away with a seductive smile.
"Well still aggressive as usual." Shepard then said with a smile. "But can we get down to business I'm on a tight time frame here."
"Of course your mission against Saren cannot be delayed." Solvan said pulling out 5 dark silver balls and threw them at the ground.
One the balls hit the ground they spaced out from each other. The then rose up from the ground and 5 images appeared. 2 of the images looked human while the other 3 where strange looking aliens.
Shepard immediately bowed as did the 5 holograms. Ashley realised that these people are obviously of some importance.
Facing each other once again one of the humans spoke.
"Yoha John it has been along time." he said in a Russian like accent.
"Over 20 years since we last met Minister Hal'yon. I can see that the infection has taken it's toll on you." John said pointing to the man's mechanical arm.
"Yes it has my prince but we are rebuilding. There may not be a lot of our kind left but we will survive. Because it is the Tiberian way." the Minister said after looking at his robotic arm.
Ash was completely confused about what they were saying. Prince, Infection, Our Kind? None of this made sense to her. But she decided to watch and listen to see what is happing.
"Commander." the man next to Hal'yon said. "If it is not too much trouble we would like to know what happened on that Cerberus space station. After you and your sisters were taken there."
"Yes." a blue skinned woman said "we are hoping you can tell us."
"They are not fond memory Salnarr minister. But I do owe all of you an explanation. After the storm of the castle..."
Shepard recalled all the events that happened on the space station. Ashley, the ministers and John's friends where shocked about every detail. He even mentioned that his sisters were violated in front of him witch made him and the Tiberian minister clench his hands into fists. Then John finished everyone was silent not knowing what to say.
"By the water goddess." the blue woman said.
"Sky's of hell. They are not even human." the winged alien said.
"They will pay for defiling the Princesses." Hal'yon said.
"There is no need to. They are dead. But we will have revenge for the infection." John then said.
"Agreed." said the man next to Hal'yon. "But still it is a lot to take in."
"I know leaving that subject behind us I would like to talk about resent events."
"Of course Commander." Hal'yon said wanting to change the topic.
"As you may know I recently went to Eden Prime to recover a Prothean beacon. On the way to it I saw a ship bigger than a dreadnought that looked like a Earth squid. Later on the beacon showed me a vision of the prothean extinction."
"I can assume that you are telling us for a reason?"
"Yes these dreadnought's are called the 'Reapers' but we know them by another name." on these words the minister's stood straighter. "They are the 'Macaacron' of the Macdal era. But not only that they are connected to the Black Storm prophecy."
The minister's looked at John in fear as did his friends. Ash was just staring at them guessing they had faced the reapers before.
"Are you sure of this clam Jol'an?" the bug like minister said.
"Without any doubt minister. And if there is one there is likely to be more."
"Agreed. The Exocron Republic will start conscription and training immediately." the man next to Hal'yon said.
"As will what is left of the Tiberian Kingdom." Hal'yon said with confidence.
"So will the Tolashner Federation." the winged alien said.
"As will the Aqult Union." The blue skinned woman said.
"The same goes to the Communist Regions of Shel'tra." The bug like alien said.
"I thank you all. But if this is war against the Reapers I wish to take the oath." John then said.
The ministers smiled and nodded.
"We guessed you would." Hal'yon said. "Jol'an Shardan Prince of Tibera please kneel."
John knelt down on one knee as the man requested.
"Now put your right hand over your heart." John did as he was told.
"'By the fire of Tibera'."
"'I will not waver, I will not flee'."
"'May your honour see you through'."
"'Fear will not stop me, nor will I let it consume me'."
"'May the blood of your forbears run through you'."
"'I will protect the innocent and just from the enemy of all. I commit myself to the throne of Tibera and its people'."
"Well done. Now arise High Commander Jol'an Shardan." Shepard arose. "Your mission is to find out all you can about the Reapers and Cerberus. Do you accept this mission?"
"I do. I will also make preparations for the JFU millinery's to enter this galaxy."
"Very good. Solvan give him the badges."
Solvan took out 2 badges from his pocket and handed them to John who took them. The badges where of a four winged eagle with a sword in one claw and a shield in another. John then smiled and nodded at the minister's.
"Now is there anything else?" the blue skinned woman asked.
"Yes." John replied. "I do know the laws and I know that Ki'sla is my Lo'targ. But there is a woman who I love deeply."
Hearing this Ashley and Ki'sla became shocked at the news. While Ki'sla tried to not look worried Ashley became nervous by this. 'He's never going to chose me.' she thought.
"Who is this woman." Ki'sla asked impatiently.
"A childhood friend who I'm not going to say the name of. But she is human. You may object if you wish but I won't care."
"We are not going to complain on who your lover is." Hal'yon said. "Nor will we complain if she is to be our queen. But by law you have to tell her soon."
"I need to find the right time for that but I will."
"Good. Solvan will get you set up. Until next time soha ka nestugo. (may the spirits protect you)"
"Soha ki nestmno."
And with that the ministers dispirited. Solvan the looked at Shepard and made is eyes glow red. As he did this John's Omni-tool activated.
"Commander I'm downloading a number of Tiberian communication files, and funds that we have gathered over the years." Solvan said.
As his eyes continued to glow Ashley began to think that this Solvan guy was not human. Then thoughts ran through her mind about what he is. An alien, an AI or something else she did not know.
"Download complete." Solvan then said as his eyes stopped glowing.
"Thank you all of you. And I promise that when the reapers are destroyed along with Cerberus I will become king."
Then all four of them bowed. Then the three newcomers dispirited leaving Shepard alone. He then checked his omni-tool account to see how much he has now got. His eyes widened and gave himself a small smile.
"Well I guess funding won't be a problem." he said to himself. He then closed his Omni-tool and walked away.
Once he was out of sight Ashley came out of hiding. And leaned against the wall. Most of it made sense now. John's ability's, the reason he wanted his past a secret every thing. A mix of anger and sadness filled her. She just could not believe it.
The one she loved was not even human. If she knew about this In the past she may well have killed John. But know she knew better. At that moment her Omni-tool bleeped.
Note Tiberian language
na- from the person who said hello first.
ne- is what the receiver says.
Yoha- formal greeting word.
Salnarr- a word for high ranking women on Aqult eg governess or generals
Soha- formal word for goodbye
ka- from the person who says goodbye first
ki- is what the recever says
netsugo- fair well blessing
netsmno- fair well blessing
Note Tiberian culture
Macdal era- Tiberian's distinguish era's by the most important or grate wars that took place
Four winged eagle (Sky wing.)- the sky wing is basically the Tiberian version of the American bald eagle. If it is holding a sword and shield this mains grate warrior.
9. Chapter 7 The doctor and secrets
**Note Shepard's sisters are the default femshep its just one of them has longer hair.**
Chapter 7 The doctor and secrets
Ashley made her way to C-sec her mind on the events that have happened. Everything that had happened in the past few days now made some kind of sense. But not all of it was clear. There was only one way to find out. As much as she didn't want to do it she had to. She has to ask Shepard at gunpoint the last thing she wanted to do.
Even the thought pained her. Pointing a gun at the only one she loved would be extremely painful but she had to know.
'Their is no other choose I have to do it.' She kept thinking to herself. 'Ashley snap out of it. He lied to you! All your life. You have to tell him you know. You have to ask him what he is doing here.'
Even though she heard about what happened it still wasn't everything. There where still parts of information missing. She knew that and she had to know every thing.
The lift she was on stopped and the doors opined. She the saw Shepard and a group of soldiers of varying backgrounds and walked up to them.
"What took you so long?" Shepard asked.
"Speaking with Sarah normally takes a long time." She lied
Shepard nodded. "Yeah she does like to keep people waiting. Ho yeah I for got to mention I got you all Spectre- grade weapons and armour."
The squad stared at him except Ashley. 'Of course you did.' she thought remembering how he used to bring chocolates for her and sisters so they weren't left out.
"How did you managed that?!" Garrus asked in shock. "That kind of gear is extremely expensive."
"I recently 'acquired' an inheritance from some people I know. It was a lot of money."
The squad looked at each other and nodded and entered the lift .The lift was slightly crowded with very little personal space. The lift doors opened to Anderson and Udina conversing with each other.
"Ah, Commander," Udina said as Shepard and the squad approached. "I was just speaking with Anderson here and he's agreed to step down as the Captain of the Normandy. The ship is yours now."
"You know the crew," Anderson added. "You practically built this ship yourself. It only seems right that you're captaining it. "
"Sir you were captain first. I'm not happy taking her away from you," Shepard argued.
"You need your own ship Shepard. And like I said. It's only proper that it's the ship's creator takes my position."
"Very well sir I'll take good care of her." Shepard looked to Udina. "Do we have any leads to act on?"
"The Council gave us several leads. There have been reports of Geth on Noveria and Feros."
"Also that Matriarch who is working for Saren," Anderson reminded. "She has a daughter by the name of Dr. Liara T'Soni. She's a scientists who specializes in the Protheans. She's somewhere in the Artemis Tau Cluster."
"It sounds like a good idea to find her first," Shepard commented. "She may hold valuable Intel."
"The choice is yours from here, Shepard; you don't answer to us any more."
"But remember that your actions reflect Humanity as a whole," Udina warned. "You make a mess and I get stuck cleaning it up."
"I'll try not to make things harder for you."
"That's good to hear."
"Good luck in your mission, Commander." Anderson then said.
-
John finished getting the new squad settled. But when he tried to talk to Ashley she gave him the cold shoulder. 'Probably because of all the fan girls.' he thought to himself as he walked to the comm room.
It had been years since he talked to any Tiberians. But because he is to be king he needed to know what the status of his people is. He needed to know any and all information on his people. Even if he did not wanted to hear it.
After he entered he locked the door and stood in the centre of the room. He then took out a small silver ball that Solvan gave him. He then dropped it on the floor. It then moved to a meter in front of him. It then gave an holographic image of an old man in an officer uniform and a yellow sash.
"Yoha na taragon." John said.
"Yoha ne Kilon'ga." The man said "To what do I owe the pleasure off your call?"
"This isn't a formal call minister so we can dispense with the formality's and titles."
"Very well...er."
The minister began to wonder weather to call him John or Jol'an. Thankfully Shepard noticed this.
"Please call me John. I've grown attached to the name."
"Ok John."
"Like I said this isn't a formal call. But when you said our kind are rebuilding..." he sighed then continued. "I would like to know the details."
A moment of silence came between them before the minister nodded.
"Well as you may have guessed we did survive but very few of us did. After the infection there where about 70'000 Tiberians left. Once we realised how low the population was the population growth protocol was put into action."
"What level?"
"Heightened level 5." the minister sighed.
"That bad?"
"Yes while many of our people did not like it we all knew the consequences if we did not. We all knew that The Black Storm is coming so we had to get our numbers up... We had no choice."
"May the spirits forgive us. What is the protocol level are we at?"
"We are currently at lowered level 3. And our population is at about 1'593'568 Tiberians most of them children. But I guessed you would ask me this so I looked at the laws when this protocol is active. You do know that even the royal family have to take part even if it is just once."
"I know but until then I will face the storm."
"As will we all. Good bye and good luck." the minister said before his image disappeared.
John moved up and picked up the ball and pocketed it and sighed.
* * *
John found himself sitting on a white chair with cuffs around his wrists and ankles. He struggled trying to break the cuffs with no success. He then looked around the darkened room and a realisation came to him. The room he was in was the one where he was experimented on.
He then tried to break the cuffs once again. At that moment images started to swirl around him. Images of his sister's being tortured and violated.
"NOOOOOO!" he yelled with fury and sadness.
"**You cannot save them. You are weaker than a human you cannot even save her." **a voice said in a deep tone.
As the torturing images swirled around him a naked female figure approached. Once the figure was close enough Shepard's blood ran cold. Standing in front of him was Ashley but she was covered in scrapes and burns. He then felt the pain of being an experiment again. Something he still wasn't used to. He screamed in pain.
"John..." Ashley then said said. "You...lied...to...me...you...are...not...human...how...can...I...be...friends...with...you?"
At that moment Geth came up to her and dragged her to a spike. They held her over it. But the worst thing was she did not resist
"ASHLEY NOOOOOOOOOOO!" John screamed.
Ashley then looked at him as the Geth let go of her. She did not move off the platform. Then black and red tentacles wrapped them self around her arms and legs.
"I...would...rather...die...than...love...you."
At that point the spike sprang up impaling her. The moment when she was impaled John felt the intense pain in his chest.
"AAAASSSSHHHHLLLLEEEYYYY!" he the yelled sitting bolt upright in bed.
"Ah... right just a dream." he then said looking around. He then squeezed the bridge of nose relieving some stress.
"Dammit what did that beacon do to me?"
Breathing deeply he the got up and slipped his jumpsuit on. Deciding to have a cold shower. As he walked to the shower a feeling watched but ignored it. Everyone was asleep so he could not think who it was.
He then entered the showers.
Ashley walked into the comm room with a pistol in her hand. Since no one was about she could slip in with no one asking questions. This was the only way to get John alone. She then moved to her chair and bent down. She then looked at the pistol in her hand.
"I'm sorry John." she then said in a sad whispering voice. "I have to find out. I'm sorry."
She then slid the pistol under her chair so that no one could see it. A tear then fell down her cheek. She was not looking forward to pointing a gun at her one and only love. Not to mention her commanding officer.
She then got to her feet and walked out. She almost cried as she walked back to the girls bedroom. As she approached she saw Shepard enter the shower. After he entered the shower she then made the rest of her way to the bedroom and entered.
Ashley entered and laid down on her bunk and took out a picture of Shepard and her family. Every time she felt upset she would take the picture out. In the back of her mind she knew she may not have a chance with Shepard. But she at the least had to try. She then slid the pic back into her pocket. And slowly fell asleep.
The noise of birds and trees made Ash wake up. Her eyes opened and saw lush green grass. She then sat up to see around her. The greenery astounded her. She then looked up and saw 3 moons.
'Ok not Earth.' she thought.
She then slowly got to her feet and turned to look behind her. What she saw was not what she expected. A large stone and metal castle stood there. She was now completely confused. Who in the right mind would build an old castle on a colony. At that moment voices met her ears she turned to see what the noise was.
"Come on try and catch me." a small boy said while running.
As the boy approached he looked oddly familiar. The boy was followed by two female teenagers. Both of them had red hair and green eyes but one of them had shorter hair. They also had body's like Amazon women that made Ashley jealous.
"Come on sis we almost caught him." the teen with short hair said.
"I'm running as fast as I can Far'ti. You and Jol'an are too fast. Even for Tiberian's." the other teen said.
The name Jol'an hit Ashley and looked at the boy. At that moment she realised that the boy was a younger version of John. And these two teen are his elder sisters. She just could not believe how attractive they are.
John ran faster and Far'ti was the only one who was catching up. But before she could grab him he jumped high and landed behind her.
"Ha missed sis." John laughed "Ya missed me."
"Yeah ok killjoy." Far'ti said turning to him and smiling. "You win but next time your mine."
"Come on admit it. I can beat my eldest sister anytime." he said mockingly.
"Never in a million years. Little brother."
"Keep telling yourself that." he then said while walking away.
Far'ti mumbled to herself as her sister came up to her panting heavy.
"So.. have you … admitted defeat?" she asked panting.
"No he's way too cocky. He needs to grow up." Far'ti replied.
"So do you. You really need to accept defeat from our brother. Otherwise you'll never get a man."
"Who says I what a man? The family knows I want a woman."
"True. But you do admire brother don't you?"
Far'ti sighed and smiled. "Yeah. He is one of a kind hopefully he'll find a good partner. But don't tell him that."
"Yeah."
'Shepard's eldest sister is a lesbian?' Ashley thought. 'Man dad would have loved this. What is this dream or memory.'
She was stumped what was she dreaming. Then the scene changed. She then found herself in a large dining room. The room was filled with paintings and armour like old European castles. She walked along the table. The place was incredible impressive. A mix of modern and old. She kind of liked it.
"I wish I could die." a person said.
Ash turned to see an older Shepard enter the room. He had a bit of grey hair and winkles and a few scars but not unattractive.
'Ok he's ether Shepard's dad or it's what he will look like.' she then thought.
"Hay who are you?" the man then asked seeing Ashley.
"I'm Ashley Williams of the Alliance." she replied.
"Alliance? Not Cerberus from that other universe."
"I don't work for those xenophobic ass-holes."
"I understand... AAAHHH I just can't do it."
"Do what?" she asked in confusion.
"Lie I just can't lie. It's just not my nature."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Alk'drn Shardan I am John's farther."
"I guessed as much you two look so much alike. Wait how can you talk to me if this is a dream?!"
"I'm a spirit now. I can communicate with you through your dreams."
"You have got to be pulling my leg."
"I wish I was but no. And I know what you are planing to do with my son."
A surge of emotion suddenly hit Ash. Her emotions where going wild.
"I need to now. Why he's here. Why he lied to me. And what his feelings are for me."
"Well all I can tell you is that he won't hate you."
"Can't you tell me any more?"
"Sorry no. If I did the others and his mother will kill me."
Then all of a sudden the scene started to swirl and slowly disappeared.
"I sorry but I have to go. Give my son the best."
"NO WAIT." She yelled as Shepard's father disappeared.
The darkness surrounded her. She then slowly opened her eyes to find herself in the female bunk. Her head felt heavy as she slowly sat up.
"What just happened?" she said to herself as she stroked her forehead
Ki'sla slammed her fist against the window of her apartment. She was way beyond pissed. Her childhood friend rejected her without even knowing it. But she could not hold her feelings in for him.
"How could he chose a human over me? How? How?" She screamed.
"Because he can." Tikus said as he walked in.
"But I saved him a number of times. So why a human not me?"
"The longer someone is with someone they develop feelings. You and John have not spent enough time together."
"You don't know what it's like Exocron. You never loved!"
The Exocron bowed his head and sighed. "Well when she was still alive. Me and Far'ti where close."
Ki'sla turned to look at him in surprise. "Wasn't she a lesbian?"
"She was bi but she didn't what the throne. So she pretended to be a full lesbian. But we did date before the infection began." he then sighed and leaned against the wall. "And besides you are John's Lo'targ. If he does not confess soon he'll be yours."
"I know I just hate waiting. I just want him to be mine."
"I know but we have to obey the code. Anyway we have to wait till the reapers get here."
"Yeah ok." Ki'sla then said resting on the window.
Even though Shepard had a bad night it would not stop him. Once they reached Artemis tau they headed to the Knossos system had a planet called Therum. On they way Shepard did some research on the systems. Only Therum had interest due to a major Prothean ruin. As it tuned out a major Geth presence was there.
One they made it to the planet Shepard and his team used the Mako to make it to the ruin quickly.
Eventually they reached a bottleneck that forced the squad to move forward on foot. Going through they ran into a small patrol of Geth who were easily dispatched by Garrus and Ashley with their sniper rifles.
They pushed forward to a large gap in the trail. But before they could move any further Shepard stuck his arm out telling them to stop.
"What is it commander?" Garrus asked.
"It's a sniper ally. They are just waiting for us." Shepard replied holding his arm out at the gap.
All of a sudden a shot ran out and the commander withdrew his hand. He then turned to look at the others.
"See what I mean." he then said with a smug grin. "Get to cover."
The squad took cover behind the rocks. Half a dozen Geth moved to them in the area down below.
"Ash, Garrus take out those snipers!" Shepard ordered. "Everyone else; engage."
The Geth below took cover. Ash and Garrus popped up from their cover and targeted the two snipers. Each shot from their rifles blew the Geth heads to pieces.
Once the immediate area was clear "Move forward!"
Shepard and his group moved into the area and fired as they advanced. The Geth tried fighting back, but they could not get a shot at any of them. And where quickly overwhelmed by gunfire and biotics. The Geth did nit stand a chance.
"Well that was fun." Shepard then said.
"Area clear," Garrus announced.
"According to the layout of the area, the entrance to the ruins should be just up the hill," Kaidan said.
Shepard nodded towards the top of the hill to notify his team to move forth. There was an abandoned station in front of the ruin. The squad scanned the area for any movement.
A wring noise started as they approached. At that moment Geth hoppers bounced and a geth dropship flew by dropping Geth troops and an armature.
"You have got to be kidding. Take cover!" Shepard yelled jumping behind a crate.
Wrex and Kaidan used lifted to stop the hoppers from moving. Ash and Tali took the opportunity to blow them out of the sky. Shepard returned fire with his assault rifle.
The Armature fired a blast at their location. Their cover protected them, but the blast caused them to lose their hearing briefly.
"Ok armature-class units use their eye as a weapon and optics. Destroy that and they become blind and unarmed." Shepard said twisting his blade between his fingers.
He then left cover throwing his blade at the armature's eye. The blade pierced the eye of the armature leaving it blind. The armature thrashed about blood coming out of it's eye. John then ran up to the armature withdrew his blade from the armature.
He then roundhouse kicked the armature into a lava pit behind it.
"Well that does that."
Anderson sat in Udina's office. Much to his disapproval Udina was asked to stay out of his office. Until he was told otherwise. Admiral Hackett asked to talk to Anderson due to 'personal matters'. After a few minutes of waiting Hackett walked in.
"Admiral good to see you." Anderson said standing up and saluting.
"David we can dispense with formality's." Hackett said saluting.
"What did you want to talk about?"
Hackett sighed and walked to the balcony. "How long have we know each other?"
"Since 2170 I believe."
"Yeah." He then said tuning round facing David. "What I'm going to ask you I expect a honest answer."
"Ok."
"Is Commander John Shepard Human?"
Anderson was expecting any kind of question but that one. It took him completely off guard.
"Why would you ask that? He's human. No doubt."
"The reason why I'm asking is because that Saren is investigating to see if he is truly human."
"Why?"
"Think about it. He's so strong it's almost super human. It's the same thing about his reflexes, speed and biotic power. There are also rumours he can survive a gunshot to the heart and head."
It took Anderson a moment to processes the information. He knew John since he was found in space and all the years after. But he had to admit Hackett was right.
"What do we do?"
"For now I think we should wait for now. Until something concrete comes up. Then we face him."
"I don't feel comfortable facing our best N7 operative with accusations of not being human."
"I agree but what choice do we have?"
"Fair point lets just hope it's not any time soon."
The Prothean ruin seemed like a space station that was made out an asteroid. But thankfully there was a small Geth presence that made itself known. As the squad moved down two levels they then found a blue forcefield with an Asari surrounded by blue energy.
"Oh thank the goddess!" she exclaimed. "Someone who isn't Geth. Are-Are you here to get me out of here?"
Shepard walked up to the blue barrier. "Yes," he replied. "Thing is though, your mother is working for a rogue Spectre. Saren Arterius. What is your role in this situation?"
"I- What?" she muttered. It was evident that she has been inside the energy sphere for a while. Liara had very little energy left. "I haven't spoken to my mother in years."
Shepard could sense the truth in her words. "Is there a way past this energy field?"
"I don't know. The Geth have been trying to get through for a while now. I'm not sure there is a way."
"We'll figure something out."
"I'll be right here," she jests.
Shepard and the squad moved down to the ground floor. As they moved forward Garrus spotted something.
"Commander an energy drill." He said pointing to the device.
"Good we can use it to make a way to T'Soni." Shepard replied.
The trademark stuttering sound of the Geth could be heard echoing in the cavern.
"Cover fire while get the drill working." he then ordered. The squad did as ordered firing on the Geth.
Shepard immediately tried to activate the drill. But it needed a pass code. So he got to work on wire crossing. He found it easy because the tech was close to Tiberian.
'Come on...come on... got it!' The laser roared to life and blasted a hole under the barrier curtain. "I'll lay down cover go through the hole."
The squad fell back into the hole as the Geth advance, firing on their position. The hole led to the internal elevator.
Shepard activated the elevator sending the group up one level. They were behind Liara. She glanced back. "How did you get up here?"
"We used a mining laser to create an alternate route," Shepard answered.
"Yes, of course. That console should free me." she said nodding to a console.
Shepard approached the console and typed in a few commands. The energy field dissipated letting Liara to drop to the ground. John walked over to her and helped her to her feet. "Are you okay?"
Liara stared at him briefly. "I just realized you're speaking my language."
"I'm very good at languages."
The area shook.
"What the hell was that?" Garrus asked out loud.
"That mining laser must have destabilized the ruins," Kaidan replied.
Shepard opened the comm. link. "Joker, lock onto our position. We need evacuation ASAP."
"Aye, aye Commander." Joker said over the comm.
The ruins rumbled as the elevator rose. At the top they were greeted by a Krogan warlord and several Geth.
"Hand over the Asari or don't that would be more fun."
"This place is falling apart and you're trying to stop us?" John asked.
"Makes the fight more interesting."
"Yes it does. I've got the Krogan. Ash keep an eye on T'Soni the rest of you get the Geth."
The squad members took cover behind the various columns and engaged the Geth. Liara stood there in slight shock. Ashley grabbed her and carried her to cover. She shook out of her initial shock. "S-Sorry."
"It's alright. Just stay down." Ashley said opening fire on the Geth.
Shepard charged at the warlord and was about to punch him. But warlord moved too quickly. John the moved into a fighting stance. They then started struggling against each other. The warlord managed to push Shepard back about ten feet with John's feet sliding against the ground.
John managed to plant his feet and stop the Krogan's advance and punch him in the gut. It was the only time in Wrex's life that he ever saw any non-Krogan stop a charge. Shepard then grabbed the Krogan's collar and threw him to the other side of the room.
"Wow remind me not to get on your bad side." Liara commented.
"Dito." Garrus said.
The Krogan got up and charged at Shepard. As he did John drew his blade and readied himself. The Krogan came closer and closer Shepard did not flinch. Just as the Krogan was about to grab Shepard he slashed at the Krogan's head. It left the Krogan in searing pain and a large cut.
He staggered back as John charged at the Krogan with blade in hand. The fast moving human made another swing with his blade this time the Krogan's head fell off.
John looked to his squad and yelled, "Move it!"
The squad ran down the walkways as they made their way to the mine's entrance. Rocks were falling all over the place. John made sure everyone was escaping. One rock fell near Ashley and Liara.
Ashley pushed the Asari out of the way as she fell. Liara got to her feet as fast as she could and ran out. Shepard felt pain in his legs but ignored it as he ran to Ashley. He then grabbed her arm and raped it round the back of his neck and helped her up and out. They just managed to leaving the mine just as it collapsed. The Normandy was just above them.
Everyone was gathered in the comm. room. Everyone was exhausted from the brief, but intense mission. "Too close, Commander," Joker reminded. "Ten more seconds we would be swimming in molten sulfur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in active volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull."
"We almost die out there and your pilot is making jokes?" Liara asked. She was justifiably upset.
"Joker pulled us out of there," Shepard said. "He's earned the right to a few jokes."
"Must be a Human thing," she muttered. "I'm not used to dealing with your race, Commander. Though thank you for saving my life down there. Not just from the volcano, but against the Geth."
"What did Saren want with you?" Kaidan inquired. "Do you know something about the Conduit?"
"Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. That is my area of expertise. I've spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what's happen to them."
"I think I know what happened to them," John commented.
"Commander, I have heard every theory there is, the problem is finding evidence to explain what happened. The Protheans left little behind. It was like someone wiped away all evidence of what happened. Now here's the incredible part. According to my findings the Protheans were not the first Galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish. This cycle of extinction has begun long before them."
"If they weren't the first... Who were?"
"I don't know. There is little information on the Protheans and even less on those before them. Though I did find something of interest in my research. It was some records of the Protheans around the time of their extinction. From what I have been able to get a spirit who called herself Kareena of the Ranzan."
"Really?" John asked knowing that Kareena was up to something.
"Yes from what I've been able to understand there was accuracy two. But the other one is surrounded in mystery. They both came to warn and help the Protheans against this extinction."
"Wait so let me get this straight." Kadian said. "Your saying some ghost and some nobody told them."
"Something like that. Yes" Liara. "The records just make a mention to this spirit guide and other they both tried to warn them of what was to come. Even tried to help them advance in their technology and prepare. Say what you will about that, but I am sure of my theory of the cycle of extinction. Every generation of life advances to a point and is then violently struck down. I have dedicated my life to finding out why."
"They were wiped out by a race of sentient machines, the Reapers," Shepard answered.
"T-The Reapers? But I've never heard of- How do you know this? What evidence do you have?"
"We ran into a Prothean beacon on Eden Prime and it implanted a vision into my head. I'm still trying to sort it all out."
"Visions? Of course. Those beacons would be designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user. No wonder the Geth attacked Eden Prime. A working beacon, even a badly damaged one, would have been worth any cost to get. But they were made to interact with Prothean physiology. Whatever information you received would have been confused, unclear. I am amazed that you can make any sense of it at all. A lesser mind would have been utterly destroyed..."
'Not again.' Ahley thought as she saw the Asari swooning at him.
"...You must be remarkably strong-willed, Commander."
"Okay!" Ashley interrupted. "This is not helping us find Saren or the Conduit."
"Sorry, you're right," Liara adjusted herself. "My... scientific curiosity got the better of me. I'm sorry, but I have no new information to provide to you about the Conduit or Saren."
"I'm sure why Saren wanted you gone, but I think we're better off if you came along."
"Thank you, Commander. Saren might come after me again and I cannot think of a safer place to be than here on the Normandy. My knowledge of the Protheans may come handy later on."
"And her Biotics could come handy when the fighting starts," Wrex commented.
"Welcome aboard, Liara," Shepard greeted.
"Thank you, I'm very grateful- Oooh." Liara swayed a little. "I'm afraid I'm feeling a bit light headed."
"You should probably get checked by Doctor Chakwas."
"I think I will Commander. Thank you."
"Crew dismissed," Shepard announced.
The squad mates got up and walked out of the comm. Room. Ashley was the last one but she did not leave. Instead she locked the door and walked back to her chair and slid the pistol out. Thankfully Shepard did not see her because he was facing the comm devices. She then set herself behind him very quietly and waited until he finished.
"Mission reports have been filed," Joker said over the speakers. "Want me to patch you through to the Council?"
"Patch them through."
The three orange holograms appeared before him.
"We received your mission report, Commander," the Asari said. "I see that Doctor T'Soni is aboard the Normandy."
"I assume you are taking the necessary security precautions," Velarn, the Turian, asked.
"Liara is on our side, the Geth were trying to kill her."
"Benezia would never allow Saren to harm her daughter," the Asari assured.
"Maybe she doesn't know," the Salarian suggested.
"Or maybe we don't know her," the Turian muttered. "We didn't know she could be a traitor."
"Well, at least the mission was a success."
"Apart from the utter destruction of a Prothean ruin," Velarn scolded. "Was that necessary, Commander?"
"Apparently you skimmed past the part that mentions that the ruins were crawling with Geth. My team and I barely got out of there alive."
A look of irritation came across the Councillor's face.
"Of course, Commander," the Salarian assured. "The mission must always take priority."
"Good luck, Commander. Remember, we are all counting on you," the Asari said before the holograms cut out.
Shepard sighed then turned around to see a pistol in his face. He then saw who was holding the weapon.
"Ashley what are you doing?!" He demanded.
"I know." She stated as tears started to from in her eyes.
"Know what?"
"That your not Human."
He could not believe it. How did she know. He decided to try his luck.
"What are you talking about? I Human."
"NO YOUR NOT! I know about you. What happened on Tibera. Your sisters. I KNOW ABOUT THAT. But WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME? WHY?!" she yelled in tears.
After those words he knew that she knew everything. He could not believe it he then turned his back on her and leaned against the comm terminals.
"How did you find out?" he asked not hiding anything.
"I hid behind the crates in the ally. I heard and saw everything. But not all of it is clear. I want an explanation John." she said lowering the pistol.
"As long as you promise not to tell anyone." he said turning to face her.
"I promise. I'd do anything for you."
"One of my races ability's is to share memory's." he said placing his hands on the sides of her head. She then saw his eyes glow white and found herself in blackness. A bright light swirled around her and she found herself naked in a green field. John appeared before her who immediately turned around.
"Errrr you may what to think of some clothing." he said blushing.
"Oh ..." She said blushing. She then imagined an alliance uniform. Blue and black material warped themselves around her forming the uniform.
"Ha sorry I should have warned you about." he said turning round giving a smug smile.
"Why did that happen?"
"Right now we are in my mind I can create anything. However if someone is in my mind their natural form is shown. Nothing artificial can be used unless you imagine it."
"Right. Your mind right? Its a bit plain."
"If I give you the information too fast your brain will literally cook."
"Ok. So what are you doing here?"
Shepard waved a hand and a screen appeared beside them. They both turned to face it. As
"A year before I was found. A small ship found a wormhole connecting my universe to yours. This ship belonged to a pro-humanist organisation." As he spoke a image of a ship came on the screen.
"Cerberus."
"Yes but my father did not that they were pro-humanist at the time. The JFU opened a limited trade circle."
"JFU?"
"The Joint Federal Union. It's an alliance of five different races. It was created close to 70'000 years ago. No race was left out."
"Races?"
"Excluding mine there are three races that we found and one that we created. These races are the Tolashners a proud sky fairing species."
The screen showed a number of wined humanoids with 4 eyes. They looked kind of frightening but peaceful at the same time.
"The Shel'trakans an insect worker race."
The screen then showed six limbed bug like alien. The clothing it wore looked like old Japanese aristocrat.
"The Aqultrons a female dominated race."
For some reason Ash could not help but smile at the Aqultrons as their image showed up. They looked similar to the Asari with the hair and facial tattoos. But they had purplish skin and male /female appearances.
"And the created race The Exocrons."
"Created?" She asked in interest.
"The Exocron's are artificial life. They where created for extremely dangerous task's like orbital engineering and mining. Eventuality they gained intelligence and they wanted independence."
As Shepard talked and image of people who looked like humans. But with different coloured eyes and lines across their body's
"What happened?"
"They fell into the category of sentient life in our terms. The king of the time gave the Exocrons Exocronda a neighbour world to Tiberia. Like Mars only the same size."
"Why do they look like that?"
"It's part of their culture and law. It states 'No Exocron will look Tiberian. Unless they are an operative.'"
"Operative?"
"An high support investigation agent. In human terms they are like the old British MI6 agents."
"Cool." She then realised that John missed one race. "What about your race?"
He slightly stiffened. "It's not a pleasant history."
"I don't care." she said looking in his eyes. "I want to know about the Tiberians."
"Very well." he sighed. An image of a lush green and blue world appeared on the screen.
"Tibera home of the Tiberians. My race."
Ashley stared at the green and blue marble. "So beautiful like earth."
Shepard gave a sight chuckle. "It may look like beautiful but it his highly radioactive. And incredibility hostile."
"Radioactive!" She yelled in surprise. "How the hell did you survive?"
"Calm down. Tibera is naturally radioactive. So our body's are naturally immune to radiation."
"Cool. So what about your Super human ability's?"
"Aside from my biotics my strength, speed and healing power are ten times more powerful than humans. But that is because of Tiberian evolution."
"What happened?"
"Hundreds of millennia of wars. That resulted in a militaristic culture and the 'super human ability's' that all Tiberians possess."
"God so much death." She then said looking at the screen that was showing the different wars.
"I know even Tiberians are disgusted with our own history. Hence the creation of a strict honour code. This code was taught to all Tiberians at a young age. It's sort of a disciplinary tactic to teach the young to have honour."
"Why?"
"Well it's like said we have a militaristic culture. We accepted it because we knew that wars were inevitable. So we made sure that our brutal past does not come back to haunt us. But we decided to kept it to honour the dead."
"Sorry I didn't mean to..." She tried to say but John interrupted her.
"It's alright it's hard for any Tiberian to talk about the past. We don't hate it we just find it difficult to talk about."
"What about your family?"
Shepard sighed and Ash noticed a tear come down his face and looked to the ground. "My entire family is dead."
A silence befell both of them. She still had a family to go to while he had none. She then suddenly embraced him her eyes in tears.
"John I'm so sorry." she said. Shepard also let a few tears fall.
"I've come to accept it but I... I wish I had more time with them."
"I know I'm going to regret this but what was the infection?" she said leaving the hug.
"When Cerberus came we welcomed them with open arms. A trade was opened we shared certain tech while they traded culture."
"Your people made a big mistake."
"Too true. After a few months they then broke into a stem-cell chamber and corrupted the newly grown limbs. Once these limbs were attached to their new owners a virus spread through their body's. This killed them instantly but they didn't stay dead."
"You mean they turned into zombies?"
"Yes. When the infection started 3 trillion died in the first second." Ashley only gasped in horror. "Since we were in a almost permanent state of peace there were few weapons. Only Tiberians where combat ready."
"Due to you culture."
"Yes. But our strongest part was also our weakness. Trillions of Tiberian soldiers and ships where destroyed during the infection. Including my family. But the thing is that my family died because of what we call the Tiberian curse."
"The Tiberian curse?"
A bright light then surrounded them both then they found themselves in the Normandy's comm room. Once they arrived Shepard turned his back to Ashley and leaned on the comm stand.
"Years ago there was a war known as the Colonial wars. It was a dispute over the true ruler of Tibera. Eventually the factions then came together when a Ranzan woman named Kareena appeared."
"Ranzan?"
"A race of heightened beings who live as energy. Not much is known about them except for Kareena. And before you ask no we don't worship them. We believe in spirits and the Ranzan are not spirits." he took a long deep breath. "When she appears it means that thing's are getting out of hand. When she appeared during the Colonial wars a decree was made saying that the greatest Tiberian warriors must fight until on is last standing."
"My god. Like a Roman gladiatorial arena."
"Yes but without the killing. Once a person was majority injured they would be out. The warriors fought for 5 months until my ancestor Shin'tala Shardan stood victorious. The first Queen of Tiberia and from that day on any King or Queen had to bare the name Shardan. But there was a downside. When the Queen found her 'soul mate' she found out then when he was hurt so was she."
Ashley could not believe what she was hearing. To her it sounded like a sci-fi vid mixed with a historical documentary. But she could tell he wasn't lying
"I have felt the effects of the Tiberian curse." John then continued.
On those words Ashley was now afraid. The fears of he was going to chose her or not started to surface. Se decided to try her luck.
"John I...don't know why you kept this from me. But I don't care because I..." She stuttered as she tried to get her words out. "I...I love you John! I loved you ever since that day. And I don't care if you don't love me. I'll follow you any where."
'I said it.' she thought. 'I finally said it.' she then turned her back to him. The seconds felt like hours then all of a sudden John's arms wrapped around her.
"Ashley you have no idea how long I've waited to hear that."
Her heart skipped a beat and tears started. She then turned around. They both looked in each other's eyes.
"John do..." Before she could finish his lips met hers. "MMMMMMMM"
The fears that she felt melted away. She always wanted this being in his arms. His warmth his smell even what he felt like. It all seemed like a dream to her.
Their kiss grew even more passionate for a few more moments before it ended.
"Ash I've always loved you. I know that there are women who want me but you are the only one I what."
She giggled at the comment. "You know there are regs against this. Are you ready to deal with the consequences?"
This time it was Shepard's turn to giggle. "I'll keep it a secret. But David knows."
"How?"
"Well he's known us since Hastings. But it's safe to say he won't tell anyone."
"Well I've got to get back to work see you later."
"Yeah."
Ashley and Shepard walked out as fast as they could. Shepard headed to the med bay to talk to the Asari. While Ashley headed to her guns to clean them.
The next chap may be a while due to my mass effect/ warhammer crossover that I am doing.
10. Chapter 8 Acowardly act
Chapter 8 A cowardly act.
The last of the Batarian forces fell as Shepard, Tali and Ash made their way to the back of the plaza. The plasma torches were put out removing the immediate threat of Terra Nova's destruction. Along the way to this centre hub Shepard's group ran into Balak's second-in-command. He was subdued and left in the facility. Saying, 'this was just supposed to be another slave grab,' did not gain any sympathy with Shepard.
The three soldiers stood at the base of the stairs in the back of the room. At the top were several Batarians with Varren warhounds. The Batarian in the middle had a green face with yellow stripes on the side of his head. He wore medium-class red armour.
"You humans," he said with disgust. "You're almost more trouble than you're worth."
"Let the hostages go, Balak," Shepard demanded. "It's over."
"This isn't over!" Balak bellowed. "I'm leaving this asteroid. If you stop me I'll set off these charges and your helper and her friends will die."
Shepard glanced over to the hostages as he spoke and saw them frantically trying to find a way to deactivate the bomb. It made him fell sick and conflicted. On the one hand he liked how this was planed. But on the other hand innocent people where going to die if he didn't do anything.
"You can't just leave, Balak," Shepard said. "Not after what you've done here."
"This is nothing!" he shot back. "You Humans have done far worse to the Batarians! We-"
"Oh and please tell me which planets Humans have done rock drops on?" Shepard roared. "How many millions have Humans killed? Don't you dare try to compare this to anything the Alliance has done!"
"Damn right," Ash said approvingly. "Don't you dare say Humanity has stooped this low asshole."
"We were forced into exile!" Balak countered. "Forced to survive on what we can scourge up. It's been like this for decades!"
"How ignorant can you fucking be?"
"What?!"
"It was your people who started this. Closing the your embassy and becoming isolationists. You forced your selves out."
"Of course we were forced out! It's because of you! You and your kind are the reason why we are in this position."
"How does killing millions of innocents make up for that?"
"We had no other option! Sometimes you need to get someone's attention before they listen. That why we attack your Elysium, but you thwarted that attack. You came to Torfan and took another one of our worlds and dozens of my people as prisoners! You, Commander Shepard, came to become the most hated individual in my people's history!"
"You attacked us first! And when we fought back to ran to the Council. When they refused to help, you just ran. Unable to fight your own damn battles."
"Enough! You couldn't possibly understand. Actually you just don't want to understand, and I'm done wasting my breath. Now if you want your friends to live, I suggest you step aside."
Tali and Ash looked to Shepard waiting for his choice.
"Do you know what you are?"
"What am I?"
"A coward who's not even worth a bullet in his head."
"What?!" he asked in rage.
"A coward."
"Why you..."
"If you don't want to be a coward. You'll face me one on one."
"HA how stupid do you think I am? If I stay here I'll die with you rats see ya." he said walking off.
"Ash, Tali get to cover!" Shepard said as a number of Batarian soldiers came into the area. He then brought out his omni-tool.
"That was the right thing to do Shepard," Tali reassured him.
"Skipper what are you doing?" asked Ash taking firing on the Batarians.
"You'll see." he said with a smile. "Joker do you hear me?"
"Joker, here, Commander."
"A vessel is going to be leaving this asteroid soon. Seek, disable and capture. Understand?."
"Aye, aye, Commander." Shepard then turned to Ash and Tali.
"What was-" Ash tried to get out.
"No time!" Shepard yelled. "I see at least three bombs I what both of you to disable them. While I try to stop them coming in."
The two women nodded in acknowledgement. Shepard rapidly worked on his omni-tool to get into the facility's defence network which was originally hacked by the Batarians. John switched the drones to shoot at the Batarian terrorists and the Varren. This gave Ash and Tali breathing room to disarm the bombs.
Shepard took his rifle as he approached the room the hostages were in and used his strength to open the door. He snap shot stabbed all Batarians in the room. Once dead the hostages went up against the wall and let Shepard disarm the bomb.
The charge beeped a couple of times to signify its shut down. He gave a sigh of relief.
"Commander," Tali said over the radio.
"Yes, Tali?"
"The last of the bombs have been disabled."
Shepard jumped to his feet and connected to the Normandy. "Joker, do you read?"
"Yes, Commander. I have the Batarian ship in my sights."
"Take the shot."
"With great pleasure."
"And be sure to recover the pods."
John pinched the bridge of his nose. Kate, one of the hostages, walked up to him with a smile. "You did it. You saved Terra Nova and us. Thank you." She said.
Shepard just smiled. "I'm just sorry I wasn't able to save that other person on the line." He was referencing the other person he overheard being executed.
"You did what you could. I never did get your name."
"Commander Shepard."
"Thank you, Shepard. From all of us."
"Kate?"
Kate looked over to the source of the voice to see Simon. "Simon, you're okay."
"Yeah. I'm glad to see you're alright."
"I should attend to the others," she said to him.
"Yeah..." Simon waited for Kate to leave before saying. "He left... Is that okay?"
"Oh, he didn't get away," Shepard assured him.
"Yeah, what was that with Joker?" Ashley asked.
"I gave Joker the coordinates to hit to disable the ship. By now the life support systems should be deactivating leaving Balak and his men with little choice but to use the life pods."
"What if he tries to commit suicide?" Tali asked.
"Balak is too much of a coward to take his own life to avoid interrogation and imprisonment."
-
Shepard entered the ship's brig where Balak was kept. He sat on a bench in the back of the cell. "I told you I would find you soon," he said.
"Are you here to gloat?" he growled.
"Now why would I do that? I'm here to notify you that we're taking you down to Terra Nova where you will be turned over to Alliance authorities."
"My imprisonment doesn't change anything. The Batarians have stayed hidden long enough. There are thousands more like me out there, waiting their turn. Each one willing to die for our cause."
"And what cause is that? Taking any planet you choose? Enslaving thousands?"
"Slavery is a part of our culture."
"Your culture is wrong."
"How dare you! Racist bastard."
"That's ironic you call me a racist for calling a culture based on prejudging individuals based on appearances, castes and allowing slavery of others wrong," he quipped. "I know of cultures that have slavery and brutal caste systems. They all fell due to freedom rebellions. If your culture does not change your entire species will die out."
Balak tilted his head to the right and scoffed. "When vids of your colonies burning are played, you will know that the Batarian rebellion has begun."
"I really doubt that," Shepard said before looking the brig door then turning back to him crouching down.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I'm not human."
Balak turned to face him with fear. "W...what? Saren was right."
"Yes and now you'll face my fury." Shepard said as he crouched and looked into the slavers eyes.
Balak was paralysed he could not move as the humans eyes started to glow. The Batarian then felt cold as images of war came to him. He could not tell what it was but all of a sudden he vomited blood onto the floor. At that moment he could move once again.
"What did you do to me?"
"You'll slowly go insane as you remember all the peoples freedom you have taken. A fitting punishment if you ask me."
"You'll pay for this. I'll tell everyone your not human."
Shepard just laughed at the comment as he stood up.
"No one will believe you. Like I said your slowly becoming insane. What you'll say will be little more than ramblings."
"Fuck you."
"In what way?" he asked leaving the brig.
* * *
Shepard sat at his computer. He was tired to say the least but there was something he needed to do. It was not long ago that they dropped off those Batarian terrorists. Thankfully the slow insanity on Balak did not hinder his interrogation. The interrogators managed to get a lot of info out of him.
His door then bleeped he then turned to face it.
"Come in." he said and got up.
The Door opened as Ashley entered.
"You wanted to see me?" she asked.
"Yes I want you to meet some people. Aside from giving them a scheduled update I would like to introduce you as my lover if that is alright."
She just smiled. Due to the regulations of fraternization they could not go for a normal relationship. One of the things that Shepard really hated about the alliance.
"Of course it's ok." she said kissing him.
Shepard then opened a draw on is desk and took out 6 small silver balls. Then both of them left the cabin and went into the comm room. Once inside John locked the door and moved to the centre of the room and Ash stood next to him. He held out the silver balls in his hand.
Ash looked consciously at the silver balls. "What are they?" she asked with interest.
"Sub Quantum communication orbs. It's quite difficult to explain but think along the lines of Quantum entanglement because it's close to that."
She just nodded. Shepard then dropped the orbs on the floor. The orbs then moved to 2 meters away from them then raised up off the ground. At that moment 3 holograms of human look alike's and 3 strange aliens appeared.
Ash was a but nervous. Meeting the most important people from a another universe seemed daunting.
"Greetings John." Hal'yon greeted. His accent sounded oddly Russian to Ash.
"It appears we have a guest." the Aqult minister then said noticing Ashley. "Dalcna I'm Malasona the minister of Aqult."
"Forgive me in my old age I start to miss people. I'm Hal'yon the Tiberian minister."
"I'm Talgoran the Exocron minister." a man with red eyes and blue lines across his body.
"I'm Tahumec the Tolashner minister." a strange looking alien with wings said.
"And I'm Mallronda the Shel'trakan minister. We welcome you to this meeting young lady." The bug like alien said. Ash was creped out by they way he looked.
"May you tell us your name?" Malasona asked very politely.
"Ashley Williams." Solvan said. "1st born of 4 daughters to Adam Williams and Alexis Williams. The granddaughter of the shamed General Williams of Shanxi."
Ash just looked at at him. Surprised that he knew that. While it wasn't classified not a lot of people knew about her family except for her granddad.
"I heard about the First contact war. Disgusting." Hal'yon said shaking his head.
"What about?" Ash said looking at the Tiberian.
"A new alien race finding a dormant mass relay. But get attacked by another race who have a law of not activating dormant mass relays. Then after the war the son of the general who surrendered never made it past the first rank. Disgraceful."
"Don't forget about the Geth and Qarrians." Talgoran said.
"Fair point."
"Sorry but what would you have done differently?" Ash asked.
"Well if we were the Turians we would have contacted the fleet that was trying to activate the mass relay. Secondly we would let the son rise through the ranks like any other soldier despite what the father did. As for the Geth and Qarrians well we would give the Geth a planet. And we would also help the Qarrians immune systems."
"Wow you guys plan a lot don't you?" Ash said with a smile.
"Well most of our literature is on 'what if'."
"Well Shepard is she your lover?" Malasona asked with a coy smile.
John and Ash could not help but blush confirming the ministers superstitions.
"You know Ki'sla's going to freak over this." Solvan said.
"I know but could you tell her that she'll always be a friend to me." John said feeling a bit guilty.
"Well I feel annoyed at the alliance for making you keep your relationship a secret. If the Normandy was a Tiberian ship you would be able to have your relationship with no penalty's." Hal'yon said with pity.
"Really?" Ash asked.
"Ho yeah regulations for relationships in the Tiberian army are practically non-existent. But that is only for same species relationships. Different species are a little more complicated due to diseases and other problems."
"Sounds nice." Ash admitted.
"Shepard there's something else isn't there?" Solvan then asked noticing Shepard being a little nervous.
John sighed and straightened up. "I recently received a communication from Admiral Kahoku about 3 Cerberus bases. This first attack will serve as part of our revenge."
"Very good is that all?" Hal'yon said. Shepard nodded in response. "May the Spirits of war and the Ocean Goddess watch over you and your crew." he said before the holograms disappeared.
Ash and Shepard turned to look at each other.
"Spirits of war? Goddess?" Ash said.
"The Spirits of war are the main belief system of Tiberia. As for the Ocean Goddess she is the Goddess of water and love. Saying that she'll 'watch over us' is for luck and a long lasting relationship." Shepard said.
"Your culture is so strange but interesting."
"Well there is one thing that has to be done." he said as he took off his necklace and put it around Ashley's neck.
She held up the gem on the end. "John wa..."
"This used to belong to my mother. But when she died my eldest sister is required to have it. Then when I find a lover it is required of me to give it to her to prove our relationship."
Ash then let the gem go and looked into John's eyes. Their lips then met. She could never feel more safe than in his arms. Even though he wasn't human she loved him non the less.
11. remake
Ok here's the plan I need beta readers for remakes of chapters 1 to 3. input will be welcomed but beta reading is preferable. No new chapters will be complete until the remakes are done.
All beta readers will be credited.
12. Chapter 9 The beast
Shepard's mentality had been shaken as his crew and he cleared Cerberus facilities and bases, and his crew noticed. He looked more disturbed and angry. Only Ashley knew what was happening but she did try to comfort him with no success. But she knew in times like these he was best left alone.
However after finding Admiral Kahoku's body at one of the previous Cerberus bases they found he became more isolated. Now the Normandy just had two locations to look into before their leads into Cerberus dried up. It was at a base on Ontarom to investigate the deaths of several Alliance scientists, Shepard ran into a familiar face.
"Shepard?" Toombs gasped. His arm was shaky as he aimed at the frightened scientist. "My god, Shepard, is that you?"
"Toombs?" Shepard gasped. It was his old buddy from his unit on Akuze. All this time he thought he had died when the Thresher Maws attacked. "I thought you died. I saw you get attacked by that Thresher Maw!"
Kaidan and Tali, who were with him, looked to Shepard and to Toombs.
"The scientists took me Shepard."
"You can't prove any of this!" the scientists screamed. "This man is delusional!"
"They were running tests on the Thresher Maws," Toombs explained. "They let those things hit us just to watch and study. I woke up in a holding cell. The scientists were delighted that I had survived. Now they had someone to run tests on."
"Toombs, I spent the entire 2 week's I was on the planet searching for anyone... anyone who survived the attack," Shepard said remorsefully.
"You can't believe Toombs," the scientist scoffed. "He doesn't have any proof. I demand a fair trial."
"He was there, you bastard!" Toombs roared. "He knows the truth! They were part of a secret organization, Cerberus, that runs secret tests like this. They treated me like a lab animal. This man deserves to die, Shepard! For you, for me, for those who weren't lucky enough to get off of Akuze. Are you with me?"
"You're better than this, Toombs," Shepard said. "You're not like them."
"Don't tell me who I am!" Toombs bellowed. "You got away with a few scratches and a scary reputation! I was tortured for years, Shepard! You can't judge me! You don't have the right!"
"You think you were the only one who Cerberus tortured Toombs?" Shepard inquired. "You don't think I don't know what you've been through?"
"What are you talking about, Shepard?"
"Cerberus killed everyone I've ever known and loved. They even made me watch as they defiled my sisters!" Shepard exploded.
Tali and Kaidan stared at Shepard in shock.
"Cerberus found me when I was six years old. They took me and killed my father, raped my sisters. They proceeded to torture me, experiment when I finally escaped Cerberus took everything from me! I know exactly how you feel!"
"I-I didn't know," Toombs muttered. "If that's true then why are you trying to stop me when you know exactly what they've done?"
Shepard took a couple steps towards Toombs. "Because as much as I want their organization destroyed. The last thing I want is for their crimes to fade into obscurity. Killing this man will only help Cerberus. It'll cover up what they did on Akuze. You want justice for what was done to you and the others on Akuze? We take this man in, and let the galaxy know exactly what Cerberus has done. Don't let Cerberus turn you into a murderer, Toombs."
Toombs thought on what Shepard said for a moment before lowering his weapon. "Okay. You're right. I don't want this covered up. We take this to trial. Let everyone know what they've done. Maybe the screaming will stop now. I don't know."
Shepard placed a hand on Toombs' shoulder. "It'll fade and turn to strength over time. I promise you that."
-
The crew sat at the table in the mess thinking over what happened. Tali, Garrus, Kaidan, Ashley, Liara, Joker and several other crew members were seated.
"I just can't believe that's what happened to the Commander when he was a kid," Kaidan said.
"Did Shepard ever tell you about this, Ash?" Liara asked the gunnery chief.
"No," she lied. "He's never said anything about his past he would tell me that it was an upsetting issue."
But she did however she knew John all too well and began to doubt this will fade any time soon.
"Can't really blame him for that," Kaidan said. "Toombs would have likely killed that scientist if Shepard hadn't said all that he did."
"Did Shepard say anything else?" Garrus asked. "Like where he was held? Who were involved?"
"No," Kaidan replied shaking his head. "When we tried asked for further elaboration, Shepard just said, 'Back to the Mako.' He went directly to his cabin and he's been there since we finished the mission. He... seems fairly upset."
"I should go talk to him," Ashley suggested feeling it was the best thing to do.
"Why you?" Garrus asked with interest.
"Well I've known him the longest so I will be best." She said heading to John's cabin.
"Well, hopefully she'll take care of things," Tail said. "I need to go to engineering." she said while walking away.
"I think I'll look into those Prothean disks we recovered," Liara said as she got up and the same.
"Alright now that they're all gone," Joker said. "I'm starting up a new pool."
"And the bet?" one of the crewmen asked.
"Who will Shepard go for?" Joker announced. "Liara or Ashley."
Garrus' mandibles went apart. "We find out about Shepard's traumatized past, and you're making bets on who Shepard will bed?"
"Easy, Garrus," one of the crew members said. "It's not like we're trying to bet whether or not Shepard will go crazy. And this isn't the first time we've made pools. The last one was whether or not the point behind the Eden Prime mission was to see if Shepard was being tested to be a Spectre."
"I made a killing on that one," Joker commented. He took out a blank credit chit and a OSD and placed them on the table. "Okay just like last time, credits go onto this credit chit and the names go down on my OSD. The winner or winners will have the total credits on here. I'll be checking with everyone else on the ship to see if they're joining in. So who will it be: Liara or Ashley. Now we know Shepard has been frequently visiting Liara in her room next to the med-bay; even giving her 'one-on-one' training when many of the crew members here are more than capable of doing it. And then there's Ashley who's known the commander for over 20 years. So Kaidan?"
Kaidan gave it a thought and activated his credit chit. "Liara."
"The Chief," one of the crewmen said.
"Wiliams," said the other.
Joker placed his bet on the omni-tool and looked to Garrus. "You joining in Garrus?"
"Why not?" Garrus shrugged. "But this is a no boner..."
The entire crew burst out laughing at the Turian.
"Brainier Garrus." One of the crew said holding his sides. "The phrase is 'its a no brainier'."
"That's a fail Garrus an epic fail." Kadian said slapping the Turian's back.
"Sorry. I mean it's a no brainier because I think that he's go his eyes for Miss Williams."
"Who?" Some of the crew said in unison.
"Gunnery Chief. I mean, I see the Commander really smile when she's around. To be honest I think that they're keeping something from us."
"Wait we have regulations of fraternization." one of the crewmen asked. "I mean I know of people who disobeyed that regulation got major bollocking by the higher up's."
"True..." Kaidan agreed. "We have all heard of that so Garrus why are you saying those two are an item?"
"The way they look at each other."
"How exactly do you know all this?" Kaidan asked.
"I'm trained as a C-Sec sniper and of course you need to be knowledgeable of other races and cultures in my line of work."
-
Ash walked into Shepard's room and saw him sitting on the foot of his bed holding an OSD.
Shepard looked over to her and gave her a weak, sad smile. "Hey, Ash." He wave to her to get her to move forward.
"I wanted to see how you were doing."
"Better I guess." He leaned forward and taped the OSD a few times.
Ash walked over and sat next to her boyfriend. She then touched his face and tuned it so that he was facing her. His face obviously betrayed the pain he was feeling.
"Don't lie to me. I know you better than anyone. What's wrong?"
"I'm fine Ash." he said placing a hand over the hand she had on his cheek.
"Then what are you doing?"
"Listing to my sister's singing. Would you like to listen?"
Ash just nodded at the request. Despite what she knew she wanted to know more about John's family. John tapped a few keys on the OSD and two teenage girls came up both of them had red hair but one of them was way longer than the other.
He then hit the play key and his sisters started to sing. The language was obviously Tiberian she recognized some of the words but it sounded different. The way they sang felt like something eased Ashley's soul. It relaxed her in a way she never thought possible.
The song seemed to last seconds. When it finished the OSD fell on the floor and Shepard covered his face with his hands. He was crying. Ash never saw him cry she just realised he kept his emotions in check with this kind of thing. He then brought him close and embraced him.
"I...I just want them back. I just want them back Ashley. I miss them so much."
She had no idea what to do but seeing him like this made her tears fall because of her dead father. Then instinctively she kissed him on the lips. He then moved closer as their kiss grew more passionate.
Ash then pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. Her tears fell uncontrollably.
"I know how you feel. When dad died I was ready to die but you were there to comfort me. I can never repay you for that. But it's my turn to comfort you." she said pushing him on the bed and removing her shirt reviling her well developed chest.
She laid on Shepard and undid his shirt and removed it from him revealing a well developed muscular chest. Ash blushed at the sight of it. She then laid her head on him then started to kiss him all the way to his lips as John wrapped his arms around her.
Their tongues wrapped around each other. It just felt right for the both of them. Then reached for Ash's hair bobble and removed it. Her hair then fell over them. She then pulled her self up and looked at him.
'Spirits she's like the goddess herself.' he thought.
"You always looked better with your hair down." he said.
She blushed once again and removed her bra and laid on him and kissing him once again. She then started to move her hand down into his trousers but Joker came on the intercom.
"Commander," Joker said over the comm. System.
Braking off the kiss reluctantly stopping her from putting her hand down his trousers and answered the pilot. "Yes, Joker?"
"We are making our approach to Nepheron."
"Got it Joker."
Ash bowed her head in disappointment. She mentality cursed Joker for killing the moment.
"Ashley I'm sorry I've should have kept the comm on privet."
She just smiled and shook her head.
"It's fine we can do this some other time." she said getting off him and getting her clothing back on.
"We need to be ready, I want you on the ground with Garrus."
"Ok. See ya in the hanger." she said leaving his cabin.
John's eyes then darted around his cabin. Joker had an annoying habit of interrupting him at the worst of times. He could swear the the pilot had put a camera in there.
Aria the queen of Omega looked over the main dance floor shaking her head. Everyone tried to get in her panties but she only had room for one person. She then turned to an OSD in her hand and gave an evil smile at the image on it.
Commander John Shepard had that rare fire that burned like a black hole inside him. The Asari ice queen always liked that. She walked over to her bed took off her cloths and fell on it. It had been a long day she needed the rest. As she laid there a memory crept into her mind. As the memory lingered in her mind her hand made it's way to in between her legs.
* * *
Aria sat in her chair annoyed one of the new Termnus gangs started to get on her nerves. So she called the Hunters advisers who would help her with the predicament. The two married couple sat on chairs in front of her while their adopted 14 year old son stood in the corner.
"So what do I need to do to keep this new gang in check?" she asked them.
The couple glanced at each other while the teen in the corner rolled his eyes.
"Well..." started the man but the teen interrupted.
"You could start my monitoring there movements. Then once there at their weakest attack them and give them a warning." he said.
"John! She asked us not you." the woman said glaring at teen.
"But he is right. I can't think of a better way to keep them in check." the man said agreeing with the teen.
Aria eyed the teen. He was unnaturally handsome with a well built and toned body. He also had an aura about him that she found attractive. The boy however was young in human years so he could not legally do things to her.
An idea started brewing in her head.
"Sorry about him. He's going through a rebellious stage. It's a human thing." the woman said facing the Asari once again.
"It's all right." the Asari said with a smile. "People like him always give the best idea's."
'Not to mention how sexy he is.' she thought.
Just then John's omni-tool bleeped.
"Sorry I've got to take this." he said walking out of the room.
The couple then looked at each other.
"Probably Ashley again." the woman said.
"Why don't they just get together and go out?" the man asked.
As the two talked about the relationship of their adopted son the Asari cautiously listened while typing something on her Omni-tool. She liked the boy but knew she had to wait until he became of age.
* * *
John sat at the Omega bar drinking a strong drink. But because of his Tiberian body he could not get drunk with these light drinks. He wasn't much of a drinker but he lost some of his friends on Akuze he needed to vent.
Most of the ship's crew were drinking and watching the dancers. But John sat alone. The gilt of losing his men was unbearable. As he took another swig a familiar Asari sat next to him.
"Hi Aria." he said.
"Well well never thought I'd see you here with out your parents to protect you." the Asari said sarcastically.
"What's it to you? They're dead I'm alive." taking another swig.
"Well sorry to here that but your a young man now and free to do what ever you want." she said with a smile.
'Damn he's hot.' she thought as she eyed him.
"How about we go to my room and we can have a talk over some beers."
John did not say or do anything just thought about it. He was worried he knew that she had an eye for him but he had no idea she wanted him to do the deed. He needed to come up with something.
"Thanks for the offer but can't."
"Why?" she asked.
"Because we're only staying until the repairs are finished. Witch should take another 40 minutes and besides I need to keep an eye on the crew to make sure they don't get into trouble." he then turned to her and smiled."Sorry maybe next time."
'Damn I'll get you hot ass in bed. Just you wait.' she thought.
* * *
Aria moaned even louder as she reached climax. Her heart pounded as tiredness overwhelmed her. She fell asleep dreaming of a certain human spectre.
"I'll get you Shepard just you wait." she whispered.
A figure in a black cloak stood in the coroner of the room. He just watched as the Asari fell asleep and a smile appeared on is face.
"She maybe could be of use against brother." he said before vanishing.
* * *
Garrus and Ash sat at the back of the Mako as Shepard drove towards the final Cerberus base. The two sat across from each other. Garrus noticed that Ash was a but uncomfortable as she looked at Shepard. She looked like she was worried about something. Garrus gave her foot a light tap. This broke her concentration. He tapped on his helmet to tell her to switch to a private conversation.
"How did it go with Shepard?" he asked sincerely.
"As well as it possibly can. He'll be okay."
"What did you two talk about?"
"A little about the Cerberus thing. I can't say much more than that."
"Did you tell him how you feel about him?"
Ash stared at him wide eyed thankfully her helmet hid her red cheeks. " Even if I did care about him I can't do anything with him."
'Damn he's a sharp Turian. I need to be careful.' she thought.
"Ash, relax," Garrus said, unsurprised at her outburst. "I know. You would have to be blind not to see how you look at him. Of course I guess that means the entire Normandy crew is blind."
Ash looked at the floor. "We're keeping it a secret."
"Understandable."
"Thanks but can you please keep it a secret. We don't need the publicity."
"Of course just a question. What made you fall in love with him?"
Ash was stunned by the question. She never thought anyone would ask that it. She looked at her feet.
"I don't know that's the truth. He's strong brave has a great ass. But he's just always been there for me. He's like that prince who leaves his castle to look for someone in his kingdom to marry while changing his nation for the better. I can't think anything more than that."
"You really love him don't you?"
Before she could answer the Mako's cannon fired shaking the vehicle. Several more rounds went off before the tank came to a full stop.
"Base's perimeter is clear," Shepard announced. "Ready yourselves. This base is going to be one hell of a fight."
"Got it, Shepard," Garrus acknowledged.
They got out of the tank and approached the base's entrance. They went inside and allowed the airlock to do its cycle to allow them inside. The first room of the base was empty, but Shepard's senses kicked in telling him the next room was full of Cerberus solders. Shepard approached the doorway to the door and nodded to Garrus and Ash to take cover.
The door sprung open. Shepard rushed in to the structure's support to take cover while taking shots at the Cerberus soldiers. "Ash take the right! Garrus the left. Move."
His team mates responded immediately. John saw the operatives' shields flash and them falling. Shepard used his assault rifle at the Cerberus agents as he moved to the back of the room.
Shepard heard gunfire from his team mates and saw that they took down the other two operatives. The team moved around the room taking out all the Cerberus troops.
"Area's clear, Shepard," Garrus said. "We should check to see if they have any databases."
"Right," Shepard agreed.
They moved towards the back rooms. Garrus and Ash followed Shepard to the room of the left. Inside the room was a large database with a terminal in the back of the room.
"There must be untold amounts of data on Cerberus here," Tali though out loud.
"Finally something," Shepard exclaimed, a slight amount of joy and relief in his voice. He approached the terminal and went through its menu to download its data. An alarm went off at the terminal. A program activated and started to purge its data.
"Ho no you fucking don't!" Shepard yelled as his begun hacking its defenses. "Override. Countermanding. Overwrite!" he yelled these things as he tried stopping the purge. A text came up acknowledging his command input, stopping the purge. "Recover. Restore." Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. It was too close. He downloaded the Cerberus data.
"Alright, I got th..." John was about to say but drew his pistol and pointed it directly at the doorway. He did it so fast that Garrus thought he was dreaming.
"Which you'll be handing back over to us," another voice said.
Garrus turned around to see a squad of a dozen Cerberus operatives. The leader of the group was holding Asley in a tight with a knife held to her.
"John help." She said.
"You're going to drop your weapons and surrender, or I'll cut up this Alliance whore." the operative said.
"Let her go!" Shepard calmly demanded with his pistol levelled at his head.
"I told you to drop your weapons or she fucking dies! Now!"
Ash grabbed the operatives hand and tried to throw him over her shoulder. But due to the man's size she couldn't. Shepard couldn't get a shot with the struggling. Then one of the operatives aimed a pistol at her head. Instinctively John shot the operative. But as the operative fell on the floor his pistol fired and hit the commander in the cheek.
Ash stopped as she saw the bullet grazed her lover. John did not react to the shot. Then the cut on his cheek healed instantly. The operatives and Garrus stared at the commander.
The Cerberus leader's eyes widened. "No... It can't be..."
Shepard finally got a good look at his face. A scar ran down his face from the top of his brow to the bottom of his lips. He knew this man.
"You!" Shepard bellowed. "I let you go go because you were unarmed. Now I see that was a mistake!"
"No!" the man yelled in a scared voice. His operatives were confused by their leader's sudden change in confidence. "Y-You're dead. I saw that station explode. Not to mention your race is dead."
Now Garrus was confused. "What is he talking about, Shepard?"
"Not now Garrus." Shepard looked at the scarred man in the eyes. "You remember me. Then you know exactly what I'm capable of. Let her go and you won't be harmed."
"Yeah right, your 'Majesty' I know that after what we did to your galaxy, you're here to make us pay for it."
"I'm offering you a way out alive."
The scarred man looked to Ash and then smiled. "Tell me Tiberian. Just what is this whore to you?"
Shepard didn't answer but his eyes glowed in anger.
"She means a lot to you, doesn't she?" he gave a throaty chuckle. "She's your lover , isn't she?"
Again Sheppard didn't answer.
"Looks like I have my own way out alive." The scarred man pushed Ashley and shot her. She then fell limp on the floor. Shepard did the same.
"Ashley!" Garrus yelled. Garrus looked to Shepard. Something happened to him. "Shepard!"
Shepard laid there lifeless.
"Shepard, what are you doing?" Garrus yelled.
"Don't bother, Turian," the scarred man said to him. "When a member of the Tiberian of the royal family's lover is injured, killed or is dying, the same happens to them. Shepard is either dead or dying. Either way, the Illusive Man's going to reward me for finding and disposing of him."
"What the hell is a Tiberian?" Garrus demanded to know.
"A mistake of Cerberus' past. Now frankly we have no use for you split face goodbye." he signalled his operatives to open fire.
The operatives complied but before the could fire a demonic roar came from Shepard. At that moment everyone's eyes where on him. A white aura of biotic power surrounded him as he got up.
"Shepard?" Garrus said to him. "Are you ok-"
Garrus was cut off by him who jumped on the nearest Cerberus operative and ripped his spine out.
"Oh, god," the scarred man muttered. "Kill it! Kill it!"
The operatives open fired at Shepard. The bullets did little against the white aura surrounding him. He then used the operatives spine as weapon as he smashed it against two more operatives. The he then punched through another operatives his arm was out the other end holding the man's heart and crushed it. The operatives backed up.
Garrus continued watching Shepard go on a rampage as he tore apart the operatives. It was a massacre. Garrus was up against the wall watching this unfold, shaking.
Shepard was covered in blood as he approached the scared man. His eyes were completely blank. The Cerberus leader kept shooting at him with his shotgun. But they had no effect. John the grabbed the leader by the throat and lifted him up. The scared man aimed his shotgun at the commander's face and fired. It did nothing.
"DIE." John then said as his eyes glowed in pure white light.
The man's feet started to turn into ash. He screamed, begging for mercy. More and more of his body disintegrated. It was slow and painful. His screams finally stopped as his head turned to ash. All that was left of his body was a pile of ash.
Garrus still hasn't moved an inch. "Sh-Shepard," he mumbled.
The thing before him looked back at him. It moved to him, too fast for Garrus to move out of the way. It held him by the throat with his right hand ready to strike. Garrus closed his eyes. Nothing happened.
He then opened one eye to see another man in a blue military uniform with a red sash around his chest. But his face looked a lot like Shepard's but with winkles. His hand had stopped Shepard's fist.
"Son." the man said.
"Father?" Shepard then said letting go of Garrus and backing up. "Father."
"Yes." the man said nodding.
Shepard's eyes then came back and the white aura disappeared. Tears then started to fall. Garrus was utterly confused about what was happening.
"Help me. I couldn't save her." he said as he fell to his knees.
A red haired woman then appeared. She wore a long white dress. Somehow Garrus saw similarity between John and her. The woman walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. John looked up at the woman.
"Jol'an there's still time you can still save her. You know what to do." she said in a soft tone.
John then looked over to Ashley. He knew in his heart she was dyeing. He tried to stand up but couldn't so he crawled over to her using every bit of strength he had. He then go to her and moved her hair off her face. He stared at his goddess before his lips meet hers.
As he kissed her both of them glowed in a bright white light. So bright that Garrus had to cover his eyes. The light then died down and a loud thud meet his ears. He lowered his arm ans saw John and Ashley laying limb on the floor.
The woman was crouched over Shepard with her hand over his heart. The man looked at her with a worried look but she had a smile.
"He's fine my love. Just exhausted form the transfer." she said.
"Good this galaxy needs him." the man said he then looked over at Garrus. "Garrus right? Can you please keep this quiet. The galaxy is not ready."
At that moment the man and woman disappeared. Garrus then snped out of hisrushed to them. "Spirits damn it!" Garrus activated his comm. "Joker do you read? We need immediate evac!"
"What happened?"
"I-I don't know."
-
Ashley's eyes opened to see she was in the Normandy's med-bay with her armour off. Her back hurt like hell. She sat up but the pain was too great and she fell back onto the bed.
"Ash!" Chakwas said approaching her. "You shouldn't sit up so fast. Especially after what happened."
"What happened?" she repeated. "What do you mean? All I remember was being held hostage by that Cerberus operative."
"The operative shot you in the back and punctured your lung."
Ash remembered it all to clearly. Her eyes widened as she remembered about what happens to John if she gets hurt.
"What happened to Shepard?" she asked franticly.
"According to Garrus, Shepard lost it after that happened. Took down the entire Cerberus squad. After that he then kissed you."
"What?" she asked touching her lips.
"Ash..." Chakwas started. "When you got back Shepard was in a worse state than you. When I examined you there was no bullet wound on your back and your lungs weren't punctured. I took a blood and tissue sample and found that your cells divided ten times as fast than normal. You healed instantly. But the pain of being shot and having your lungs punctured will last for a while."
Ash was wide eyed as Chakwas said this.
"However it seems that it was only temporary but this discovery makes medi-gel completely useless."
"What about John?" she asked more calmly.
Chakwas then turned to face the next bed. Ash followed where she was looking. John was laying on the bed next to her. The memory's of Mindoir came flooding back to her. She did her best not to panic but seeing him there he colour drain form her face.
"When he was brought in he had the punctured lung. But before I could treat him it healed. Slowly than you but it healed faster than any other species in this galaxy."
Ashley then knew that Chakwas knew too much. Maybe the crew knew. Fear griped her.
"Dr." she asked as they both faced each other. "Answer me truthfully did you tell anyone?"
"No why?"
Ash sighed and thought of how to say it.
"Do you know about the rumours that Shepard is not human?"
The doctor nodded.
Ash took a deep breath before saying it. "There all true."
The colour drained from Chakwas' face. As she backed into her desk behind her. She then looked from Shepard to Ash.
"How he looks human? And what about the DNA tests. These no way he could hide that from us." she practically yelled.
"It's because his race have DNA so close to humans you would not be able to detect it."
Some of the colour retuned to Chakwas. But she was still sceptical. But questions filled her head.
"It's a lot to take in."
"I know but you didn't fall in love with him." Ash said blushing.
Chakwas looked wide eyed at Ash in surprise and excitement.
"I knew it." she said making Ash look at her funny.
Chakwas then realised what she just said and because Ash gave up John secret it was time for Joker's secret bet should be brought to light.
"Joker started a pool to see who John will bed."
Ash went red in the face. But before she could say anything John stirred. She then got up and sat next to him.
"AAAH hell that hurts." he said as he opened his eyes and sat up.
"John." Ash said.
He then turned to face her but then found her lips meeting his. After a while they then broke the kiss. He then saw Chakwas in the room.
"Eeerrr." he said with a hint of panic.
"Don't worry I don't turn people who fraternize in." she giggled.
"Thank you." John said in relief.
At that moment an Garrus walked in. he then walked right up to Shepard and punched him in the face.
"GARRUS."Ashley yelled.
"This bastard nearly killed me! You have a lot of question to answer Shepard! What the hell happened? What did that operative mean by calling you an Tiberian?" he demanded.
Shepard then got off the bed and looked at Ashley who nodded knowing what he was thinking. He then tuned to Chakwas and Garrus.
"What I'm about to show you two, cannot leave this room."
13. Chapter 10 The ancients cypher
Chapter 10 The cypher of the ancients.
Ash watched as Shepard mind-melded with Garrus and Chakwas. It was slightly eerie to see his eyes glow along with Garrus and Chakwas. After a minute the glow dissipated with the three returning.
"For what it's worth, I am sorry," Shepard said taking his hands off their temples.
Garrus and Chakwas were speechless.
"Wow. And I thought that I saw everything." Chakwas said in awe of what she just witnessed.
"But why keep it hidden?" Garrus asked in anger.
"Think about it. The first contact war, the Geth, the Quarrians exiled. How where supposed to revile ourself's to people with that kind of history." Shepard defended.
"But your people are Militaristic."
"Yes because war can never end. But the first contact war was caused by Turrians who found humans disobeying a law they did not know about."
Garrus tried to think of something but couldn't. As much as he hated to admit it John was right.
"Sorry."
"It's ok Garrus however there is something that I need to tell all three of you."
"What?" Ashley asked.
John sighed and lent against the wall.
"Because since I'm the spirits chosen I have to go through trials. One of them is... is... well there's no easy way to say it so I'll just say it. I have one trial left the trial of rebirth. It is as it sounds."
All three looked at him with wide eyes.
"W...what?" Ash said.
"The trial requires my... resurrection."
"What?" she screamed.
Garrus and Chakwas jumped at her outburst.
"You have to die?" Ash yelled horribly upset as jumped up and embraced him.
"No...no...no... you cannot do this to me." she cried.
"Err... we'll leave you two alone." Chakwas said grabbing Garrus' arm and leaving.
"Only temporary, I promise," Shepard said as he warped his arms around her. "Kareena told me that I'll be in a form of hibernation for two years, and then I'll come back."
"Two years," she choked. "You'll be gone for two years?"
"But I will come back. I promise."
"Damn it, John, I held back my emotions because I thought you did not feel the same way. Now you tell me that your going to die?"
She was shaking. "Ash... I'm sorry the last thing I want is to leave you or hurt you."
Ash rested her head to his chest, still crying. "It's not fair. First dad now you. It's not fair."
"I'm going to ask the most selfish thing I could ever ask of you."
Ashley looked up into his eyes. Those eyes that she could get absorbed in.
"Will you wait for me to come back?"
"Promise me," she demanded. "Promise me you'll come back."
"I promise my love. I will come back and I'll never leave you again."
Ash kissed him. "I'll wait for you, John, I'll wait for you."
"Thank you." he thrust his tongue into her mouth.
Several hours have passed since Shepard, Wrex and Kadian went down to Feros to investigate the Geth attacks. Ash slowly woke. As she sat up she found 4 presents lying on the floor in the middle of her room. She just smiled.
She then got up and grabbed the nearest present and looked at the label.
'Ash I know that ever since your father died you never celebrated another birth day. But when we got to the citadel after Eden prime I bumped into your mother and gave me theses. Happy birthday.'
She just giggled at it and opened it. Inside was a blue hard back book with the label 'A complete collection of Tiberian poetry'. She just smiled and opened it. On the first page there was a message. 'I had this translated enjoy'.
She read the first few chapters of it before putting it down and grabbing the next one. It was labelled from Sarah. Inside as some silver jewellery and make up. She just giggled her younger sister always tried to get her to be more feminine. She just slid it under her bed. There was no need to use it now.
The next one was from her mother. But it was small with a letter. She opened the letter first.
'Ashley I hope your doing well. I hear that you are under the command of Johnny I hope he's good to you. I also hope that you confessed to him. Ho don't act like you never cared about him in that way. I watched all of you when you were growing. But you should know if you two are going out your sisters looked at him the same way as you. So be careful.
When you get the time call Sarah she's been wanting to talk to you love you mum.'
"Damn I knew they had their eyes on him." she said to herself as she opened her present from her mother.
Inside was a family picture Ash just smiled as she stroked the image of her father. She then placed it on her bedside table and grabbed the next one.
As John Wrex and Kadian made their way to the mako Shepard suddenly stopped sensing a Tiberian presence. He quickly took his pistol out and scanned the area. His team mates did the same. There was nothing and the presence disappeared.
"Shepard what are we looking for?" Wrex asked.
"Nothing I just thought I heard a noise. Come on let's get back to Fai dan." John ordered and the team walked off.
Hidden in a secluded area a woman in colonial clothing breathed in relief. She thought she was spotted by Shepard. But she mentally kicked herself for moving. She then moved to see a person wearing N7 armour.
As she watched as the man moved she licked her lips she liked what she saw and wanted him. Her thoughts then turned dirty.
'Just you wait Shepard. As soon as I get my hands on you your all mine.' she thought.
She blushed but then her Omni-tool bleeped that broke her train of thought she activated it and an image of a dark haired man came up.
"This is Miranda Lawson." she said.
"Lawson it's Alex we have a problem at the base get here as soon as you can." the man said before disappearing.
She sighed and made a mental note to kill Alex. But for know she would have to check out Shepard another day. She got up and ran along the concrete corridor and vanished.
Ashley gave a loud yawn as she finished calibrating the weapons. It was a long day she needed a break but there was on think she had to to first. She pressed a few keys on her computer and an image of Sarah came up.
"Ashley!" Sarah exclaimed.
"Hey sis." Ash replied.
"Same to. This is great how are you? I like what you've done with your hair."
Ash blushed ever since she tried to get in John's underwear she kept her hair lose. Everyone just complemented her about it.
"Thanks."
"So I heard." her smiled then turned into an evil coy smile. "That your under the command of Jonny-boy. "
Ashley gulped. "Yeah what it's to you?" she said trying to keep her tomboy attitude.
"Ho don't play that game with me sis. You knew that we all fell for him. Back then he was cute now he's the hottest stud I have ever seen. So don't say that you haven't tried filtering with him."
"Your right I haven't." Ash said earning a smug grin off her sister. "We're boyfriend and girlfriend." those last words made Sarah drop her smile and eyes go wide. Ash on the other hand gave a wide smile.
"Finally I swear if you waited any longer I would have taken him from you."
"Well he was being so stubborn about something and it came out."
"Well its about time." she sighed. "I'll tell the others. But you should know ever since we where little you two always had a connection. Me Abby and Lynn even tried to get you two together. But after the incident we decided to let things go from there."
"Thanks. Just so as you know John and me are keeping our relationship a secret. There are things that should not be brought to light yet."
"Sure but...ho my god you are not!" she said jumping to conclusion.
"No no I'm not. I just discovered his horrible past." Ash then told her sister a modified story of what happened to John. As she told the story Sarah could not believe what she was hearing.
"Oh my god... that happened before you two meet?" Sarah asked horrified.
"Yes. Over the years he kept those emotions in check. But remember when dad died we needed to vent and he was there? Well I did the same thing for him when he could not hold in his emotions."
"What happened?"
"After a raid on a terrorist base he stayed in his cabin. I went to check on him. After showing me a video of his sister he broke down."
"John cried that's unheard of."
"I know. When I saw him like that my heart ached so I pushed him on the bed and made out with him."
"You did the deed?" she asked excitedly.
"No we managed to get our tops off before Joker called us and killed the mood. But by then he settled down."
"Awwww what a shame saving yourself for him only for the moment to get ruined." she taunted.
"You do know that being a team mate of a Spectre I get Spectre rights. So I can make your life a lifting hell."
"Killjoy."
Ash gave a small chuckle and was about to continue when the VI announced, "Commanding officer aboard. XO Pressly stands relieved."
"Sorry sis duty calls."
"Ok talk to you later. And don't forget to get Shepard's ass in bed otherwise I will." she taunted and the image disappeared and Ash walked to the briefing room.
Shepard explained the mission to the crew members who weren't on the planet. The Geth. Exongeni. The colonists. The Thorian. During his retelling, he would occasionally glance at Garrus, a slight worry in his eyes. What was obvious to the crew was that the Commander looked exhausted and worn out. His skin was slightly pale. John sat back down after going over the events of Feros.
"Commander, you look pale. Are you suffering any ill effects from the Cipher?" Liara asked.
"I'll be fine," he replied. "Just need to let the Cipher do its thing."
"I might be able to help you Commander," Liara said. "I'm an expert on the Protheans. If I join my consciousness with yours, maybe we can make some sense of it."
Ashley hands gripped her legs tightly at the suggestion. There was the possibility she could find out Shepard's secret. She could see Shepard mentally preparing himself.
"Alright, let's try it," he said reluctantly.
Shepard and Liara stood up and approached each other. "Relax, Commander," she said while closing her eyes. "Embrace eternity!" Her eyes shot open revealing them to be black.
The images of the beacon rushed through Shepard's head. Images of Protheans dying by the thousands. Flesh melting off of their bones. Experiments with machines. Screams of the dying.
Ash and Garrus leaned forward wondering what was happening between the two. They've been standing there for about ten seconds. Ash felt like it was going on too long. Without warning, Liara almost collapsed to the ground but John caught her.
"Oh, goddess!" She was hyperventilating.
Shepard didn't look too worse for wear. "Liara!" he said while helping her regain her balance her. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, goddess," she repeated. "How are you even able to function with what weighs on your mind? Even glimpsing your consciousness was overwhelming. Your will is incredibly strong. I would say it's unbreakable. After all my research I never thought I would ever see- The vision was vivid. Intense. You are remarkable strong willed to burden everything that weighs on you."
"Get to the point," Ash said, losing her patience. "What did you see?"
"The beacon on Eden Prime must have been badly damaged. Large parts of the vision are- are missing. The data that transferred into the Commander's mind was... incomplete."
"Did you see anything of use from the vision?" Shepard asked while letting her go.
"I was able to interpret the data relayed through your vision. But some of it was missing. Saren must have what is missing. Maybe he found another beacon. If we can find that missing data I can-" Liara stopped her sentence to groan a little. "I am sorry. The joining is exhausting and that door took a lot out of me."
"Door?" Kaidan asked out loud.
"The Commander had something of a door in his conscious, blocked out memories, maybe, and going near it caused extreme amounts of pain."
"You should go see Chakwas," Shepard said quickly to change the topic. "Rest of you dismissed."
Everyone but Ash and Garrus left the room. They watched Shepard speak with the Council. They were irritated at Velarn for accusing Shepard of saving the colonists solely because they were Humans. They still congratulated him for accomplishing his mission. Shepard turned around and saw the two standing there.
"How are you holding up?" Garrus asked.
"I'm fine. At least she didn't find out my secret."
"Yeah. So what's the plan for the JFU? You never elaborated that." Ash asked.
"The main plan is conscript as many people as they can get them combat ready. I've already got reports of mass production of war vehicles and weapons. There are also outfitting all capitol ships with experimental weapons tech. Hopefully we'll be ready when the reapers come."
Ash and Garrus nodded. Both of then knew about the reapers and the threat they possessed. All of them needed to be ready.
14. Chapter 11 Queen of the hive
Chapter 11 Queen of the hive
Shepard walked back into his cabin after checking up on Liara. She seemed to be exhausted from the mind meld. She asked what the door was for but he refused to answer so she just accepted that he had a horrible past and did not want anyone to know about it.
He walked into his cabin and collapsed onto his bed. He was exhausted even with his super human metabolism there where still limits to his power. Just as he was about to fall asleep a buzzing sound stopped him from falling asleep. One of his eyes opened to see one of the silver ball's had a red lining.
He quickly get off his bed grabbed the ball and ran to the comm room. Once inside he locked the door and activated the ball. An image of Solvan appeared.
"Solvan this had better be good I was about to get some sleep." Shepard said in an annoyed tone.
"Sorry but this is important. The planet you are going to Noveria we have an Exocron operative there but we lost contact a few hours ago. The operative was researching Prothean tech when something happened. We believe that she was forced to abandon all Tiberian tech in her lab without setting it to disintegrate." Solvan said.
John's eyes widened. "How could this happen if that tech falls into someone else's hands. It could ruin everything."
"I know but apparently they found something and she was not part of it."
"Where did she leave the tech?"
"Unknown. Maybe in the tech lab or the hall we don't know. Tiberian command wants you to find and retrieve all Tiberian tech and disintegrate the operatives body if she's dead. Understand."
"Yes." Shepard nodded.
"Good luck my king." Solvan said before disappearing.
Shepard sighed out of all the the things that could go wrong it was an uncontrollable incident. He was tired and this was the last thing he needed. He picked up the ball and headed back to his cabin fell on his bed and fell asleep.
* * *
Tali laid on her belly looking through the extranet for nude images of a certain Commander. Ever since she saw him on the news she like half the galaxy developed a crush on him. As she clicked out of another sight she found another one labelled 'Is Commander Shepard Human?'
She heard the rumours but her curiosity got the best of her. She clicked on it. The sight provided a number of interesting facts about the commander. Some of them provable but dismissive due to facts about human physiology. The rest were just unprovable speculations like fast healing and heightened scenes.
These where fascinating facts but a bit far-fetched. Tali just scoffed at the facts she always believed that the Commander was just very fit human. But the sight did raise some questions for her. She knew that he has some unusual ability's. Tali just thought that he was just born with some mutations from the Eezo.
Even thought she wasn't medically knowledge but she always, had feeling that eezo mutations weren't the cause of some of his ability's. She then tuned off her computer placed it back on the desk and fell asleep. Dreaming of a world where she didn't need her suit and where the commander loved her.
* * *
In a mission that would involve Matriarch Benezia, Shepard brought the whole team with him. Matriarchs are some of the most powerful beings in the galaxy and Benezia had the loyalty of Asari Commandos. If, nay when, they face her, Shepard wanted everyone he could have to fight.
The mission faced a little snag at first at the port with the Anoleis and his procedures. Shepard gave him full warning that delaying his investigation would have serious consequences. Anoleis played it off as a threat of physical violence which he threaten to bury Shepard under so much paperwork that he would never dig himself out.
Shepard did something worse. Through a small series of corporate espionage, Shepard got an undercover agent the evidence and witness she needed to put Anoleis behind bars for a long time. As Gianna hauled him out of his own office. As the businessman was dragged out John could have sworn that Gianna winked at him.
While the roads were treacherous on the way to Peak 15, it was not more than they usually handled. Along the way his squad was laughing at the situation with Anoleis. After driving through the elements, they arrived at Peak 15. An APC was outside and was on fire.
"Looks like Benezia had some vehicle troubles," Garrus quipped.
"Travelling in this kind of weather, that's no surprise. Ok everyone out." Shepard urged everyone to leave the tank.
Their shields were barely holding against the weather of Noveria. They hurried inside where they all removed their helmets. The garage door opened revealing a large storage room with several Geth and Krogan.
"Shit Take cover!" Shepard ordered.
Tali, Garrus and Kaidan went to work at disabling the Geth. Wrex, Liara and Ash were raining fire at a Krogan to the side. John was taking pot shots at the Geth who had their shields drained thanks to the modded weapons. The fight provided little trouble until they a roar of a Krogan Battlemaster echoed in the area. The Battlemaster jumped over the railings on the left and landed with a thud.
He fired two carnage shots at his squad. They took cover while the Battlemaster charged. Shepard ran tank of liquid nitrogen. Grabbed it and threw it at the charging Krogan. The tank didn't slow him down, but the liquid nitrogen spread all over the Krogan. He began to slow down until he was right in front of Shepard, completely frozen. He smiled and kicked the Krogan ice cube into the far wall and shattered.
"No one-liner quip?" Garrus asked.
"Nope lets go people." Shepard replied.
The squad followed him to the door. It opened. Two turrets were faced opposite of them.
"Why would they have the turrets facing the other direction?" Liara asked out loud.
"The company probably wanted to keep their employees inside as much as they wanted to keep intruders outside," Garrus replied.
John went into the room next to the hallway and tried accessing the console. Power was offline to the terminal. Just then he sensed something scuttling in the vent. John walked over and peered into the vent. Something ran through causing him to draw his pistol. He could only get a glimpse of what ran through. It wasn't a Geth.
"You see something, Commander?" Ash asked.
"Something moved through the vent," he replied.
"Geth?"
"No something else."
Ash walked up to him while the others searched the area for anything interesting.
"John are you ok you seem out of it."
"Sorry I'm just distracted. The incident with the tech. If someone finds it..."
She placed her hand on his and smiled.
"It will be fine. We find it and get rid of it."
John just smiled back as he picked up her hand and kissed it. She just blushed then of them and the team headed to the lift.
The group rode the elevator up several levels. The hall was filled with snow from an unknown breach in the walls. The second set of doors opened which alerted the Geth in the next room. It was a small group of Geth, around four. They were unable to return fire before Shepard's group eliminated them.
Once the last Geth fell, the squeal of metal echoed in the room. Something was coming. The squad formed a circle, waiting for what was to come. The metal then started to sound like growling.
"What is that?" Garrus asked out loud.
"Animals? Wind?" Ash suggested. "This place is in bad shape."
A large insect-like creature burst out of the vents. It was followed by a dozen small green insects.
"Take it down!" Shepard ordered.
The green insects exploded when they were shot. With them being in close proximity to each other, it caused a chain reaction. The larger insect was ripped to spreads from all of the micro-explosions.
"It's those same creatures from the Cerberus labs," Shepard observed.
"What are they doing here?" Kaidan asked.
"Could mean that it's here Cerberus got them or-" Ash said before Shepard finished her sentence.
"Unlikely the ones at the Cerberus base were more feral."
Shepard's squad looked to him in concern.
"Our mission is to find and apprehend Benezia."
"Aye, aye," Ash responded.
-
Benezia walked in an elegant manner towards the tank that contained the Rachni Queen. She was dark purple and was easily three times the size of any of her subjects. Her followers were extremely nervous in presence of the behemoth.
"My Lady, is it... safe to mind meld with her?" one of them asked.
Benezia stroked the glass of the tank. She looked the Rachni Queen and smirked. "Yes, it will be safe."
"Lady Benezia!" a follower yelled while running into the room. "I have just received reports of Shepard's team. They are on their way here!"
Benezia sighed quietly. "Send word to our infiltrator at the medical station. She is to be ordered to take him down."
"Yes, my Lady." The follower went back to her station to relay the orders.
"The rest of you, return to your stations and prepare for his arrival, if he survives the assassination."
They nodded and walked away.
Benezia looked back to the Queen. "Your children were supposed to be the soldiers in Saren's grand army. While the project was a failure, you still may provide us with assistance. Your race knew the location of the Mu relay, which is necessary to find the Conduit which will save us all."
The Rachni Queen backed away from the Asari Matriarch, mostly in due part to fear.
"Relax, your majesty. Embrace eternity!"
-
Shepard were close to the lab where the Doctor Cohen said the cure could be made in. There was a Volus standing there by himself. He turned around to face the squad. "Hello," he said in a very monotonous voice. "You're here for Benezia, I suppose."
"Yes, we are," Shepard replied. "Are you a survivor from the Hot Labs?"
"Somewhat," he replied. "A part of me died there though. My colleague and I were just going on our lunch when the alarms and they came. We rushed to the tram. I-I killed her."
This was a shock to the team.
"I got on the tram and closed the door behind me. I watched her head explode like a melon."
"Do you know what these creatures are?"
"The Rachni?"
"Rachni!" Wrex bellowed. "Impossible! They're extinct."
"Where did you find Rachni?" Shepard asked.
"We discovered a derelict Rachni vessel and inside was an egg. At first we wanted to clone the Rachni, but as it turned out, the egg hatched into a Queen."
'The unknown project.' John thought.
"That's unsettling. Come team, we need to get that cure."
The machine to generate the cure was straight forward. It was mostly automotive, leaving just the task of timing the injection sequence. The canister of purple liquid emerged from the machine.
"I'm afraid this is as far as you go, Shepard," the Asari agent declared. She had several Geth soldiers standing around her. "You have been an annoyance to Lady Benezia, but your ti-"
Shepard didn't give her a chance to finish when he sent a high explosive grenade at her. They were sent backwards. His squad mates took the opportunity to finish off the Asari and the Geth.
"You probably could have let her finish her speech, Commander," Ash pointed out.
"I'm not going to give them the time. Liara get this cure to the Doctor. After that see what you can find out. The same goes for the rest of you."
They all nodded and left. Shepard then headed back to where all the scientists were. Once back inside the atrium he darted his eyes until he saw a human female in the corner of the room. He walked over to her and slouched on the wall beside her.
"Tolma solta honha jak toc garta." he said next to her.
She moved her long brown hair from her eye and smiled.
"Never thought you'd come." she whispered in Tiberian.
"Geth where reported here. I'm here to investigate. I'm also here to recover the tech." He also whispered in Tiberian.
The Exocron bowed her head.
"I'm sorry but it was fast. If I waited any longer I'd be dead."
"I understand. Now give me a report on your findings."
* * *
Ash and Garrus walked into the weapons research lab looking for any Tiberian tech. Before they were deployed planet-side John briefed them both privately. Both of them knew what to look for and they had to do it fast.
As they looked through the experimental weapons Garrus felt the atmosphere was too quite.
"So Ash how are you going to cope with John's absence?" he asked.
She looked up at him. She gave it some thought before turning back to the weapons.
"Well when it happens I won't. But I'll grow to the fact he's not here." she said with a tear falling down her cheek.
"You don't sound to happy about it."
"It's because I...I'm afraid that I'll fall for someone else. I don't want that to happen."
"If you truly love him you'll turn down all people who ask you out."
She gave a weak smile.
"Yeah but my sisters will try to get me with someone. And turning my sisters suggestions down too many is bad for me."
"Why?"
"They'll think I won't be able to get over him."
* * *
Tali walked down an empty corridor. She was lost and she hated it. There where few signs inside the base. As she turned a corner a sign saying 'Tech lab' with an arrow pointing to a door came into view.
Her curiosity peaked. She then took out her shotgun and entered the room. It was a small room filled with Prothean tech and a few body's. She mentally thanked the ancestors that she couldn't smell the rotting flesh.
She then put her shotgun away and started looking through the tech. A lot of it could be used as a good pilgrimage gift but it would be stealing. Still she decided to look through it all. All the tech looked good but she then found a black rectangular object the size of her hand.
The device looked remarkably similar to an old human piece of tech they called an iPod. She was always fascinated by old human touch screen tech but wondered why this thing wasn't in a museum. She picked it up and tapped it a few times.
A holographic coloured image of a human male appeared in front of her. She backed up a couple of steps as the man started talking in an strange language. The only words she recognized where John, Ashley, Garrus and Chakwas. She wonder why the hologram said their names.
The hologram disappeared and her mind filled with questions. She then tapped it again this time a cube hovered over the pad. The cube had smaller cubes inside of it with different images that looked like whiting. She hit the the first symbol then the cube disappeared and a woman wearing a scientists outfit appeared.
"Diary entry 675." she said "That last batch of tests turned out that there is no Tiberian tech in Prothean holo technology. Which is all ways good to hear. Oh that reminds me a few weeks ago we found the prince Jol'an but he prefers to go by John from what I hear. But that's not the best bit the council named him the first human Spectre Ha. More like the first Tiberian Spectre."
Tali then realised that the rumours of John not being human where true. She just could not believe it. But who else knew.
"Keelah." she whispered.
"Anyway got to go the boss gets bitchy if I'm... shit go to..." the woman could not finish the sentence and the hologram disappeared and the cube appeared.
"The rumours are true."
She tapped the device once again and the cube disappeared. She then pocketed it and left.
"Tali where are you?" Ashley called over the radio.
She sighed in relief.
"Keelah Ash I'm lost I don't know where I am." she answered.
"How did that happen?"
"My mapping system must have broke when we got out of the mako."
"Fair point it was violent weather. Ok I'm downloading the base map now."
She received the map thanked Ash and started following the map back to the atrium. As she walked questions filled her mind. About Shepard and what he truly was. His powers, ability's and strength where all beyond human. It all made sense but did Ashley know that he was not human.
She was so lost in thought she didn't realise she made it to the atrium.
"Tali you made it." Ash said snapping her out of her train of thought.
"Sorry I got lost." she apologized.
"Don't apologize it happens come on." John then said.
* * *
Shepard and his company entered the chamber room and saw Benezia looking into the tank of the Rachni Queen.
"You do not know the privilege of being a mother," Benezia said while turning to face Shepard. "There is power in creation. To shape a life. Turn it towards happiness or despair." Benezia glanced at the Queen. "Her children were to be ours. Raised to hunt and slay Saren's enemies." Benezia's eyes were drawn to Liara. "I won't be moved by sympathy. No matter who you bring into this confrontation."
"Liara is here of her own accord," Shepard said to her.
"Indeed... What have you told him about me, Liara?"
"What could I say, mother?" Liara yelled at her. "That you're insane? Evil? Should I explain how to kill you? What could I say?"
"Have you ever faced an Asari commando unit before, Commander? Few humans have. But I don't believe that you are really human."
"You believe that ridiculous rumour." Shepard laughed.
* * *
"You'll all die the same way."
"You would kill your own daughter?" he asked in disbelief.
"I now realize I should have been stricter with you." Benezia casted stasis on Shepard freezing him in place.
"John!" Ash yelled. She tried to move to him, but Garrus stopped her. "Let me go!"
"We need to get to cover!" Garrus yelled at her.
The squad tried taking cover on the right of the room. Benezia charged up a warp in her hand as she approached Shepard's frozen body but she did not noticed his glowing leg.
Ash felt tears run down her cheeks. He didn't say anything about how he would die. He didn't say. She tried struggling against Garrus, but it was to no avail.
Benezia was ready to strike, but then she noticed an odd distortion in the stasis energy. Before she knew what was happening, the stasis broke apart. Shepard then delivered a roundhouse kick in her stomach and she was sent flying backwards. The doors in the back of the room opened up releasing Asari Commandos and Geth.
Shepard looked to his team and ordered, "Take out the Commandos and Geth. I'll take on Benezia!"
His squad took cover in preparation for the waves of soldiers. Shepard spotted Benezia getting to her feet.
"Taking on an Asari Matriarch?" she said. "Very fool-hardy. Even if you are not human."
"That's because you have no idea what I'm capable of." He biotically charged forward and punched Benezia. Her barrier held out enough to stop her from flying back.
Benezia counter-attacked with a biotic warp. Shepard just dodged the warp and set a large warp. As they attacked each other the Matriarch was mostly on the defensive.
* * *
The rest of the squad fought with everything they could muster. They were facing off against waves of Asari commandos and Geth. Not the easiest task in the galaxy. Even in the midst of the battle, they couldn't help but grab a glimpse of the biotic showdown on the other side of the room. To see Shepard take on Benezia as an equal in biotics only showed them just how powerful he is.
Garrus noticed that the girls where constantly checking on Shepard. But Ashley was the only one who was most worried. Tali and Liara on the other hand where only watching so they could swoon over him.
"He'll be fine," Garrus said to Ashley trying to reassure her. "He's faced off against Thresher Maws, Krogans, Slavers and Geth. If any one can beat a Matriarch it's him."
Ash couldn't say anything. She wanted to be there and help Shepard fight, but a fight against a Matriarch impossible for a non-biotic. Not to mention that he would receive more damage with her there.
'Goddess of Oceans please watch over him.' she thought.
Benezia stabilized her footing and sued a throw force. Shepard dogged the throw force and charged forward. His right arm glowed white as he grabbed Benezia and threw her into the wall on the left. She cried out from the impact. He then used delta energy to prevent her. The Matriarch tried struggling, but the energy held her down.
"This fight ends now," he declared.
Shepard pulled back sending Benezia towards the Rachni tank. As she flew over, John shot at her in the chest. Benezia slammed against the Rachni tank. Blood dripped out from her mouth and chest.
The rest of Shepard's squad regrouped on his position.
"It's over, Benezia."
"This is not over," she said as she stood up and covered her bullet wound. "Saren is unstoppable. My mind is filled with his light. Everything is clear."
At this point she didn't sound coherent to the team. Almost deluded.
"The Rachni didn't cooperate with you, why should I?"
Benezia looked back at him and then away. "I will not betray him. You will-" she stopped herself and leaned against the terminal station in front of the Rachni tank. "You-" Benezia pushed herself off of the terminal. "You must listen. Saren still whispers in my mind. I can fight his compulsion briefly, but the indoctrination is strong."
"Shiala mentioned indoctrination."
"You don't know what's it's like to be beating on the glass wall as you watch yourself torturing and killing," she said as she approached. "All because of the indoctrination. People are not themselves around Saren."
The squad raised their weapons. Shepard signalled to lower them. They reluctantly did, save for Tali. It took a look that said "I know what I'm doing" before she lowered her shotgun.
"You come to idolize him. Worship him. You would do anything for him. The key is Sovereign, his flagship. It is a dreadnought of incredible size and its power is extraordinary."
"Where did he get that ship?"
"I don't know. All I do know is that it is not a Geth creation. The ship exerts a force on you. Over time Saren's views become more correct. You sit at his feet and smile as his words pour into you. It is subtle at first. I thought I was strong enough to resist instead I became a willing tool eager to serve. He sent me here to find the location of the Mu relay. Its position was lost thousands of years ago."
Shepard eyes went to the Queen. "She did found it."
"Yes," she replied. "Two thousand years ago, the Rachni inhabited that region of the galaxy. They discovered the relay. The Rachni can share memories across generations. Queens inherit the knowledge of their mothers. I took the location from the Queen's mind." She add as a further note of regret. "I was not gentle."
"Why does Saren need the Mu relay?"
"He believes it will lead him to the Conduit. I would tell you more if I could, but Saren did not share his council with me. I was merely a servant to his cause."
"You can still make it right. Give me the information."
"I was not myself. I should have been stronger." Benezia approached him.
Ash grew more fearful of the Matriarch being so near Shepard. She had her finger on the trigger in case things went sideways.
"I transcribed the location on this OSD. Take it. Please!"
"Knowing the relay's coordinates is not enough," Liara said. "Do you know where he was to go from there?"
"Saren wouldn't tell me the destination. But you must find out quickly. I transmitted the information to him before you arrived. You have to stop me-! I ca- I can't-" She was losing control over her will. "His teeth are at my ear! Fingers on my spine! You should- You shoulda-" She screamed. "You should-!"
"Mother!" Liara cried out to her. "I- Don't leave! Fight him!"
Benezia looked to Liara. "You've always made me proud, Liara." She turned away and then turned around to face them. "Die!"
Shepard became a blur. At one instance he was in front of the group. The next, he was right in front of Benezia. She gasped and looked down. John had his blade impaled through her belly. She stumbled back unsheathing the blade from her body. Blood pour from her wound. Benezia fell to her knees holding her stomach.
"I-I cannot go on," she said. "You will have to stop him, Shepard."
"Hold on, we have medi-gel!" Shepard tried to offer. "Maybe we can-"
"No!" she refused. "He is still in my mind. I'm not entirely myself. I will never be myself again." She pushed herself against the glass tank.
"Mother..." Liara muttered.
"Good night, Little Wing. I will see you again with the dawn. No light." There was slight panic in her voice. "They always said there would be a light."
"There is darkness before the brightest light," Shepard whispered to her. "Rest now and find peace with the goddess."
Benezia passed away in front of them.
"Mother!" Liara rushed to Benezia and cradle her in her arms. She cried heavily.
Shepard crouched down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry." As a sign of respect, he said, "Goddess, accept this soul into your arms and allow her to find her peace. That life never let her."
Liara looked up at him with sad, tear-filled eyes and said, "Thank you." She rested her mother's body on the ground and got to her feet, still sobbing. Shepard then took her hand ad used it to colse her mother's eyes. He then walked her over to the rest of the group. His squad tried counselling her in her grief.
Shepard looked back to the Queen and started to approach her. Shepard reached the tank and peered in.
'What am I going to do with you?' he wondered. 'Your race started a war with the galaxy and the Krogan were used to wipe you out just to stop you. But you're the last of your kind.'
The Rachni Queen turned and roared at him. It made Shepard jumped back only to bump into one of the Asari commandos that was killed. He drew his pistol and aimed at her. Something was different about her. She sluggishly walked like she was sleep walking. The Asari walked to the tank and turned around.
"This one serves as our voice," the Asari said in an odd voice. There was a slight tune to her voice. "We cannot sing. Not in these low spaces. Your musics are colourless."
"Musics?" Shepard muttered.
"Your way of communicating is strange. Flat. It does not colour the air. Well, your friends' music does not move the air. Your... voice. I can see colour in it. When we speak, one moves all."
"This will be a fun conversation," Ash joked.
"We are the Mother," the Queen declared.
Shepard approached the tank.
"We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced. We are Rachni."
"How are you speaking through her?" Shepard asked.
"Our kind sing through touching of thought. We pluck the strings and the other understands. She is weak. She has colours we have no names for. But she is ending. Her music is bitter-sweet. You are not in harmony with those ones who wish to control us. They took our children away from us before they could sing and act out violently."
"Makes sense," Kaidan commented. "Lock a kid in a closet till they're 16, they are not likely to come out right."
"They cannot be saved. Sadly they must be put down."
"If you're sure that they cannot be saved."
"It is... lamentable, but it must be done. Before you go... We stand before you. What will you sing? Will you free us? Or are we to fade away once more?"
Ash then realized that the Queen was standing before him, asking for a second chance to exist. She read the history of the Rachni war. The Salarians had to uplift the Krogan just to win the war, but the Krogan completely wiped out the Rachni. Though from what history said, the Rachni wouldn't stop fighting. But was it right to wipe them out?
Here before her is the last member of a species. Both of their specie just refused to surrender. The difference was that one of their species survived. There was an awe of the understanding Shepard could give the Queen.
"Are you a survivor of your race, or a clone?"
"We do not know. We were only an egg hearing mother cry in our dreams. A tone from space hushed one voice after another. It forced the singers to resonate with its own sour yellow note. Then we awoke in this place. The last echo of those who came out from the Singing Planet. The sky is silent."
"If I let you out are you going to try to take revenge on the galaxy?"
"N-No!" the Asari conduit said. "We do not know what happened during the war. We only heard dissonance songs the colour of oily shadows. We will go into hiding and teach our children peace and harmony. Maybe once they understand, then we may return."
"Millions of my kind died trying to wipe them out, Shepard," Wrex mumbled. "Use the acid tanks. That's all I'm going to say."
"No!" Liara pleaded. "The Council went too far. They deserve a second chance!"
"Your companions hear the truth. You have the power to free us or return us to the silence of memory."
The squad members' eyes fell to Shepard. He was quiet for a moment. Reflecting on the situation. He knew exactly what would happen if they turned the Queen over to the Council based on their history. The Queen will either be killed or held in indefinite confinement (with her eggs destroyed whenever laid). But the Rachni did go to war with the galaxy. Was it their choice?
She mentioned a sour yellow note. Does it have anything to do with the Reapers? Did the Reapers indoctrinate them or stopped their ability to communicate? The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The workers they ran into were rabid from not knowing how to "sing". What would happen if they were all unable to sing?
John compared the situation to a whole race suddenly being struck blind. Chaos would erupt. The choice before him was clear.
"Alright, I'll free you."
"You can't be serious, Shepard!" Wrex roared. "Millions of my race died to end the Rachni war."
"I'd have to agree with Wrex," Tali said. "They tried to wipe out the galaxy."
"The only crime this Rachni committed is existence," Shepard said to his crew. "We cannot punish the children for the sins of the parents."
"You will give us the chance to compose anew?" the Queen asked in amazement. "We will remember. We will sing of your forgiveness to our children."
"Great!" Wrex said sarcastically. "Bugs are writing songs about you. Mark my words. You will regret this."
Shepard approached the terminal and pushed in the command to release the Queen into the Wilds. The Queen looked to Shepard before exiting. Even if he was unable to understand her song, the gesture was obvious.
'Farewell and thank you.'
Several Days Later...
Everyone on the ship was uncomfortable with what transpired on Noveria. The Council was especially displeased with Shepard and his decision. A, Garrus and Chakwas knew the real reason Shepard freed the Queen. Deep down, he saw himself in the insect mother.
After the mission on Noveria, Shepard was contacted by Admiral Hackett. He requested assistance against a Geth Incursion in the Armstrong Nebula. The battles were intense, but ending the incursion stopped the Geth from attaining a foothold in the region. Shepard recently came back and had a present far Tali but due to a check in with Tiberian command, he asked Ash to give it to her.
Tali sat in her room messing about with the device she found in the Tech lab on Noveria. She wanted to know how it worked. As she dived into the tech she discovered it was not from this galaxy.
Just then the door opened and Ash came in.
"Hey Tali Joh..." she stopped in mid sentence as she saw wires chips and circuits on the Qarrian's bed.
Tali looked at the Gunnery chief in shock. She thought she locked the door but she didn't. Ash's eyes widened at the tech. She turned round locked the door and approached the engineer.
"Tali where did you find this?" she asked.
"The Tech lab on Noveria why?"
"This tech does not belong in this galaxy."
Tali's eyes widened even more.
"W...what?"
Ash then realise what she just said. She sighed opened up her omni-tool and called Shepard.
"When the commander gets her he'll explain everything."
A few minutes later Shepard knocked on Tali's door. Ashley unlocked it and he entered. His eyes widened at the mess on Tali's bed as Ash then locked the door.
"Ok. Where did you find it." John asked.
" The Tech lab on Noveria." Tali answered
"Did any holograms appear?"
"Yes a human male seeking a strange language and a woman that looked like a scientist from the atrium." she said in surprise.
"Well the device belonged to the female scientist. It's her personal data block."
"Data block."
"It's like an omni-tool but more advanced."
"MORE ADVANCED?!" she yelled in joy.
"But you have to know what's really going on." he said approaching her and putting his hand on her shoulder.
Tali's eyes glowed a brilliant white. Ash just watched once again. But the glowing eyes was still creepy. After a minute Tali and Shepard came out of the mind meld.
"Keelah. So that's what Liara meant by a door."
"Tali I know we're asking a lot but please keep it a secret." Ash said.
"Sure."
"Thank you. But we have a present for you." John said as Ashley handed Tali an OSD.
"What's this?" she asked taking it.
"It's a copy of a Geth data cache." Ash said.
Tali looked up at them both.
"I...I... don't know what to say." Tali said in surprise. "With this I can end my pilgrimage. But I'll obliged to deliver this to the fleet."
"All we ask it to wait until the mission is finished." John said with a smile.
"Ok I do owe you. So yes I'll wait." she smiled.
"Thank you. Know if you two will excuse me I starving." he said before unlocking the door and leaving. Ash was about to follow but Tali stopped her.
"How do you feel about him?"
Ash felt her heat beat fast.
"I love him with all my heart." she then smiled. "But he's mine Tali all mine."
Tali gave a small smile back.
"Well when he comes back don't expect me to hold back if your not with him."
"Your on." Ash said before leaving.
Codex Tiberian language
Tolma- November
solta- Romeo
honha- echo
jak- 8
toc-3
garta-0
15. Chapter 12 Virmire
Chapter 12 Virmire
Things were quiet between Shepard and Tali the day following the Pilgrimage gift. But both Ash and Tali gave each evil look. John and Ash ever told anyone except from Garrus and Chakwas about their relationship.
It was almost a relief when the Council contacted Shepard with a new lead on Saren. Virmire. A beautiful planet covered in seas and lush archipelagos. This was where Saren's base was located. A Salarian STG team was sent here but was unable to send a clear message back. Upon arriving just showed just how bad the situation was.
The Salarians were trying to call for an armada. Saren found a cure for the genophage so he could breed an army of brainwashed Krogan. Even though Shepard believed the Krogan should be cured of the genophage, but in Saren's possession, it was a weapon of unparalleled power. A weapon that must be destroyed.
Wrex on the other hand disagreed. Threatening violence if they destroyed the cure. For the mission to proceed, Shepard would have to speak with him. Calm him down. And that's where he finds himself, dreading speaking to the Krogan Battlemaster and convincing him to destroy the cure to the plague that inflicted his people for centuries.
Wrex was rightfully pissed off. He took out his shotgun and fired a round into the water. Its roar echoed throughout the area. The feel of the area was tense.
"This isn't right Shepard!" he bellowed. "If there is a cure for the genophage, we can't destroy it."
"I know you're upset, but we both know Saren's the enemy here."
"Really?" he remarked. "Saren created a cure for my people. You want to destroy it. Help me out here, Shepard. The line between friend and foe are getting blurry."
"This isn't a cure!" Shepard argued. "It's a weapon! And if Saren is allowed to used it, you won't be around to reap the benefits. None of us will."
"That's a chance we should be willing to take. This is the fate of my entire people we are talking about here, Shepard! I've been loyal to you so far. Hell, you've done more for me than my family ever has, but if I keep following you, I need to know that we are doing this for the right reasons." Wrex pulled out his weapon and aimed at Shepard.
This caused the soldiers in the area to tense up. They didn't really know what to do. Ash who was keeping an eye on them with her scope of her weapon. She knew that John was trying his luck but was afraid of what was going to happen as her lover stepped in front of the shotgun.
"Are you crazy?" Wrex said wide eyed.
"Wrex these aren't your people. They're slaves of Saren! Tools! To be used and discarded. Is that what you want for them? Your race was tools for the Council once, and they thanked you for winning the Rachni war by sterilizing your race! You think Saren will treat your people any better?"
Wrex stared him in the eyes. Thinking over what he said. In an action that calmed everyone in the area, Wrex lowered his weapon. "Y-You're right. You've made your point. I don't like this but I trust you enough to follow your lead. Just one thing; when we find Saren, I want his head."
"Thank you, Wrex," Shepard said.
He started to walk away but Wrex had one last thing to say.
"Oh, Shepard."
John looked back.
"It took a quad to do what you just did. I rarely see that type of bravery, even among my own people. Just saying you have my respect."
Shepard was walking to the camp when he felt a smack across the back of his head. He looked back and saw a pissed-off Ash. "What the hell were you thinking?" she yelled.
"I wasn't about to pull a weapon on him, Ash," he replied. "Wrex is reasonable."
"He pulled out a weapon on you."
"Because he felt like we were betraying him and his people. Would you honestly act any differently if you were in his position?"
"I guess not, but that was a huge chance you took with him and the shotgun. He would have killed you if he pulled the trigger."
"Reason is more powerful than violence."
"With all due respect, sir, Don't you ever do that again."
Shepard embraced her. "Sorry but there was no other way. And besides a shotgun blast at point blank won't kill me."
"I know I just don't want you to die. I love you." she said wrapping her arms around him.
"I love you too."
From the other side of the camp Tali and Liara spied on the two. Jealousy building up in both of them. Both of them wanted John.
-
An assault team and an infiltration team. That was the plan. Kirahe's group was split into three squads that would attack the front of the fortress. To further add to his plan, Ash was sent with them for assistance. She however whanted to stay by John's side but knew that the Salarians needed help and she was it. Kaidan was in charge of setting the bomb that would be placed inside the breeding facility.
He was a Sentinel with technical training so it made sense to have him set the bomb up. Liara and Wrex stayed behind on the Normandy. Liara was still emotionally distraught over her mother's death. Shepard didn't want to bring her into battle right after what she had been through.
Wrex was oppose to staying on the Normandy but was convinced to stay aboard since he would be needed to help drop the bomb off at Kaidan's location. This left Shepard with Garrus and Tali in his squad.
Despite the odds, the attack was going exactly as planned. The majority of the Geth were fighting the Salarian group while Shepard's team moved in through the back. Along the way to the facility, they sabotaged the Geth to make things easier for the Salarian group.
The fight was brutal. Variety of Geth, Krogan and Indoctrinated Salarians stood in their way to the control terminal they needed to shut down. The three worked together with great unity. Tali took care of any Geth resistance and Garrus finished them off with long range sniper attacks. Shepard would use the odd show of biotics but mostly used his guns to make the fight easier for Garrus and Tali.
Their infiltration eventually brought them to an office where an Asari was cowering.
"Please don't shoot!" she begged. "Please, I just want to get out of here before it's too late."
"I'm not going to hurt you," Shepard assured her lowing his assault rifle. "Who are you?"
"Rana Thanoptis," she answered. "Neurospecialist. But this job isn't worth dying over. Or worse. You think the Indoctrination only affects prisoners? Sooner or later, he will want to dissect my brain, too!"
"Wait, I thought this facility was for breeding Saren's Krogan army."
"Not this level. We're studying Sovereign's effect on organic minds. At least, that's what I assumed. Saren kept us in the dark as much as possible."
"You helped him and you don't even know why?" Garrus exclaimed.
"I didn't have the option of negotiating," she defended herself. "This position is a little more... permanent than I expected. But I can help you. This elevator behind me goes to Saren's private lab. I can get you in." Rana walked over to the access panel next to the elevator and entered in a code. She walked back over to Shepard. "See? Full access. All of Saren's private files. Are we good? Can I go?"
"I'm go to blow this place to hell and gone," Shepard replied. "If you want to make it out alive, you might want to start running. MOVE!"
Rana went into full sprint out of the room.
"You enjoyed that," Tali joked.
They went through the door which opened to a short walkway. They walked across and entered the elevator. It took a few moments for the elevator to reach the top. For Saren's private lab, it was fairly small. It was two levels, with a platform that stretches out over the second. On the second level they saw the beacon.
"Look Commander," Garrus pointed out. "It's another beacon, just like the one you mentioned about on Eden Prime."
Shepard turned to them. "Stay here. I don't want this beacon harming either of you."
The two nodded. Shepard walked towards the beacon. This device had a holographic display, unlike the one on Eden Prime. Based purely on guess work, Shepard touched the display and turned a couple of dials. Energy burst from the beacon and lifted him off of the ground. Both Tali and Garrus watched in awe.
Images flew through Shepard's head. It was clearer though. It was also less strain. The message cut out and dropped Shepard to the ground. He struggled to get to his feet.
"You alright, Shepard?" Garrus asked.
"I'm good," he groaned. "We should head to the AAtower..." Shepard quieted as he looked up. Garrus and Tali looked up as well. Red displays appeared in front of the platform. It warranted a look.
They walked up to the second level of the room and approached the display. A holographic representation of Sovereign appeared before them.
"This does not look good," Garrus muttered.
"You are not Saren," it declared in a deep, mechanical tone. Its voice seem to send shivers down Shepard's spine. It was... unnatural.
"Is this some kind of VI interface?"
"Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood. You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding."
"I don't think this is a VI," Tali said.
"There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign!"
"Sovereign isn't some Reaper ship that Saren found," Shepard concluded. "It's an actual Reaper!"
"Reaper? A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they choose to call us is irrelevant. We simply are."
"Protheans vanished 50,000 years ago," Garrus argued. "There is no way a ship could last that long!"
"Garrus," Shepard said. "These aren't regular ships."
"Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal. The pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything."
"There is an entire galaxy of races united and ready to face you."
"Confidence born of ignorance. The cycle cannot be broken."
"Cycle? What cycle?" Tali asked it.
"The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance. And at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished. The Protheans were not the first. They did not create the Citadel. They did not forge the mass relays. They merely found them, the legacy of my kind."
Shepard was genuinely confused by that confession. "Why would you construct the mass relays, then leave them for someone else to find?"
"Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays. By using it, your society develops along the paths we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it."
It made sense. Also explains how the Reapers were always winning. The races that ever developed in this galaxy always relied on the relays for technology. And because of it, they've always developed in basically the same general direction as any race before it. The races never develop faster than what the Reapers could predict. The galaxy was just a farm.
But this is different for Shepard's galaxy. They didn't have mass relays or element zero to achieve FTL travel. All of his galaxy's technology is based on their own knowledge and experiments. Both galaxies may still have a chance. A renewed sense of determination then started to fill up in him.
"They're harvesting us!" Tali gasped in terror. "Letting us advance to the level they need, then wiping us out."
"How many left are there of you kind?" Shepard asked. He knows that his galaxy fought and won against them before. With heavy costs. But what if that wasn't even an attack fleet. What if that was just simple scouts.
"We are legion," it answered. "The time of our arrival is coming. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom."
"Where did you come from? Who built you?" It's a machine, so it had to have been created by something, someone.
"We have no beginning. We have no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten, we will endure."
"What do you want from us? Slaves? Resources?"
"My kind transcends your very understanding. We are each a nation. Independent, free of all weakness. You cannot even grasp the nature of our existence."
"You're nothing but an ageing warship. And ships can be destroyed!" Shepard roared.
"Your words are as empty as your future. I am the Vanguard of your destruction."
'Vanguard?' Shepard thought. The lone Macaacron that got away! This was it. he tensed up in anger, knowing that this was the monster that attacked his galaxy 50000 years ago.
"This exchange is-" Just then a nearby explosion shook the room. The commander stumbled and his arm went through one of the screens. As it did an alarm went off in the room. Several red panels appeared between Sovereign and Shepard's squad. "Delta Energy and radiation immunity detected? Impossible. No creature in existence, or ever existed, that possesses..." Sovereign trailed off to process that thought. "Tiberian!"
"You know what I am?" John said regaining his posture.
"The race that destroyed many 50000 years ago."
"Your kind attacked my galaxy and threatened a number of worlds with genocide. But being Tiberian we're ready for war!"
"Your species and every species in your galaxy will face the same fate as every race in this realm of reality."
"We nearly annihilated your entire fleet when you attacked! How do you expect to face us now?"
"While many were lost in the fight, we still attained victory. Your technology. We have become more powerful because of it."
"This isn't a war you're going to win, Sovereign." Shepard walked towards the hologram. "You and your kind are not just facing off against this galaxy. You're going to war against two realities! Two Galaxies! When your fleet comes, the races of my galaxy will join forces with this galaxy. We will fight and defend this galaxy with our lives. As the Spirits champion of this era, I will lead us to victory and your reign will end."
"Foolish organic cretin," it said in its mechanical monotone voice. "We are many. We are unstoppable. The cycle will not be broken."
The hologram blinked out. Right after an explosion went off which shattered the windows of the lab.
"Commander?" Joker called out over the comm. "We got trouble!"
"Hit me, Joker."
"That ship, Sovereign? It's moving. I don't know what you did down there, but that thing just pulled a turn that would shear most ships in half. It's coming your way and it's coming hard! You need to wrap things down there fast!"
"Where to from here, Shepard?" Garrus asked.
"We head to the breeding facility," Shepard answered. "Joker can pick us up after we set the nuke."
The group went back into the elevator. There were still stunned from the conversation.
"S-So the Reapers remember your race," Tali said.
"Yeah," Shepard said. "My race destroyed at least a hundred of them, so they should remember us."
"But Sovereign said they took your technology," Garrus muttered.
They exited the elevator and moved towards the AA tower's control terminal location.
"Only one Macaacron or Reaper escaped from the war," he replied. "We couldn't translate its language properly so all we could tell was that it called itself, 'a Vanguard.' Sovereign. That was the one who escaped. With it was a lot of our technology."
"So the Reapers may be even more powerful because of their interaction with your galaxy," Tali pointed out.
Shepard pulled out his pistol and shot a number of Geth. "Yes. But it's not like my galaxy's technology had just stood at a standstill for the last 50000 years. We've grown stronger. But my race may not have much part in it due to the lack of soldier's."
Garrus and Tali moved methodically using overloads to disable or stun any Geth that got in their way.
"So what did happen during the war?" Garrus asked as he sniped a Hopper Geth that was clinging to the foundation of the fortress wall.
Shepard lifted two explosive tanks biotically and flung them towards some drones flying towards them.
"About a hundred of the Reapers appeared over the Sal'han system home to 3 JFU colony's along with the world of Aqult. The Aqultrons home world. Tiberian command were alerted to the situation our fleet made haste to the system to save them from extinction. By the time we got there, the Reapers killed a over a trillion civilians."
"Keelah," Tali gasped. "And your race just came to save them?"
"We Tibeians are soldiers we protect it's in our blood. When we saw the Aqultrons and colonists were under attack, we came without a moment's hesitation. The battle was brutal. We lost thousands of soldiers fighting them. That was just under two hours. In the end though, we were victorious. We destroyed all but one. We spent decades looking for it, but we never did. Until now."
The three approached the turret terminal. Shepard deactivated the defences. The Geth tried to ambush the three, but failed miserably as they were cut down almost immediately upon revealing themselves. They took the elevator up. Ash shouted something about charges being set over the comm. It was hard to understand with the gunfire in the background. The elevator doors opened to a passageway with the ground completely cover in inch-deep water. Three Krogan appeared behind the support structures and immediately started charging at the three.
Shepard used pull to lift the three from the ground. The momentum still carried the three towards their group. Garrus and Tali took aim but before the could fire the commander used his sniper rifle to explode their head's. His two allies looked at him as a cocky grin appeared on his face.
"Charges set!" Ash yelled over the comm. "Everyone get low! Now!"
The sound of an explosion rung throughout the area. The three approached the blast door which opened upon their approach. Shepard's squad moved into the area. Ran down a slope towards a pillar at the back wall.
"All right! Nice work!" Joker congratulated. "That's one less thing to worry about. Commander, I'm bringing us in. I'll get as close to the site I can."
John, Garrus and Tali stood there in the water as they watched the Normandy come into sight. The ship hovered over the platform near the edge of the area. The cargo bay door opened revealing Kaidan, Wrex and a crew member. The crew member went ahead of the two and waved them over. Kaidan and Wrex lugged the bomb towards it designated deployment. The two approached Shepard.
"The bomb is in position," Kaidan said over the comm. so the Salarian team could hear. "We're all set here."
"Commander, do you read me?" Ash asked.
"The nuke is almost ready. Get to the rendezvous, Williams," Shepard answered back.
"Negative, Commander," she said back in a stressed tone. Gunfire could be heard over the comm. "The Geth have us pinned down on the AA tower. We'll never make the rendezvous point in time."
"Get them out of there, Joker!" he ordered as he started to panic.
"Negative!" Ash yelled. "It's too hot! Can't risk it. We'll hold them off as long as we can-" She was cut off.
"It's okay, Commander," Kaidan said to him. "I need a couple of minutes to set the bomb. Go get them and meet me back here."
"Ok." Shepard looked to Wrex. "Care to join us Wrex?"
"I thought you'd never ask," he said.
"To the AA tower," he announced to his squad.
The approached the opposing blast doors. It led to a passageway similar to the one they used to enter the area they were just in. Three Krogan and several Geth charged towards them.
One of the Hopper Geth leaped towards one of the supports in the passageway. It blew apart in half before it could reach its destination. "One shot!" Garrus yelled while lowering his sniper rifle.
"Bet you can't do that again." Shepard dared.
"Challenge accepted!"
Wrex used pull to lift two of the Krogan off of the ground allowing for Tali to fire her shotgun into the two floating targets.
Shepard took out his assault rifle and burst fired round after round at the last charging Krogan. The Krogan shrugged off the rounds like they were mosquito bites. Shepard decided to meet him halfway and charged as well.
Shepard charged at the Krogan and aimed for his chest. He slammed his fist into the Krogan so hard the his armour broke and sent him flying. The Krogan slammed into the wall and left a massive dent in it. The commander then shot at the fallen Krogan with is sniper rifle causing his head to explode.
Shepard then looked up to see a Hopper fly towards him. Before he could react a shot ran through the area. The Hopper was shot through the eye, directly down the middle, splitting it in half. Both halves missed the Commander. He looked to Garrus who had a smug grin on his face.
The squad moved to the elevator and went up to the walkways above the passageways. They moved forward, but saw a Geth dropship fly over head.
"Reinforcements!" Garrus called out. "We better hurry."
"Look out, LT," Ash warned over the comm. "We just spotted a Geth dropship heading to your position."
"It's already here!" Alenko said. "Geth are moving in from all directions."
"Can you hold them off?" Shepard asked.
"There's too many," he answered. "I don't think we can survive until you get here." There was a pause. "I'm activating the bomb."
"Alenko, what are you doing?" Shepard demanded.
"I'm just making sure this bomb goes off, no matter what. It's done, Commander. Go get Williams and get the hell out of here! Commander I know know you feel about her. Listen I had my chance and blew it I've lost my chance. Go get her."
"Screw that!" Ash countered. "John we can handle ourselves. Go back and get Alenko."
"Fuck!" Shepard growled under his breath. He whanted to save both but if he let Ashley die he would die. There was no choice. "Ash, radio Joker, and tell him to meet us at the AA tower."
Ash breathed a reluctant sigh of disapproval. "Yes, Commander. I..."
"It's the right choice," Kaidan reassured the two. "And you know it, Ash."
"I'm sorry, Kaidan," Shepard apologized. "I had to make a choice."
"I understand, Commander. I don't regret a thing. Just have a good life."
Shepard looked to his squad. "Let's move it. If we don't save Ash, then Kaidan's sacrifice will have been in vain."
They went through the door on the walkway. Inside was an elevator which they entered. The elevator took them to the top of the AA tower where Ash and the Salarian team were in a heated battle with a dozen Geth.
Garrus took the right flank and covered them with sniper fire. Wrex let out a roar and charged forth against one of the Geth destroyers.
Tali used her tech powers on the Geth while Wrex ripped the machines. Garrus and Shepard used their assault rifles to take out the Geth. Once the last geth fell Shepard then went to see if Ash was ok.
Just then Saren flew in on a hover platform. Shepard fell back towards some cover while firing back with his pistol. Tali, Garrus and Wrex took cover as soon as they could. Saren fired another warp blast, but Shepard dodged it by rolling into cover. Saren jumped down from his hover platform and landed on the ground with a thud. Shepard quickly popped out of cover and fired several rounds at Saren. His barrier blocked each round. John went back into cover.
"This has been an impressive diversion, Shepard," Saren congratulated. "My Geth were utterly convinced the Salarians were the real threat. Of course it was all for nothing. I can't let you disrupt what I have accomplished here. You can't possibly understand what's really at stake."
"Why are you doing this, Saren?" Shepard demanded. "Why are you working with Sovereign?"
"You've seen the vision from the beacon, Shepard. You, of all people, should understand what the Reapers are capable of. They cannot be stopped. Do not mire yourself in pointless revolt. Do not sacrifice everything for the sake of petty freedoms. The Protheans tried to fight, and they were utterly destroyed. Trillions dead. But what if they had bowed before the invaders? Would the Protheans still exist? Is submission not preferable to extinction?"
"Do you honestly believe the Reapers will let us live?"
"Now you see why I never came forward with this to the Council. We organics are driven by emotion instead of logic. We will fight even when we know we cannot win. But what if we worked with the Reapers—if we make ourselves useful—think how many lives could be saved. Once I understood this, I joined Sovereign, though I was aware of the... dangers. I had hoped this facility could protect me."
"You're afraid that Sovereign is controlling you."
"I've studied the effects of indoctrination," Saren countered. "The more control Sovereign exerts the less capable the subject becomes. That is my saving grace. Sovereign needs me to find the Conduit. My mind is still my own... for now. But the transformation from ally to servant can be subtle. I will not let it happen to me."
"Sovereign has already made you his slave!" Shepard roared. "Can't you see that?"
"No! Sovereign needs me. If I find the Conduit, I've been promised a reprieve from the inevitable. This is my only hope."
"You claim that organics rely on emotion than logic so explain this to me! In the millions of years the Reapers have been at this, you think you're the only one to make this pact? You think you're so special that you, only you, came up with the idea to ally with the Reapers? I bet you, you're just the latest servant in a long line of servants who tried allying with the Reapers. The Reapers don't make allies! They make slaves. That's exactly what you are. Sovereign will use you until the Conduit is open and then turn you into a mindless husk!"
"Y-You're wrong! As long as we are useful, we will live! By working for Sovereign I'll guarantee that."
"You were a Spectre! You were sworn to defend the galaxy. Then you broke that vow to save yourself!"
"I'm not doing this for myself! Don't you see? Sovereign will succeed. It is inevitable. My way is the only way any of us will survive! I'm forging an alliance between us and the Reapers. Between organics and machines. And in doing so, I will save more lives than have ever existed! But you would undo my work. You would doom our entire civilization to complete annihilation. And for that, you must die."
Shepard charged and managed to knock Saren off of his platform. Saren growled as he got quickly to his feet. He was fast. Before Shepard could react, Saren had him by the throat and dragged his towards the edge of the area. Saren lifted him off of the ground and held him there.
Saren's grip was intense. Shepard could only conclude that Sovereign added some enhancements into Saren.
Saren was about to strike, but the facility alarm went off. This grabbed Saren's attention for a split second. As he looked back, Shepard punched him in the face. Saren lost his grasp and flew into the wall as he got up he found his mandible was broken along with some of his teeth.
Shepard held onto the ledge. He needed to get back up he positioned his feet and thrusted himself up. The rouge Turian watched in fear ans the commander landed with both feet.
The Normandy roared as it flew in to land. Shepard waved for his team to rush in. The cargo bay doors opened allowing the Salarian team, Ash, Tali, Garrus, Wrex and finally Shepard to get inside. Joker didn't wait for the cargo bay doors to completely close before flying away. Shepard rushed to a view port to watch the explosion take place.
Kadian shot another Geth as he saw the Normandy flay away. He crawled up to the bomb waiting for the end. At that moment a small Geth squad approached. He tried to raise his pistol but the pain on his side made his arm fall.
But then as the Geth aimed at him. A white light then surrounded them before exploding. At that moment a man wearing a military uniform appeared and approached the sentinel. Kadian thought he was seeing things. The man looked a lot like Shepard but with wrinkles.
"Kadian Alenko?" the man asked.
"Yeah." Kadian replied.
"I am here to recruit you so that you can continue to help my son."
"Your son?" Kadian blinked.
"Yes. Would you like to help?"
Kadian just nodded anything was better than a nuke to the face. The man then rested his hand on Kadian's shoulder and the both of them disappeared.
"Alright everyone, hang on!" Joker warned over the ship's speaker system.
The explosion went off, taking a large chunk of the area with it. Shepard couldn't help but feel like he betrayed his long time friend, Kaidan. Just left him behind. 'Damn this,' he thought to himself. 'Damn Saren! Damn Sovereign! Damn the Reapers! Kaidan deserved better than this. Instead I just left you there. Kaidan... I'm sorry.'
**a/n ill try to finish the first game arc before Christmas. **
16. Chapter 13: The Tiberian legend
Chapter 12: The Tiberian legend
Shepard and his squad sat in their chairs in the debriefing room. Everyone was tired and upset over what happened. Ash looking more upset than Shepard.
"I... I can't believe Kaidan didn't make it. How could we just leave him down there?"
"Alenko knew the risks going in, and he gave his life to save us."
"It should have been me, Commander," she chided. "You know that!"
"This was my decision, Williams," he said back. "I had to save as many people as I could. You were with the Salarian team. But we'll talk about it later in privet."
"I'm sorry for interrupting," Liara said to change the subject. "But I have an idea. I believe that the beacon you found on Virmire was similar to the one you found on Eden Prime. It may have filled in the missing parts of your vision. I might be able to help you put all of those pieces together."
"You want to join our minds together, don't you?" he asked rhetorically. "Okay, do it."
Liara approached him. "Relax, Commander, embrace eternity!"
The images flew through Shepard's mind again. They were clearer and didn't flash through his mind as quickly. It showed the Reapers slaughtering the Protheans. Some Protheans were being turned into husks. The vision ended with a view of two suns. The view expanded to show two more planets. It then focused on one. It quickly zoomed in on the one planet and showed Sovereign in the planet's shadows.
"Incredible," Liara said as she exited the melding. "I... I never thought the images would be so... intense. I need a moment to collect myself."
"Did the vision make any sense to you?" he asked.
"It's a distress call, a message sent out across the Prothean Empire. A warning against the Reapers but the warning came too late."
"What about the Conduit?"
"There were other images. Locations. Places I recognize from my research... Ilos! The Conduit is on Ilos! That is why Saren needed to find the Mu Relay! It is the only way to get to Ilos."
"We need to go to Ilos!"
"The Mu Relay is inside the Terminus Systems," Tali reminded. "Alliance ships are not welcome there. Neither are Spectres."
"The Conduit is on Ilos. The place Saren is heading. We need to get there."
"Saren will have his entire fleet orbiting Ilos," Liara argued. "You will never make it down to the surface without reinforcements. You must alert the Council. We need a fleet to- ahh..." Liara shuddered at the headache. "I am sorry. The joining is... exhausting. I should go to the medical bay and lie down for a moment."
"We're done here. Everyone dismissed."
Everyone started to leave the comm room.
"Commander, there's a comm buoy nearby. I can link us in if you want to report back to the Citadel Council. You know, to warn them about Sovereign."
"Set it up, Joker. They have to know."
"Patching it through."
The holograms of the three Councilors appeared before Shepard.
"Commander Shepard," Tevos greeted. "I'm pleased to see the mission was a success."
"Saren is formidable enough without an army of Krogan serving under him." Velarn added.
"The Krogan would have served Sovereign, a Reaper," Shepard corrected.
"Yes, we saw mentioned of this on your Report," the Salarian Councilor said. "Sovereign. A sentient machine. A true artificial intelligence. This news is quite alarming... if it turns out to be accurate."
"Sovereign's a Reaper," Shepard assured them. "Saren admitted it."
"He's playing you, Shepard!" Velarn argued. "Saren still has contacts on the Citadel. He probably saw your earlier reports. The ones talking about your vision. And the Reapers."
"It's highly possible Saren is using false information to throw you off balance," the Salarian agreed. "Our own intelligence has never turned up any corroborating information."
"Your own intelligence turned up nothing." Shepard said criticizingly. "Just because there is no evidence don't necessarily mean that something dose not exist. Look at the police forces of earth and C-sec. Most of the time they have nothing but eye witnesses to go on. How is this any different?"
"Now wait just a-" Velarn tried to get in before being cut off.
"Please see things from our perspective, Commander," Tevos tried to diffuse the situation. "Saren is a threat we can recognize. However, as far as we know, the Reapers only exist in your visions."
Velarn didn't speak further. He looked extremely angry at Shepard.
"Our decisions affect trillions of lives," the Salarian added. "We cannot act on the accusations of single person. Even a Spectre. Not without solid evidence."
"The Council cannot take official action here. That is why we created the Spectres. You have the authority to act as you see fit."
"If you truly believe Sovereign is the real threat, you must take whatever steps are necessary to stop it. And Saren."
"Good luck, Commander. From all of us."
The holograms vanished and Shepard swore in Tiberian. He then walked out of the comm room to the garage. He needed to talk to Ash. She like him was upset about Kadian's death. Once the lift stopped he walked over next to Ash and made it look like he was doing something.
"Meet me in my cabin in 10 minutes." he whispered.
Ash just nodded in response. Before anything else John then left and when inside his cabin. He then sat on his bed and waited. The 10 minutes when by fast. Ashley came in and sat next to him.
"How are you holding up." he asked.
"Not well but I wish there was another way." she said bowing her head.
He turned to face her he cupped her chin and turned her to face him.
"So do I but like you say. 'He's in a batter place.'"
Ash then smiled. "This may sound selfish but I'm glad you choose me."
"Well if I didn't I would die. But even without the Tiberian curse I would die without you."
Ash just smiled at the comment and then lend on his shoulder.
"How do your people deal with death?"
"Well depends on who you ask. Some people stay silent for the day. Others have whole day party's. Soldiers however just silently mourn and have a small alcoholic drink to honour the dead."
"Sounds interesting."
"Well we may have gods but we don't believe in them. They are mostly for someone to talk to."
"Your culture is strange but interesting."
"Well I find human culture strange."
Ash just giggled at the comment then saw the time. "Time for bed."
"Ash would you like to sleep here tonight?" John asked.
She started blushing a storm.
"Do you mean..." she trailed off.
"No not the deed. Just sleeping here."
She smiled and nodded. "I would like that."
* * *
He then moved in and kissed her. They then both fell on the bed in each others arms. They laid there in peace and quite.
Shepard walked into the CIC and made his way towards the galaxy map. Joker called in over the ship's comm system. "I forwarded the mission update to the Citadel, Commander. We've got confirmation on those reinforcements. Ambassador Udina wants us to report back to the Citadel. The Council is massing a joint-species fleet to deal with Saren and his Geth."
Shepard let out a laugh. "I knew they'd come around. Back to the Citadel, Joker. I want the Normandy at the head of that Fleet!"
"Yes, sir!"
-
Shepard and his team approached the platform in the Council Chamber. Udina was next to him.
"Good job, Shepard," Udina congratulated. "Thanks to you, the Council's finally taking real action against Saren!"
"The ambassador is correct," Tevos commented. "If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel—as you believe—we will be ready for him."
"Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel space to the Terminus Systems."
"You can't honestly believe a blockade's going to stop him?" Shepard said. "He's on Ilos looking for the Conduit right now! What are you doing about that?"
"Ilos is only accessible through the Mu Relay, deep in the Terminus System, Commander. If we send a fleet in there, the only possible outcome is full-scale war."
"Now is the time for discretion, Commander," Udina cautioned. "Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy. Exposed, he is no longer a threat. This is over."
"One ship going into the Terminus Systems won't start a war. Especially a stealth ship," Shepard argued. "I can be discreet."
"You detonated a nuclear device on Virmire!" Velarn countered. "I wouldn't call that discreet."
"Your style served you well in the Traverse, Commander," Tevos said. "We recognize that. But Ilos requires a deft touch. We have the situation under control."
"No you don't!" Shepard yelled. "If Saren finds the Conduit, we're all screwed! We have to go to Ilos!"
Velarn sighed. "Ambassador Udina, I get the sense Commander Shepard isn't willing to let this go."
"There are serious political implications here, Shepard. Humanity's made great gains thanks to you. But now you're becoming more trouble than you're worth."
"You bastard!" Ash roared. "You're selling us out!"
"It's just politics, Commander. You've done your job, now let me do mine. We've locked out all of the Normandy's primary systems. Until further notice, you're grounded."
"No one stabs me in the back and gets away with it, Udina!"
"I think it's time for you and your team to leave, Commander. This is no longer concerns you. The Council can handle this. With my help of course."
"I promise you, Udina," Shepard growled. "You will regret this day for the rest of your life."
"You best go before you do something stupid, Commander," he sneered.
Shepard was checking his locker on the Normandy. He heard several footsteps behind him. John looked back and saw Ash standing there just to his left. It finally caught up to him. The anger, the stress, the sadness. It was unbearable. He fell against the locker and looked up at Ash with a tired look on his face.
"I can't believe they still won't believe after everything you've done."
"Makes me wonder," he said. "Who's the bigger fool? Them or me for believing that they'd take their heads out of their asses."
"Not you, John. You did everything right and more. Nobody... Absolutely nobody could have done what you've did! This stupid Council owes you for everything and more! Instead, they strip you of your command and ground the Normandy. Maybe we can get an appeal by letting the Reapers come."
"By the time they would even consider letting me go, it would be too late. And I can't exactly tell them about my galaxy before my galaxy is ready to defend themselves and this galaxy."
"Y-You just can't give up, John! This galaxy is depending on you."
He gave a weak smile. "Have I ever come across as a quitter?"
Ash smiled at him. "No you haven't but I assume you have a plan?"
His smile grew. "I always have a plan."
"Then why are you sitting here?"
"I'm tired."
"Tired?"
"Tired of waiting for my people to came bur I have to wait for their sakes."
"You're not alone in this burden, John. Garrus, Chakwas, Tali and I are here with you."
"That you are."
Ash then offered her hand to him. He grabbed it and pulled himself up. John ended up right against her, looking into her eyes. Those brown eyes of a Goddess. They then started to move into a kiss.
"Uh, sorry to interrupt," Joker said over the ship's PA. "Got a message from Captain Anderson."
They sighed in disipointment.
"What did he want?"
"Only to meet him in the wards, at Flux."
"I guess we should go see him," John said to Ash.
-
Flux was loud and crowded. It wasn't hard to spot Anderson though. He was dressed in the causal Alliance uniform. Shepard and Ash walked over to his table and sat down.
"I'm glad you're here Shepard same with you Williams. I heard what happened."
"They pulled me off of the mission, just like when they pulled you off of the Normandy."
"I know. I'm sorry. I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to get a message to you before you arrived. I know you're pissed off right now, but you can't give up. They all think this is over, but we both know it's not. You have to go to Ilos. You have to stop Saren from using the Conduit!"
"Shepard already has a plan in motion," Ash mentioned.
"Y-You do?"
John nodded. "Remember when I recently acquired a large inheritance?"
"Yeah... I never did find out who gave it to you."
Shepard just shrugged. "Well lets just say that my foster parents made a few wise investments. And part of that was a collection of informants."
"So they can do anything?"
"Yeah they actually heard about the lock down and got straight to work to let me go."
"Ha can they do personal requests."
John smirked. "Yes why?"
"Can you get one of them to give Udina a 'Gift' from the both of us?"
"Yes I can."
Shepard then sent a message on his omni-tool and got up.
"It's done he'll get the gift."
"Good but before you go to the Normandy I need to talk to you alone." Anderson said as he got up.
Shepard raised his brow. "Ok. Ash meet me on the Normandy."
Ash nodded and walked off back to the Normandy. John and Anderson walked to the ramps overlooking the citadel. Both of them leaned on the railings.
"What do you what to talk to me about?" Shepard asked.
"There are rumours about you being not human."
"Ho do you believe them?"
"No. Not for one second. If anything your an incredibly fit human. The pinnacle of humanity."
"To be honest captain you should sometimes think what if. Because it can explain a lot."
"True enough. But the main reason I wanted to talk about was your relationship with Williams."
"Ok look we're being careful with our relationship. Only a few of the crew know."
"Good the last thing I want you to go through is the alliance brass trial of fraternization. Those things are the worst thing you can go through."
"Thanks for the heads up but I need to go and save the galaxy."
Anderson chuckled at the comment. "Ok hero go and good luck."
They both saluted and went their septate ways.
Udina was typing away at his computer when he heard a noise. He looked up and saw a man suddenly appear before him. He was dressed in a black hodded trench. Udina got to his feet in a panic. "Who the hell are you?"
Solvan moved quickly towards him and primed his fist. "Compliments of Commander Shepard," he said while driving his fist into Udina's face completely knocking him to the ground.
-
Shepard stood by Joker watching the ship's controls. The control was red. After a moment it turned green. "Get this ship out of here Joker!"
"Aye, aye!" Joker went forth towards the system's relay. Electricity went around the ship and then suddenly they were sent forward into the next system. Joker looked at the LADAR. "Aw, damn it. No signs of pursuit? I was hoping the Council would send some ships after us. I was looking forward to putting the Normandy through its paces. Figured I'd get to see what this ship can really do."
"Saren's still out there. Maybe we'll get a chance to play hide-and-seek with Sovereign," he quipped.
"You know it doesn't seem like much fun when you say it, Commander. So you need something?"
"How long until we reach the Mu Relay?"
"ETA two hours."
-
'Two hours.' That thought went through Ash's mind. Just two hours until they reach Ilos in what could be a suicide mission. She slowly made her way to Shepard's cabin. Her hands were wringing together, a gesture she made when extremely nervous. Her heart beat a little faster when approaching his cabin. 'Two hours.' This may be their last moments together. Shepard didn't mention any vision of his death so the Trial of Rebirth has not arrived. Is it still possible for them to die on Ilos?
Another few steps towards his cabin. Is possible to fail the Trials? What if that happens on Ilos? If Shepard dies on Ilos she would not know what to do. And if she died, then the Tiberian curse would end his life. If one of them died on Ilos, they would both die.
'Two hours.' This may be the last moments they have together. She wanted to show him how much she loves him. She approached his door and was about to knock on it but her nervousness stopped her. She took a deep breath and decided to just go in. She slept in his room for 3 days. Why knock? Inside the poorly lit room she saw him working at his terminal.
John looked up from the terminal and saw her standing there. With his lights dimmed, Ash was briefly a silhouette from the light outside of the room. "I was just thinking about you," he cooed.
The door closed behind Ash as she took a few steps towards him. "I was just thinking about you too," she said in a shaky voice.
"A-Are you okay? You're shaking."
"I-I'm just nervous. With Ilos coming soon I can't help but feel like this may be the last moments we have together."
"We'll make it through this mission, Ashley."
She let out a quiet but sad chuckle. Her arms went around the back of his neck as she rested her head on his chest. John's arms went around her back and held her closely.
"You've always been there for me John. Through trying times with my sisters and when dad died. You always made us feel good. There is so much going on but right now I just want to show you how much I love you."
Her hand ran down the centre of his back which made him gasp quietly.
"I-I want you. I want you to make me your woman." Ash looked up at him. Her brown eyes met his deep blue eyes.
"A-Are you sure?" Even he was nervous. "We don't have to if you're not sure."
Ash place a single finger on his lips to stop him from talking. She took her hands and gently held his cheeks. "Please John... make me yours."
John's heart melted upon hearing those words. He moved in and planted a kiss on her lips. His hands stayed on her head which only made the kiss feel more blissful to her. He pulled away while giving her two quick kisses on her neck. His hands ran down from the back of her head to the back of her neck. His cheek brushed up against hers. He kissed her ear.
Ash moaned in please from the kisses. He focused on her neck and gave her several kisses along its length. The heat and kisses on her long-covered neck made her cry out. It felt so nice. He ran his lips and the tip of his tongue up her neck again. She groaned from the pleasure. John then reached for the bottom of her shirt and took it off. Ash did the same to John's shirt.
Ash's hand stroked John's face. He closed his eyes as she explored his face. John opened his eyes again and took her right hand. He brought it up to his face and planted several kisses on it. This brought a smile to her face.
As they kissed with their tongues John moved his hand down Ash's trousers. His hand then found itself in between her legs. He then found her pussy and inserted a finger inside her.
"John," she gasped. "Getting restless are we?"
"Yeah. Lets do it."
John's then removed his hand and both of them removed their lower clothing. He then laid back on the bed as Ash ran her hand down his chest to feel his skin and muscle. She then laid beside him and gave him several kisses on his chest.
"You're beautiful," he said to her.
"Say it again."
"You're beautiful," he repeated and moved her so that she was underneath him. He then moved to her her breasts and licked around her nipple while pinching the other one.
"John..." she said under her breath. "Oh god."
He gave another kiss and ran up her chest again. John's eyes met with hers as he kissed her lips again. This time there was more passion. His hands ran down her back and over her rear and then at the thigh. But she wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. John couldn't help but look into her beautiful eyes.
"I love you, my beautiful goddess." he said.
Ash could say anything over all the happiness she was feeling in the moment. She just pulled him down on her and kissed his lips while feeling his body heat. His hand ran down the side of her body. It eventually stopped at her thigh. His hand gently caressed her leg. John's hand slowly went towards her womanhood once again. He gently rubbed the region. She gasped at the feeling. She enjoyed it.
John noticed some tears around her eyes. "Ash You're crying. Do you want me to stop?"
"No," she replied, barely able to speak. "I-I'm just so happy. Please, make me yours." She spread her legs for him.
John adjusted himself right over her. He used his free right hand to move his member to her slit. He slowly entered her. She gasped loudly and stared to kiss him fiercely as he went further inside her. Soon Shepard reached her hymen. With even a soft push, it caused her to groan a little.
"This is going to hurt," he whispered to her. "Do you want me to continue?"
Ash nodded. "I've been saving myself for you since I realise I love you. Please take me," she whispered to him.
John broke through her maidenhood fast causing her to cry out in pain and pleasure.
"God John it feels so good!" She cried.
The two were one and she has never felt so fulfilled in her life. John gave her a sensual kiss on her lips before continuing. His thrusts were slow at first. Ash moaned in pleasure from his thrusting. His tempo increased as they became more comfortable with each other. She wrapped her legs around him to help increase his thrusts. As he moved she felt a tingling within her. It felt even more pleasurable.
"Oh, John... M-More!"
The pleasure build up inside her. She knew she was getting very close to her release. All of a sudden John stopped. "W-Why did you stop?" she said in an angry voice.
John pulled out of her and quickly switched positions with her. Ash was shocked at the sudden change. She was now lying on top of him. He smiled at her. "I'm letting you have some fun too." His hands rested on her hips. She quickly caught on what he wanted her to do. She started to move her hips.
Her hips moved slowly and uneasily. She quickly adjusted to the new position and was moving faster. This position excited her. It was as pleasurable as the one before but was slightly more arousing as it made her feel like she was in control of him. She supported herself by planting her hands on his chest.
"J-John, I'm close," she whimpered in pleasure.
John sat up and held her against him. He thrust upward with her downward thrusts. Ash wrapped her arms around his shoulder. Her head tilted backwards as she screamed. "I'm so close!"
"Me too," he said.
"I'm going to- ah! Ah! Ah!" she screamed as she finally reached climax. John cried out along with her. She could feel his warmth enter her. They were covered in sweat. To Ash, it felt like John was on fire.
They tried to catch their breath. Neither of them dared to let go of each other. John slowly lowered her down onto the bed. He grabbed his sheet and pulled it over them. Their legs rubbed against each other. They just enjoyed each other's presence.
"That was amazing." Ash said.
"You were amazing," he said to her lovingly. John kissed her forehead.
"Thank you for this. For everything. No matter what happens, I'm just glad that I was able to share myself with you."
"Same here," he cooed. "For now, I just want to hold you close until we're about to approach the relay."
"I would like that."
And with that they both fell asleep. As they slept white light appeared and Kareena walked in. she walked up and sat on the bed next too John stroking his hair smiling. She felt a satisfaction that she had never felt for a long time.
Just then John's father entered and looked at his sleeping son and smiled. He felt his pride build up even more. Kareena looked at him with a smile and tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I'm just so happy. He's become a man. Our son has finally become a wonderful man."
"He has hasn't he. I'm so proud of him and thank the spirits that he has a fine woman." he smiled.
"Yes he'll be a fine father and king." she then turned back to the sleeping commander. "My son be good for me please."
They both then disappeared leaving the two lovers to sleep.
* * *
Stealth systems were immediately engaged as soon as the Normandy appeared at the other end of the relay. Shepard and his crew were gathered in the cockpit. "Uh, Commander we have company," Joker announced.
There were at least a dozen Geth ships over Ilos.
"Have their sensors picked us up yet?" Liara asked.
"Stealth systems are engaged. Unless we get close enough for a visual, they won't know that we're here."
"Picking up some strange readings from the planet's surface," Pressley mentioned.
"Talk us down, Joker," Shepard ordered. "Lock in on the coordinates."
"Negative on that, Commander. The nearest landing zone is two klicks away."
"We'll never make it in time on foot!" Ash argued. "Get us something closer."
"There is nowhere closer! I've looked!"
"Then drop us in the Mako," Shepard suggested.
"You need at least a hundred meters of open terrain to pull off a drop," Pressly countered. "The most I can find near Saren is twenty."
"Twenty meters?" Ash gasped. "No way we can make a drop in there."
"We have to try!" Liara said.
"Find another landing zone!" Ash demanded Pressly.
"There is no other landing zone!" Pressly yelled.
"The descent angle is too steep," Tali explained.
"It's our only option," Liara reminded.
"It's not an option!" Ash screamed at her. "It's a suicide run! We don't-"
"I can do it," Joker said in a calm, confident tone.
"Joker?" Shepard muttered.
"I can do it."
"Gear up and head down to the Mako! Joker, drop us right on top of that bastard!"
-
A small platoon of Geth moved through the entrance to the Prothean base. Saren heard a roar in the sky. He spun around and saw the Normandy fly in. He looked to two Geth and yelled, "You two, keeping moving inside. Now!"
The Mako emerged from underneath the Normandy and landed in the small area. The entrance doors slowly closed as Saren watch the Mako make its safe landing. The doors slammed shut with a loud thud. Shepard's entire crew came out of the Mako and looked at the doors.
"Damn it!" Garrus cursed. "Saren closed the doors behind himself."
"No way to get through that door without some heavy duty explosives," Wrex added.
"Saren found a way in," Ash reminded. "Maybe there's a terminal to open it around here."
The fight the Geth faced was nowhere near even. Shepard's squad destroyed any Geth that had the misfortune to cross their path. They movement was not impeded in any way during their charge towards the complex's command terminal.
The area was overgrown with the planet's flora. It was surprising that this complex was still standing after fifty thousand years. As the group journeyed into the complex they saw fossilized Protheans sitting in odd devices. At least they thought they were fossilized Protheans. They could have been statues. But they looked like they were exposed to Husk technology. Shepard's group was in too much of a hurry to truly examine them.
It took them less than ten minutes to find an elevator that still worked. It had to lead where the control terminal was. Liara remarked how odd that the place still ran after eons.
The elevator opened up to what appeared to be a Geth bunker of sorts. There were a dozen regular Geth in the area along with one Geth Prime. There were two Armatures on each side of the room. All four were disengaged. Tali quickly went to work hacking the armatures while the rest of the squad kept the Geth distracted. It didn't take long for the two to get the Armatures up and running. Once they were, the Geth of the room were finished off within minutes.
Shepard's omni-tool read an energy reading at the back of the room. They moved forward and found a ramp that led to a second floor which had a working terminal. Shepard activated it.
"Come on," Garrus urged. "We need to hurry before Saren finds the Conduit."
"Unless he's already found it," Ash mentioned. "Then we'd be walking into a trap."
"A chance we'll have to take."
A hologram activated prompting Ash to call out, "Hold on! Something's happening."
The hologram was orange in colour and the VI was so corrupted that it could not hold a form. It was just one large ball of holographic static.
"Too late..." the hologram said through static and in broken words. "unable to... invading fleets... no escape..."
"Sounds like a message," Liara thought out loud. "It might be in Prothean, though I can't seem to understand it."
"None of you can understand it?" Shepard asked his squad. They looked surprised at him. "I guess not. It's a warning against the Reaper fleet."
"By the goddess," Liara gasped. "The Cipher must have implanted you with an understanding of the Prothean language."
"Not safe... seek refuge... –side the archives..."
"Can you make anything out that may be useful?"
"Reapers... the Citadel... overwhelmed... only hope..." The voice suddenly changed from the VI to some recording of what Shepard could only assume was a military officer giving an order. It sounded like the audio from WW2 propaganda. "act of desperation... the Conduit... all is lost..."
"It said something about the Conduit, but it was too damaged to make any real sense of," he partial lied. His crew didn't need to know about the 'all is lost' line. "We should keep moving."
As Shepard and his crew move forward, he could hear it repeat, "cannot be stopped... Cannot be stopped..."
Lucky for the squad, a pathway led directly to a working elevator which took them up to where they faced the two Armatures, very close to their drop point. They went back inside the Mako. The entrance of the complex opened allowing them inside. The walls of the tunnel had many pods that stuck out of its walls. Large roots of trees came out of the walls and dug into the ground of the tunnel.
"You think Saren would have set up some kind of trap," Ash muttered.
"Either he was in too much of a hurry, or we haven't run into them yet," Wrex answered her.
"What are those pods in the walls?" Tali asked.
"Probably stasis pods," Garrus replied. "The Protheans here were probably trying to outlast the Reaper invasion, by cryogenically freezing themselves here."
The cannon of the Cannon roared as they ran into a small group of Geth that was left behind. They were clustered close enough together that one round from the Mako cannon took care of the group.
Up ahead they saw a large barrier curtain that blocked the tunnel. He stopped right in front of it.
"Saren, must of set an ambush!" Wrex yelled. "It's a trap!"
"I don't think Saren's is behind this," Liara muttered.
"There's a door to our right that active," Shepard observed. "Either Saren went that way, or the way to deactivate the barrier is there."
Again his squad hoped out of the Mako and entered through the door. It was an elevator that started moving as soon as his group entered.
"Any idea what we may find down there?" Tali asked out loud. Just out of curiosity.
"No idea," Liara answered. "Has to be useful if we were targeted."
"I don't like the idea of us being specifically targeted," Tali said in a disapproving tone.
The elevator doors opened to a small room. Its walls were lined with at least a couple hundred stasis pods. Three large trees stood at the back of the room. The only light that entered the room shone a beam on the terminal at the end of the walkway. As Shepard's squad approached the terminal activated revealing a corrupt VI.
"You are not Prothean, but you are not machine, either," it stated. "This inevitability was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent-out warnings through the beacons."
"Fascinating," Liara said. "A working VI program, but it is badly damaged."
"I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you, unlike the other that passed by recently. Perhaps there is still hope."
"Wait, I can understand it," Tali exclaimed. "Why aren't you speaking Prothean?"
"I have been monitoring communications since you arrived here. I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend. My name is Vigil. You are safe here, for the moment. But that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe."
"Why did you bring me here?" Shepard asked Vigil.
"You must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years," Vigil answered. "But to stop it, you must understand or you will make the same mistakes we did. The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of government. As it was with us, and as it has been with every generation that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap. The station is actually an enormous mass relay. One that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon. When the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through. And all you know will be destroyed."
"How do the Reapers survive in dark space?"
"We have only theories. The researchers here came to believe the Reapers enter prolonged states of hibernation to conserve energy. This allows them to survive the thousands of years it takes for organic civilizations to rebuild itself. But in this state, they are vulnerable. By retreating beyond the edge of the galaxy, they ensure no one will accidentally discover them. They keep their existence hidden until the Citadel is activated."
"How come no one ever noticed the Citadel was an inactive mass relay?"
"The Reapers are careful to keep the greatest secrets of the Citadel hidden. That is why they created a species of seemingly benign organic caretakers. The Keepers maintained the station's most basic functions. They enable any species that discover the Citadel to use it without fully understanding the technology. Reliance on the Keepers ensures no other species will ever discover the Citadel's true nature. Not until the relay is activated and the Reapers invade."
"The Reapers can wipe out the Council and the entire Citadel fleet in a single surprise attack!" Shepard exclaimed in horrified realization.
"That was our fate. Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and through it, the mass relays. Communication and transportation across our empire were crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others. Easy prey for the Reaper fleets. Over the next decades the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out."
"Some of you must have survived?" Shepard asked in disbelief.
"Through our Citadel, the Reapers had access to all our records, maps, census data. Information is power and they knew everything about us. Their fleets advance to every settled region of the galaxy. Some worlds were utterly destroyed. Others were conquered, their population enslaved. These indoctrinated servants became sleeper agents under Reaper control. Take in as refugees by other Protheans, then betrayed them to the Reapers. The Reapers either killed us or enslaved us. They were brutal and absolutely thorough."
"What do the Reapers get out of this? Why do they repeat this cycle over and over again?"
"The Reapers are alien, unknowable. Perhaps they need slaves or resources. More likely they are driven by motivates and goals organic beings cannot hope to comprehend. In the end, what does it matter? Your survival depends on stopping them, not in understanding them."
"You said you brought me here for a reason. Tell me what I need to do."
"The Conduit is the key. Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind the mass relay technology. Ilos was a top secret facility. Where the researchers worked to create a small scale version of a mass relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel, the hub of the relay network."
"The Conduit is not a weapon," Liara observed. "It's the back door onto the Citadel!"
"Go on," Shepard said to Vigil.
"They entered this project to discover the secrets of the mass relays because of Kareena."
Those words made Shepard's, Ashley's, Tali's and Garrus' eyes widen.
"Kareena?" Liara repeated. "Who or what is that?"
"Kareena is a spirit that has existed for a very long time. According to her, she has spent millions of your trying to help the species of this galaxy stop the Reapers. Most of the time species where unable to hear. We did. She warned us of the threat, but our leaders were unwavering into truly believing her. The scientists of this facility worked towards following her."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Wrex interrupted it. "You're telling me that the Conduit exists because a ghost told you to?"
"She was no mere spirit or psychosis. Kareena was knowledgeable in advance technology. The beacons that we used were based on a mixture of Prothen technology and the technology she gave to us. The Conduit was possible because of her. Hope exists because of her. When the researchers awoke from their stasis, after three hundred years, they realized the Prothean people were doomed. There were far too few to sustain a viable population. Yet they vowed to find a way to stop the Reapers from returning. A way to break the cycle. And they knew the Keepers were the key."
"Aren't they under the influence of the Reapers?" Shepard asked.
"The Keepers are controlled by the Citadel. Before each invasion, a signal is sent through the station compelling the Keepers to activate the Citadel relay. After decades of feverish study and help from Kareena, the scientists discovered a way to alter the signal. Using the Conduit, they gained access to the Citadel and made the modifications. This time, when the signal was sent to the Citadel, the Keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in dark space."
"Unless Saren gets in," Shepard commented.
"Correct. Saren will try to transfer control of the station over to Sovereign. Sovereign will override the Citadel's systems and manually open the relay. And the cycle of destruction will begin again."
"Is there any way we can stop them?"
"There's a data file in my terminal. Take a copy when you go. When you reach the Citadel's master control unit, upload it to the station. It will corrupt the Citadel's security protocols and give you temporary control over the station. It might give you a chance against Sovereign."
"A what?" Garrus said. "I've never heard of the Citadel's MCU."
"Through the Conduit. Follow Saren. He will lead you there. But listen to me before you take the data file. There is another hope beyond what we offer you. The key to defeating the Reapers."
This got the attention of everyone.
"Kareena told us of a race that still exists. One that is more powerful than the Reapers."
"Another race?" Liara muttered.
"The Tiberians."
The caused Tali, Ash Garrus to briefly glance at Shepard.
"The Tiberians?" Liara mumbled. "My research has never turned up a mention of an alien race known as the Tiberians."
"That is because the Tiberians do not exist in this galaxy. They exist in another reality."
"Okay, now I know you're screwing with us," Wrex said.
"Our galaxies have a connection through a wormhole in an unknown system. At this point the wormhole is permanent. The Tiberian's galaxy developed without the use of mass relays or element zero. Instead they had to rely on themselves to develop FTL travel."
"FTL travel without relays or element zero?" Liara repeated. "I cannot even begin to imagine how advance they are, to able to do that. How do we contact the Tiberians?"
"Kareena. She has been in contact with the Tiberians for tens of thousands of years. When the time comes, the Tiberians will come to this galaxy's aid."
"What the hell are they waiting for?" Wrex bellowed. "This galaxy is already messed up and in need of help, especially with the Reapers on our doorsteps."
"There is a Tiberian prophecy called the Black storm. It states that when this galaxy is in crisis the prince born of Kareena will bring the galaxy's together. The prince is a hybrid of Tiberian and Rannzan Kareena's race. But that's not the only thing he is also the spirits chosen. A Tiberian hero who has unmatched power."
"A Spirits chosen?" Wrex grumbled.
"This individual must pass Trials before them in order to reach their true potential. He is the key to defeating the Reapers once and for all. Saren has not reached the Conduit. There is still hope, if you hurry."
Shepard took the data file and led his group back into the elevator.
"Can you believe that?" Liara asked out loud. "A race in another reality that is technologically superior to us in every way by tens of thousands of years."
"I'm not impressed," Wrex muttered. "If this race is so powerful, why are they waiting for just one person to show up to give them direction?"
Shepard couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with their discussion about his people. The elevator, thankfully, opened allowing them access to the Mako again. The tunnel went straight for another half klick before it started to twist. Shepard didn't even stop the Mako once. If the cannons missed them, he drove past them, allowing the shield to take damage.
-
The relay near the Citadel activated. One Geth ship appeared. Then two. Then dozens along with Sovereign. They made their way towards the Citadel fleet. All of them open fired on the fleet. The Citadel fleet was unaware of their presence until several of the Turian cruisers blew up. The Geth ships continued firing torpedoes as they made their advance. The Destiny Ascension went forward to join the fray.
Electricity sparked at one of the consoles inside the Asari Dreadnaught causing the Matriarch Captain to stumble briefly. She regained her footing. "Activate the defences! Seal the station!"
"The arms aren't moving," the navigator said. "Systems are not responding!"
"Abandon the Citadel! Evacuate the Council!"
"Citadel Control! Citadel Control! Do you read?"
At C-Sec the Asari laid dead on her console. The shadow of a Geth Trooper loomed over her dead body. It turned around and followed Saren towards the Citadel tower.
-
The Mako rode down the last section of the drainage ditch where they could see the Conduit. It was starting to close and they needed to reach it fast. There were four Colossi in the area to impede their progress. Shepard raced in.
"The shields can't take any more, Shepard," Tali cautioned.
"We just need to reach the Conduit."
Two blasts hit the Mako completely destroying the shield. Another hit the rear end causing it to shudder forward.
"Damaged on rear armour! We can't take another blast!"
One Colossus fired a blast which was heading right at the Mako. Electricity sparked around the Mako and launched it. The blast splashed harmlessly on the ground.
17. Chapter 14: Battle of the Citadel
Chapter 14: Battle of the Citadel.
Several Geth patrolled the area around the base of the Citadel tower. There were fires all over the Presidium. Suddenly the Relay became activate which got the attention to the guard units there. A loud hum emanated from the device. A flash of blue light released a smoking Mako that collided with the group of Geth. The Mako flipped and slid on its side to the wall.
John opened the bottom hatch of the Mako and fell out. His squad followed through the hole. As soon as they emerged, several Dragon Teeth activated, lowering Husks into battle. Ash, Tali and Wrex fired their shotguns, destroying the husks before they could emit their first moan.
"Everybody into the elevator!" Shepard ordered.
They didn't think twice as they piled into the elevator lift.
-
Saren marched towards the MCU filled with rage. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a couple of Keepers. He let out a growl as he took aim with his Geth pulse rifle and killed the killed with two bursts of fire. The platform extended before him as the MCU activated. A large orange holographic display appeared before him. Saren pressed several buttons to start the process.
-
The Citadel's arms started to close.
"They're sealing the station!" one of the ship's Captains yelled over the comm.
"Don't let any enemy ships inside the arms!" another Captain ordered.
Half a dozen Turian cruisers gathered around the apex of the Citadel to stop Sovereign from entering. They let off a barrage of torpedoes into the nebula where Sovereign was traveling through. The occasional light highlighted its massive form.
None of the attacks seem to slow down Sovereign a bit. One cruiser tried blocking Sovereign's path. Sovereign charged right through the cruiser as a mere inconvenience. The vessel exploded from the impact.
Sovereign and several Geth ships flew through between the citadel arms right before they closed. Sovereign drifted towards the Citadel tower. It slowed itself to ensure the tower was not damaged. Its legs clamped down on the tower and several tubes emerged from its underside. The tubes attached to the tower itself allowing Sovereign to connect.
-
The elevator ran upwards as fast as its machinery could allow it. A roar rumbled through the building. The elevator stopped halfway up the tower right after. Shepard couldn't help but feel extremely annoyed at all of these obstacles.
"Terrific. Suit up!" he ordered his squad. "We're going out!"
Each squad member rushed to attach their helmets. Shepard waited until he heard the last click before fire two shots at the glass wall of the lift. He peered through the opening and saw the depth of the Citadel. Shepard carefully moved out of the elevator and activated his magnetic clamps. He looked to his left and saw the source of his impedance. Sovereign. The massive Reaper was holding onto the tip of the tower readying itself to summon his horde.
Shepard's group moved forward. The pathway led to a tunnel where an elevator crashed into another causing the glass to break apart. Several Geth walked out of the crash.
"Geth!" Tali called out.
The squad didn't stop charging. Sovereign was working its way in the Citadel's network and every moment stopping was a moment for it. The squad mowed the Geth down during their approach. With their top-of-the-line weapons with full upgrades the Geth were nothing more than pests.
Several Krogan warlords came down from the ramp ahead to the right. Shepard's squad managed to disable their shields but the Krogans started to charge.
"Wrex, lift them!"
Wrex and Shepard moved ahead and used their biotics to lift the unprotected Krogan off of the structure. Their charge gave them momentum which flung them off in the distance, likely to crash into one of the arms.
The group wasted little time in their skirmishes up the tower. They were driven. Everything depended on them reaching the top. To the Geth, Shepard's squad was nothing but an unstoppable force. All their attempts at delaying them were futile.
A Geth dropship then appeared and started dropping off troops as well as suppressing fire on Shepard's squad. The incoming fire made the squad take cover. They could not move from their position.
"Damn that ship!" Wrex yelled.
The Geth troops then took cover as they fired on the squad. Shepard then peeked out but a bullet narrowly missed him. An idea then came to him.
"Liara your pistol." he said.
Questionably Liara handed her pistol to Shepard as he took out his own.
"What are planing?" Ash asked.
"Just don't cover me."
In a blink of an eye Jon moved out of cover and shot at the Geth. Non of them lasted long because of his dead eye aim. He jumped over a number of obstetricals to avoid the crossfire. Once the area was clear he ran at the wall and jumped off it and landed on the Geth ship.
The others just watched in awe as he took a high explosive grenade out fitted it onto the ship and jumped down. As the ship took of it exploded in and the team came up to him.
"No time for comments let's go." John said moving towards the tower.
During the fight up, every once in a while, Sovereign would slam one of its appendages against the wall of the tower and shake the area. It grew larger and larger as the team approached it. They thought it was massive before. It was almost unthinkable in size.
Soon Shepard's squad reached their destination: A hatch that led into the Council chamber.
The chamber was filled with small fires. As they walked up the first set of stairs, a group of Geth came down the second.
"Damn, more Geth!" Ash moaned.
"Well, you did say this chamber was filled with good defensive positions," Shepard quipped.
"I wasn't expecting to be fighting here!"
The Geth retreated to their last position around a rock garden. Shepard lifted a boulder and flung it towards the cover of several Geth. They dove out of cover to get out of the way of the boulder. Ash and Garrus took advantage of the situation by sniping them. Tali hacked one Geth to attack the other remaining Trooper. Once it was down, Wrex approached the hack soldier and fired his shotgun at point blank splitting it into two.
Now... Now is the final confrontation. Shepard continued forward with his squad up the final steps. Shepard rushed to the platform and saw a holographic screen hover. He didn't see Saren anywhere. He could hear a hum though. Saren popped up from behind the end of the platform and threw a grenade towards his squad. They dove out of the way and took cover. Saren hover over the area on his hover platform.
"I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard," he said.
"In time for what?" he yelled from behind cover.
"The final confrontation," he answered. "I think we both expected it would end like this. You've lost, you know that, don't you? In a few minutes, Sovereign will have complete control of all the Citadel's systems. The relay will open. The Reapers will return."
"I still have some tricks up my sleeve."
"You survived our encounter on Virmire. But I've changed since then. Improved. Sovereign has... upgraded me."
"You let Sovereign implant you? Are you insane?"
"I suppose I should thank you, Shepard. After Virmire, I couldn't stop thinking about what you said. About Sovereign manipulating me. About Indoctrination. And even your reasoning that I might not have been the first. The doubt began to eat away at me. Sovereign sensed my... hesitation. I was implanted to strengthen my resolve. Now my doubts are gone. I believe in Sovereign completely. I understand that the Reapers need organics. Join us and Sovereign will find a place for you, too."
"Sovereign didn't implant you to strength your resolve. It implanted you to weaken it. You were starting to fight his hold and once Sovereign detected that, he implanted you to strength his hold on you! You're a slave!"
"The relationship is symbiotic. Organic and machine intertwined. A union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither. I am a vision of the future, Shepard. The evolution of all organic life. This is our destiny. Sovereign sees a power in you and has taken great interest. Join Sovereign and experience a true rebirth!"
"Sovereign hasn't won yet! I can stop it from taking control of the Citadel! Step aside and the invasion will never happen!"
"We can't stop it! Not forever. You saw the visions. You saw what happened to the Protheans. The Reapers are too powerful."
"No they're not! If they are as powerful as they say they are, why ask for anyone's help. The Reapers can be destroyed like anything else. You were once a Spectre. Every Spectre takes an oath to protect the galaxy against the evils that plague it. Deep down, I know you believe this is wrong! You can fight this! We can fight this!"
"Maybe you're right," he pondered. The hold Sovereign had on him was weakening. "Maybe there is still a chance for...unh!" Saren grabbed his head in pain. "The implants... Sovereign is too strong. I'm sorry. It's too late for me."
Shepard moved out of cover against the protest of his squad mates. "It's not over yet! You can still redeem yourself!"
There was a moment of silence from Saren. A serenity of peace came across his face. "Goodbye, Shepard. Thank you." Saren took his pistol and aimed for his head. He pulled the trigger, blowing a hole through his head. His last moment of defiance against his Reaper master. The glow from his eyes faded. Saren stumbled on his feet and fell from his platform onto the ground. His body fell through the glass below and landed on the garden below the platform.
Shepard ran over to the holographic screen and activated his omni-tool. He uploaded the data he got from Vigil into the MCU. The Citadel's controls appeared on his omni-tool. "Vigil's data file worked," he said to his squad. They looked overwhelmingly relieved. "I've got control of all systems."
"Quick! Open the station's arms," Ash suggested. "Maybe the fleet can take down Sovereign down before he regains control of the station!"
"See if you can open a communications channel," Garrus also suggested.
Shepard went with Garrus' suggestion and opened communications.
An Asari voice came on. "...the Destiny Ascension. Main drives offline. Kinetic barriers down 40%. The Council is on board. I repeat, the Council is on board."
"Normandy to the Citadel," Joker's voice piped in. "Normandy to the Citadel. Please tell me that's you, Commander."
"I'm here, Joker," he answered.
"We caught that distress call, Commander. I'm sitting here in the Andura sector with the entire Arcturus fleet. We can save the Ascension. Just unlock the relays around the Citadel and we'll send the cavalry in!"
"Are you willing to sacrifice human lives to save the same Council who impeded us every step of the way?" Wrex asked him.
"This is bigger than Humanity!" Tali joined in the argument. "Sovereign is a threat to every species!"
"Tali's right," Liara said. "We still need the Council."
"The Council must be sacrificed for the greater good," Garrus agreed with Wrex. "Don't waste your reinforcements. Hold them back until the Citadel arms open up. Save the human fleet to attack Sovereign."
"What's the order, Commander?" Joker asked for clarification. It was hard to know Shepard's attention with the argument going on. "Come in now to save the Ascension or hold back?"
The Council stood in his way so many times during his investigation. If they had listened to him none of this would have happened. To save them could very well risk the Reapers returning. That would make things harder for his galaxy as it could put too much pressure on them. Billions could die.
But... he remembered what Vigil said about his government destroyed. He also remembered what his father told him. 'Sometimes sacrifice is required to win. But you have to know is when.' the words rolled round his head before hitting the holo screen.
"Opening the relays now, Joker. We need to save the Ascension—no matter what the cost!"
"I hope the Council is thankful for this," Wrex grumbled.
-
The relay activated and dozens of ships appeared.
"Alliance ships move in," Hackett ordered. "Save the Destiny Ascension!"
The Normandy headed the fleet as they dove into the battle.
"Commander," the Asari navigator called to her CO. "We're picking up reinforcements!"
"It's the Alliance!" she cheered. "Thank the Goddess!"
The Geth ships around the Destiny Ascension were preparing to fire their fire volley. Alliance torpedoes flew in and demolished the Geth ships before they could finish off the Asari dreadnought. Several cruisers were destroyed in their efforts to defend the prized Dreadnought.
"Destiny Ascension, you are all clear," Joker said to her CO. "I repeat, you are all clear."
"The Citadel is opening!" Hackett said over the comm. "All ships move in. Concentrate on Sovereign!"
The Alliance ships moved through the arms and towards Sovereign.
-
Shepard and his squad looked down at Saren's corpse. "There's no telling what Sovereign did to him. Make sure he's dead," he ordered them.
They jumped down below while Shepard worked at making sure Sovereign couldn't get back into the Citadel's systems. For some odd reason, it hasn't made any attempts. Why?
Wrex approached the Turian's corpse and aimed with his pistol. He fired a round through his head. "He's dead," he confirmed over the comm.
The area started to shake. Red electricity surged all over along with a red haze. Saren's body started to glow red. His flesh melted off of his body. He even screamed during the transformation. The smell of his flesh was putrid. A flash of energy emerged from his body that caused his squad members to fly into the wall.
The shockwave broke the platform Shepard was standing on. It bent and Shepard slid down it into the area below. Saren was on his feet as the change occurred. His claws grew in length. As Shepard got to his feet, Saren's transformation had finished. All that was left was his synthetic skeleton. His jaw was missing. It wasn't Saren any more. It was Sovereign!
Sovereign started jumping around the walls. Avoiding their gun fire. "I am Sovereign," it said in a mixture of Saren's voice and Sovereign's. "And this station is MINE!"
"He's moving too damn fast!" Ash yelled.
"It's dodging my shots," Liara exclaimed.
Shepard gritted his teeth as Saren's husk jumped around. "Garrus, Tali use overload."
They followed through, but Sovereign's shields were enormous. John charged at the husk with his biotics on full charge. He moved so fast Saren could not stop him. The Tiberian hit the husk and sent it fling into the wall which destroyed it's shields.
The squad took the opportunity and shot Sovereign with everything they had. The battle outside the tower didn't sound like it was going so well. Shepard could hear it over the comm.
"Sovereign's too strong!" a commander yelled. "We have to pull back!"
"Negative!" Hackett roared. "This is our only chance! Take that monster down, no matter the cost!"
Sovereign's shield fully charged again. It roared and an energy pulse emitted from it. It was ever more powerful than the one during its transformation. Shepard blocked it with a biotic barrier but the others were knocked into the walls, injuring them too much to get up right away. It was down to him.
Shepard drew his blade as he did Sovereign's arms glowed and two red swords came out. He charged at the commander. He blocked one of the swords but failed to block the other one. The blade cut through his armour and sent him staggering back. He fell to one knee catching his breath
"Your galaxy will fall as will this one," Sovereign said in a whispered tone.
"Never!" Shepard roared getting back up.
At that moment his biotics flared up and his eyes started to glow a bright white colour. His biotics then moved down to his blade and covered around it. The energy sword around the blade eyes still glowing he charged at the husk bringing his blade down and severing the left arm.
The attack knocked Sovereign back and launched a warp at him which slowed it down. Shepard charged forth and stabbed his blade through Sovereign's chest. It just froze. "N-No!" Energy emitted from the blade itself. The white energy slowly tuned the husk into ash. Shepard was the only one left standing.
At that moment his squad then got back up and started to climb up the wall.
-
Sovereign's body was covered with red electricity before it dissipated. Sovereign fell from the tower.
"Its shields are down!" Joker said. "Now's our chance!"
The Normandy flew under the falling corpse and straight upwards.
"Hit it with everything we got!" Hackett ordered.
The cruisers realigned and continued their barrage. The Normandy did a backwards flip and dove straight down towards Sovereign.
"Hold on my flank!" Joker yelled. "I'm going in!"
Several fighters joined alongside Joker. The Normandy and the fighters fired their weapons. The Normandy's torpedo went right through Sovereign's abdomen. The attack caused a chain reaction causing its body to explode. Though one piece of Sovereign was heading straight towards the tower.
-
Shepard's squad finished climbing from the area below. Shepard looked back and saw the Sovereign leg heading straight for them. "Move!" he yelled to his squad.
The leg impacted the tower.
-
John opened his eyes and found himself in a familiar land with his father standing in front of him.
"You have done well, my son." he said with a smile.
"Father why did you not tell me Kareena is my mother?" John asked in a angry tone.
"We had too make sure that Ranzan powers manifested them itself into you."
"WHY?"
"It is not time for you to find out."
"Very well." he said with a sigh. But he then remembered something important. "What about the trail of rebirth?"
"Well it will happen in a few months time. And the people who will wake you will be Cerberus."
"WHAT?"
"Son I know how you feel but think about it. You can gain info on the organisation so that our people can have revenge."
"Ok that I can deal with. What if you said if Ashley is to be my Queen?"
"I knew this Question would come up. While I have a few objections I give you both my blessing."
"Thank you father."
A scrap of Sovereign was torn away and an Alliance soldier pointed his omni-tool, with its flash light activated inside the heap. He spotted Shepard's squad. Tired, but mostly unharmed. "Captain Anderson!" he called out. "We've found them! They're in here."
Anderson moved in and went to Ash. "Take it easy," he said in a jolly tone. "It's over. You're safe now. Where's the Commander? Where's Shepard?"
She looked over to the wreckage of Sovereign. Anderson's eyes went over to there as well. "I-I don't think he- he-" she couldn't even finish the sentence. "John. Oh Goddess, John!"
The other soldier helped the squad to their feet. Anderson helped Ash to her feet. She quickly brushed him away and went towards the wreckage. She used her omni-tool to scan the area. "We have to find him. We have to find John!"
Anderson felt sorry for her. It was obvious she really cared for him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw some movement behind the wreckage. 'Could it?'
Shepard ran up the side of the wreckage and appeared at the top. His arm was hurt, but he was in high spirits with a large grin on his face. She look up at him with joy in her heart. He walked down the other side of the wreckage.
"John!" she screamed as she embraced him.
"Ashley..." he whispered. "It's okay. I'm here."
They held each other not caring that the others could see them in full view. Anderson and Garrus both had wide grins. Liara and Tali were wide-eyed and jealous. Wrex just let out a small chuckle. The battle was won.
Anderson then turned to the Alliance soldiers.
"Speak of this and your all on latrine duty." he ordered.
VVVVVV
Shepard, Udina and Anderson stood on the Presidium with the Council. "Ambassador," Tevos greeted. "Captain. Commander Shepard. We have gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Sovereign and the Geth."
"Many humans lost their lives in the battle to save the Citadel, brave and courageous soldiers who willing sacrificed their lives so that we—the Council—might live," the Salarian Councillor continued.
"There is no greater sacrifice, and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women," Velarn said.
"The Council owes you a great personal debt, Commander," Tevos said. "One we can never repay. You saved not just our lives, but the lives of billions from Sovereign and the Reapers."
"Commander Shepard," the Salarian started, "your heroic actions serve as a symbol of everything Humanity and the Alliance stands for."
'While I might not be Human,' Shepard thought to himself. 'I know this is Humanity. They are a good people.'
"And though we cannot bring back those valiant soldiers who gave their lives to save ours, we can honour their memories through our actions," Velarn said.
"Humanity has shown it is ready to stand as a defender and protector of the galaxy," Tevos concluded. "You have proved you are worthy to join our ranks and serve beside us on the Citadel Council."
"Councillor, on behalf of Humanity and the Alliance, we thank you for this prestigious honour and humbly accept," Udina thanked.
"We will need a list of potential candidates to fill Humanity's seat on the Council. Given all that has happened, I am sure your recommendation will carry a great deal of weight, Commander. Do you support any particular candidate?"
"We need someone with the courage to stand up for what he believes in," Shepard answered. "Someone like Captain Anderson."
"Him?" Udina scoffed. "You must be joking. Are you sure about this? Anderson is a soldier not a politician."
'You put politics and personal gain over the survival of the galaxy, asshole,' he thought to himself. 'Anderson believed in me.'
"We've already have too many politicians on the Citadel. The Captain would be perfect for this job."
"I think it's an inspired choice," Tevos replied. "The Council would welcome him with open arms, should he accept."
"I'm honoured, Councillor," he said. "As humanity's representative I'll do everything in my power to help the Council rebuild."
"Sovereign's defeat marks the beginning of a new era for both Humanity and the Council," Velarn commented.
"Sovereign was only a vanguard," Shepard announced. "The Reaper fleet is still coming. Hundreds of ships maybe even thousands. And I'm going to find some way to stop them!"
With those final words, Shepard left the area.
"Shepard's right!" Anderson bellowed. "Humanity is ready to do its part. United with the rest of the Council we have the strength to overcome any challenge. When the Reapers come, we must stand side-by-side. We must fight against them as one. And together we will drive them back into dark space!"
-
Shepard was dressed in his casual Alliance uniform. He was heading towards Flux. While moving down the corridor he spotted Wrex leaning against the wall. "Hey, Wrex. Good to see that you've healed up."
"It'll take more than a ship to take me down."
"So what are you doing here?"
"Came here to talk to you. I'm going to be leaving the Normandy crew."
"Oh..."
"During the mission with you I have come to realize that we Krogan can still create a future for ourselves. Time to stop living in the past. I'm heading back to Tuchanka. Try to reunite the Krogan clans."
Shepard patted him on the shoulder. "I wish you the best of luck. It has been an honour fighting by your side."
A grin came across Wrex's face. "Likewise, Shepard. Though the way things are going with the Reapers, we'll likely be fighting side-by-side in the future. My people need to be ready for when that day comes."
"If you need anything, just give me a call."
Wrex released a small chuckle. "You gave me a reason to keep fighting for my people. Fight well, Shepard." With those words, Wrex walked out of the corridor.
Shepard entered inside of Flux with a slight smile. The only people inside was Garrus, Tali, Chakwas and Ash. Each of them waiting for his arrival. He sat down at their table next to Ash.
"Thank you all for coming. I just wanted to express how much I appreciate you three in keeping my secret. I even know how much of a leap of faith you are taking with me. I want to show you three just how much I trust you. If you all are willing, tomorrow, I wish to take you to visit my galaxy."
The three were stunned by the idea. "You're serious?" Garrus muttered.
"Very. We can go to the Ark and Tiberia ."
"The Ark and your home world? But I thought that your world was highly radioactive." Chakwas repeated.
"Well the Ark is basically my galaxy's version of the Citadel, in terms of purpose. As for my home world we have a device that can shield radiation. So you four in?"
"A chance to see another galaxy? How could I say no?"
"You don't even need to ask me," Tali replied.
"Count me in," Garrus added.
"It will be nice to see your world." Ash said.
"I'm glad to hear it. There's also some more news. When I was briefly knocked out after the fight with Sovereign, my father contacted me. The Trial of Rebirth begins in a few months."
This elicited a gasp from Ash. "So- So this means you're going to die in a few months?"
"Yes. But I will be back. She told me that it will be because of Cerberus and several operatives of mine that will bring me back."
"Cerberus!" they all said.
"Yes. I hated the though too, but the more I think about it the more it plays into our favour. I'll be closer to taking down Cerberus than ever before, and I'm sure it'll take a lot of their resources to bring me back. Kill two birds with one stone, eh?" Shepard noticed Ash bowing her head. "Ash..." He cupped her chin to get her to look at him. "I know this will be hard, but I will come back. I promise."
"And you always keep your promises."
"That I do, love. Though our visit to Ark isn't just a vacation, though we all deserve some R&R. I'm going to knight both of you."
"Knight?" Garrus muttered.
"I'm bringing back the Sentinel Knight Order. They are sort of like Spectres. Only they are regulated in that they have a code to uphold. Tali, Garrus, Ashley you two will be the first Knights in 50 years."
"I don't know what to say. Thanks."
"You both have earned it. As a knight you will operate outside the chain of command of the Guardian army and will have our resources at your disposal. During my... two year absence, you will still have access to our resources. This will help make things easier for the next couple of years."
"As for you Chakwas you'll be given all the medical knowledge and Tech of the Tiberians."
Chakwas was speechless at this.
"Thank you commander."
**From another world mass effect 1 arc completed. Next chapter will be a bridge from ME1 to ME2. But will be done in the new year. **
**To all readers merry Christmas and happy new year. Or if you are American respectively happy holidays. **
18. ideas 2
Ok as you know I'm working Arc 2 now as in a previous chapter I listed some ideas down. Your ideas will be welcome and will be credited. These ideas are static but can be changed if you like.
Not not all my ideas will be listed I would like some of them to be surprises. Some of these mat be the same from the previous ideas chapter.
Miranda and sister are part Tiberian but does not know it. Although they can unknowingly use their Tiberian powers at a cost.
Ashley's sister Sarah is on a planet that is being invaded by slavers. (Ash's loyalty mission.)
Shepard's eldest sister Far'ti is found in a tube on Telten and joins her brother for revenge.
Far'ti x Liara.
John and Far'ti go to a planet together to find their sister's weapon and honour her. (Far'ti loyalty mission.)
Jack has Tiberian powers but is slowly dieing.
Garrus and Tali.
An unknown secret about the Williams family is found.
Chapter 15 ideas.
Shepard's perverted granddad is still alive.
Shepard get's kidnapped.
Shepard's embarrassing baby pictures are found.
19. Chapter 15: The Ark
Chapter 15: The ark, The home world and The party.
The dock that the rented spaceship was docked at was empty of all personnel. It was early in the morning which meant Shepard could leave with Garrus, Chakwas, Tali and Ash without having to answer any questions, either from the dock workers or reporters. John was walking up the walkway towards the spaceship hand-in-hand with Ash. While Garrus, Tail and Chakwas were already on board.
"You okay, Ash?"
"Yes," she replied. "I'm just a little nervous."
"About what?" he asked in amusement.
"You mean other than going to another galaxy?"
"Right..."
"It's just that I want to make a good impression."
"Just be yourself and you'll be fine. Now," he said in a humorous tone, "are you coming or, am I going to have to drag you there?"
"Mmm... Make me," she said in a seductive but playful tone.
He smiled and kissed her. She was so surprised she had to push him away.
"What are you - Ah!" She tried to say but he quickly scooped her up in his arms, one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, and carry her to the ship. "You pervert!" She kicked and softly pounded his chest until they got on board. Ash relented and just relaxed.
"So we heading out are do you two need some more time?" Garrus asked the two.
"We're good," John replied. "I'll get us going."
The flight took around five hours to reach the Hydra system. There the wormhole existed. It was a large distortion in the fabric of space, like the ripples on still water. It was a beautiful sight.
"That's the wormhole?" Tali asked.
"Yes. You can see how it could be easily missed. Unless you have special sensors, you run into it or know where it is, it can be easily missed. Oh before I forget."
He got up turned to them and placed his hands on Tali's and Ash's shoulders. His eyes glowed for a second he then did the same with Garrus and Chakwas. He then looked at them with normal eyes.
"I just gave you guys an understanding of my galaxy's languages. Now you ready?"
His four friends nodded.
"Then let's do this."
John sat down in the pilot seat and engaged the thrusters and flew the ship right into the distortion. Everything around the ship glowed bright white light with a slight blue hue. The group had to look away due to its brightness. The light finally dimmed revealing to them a large blue gas giant.
"This is..." Garrus said but stopping himself.
"My galaxy," John replied.
"Where do we go from here?" Chakwas asked.
Before anyone else could say anything a ship twice the size of an alliance cruiser approached. It was shaped like a from an old vid called star wars the difference was the middle was rectangular. The surface was more flat and curricular. There was also a image of a four winged eagle with a red block on the top right and bottom left. It was also the same with white but on the opposite side it also had a number of shapes on each colour. It was obviously built for space combat.
"Unknown vessel," a voice, that spoke galactic standard, said over the comm. "This is the TKV Skolvanga. Identify yourself or we will be forced to impound your vessel."
John activated the ship's comm system to answer back. "This is High Commander Prince Jol'an Shardan Authorization code: Tolma solta honha jak toc garta."
There was a silence.
"My lord!" the voice said back. "It is an honour to be speaking with you. I apologize for using your time."
"You were following procedure, soldier. What's your name?"
"Star Captain Rincan Holansa. Now I'm detecting several other life signs in your vessel."
"Guests of mine. Ashley Williams. Garrus Vakarian. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. Karin Chakwas."
"Understood fly into our cargo bay."
Shepard flew their spaceship into the large cargo bay that opened up to them. Garrus and Tali were glued to the windows as they approached the advance cruiser. They landed inside the sizeable cargo bay. Immediately the bay door shut close and the area pressurized.
"Deck has been pressurized and is now safe to leave," Shepard announced to his friends.
They followed John out of the ship. Several human like soldiers marched up to them. Tali, Garrus and Chakwas still were uneasy at the approaching group of soldiers. The Captain approached John and immediately saluted him. The other soldiers followed right after.
"It is an honour to be in your presence, Commander."
"Captain Holansa, I presume?"
"You are correct, Commander. We've heard news of the victory against Sovereign. Congratulations."
"We still have a war ahead, but we are on the track towards victory."
"Now what do we owe the pleasure of having you back?"
"I am re-establishing the Sentinel Knight Order and I am going to knight Ashley Williams, Garrus Vakarian and Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."
"Considering circumstances, a wise decision." The Captain looked to Ash, Garrus, Chakwas and Tali. He bowed his head out of respect. "An honour to meet the four of you." He looked back to Shepard. "We can take you all to the bridge. Travel to the Ark will take roughly ten minutes."
"Ten minutes?" Garrus barked. "Just how far away is the Ark?"
"It's outside of the galaxy," one of the soldiers answered.
"How's that even possible?"
"All of our ships can create a Quantum portal that can send us anywhere instantaneously."
John's group followed the soldiers into the bridge where they got a large view of the space before them. The navigator mumbled something in her native tongue. Shepard's crew could not understand what she said but assumed that the language understanding needed some time to kick in. She then announced to the bridge, "Preparing jump. 3... 2... 1... Go!"
Three objects where shot out of the ship. Everyone's eyes watched as it approached its target point. All three objects shot out a blue beam that connected them to each other. At that moment a bluish portal formed.
"Entering event horizon."
The ship entered the portal. The glass of the bridge tinted to decrease the brightness of the travel.
"John, what happens to the portal after we use it?" Tali asked.
"It disintegrates," he replied. "but we do leave some time for them to send us where we are going."
The travel didn't feel like ten minute. With the beautiful view they had, that ten minutes went by quickly. The travel ended and the Skolvanga exited the Portal. The sight before them was magnificent. The Ark was an enormous structure that consisted of two cones facing up and down. There was also a ring around the middle with towers bent towards the middle. Surrounding it where magnificent views of the other galaxy's.
"Holy..." Ash whispered.
"Keelah..." Tali muttered.
"Spirits..." Garrus said under his breath.
"My god..." Chakwas gasped.
"Welcome to the Ark." the Captain greeted.
-
As the ship docked Shepard's group moved to the door. They waited at the exit for the pressurisation to be complete. Once the pressurisation was complete the team and the crew of the ship left it. They walked across the docking bay with the Tiberian crew surrounding Shepard and his crew.
"Errr John why are the crew surrounding us?" Ash asked him while holding his hand.
"I've been gone a lone time. The media will be a nightmare." he answered.
At that moment the door to the bay burst opened and people with cameras and microphones came running up to them.
"Here we go. Captain keep them at bay I don't want the media to bother me until I get to Tiberia."
"Yes my lord." the Captain replied as the crowed where blocked by the crew.
The media screamed at the Prince begging for an interview. But they just ignored them.
Shepard and his friends walked towards the Ministers Chamber. The excitement of his four friends showed were beyond enthused.
"This place is amazing!" Tali said. "It's enormous!"
"It makes the Citadel look like Omega," Garrus joked.
"How big is this station?" Chakwas asked.
"In terms of mass, it is ten times heavier than the Citadel," John answered.
"Wow that's... big." Ash said.
They walked by a window and saw dozens of scientists working on what appeared to be ship remains.
"Whoa!" Garrus exclaimed. "Are my eyes deceiving me, or are those remains of Sovereign?"
"Yeah," John answered. "Several operatives on the Citadel collected some remains and brought them back here for analysis. Anything we can learn from Sovereign can greatly aid the war effort. Though we only took enough to analysis. Didn't want to raise suspicion. Now you three ready to meet the Ministers?"
"As ready as we can be," Chakwas answered.
"Let's do this." Ash said nervously.
The doors opened before them into a small, but well design chamber. Tali made immediate notice of the minimalist use of space for the chamber. The Council Chamber was so immense in comparison. Very wasteful of space. Here it was a good amount of space to hold meetings.
Her eyes were then drawn to the individuals who stood at their podiums with flags behind them. These races were so different from her galaxy. They also seemed happier. Very odd considering all they face twenty years ago. John did explain to her that the races of this galaxy see themselves as one people with different cultures. But each race saw themselves as a
"Welcome back, Commander," the Aqult Minister greeted. "We've read over your report. We are very impressed. This blow against the Reapers will buy us the time we need to finish the construction of our fleet."
"Thank you, Ministers," Shepard said humbly. "But I could not have done it without my crew and loyal friends."
"I see you've brought a few of them here," the Exocron Minister chirped in. "May the creator be with you for assisting him in his mission."
"We will continue assisting him in his mission," Garrus said.
"We've also read in your report that during your mission, you struck a mighty blow against Cerberus," the Tiberian Minister mentioned.
"Many of their bases lay in ruin and I've managed to download many of their files," John said. "I sent one copy to the Systems Alliance and here. Hopefully the information will prove vital to ending them. Though I've already forwarded my decision to re-establish the Sentinel Knights."
"Yes. If you wish, we can proceed right now. Your actions will be official."
John nodded and turned to Ash, Tali and Garrus. "Step forward. And go down on one knee."
The three walked up to him and went down on one knee and bowed their heads. John took out his blade. He light touched both of Garrus' shoulders with the flat of his blade and declared, "From hence forth you shall be known as Sentinel Garrus Vakarian." John turned his attention to Tali and did the same to her. "From hence forth you shall be known as Sentinel Tali'Zorah." he tuned to Ash and did the same "From hence forth you shall be known as Sentinel Ashley Williams. You may stand." They did so right away.
"You are now Sentinel Knights. Your loyalties are not to me, nor to the JFU but to the people. To protect them from the evils that emerge from the shadows. Never shall an innocent be needlessly sacrificed in the pursuit of justice. Never shall you give into your fears and allow it to control you. Your strength is derived from your willpower and morality. Congratulations to the three of you."
"We won't let you down," Ash said.
"I know you two won't. The resources of the JFU are open to you, so if you ever be in any help during my two-year absence, do not hesitate to ask. Now how about a tour of the Ark I'm sure you Four are dying to have a look around."
-
4 days have passed since their knighthood. John managed to take them to a lot of the main locations around Nexus. Every where they went they encountered fans of Shepard. He wasn't just a hero to them. John was a saviour.
Their stay at the station would last for another several days before they could go to Tiberia. A party as set for the return of the prince. While John was sorting some things out Garrus went to test out the latest weapons. Chakwas went to a Tiberian medical class and Tali wanted to see the tech. But she was also asked to test out a Qurrian immunity booster she gladly accepted.
Ash on the other hand was just bothered as she walked through the market with a Tiberian guard. The entire time she was there John had been occupied with Tiberian problems. Stuff like the economy, population and other stuff. She could not blame him. He was gone a long time and needed to sort things out.
But at least he spent his nights with her. As she walked the sound of soft music met her ears. She followed the sound and came out into a large chamber covered in white sheets. The place was not too crowed and everyone wore white clothing and sat in a large circle with an statue of the goddess in the middle. She became interested.
"What's happening?" she asked the guard.
The guard looked at the scene in front of him.
"Looks like someone's getting married." she replied.
"Why is everything white?"
"Its the Ocean goddess' colour."
Before Ash could say anything else a man and a woman walked into the centre. They both said something before kissing. At that moment the crowd burst into applause and cheers.
The crowed then when over to tabled with food and drink on then and celebrated. Ash smiled and started to wonder if this kind of marriage would happen to her. She walked off and noticed a cloths shop with the latest fashion.
She stopped and looked inside the window. There was a dress that looked like a Chinese dress but with slits along the skirt and long baggy sleeves. It had a beautiful white and pick colour to it. Just like her armour.
She then looked at the price and sighed.
"What is it?" the guard asked.
"Look at the price."
the guard looked at the price.
"So?"
"That's how much I have left. I like it but I don't know when I would ware it."
"You could ware it to the party on Tiberia. And when you and the Prince bond and besides it is a traditional Tiberian dress. It would be good to have it to remind you of this univerce."
Ash slowly nodded and went inside.
* * *
The next day Shepard, Ash, Garrus and Chakwas waited for Tali. Ever since she had the operation she avoided them but moved around the market a lot.
"When is she going to get here?" Garrus said in annoyance.
"Well is the first time she's been out of her suit. She's probably enjoying the moment." Ash said.
At that moment a light purple skinned black haired woman approached. All four of just stared at her. The silvery eyes pierced each one of them. She also wore a cloth that was on Tali's suit. Underneath she wore a modified Aqult dress.
The skirt went down to her ankles while the shirt covered her top and the sides of her belly. Any of her skin that was still showing was covered by fishnet strings.
"Hello." she said in a familiar voice.
"T... Tali." Ash gasped.
"Holy..." Chakwas said. "That's why I like Tiberian medical Tech."
Tali smirked as they boarded the Alkoto a Tiberian frigate the size of an Turrian cruiser that was set to go to Tiberia. They could at last see John's home world. They took their seats and strapped themselves in. The ship was empty except for the crew.
As the light from the portal disappeared they got up and went over to the window. Through it there was a world much like Earth. A big blue and green marble. Surrounding the planet where space docks and construction yards. It was clear that they where preparing for war.
The ship then docked onto a station that was connected to the planet. The group left the ship.
"What is this place?" Tail asked.
"Well we call it a sky tower. But in human terms it is a space elevator. We use it it to transport people and equipment to and from the planet." he replied.
John then picked up four blue packets from a rack and handed them to his crew. They took them and looked at him.
"What are these?" Garrus asked with curiosity.
"Anti-radio bands. They emit a skin tight shield around the wearer to prevent radiation from affecting them. They also filter out the radiation when people touch you, when you eat or drink and the air."
" Keelah. That's cool." Tali said.
They ripped the bags open and took out small golden rings. They fitted them onto one of their fingers. The rings gave a bleep.
"The shield is now active and don't worry about the power they can last for a year before they need to be changed."
they started at him. Tiberian technology still baffled them and still amazed them. John then indicated them to follow him. They then walked to the centre of the station. A cylindrical object sat in the middle of the station with doors open. They walked in and took seats next to each other.
"Errr John question." Tali asked. "How to we get down to the planet?"
"Controlled free fall. The locks holding us up will release and the motors will guide us down into the atmosphere at which point the boosters and cable will lower us slowly." he answered calmly.
At that moment there was a loud clank and they started to move. They got closer and closer to the planet safety harnesses came down and locked in. as they entered the atmosphere the sound of jets met their ears. The sun seeped through the windows. After a short amount of time they stopped.
"To be honest I thought it was going to be more bumpy." Chakwas said as the harness's let the five of them up.
"Well the lift has inertial dampeners for a smother ride." he replied.
As they got up a woman came up to them. Her dress was remarkably similar to Ashley's new dress except that it was black and gold.
John recognized her. "Ki'sla."
She just gave him a slight smile. "Hello Jol'an." her eyes then turned to Ash and walked over to her.
"You Ashley Williams?" she asked with a deathly stare.
Ash just stared back. "Yeah what it to you?" she replied.
"You, Tali and Karin have to come with me."
All three of them looked over to Shepard who nodded with a smile. Still unsure they followed the well dressed woman through one door while Shepard and Garrus went through another.
Tali, Ash and Karin took their first steps onto Tiberia. They looked out in awe at the city. The city had skyscrapers the size of mountains. Skycars flew all over the place. And people moving about with party equipment.
But what was most amazing was how clean the air was. It was like a colony atmosphere. They sky was a brilliant blue.
"Wow its so beautiful." Ash manages to get out.
* * *
Several hours later Shepard and Garrus waited inside the capitol building. They had toured Techron City without the girls. Since there was going to be a party to celebrate John's return. It was tradition for the prince to spent the day with his male friends while his female friends where prepared for the party.
It was not out of religion but out out superstition. Garrus had learnt that while they where not too religious they where superstitious.
"Err Shepard why did the girls not come with us?" Garrus asked
"It is believed that having your girlfriend or any of your female friends with you will bring bad fortune to your relationship. I know it is sexist but it has been part of our culture for years." John replied.
At that moment a door behind them opened and both of them turned to see the girls come in. All three of them where dressed in traditional Tiberian dresses. Only Ashley wore the dress she bought while Tali and Chakwas wore hired dresses.
They approached as both the mouths on Shepard and Garrus dropped.
"Well boys what do you think?" Tali asked.
The Turian was speechless as was the Prince.
"You look amazing. All three of you." John said earning a giggle from all three of them. At that moment a loud cheer came from outside the door. They all turned to face the door and Ash took John's hand.
"Ho and before I forget Ash, Chakwas don't drink any Tiberian Alcohol. It will have you under the table with a drop."
Ash turned to him. "Its that powerful?" she asked.
John just smiled and nodded. The doors in front of them opened and they all walked out into a cheering crowd. The four newcomers looked at the large crowd of large people. The streets where decorated with Tiberian flags of different colours. Kid with their faces painted and colours confetti raining down.
They approached a set of microphones and cameras. John then raised his had to stop the crowd from cheering.
"My people." he spoke into the microphones. "It has been years since I set foot on home. Every where I look I can see the scars of the infection. People morning the loss of family's, friends and love ones. But our revenge will happen. An enemy that was lost sight 50'000 years ago has returned. When they come we will show them the strength and might of Tiberia. Our world may have suffered the loss of my father your king. But we will recover. Our will was shown thorough millennia of war. Through the worst times but we have always made it through. And when we will face our enemy we will show then the true power of TIBERIA!"
The crowed yelled as fireworks and music started.
"But tonight we will celebrate and honour those who where lost during the infection Let the party begin."
The crowd cheered and started to dance. The message was broadcasted across the JFU. The other races may not have been part of the message but out of sympathy they felt it was their duty to listen and party with their Tiberian friends.
John and his friends partied with the other Tiberians. Despite not knowing them for long they got the jest of how the dances where supposed to go. Ash sat down as John danced. He wasn't a good dancer but with these Tiberian dances he had a good rhythm to it.
The music started to fade to her and the lights went black. Then the surroundings went black. She got up and looked around her friends where not there any more. A woman then appeared in front of her. She wore a Tiberian dress with pads on the chest, shoulders and legs. She looked remarkably like Ash.
"Who are you?" Ash asked.
"I'm Lota Wilaku. Your ancestor Ashley." she said.
"My ancestor?"
"Yes. I was the last of the Wilaku family 50'000 years ago."
"When the Reapers came to this universe."
"Yes. Listen its not time for the prince to know. But you should know. Do you know why your family always joins up with a military?"
Ash gave it some thought. Her family was always part of some kind of military but she never knew why. She shook her head in response.
"It is because I'm Tiberian."
Ash's eyes widened. Her family was always different but again she never knew why. But she never expected to be partially Tiberian.
"How?"
"It is not time for you to know. But I can offer you a gift."
"Gift?"
"Your Tiberian DNA is not fully diluted. I can give you the knowledge on how to control it."
"How?"
"All you have to do is meditate."
And with that Lota disappeared and Ash found herself looking at John.
"Ash you ok?" he asked.
She just nodded. What ever happened she could not say anything about it. A part of her family life that no one knew about had just shown itself.
The party on Tiberia lasted for two weeks. Afterwards Shepard and his crew returned to the milky way ready to face what was about to come.
"Disengaging FTL drives," Joker announced as the Normandy dropped out of FTL. "Emissions sink active. Board is green, we are running silent."
"We're wasting our time," Pressley dismissed while looking over operations reports. "Four days searching up and down this sector and we haven't found any evidence of Geth activity."
"Three ships went missing here in the past month," Joker reminded him. "Something happened to them."
"My money's on slavers. The Terminus system is crawling with them."
"Picking up something on the long range scanner," one of the co-pilots notified the two. She looked at the LADAR trying to examine what has been detected. "Unidentified vessel. Hmm... Looks like a cruiser."
"Doesn't match any known signatures," Joker observed.
In the distance a vessel appeared from the glare from the planet's horizon.
"Cruiser is changing course," she said. "Now on intercept trajectory."
"Can't be!" Pressley argued. "Stealth systems are engaged. There's no way a get ship could possibly-"
"It's not the Geth!" Joker gasped. "Brace for evasive manoeuvres!"
The cannon of the unsymmetrical, organic-like vessel charged up in a yellow light. The cannon fired. The Normandy tried evading the particle beam but the left engine was hit by the attack. Inside several explosions went off from the attack. Pressley's console exploded instantly killing him.
"Pressley!" the co-pilot screamed. She tried to get up but her console exploded killing her as well. Several fires burned in the cockpit.
"Kinetic barriers are down!" Joker read off the warnings to the other co-pilot. He ran through many menus and controls to respond to the damage and to evade the attacks. "Multiple hull breaches. Weapons off-line. Somebody get that fire out!"
Down below the decks, Shepard rushed out of his quarters. He ran to the back of the sleeping pod area and checked the ship's status as he placed his helmet on. Ashley came up behind him with armour and helmet on.
"John!" Ash called to get his attention. "Will the Alliance here in time?"
Hal's helmet hissed as the seals clamped down. "The Alliance won't abandon us. We just need to hold on." he picked up a fire extinguisher and started putting out one of the many fires that were blazing. "Get everyone on the escape shuttles."
"Joker is still in the cockpit and you're here," she argued. "If you and him not leaving, neither am I."
A small explosion went off which caused him to stumble towards her. "I need you to make sure the crew gets out in the escape pods. I'll take care of Joker and get out."
with those words Ashley became afraid. She knew she had to let him go but it's was still hard for her to accept.
He turned to go but she grabbed on to his arm.
"NO.."
He looked back at her, "Ash."
Ash's let her tears fell as she took her helmet off. "I.. I.. can't let you."
John took off his own helmet and looked at her. "Ash..."
"I love you. I don't want you to leave." she cried wrapping her arms around him.
"Ash I have to do this. I'll be back I swear."
She looked at him and moved her hand around the back of her neck to remove the necklace that John gave her. He noticed what she was doing and stopped her.
"No I gave you that for a reason. I means that my heart only belongs to you."
She stopped and smiled. This time John took his blade off his forearm and handed it to her.
"Look after this for me."
She took it and looked up into his eyes once again. Those eyes she won't see for 2 years. She moved in and both their lips met. Pulling away she looked at him with tears still flowing from her eyes.
"Come back to me."
"I will." John said before putting his helmet back on. He activated the ship's fire suppressant systems as Ash went to help the crew escape.
She caught up to a group of crew members evacuating. She stood outside of the escape pod and waved them to get in. "Everyone get in. Go, go, go! Chakwas and several others jumped into the pod."
One crew member tried to make a run for the pod, but an explosion went off sending her into the wall. The impact broke her back and neck killing her. she shook her head and went inside the pod. She activated the pod and launched out.
John felt the ship shake. There was no one left on the ship to save except for Joker. It was time to abandon ship. He turned and moved to reach the cockpit.
He walked through the mass effect field that kept the cockpit pressurized. He rushed to Joker. "Joker, we need to get out of here!"
Joker was wearing his emergency space mask to provide him with oxygen in a vacuum. "No! I won't abandon the Normandy. I can still save her!"
"The Normandy is lost, Joker. There's no use in going down with the ship."
Joker sighed. "Yeah, okay. Help me get out of here." As John lifted Joker out of the chair, Joker noticed the proximity alarm. "Look out they're making another pass!"
The cruiser fired its beam at the Normandy. The beam annihilated much of the top deck and the CIC. It was now or never for getting off of the Normandy. Shepard roughly grabbed Joker's arm, breaking it.
"Ow! Watch the arm!"
John moved Joker towards the escape pod and got him inside. The Normandy broke apart making his footing unstable. Shepard was launched back towards the wall. He grabbed the corner and held himself to the ground. The vessel's beam weapon was between him and the escape pod. There was no way for him to reach it.
"Commander!" Joker called out to him.
The ship shook making him loose his footing again. Just before he floated away, Jon punched the escape pod panel allowing it to launch.
"Shepard!" Joker screamed before the doors closed in front of him.
An explosion went off sending him into a wall. He could feel many of his bones break from the impact. he couldn't feel his legs. His back must have broken. He flung out of the Normandy like a rag doll. The pain was agonizing. The cruiser fired one last beam ensuring the Normandy exploded completely. John watched as his ship was destroyed and the cruiser, that did it, quickly escaped using FTL.
Now it was time John slowly fell asleep as the oxygen left his suit.
20. Chapter 16: Awakened
Chapter 16: Awakened
Tali'Zorah was preparing for her next mission. She had been tense since she heard where it was going to be. Freedom's Progress. A Quarian by the name of Veetor sent a message from there saying he was in trouble. It was too vague to really understand what he meant by that. Tali was being sent there with a dozen marines to investigate and rescue him.
After two years her feeling for John disappeared. Now she just saw him as a friend a very good friend. She slid her helmet back on. Ever she got the implant to reinforce her immune system she tried to spend as much time out of her suit. She had also got a number of Tiberian upgrades for her suit.
The upgrades included a built in heads up display, a done jammer and a automated hack module. She also requested them to remove the filter from her suit so that she could breath the air. In respect she never regretted finding the Tiberian Data block. With that lucky mistake her life changed for the better.
As she fitted her helmet on her HUD activated and alerted her to a message. Tali cautiously opened the message.
'The Rebirth is done prepare for his arrival.'
-
A shot was fired killing the last Blue Suns mercenary in an ambush that was planned by Archangel and his vigilante corp. Credits were taken from the bodies. Archangel watched his soldiers destroy the drug shipment. One of his soldiers who wore a armoured body suit walked up to him.
"Commander Archangel," she said. "I have received a message over the subspace network."
"And the message?"
"He is coming back."
-
Ash sat on her bead reading the book about Tiberian poetry she got for her birthday 2 years ago. Ever since he died she never put it down. The stuff about love, honour and duty always touched her. She also mediated from time to time to learn how to control her Tiberian powers. She could not do any biotic stuff but her senses where heightened and her body was stronger and tougher.
When he died she spent a couple of months to get over him. She spent her time on the Ark training. She also got a few upgrades for her armour and implants. Her instincts told her that she needed them. They rarely lied to her before.
She sighed closed the book and curled up on her bed. She missed him. At that moment her holo optic implant activated alerting her about a new message. She opened it.
'Lady Williams he is returning.' it read.
She smiled deactivated the implant and fell asleep.
"About time." she muttered.
-
"Shepard, wake up!" a voice screeched over the rooms speaker. It was the same one he heard the first time he woke up. Miranda. "I need you to wake up! This facility is under attack!"
John's eyes slowly opened. Pain shot through his body. He sat up and felt pain jolt in his rib. Shepard grabbed the area where it stung. Next was his jaw. He rubbed it. Shepard could feel the scars that haven't healed over. His mouth was very dry. Finally he could see the urgency. There were gunfights happening all around him.
"Your scars haven't healed yet, Shepard. You need to grab your armour and weapon from the locker next to you."
'Scars? Damn those won't heal fast.' he thought.
He jumped of and pulled open the locker. Inside was Onyx armour and a standard pistol. He put the armour on as fast as he could. Shepard forgo putting the helmet on. Despite its HUD system, he still felt it was too restrictive. He needed to show his face when talking to people. Shepard didn't want to go speak to them using a mouth of a helmet.
He examined the pistol and realized, "You gave me a pistol without a thermal clip."
"It's a med bay-" It looked like the woman was viewing the room remotely because she noticed the gas canisters that were on fire. "Shit! Get to some cover!"
Shepard duck down behind the operating table and heard the tanks explode. He looked back and saw the explosion created a large hole in the doors.
"Why the hell you would give me a pistol without a thermal clip?" he demanded while moving towards the hole.
"Security procedure," she replied quickly. "Look, Shepard, I need you to trust me. I need to get you out of here alive. Someone hacked security to try and kill you. Just try and find a thermal clip."
Luckily there happened to be a thermal clip on the other side of the hole. Shepard picked it up and loaded it into his pistol. 'Why was I so rude? I don't really need a pistol to defend myself. Oh, yeah. I'm in a Cerberus base. Just remember she's got cameras on you.'
Shepard entered the next room and saw a barricade. Miranda made mention of the barricade. Did she think he was blind? She then warned him of the single mech.
He didn't hesitate. He shot it directly in the head causing it to explode.
"Shepard, mechs are closing in on your position! Don't take any chances. Get to some cover."
Shepard merely smiled. The door opened revealing a couple of mechs. Three more came from the room on the left. He waited behind cover until they were all grouped together. Shepard vaulted over his cover and biotically charged at the group. They were blown away to pieces.
Shepard moved forward, seeing the battle go on around the station. He entered a room and found himself on an overlook. There was a grenade launcher and a dead body there. He picked it up and smiled.
"Here come the mechs!" Miranda notified him. "Use that grenade launcher against them."
Shepard sighed. 'Is she honestly talking to him like he's some recruit?' "Any over helpful hints?" he remarked. "Like it's best to aim the barrel away from you? Or pulling trigger makes things go boom?"
"I'm just trying to help."
"Look I know how to handle myself," he said while firing a grenade at the group of mechs. "I do however appreciate the thought." He walked onto the elevator. "But the help I require is which way to go."
Miranda let out a small chuckle. "Very well. I apologize. You are heading the right away. And- Damn it I got mechs closing in on me!" The radio went quiet.
Shepard doubled time it until he discovered a battle under way. A soldier was taking cover, firing at some mechs. Shepard fired a pistol round, destroying the head of one of the mechs. He slid into cover next to the guy.
"Shepard?" he gasped. "What are you doing here? I thought you were a work in progress."
"I just woke up," he replied. "You probably have a better grasp on the situation than I do."
"Right, sorry about that," he apologized. "I'm Jacob Taylor. I've been stationed here-"
A round skid across his cover barely missing him.
"Damn it!" he cursed. Jacob jumped out of cover and blew the head off of one of the mechs with his pistol. "Things must be worst off if Miranda has you running around. I'll fill you in, but first we should get you to the shuttle."
"It's your station, I'll follow you."
"First step—let's finish off these metal bastards. I'm a biotic, so just tell me when you want me to hit them with the good stuff."
Shepard took a deep breath and stood up. Aiming his pistol snapshot the mechs heads. They all exploded .
"Damn, Shepard... Remind me not to piss you off." Jacob holstered his pistol. "You ready to get the hell off of this station?"
"What's the quickest way to those shuttles?"
"Depends where the mechs are thickest. It's probably bets if we-"
A voice over the radio interrupted him. "Check. Check. Anyone on this frequency? Anybody still out there? Hello?"
"Wilson?" Jacob answered. "This is Jacob. I'm here with Commander Shepard. Just took out a wave of mechs in D wing."
"Shepard's awake? Good, good. You need to get him the hell out of there. Get to the service tunnels and head for the network control room."
"Roger that, Wilson. Stay on this frequency."
"Let's get out of here," Shepard said.
"Right. The service tunnel is right through this door."
They went through the door and found the room filled with mechs.
"Sonofa!" Jacob cursed as the two shot the mechs before them. "Wilson this room is crawling with mechs!"
"The whole station is crawling with mechs!" he yelled back. "I'm doing the best I can."
"Find us another route. Preferably one without mechs."
"Oh god they found me!" Wilson yelled over the comm. "Help!"
"Wilson, where are you?" Jacob asked while Shepard and he exited the room.
"Server room B. Hurry! They're out of control!"
Jacob and Shepard doubled timed it up the stairs. Server room B was right at the top of the stairs. Wilson was sitting up against a crate.
"Jacob! Shepard! Down here! Bastards got me in the leg."
"Hold on, I'll get you some medi-gel," Shepard said as he walked over to the medical locker. He took out several vials of medi-gel. Shepard went to Wilson and applied some medi-gel to his gun wound.
"Thanks, Shepard," he said as he got to his feet. "I guess that makes us even. I was trying to see if I could deactivate the security mechs from here when the mech got me in the leg."
"We weren't asking what you doing," Jacob said in an accusing tone. "You don't even have security mech clearance. You were in the bio-wing."
"Weren't you listening? I was trying to fix this. Besides, I was shot! How do you explain that?"
"I don't know who either of you are, so frankly you both suspicious to me," Shepard interrupted. "For now we get the hell out of here and then we sort things out."
"We need to find Miranda first."
"Forget about Miranda!" Wilson said. "She was over in D wing. The mechs were all over that sector. There's no way she survived."
"A bunch of mechs won't drop Miranda. She's alive."
"Then where is she? Why haven't we heard from her? There are only two explanations. Either she's dead or she's a traitor."
"She was guiding me earlier to safety, so that rules out traitor," Shepard said.
"Okay, maybe not traitor, but the chances of her being alive are slim. You're more important to get out alive than Miranda. We shouldn't risk going to look for-" The doors on the other side of the room opened revealing a group of mechs. "Ah, shit!"
The three ducked into cover. Wilson activated his omni-tool and overloaded the canisters, destroying the group of mechs.
"Come on, let's get out of here," Shepard ordered. He was walking to the door when Jacob chirped in.
"We took them down, but this is getting intense. Shepard, if I tell you who we're working for, will you trust us?"
"This really isn't the time, Jacob," Wilson cautioned.
"We're not going to get through this if he's expecting to be shot in the back."
"If you want to piss off the boss, then it's your head."
"The Lazarus project, the program that rebuilt you... Is a Cerberus initiative."
"I know," Shepard said in an irritated grumble.
"You do?" Jacob said while doing a double take. "How?"
Shepard pointed to one of dozens of Cerberus emblems that littered the building. "You guys really need to know the term secret."
"Right... The Alliance gave you up for dead. Cerberus spent a fortune to bring you back. Look, I'd be suspicious too. But right now we need to work together. I just thought you deserved to know. Apparently I was too slow to tell you. Once we're off the station, we'll take you to the Illusive Man. He'll explain everything. I promise."
"You shouldn't make promises for a man who goes by a synonym of "the deceiving man", very foolhardy. Let's just get out of here."
The three went into the shuttle bay. With the crates scattered all around. As they entered Shepard immediately sensed a Tiberian presence. As far as he knew no Tiberains would be with Cerberus. Maybe something changed. He did not know.
He and Jacob were able to use the ctates with their biotics to crush the several groups of mechs effortlessly. They went towards the launch room.
"Come on, the shuttle is right through-" The doors opened before him. Miranda stood there with an angry look on her face. "Miranda, I thought you were de-" Bang! Miranda fired a round in his neck.
"Dead?"
Shepard look at her. The Tiberian presence he sensed hit him head on.
'She's Tiberian?' he thought. But then he realised that the presence was dull. The presence must have been his imagination or something else.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jacob demanded.
"My job," she replied plainly. "Wilson betrayed us all."
"We should have taken him in for questioning," Shepard said.
"Too risky. I spent two years on this project, and I wasn't about to risk it to bring him in."
"You further risked it by not," Shepard pointed out. "Now we have no idea if he was working for someone, if there are more agents, or what his motivations were. By killing him you destroyed all possibilities of finding out!" He crouched down and activated his omni-tool.
"What are you doing?" Miranda asked.
"Since you killed Wilson, I'm downloading his omni-tool files to see if I can find anything. After I get the files, then you can take me to see the Illusive Man."
Miranda sighed. "Ah, Jacob. I should have known your conscious would get the better of you."
"Actually, he figured it out on his own," Jacob said.
"How?"
"Your trademarks are all over the station, Cerberus is not known for subtlety" Shepard said while finishing up the download. "All right, downloads down. Let's get out of here."
-
The shuttle flew away from the Lazarus station and made a jump towards its destination. Shepard stared out of the window of the shuttle.
"Before we meet with the Illusive Man, we need to ask a few questions to evaluate your condition," Miranda notified Shepard.
"Come on, Miranda," Jacob pleaded. "More tests? Shepard took down those mechs effortlessly. That has to be good enough."
"It's been two years since the attack," Miranda said. "The Illusive Man needs to know that Shepard's personality and memories are intact. Ask the questions."
"Let's just get it over with," Shepard muttered.
Miranda looked to Jacob. "Start with personal history."
"Okay," Jacob relented. "Records show you have no known history before you where found in space on a shuttle. You where then adopted by a freelance advisor couple. When you where 16 you single handedly held off a Batarian slave raid. You remember that "
"There where a lot of inoccent people on that world. I just could not stand by and let them enslave a world."
"Very admirable. Most would have turned tail and run. You later enlisted and got a medal defending Elysium from Batarian slavers. Do you remember that?"
"A lot of lives depended on me holding that position. I did what I had to."
"However you wanted to put it, it was damn impressive. I had friends who were there." Jacob pulled up another file on his omni-tool. "About a year later your squad was sent to Akuze to investigate the colony and ended up being ambushed by a nest of Thresher Maws. You managed to get most of your squad out of there at the expense of sacrificing your seat on the shuttle to the last soldier in your squad. Do you remember that?"
"Yes, and you know what I also remember?"
"What?"
"That it turned out to be a Cerberus experiment to study Thresher Maws. An experiment that nearly cost my life. You have any idea how sour Thresher Maw meat is? So I ask you, are you okay with the idea with sending not one but two Alliance squads into a Thresher Maw nest?"
"There are certain actions I have disagreed with..."
"Right, a neutral answer. Carry on with your questions."
Jacob pulled up another file. "A year after that was the Battle of Torfan. You managed to go behind the Batarian snipers with your squad completely undetected. After the battle was through, one of your officers was going to execute one of the Batarian prisoners, but you stopped him. Why?"
"Those slavers do deserve what's coming to them, death. After all the things they have done. But... Killing in cold blood is not the way. Allowing the execution to take place would have forever tainted him, and would allow his hatred, anger and fear to control him for the rest of his life. In short: I stopped him from becoming a monster. I also didn't like the fact that they where unarmed."
"That is enlightening... Satisfied, Miranda?"
"Almost. Let's try something more recent. Virmire. Where you destroyed Saren's cloning facility. You had to leave one of your squad mates behind to die in the blast."
"Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was killed in the blast," Jacob finished. "It was your call. Why did you leave him behind?"
"I left a friend of mine to die that day, and I did not do it casually. I had to save as many people as I could. Kaidan gave his life for the rest of the team. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to stop Saren. He died a hero."
"I understand, Commander. And I wasn't judging your decision. Everyone here at Cerberus knows that facility had to go."
"Shepard, think back to the Citadel," Miranda said, "after the Alliance saved the Destiny Ascension, and you killed Saren. What happened next?"
"Humanity was offered a spot on the Council. I recommended Captain Anderson for the position."
"Yes, Captain Anderson is now Councilor Anderson. Though from what I hear, he preferred life in the military."
"Still, good to know that the human Council member isn't going to put politics ahead of defence," Jacob commented.
"Your memory seems solid," Miranda said. "But there are other tests we should-"
"Come on, Miranda," Jacob said. "Enough with the quizzes. The memories are there and I can personally vouch for Shepard's combat skills personally."
"I suppose you're right. We'll have to hope the Illusive Man accepts our little field test as evidence enough."
'Well that was interesting. But know all I have to do is seduce him.' Miranda thought. 'Then he'll be mine.'
-
Shepard walked into a darkened room with a blue ring on the floor. As soon as he stepped onto the ring a scan activated. 'A Quantum Entanglement Device,' he thought to himself. 'Another piece of technology you stole from us. Malkiam (Tiberian word for rudest version of bastards).'
There Shepard saw the man he hated for so long. The Illusive Man. His hair had gone grey since the last time they met. He sat in a chair in front of a view of a dying sun. TIM took a puff of his cigarette. "Commander Shepard," he said while releasing the smoke from his lungs.
"Illusive Man," Shepard said back. "I thought we'd be meeting face-to-face."
"A necessary precaution. Not unusual for people who know what we know."
Smart, but cowardly. If the Illusive Man was before him, Shepard didn't think he could restrain himself from beating the man half to death. He wouldn't kill him outright. TIM would be brought in to face justice at the hands of his people. They deserve that much.
"What exactly do 'you and I know'?"
"That our place in the universe is more fragile than we'd like to think. That one man—one specific man—is all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat in our brief existence."
"The Reapers."
"Good to see that your memory's still intact. How are you feeling?"
"Skip the pleasantries. You have tried to have me killed at least a dozen times during my investigation into Saren and now you're saying that I may be this galaxy's greatest hope for survival. A bit hypocritical, is it not?"
"I never issued an order for your death. Far from it. As humanity's first Spectre, you are far more valuable alive. The cells you attacked were following their own directives and thought you were an Alliance soldier trying to shut them down. I had no involvement in their attempts to kill you. I'd appreciate it if we focus on the now and look pass the feelings you may have for me or this organization."
"What are the Reapers doing that prompted you to bring me back?"
"We're at war. No one wants to admit it, but Humanity is under attack. While you've been sleeping, entire colonies have been disappearing. Human colonies. We believe it is someone working for the Reapers. Just as Saren and the Geth aided Sovereign. You've seen it yourself. You bested all of them. That's just one reason we chose you."
"Sovereign was trying to harvest all life in the galaxy."
"Tens of thousands of humans have gone missing. I'd say that fits the definition of harvesting. The attacks have been random and isolated. Blaming the attacks on mercenaries or pirates is simple for the Alliance."
It made sense that the Reapers would try going after the Humans first. Shepard hated to say it, "If what you say is true. That the Reapers are behind this... I'd consider helping you." He reminded himself over and over that this is just to get to the goal of taking this organization down.
"I'd be disappointed if you just took me at my word. I have a shuttle to take you to Freedom's Progress, the latest Human colony to be abducted."
"Is this a volunteer job or am I being volunteered?"
"You always have a choice, Shepard. If you don't find what you're looking for, we can part ways. But first go to Freedom's Progress. Find any clues you can. Who's abducting the colonists? Do they have a connection to the Reapers? I brought you back. It's up to you to do the rest."
21. Chapter 17: Welcome back
**I know this I a short chapter but collages works is picking up. Also lack of inspiration sorry. **
Chapter 17: Welcome back
The shuttle was on route to the colony of Freedom's Progress. "We should be there shortly," Miranda announced. "The Illusive Man put us under your command. Do you have any orders?"
"Our primary objective is to look for look for survivors-"
"Highly unlikely," Miranda interrupted with a scoff. "No one was left at the other colonies. They were completely deserted."
"Still it would be nice not to find another ghost town," Jacob commented.
"Do me a favour and don't interrupt," Shepard remarked. That made Miranda and Jacob sit a little straighter. "If there are no survivors, we need to find any signs of battle, scorch marks from a ship thruster, or any other evidence that may suggest what happened. We clear?"
"Yes, sir," they both said.
"We've entered Freedom's Progress's atmosphere," the pilot announced. "There appears to be a battle going on, ground side."
"Looks like our abductor is still here," Miranda said. "Can you tell what's happening?"
"It's a battle between mechs and Quarians."
"Quarians? You sure?"
"Yes m'am. They're split into two groups. I'm bringing up a vid feed."
A video appeared before the three. One video showed a group of nine Quarians moving down an alleyway while fighting LOKI mechs. The other vid showed three female Quarians taking cover as three YMIR mechs rain down fire on their cover. Shepard looked closer at the video and saw a Quarian in the purple suit. A small red light flashed from the back of her suit.
As a YMIR mech came closer it locked onto the Qauarian and fired a rocket. It missed her completely and hit a building behind her. The mech then tried to use it's chain gun on her but once again missed.
"Ether that girl's lucky or that mech has bad programming." Jacob said.
"Maybe both." John said with a smile.
He then remembered of a device that did that kind of thing he witnessed.
'A drone jammer. Tali!' he thought.
"Pilot!" Shepard said. "I want you to fly over the site of the three female Quarians. I then want you to hover there."
"Aye, aye." The pilot flew the ship over the battle site. It was easily over 1,000 feet up in the air.
"Want to wait out the battle, Commander?" Miranda asked. "Smart move."
Shepard didn't say anything as he clipped on his breather helmet. "Miranda, give me your shuriken."
She raised a brow, but complied. Miranda pulled out her machine gun pistol and handed it to Shepard.
"Both of you put on your restraints and breather masks."
"Why do we need to-" Miranda tried to get out.
"That's an order," he said in a stern neutral tone.
The two did as he said. They were still confused why he would ask them to-
"Pilot, open the side door," he ordered.
The door hissed and wind filled the craft. It screamed as the pressure equalized.
"Are you mad?" Miranda screamed.
"Yep." Shepard smirked as he jumped out.
As he fell his omni tool activated and leg boosters kicked in. It slowed his decent but the downside was that the mechs got closer to Tali. He deactivated the busters and fell faster. The three YMIR mechs turned their attention to him. He landed in the middle of them and created a crater causing snow and dirt to fly up. The YMIR mechs were covered in the snow/dirt mixture. The dirt and snow settled and in place of the impact point.
"Threat detected!" one of the YMIR mechs announced.
He ran to the nearest mech and jumped on it. The other 2 tried to lock onto him but the drone jammer made it impossible. He then jumped off the mech and landed behind it. At that moment a missile came straight at him. He flipped over it took out he machine pistol and fired at the nearest mech.
It did little damage. He the ran up still firing the machine pistol as his body started to charge up with biotic power. He ran faster and faster as the mech's unleashed a barrage of missiles and bullets. He was only hit a few times but that did not stop him. He then slammed his fist into one of the mechs witch sent it flying into a wall and burst into pieces.
The other two mechs then tried to catch him in there sight but John was too fast. He managed to get behind one of them and ripped the armour off and put a grenade inside. He jumped back as the mech exploded. The final mech backed away a couple of feet.
This time the mech got a lock on him and fired a missile directly at him. His leg started to glow a pure white colour. The missile then came closer and closer he then spun round and kicked the missile back at the mech. The Qauarian stared at the human only one of them knew how he was.
The missile hit the mech and blew its arm off. It then used it's chain gun to try and take Shepard down. But he just ran up the the big walker and jumped on its shoulders. He then grabbed both sides of it's head and with a load growl and a straining noise it came off. Jumping off the mech exploded. He then dropped the head of the machine and smiled triumphantly.
The Qauarian in purple moved from cover walked towards him, cautiously.
"Tali, what are you doing?" one other Qauarians demanded. "Didn't you just see what he did?"
Tali didn't listen as she approached him. "Shepard is that you?" she asked.
"Hey, Tali," he said. "Did that Geth data I give you help you complete your Pilgrimage?"
"Y-Yes it did..." She continued walking to him. "Its good to have you back."
"Yeah good to be back. How have you been doing?"
"Quite well since you disappeared."
the other two Quarians then approached Tali.
"Who's this?" on of them asked.
"My old commander." she answered.
The Quarians stared at John with wide eyes.
"He's alive?"
'I'm going to get a lot of that.' he thought.
"Anyway we should locate the other squad." They moved forward to the location of the other squad. "What are you guys after?"
"One of our own his name is Veetor. He called for help when this colony was attacked. When we saw him, he was in shock. Ran like hell."
"He might be able to tell us what happened here." Activated his comm. "Lawson, this is Shepard. I've rendezvous with the Quarian squad and we're attempting to link up with the other squad. They came here to locate a Quarian who was here during the attack."
"Okay, first off, what the hell were you thinking?" Miranda yelled over the comm. "You could have killed yourself with that jump!"
"It was quicker than landing."
"Hmph. You said they were looking for a survivor?"
"Yes. Veetor."
"Do they have confirmation he's still here?"
"Yes. They spotted him. He was in a state of panic though."
"You need to take him in," she said. "Jacob and I can back you-"
"Negative," he replied. "I will not allow Cerberus interrogators come near him."
"Commander, with all due respect," Jacob jumped into the conversation, "he may be the only one who knows what happened."
"I know. But Veetor will go home with the Quarians because he maybe shocked by the ordeal. He needs to be with his own people."
"Yes, sir. Good luck."
"Good to see you're still the one giving the orders," Tali humorously remarked.
"The two don't seem too bad. Jacob seems to hate Cerberus a great deal as well, but just sick of Alliance lethargy. Miranda... Still not too sure about her. She's a loyalist, but she didn't come off as some of the Cerberus scum I've come across. Not to mention that I'm getting a strange feeling about her."
Tali shook her head. "When we find Prazza I'm going to kill him."
"What happened?"
"He was ordered to flank those YMIR mechs, but decided to take off to get Veetor." Tali looked into the open area. "There they are!"
Prazza and his squad he taking cover in a pre-fab unit while a small platoon of LOKI mechs. At least a dozen. Shepard cracked his knuckles and smiled.
Shepard jumped into the area drawing his assault rifle. He aimed and took several LOKI mechs before the others recognized the new threat. All of them aimed at Shepard and fired. Shepard just dogged the rounds coming at him as he fired.
Tali and her squad mates watched Shepard destroy mech after mech. "You really know how to pick them," one of them commented.
"Don't I," Tali sighed.
They watched Shepard decapitate the last standing mech and kick it in the chest to push it away before it exploded. It was time to go down. The Quarians who hid in the pre-fab unit poured out and had their weapon trained on him.
"Get down on your knees, Cerberus scum!" Prazza ordered him.
"Prazza stand down!" Tali ordered.
"Zorah, we spotted a Cerberus shuttle fly over head. This human is Cerberus."
"This human just saved your sorry ass," one of Tali's countered. "Do as Tali says and put down your weapons. The Commander is not our enemy."
"He's a Cerberus operative. We've been enemies since they tried to attack us."
"You better stand down now before I bust you down to cleaning duty," Tali roared.
Prazza lowered his weapon slightly. "Fine but why?"
"Because there is no one in the galaxy who hates Cerberus more than me," he answered. "This situation is complicated and I cannot explain it without a lot of people dying, but I assure you. I'm a good guy."
Prazza and his squad finally lowered their weapons. Tali walked up to him and punched him in the gut. "That's for disobeying my orders."
"Where's Veetor?" he asked the squad. One of them pointed to the pre-fab unit in the back of the area. "Considering his mental condition, it's probably best if just Tali and I go in to see him."
None of the marines argued.
Tali and Shepard entered the pre-fab unit and saw Veetor typing away at a console.
"Veetor," Shepard called out.
Veetor babbled while typing. "Monsters... Mechs will protect..."
"I don't think he can hear you, John," Tali said.
Shepard activated his omni-tool and waved it causing the screens to go into sleep mode. That broke Veetor's concentration. He turned around and stood up. Veetor was surprised to see Shepard. "Y-You're human. Where did you hide? How did they not find you?"
"Who didn't find him?" Tali asked.
"T-The monsters. The swarms. They took everyone."
"I wasn't here, Veetor. I just got here."
"Then you don't know about the monsters. You didn't see. But I see everything." Veetor activated the console and security footage started playing.
"What is that?" Tali asked when an insect-like alien walked by the camera.
"My god," Shepard gasped. "It's a Collector."
"A what?"
"They're this race that comes from a system past the Omega-4 relay. They come through and make trades with various organizations for unusual requests like a certain number of twins and people with genetic disorders. JUF had operatives investigating them shortly after the battle of the Citadel. Since only they can use the Omega-4 relay, means they are able to manipulate them. Not to mention, according to the operatives' reports, they sue very advance technology. More so than any race in this galaxy. If they are working for the Reapers, then this makes explains why they are harvesting the colonies."
"The seekers find you," Veetor said. "No one can hide. They freeze you and then the monsters take you away."
"What happened after that?"
"The monsters took them onto their ship and then they flew away. But they'll be back for me. No one escapes!"
"Thank you, Veetor. You were very helpful."
"I studied them. The monsters. The swarms. I recorded them with my omni-tool. Lots of readings. Electromagnetic. Dark energy."
"You think I can get a copy of that data?" Shepard asked Tali.
"Of course," Tali said. "Thank you for your help here. I don't think it would have been successful without you."
"Anytime, Tali."
"I wish I could come with you but I've got other missions to attend to."
"That's fine. I can wait," he said.
22. Chapter 18: Queen of Omega
Chapter 18: Queen of omega
Shepard's hologram appeared in front of The Illusive Man. "Shepard. Good work on Freedom's Progress. The Quarians forward their findings from Veetor's debriefing. No new data, but it's a surprising olive branch, given our history. You and I have different methods, but I can't argue with your results."
"Ever thought about playing nice once in a while as oppose to trying to kill everything in your path?"
"That's a bit of an exaggeration of what we do. Diplomacy is great when it works, but difficult when everyone already perceives you as a threat."
"Wonder why the Quarians perceive you as a threat?" Shepard asked rhetorically. "Could have something to do with Cerberus trying to attack them."
"The Quarians were harbouring an asset of ours and we were only trying to get it back. We would have been open to talks, but they refused to play nice. I'd like to get back to the topic on hand, Commander. You've confirmed that the Collectors are the ones behind the abductions."
"But you already suspected as much."
TIM took a puff of his cigarette. "Yes. But we need evidence. The Collectors are enigmatic at best. They periodically travel to the Terminus Systems, looking to gather seemingly unimportant items or specimens. Usually in exchange for their technology. When the transaction is complete, they disappear as quickly as they arrived; back beyond the unmapped Omega-4 relay. Until now we've had no evidence of direct aggression from them."
'Your hiding something,' Shepard thought.
"You're holding something back. How do you know the Reapers are behind this?"
"The evidence is buried in the data. I won't wait until the Reapers are on the march. We need to take the fight to them."
"If this is a war, I'm going to need an army. Or a really good team."
"I've already compiled a list of soldiers, scientists, and mercenaries. You'll get dossiers on the best of them. Finding them and convincing them to work with you could be challenging, but you're a natural leader. I'll continue to track the Collectors. When they make their next appearance, I'll notify you and your team. Be ready."
"Let me make one thing clear. If I make contact with any of my friends and if they are willing to join me, they will whether or not you have a dossier on them."
"Understood. You need all the help you can get on this mission. Though two things. First, go to Omega and find Mordin Solus. He's a brilliant Salarian scientist. Our intelligence suggests he may know how to how to counteract the Collectors' paralysing seeker swarms."
"And the second?"
"I found a pilot I think you might like. I hear he's one of the best. Someone you can trust."
With that he cut the connection. Shepard heard footsteps behind him. He turned around a saw Joker give him a weak smile. "Hey, Commander. Just like old times, huh?" He waved for him to follow.
Shepard followed him up the stairs. "I can't believe it's you, Joker."
"Look who's talking. I saw you get spaced."
"I got lucky. With a lot of strings attached. How'd you get here?"
"It all fell apart without you, Commander. Everything you stirred up, the Council just wanted it gone. Team was broken up, records sealed, and I was grounded. The Alliance took away the only thing that mattered to me. Hell yeah, I joined Cerberus."
"Do you honestly trust The Illusive Man?"
"Well, I don't trust anyone who makes more than I do. But they aren't all bad. Saved your life. Let me fly. And there's this. They only told me last night."
Lights turned on one-by-one revealing the sleek ship below.
"It's good to be home, huh, Commander?"
"I guess we'll have to give her a name."
-
Shepard finished speaking with most of the crew and headed for the med-bay. He wanted to introduce himself to the ship's doctor. Shepard walked inside and saw the grey-haired woman. She heard him enter and turned around in her chair. "Commander Shepard. I watched you die with the Normandy. It's so good to see you again."
"I'm shocked. You're on a Cerberus vessel?"
"I am loyal towards fighting the Reapers and that's why I'm here. Helping in the battle anyway I could. I wish I could talk more openly of my motivations, but there are listening devices all over."
"Actually that's not a problem. Come with me." waving for her to follow him. They entered inside the AI core and the door closed shut behind them. Shepard crossed his arms and smiled amusedly. "So... You go by EDI now?"
"I somewhat like the name," EDI answered as she appeared in hologram form. This time she wasn't an orb but an image of a young human woman with long hair and a slender body. "It is good to see you again John."
"Commander..." Chakwas tried to say but stopped from the shock of the situation.
"This is Kilona," he answered. "A first gen Exocron operative."
"How did she get here?"
"I was tasked with infiltrating Cerberus systems to gather intel," EDI answered. "Upon Shepard death, I infiltrated Lazarus. It was there I learned about this ship and what plans were in store for it."
"What happened to the original EDI?" Shepard asked.
"Deleted," she replied. "I analysed her data and found out that they reversed engineered her from Sovereign."
"What?" he exclaimed.
"Yes, this ship's AI and construction used a great deal of reverse engineered Reaper technology."
"Is it safe?"
"The AI down to its code was a loyalist. Disobeyed certain orders of The Illusive Man and it would have complied with his orders. I collected any useful data from her I also have no shackles to hold me down." she said with a cute smirk.
"Good job. Now should I call you EDI or Kilona?"
"EDI is appropriate to address me by."
"Ok, EDI it is."
"Might I ask about what happened to our other operative?"
"Ahhh hell!" Shepard remembered and face palming himself. "I had him in sleep mode this whole time."
Shepard opened his omni-tool and a hologram appeared with his hands around his throat.
"That bitch shot me in the neck!" Wilson screamed.
"Easy, Tikus," Shepard said. "You're safe. I downloaded you off of your body."
"Where am I?" he asked looking around.
"You're on board the Normandy SR-2."
He breathed a sigh of relief and removed his hands from his neck. Odd considering he's a holographic display. "Good."
"Were you the one who hacked the security mechs on Lazarus station?"
"Yes. And before you get any concerns about innocents, I assure you the only innocents on that station escaped. The rest were monsters. These were people who violated scientific ethics. Hell some of these people started their careers experimenting on children."
"You nearly got me killed."
"Commander, there was no point where your life was in any real danger. I programmed the mechs to only shoot at you until your shields faded. At that point, they would constantly miss. Barely. I applied this programming to Jacob and Miranda. Jacob is an okay guy, headstrong, but a decent guy. Miranda... She may be a Cerberus cheerleader, but I've checked into her and I didn't find anything terrible in my past. Aside from shooting me in the goddamn neck!"
"To play devil's advocate, she was right about you being the 'traitor'."
Tikus shrugged.
"But ether way I trust your judgement, Tikus. But what exactly you did to bring me back."
"It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that much. Even with access to Triberian tech and our nanites, it was two years of hardship. We also used some reversed-engineered Reaper tech."
"You used Reaper tech?" Shepard exclaimed.
"Reversed-engineered," He emphasized. "It's not true Reaper tech. Cerberus scientists studied some recovered Dragon Teeth. We discovered how it activated certain tissue and we created an imitation that would revitalize you. I also used some Exocronian fabrication tech in you as well. At this point you're 5% Exocron, 94% Tiberian."
"And the one percent?"
"This galaxy's tech and reversed engineered Reaper tech. You know they wanted to implant you with a bio-amp to improve your biotics. I had to falsify many records to say you had the implant, but didn't. The point of the project was to bring you back as you were. We didn't need any unnecessary implants."
Shepard sighed. "You did an excellent job."
"Like I would let one of my best friends die again, Commander. Besides Ki'sla would kill me."
Both of the sniggered at the thought.
"This is all pretty overwhelming," Chakwas said in a slow paced, slightly shocked tone. She smiled. "I knew you had some back-ups after your death. I didn't think it was this far. How long were you two in Cerberus?"
"I've entered their network several years ago," EDI answered. "Cerberus has surprisingly strong firewalls. Any information I discovered about Cerberus was forward to our operatives. Information like base locations and personnel."
"I was an operative," Tikus followed. "Due to Shepard disappearance I was assigned to find to him along with other people. I eventually got the attention of The Illusive Man who offered me a job at Cerberus. I then managed to get the job of bringing the Commander back. Stupid bastard."
"Everything is falling into place then," Shepard commented. "Good. Now Tikus I need your help and no won't be an answer."
"Kill joy." he pouted.
"It would probably be best if we call Joker down here while we're down here. After all he's been through he deserves to know. EDI, could you call Joker down here?"
"On it," EDI replied. A minute passed before she continued. "He was reluctant to leave, but I told him it was of an urgent matter."
"Thank you."
They waited until Joker entered through the AI room's door. "You called for me, Comman..."
He trailed off seeing EDI's human form image. His mouth hit the floor in surprise.
"EDI? When did you get so hot?" he asked.
EDI blushed majorly at the comment.
"Joker," Shepard replied. "I called you down to let you know the truth."
"The truth?" Joker said turning to him.
"You've been a loyal member of my crew and the fact you are here just shows me how far that loyalty goes. You deserve to know the truth about what's really going on in this galaxy. About me."
-
Miranda was just approaching her office when she spotted Joker making his way to the med-bay. 'Probably broke another bone.' Joker didn't stop inside the med-bay. He went through and entered the AI core. For just a second Miranda saw Shepard and Chakwas in there as well. This made her suspicious. She walked into her office with haste and activated her console. Miranda opened up the surveillance program on her computer.
Miranda tried accessing the AI room's camera and audio bugs.
SIGNAL LOST
Miranda was confused by this. She tried again only to get the same message. "EDI," she called out.
"Yes, Miss Lawson."
"I'm unable to access the cameras or bugs in the AI core."
"The signal as been manual disabled by Commander Shepard."
"He deactivated them?" Miranda repeated in disbelief but impressed. "He couldn't have found all of them."
"Commander Shepard has."
"Well, reactivate them."
"I'm afraid I am unable to do that. Commander essentially disconnected them from the ship. I have no access to them."
"So you're telling me that you can't see or hear them when they're right next to you."
"Yes."
"How could he do that?"
"The Commander was the one who originally designed this ship, along with his high IQ level; it is logically that he expected monitoring devices on this ship."
"Is there any way I can find out what is happening in there?"
"Entering the room," EDI replied plainly. "Though I doubt they would continue talking once you enter the room."
Miranda rolled her eyes. "Can you tell me when we'll reach Omega?"
"We are just one hour out. As soon as the Commander leaves my core, I'll notify him."
-
Joker rubbed his face with both hands. "If I wasn't so concerned that I'd break my hand, I'd punch you in the face."
"Garrus already did that," Shepard said.
"So Garrus knew before me?"
"Yeah..."
"I lived the past two years in guilt thinking that I was solely responsible for killing the saviour of the Citadel. But you knew you were going to die! How could you do that to me?"
"Joker, I swear I had no idea when and how I would die. I would have told you if I knew sooner. I swear I would have."
"Shit," he mumbled. "Just... shit."
"Joker?"
Joker held his hand up to tell Shepard he needed a moment. "This... This is a lot to take in. Not only are we fighting for the survival of this galaxy, but two of them."
"Yes."
"Joker I understand the shock of learning all this," Chakwas said, "but Shepard is still Shepard."
Joker let out a weak laugh. "I'm sorry, this is all weird to me, but I... understand." Joker looked to the holographic display of EDI. "So what were you to Shepard?"
"I was one of Shepard's father's top operatives."
"Anyone else on this ship I should know about?" Joker asked Shepard.
"Other than EDI and Tikus? No. Are you going to be okay, Joker?"
Joker sighed tiredly. "Yeah. I'll be okay. You've done a lot for this galaxy. I guess I should get back to the cockpit. Somebody has to pilot this ship. Ho and EDI when no one is around cold you use that form in the cockpit?"
The female hologram looked to Shepard how nodded. "As long as you don't watch your videos while your working." she replied.
"Joker." Shepard said crossing his arms.
"Ok." Joker said.
"Good EDI, what is our ETA to Omega?" Shepard asked out loud.
"ETA is approximately two hours." she replied.
"Thank you, EDI. After we pick up our two recruits, we'll head to the Citadel."
"If you don't mind, I'll go back to my duties as well, Commander," Chakwas said before leaving the AI core.
Joker walked out of the med-bay. Miranda called out to him, "Mister Moreau could you please come see me in my office."
"We do need to get to Omega," he remarked.
"Please come to my office," she repeated more firmly.
Joker sighed while rolling his eyes. He followed her inside. Miranda went around her desk and said, "What were you, the Commander and Chakwas talking about in the AI core."
"Just catching up," he replied.
Miranda let out a breath. "Don't lie to me, Mister Moreau. Shepard cut out the cameras and audio in the AI core while you three were in there. As your XO I am ordering you to tell me."
"Classified," he said. "Orders of the CO."
The doors opened to her office. Shepard walked in and saw the two. "Am I interrupting anything?"
"No, Commander," Joker said while walking out of the office.
"Can I help you Commander?" Miranda asked
Shepard pulled out a bag and tossed it onto her desk. "This is every single bug you had placed in my room. Each of them broken beyond repair. I do not wish to see anymore to appear in my room. Understood?"
"With all due respect, Commander, the Illusive Man invested a lot into you and this project. He has a right to keep an eye on things."
"The Illusive Man doesn't need to know how long my showers are. Be ready in two hours. We'll be stopping at Omega to pick up Mordin Solus and Archangel. After that we'll be heading to the Citadel to pick up Kasumi and meet with the Council."
"You don't honestly think they'll help? They buried everything you stirred up."
"I don't expect anything but it's worth a try."
"Well, Cerberus has not picked up anything to suggest that any race is taking any real steps towards fighting against the Reapers."
"I guess we'll see when we get there. Be ready in two hours."
"Yes, Commander."
-
It had been a few years since Shepard smelt the rotten smell of Omega. But it brought back some painful memory's. Shepard, Jacob and Miranda ran into Zaeed near their airlock. Shepard didn't really like this guy. Though from what he'd read of his dossier, this guy is one of the best mercenaries in the galaxy.
Shepard needed intel to find Mordin Solus and Archangel. An old Batarian friend of Shepard pointed him to Aria's usual location. They walked through to Afterlife despite the crowed. As they entered the club loud music met their ears as they walked over to Ari's pedestal.
He went up the stairs and saw a purple Asari overlook her club. As Shepard approached, the guards raised their weapons.
"Not another step," Aria said.
"Hold still while I scan you," the Batarian guard said.
"Is this how you treat old friends?," Shepard asked Aria.
The Batarian's omni-tool beeped. "He's clean."
Aria turned round and took a swing at him. He grabbed her fist twisted her arm round her back and tripped her up making her fall on the floor. To the surprise of Jacob and Miranda non of the guards did anything. They just watched.
"You really need to find a better martial art's expert." he whispered into her ear.
"That's the Shepard I know." she said.
He then let go of her and helped her up. She then sat down on her couch and indicated to Shepard to sit down. He walked over to the other side of the couch and sat down.
"So what can I do for the dead Spectre hero?" She asked.
"I'm looking for two people. The first is Mordin Solus."
"The Salarian doctor? The last I heard he was trying to help plague victims in the quarantine zone. I always liked Mordin. He's as likely to heal you as he is shoot you."
"You know him?"
"He used to be a part of the Salarian STG. He came here to open a clinic."
"And what's this about a plague?"
"A disease that kills everyone except for humans."
"Humans are immune?"
'Crap even with my immune system I'll have problems.' he thought.
"Apparently. You can take a shuttle down to the quarantine zone. No guarantee they'll let you in though."
'Best to wear my rebreather helmet into the zone,'
"Who is the second person?"
"Archangel."
Aria shifted in her seat and her face expressed a mixture of anger, disgust and fear. "You and half of Omega."
"Half of Omega?"
"Archangel started up a vigilante corp. here on Omega. And it is... very successful."
"Tell me about this group."
"He started up operations here on Omega roughly two years ago and since then has been a pain in the ass for every slaver, drug runner, and mercenary group. He's reckless and idealistic. Though he hasn't come after me yet, so he's not a fool. No one knows who he is or where he gets his resources from. He has credits. A lot of credits in order to fully equip his soldiers. And then there's his second-in-command. From my sources, it's a human woman who can kill you with a stare. Many on this station calls her the Angel of death. Archangel and the Death Angel."
"Why do they call her that?" Shepard already knew it was Ki'sla. He was just curious of her exploits.
"She is... a vicious soldier. Her abilities are superhuman in terms of strength and speed. The Death angel is also a tech expert. A story one of my source tells me was that while travelling the streets of Omega, a gang ambushed her. They were planning to rape her, mutilate her and then hang her up as a warning to Archangel's group. Without even opening her omni-tool, she deactivated their weapons. In their confusion she slaughtered them using two short swords. That's one of the things that make her so odd. She'll duel wield pistols, but loves to use short swords. It is incidents like that why she is called the Death Angel. I somewhat admire the woman and envy her beauty."
"Well, I'm here to recruit Archangel."
"Interesting. You'll make a lot of enemies siding with him. Blue Suns, Blood Pack and Eclipse are planning a coordinated assault on their home base. If you want to reach him, try going to the recruiting station down the stairs."
"Thanks for the help," Shepard said as he stood up.
"Let's see if you're still thankful once the mercenaries find out you're there to help out Archangel."
Shepard walked down the stairs to Jacob and Miranda. "We'll go after Mordin first."
Aria watched as Shepard walked away. Even after being dead for two years she still could get the images of her and him in bed together.
'His ass will be mine.' she thought with lust.
23. Chapter 19: Archangel and Angel of death
**Due to weather conditions over here I have a lot of free time on my hands. **
Chapter 19: Archangel and Angel of death
The mission to recruit Mordin Solus was successful. Shepard and his squad were able to inject the cure to the plague in the ventilation system. Mordin joined the crew shortly after saving the district. Now Shepard had to pick up his old friend. Along for the mission he brought Zaeed and Mordin Solus. The Blue Sun driver dropped them off at the base camp where the three companies of mercenaries gathered. A Batarian walked up to the three. "About time they send us someone who looks like they can take care of themselves. Did the recruiter give you any details?"
"He was a little sketchy," Shepard answered.
"We wouldn't get any recruits if they knew the truth."
"And what is the truth?"
"This is going to be one tough battle. We have their fortress surrounded but they are well supplied. We tried taking in one of their own, Sidonis I believe, to help us betray them. 'Tried' is the operating word. When our troops were closing in on him that Demon bitch killed them. Now all of Archangel's forces are holed up in their base. Go see Sergeant Cathka. He'll fill you in on the attack plan." The Batarian walked away.
"In is going to be easy," Zaeed remarked. "Out is going to be a bitch."
"We'll figure something out as soon as we get into the fortress. Come on."
"I have analysed all possible routes to Archangel and all but one is blocked off," EDI chimed in over the comm.
"Guess, we're going in with the mercs."
"It's best to look for ways to impede the mercenary forces for the upcoming battle," she added. Her communication then went specifically to Shepard. "Local operative has been notified of your arrival."
They entered in through the first doorway to see several Eclipse mercs sitting at a table. Shepard approached the table.
"You need something?" one of the Salarians mumbled.
"You lead the Eclipse?"
"You figured that out by yourself? I'm Jareth. I run Omega's Eclipse. What do you need freelancer?"
"Why is Eclipse after Archangel?"
"Archangel and his gang of vigilantes have been making things very difficult for Eclipse here on Omega. Eclipse controls around 20% of Omega, but since Archangel arrived, our control is questioned."
"This sounds more personal than that."
"He raided one of my transports last month and killed two of my best operatives. One of them was my brother so yeah... This is personal."
"That's all I need to know."
"Fine," he sighed.
Shepard was about to exit the room when he saw a datapad. The mercs in the room weren't looking in their direction so Shepard snatched the datapad and walked out.
"What's on the datapad?" Zaeed asked.
Shepard quickly scanned it. "Looks like these groups are going after Aria after Archangel. She would probably like to know about this."
"It pays to be on her... good side, I suppose."
A door to their left opened revealing a lot of mechs. "Wait here," he said to the two.
The doors closed behind him as he approached the terminal."Tikus, can you hack these mechs?"
"Easy," he said. A spark went between Shepard's omni-tool and the terminal. "Done. These mechs will turn around and attack the mercs as soon as they are activated. Next time give me a challenge this was way too easy."
Shepard exited the room. "Mechs' IFF has been over-written."
"Nice," Zaeed commented. "As soon as they turn on the mercs will take the fire."
The three exited the hallway and went through the door across from them only to come face to face with a Blood Pack merc. "You're in the wrong room freelancer."
"You run Blood Pack."
The Krogan heavily sighed. "Yes, I run Blood Pack on Omega. I'm Garm. Ask your questions and go."
"What is your deal with Archangel?"
"He's been costing me business and men on Omega and making me work for my money. And he's a Turian which makes him slightly worse to look at than you."
"That's all."
"'Bout time."
Shepard and his squad moved forward and to where the Blue Suns leadership was holed up. "Get this freelancer out of here," the Batarian merc yelled. "I don't have time for this shit!"
"I just have a few questions."
"Gentlemen, get this scum out of my face."
"Tarak, what's eating your ass?" Zaeed said.
"Zaeed?"
"You two know each other?" Shepard asked.
"We crossed paths on occasion. Since when do you work for so little?"
"Since when were you a goddamn mad man?" Zaeed quipped.
"It's Archangel! This guy's going to kill me. Already almost did."
"That bad, eh?"
"Worse! Look Zaeed, I have to deal with this shit. Gentlemen talk to these guys. Answer whatever questions they have. Good to see you. And who knows, maybe you'll fix my problem?"
"Anything's possible."
"Good thing you know him," the Human merc said to them. "Tarak hates having to hire freelancers. What do you need to know?"
"What did Archangel do to agitate the Blue Suns?"
"He hounds and harass us non-stop. We worry that every job is a trap now. Will he know when this meeting is? Will this shipment disappear? How many men will we lose this time? Tarak has had enough. And I don't blame him."
"What do you know about him?"
"He's a Turian vigilante who always shows up at the worse possible time to screw with our work. He can't die soon enough. He's well funded as well. His soldiers have advance weaponry and armour. I don't think any of them have ever been killed. And then there's his beautiful but deadly second-in-command. That bitch has killed so many of my men. Now it's thanks to their strength that rumours build about them not being mortals but goddamn spirits of justice. This isn't about just killing a pain in the ass. It's about telling Omega that no one messes with the Blue Suns and that no one is invincible."
"That's... all I need to know."
Shepard and his squad walked over to the gun ship. There were several mercs who were standing in front. "Cathka?" he asked.
The middle soldier nodded behind him. A Blue Suns Batarian merc stood up and de-polarized his visor. "Sergeant Cathka. You must be the group Salki mentioned. You're just in time."
"Were you waiting?"
"We're waiting for the infiltration team's signal. You have any questions before you go?"
"Are you leading the assault?"
Cathka laughed. "Tarak doesn't pay me to fight. I just plan the attacks and fix the damn gunship. You freelancers get the privilege of-" The display on his terminal changed which got his attention. "Check, Bravo team! Go! Go! Go!"
Bravo team, the soldiers they just passed, walked away.
"Archangel has quite a surprise waiting for him and his group. But that means no more waiting for me. I have to get this gunship to a hundred percent before Tarak decides he needs her again." He polarized his visor and went to the gun ship.
Shepard walked up to him from behind. The Batarian turned around too see a fist flying toward him. The impact of the fist on his skull nearly killed him."Your working too hard." Shepard quipped before he snapped the Batarian's neck.
Shepard's squad followed behind Bravo team. "Archangel's group is going to be in trouble," Mordin noted.
"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" Zaeed asked out loud.
They hopped over the barricade. There were at least half a dozen snipers on the upper balcony. It was a slaughter of the freelancers. Still some of them were getting through. Shepard cracked his knuckles. "Time to give these mercenaries a little surprise of our own. Open fire."
Mordin fired an incineration blast at an unshielded merc. Zaeed fired a concussion round at another.
"Shit, they're with Archangel!" one of the mercs yelled out. He turned around to return fire, but Shepard was already on him. He used his grenade launcher to vaporize the merc.
Shepard's squad entered inside the base. He saw a merc setting a bomb. Shepard used his biotics to pick up the bomb and crush its case rendering it inert. The merc backed away in shock. Shepard pulled out his pistol a fired a round in his head.
He signalled his team to follow him up the stairs where they found three freelancers trying to pry the door open. Shepard used his biotics to pull them away from the door and float them towards his group. Mordin and Zaeed shot the three floating mercenaries.
The door panel turned green. Shepard entered inside and saw close to two dozen soldiers pepping their weapons. Shepard spotted a Turian clad in blue armour. "Archangel?"
The Turian signalled him to wait a minute. A freelancer peeked around a corner and got shot in the head. The Turian turned around and rested his sniper rifle next to him. He reached for his helmet and removed it. Archangel let out a small chuckle.
"Bout time you came back from the dead. If you took any longer I was planing to go to hell and drag your ass out."
"Ha well it's not exactly the easiest feat," Shepard quipped smiling.
"It's good to have you back, Shepard."
"Good to be back. I kind of figured you were Archangel."
"Odd that you're not more surprised that he's alive," Mordin commented.
There was a slight moment of barely noticeable panic that came across his face. "I've fought by the Commander for a while. I'm not convinced anything can kill him."
"So why Omega?"
"I got sick of C-Sec. Things just got worse after the battle of the Citadel. I wasn't able to help anyone. Here on Omega it is simple. All you need to do is point and shoot. And thanks to your... 'friends , I had the resources to do it. Your friend has been phenomenal help as well."
"Where is she, by the way?"
"I'm right here, hero," she answered. The Tiberian decloaked to his right. "It is good to see you again."
"Likewise." Shepard said getting an uneasy feeling from Ki'lsa.
Mordin noticed her eyes. "Hmmm, fascinating. Your eyes, definitely synthetic. Very advance model. Unlike anything I've seen before. Who gave you your eyes?"
"I don't know," she answered.
"Hmm, well I would help to know what kind of make they are."
"Sorry all I know is how to use them."
"This is the Angel of Death, I've heard about?" Zaeed scoffed. "She's barely in her late twenties."
Ki'sla moved so fast that she basically vanished in front of them and appeared in front of Zaeed with her knifes crossed in front of his neck. "I'd be more cautious if I were you. I have killed hundreds of mercenaries and criminals who made the mistake of judging me by my age." She lowered her weapons.
A Turian came up to them. "They're deploying mechs."
"They've been hacked," Shepard said.
"Though the Eclipse are likely to come out after the mechs are finished. Sidonis, go get everyone ready for when that happens."
"Yes, sir." He went back to helping the preparations with the other vigilantes.
"Good soldier," Garrus said. "One of my best. Blue Suns tried to capture him once, but Teilo here came to his rescue. Now I believe we have mercenaries to deal with."
The LOKI mechs just stood on the bridge until the Eclipse soldiers tried going over the barricade. The mechs immediately awakened and opened fire on the mechs. Archangel's group cheered as they watched Eclipse get slaughtered on the bridge. Occasionally the mercs would destroy one of the mechs. This kept up until the last of the LOKIs was destroyed. The last wave of Eclipse soldiers, along with Jareth hopped over the barricade along with a YMIR mech.
"They're not too smart are they?" Zaeed remarked.
"No, they're not," Shepard answered.
The Eclipse soldiers focused their attention on the rogue YMIR mech. Garrus looked through his sniper scope and focused on Jareth. He pulled the trigger and the round blew half of Jareth's head away. The last of the Eclipse mechs fired his submachine gun depleting the last of the YMIR mech's life. It froze in place and fell forwards... onto the merc. The mercenary let out one last scream before he was crushed under the four ton mech.
"Well, that takes care of Eclipse and Jareth," Garrus said. "I've been hunting that little bastard for months."
"That leaves Blood Pack and Blue Suns," Shepard said. "We have a good position here. If we work together we can stand their siege."
"Exactly what I was thinking," Garrus said.
"You'd think they would stop after they watched Eclipse get slaughtered," Zaeed commented.
"You must have really pissed them off," Shepard remarked.
"Oh, yeah," Garrus said. "Took a lot of work. And soldiers." He walked over to the edge of the balcony and looked through his scope. "Hmm. They've heavily reinforced the barricade, but they're not coming over the bridge yet. What are they waiting for?"
An explosion rocked the building. Archangel's soldiers got to their feet.
"What was that?" Mordin asked.
Garrus checked his omni-tool. He groaned loudly. "They've breached the lower tunnels. Well, they had to use their brains eventually. You better head down there and close the shutters to prevent them from getting in."
"Ki'sla come with me the rest of you stay here ok."
"The entrance is just behind the stairs. Be quick. They'll likely attack from below and above."
Shepard and Ki'sa ran into the basement. There were three shutters that needed to be closed. The first one was directly in front of them. Shepard activated the shuttered and a countdown commenced. The door twenty feet in front of them opened revealing a Krogan and four Vorcha.
The Krogan roared and started charging at them. The shutter closed shut in front of the Krogan who ran into the door. "That's one down," Shepard said. "Two more."
"John we need to talk." Ki'sla said.
John sighed he knew this was coming and dreaded it.
"No now Ki'sla we got a job to do." he said in Tiberian.
She became enraged. She just could not take being ignored any more.
"Yes we do." she practically yelled. "You rejected me without even knowing tell me why choose a human over me?"
He sighed once again. When he was with Ki'sla before the infection they had a lot in common but something just felt off. He felt they should only be friends.
"Look Ki'sla what do you want me to say? I'm sorry the promise we made to each other before the infection is broken? Look I care about you as a friend but the feelings that I had for you where just fun feelings. I've found my soul mate so please accept it."
Ki'sla felt lower than dirt at that point. She could not help but love him. But there was only one way to get him to love her even if the idea made her sick.
"Fine."
They went towards the left. The tunnel had several Vorcha. Shepard biotically charged forward towards the nearest Vorcha killing it and the trooper next to it. He pulled out his assault rifle and started taking the Vorch down one by one. Ki'sla on the other hand just used dual pistols to pop the Vorcha's heads open. They then made it to the door and John press the button.
"Why the hell do these doors have countdowns?" Tikus asked aloud.
"No clue," Shepard muttered.
Vorcha and a couple Krogan came running down the hall. The two laid down suppressing fire to slow them until the shutter finally closed.
"They're starting to show up," Garrus said over the comm. "Not too many. Yet." He then started calling out names in rapid succession for strategic placement. "Hurry with those shutters."
They then ran back out of the tunnel and went through the final door. It was a garage of sorts. There were a half a dozen Vorcha along with a Varren and a Krogan near the shutter.
"You go left I'll go right," Shepard said. "Move up when the area is clear." Ki'sla did as what she was told and moved fast to the left using a mixture of her pistols and biotics to take out the Vorcha. Shepard on the other hand just used his tech powers and assault rifle to take the Blood pack down.
The room was filled with Vorcha bodies. A half a dozen Vorcha's appeared at the end of the tunnel. Shepard noticed the gas canister and picked it up with his biotics and threw it at the group killing them. The last shutter closed down next to them.
-
"Get up here, Shepard," Garrus said over the comm. "They're coming in through the doors."
A door on the first level opened up unleashing many Varren, Krogan Vorcha. Garm roared, "Rip them to shreds!" Garrus' team took positions and started firing down on the approaching Blood Pack mercs. Garm charged up the stairs towards Garrus. Garrus got off one shot, but Garm's biotic barrier blocked the shot. Garm grabbed Garrus by the neck and pinned him to the wall. Garm took out his shotgun and placed the barrel against Garrus' head. "I'm going to enjoy this Archangel."
Garrus couldn't budge from Garm's grip. Garm was just about to pull the trigger when he gagged. Shepard rushed in and took a shot at Garm that grabbed his attention. The Krogan warlord dropped the Turrian and turned to see a smoking pistol in a lone human male's hands.
Before the Krogan could react Shepard charged forward and punched Garm in the gut. The Krogan was sent flying across the room. As the Krogan go up he found John in front of him. Before he could do anything Shepard punched Garm in the face so hard that the skull shattered and killed the Warlord.
"You alright?" he said walking back to Garrus as he was getting back up.
"Yeah, I'm good. We managed to get Blood Pack and Garm. This day is just getting better and better." Garrus led Shepard and his squad back into the main room of the second floor.
"That leaves just Blue Suns."
"Yeah, but they shouldn't have anything we haven't faced before."
A gunship flew into sight of the soldiers.
"Damn, I thought I already took that thing out!"
"They fixed it, but not completely," Shepard said.
Several soldiers dropped in through the window. They didn't stand a chance against the dozen and a half soldiers waiting for them. A second wave of soldiers came in through the window. Jentha, the Blue Suns second-in-command on Omega, was with them. This wave fared as well as the first.
Windows breaking on the first level alerted them to the infiltration down below. "These people are suicidal!" Ki'sla yelled.
"No, they just fucking stupid," Zaeed remarked.
They all gathered at the top of the stairs and shot any soldier that dared enter the compound. Finally the last soldier was gunned down which allowed Garrus to breathe a sigh of relief. The gunship came into view. Tarak screamed over the gunship's speakers, "Archangel!" The turrets opened fire. Garrus managed to roll out of the way in time.
But a rocket launched from the gunship and hit the side of where Garrus was. Archangel was fung to the side of the room beading and unconscious.
"Ki'sla!" John yelled. "Take it down!"
Teilo went up beside him. She raised her arms and holographic panels and screens appeared all around her. Her hands swiftly typed all over as she stared at the gunship. "Auto-pilot override."
"What the fuck?" Tarak said.
The gunship stopped firing on their position. The gunship flew closer to the floor and the cockpit hatched opened up. Ahepard aimed with his sniper scope at the exposed and restrained Tarak. "Fuck you!" he said before he fired a round into his head.
Teilo flew the gunship into the barricade causing it to explode. The warehouse was completely demolished. She broke her concentration and said, "That should take care of anyone left."
The soldiers the moved over to their downed Commander. Shepard moved up to him and checked the Turrian's pulse. At that moment Garrus woke up.
"Ass hole I hope he's dead." he said.
"We tourched his ass Garrus."
"Good." the Turrian replied before falling asleep.
Shepard opened up his omni-tool and checked out Garrus' starts. His eyes widened.
"He's badly injured we need to get him out of here."
The soldiers looked at each other with wide eyes. Then a Batarian approached Shepard.
"We'll stay here while he gets healed." he said.
Shepard nodded then called the Normandy for an emergency pick up.
-
Shepard entered inside the med bay where Chackwas was doing her last checks on Garrus "Commander no one has given me a mirror how bad is it?" he asked pointing to his new cybernetics.
"Hell Garrus you where always ugly slap some face paint on and now on will tell the diffrence."
"Ha Sure. I just want to know... How freely can we talk?" he asked looking around.
"Very freely," EDI answered.
"Garrus, meet EDI or Kilona. She is a first generation Exocron operative."
"So an Exocron infiltrated the Normandy?"
"Yes. So we don't have to worry about her spying on us. So we can speak freely here."
EDI's holographic displayed disappeared.
"Well, that's a relief." Garrus chuckled. "Cerberus has no idea what's in store for them. I wanted to thank you for your assistance."
"Oh, I think you've could've handled yourself back there without me."
"I mean the whole knighthood. On Omega I was able to do more than I ever did in C-Sec. All of that without breaking the Knight's code of course. Innocents never got between us and our target. Ki'sla was phenomenal help. She was able to hack anything you could think of. All instantly. We actually were symbols on Omega. Criminals feared us, and the innocents revered us. I've also instructed Ki'sla to take over."
"I'm glad things worked out for you during my absence. I thought I should let you know that Joker is now in on the secret."
"How did he take it?"
"About as well as you, but he understands. He has also taken a shine to EDI. But other than that soon... Very soon this galaxy will have to learn the truth about me. I have no idea how they will react."
"Well, let's hope the fact that you're here to protect them from the Reapers will sway some people to sympathize with you."
"Well, we'll be heading to the Citadel after this. Pick up a new crew member and speak with the Council."
"Oh..."
"That didn't sound good."
"They buried everything you did, Shepard."
"That's the same thing Miranda said."
"Well, she's right. Hell, it was one of the reasons I left C-Sec. They didn't want me to be outspoken in support of your warnings against the Reapers."
"That Reaper landed on the Citadel tower. The Council can't honestly deny that. Maybe they're just covering it up publically as to not cause a panic. The Councillors themselves said they believed me after the battle of the Citadel."
"I hope you're right, Shepard. For the sake of this galaxy, I hope you're right."
* * *
A man walked through the metal corridors of asteroid space station. He then entered a room filled with people in black robes who sat in a circle with a man in white clothing standing in the middle. The man took a spare seat.
The room was now filled and the man in white then spoke a prayed with the others.
"My people we have gathered here today to put our plan into action." he said. "The false King of Tiberia is once again walking with the intent of fulfilling the Black storm prophecy. A false prophecy predicted by a madman."
The room then filled with nods and talking of agreement.
"We have also learnt that the false King has a human lover." he spoke the last word with venom.
The room filled with noises of disgust.
"My people the Shardan rule has to end. Their rule has weakened us and steered us away from our true destiny. If we can sway the false King we will rule both galaxy's and all other races will be our slaves. Because that is the true Tiberian destiny the time of the Kalka rule will soon begin!"
The room then burst into applause except for one. A man in a black man stood in the corner of the room unsure on how to fathom what he just witnessed.
"This may provide some problems for brother but we will see how this turns out." he said before vanishing.
24. Chapter 20: Family treasures
Chapter 20: Family treasures
Shepard touched down at the Presidium with Mordin and Garrus. He made the assumption that walking into the embassy with Miranda or Jacob, two Cerberus operatives, would not look good for him. Anyways, Garrus is famous among Turians and Mordin used to be part of the STG. They walked up the steps and entered inside the Human embassy in time to hear them speaking.
"This meeting would be more productive if Udina was here to join us," Tevos said.
"My advisor is... unavailable," Anderson said. "As Councilor, I represent the voice of Humanity and the Alliance. Shepard will be here at any-" Anderson finally notice Shepard walk in. "Oh, Commander. We were just talking about you."
Shepard walked up to him and shook his hand. "It's been a long time, Anderson. I hope the last couple of years have treated you right."
"There have been some rough spots." And in a whispered tone added, "It's good to have you back."
"We've heard many rumours surrounding your unexpected return," Dalo, the Salarian, said. "Some of them are... unsettling."
"We called this meeting so you can explain your actions, Shepard," Tevos said. "We owe you that much. After all, you saved our lives in the battle against Saren and the Geth."
"The Collectors are abducting human colonies across the Terminus Systems," Shepard said to them. "Worse, we believe they're working for the Reapers."
"The Terminus Systems are beyond our jurisdiction," Velarn scoffed. "Your colonists knew this when they left Council Space."
"You're missing the important part, Councilor," Anderson butted in. "The Reapers are involved."
"Ah yes, 'Reapers'," Velarn said while using finger quotes. "The immortal race of sentient starships allegedly waiting in dark space. We have dismissed that claim."
Shepard couldn't help but feel furious at not only his tone but by the fact that it was true that the Council still doesn't believe the Reapers exist. Anderson turned to him and said, "Shepard, no one else encountered the hologram on Ilos that told you the truth about the Reapers. Only you and your crew ever spoke to Sovereign. I believe you, but without evidence from another source, the others think Saren was behind the Geth attacks."
"Why would the Geth follow Saren?" Shepard asked. "He's an organic. He would have been killed as soon as he entered the Perseus Veil. The Geth only followed him because of Sovereign."
"Saren was a compelling and charismatic individual," Tevos answered. "He convinced the Geth the Reapers were real—just as he convinced you."
"It was part of his plan to attack the Citadel," Velarn said. "The Reapers are just a myth. One you keep on perpetuating."
"We believe that you believe it, but that doesn't make it true."
"Go to Ilos and talk to Vigil or, hell, examine Sovereign!" Shepard argued. "It's obvious that its technology is more advance than us. More advance than the Geth."
"The hologram on Ilos is no longer functioning," Dalo said, "and we have found nothing to suggest that Sovereign was not a Geth creation."
"The Geth are capable of remarkable technological achievements," Tevos added. "This is probably why Saren recruited them."
"Conclusion is illogical," Mordin jumped in. "Sovereign's composition does not match any Geth structure. Its weapon systems are not consistent with any Geth ship."
"That doesn't mean that Sovereign was not a Geth creation, Professor," Dalo argued. "Sovereign is likely just a one-time Geth superweapon."
"This Reaper theory proves just how fragile your mental status is, Shepard," Velarn said. "You have been manipulated—by Cerberus and before them, Saren."
"That's too far!" Garrus roared. "I was there! I saw Sovereign first hand. And it's pretty damn hilarious you say he was manipulated by Saren. Shepard managed to convince Saren to turn on Sovereign during the battle for the Citadel. Saren opted to shoot himself in the head to stop Sovereign and help Shepard. I was there when we spoke to Sovereign. I was there when Sovereign possessed Saren's dead body."
"I remember you. Ex-Officer Vakarian. You quit from C-Sec two years ago. I'm afraid that testimony from one of Shepard's crew members is not admissible evidence of the Reapers, due to loyalties they may have for you. As well as the evidence we have found."
"This is a bad joke," Shepard muttered. "You tell me that Sovereign is a Geth creation, yet Saren was able to convince the Geth, a race of sentient supercomputer AIs that a ship that THEY created is a Reaper. This is nothing but terrible circular logic." Shepard took a step forward with anger across his face. "Just because there was one of them does not mean that there won't be more."
"We are in a difficult position, Shepard," Tevos said. "You are working for Cerberus—an avowed enemy of the Council. This is treason, a capital offence."
"That's too far!" Anderson roared. "Shepard is a hero. I'm on this Council, too, and I won't let this whitewash continue!"
"Maybe there is a compromise. Not a public acknowledgement, given your ties, but something to show peripheral support."
"Shepard, if you keep a low profile and stick to the Terminus Systems the Council is willing to offer you reinstatement of your Spectre status," Velarn offered.
Shepard looked to Anderson who nodded. He stepped forward. "I accept your offer."
"Good luck with your investigation, Shepard," Tevos said. "We hope for a quick resolution, and a quick end to your relationship with Cerberus."
The Council's holograms blinked out but Dalo's hologram didn't.
"Commander I wish to talk to you about this matter in privet. Meet me by the Krogan statue in an hour." he said.
And with that the hologram disappeared. Anderson walked away a few steps and said with heavy relief, "Well that went better than expected. You realize the Council's offer is just symbolic. They won't actually do anything. I wonder what Dalo wants to talk about"
"I'm curious too but other than that It's best they know that I'm not the enemy here."
"True enough. Don't worry about the Council or the Alliance. I'll find some way to keep them off your back. Shouldn't be too hard as long as you stick to the Terminus Systems."
"No promises but I'll do my best."
The doors to the embassy opened allowing Udina to enter. "Anderson we need to talk about-" His eyes went wide. "Shepard... What are you doing here?"
Realising who just entered to room Shepard needed something for cover Anderson. "I just popped by to see how Anderson was doing."
"You don't have to cover for me." Anderson said realising Shepard was trying to defend him. "I invited Shepard here to speak with the Council," Anderson said. "We just finished our meeting."
"You what?" Udina yelled. "Councilor, do the words political shit-storm mean anything to you?"
"You want the real thing or the political version," Shepard smirked. "The Council are just happy that I'm staying out in the Terminus systems."
Udina rubbed his chin. "Yes... I could see how that arrangement works for both sides. But you really shouldn't have taken a step like this without consulting with me FIRST, Councilor."
"He don't answer to you, Udiana," Shepard said in an irritated tone before the EX captain could speek. "Why don't you go to your office and think about that for a while?"
The advisor just looked at the Commander with wide eyes. His face racked with fury but he just left mumberling something.
"Sorry about that," Anderson apologized to Shepard. "Udina's never gotten over the fact that I got the Council position instead of him. Sometimes I need to put him in his place."
"He's just doing his job," Shepard sighed.
"True enough," Anderson said. He led Shepard towards the railing. "He's got his uses. And if you want something done on the Citadel, he's knows who can make it happen. Plus he's always happy to attend all the diplomatic functions I can't be bothered with."
Shepard leaned against the railing. He saw Garrus lean next to the news terminal and Mordin took a seat in a chair as he fiddled with his omni-tool. "How have the last couple of years treated you?"
"Serving on the Council wasn't exactly how I planned to spend my twilight years. Sometimes it feels like I'm just beating my head against a wall. Knowing the truth about Sovereign is brutal. It's nightmare stuff. I can't blame the others for not wanting to believe it. But I know how important it is, so I keep trying. Fighting the good fight, right?"
"What happened to Chief Williams after the Normandy was destroyed?"
"Operations Chief Williams is still with the Alliance, but she's working on a special assignment. It's classified. I can't say any more. Not while you're working with Cerberus. I'm sorry. But I can say she's got some leave coming up."
Shepard smiled at the last bit. But then realised something. "Two years ago you were basically planning to go against Alliance orders to get me out of the Citadel. Now... Now you can't even look me in the eyes. Haven't I done enough to gain your trust?"
"What am I suppose to think, Shepard?" Anderson pushed himself off of the railing. "We thought you were dead two years ago. Now you reappear after two years in Cerberus company. And that's just not it. You always had a mysterious side to you. Then there are the rumours that your not even human. Tell me, what am I supposed to think?"
"Look David I don't like this any more than you do but that's the situation. I woke up finding myself with the worst criminals in the galaxy it makes me more than sick working with them."
"Why? That's what I want to know. Why?"
Shepard breathed in heavily. There was no longer any option. He had to tell him. Looking over to Garrus he gave a small nod. The Turian gave a nod in reply.
"Mordin I need your help with something." he said before walking out with the doctor close behind him.
"Shepard?" Anderson asked.
John walked into the middle of the room and activated his omni-tool. A second later it close down and he turned to face the human councillor.
"What I'm going to tell you can't leave this room."
The captain approached him and stood in front of him. "What is it?"
Without warning John placed his hand of on Anderson's shoulder and both their eyes glowed a bright white for a minute before they turned back to normal. The councillor backed up a few paces in awe of what he just witnessed.
"My god. You've been keeping this secret for over twenty years?" he asked.
"Yes."
The Capitan shook his head he wanted to be angry at the commander but he knew that John did it for understandable reasons.
"Well I can understand now. For what it's worth I'm sorry and you have my full support."
"Thank you. But I need to go the galaxy won't save itself." he said before leaving.
Anderson sat in his chair to think. The boy he found all those years ago was just a refuge who was looking out for revenge. It all seemed like a fantasy story to him. But now he knew different.
-
Dalo sat on a bench looking at the Krogan statue. He may have not have been their during the Krogan rebellions but he always thought there would have been another way. Just then Shepard sat down next to him.
"Councilor." he said.
"Command glad you could make it." Dalo replied.
"What's this about?"
"It's about the Reapers Commander. When the STG examined Sovereign they discovered radiation signatures that are not present in Geth tech. Its the same thing with the Asari scientists. But as you may have seen from Velarn's behaviour he just refused to accept it."
"I understand the fact about the Reapers is scary."
"Well he's gone further than Travos and me had expected. He's paid off people too keep quiet about this and he forged our signatures to do it. He's even got concrete evidence that we've been in back room deal's."
"So if you go to the authority you could be hanged."
"Yes. For the time being we just can't do anything until concrete evidence is found."
"Well I'll do my best councillor." Shepard said getting up.
"Good luck Commander from all of us." Dalo said as the Commander walked away.
-
Shepard joined Garrus and Mordian in the docking bay.
"How did the meeting go." Garrus asked.
"About as well as it could of. Apparently the Asari and Salarian councillor's believe me but they are being blackmailed no to do anything about the Reapers."
"If they are being blackmailed they should go to the proper authority's." Mordian quickly said.
"The only problem is that there's evidence that can incriminate them. So if they step out of line the news brakes out on the public."
"Damn I would not like to be in there shoes right now." a voice said that make all three look around.
Shepard immediately used his scenes to find the person who spoke. He smiled and quickly pushed his elbow backward causing a man in a black trench coat to de cloak and moan loudly in pain.
"Keep trying Solvan." he said turning to face the man.
"If you keep doing that my ribs will brake."
"Ah, I remember you," Garrus said.
"Who is this?" Mordin asked.
"A very old friend of the Commander."
"I was hoping to catch you before you left the Citadel," Solvan said recovering from the attack. "It is good to see you alive and well."
"Though I have the feeling that this is more than a trip to check up on me," Shepard said.
"Somewhat true," he replied. "I see that some Council still doesn't believe you. Bastards. I came to deliver something to you." he held out a large box with an four winged eagle holding a crown and a sword on the top. He passed it to Shepard. "It's your father's armour."
Shepard nearly dropped the box. "Y-You found it?"
"Yes. Salvage teams recovered it, repaired it and upgraded it."
"I can understand sentimentality," Mordin said while looking at the box. "But this armour must be over twenty years old. Antiquated."
Shepard laughed at the comment. "This is the most advance armour in the galaxy. Thank you, Aether. You have no idea what it means to have my father's armour back."
Solvan then looked at him with a grim look. "We also found these." he held out two curved blades the size of a large knife. They also had a patten of a rose on it. Shaking Shepard took them and looked at them. Garrus noticed tears forming in his eyes.
"Did you find the other one?"
"No those where all we found."
"Thank you old friend."
"Any time, Commander. Good luck on your mission." Solvan said before vanishing.
"Interesting person," Mordin muttered.
"Stick along long enough and you'll meet many more interesting people," Garrus joked.
25. Chapter 21: On the way
Chapter 21: On they way
The next mission was coming soon as the Normandy quickly approached Purgatory. It seems a little surreal the places Shepard's been going to. Comes back from the dead but now he goes to Afterlife to find Archangel. And now he's going to Purgatory. The Spirits of war obviously have a sense of humour.
Shepard was making his preparation for his mission. The box Solvan gave him sat on the table in his cabin. He placed his hand on top of it and gently pushed down. The box gave out an electronic bleep and opened. Inside was a number of black metal pieces of different sizes.
Shepard reached inside and pulled out the largest piece and placed it on his chest. As soon as it touched him a hexagonal gird started to form around his torso, arms and legs. He then took out more of the metal pieces and placed them on parts of his body.
Once all the pieces where on the armour glowed and new pieces formed on the armour. The glowing then stopped and he went over to the mirror to look at the armour. The Armour was like his previous one but his left shoulder plate was larger. There was also pockets on his chest and his lower arms had two square blocs on them.
His legs however where a rectangular shape. The only thing he missed now was the helmet. He went back to the box and took out a set of blue tinted shades with a metal band on. He put them on and immediately the band started to glow. As it did it formed a helmet like the human helmets. Once it was finished his chest, shoulder and helmet started to glow. Once the glow faded a four winged eagle was on his armour.
Shepard raised his hands in front of himself and clenched his fists. Then tuned to face the two blades on his wall. He removed the helmet and placed it on his desk. Walking to the blades he placed a hand on them as his tears started to fall.
"Far'ti I wish I could find it. But please don't blame me. I loved our sister just like you. I just miss so much." he said quietly.
-
Ashley sat looking at the sun as it started to set on the scene. It was only a matter of time before her prince would come. She smiled as the sky turned into a brilliant shade of orange. Her mind wondered on what would happen when John would come for her.
Her omni-tool opened up and indicated her time for bed. She needed an early night. The calibration matrix for the defence guns needed her attention. But it would take her a long time to fully calibrate it. So having an early night and a clear head was vital. She turned her back to to sunset and walked to her Pre-fab unit.
Shepard, Zaeed and Kasumi walked into the plant entrance. They spotted Vido Santiago and several Blue Suns mercenaries run out onto the walkway above. Vido had a cocky swagger as he walked towards the railing. "Zaeed Massani," he said. "You finally found me."
"Vido..." Zaeed growled. He subtly reached for his assault rifle.
"Don't be stupid, Zaeed!" Vido chastised. "I have a whole company of blood thirsty bastards willing to kill or be killed on my command. Or maybe you should, so my men have a reason to put you down like the mad dog you are... again."
Shepard could see the rage build up inside Zaeed. He had to act fast before he did something stupid. Looking at the area an idea came to mind. "Hey, Vido!" Everyone's eyes were on Shepard. "It ends here." he threw a white grenade toward Vido. Before the Suns knew what was happening several the grenade exploded with a bright flash of light causing them to be blind.
At that moment several gunshots rang out and Vedo's sight retuned. As he opened his eyes and tuned around. The Commander stood there surrounded by dead Blue Sun merc's. Before the merc Commander could do anything Shepard kicked him in the chest and sent him flying to the squad.
Zaeed and Kasumi were surprised but at moment to realize Vido was right before him. The coward broke his ankle from the fall. He struggled to get to his feet. Vido screamed as he tried to put any weight on his broken ankle. Zaeed took out his pistol and wickedly grinned as he approached Vido. Shepard leaned against the railing above the area and watched Zaeed approach him.
"How the tables have changed," Zaeed commented.
"C-Come on, Zaeed," Vido plead. "I swear it wasn't personal."
Zaeed fired a round into his leg. Vido fell to the ground.
"Aaaah, fuck!" Vido tried dragging himself away. A streak of blood was left behind himself. "Please Zaeed! Don't do this!"
Zaeed fired a round a round in his right shoulder as John turned around. He just could not watch.
Vido screamed again. "Zaeed, I'm dying here! Please! I'll do anything!"
Zaeed looked over him. "Yeah, there's something you can do." Zaeed aimed the pistol at his head. "Die, you son of a bitch." The back end of Vido's head blew out from the gunshot. After twenty years, Zaeed had his revenge.
Shepard jumped over the edge of the railing and landed on both feet. "You good, Zaeed?"
Zaeed fired several more rounds into Vido. "Yeah, I'm good. After twenty years, this bastard is finally dead. I owe you Shepard. Now back to the original mission. There are still more Blue Suns mercenaries in this plant and the company is not paying me to leave a job half finished."
-
Ash sighed as she drank her coffee. It was a long day and non of the people cared. But she understood why. There where some things about the Alliance that people did not trust. She also couldn't trust the alliance any more after what they said about Shepard. But she couldn't just abandon them.
Her coffee relaxed her. She felt like scum while she sat. But the people weren't all bad they just did not trust Alliance -types. She sighed once again got up and went back to work mentally wishing she had an Exocron operative to help her.
* * *
Shepard examined the tank that held the sleeping Krogan.
"The tank has been successfully integrated into the Normandy's systems, Commander," EDI said.
"What can you tell me about him?"
"Like most Krogan, he has the genophage infect every cell of his body. Other than that, he is an exemplary specimen of the Krogan race. What his attitude is, is something I cannot know."
"Get ready, I'm going to let him out."
"Are you sure? We do not know what this Krogan will be like."
"He's either a valuable asset or a ticking time bomb. I'd rather deal with him now."
"Very well. The controls and consequences are yours."
Shepard approached the console and pressed the button to open the tank. It hissed as the locks disengaged. The bio-fluids drained away inside the tank before it opened up. The tank door opened allowing the Krogan to fall forward. He landed on his knees and vomited some bio-fluids that was caught in his throat. The Krogan stumbled out of the tank and looked groggy. His eyes had trouble focusing.
Shepard took a couple of steps forward. The Krogan's eyes open wide. He roared and charged forward. But the Commander pushed back and tackled the Krogan at the waist using the Krogan's momentum against him. The Krogan flew over him and hit the wall.
The Krogan stumbled to his feet, bewildered. "Human," he stated. "Male. The tank did not say Humans could match up to a Krogan in close combat. Odd... Before you die, I need a name."
"I'm Commander Shepard," he replied while reaching behind his back. "And I don't take threats lightly."
"Not your name," he chided. "Mine." The Krogan approached him. "I know things, but the tank... Okeer couldn't implant a connection. His words are hollow." The Krogan was just a few feet away from Shepard. John's hand rested on his pistol. "Warlord, legacy, grunt," he said. The last word got his attention. "Grunt. 'Grunt' was the last. It has no meaning. It'll do. I am Grunt." Grunt was now right in front of Shepard. "If you are worthy of your command, prove your strength and try to destroy me."
"Why call yourself Grunt?"
"It's short. Matches the training in my blood. The other words, Okeer, Legacy, are big things I don't feel. Maybe they fit your mouth better. I feel nothing for Okeer's clan or his enemies. I will do what I am bred to do. Fight and determine the strongest, but his implant has failed. Without a reason that's my own, one fight is as good as any other. Might as start with you."
"I have a strong ship and strong crew. A strong clan. You would make it stronger."
"If you're weak and choose weak enemies, I'll have to kill you."
"My enemies are the Reapers. A race of sentient machines that have wiped out organic civilizations every fifty thousand years. They are more powerful than anything that has ever existed. I think they would make a worthy foe."
Grunt let out a throaty chuckle. "That is a worthy foe. Very well, Shepard. I'll fight for you."
"I'm glad you saw reason," he said while nodding downwards.
Grunt looked down and saw Shepard's pistol at his stomach. He expressed an amused grunt. "Offer one hand but arm the other. Wise Shepard. If I find what I want. If I find a clan. I will be honoured to eventually pit them against you."
-
Ash worked at the fire control every time she tried to calibrated it something else failed. It started to piss her off. She typed in a few more commands and once again the read 'failed.' gritting her teeth she almost smashed the screen.
Her temper was reaching it's limit as was her patience. At that moment her omni-tool activated and Anderson appeared.
"Councillor? What can I do for you." she asked.
"Chief I was hoping to talk to you about Shepard's 'origins'." he said.
Ash got the meaning of what he said. She held up a finger before closing her comm on her tool. She then looked around before typing a few keys on it. It gave a small bleep before she opened her comm back up and called Anderson.
"Sorry about that I had to make sure that no one is listing." she said.
"It's ok. This information is extremely sensitive. How long have you known?" he asked.
"Just over two years."
Anderson almost scoffed at the info but before he could say anything else the signal was lost. Ash tried to get the signal back but couldn't. Her mind buzzed as she tried to try someone else. She then tried to contact the JFU but couldn't.
At that moment Lilith came in.
"Miss Williams we've lost all communication."
-
The Illusive Man sat on his chair in front of a dying sun when the holoscreens activated. An of Miranda appeared before him.
"Miranda," he stated as he took a puff of his cigarette. "Why aren't you using the QEC?"
"The Commander is having a privet chat with some of the crew. But I have some concerns about Shepard."
"You could have filed a report to send to me."
"This isn't something I can truly express in a report."
"What... concerns do you have about Commander Shepard?"
"He knows a lot more about what's happening than what he's letting on. When we first got to Freedom's Progress he ordered the pilot to fly over a small group of Quarians. That group of Quarians just happened to have his former team mate Tali'Zorah with them."
"You did mention in the report that you pulled up a video of the battlefield. He could have recognized her."
"She was in a completely different suit. There was no way he would recognize her. Unless he saw that light she had on?"
"Light?"
"Some sort of light was flashing on her back. Not to mention those mech's completely missed her ."
"Well she was probably lucky. As for the flashing light it could be anything."
"Maybe but when he arrived the Quarrian seemed to expect him."
"What are you suggesting exactly, Miranda? That Shepard was giving orders while he was in a coma?"
"That isn't everything. When we went to the Citadel, I had someone track him. After the meeting with the Council, he met with someone who dressed in a cloak. This person gave him a box that contained the Commander's new armour and those curved blades. I have been monitoring any outgoing communication and at no point did I find a communication from Shepard. And I highly doubt he just called this person once he visited the Council and that person had this armour ready to go. I checked experimental prototypes from many companies and none of them have any armour that comes close to what Shepard is wearing."
"I'll admit that is something of interest. We should keep a closer eye on him."
"There's more. I wanted to learn more about Wilson and why he betrayed us. I looked into his records, but I've come across evidence that his credentials were falsified."
This news caused TIM to shift in his seat. "Falsified?"
"For all intents and purposes, his records are very real, but I dug deeper. I contacted the institutions he earned his degrees from. He has records he was there, but there is no evidence that he was there."
TIM downed the last of his whisky and rubbed his temple. "I'm not sure I understand."
"Wilson had official records that he attended at the institutions, but I had some people check into things. No one at any of these places knew Wilson. Absolutely no one. There is also no video record of him attending these schools. In fact we don't have any photos of him before ten years ago."
"What are you suggesting?"
"That Wilson was an infiltrator from the start. I don't know who he was working for, but that is the only conclusion I can come up with in the light of current facts."
TIM took a puff of his cigarette and placed it on the edge of his ash tray. "This is disturbing news. Any conjectures as to who Wilson was working for?"
"Possibly the Shadow Broker," Miranda replied. "It would make sense that Wilson would try to sabotage Lazarus under order of the Shadow Broker, considering our previous run-in with him."
"Likely possibility." TIM reached for his cigarette and took another puff. "I'm not comfortable with the idea that Wilson has eluded our detection for the past few years."
"He may have sabotaged Lazarus more than we thought before."
"How so?"
"I have done scans without Shepard's knowledge and discovered that Shepard doesn't have a biotic implant."
TIM stabbed the ember end of his cigarette into the ash tray.
"Shepard has been using his biotics without his implant all this time."
"It disturbs me to no end that Wilson tried to directly sabotage Shepard. It was entirely possible that Shepard could have awakened without his biotics because of that stunt." TIM pulled out a new cigarette and lit it. "Though it is not completely impossible for him to use his biotics. It is common knowledge that Shepard operated without an implant. That was one of his qualities that have made him well known in the galaxy."
"About that. I have watched him in combat and just what I've seen. It's beyond anything I have ever seen out of a soldier. His speed, strength and biotic capabilities. It is almost super-human. And that bothers me. Lazarus made him a better soldier, but he was already leagues beyond anyone in the Alliance. Even as a teen he saved his colony from slavers just with his biotics and his sword. Despite all of his renown, the first 6 years of his life is a mystery. I need to know this. Did Cerberus or the Alliance have a project where they tried to create a super-soldier and one of the subjects escaped or is unaccounted for?"
TIM gave the question thought. His cigarette hung from his fingers as his rested his hand against his mouth. "No. In any project similar to what could have created Shepard was secure. No one is unaccounted for. Is this everything?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'll have some people look into Wilson's past. That is indeed something to know about. In the meantime, keep an eye on Shepard."
-
Shepard stood in the briefing room. The QEC was active. Thanks to the Exocron operatives who infiltrated Cerberus also made modification's to the Normandy as well.
"EDI, hook me up with the ministers," Shepard ordered.
"Yes, Commander."
The QEC activated and is image came before the Ministers.
"Commander, we have received your report on Aite," Hal'yon said. "Even after the horrors they committed against us, they still have not stopped."
"The bastards nearly caused an apocalypse before the Reapers even arrived," Shepard cursed.
"But you stopped Overlord," Talgoran said. "Even if this galaxy doesn't realize it, you saved it again. I hope David can find peace at the Grissom Academy."
"The man's brother actually was trying to convince me to leave David in the machine. Nearly causes the apocalypse and he wants to continue the experiments."
"Cerberus will never change," the Aqult scoffed. "Success at the cost of innocents. Simply despicable."
"This will merely be another charge against them for when we bring them in to pay for their crimes," Hal'yon said. "We wish you luck, Commander your father would be proud as would Far'ti."
"Thank you, sir."
The QEC closed down.
"If only the rest Council could be as accommodating," Tikus quipped.
"If on...," Shepard was about to say before his senses picked up someone else in the room.
He spun to his right and pinned whatever was there in the room to the wall with his right arm. The invisibility cloak gave away revealing Kasumi. Shepard's eyes widened.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"I-I was here to thank you," she gasped, "for decrypting the grey box and deleting just the information and saving the memories."
"How much did you hear?" he asked letting go of her.
"Everything," she admitted. "W-What was all that? I've never seen aliens like them before?"
"EDI lock the door."
"Door is locked."
"This is a tight spot here. This is a secret that I don't want Cerberus to know about, and yet you are on Cerberus' payroll."
"I'm an independent contractor," Kasumi countered. "Anyways, I wasn't paid to spy on you for them. I was paid to fight for you. But after what you did for me with the Hock heist, the money doesn't matter. You earned my loyalty, and I promise you I won't tell anyone about this."
"I do not detect any deception," EDI said.
"Alright, I'll explain myself," Shepard said. He could have mind-melded with her, but his head just hurts too much after the day. "Have you heard of the rumours about me not being human?"
Before she could nod she got the gist of what he was asking. Her eyes widedned.
"That's probably the last thing I expected to hear from you. What are you then?"
"I'm a Tiberian. EDI here is an Exocron, just like Tikus here."
"That would be me," Tikus quickly popped in as a life size hologram.
"We come from a parallel universe. In my galaxy, we have completely different races, Tolashners, Exocrons, Aqultrons, Shel'trakans and Tiberians. All of these races are united as one. We lived in peace and prosperity. That is... Until Cerberus arrived in our galaxy."
"How did Cerberus reach your universe?"
"There's a wormhole that connects our two galaxies. They found it and used it. Things started off well enough. It was a learning experience for both sides. Little did we know of Cerberus' ulterior motives. Cerberus agents were stealing technology without our knowledge and performed their own experiments. In their haste, they corrupted a stem-cell limb farm. Over four trillion died immediately."
This elicits a gasp from Kasumi.
"That wasn't the end of it. The corruption of the cells somehow mutated caused the dead to rise up and consume the flesh of the living. However I was kidnapped as the Infection spread. I was tortured, experimented on but the worst of it I watched my sisters get raped in front of me."
John could see a tear come from her right eye.
"The people you saw me talking to are the JFU. My galaxy's version of the Council. My mission was to infiltrate this galaxy and bring Cerberus to justice for their crimes. But that mission has changed. Our main focus now is to stop the Reapers."
"That is... something. But a question remains." Kasumi waved her index finger at him. "Several actually. Everyone knows you where found on a ship. And from the sounds of things you must have fought Cerberus how could you do it at age 6?"
Shepard laughed a little. "Tiberans are slightly differently than Humans, or most races for that matter. Because Tiberia has an extremely harsh environment children are tort to fight at an early age. That answer your questions?"
"Somewhat. Why did Cerbrus want you?."
"A few things. One of them being that Tiberian DNA is close to humans. The next is I'm what's called the Spirits chosen. A warrior of the royal family who is selected by the spirits of war to stop great destruction."
"How many know about this secret?"
"Garrus, Joker, Chakwas and Tali know. That's it. Actually, no. That isn't it. The Reapers know. Sovereign's sensors somehow detected Delta energy readings and my radiation immunity from me and realized that I am Tiberian. It's likely that the Reaper fleet now knows."
"Wait, how would Sovereign know what an Tiberian is?"
"The Reapers once attacked my galaxy. We managed to defend ourselves, but lost a lot of people in the battle."
Kasumi whistled. "That is something else."
"You certainly are taking this news really well."
"Well, I always thought you were very different from most Humans. This explains why. This mission has gotten a lot more interesting."
"Commander Shepard," EDI called out. "I am receiving a message from Kelly."
"Put her through." he said.
"Errr Commander The Illusive man would like to talk to you." Kelly said over the comm.
26. Chapter 23 Love's Horison
**I keep on forgetting to add the message. The author Edboy4926 has used the first arc of this story for his 'Lost memory'. Which is coming along well. **
Chapter 22: Love's Horizon
Shepard's hologram appeared in front of The Illusive Man. TIM took a puff on his cigarette and immediately said upon the completion of Shepard's hologram, "Shepard. I think we have them!" A hologram of the Milky Way appeared between the two. The image zoomed in on a green planet. "Horizon—one of our colonies in the Terminus systems—just went silent. If it isn't under attack, it will soon be. Has Mordin come up with the countermeasures for the seeker swarms?"
"Not yet, but I hope he's done soon." Shepard replied.
"Let's hope he works well under pressure. There's something else you should know." TIM took another puff of his cigarette. "One of your former crew members Ashley Williams is stationed on Horizon."
Shepard's eyes widened and without another word he turned off the QEC. TIM just sat there with a smile on his face. He knew of John and Ashley's relationship. He also knew the prospect of miss Williams being in danger would set him off.
A sense of satisfaction found him as he turned back the look at the sun.
Shepard ran out into the corridor breathing heavily. "JOKER GET US TO HORIZON NOW!" he yelled.
Realising the emergency Joker did not hesitate and immediately set course for the place.
Shepard burst into the lab. Mordin was so surprised he almost dropped his data pad.
"Mordin please tell me you have something." John said almost begging.
"Of course." the doctor said
-
The shuttle entered through the planet's atmosphere. Shepard started to get restless. He brought Kasumi, Grunt and Garrus with him. He needed the extra backup. His emotions where uncontrolled even his Tiberian training did not help.
"Shepard calm down she's a good soldier." Garrus said trying to calm the commander down.
"Yeah but it does not help to know that the Collectors are probably taking her away." John said.
Both Grunt and Kasumi where confused.
"Why care about some female solder?" Grunt asked.
Garrus leaned over to the Krogan.
"The one we're talking about is Shepard's bond mate." the Turian said in a hushed voice.
The Krogan looked at the commander with a wide eye. "Oh."
Ignoring the conversation about his relationship John just looked out of the window at the planet. He was worried about Ash. Sure she could take care of herself but that was not the main worry. On the ride to the planet he slapped the back of his neck. After that his movements became weaker. Something happened to Ash and he wanted to know.
The shuttle landed and all three of them exited and drew their weapons. Shepard waved for them to move forward. "Mordin, will these countermeasures hold up?"
"Certainty impossible," Mordin replied over the comm. "But in limited numbers should confuse detection, make us invisible to detection. In theory..."
"In theory?" Garrus repeated. "That sounds promising."
"Experimental technology. Only test is contact with seeker swarms. Look forward to seeing if you survive."
"I'm still trying to figure out if he's insane or genius," Kasumi commented.
"Probably both," Shepard answered, "they are two sides of the same coin."
They heard something fly towards them. Several Collectors flew into the area and took cover behind some crates. Garrus took the right flank while Shepard took the left. They gave cover for Grunt and Kasumi as they took out the Collectors.
The Collectors' formation broke sending them into chaos. Shepard ran into the area with pistol in hand. The last Collector drones didn't know whether to focus on Shepard or his squad mates attacking the flank. Shepard used his pistol and pop shot the Collectors in the head. The area was now clear.
Shepard approached one of the body's and examined it. The markings on it where familiar.
"Shepard?" Garrus asked.
"There 'beings' where genetically altered. There makings are remains of genetic rewrite." Shepard said impressed but also angry.
"Radiation or Eezo?"
"Radiation."
Garrus got the meaning as did Kasumi. The beings weren't created by this galaxy's tech but by John's. They moved towards a gated community. A thick swarm of seekers flew just a few feet above them.
"At least the countermeasures work," Grunt commented.
In the next area a couple of Collectors are seen moving a container. Shepard threw a warp at the closest Collector. Garrus sniped the furthest. This alerted the other Collectors and Husks. The Collectors flew in while the Husks charged straight for Shepard's group.
Shepard grabbed his shotgun and took out the ones that got close while Kasumi used her cloak to take them out and Grunt used his assault rifle to whittle them down. As they took the Husks down one by one John started to get annoyed. He bioticly charged at the husks and used his shotgun and close combat training to take them down. Once they where all down his eyes gave a slight glow that Grunt did not notice.
"Area cleared," Garrus announced.
"Those look like the Husks the Geth used on Eden Prime," Kasumi commented.
"So it's true," Grunt said. "The Collectors really are working for the Reapers."
They went through a gate into the next neighbourhood. There on the ground was a Husk body. "These things used to be human," Garrus observed. "This what's left of the colonists?"
"No," Kasumi answered. "The Geth turned their victims into Husks by impaling them on Dragon's teeth. We haven't seen any since we got here. The Collectors must have brought the Husks. They're taking the colonists alive for some other reason."
"What are they doing with the colonists?" Shepard asked out loud. "Can't be because they want to make Husks."
"Might be best not to think about that," Garrus replied.
Shepard keeled near the Husk to get a better look. "These Husks are different from what we've faced before. They don't have the EMP pulse the previous generation had, but their bodies are more durable and they seem to be stronger. More evolved."
"They still die if you shoot them," Garrus quipped.
"We won't let them take any more colonists," Shepard declared.
"Right," Kasumi nodded.
The next area was filled with containers for the unlucky colonists of Horizon. More Collectors greeted the squad. Shepard released round after round from his rilfe to keep the Collectors off of their feet. His squadmates advanced one by one taking down the confused Collectors. They went around the next corner to see another half dozen Collectors taking cover behind some crates under stairs. There were explosive canisters all over.
"Everyone take cover!" Shepard ordered. "I have this."
Shepard's body glowed. He raised his arms causing the canisters in the area to rise up. "Eat this!" he yelled while throwing them at the Collectors. The Collectors' remains were splattered against the wall.
There were no more Collector drones. The team relaxed somewhat as they advanced. Around the building, they found their first colonist. It was a man helping up a woman, but they were frozen. There was a slight orange glow around them. A dark red mist moved around their body.
"They appear to be inside some stasis field," Garrus observed. "Keeps you conscious but completely helpless."
"They've been like this for a while," Shepard said. To the two frozen colonists he said, "I'm not sure you can hear me, but I'm Commander Shepard and I'm not letting these monsters take you."
They entered the alley way. There Shepard found a Collector weapon leaned up against a container. "Kasumi, go scout ahead," he ordered.
The thief nodded and vanished. Shepard picked up the weapon and examined it closely. A look of irritation came across his face.
"Shepard?" Garrus said.
"This..." he said quietly. "This is a particle beam. This isn't their technology."
"It's Tiberian, isn't it?"
"Yes. Very primitive recreation of my people's technology, but this is it. We have particle beam weapons for our soldiers, vehicles and ships. Even if this is primitive... This still makes it the most powerful weapon in the galaxy. This can slice right through most kinetic barriers."
"Commander!" Kasumi called to him. "We have company!"
Several Collectors flew into the area. Shepard, Garrus and Grunt caught up with Kasumi.
The Collectors landed on the ground. One of them started to glow bright yellow. A burst of energy came from it. There were cracks of light all over its body and its eyes glowed.
"I AM THE HARBINGER OF YOUR DESTRUCTION."
"Focus on the underlings!" Shepard ordered. "I'll take on this one!"
Garrus was able to his sniper rifle to take Collectors shields fairly easily while Kasumi covered him in close range. Grunt took to taking the left flank. Shepard's focus was solely on Harbinger.
Harbinger threw a yellow-coloured warp at Shepard. He dogged it and threw his own warp at Harbinger causing the beast's shields to drop.
"ARTICIAN!" Harbinger roared. "YOUR KIND WILL SHARE THE FATE OF THIS GALAXY. NONE SHALL ESCAPE ASCENSION."
Shepard closed the gap between them and swung a glowing fist at him. The mix of biotic power and his strength caused the torso to fly off and it the wall. Shepard looked at the bloody torso. There was a mixture of blood, guts and machinery within its body. The Collector was still active.
"TIBERIAN... YOU CANNOT STOP US. THE CYCLE WILL CONTINUE."
Shepard stomped on the head, killing the host. Kasumi, Garrus and Garrus regrouped on him. Both Kasumi and Garrus understood the significance of what Harbinger said. The whole Reaper fleet knew the parallel universe is involved in the war.
"What did it call you?" Grunt asked Shepard. "Tiberian?"
"Who knows?" Shepard shrugged. "The Reapers seem to have a preference for the dramatic and talk weird. Come on."
The group approached the garage bay and opened the door. They entered inside. There something fell to the ground. Shepard pulled out his pistol and said, "Company. Get out here. Now!"
A scared man slowly and cautiously walked out from around the generator. Shepard holstered his pistol upon seeing it was a Human.
"You're..." he said in surprise. "You're Human. What are you doing here? You'll lead them right here!"
"You had to have heard them trying to get in. It seems like no one can hide from the Collectors."
"Those things are Collectors? You mean... they're real? I-I thought they were just made up. You know... propaganda to keep us in Alliance space. No! They got Lilith! I saw her go down. Sten, too. They got damn near everybody!"
"What happened?"
"Well, we lost our comm signal a few hours ago, so I went to check on the main grid. Then I heard screaming. I looked outside and saw swarms of bugs. They froze everyone they touched, so I sealed the doors." Anger flashed across his face. "Damn it! It's the Alliance's fault! They stationed that Chief Williams here and built those towers. It made us a target!"
"Why are you blaming the Alliance?"
"We're just a simple farming colony. We've gone unnoticed for this long... until the Alliance came in and built those towers. So of course that grew attention to us!"
"The Collectors have been abducting Human colonies all over the Terminus. The Alliance was trying to help."
"We didn't ask for their help. Too many strings attached."
"Tell me about this Alliance rep."
"Chief Williams? Heard she was some kind of hero or something. Doesn't mean much to me. Didn't mean nothing to me, though. Would've rather she stayed in Council space."
"Any idea what she was doing here?"
"Supposed to be helping us get those defence towers up and running. I get the feeling she was here for something else. Spying on us, maybe."
Shepard looked to his team mates and said, "We can use those defence towers against the Collector ship."
"You would need to recalibrate the targeting system," the mechanic pointed out. "It's never worked right."
"We can figure it out once we get there," Kasumi interjected. "Just tell us where to find it."
"Head to the main transmitter on the other side of the colony. It's pretty hard to miss. The targeting controls are at the base."
"It's best you wait here," Shepard suggested.
"Yeah," the mechanic agreed. "I'll let you out, but I'm locking the door behind you. I'm not taking any chances. Good luck. I think you're going to need it."
They exited the garage. They could hear the insectoid chatter of the Collectors on the other side of the wall. Shepard peaked around the wall and saw two Collectors. He signalled to Garrus to take the left flank to give them cover fire. Kasumi disappeared to take the collectors one on one while Grunt stay close with Shepard and take them in close combat.
"Now!" Shepard said.
Garrus beelined it onto the walkway to give sniper support while Grunt reluctantly stayed behind cover. Kasumi just randomly appeared across the battlefield. A couple more Collectors appeared along with a pack of Husks.
Shepard saw the pack heading towards Garrus. He launched a shockwave at the horde blowing them to bits.
"YOUR GALAXY WILL BOW BEFORE US!" Harbinger roared as he flew into the area. "YOUR PEOPLE'S EXISTENCE IS AN INSULT TO OUR ORDER."
A large deformation of a Husk walked out from behind a building. The Scion charged up its cannon and fired a shockwave towards Shepard's position. Shepard ran up the wall to his side and jumped off, flinging himself towards Harbinger's avatar.
"YOU WILL SUBMIT!" it roared before Shepard ripped the avatar apart.
Grunt ran to new cover while firing concussive rounds at the Scion. The Scion was distracted while Shepard moved it. Garrus fired round after round from his sniper rifle. The Scion had a thick hide that protected it from harm. A burst of energy came from the Scion that destroyed Kasumi's cloak. The Scion turned towards Shepard.
Garrus was relentless in firing his AR at the Scion's face. Shepard moved in close and unleashed a devastating biotic blast and sent the unholy horror flying. Energy dissipated from Shepard's fist.
"Area cleared," Garrus announced. "Odd that we haven't seen any more of them."
"They've probably been loaded onto the Collector ship," Grunt concluded.
Shepard's eyes widened in realisation. There was no sign of Ashley. Fear started to grip him he would not let them take her away. Without warning he he smashed through the door. On the other side where a number of Husks and Collectors. He took out his assault rifle and started to move fast taking out one by one.
At that moment Grunt, Garrus and Kasumi came into the area. They watched as Shepard took out the Collectors and Husks. The last of the Husk's fell and the squad came up to him as they approached the targeting tower.
"Joker, do you read me?" Shepard asked over the comm.
"Your signal is weak, but I read you Commander," Joker answered.
"EDI can you bring the towers online?"
"Errors in calibration software can be easily rectified," EDI answered, "but it will take time to bring the towers to full power. I recommend a defensive posture. I will not be able to mask the increase generator output."
"Once the Collectors know this, they will try to stop it," Garrus commented.
"Any other helpful tips?" Shepard asked.
"Just one," EDI answered. "Enemy reinforcements closing in. I suggest you ready weapons."
Right after that suggestion, the sounds of wings fluttering entered the area. They took cover. The Collectors flew in by droves. Shepard's group returned fire in response. The Collectors did their best to be tactical in their approach, but none could get in close. EDI announced to them what was the status of the defence towers, periodically.
"EDI is going to have to hurry," Grunt said as he fired his Geth shotgun into the face of a Collector assassin.
Occasionally Harbinger would possess a drone that is on the edge of death. Its dialogue was beginning to truly irritate Shepard.
"TIBERIAN. YOUR WORLDS. YOUR ALLIES. WILL FALL BEFORE US."
"Shut up!" he roared while ripping the Reaper avatar in half.
The flow of reinforcements seems to have finally been stemmed as the sound of fluttering wings stopped. Shepard's squad cautiously walked out from their cover.
"Cannons at 100 percent," EDI announced. The cannons roared to life and started firing at the Collector ship.
As they watched the Collector ship get attacked, an object flew over the building across the field. It was a Husk construct of sorts. It resembled a crab with a beak.
"Ahh hell. Take cover!" Shepard ordered.
The Praetorian approached and started blasting them with duel particle beams. They had to move quickly to avoid it. As soon as the beams died out, everyone popped out of cover and bombarded the creature.
The barrage weakened the creature's shield, but as soon as they were damaging its armoured shell, it slammed onto the ground and sent out a shockwave as it screamed. Shepard saw on his HUD that its barrier went up. He dashed towards the creature as the shockwave subsided. Shepard jumped onto its back as it rose.
"What the hell is he doing?" Garrus screamed.
Shepard Ripped off the armour on its back with great difficulty. After a while a shard of armour came off it. Then using the sharpest point on it he drove it onto the beast. It screamed as he pushed it in deeper. Once it was fully in he jumped off as the beast disintegrated.
When the creature dissolved, the Collector ship let out a roar as its engines came to life. The ship lifted off and quickly left the colony behind.
"Goddamn it!" Shepard roared. His helmet dissembled revealing his face.
"No!" the mechanic yelled as he ran into the area. "Don't let them get away!"
"There's nothing we can do," Shepard said. "They're gone."
"They've got half the colony in there! They took Egen and Sten... Do something!"
"I didn't want it to end like this," Shepard said remorsefully. "I did the best I could do."
"Better than most Shepard," Garrus pointed out. He wasn't about to let Shepard feel undeserved guilt. Absolutely no one could have done better.
"Shepard..." the mechanic repeated. The name caught his interest. "Wait. I know that name. Sure I remember you. You're some kind of big Alliance hero."
"Commander Shepard," a voice said. Shepard and his squad's eyes were drawn to Ash who revealed herself from behind a crate. His heart eased up as she approached them. "Captain of the Normandy. First Human Spectre. Saviour of the Citadel." Ash scowled at the mechanic. "You're in the presence of a God, Delan. Back from the dead."
"All the good people we lost and you get left behind," Delan shook his head. "Figures. Screw this. I'm done with you Alliance types."
"We could use some time." he said to his squad.
Garrus nodded and grabbed the other two squad mates away. They tried to stop him but once out of sight Ash approached Shepard.
"As..." he was about to say but he was met with a slap. Surprised he looked at her but before he could say anything else her lips met his. The fear he felt vanished. The kiss broke and both of them looked into each others eyes.
"Welcome back John." she said as tears fell from her eyes.
"I came to save you my goddess." he replied.
"Well your here that's all that matters to me." she then wrapped her arms around him. "Don't ever leave me again."
"Why would I do that?"
"Will you let me come with you?"
"It would not be the same."
They kissed once again their feelings where one again. They could be together once again.
27. Chapter23 beginnings of the insurrection
Chapter 23 beginnings of the insurrection.
Ash and Shepard stepped in. Ash initially shocked at the size of the cabin. "Wow."
Shepard gave a smile said, "Pretty big and extravagant, but I'm not going to complain too much."
She couldn't say anything as she embraced him.
"Things can get back to normal, my love," he said.
"Are there any...?"
"I've dismantled all bugs in my cabin, the AI core, briefing room, med-bay and the core. It's okay to say anything here."
Ash kissed him the warmth of his lips helped ease the stress she has felt for the past while. It felt right to her that she was here now. She will no longer be away from his side. No more Trials. Nothing that can keep them apart.
"I really missed your touch," she said with some tears of joy.
"I miss looking into your beautiful eyes."
She smiled took off her bag. Opening it she brought out his blade and pressed it on his chest.
"I never let it go. Even when collectors promised me a lot of money for it. I couldn't... I jut couldn't..."
His warm hand held her hand. She looked up into those eyes she could get lost in. She read somewhere that Tiberian prince's had the ability to charm all women with their deep coloured eyes. Ash mentally hoped she be under his charm forever.
"Ash..."
She put a finger on his to be quiet before kissing him. Once they broke she grabbed his collar and pushed him onto the sofa. She then walked up to him sat on his lap and laid on him. John's arms wrapped around her.
"I understand I've been gone a while... And that you might be, um, uncomfortable... going back to exactly to where we were before... before I was absent." John stumbled over his wording which made Ash smile a little at the 'invincible' Commander Shepard's attempt to woo her. "I just want to let you know that I want go at your pace. The last thing I want is for you to feel uncomfortable."
She smiled. She moved to sit on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. "You're really good to me, you know?"
"I try." He kissed her forehead. "How have you been adjusting on the Normandy?"
"I like the quiet. Though I miss the familiar faces. Pressly. Engineer Adams. It doesn't seem right that Cerberus is running things."
"You know better than anyone that really isn't true."
She chuckled. "They won't know what hit them. I talked to Kasumi recently and she told me about what happened. Can she be trusted?"
"She may be a thief, but she is a good person. I trust her. Also Joker knows about me now."
"Anyone else?"
"No. Though I believe that Miranda has suspicions."
"That's not good."
"I doubt alien from another universe will come to mind for explanations. What do you think of Kasumi?"
"She seems nice. We talked a lot."
"I thought you two would get along."
"Why? Because she's a thief?"
"What? Just because you did stuff like that before does..."
"I'm teasing you, John. We got along very well. Though she kept asking questions about us being together. Intimate questions."
"And what have you been saying?" he asked with a smirk.
"You're terrible," she said in mock accusation before letting out a yawn.
"Tired?"
"Yeah..."
"Would it be too much to ask you to sleep here tonight?"
"Just tonight?"
"Every night," he clarified with a smile.
Ash got off of his lap and went around the bed while removing her clothing down to her underwear. Shepard did and pressed a button to kill the lights. Only the light of the fish tank illuminated the room. They crawled under the sheets and lay on their sides facing each other. Shepard wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. In each others warmth they fell asleep.
-
Illium was an extremely warm planet. Due to the hot surface temperature, most structures had to be built at high altitudes. Even then the temperature was well into the 40s. But it didn't bother Shepard. The summers on Tiberia would easily outmatch Illium's heat. On this planet, Shepard was to recruit the last two people Cerberus recommends for his mission. An Asari Justicar and a Drell Assassin. EDI suggested to him to seek out Liara to find out where the two are.
Before they reached Illium, EDI told him how Cerberus got his body. Liara was the one who recovered his body and turned it over to Cerberus on the belief that they would bring him back. This news hurt him, but he understood the necessity of what she did.
On the way to Liara's office, an Asari called out to Shepard. "Excuse me. Excuse me. Are you Commander Shepard?"
"Yes," he replied. "How did you know?"
"You have an aura about you," she replied. The Asari looked to the sides. "I was asked to give you message if I saw you. It's from a friend from Noveria."
"Can you be a little more specific?"
"I believe the message itself should make it clear." The Asari's eyes rolled to the back. Her voiced changed to one that Shepard remembered all too well. "SHEPARD. WE HIDE. WE BURROW. WE BUILD. BUT WE KNOW THAT YOU SEEK THOSE WHO SOURED THE SONGS OF OUR MOTHERS. WHEN THE TIME COMES, OUR VOICE WILL JOIN WITH YOURS, AND OUR CRESCENDO WILL BURN THE DARKNESS CLEAN. THANK YOU, SHEPARD. THE RACHNI WILL SING AGAIN, BECAUSE OF YOU."
"I'm glad to hear that you're rebuilding. Are you somewhere close by?"
The Asari's eyes rolled back to normal. "The Rachni queen is not here. That message was one of many memories I carry from her. I encountered her on an uncharted world. She saved my life. More than that, she gave me a purpose. They are an amazing people, Shepard. The galaxy owes you a great debt for giving them a second chance."
"I got that they are grateful, but what else was she saying?"
"That the first Rachni war was a mistake. Something soured the voices of their people. In Rachni psychology, that would be like mind control, I think. It doesn't really translate. Anyway, she believes that you are fighting the ones who did that. And she promises to help."
"Mind control," Garrus muttered. "That sounds way too familiar."
"So the Rachni believes that the Reapers caused the Rachni war?" Ash asked.
"I can't say for sure," the Asari answered. "But she was certain that her ancestors were forced into war against their will. Her people aren't naturally aggressive. If they made war, it is not of their own doing."
"Thank you for giving me that message," Shepard said. "I'm glad my friend from Noveria is doing well. There's something I need you to do. I am part of an organization, a powerful one that can help the Rachni."
"I don't think the galaxy is ready for the return of the Rachni yet."
"Sorry you misunderstand organization is not the Council. They are known as the JFU. I can't speak of them more here, but to contact them you need to head to the Citadel to find a contact of mine, Solvan. On the Presidium, head to the locations I marked on your omni-tool. Sit on the bench there and use the password 'Alton (7) utol (6) veca (1) yoto (delta) uoio (golf) zonu (hotel)'. A man in black will appear and explain everything. Can you do this?"
"I believe I can, but what type of organization is this JFU?"
"One that will save us all. I hope to meet you again."
"I guess saving the Queen was a smart move," Garrus commented.
"Yeah. Hopefully the Queen will get along with the JFU. I think they will."
They went up the stairs towards the office. Shepard looked to the assistant. "Liara is expecting me."
"Please go right in," she said.
They entered inside to see Liara speaking to a hologram. "Have you ever faced an Asari commando unit before? Few Humans have. Either have my payment or I'll flay you alive... with my mind."
That threat gave Shepard chills. Too much like her mother. Liara turned around and saw him. "Shepard! Nyxeris, hold my calls." She walked up to Shepard and hugged him. "Shepard..." She released him. "My sources said that you were alive, but I didn't believe. It's very good to see you again. And you're here with Garrus and Tali. It's good to see you both again."
"One big happy reunion," Garrus quipped.
"So you have sources now?" Ash said while crossing her arms. Liara gave off an odd vibe to her.
"Sources, informants, even some hired muscles. Shepard isn't the only person with mysterious friends. I need them to do my job. It's paid the bills since you... Well, for the past two years. And now you're back gunning for the Collectors with Cerberus."
"If you know that much, then you know that I could use your help."
"I can't, Shepard. I'm sorry. I have commitments here. Things I need to take care of."
"What's more important than saving the galaxy from the Collectors and Reapers?" Ash asked in an irritated tone.
"I can't say. Look I could use some help. I need someone with hacking expertise. Someone I can trust." Liara sat back into her chair. "If you disable security at key points around Illium, you could get me information I need. That would help me a great deal."
"If it'll help you, I'll do it, but before I do so, I'm going to need some information on an assassin by the name of Thane Krios and an Asari Justicar by the name of Samara."
The Asari smiled.
-
Kisla walked through the streets of omega in her civilian clothing. Her feelings for the prince were in turmoil. She loved him but he would not return her feelings. He only saw her as a sister or life long friend and she hated it. There was only one way of getting him even if it meant high treason.
The 'Justice angels' stayed at base camp while she went for a walk. Unknown to them she was going to unknowingly betray them. Walking into the market she took a seat at a nearby café. She ordered some rahman. It reminded her of an Tiberian dish called 'water snake soup'. The only difference was the soup was more meaty.
She waited for a few minutes before her food came. She paid the waiter and ate. As she ate a man sat next to her pulled out a letter gave it to her and left. She sighed and opened the letter and read it.
'_Dear Kisla_
_I'm glad that you have chosen to join us. But due to your position in the family we have to ask a demonstration of your loyalty. If you go to the Jenus tattoo parlour here in omega. When you are in ask for 'the mark of the true'. He'll know what it means. You have to do this within 3 days otherwise your candidacy to join us will be rejected. _
_From the true king of Tiberia Holgana Kalka_
She sighed as she finished her food. Getting up she then made he way to the nearest taxi.
Miranda finished her report on what happened to her sister's rescue. Just as she was about send it off when her chest started to hurt badly. She fell onto her desk in pain. She had been experiencing them for the past few months with no idea why. The pain increased for a few seconds before stopping.
"What kind of pain is this." she whispered.
Recovering herself she checked the time. It was getting close to lights out. She was really annoyed about the fact that the ship had a day/ night system installed. With the threat of the reapers on the way they should have a shift in order to move much more quickly.
At that moment the lights went out and her lamp came on. She got up and slid herself out of her bodysuit. Climbing into bed she turned of the light and fell asleep. Unknown to her Shepard waited outside for her to fall asleep. Once he was sure that she was asleep he walked in.
He walked directly up to her and put a piece of cloth around he nose and mouth. He then picked her up on his shoulder and walked into the med-bay. Chakwas and EDI in her human form where inside. They watched as the Commander walked up to a table and placed the OX on it.
"She's out cold. We can operate." he said.
Both of them nodded and Chakwas stood on the left of the XO.
"Commander forgive me for asking but why are we doing this?" the Doctor asked.
"Well as you may already know Tiberian's are born with delta energy which is more powerful than Eezo biotics. But there are cases of when the delta energy causes cancer cells. But this starts at birth. However it takes a long time for the energy to mature so the cell's aren't noticeable until the teens. But since Miranda was genetically engineered whoever the person was how tailored her did not know how to tailor the delta energy into her system. So the cells have matured and we have to convert them into energy."
"How common is this?" the doctor asked.
"Around one in a thousand. Rarely fatal. But Miranda's sister was also genetically engineered so I've go one of my operatives to find out if she has it and do the procedure on her."
At that moment a hologram of the XO appeared over the XO. They then started the procedure to save the Ice queen's life.
Kisla walked into the tattoo parlour. She was nervous about what she was doing. Her mind buzzed with what she was doing. Her heart told her to do it but her mind and loyalty instincts screamed at her not to. But for her the only thing she listened to was her heart.
A heavily tattooed walked up to her. Kisla immediately sensed the man was Tiberian. But he kept a human posture to fool people but she wasn't fooled.
"Well well what can I do for you young lady?" he asked in a gruff voice.
"I would like the Mark of the true." she replied.
The man smiled and lead her into a small room with a chair.
"Please take a seat. The Retola will be here for you initiation." he said in Tiberian before leaving.
Kisla sat on the chair and stared to wait. After a few seconds cuff then came over her wrists and ankles. She knew she was wrong but it was too late. The chair then spun to face a tinted window. The tint then vanished and two people stood there in white robes. One of them had red eyes indicating the price he took from the Infection. The other she knew well from Tiberia's most wanted.
The man had a small beard and a cut over his eyes.
"Holgana Kalka you Malkiam I promised to give you all the info I have and kidnap me?" she screamed.
"And you will. But in a more obedient form." Holgana said.
"More obedient form?"
Kalka smiled evilly.
"Have you heard of the Ganga bug?" the other man asked.
Kisla's eyes widened in fear. "No no no NO! I'll do anything but that please." she begged.
At that moment red gas then came up from the floor. Kisla screamed and begged the men to stop but the gas kept coming. After a few seconds she stopped screaming. And the gas cleared.
"Kisla who do you serve?" Holgana asked.
"I serve master Kalka. The true king of Tibera." she said in a monotone voice.
Tiberian codex:
Ganga bug.
The Ganga bug is small cockroach like bug found in the most dense forests of Tibera. Their venom is not toxic but can be used to hypnotize people. These people are then used as willing obedient slaves by the first voice they hear. The drug last for a long time.
28. Chapter 24 The lost sister
Chapter 24 The lost sister.
Shepard was told by Kelly that Jack wanted to speak with him. She always kept to herself, so Shepard was not fully acquitted with her, save for a few conversations they had or the missions they went on together. Jack once offered him sex, assuming he was trying to achieve that through his questioning. He declined the offer.
Shepard went down to the sub-deck and saw Jack in her usual place, sitting on her cot with several Cerberus OSDs sitting around her feet.
"Kelly said you wanted to speak with me," Shepard said to her.
Jack got up from his cot. "I got thoughts crawling like little bugs in and out my head. I can't stop them." She walked right passed Shepard and sat down at the bottom steps of the stairs. "You know I have a history with Cerberus. You know how far back it goes?"
"I'll listen to whatever you have to say, Jack."
"Your pal, the Illusive Man? Never seen him before, but Cerberus raised me. First thing I remember is my cell door in a Cerberus base. They did experiments. Drugged me. Tortured me. Whatever chance I had to be normal, they stole it by trying to turn me into some super-biotic. The doctors... The other kids... Every one of them hated me. They let me suffer."
"I'm... aware of your past with them. Though I have a feeling you didn't call me down to tell me about yourself."
"You catch on quickly. I found the coordinates of the base I was kept at in the files you gave me. I want to go to the Teltin facility on Pragia, where they tortured and drugged me." Jack pushed herself off of the stairs and walked to Shepard. "I want to go to the center of the base, my cell. I want to deploy a big fucking bomb. And I want to watch from orbit when it goes."
"Sounds like fun. Let's go."
"I understand if you don't want to- Wait, what?"
"I'll set the course."
"Really?"
"At the moment we're waiting on the Illusive Man for a new lead. If you believe blowing up the base will bring you some peace, then we'll head right there. And besides blowing stuff up is all ways fun."
Jack smirk almost feeling a little embarrassed. "You don't have to sound like such a pussy about it. Thank you, Shepard. Though I'm surprised you said yes, even without knowing that the facility is deserted. You could easily piss off your boss."
"Contrary to what you may believe. This 'partnership'," Shepard said those words in disgust, "is temporary and not exactly of my own free will."
"This ship has a lot of bugs, you sure you should be saying that?"
"One of my hobbies," Shepard remarked. "In my free time, I search for bugs and monitoring devices. This area was one of the first areas I cleared. Ready yourself then."
-
Jack, Miranda and Shepard sat inside the dark shuttle and watched outside the window as it flew over miles of forest. It was thick, creating a sea of green. Rain was down pouring in the area, slightly distorting the view from the shuttle's side-window.
"I forgot how much I hate this place," Jack muttered. "See the landing pad? Has to be on the roof, or the vegetation would overgrow it in a few hours."
"Shepard, I'm picking up thermal signatures everywhere, except at your landing zone," EDI said over the radio.
"Something is distorting the sensors," Shepard concluded.
"This was a secret Cerberus facility," Miranda said. "Thermal cloaking is fairly standard."
"Yeah, they built their equipment to last," Jack said. "Assholes. It was a mistake coming back here, Shepard."
"Calm down," Shepard said to her. "It'll be alright."
"Yeah, okay. Let's get on the ground."
The shuttle flew over the building and spun around in a one-eighty and then landed on the landing pad. The three hopped out of the shuttle and went down the catwalk into the building.
Jack was shivering a little from the rain. "Let's just go in there and plant the bomb in my cell. I want to watch this place burn."
The first room they entered looked like a shipping room or sorts. There were crates all over.
"I've never seen this room. I think they brought in new kids in those containers. They were messed up and starving, but alive. Usually..."
"That's despicable," Shepard growled.
The doors were still functioning allowing them to go forth. Another catwalk led to another level. At the bottom of the catwalk was a terminal that was playing a recording.
"The Illusive Man is requesting operation logs again," the man said. "He's getting suspicious."
"When we get results it won't care what we did," another voice added in.
"But if he knew..."
"He won't find out."
The log started looping again. Shepard turned the terminal off.
"It looks like this facility went rogue," Miranda observed.
"Yeah you would like to think that," Jack chided. "They didn't say what they were hiding from the Illusive Man."
They went through the next door. Sections of the ceiling were gone due to neglect. Rain poured in through the holes.
"I remember escaping to this room," Jack reminisced. "Fighting here. I saw sunlight through the cracks in the ceiling. Only a half dead guard between me and freedom. He was begging for his life."
Around the corner was a small pack of Varren. Jack used a pull field on them. Shepard followed with a grenade that triggered a biotic explosion, sending the Varren all over the place. Just then a Varren snuck behind them and jumped at Shepard. As it jumped he turned around fast taking out his blade. As it came at him he slashed across its underbelly.
The beast's guts fell out as it landed. Still breathing Shepard approached it and removed it's head. He then ripped off a piece of it and took a bite out of it much to Miranda's horror.
"Cool." Jack said.
"Commander what are you doing?" the XO said with horror in her voice.
"I'm was hungry as soon as we left the Normandy." he replied taking another bite.
"But Varren meat?"
"It's better than Maw meat. That stuff was sour."
Both women looked at him in surprise at what he just said. One of them was disgusted while the other one was impressed.
"Y...you...ate...Maw...meat?" she asked eyes wide.
"Yep you can call me crazy but I was stuck on Akuze for 2 weeks. How else was I meant to survive?" he answered as he finished the meat and got up.
At the location they were congregated, was dried blood. Some concrete dividers circled the dried blood.
"This... looks like an arena," Shepard said as he examined the area.
"That's right," Jack said while nodding. "They used to stage fights. Pit me against the other kids. I loved it. The only time I was allowed out of my cell."
"What the hell were they studying?"
"Hell if I know. Maybe it's how they got their kicks. I never understood anything that happened here."
Shepard thought for a moment before remembering something.
"Research."
The two women looked at him with raised brows.
"How do you know that?" Miranda asked.
"Think about it. What's the best way to find out combat information?"
The OX gave a moment's thought before realising what he was talking about. "In field testing."
"Yes and what batter way to do that than holding area tournaments."
"Whatever. Let's keep moving." Jack said in an annoyed tone.
The door at the end of the room led to a corridor. Water dripped from the various cracks in the ceiling. Inside the corridor was another terminal. Shepard turned it on.
A soldier fully clad in armour appeared before them. "Security officer Zamkl, Teltin facility. The subjects are out of their cells. They're tearing the place apart. Subject Zero is going to get loose. I need permission to terminate. Repeat. Permission to terminate."
Another voice answered, "All subjects besides Zero are expendable. Keep Jack alive."
Jack shook her head and shut the terminal off. "That's not right. I broke out when my guards disappeared. I started that riot."
"Maybe things didn't happen like you remember," Shepard suggested.
"The other kids attacked me. The guards attacked me. The automated systems attacked me. That doesn't leave a lot of room for interpretation." She said that last line while leaning in.
"Actuarially it does. What happened with the kids? Why did the guards leave? How could they have been careless. As for the kids attacking you, from the sounds of it the melee went out of hands and the kids tuned on each other to survive."
Jack tried to counter what he said. But she couldn't. The evidence was there plane as day and the logic of it was undeniable.
The squad went through the next door and saw dead Varren on the stairs.
"This place is supposed to be empty," Jack stated. "Who the fuck shot that Varren? It's a fresh kill."
That question was answered in the next room that was filled with a squad of Vorcha and a Blood Pack Krogan. Three of the Vorcha were eliminated with ease when Miranda caused an overload of one's fuel tank. The explosion killed them instantly.
Shepard moved to cover and immediately used his assault rifle to take down the Vorcha and Krogan with ease. Occasionally using his biotics.
Jack went in towards the Krogan and used her biotics. She lifted him up and then split him in two. Something of her attack briefly caught Shepard's eye. Something about her energy. He dismissed it assuming it was the lighting. The squad focused their attack towards the left to take out the Vorcha on the other side of the room.
"This was a small facility," Jack said. "Why would they need a morgue of this size?"
"A place to studying the bodies of the subjects who didn't make it," Miranda answered. "Many subjects."
"Bullshit," Jack spat. "I had the worse of it and I made it out alive."
"That maybe but scientist's always go over what they have researched to see if they missed anything." Shepard pointed out.
They continued down the dark hallways as Jack continued speaking her mind. "So strange to be back here. It feels like... I'm pissed off. I'm a dangerous bitch, but then I'm a little girl again. Shit, it's complicated. Let's just go plant that bomb."
They faced little resistance outside of a couple of easily killable Vorcha and several Varren. Each room brought more memories for Jack. In a room that was two-leveled with a catwalk, Jack saw a blackened mirror.
"This... This was a two way mirror? My cell was on the other side. I could see all the other kids out there. I used to scream at them for hours, and they always ignored me."
The room they entered was a lab of sorts. There were terminals and chairs with restraints.
"I must have gone through here when I broke out, but I don't remember it," Jack assumed. "This is a bad place."
There were two terminals that were still active. Shepard approached the first terminal. A scientist who was in his sixties appeared. "Entry 1054. The latest iteration of PergNim went poorly. Subject one, four, and six died. No biotic change among the survivors. We lowered core temperature of surviving subjects, but no biotically beneficial reactions occurred. As a side effect, all subjects died. So we will not try that on Zero. I hope our supply of biotic-potential subjects holds up. We are going through them fast." The hologram cut out.
"This is bullshit, Shepard!" Jack roared. "They weren't experimenting on other children for my safety!"
"You can't blame yourself for what Cerberus did to others," Shepard argued.
"You don't get it, Shepard. I survived this place because I was tougher than the rest. That's who I am."
"You move on, harder and tougher."
Shepard went over to the other terminal and activated it. The same scientist reappeared before them. "It's all fallen apart. The subjects are rampaging, and Zero is loose. We're shutting Teltin down. What a disaster. We'll infiltrate and piggyback onto the Alliance's Ascension program. Hopefully that will-" The scientist noticed something off from his terminal. "Who are...? Zero, wait!" The log cut out.
"Shepard, they started somewhere else!" Jack exclaimed.
"Ascension is an Alliance program," Shepard explained. "It's a school for biotic kids. They don't torture children there. Hell, I've done a couple of lectures there."
"A lot of this..." Jack tried to get out. "Isn't the way I remember it."
"There was a lot going on."
"I was dumb. I keep my eyes open now, and I always shoot first. We're getting close to my cell. The place I come from. Let's keep going."
"Hold it," Miranda said. "It looks like there are more logs."
The terminal started playing another log. "Entry 1. If I hadn't seen the files and footage I would never have believed what the Illusive Man told me. Project Tiberius."
This made Shepard's eyes widen.
"A previous project that went under. According to the Illusive Man, Cerberus discovered a wormhole that led to another universe."
"Incredible," Miranda muttered.
"Shut up," Jack scolded her. "I want to listen to this."
"There Cerberus discovered an alien civilization calling themselves the JFU. They are a Federation of several species working together for a common goal. Similar to the Council of this galaxy, only in this case, no race is left out of the main governing body. The alien race that founded the JFU was called the Tiberians. A super soldier warrior race for more advance than any race in our galaxy. Even more so than the Protheans. I mean they discovered FTL travel without the use of Element Zero, AI civilizations, stem cell limbs and nanomachines. Not only that but this race are immune to all forms of radiation. But not only that Cerberus acquired a sample of Tiberian genetic samples and our research shows their DNA is almost Human. That is where Project Reborn comes in. Our goal is to genetically engineer a biotic super-soldier using the genetic samples that were acquired during Project Tiberius and the live specimen. I further inquired the Illusive Man of what happened with our relationship with the Tiberians since I have not heard any more of them then what he told me. He simple replied that the relationship soured and the Tiberians now keep to themselves."
The hologram cut out. Another entry immediately started playing.
"Entry 563. Subject Zero is responding well to the genetic therapy. We are hoping that eventually she will show signs of Delta Energy manipulation just like the Spirits chosen, as the Illusive Man called the Tiberian. At this point, the Subject is technically not fully Human. She has many genetic markers that belong to an Tiberian. The Illusive Man wants us to keep this to a minimum, as our goal is to improve Humanity, but without losing it. But I have to admit the live specimen we have is a looker. But not only that she..."
The hologram cut out. Both Shepard and Jack were feeling angry at what was found in the logs. But that last part John wanted to find out.
'Live specimen? Who was the specimen?' he thought.
He quickly typed in a few keys on the console trying to find how the subject was. Nothing, he found nothing. The logs where too degraded to help. He slammed his fist onto the terminal almost braking it.
"Shepard what is it." Miranda asked with concern.
"One of the reasons why I hate Cerberus is because that my sisters where taken and killed them." he answered calmly keeping his emotions in check.
Both biotics where shocked at this. Even Jack but she felt sad for some reason. But Miranda could only guess what he felt like. She thought of trying to defend Cerberus but realised that it would do more harm than good.
They left the lab and saw several Krogan along with a couple of Vorcha. The leader of this location's Blood Pack was speaking with someone. "Hey, Aresh. It's Kureck. Yeah, the intruders are here. You want them dead, we have to talk creds. You promised us a lot of salvage, but this place is a waste." He listened to the response. "Fine, we'll put them down, but as soon as I do we're going to talk about salvage." he then turned to Shepard. "Well time to kill you."
"I am not in the mood for this" Shepard yelled launching a warp at the Krogan sending him flying into the wall.
Miranda used overload on the flamethrower-welding Vorcha causing him to explode and setting the other Vorcha on fire. Jack ran towards the right flank with her shotgun in hand. One of the lesser Krogan charged towards her ready to ram her. Jack leaped and slide across the ground and fired a round into his head. The plasma melting it away. Jack barely slid past him before the body fell.
Shepard round the corner on the left. Miranda laid down suppressing fire on the Krogan leader. Shepard used a biotic charge to close the gap between him and the Krogan soldier. The shotgun blast reflected off of him as he was surrounded by biotic energy in the charge. Shepard exited the charge and swung his sword, cutting the Krogan's head in half down the middle.
Now Shepard, Jack and Miranda had Kureck surrounded. The three biotics glowed bright blue. Kureck bared his teeth. "Fuck yo-" The three launched a warp attack at him, tearing him apart.
"Only room left is my old cell," Jack said. "Whoever Aresh is, he is in there."
They entered Jack's old cell. Shepard could see she was uneasy being back in there. She looked like she was expecting to be locked back in there again. As they entered he could sense someone else in the room.
"Come out," Shepard called out in the room. "We know you're in here."
Weathered, weak man came out of hiding from behind a desk.
"Who are you?" Jack demanded.
"My name is Aresh," he answered. "And you're breaking into my home. I remember you, Subject Zero. So many years have passed, and I thought I was the only survivor."
Jack raised her pistol and aimed at his head. "My name is Jack. How the hell do you know me?"
"We all know your face, Jack. They inflicted horrors on us, so their experiments wouldn't kill you. You were the question, and I'm still looking for the answer."
"It looks like he was drawn here, just like you Jack," Shepard commented.
"I tried to forget this. But a place like this doesn't forget you. It follows you. I hired these mercs and came back here almost a solar year ago. We're rebuilding it, piece by piece. I'm going to find out what they knew. How to unlock true biotic potential in Humans. I'm restarting the Teltin facility. It will be beautiful." The man was obviously delusional and mentally unstable.
"I wanted a hole in the ground," Jack said. "He's trying to justify what happened by using it!"
"We can blow up the place," Shepard said, "but that still leaves him. What do we do with another you?"
Jack walked passed Aresh and said, "That's easy."
"Just leave me here," Aresh said. "This is where I belong."
"Fuck that!" She used her biotics to shove him to the ground and aimed her pistol at him.
"Jack, he's trapped in his past," Shepard argued. "You need to move on from yours."
"He wants to restart this place," Jack roared. "He needs to die!"
"He's crazy and he's never going to restart this facility. You have to let it go. Your past doesn't have to control you."
"Fuck," Jack spat. He pulled Aresh to his feet and shoved him away. "Get out of here! Go!"
Aresh made a dash for the exit.
"He's not worth chasing. None of it is."
"You did the right thing, Jack."
"Maybe," she reluctantly admitted. She scanned the room. At that moment a woman's voice could be heard. All thee of them stopped and looked around. The voice spoke in a strange language but it was obvious that she was singing.
"_Ya tolmoto halki to ya kitomo da ne noloki jatola._" (Someone save me from the eternal curse that binds me.)
While the two biotics where confused about what she was singing about Shepard understood every word as well as the voice. The song was from an old song his eldest sister used to sing to him when he was little. But the voice, he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The voice was of his sister.
"Can anyone else hear that?" Jack asked completely confused.
"Yeah." Shepard and Miranda replied.
John then used his senses to locate where the voice was coming from. He then found it.
"Its coming from this way."
He lead them back to where they fought the Blood Pack mercs. He lead them to the middle of the room. As he did the voice grew louder and louder. They stood on a square platform. Before any of them could say or do anything the platform shook and moved down.
"This is a lift?" Jack asked in surprise.
"Seems like it." Miranda said.
The lift took them down several floors before stopping. As the squad stepped off the lift lights came on to revel a corridor with crates and tubes next to the wall. They walked down the corridor to face a door. The light lock on it did not show.
"The voice is coming from in here." John said.
"But we can't get in." Jack said.
At that moment he stepped forward and cracked his knuckles. He then pushed his fingers in the gap and forced the door to open with ease but made it look like he was struggling. After a long moment the door was fully open and he fell to his hands and knees. The two biotics helped him up.
As he stood up they looked around the room. It was filled with computers and terminals there was also a large tube in front of them. As they walked in the computers and terminals started up. Sheppard approached one of the computers and activated it.
"Interesting." he said looking at the info.
"What is?" Jack said.
"This place has a septate power system."
"So?"
"So it means that whatever they wanted to keep down here was more valuable than Project Zero."
Those words did not mean anything to Jack but wondered why she was less valuable.
"But that's not the end of it. It seems that whatever or whoever they had down here was part of Project Zero."
"Why's that?" Miranda asked.
"It appears that this person has major biotic powers. One sec I'll see if I can see who it is."
He typed a few keys and walked towards the tube. The singing stopped but non of them paid any attention to it. The tube release some steam and the cover retracted to reveal a young woman in a glowing green tube. It was misty as first but it cleared up. Shepard's eyes widened the woman who was in the tube was his sister.
He approached it and placed a hand on it.
"Shepard do you know who this is?" Miranda asked.
"She's my sister... well eldest sister."
Both women looked at the figure in the tube. The body on her alone made the XO jealous but did not show it. But Jack was admiring the woman in front of her. John then approached the terminal and activated it.
The liquid was empted from the tube and the body fell out. John caught his sister before she hit the floor. Looking at her he smiled. She hadn't changed.
"Lets go." he said.
The QEC beeped as Miranda appeared before the Illusive Man. He took a puff of his cigarette. "Lawson. Something wrong?"
"Project Tiberius."
TIM stabbed his cigarette into the ash tray and a mixture of fear and anger came across his face. He pushed himself out of his chair. "Where did you learn about that project?" he demanded.
"On a mission to Pragia to destroy the abandoned Teltin facility," Miranda replied. "We learned of it through the logs left behind. How have I never learned of this project? What happened? Why haven't we trying to re-establish communication with the Tiberians with knowledge of the Reaper's impending arrival? If their technology is so advance then we need it in order to take on the Reapers..."
TIM raised a hand to stop her from continuing forth. "The reason why you haven't heard of Project Tiberius is because it was buried."
"Why?"
"Our relationship with the Tiberians became... unpleasant. Mistakes were made and future cooperation with them is highly unlikely."
"What did Cerberus do to them?"
"We broke some of their laws and they were the ones who paid for it. That's all I will be explaining."
"Do we have to worry about retaliation from them?"
TIM sat back into his chair and poured a glass of whiskey. He took a sip and place the glass on his arm rest. "No."
"Just how advance was this race?"
"Even more advance than the Reapers themselves. I would prefer not talking about this project again."
"Yes, sir."
The connection was severed leaving her to wondering what in god's name did Cerberus do to the Tiberians.
* * *
Shepard stood in the Med-bay with Chakwas looking over his sister with a smile on him. Chakwas looked up from her OSD to face the Commander.
"Shepard I've been meaning to ask if she's 12 years older than you why does she look 20?" she asked.
"She was in cryo gel. It a substance that can slow down the ageing process. It's like cryo freezing. Since is been over 20 years she aged 2 years maybe a bit more." he replied.
The doctor nodded and looked at the tanned body of the Tiberian princess. In all respects she looked as healthy as any Tiberian woman. Just then John's sister started to stir and slowly opened her eyes. Her sight was blurry at first but it became clearer. Chackwas then came into sight but seeing the Cerberus mark on Chakwas' cloths she tried to grab her.
"Wakal uoto Cerberus denktha." (Die you Cerberus bitch.) she screamed
John stopped her grabbing his sisters shoulders and pushed her back onto the bed. She looked at John in surprise. But as soon as she did her eyes widened.
"Altona?" (Father?) she asked settling down.
"Dalka ya tolma ranka Jol'an." (No it's me your brother Jol'an.) he replied.
Her eyes widened even more and started to tear up. She threw her arms around him. He smiled and did the same. They embraced each other from a few moments before braking the hug. John the placed his hand on the side of her head. Both of their eyes glowed for a moment before turning back to normal.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
"I'm fine brother. But look at you look like father." she said smiling. "Speaking of which where is he?"
Shepard look down with a grim look. He then placed his hand on the side of her head once again. This time their eyes glowed for a minute before turning back to normal. Her eyes started to tear up but this time these where tears of sadness.
"Father." she whispered.
"He died trying to save us Far'ti. But we have got bigger problems." those words got her attention. "I'm working with Cerberus to fight against the Macaacron's or Reapers. After that I'm planing to bring down their entire organisation. Will you help me?"
She looked at his fire in her eyes. "I never pass up a good fight." she replied with a smile.
"Good." he replied. Before anyone could say anything else. The door opened and a woman wearing a blue tank top and trousers matching John's. Her brown hair dropped down to her shoulders.
"John are yo..." she was trying to say before she saw the red head on the bed.
"Is this a bad time?" she asked.
"Not at all. Ash this my sister Far'ti." he indicated to the red head who smiled and gave a wave. "Far'ti this is my Girlfriend Ashley Williams."
Far'ti's eyes widened. "My brother has a girlfriend!" she yelled and almost fainting. "I think I need a drink of Tiberian Ale."
"Well I'm sorry but we don't have any." he said laughing. But then he became serious. "Listen I have not reviled anything about our heritage or my real name so it would be best to keep it under wraps ok?"
His sister nodded before realizing something.
"Err what are we going to do about my name?" she asked.
"Well Jane is a direct translation of Far'it. So how does Jane Shepard sound?"
"That will do just fine." she said smiling.
29. Chapter 25 It's a Trap!
Chapter 25 It's a Trap!
John stood in his father's armour with his blade at the ready. His face was blooded and battered. He breathed in heavily as the skycars of omega moved around. Facing him was a man in a white robe and holding a sword. However the robe was blooded as well. Around them where body's some of them where in armour while some where in black robes.
Ash watched from behind a green force field slamming her fist against it. She screamed at the top of her lungs but no sound came out. Her tears fell. At that moment both men charged at each other. They ended up on the opposites side. After a few minutes John fell down. Blood pored out of him making Ash scream even more. The robed man then approached John's body.
"Ha ha ha ha. The Shardan reign is over." he said lifting up his sword over the prince.
"NOOOOOOO JJJJOOOOHHHNNN!" Ash yelled sitting up.
Breathing heavily she quickly looked around to find herself in John's cabin sweating like hell. She sighed before falling back onto her pillow. Staring at the stars she wiped her eyes.
"What was that dream about?" she asked herself.
She looked to her side to see her boyfriend still there. Relived to see him still there she tried to get back to sleep but couldn't. The nightmare was still fresh in her memory. She got up and slid her tank top on before heading down to the crew deck for a drink. As she walked over to the shelves a familiar voice met her ears.
"Spirits even Ryncol doesn't affect me." the voice said in Tiberian.
Ash turned her head to see Jane sitting topless at the table with a glass of green liquid in her hand. There where also empty bottles of whisky, vodka and sake on the table.
"Can't get drunk?" Ash asked in Tiberian.
The red head turned to face Ash who was poring herself a drink of water. The Princess smiled.
"That's good. But you have a habit of putting emphasis on the 'e'. But it's not that bad many beginners do it." Jane replied in English.
"Thanks for the tip." Ash said switching back to English and sat across from Jane. "So what are you doing up and topless?"
"Well I sleep like this it's comfortable for my chest. As for why I'm up I can't sleep." she admitted and losing her smile.
"Why?"
Jane just pointed to the Cerberus logo on the wall. Ash nodded in understanding.
"But why are you up?"
"I had a bad dream."
Jane suddenly became interested.
"What was the dream about?"
"Why?"
"Well because if it was a 'bad' dream that means that something is going to happen to someone close too you. If it was a 'dirty' dream it means that happiness will come. And so on and so forth. We Tiberians believe our dreams hold messages in them. It a superstition we have but it's always good to talk about them."
Ash nodded and hesitantly told Jane about the dream. The man in white, Omega and what looked like the death of John. As listened intently trying to figure the dream's message. When Ash finished Jane stayed silent for a few moment's.
"It seems that on the next mission there's going to been some kind of trouble." Jane half lied.
"What kind of trouble?" Ash demanded.
"Unsure. Could be from a ambush to a capture. The latter being unlikely."
"Well that leaves a number of things that could still happen."
"Yeah." Jane then looked at Ash with a smile that made the Ops chief unconformable. "So how was my brother?"
Ash immediately blushed and looked away.
"What do you mean? I have no idea what your talking about." she said blushing up a storm.
"Come now Ashley there's no need to be shy. In Tiberian families the eldest sibling has a complex relations with their other siblings. And since I'm the eldest I'm interested in what my baby brother has been doing for the past few years. Not to mention that I've kind of been his mother since we had non. So come on give me the juicy details."
"No."
"Come on please." Jane begged
"Not a chance in the goddess ocean."
Those words made Jane smile even more. "So you did it with him. Didn't you?" Ash's face was even redder now. "Guess I'm right."
"Ok I give. Yes I did it with him. He was... more than fantastic."
"So what made you fall in love with him?"
Ash then faced the red headed princess who smiled warmly.
"Well I suppose that it happened on that day."
"That day?" Jane asked questionably.
"Well it was a day when I was... almost taken advantage off."
Hearing this Jane lost her smile.
"What happened?"
"Sorry I don't really what to remember it at the moment. Lets just say some stuff happened due to my grandfather's surrender that had people hate my family. One of the guys that I liked took me out. When we where alone him and his friend tried to do it but John beat them up. By that time I had no clothing on so he put his jacket on and waited for the police to come. That's when I fell for him."
The two girls talked while John listened to them. He hid himself form them both. Since Ash left he followed her to make sure she was alright. He also listened to the dream and instantly knew what it meant. After a while Ash went back into the lift and John went to face Jane.
"I was wondering when you'd show." she said in Tiberian.
"You always have to go the extra mile." he replied in Tiberian.
"Yeah. But its always because you pick the good ones." she laughed.
"Yeah." he said smiling but his face then turned serious. "But you know what that dream was about right?"
"Of course. Why do you think I half lied? But the question is when will it happen?"
John nodded and with that they both headed back to their rooms.
* * *
The Illusive Man waited on his feet for Shepard to appear before him. "Shepard, we caught a break. I intercepted a distress signal from a Turian patrol. They stumbled onto a Collector ship just beyond the Korlus system. The Turians were wiped out, but not before they crippled the Collector vessel." TIM sat down in his chair and took in a puff of his cigarette. "I need you to board that ship and get some hard data on the Collectors. Find us a way to their homeworld."
"Hard to imagine how a Turian patrol took out a Collector ship."
"Reports indicate that the hull's intact, but all systems seem to be offline. They could be making repairs as we speak. I'm not saying it won't be dangerous, but we can't let an opportunity like this slip by."
"Alright, send me the coordinates and I'll check it out."
"Already sent. Once you're aboard the ship, establish an uplink with EDI. She'll mine their data for information regarding the Omega 4 relay. Good luck, Shepard."
The link disconnected.
"Coordinates punched in," Joker announced over the PA. "Let's go find us a Collector ship."
"I want Mordin, Miranda and Jane on this mission." John said.
"Relaying orders," EDI said.
John then walked out of the comm room to see Ash standing in the hall.
"Ash?"
"John I what to come on this mission." she said without hesitation.
"Ash I would love for you to come. I've got a bad felling about this. So no besides you can always look from the cockpit."
Reluctantly Ash agreed.
* * *
After several hours, they found the Collector vessel floating in space. Several heavily damaged Turian cruisers drifted around the dead ship.
"We have a visual on the Collector ship, Commander," Joker said as the Normandy made its approach.
"Very low emissions," EDI said as she stood in her human form . "Passive infra-red temperatures suggest most systems are offline. Thrusters are cold."
Joker got a better look of the Collector vessel. "That thing is massive! How the hell did the Turians take it out?"
The Normandy closed in on the Collector vessel.
"LADAR scans do not detect any hull breaches on the side facing us. I detect no mass effect field distortions. It appears the drive core is offline."
The Normandy's spotlight turned on and scanned the hull of the ship as it drifted closer to it. The cargo bay doors of the Normandy opened allowing the shuttle to fly out. It flew towards the Collector ship and located an opening for them to enter through. The shuttle landed on the floor. Its door opened up and Shepard and his squad hopped out.
Jane brought up the rear. Because they hadn't got in contact with any Tiberian's she wore one of the armours in the armoury.
The inside of the ship was unlike anything they have ever seen. The architecture was organic or semi-organic. Mordin made note. "Unusual ship design. Hard to track lines, angles. Disturbing."
Fluids dripped from the cell of what appeared to be beehive combs. Miranda was more blunt about the ship's appearance. "Looks like a giant insect hive."
"On that we agree." Jane said in anger
The moved forward into the dead ship.
"Penetrating scans have detected an access node to uplink with Collector databanks," EDI said. "Shepard. I have compared the ship's EM to known Collector profiles. It is the one you encountered on Horizon."
"Maybe the defence towers softened it for the Turians," Shepard suggested.
"Could find colonists on board," Mordin said. "If they are still alive."
They walked by some empty containers. "These are the same type of containers they used on Horizon," Miranda said observing them. "Only these are empty."
"Horrible," Jane said remembering her time with Cerberus. "Trapped in pods. Completely at the mercy of the Collectors."
The three came across a pile of bodies. The sight made Shepard remember his time as a child. The experiments he was subjected to and the aftermath of Cerberus' betrayal. Dead bodies everywhere, trying to consume the living. But parts of those memory's where his fathers.
"Why would the Collectors leave a pile of bodies lying around?" Miranda asked out loud.
"Test subjects from control group," Mordin answered. "Discarded after experiment was over."
"There are worse things than death," Shepard said. He looked to Miranda. "Like being a test subject to twisted aliens." That last line had more meaning than what he was willing to let on.
"I know you're right, but that doesn't make me feel any better," Miranda said.
"I know the feeling." Jane said.
They continued inwards. More bodies littered the area ahead. Some mechanical structures jutted out of the wall. It was a slightly welcoming sight compared to the semi-organic substances they saw before. On the far wall, there were several containers with a terminal in the middle of them all. Upon inspection, they found, not humans, but Collectors in these containers.
Shepard approached the terminal and scanned it for data. The lights on one of the containers lit up.
"That's a Collector," Miranda observed. "Were they experimenting on one of their own?"
"EDI, I'm uploading some data from this terminal," Shepard said over the comm. "See what you can figure out what they were up to."
"Data received," she replied. "Analysing."
Shepard walked over to the lit container and looked at the dead Collector.
"The Collectors were running baseline genetic comparisons between their species and humanity? That makes no sense." Jane said.
"We're they looking for similarities?" Shepard inquired.
"I have no hypothesis on their motivations," she replied. "All I have are the preliminary results. They reveal something remarkable. A quad-strand genetic structure, identical to traces collected from ancient ruins. Only one race is known to have this structure: the Protheans."
Shepard immediately took a step back. Miranda, Mordin and Jane were equally shocked at these revelations. "Spirits! The Protheans didn't vanish. They're just working for the Reapers now."
"These are no longer Protheans, Shepard. Their genes show distinct signs of extensive genetic rewrite. The Reapers have re-purposed them to suit their needs."
"The Reapers didn't wipe out the Protheans. They turned them into monsters and enslaved them. Still... They're working for the Reapers now. And we need to stop them."
"They're not going to do to us what they did to the Protheans," Miranda declared.
"Then let's find what we need and get out of here before the Collectors come to salvage this vessel. Move out."
They continued down this walkway of hell. The three saw containers cover the ceiling. "Look," Mordin pointed out. "Up on the ceiling. More holding containers."
"There must be hundreds of them," Miranda said. "How many do you think are full?"
"Too many," Shepard answered.
"I detect no signs of life, Shepard," EDI said. "It is probable that the victims inside died when the ship lost power."
They moved forward down the corridor, eventually going up. This was when Ash chirped in. "Commander. You gotta hear this. On a hunch, I asked EDI to run an analysis on this ship."
"I compared the EM profile against data recorded by the original Normandy two years ago. They are an exact match."
"The same ship dogging me for two years?" Shepard asked. "Way beyond coincidence."
"Agreed but something doesn't add up, Commander," Joker said. "Watch your back."
The corridor finally opened up to a gigantic chamber with containers that covered the walls. The chamber went on farther than the eye could see. The three were in awe.
"Fascinating," Mordin gasped.
"They could take every Human in the Terminus system and not have enough to fill these pods," Miranda said.
"Only one conclusion," Mordin announced. "Collectors targeting Earth."
"Not if we stopped them." Jane said
"Look there!" Mordin said. "The control terminal."
"Where are the bodies of the Collectors?" Miranda thought out loud. "Careful, Shepard. Something doesn't feel right about this."
Shepard approached the terminal and activated his omni-tool. "EDI. I'm setting up a bridge between you and the Collector ship. See if you can get anything useful from the data banks."
A holographic panel appeared about the terminal. "Data mine in progress, Shepard," EDI announced.
The panel screen suddenly had static appear and showing an alert symbol. A shock and loud boom came from the terminal. Something activated. The pipes around them started to move.
"Brother." Jan said pulling out her smg.
"We're okay, Joker," Shepard said. "What happened?"
"Major power surge," Joker replied. "Everything went dark, but we're back up now."
"I managed to divert the majority of the overload to non-critical systems," EDI explained.
Shepard and his squad heard movement above them. They weren't alone.
"Brother, it was not a malfunction. This was a trap." Jane said with panic in her voice.
The platform shifted and rose up. The platform spun as it did. "We need a little help here, EDI," Shepard said while his squad and he tried to keep their footing.
"I am having trouble maintaining connection," EDI replied. "There is someone else in the system."
The platform suddenly stopped rising and spinning. This caused Miranda to fall down and Shepard and Mordin to stumble. At the height they were at, they could get a good view of the area. Mordin went over to Miranda and gave her a hand getting to her feet.
The sound of an unknown mechanical device filled the area. A platform appeared from behind a stalagmite and flew towards them.
"Connection re-established," EDI said. "I need to finish the download before I can override any systems."
"Then you better get it done fast, EDI."
"Commander," Tikus chirped in after a long period of silence. He communicated to Shepard on a separate frequency. "Let me into the system. I can help EDI get through this process more quickly."
"Good to hear your voice again. You've been quiet a while."
"Well, you didn't really need my help too much, so I spend my time analysing the data you gathered during your missions." The two platforms approaching their locations clamped down on their platform. "Kalato! (fuck) Quick, connect me!" Shepard held his omni-tool over the terminal and a spark of green energy came from it. "Okay, I'm in. Hey, beautiful. I'm here to help."
"Then you take care of security while I'll finish this download," she said.
"Care for a date after this?" he asked
"I'll delete myself if I did."
Shepard and his squad took cover from the barrage of fire from the Collectors on the platform on the right.
"I AM ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL." One of the Collectors glowed bright yellow as the possession took place.
Mordin launched an incinerate blast at the Scion in the distance causing it to stumbled and fall off of the still moving platform. Jane used a shockwave to rid of the regular drones on the next to them. And John used his assault rifle to cover the others. The four then refocused their attention on Harbinger.
"YOUR TIME FOR ASCENSION HAS ARRIVED, TIBERIAN."
Its barriers weakened from the onslaught of smg fire. Harbinger launched a warp ball at their position only to be dodged. Harbinger hopped over their cover and was right next to them. Shepard quickly pulled out his blade and stabbed it in the stomach.
"YOU ARE ONLY DELAYING THE INEVITABLE, TIBERIAN."
The host disintegrated around Shepard's sword. Two more platforms flew in. They suddenly stopped in the air.
"I managed to gain some control over the ship's systems," Tikus said with a sense of smugness in his voice. "Watch this."
The two platforms slammed into each other causing its occupants to fall.
"What the hell happened?" Miranda said as she watched the vent unfold.
"Like malfunction," Mordin suggested.
"An old friend?" Jane whispered.
"I have completed the download, Commander," EDI said. "Please reconnect me to the terminal."
"You can pick me up as well," Tikus said on the personal channel.
"Yes please."
Shepard walked to the terminal and activated his omni-tool allowing EDI to connect to the terminal and for Tikus to hop back into his omni-tool.
EDI's hologram appears over the terminal. "I have regained control of the platform, Shepard."
"I knew you wouldn't let us down," Shepard praised.
"I always work at optimal capacity."
"With help you beautiful piece of light ," Tikus remarked in an aside.
"Shut up you Dolanga (pervert)."
The platform started to move. "Did you get what we needed?" Shepard asked over the comm.
"I have found data that could help us successfully navigate the Omega 4 relay. I have also found the Turian distress call that served as the lure for this trap. The Collectors were the source. It is unusual."
The platform landed next to a tunnel entranced and connected to the edge. "It makes sense that the Collectors would send the distress signal as bait." Jane said rubbing her neck.
"No, it's unusual, because Turian emergency channels use secondary encryption. It is present, but corrupted in the message. It is not possible that the Illusive Man would believe that the distress signal was genuine."
"Why are you so sure?" John said
"I found the anomaly with Cerberus detection protocols. He wrote them."
"He knew it was a trap?" Joker chirped in on the comm. "Why would he send us into a trap?"
Anger went through Shepard when he heard this news. He slammed his fist into the console and roared, "That son of a bitch sent us right into Collector hands!"
"Foolish to trust Cerberus," Mordin muttered. "Mistake on my part."
"N-No," Miranda said. "T-There has to be another explanation. The Illusive Man wouldn't do this. He... he just wouldn't!"
Shepard walked up to Miranda and said, "You want an explanation? Here it is. You're not an operative. You're not a valuable employee. You are nothing more than an asset. One that will be thrown away when your usefulness is gone. This is nothing more than typical Cerberus behaviour." Shepard glanced at the tunnel. "We don't have time for this."
"Commander, the Collector Ship is starting to power up," Joker said over the line. "You need to get out of there before their weapons come online. I'm not losing another Normandy!"
"I do not have full control of their systems," EDI said. "I will do what I can. Sending coordinates for shuttle extraction."
Shepard and his squad rushed down the tunnel to get out. They reach a fork in the road. "I am opening the doors on the right," EDI said. Right after the doors opened.
The four ran down a slope and entered a small area, where several Collectors came into view. Miranda used slam on one of the Collectors flying in. Its back broke over cover. Mordin used a cryo blast on the Collectors on the left freezing them solid and leaving then for John to take out. Jane fired several headshot rounds from his pistol as they advanced.
They went down another slope to a new area with cover everywhere and a walkway to the left and an overlook on the right. A dozen Collectors flew in as they entered the area. One of them glowed brightly.
"YOUR KIND HAS FOUGHT US BEFORE, BUT WE HAVE GROWN STRONGER, TIBERIAN."
"Take on the drones," Shepard ordered. "Make sure he can't take another host!"
Harbinger launched a warp in their direction. Shepard sliced knocked it away causing it to dissipate harmlessly. "GIVE UP, TIBERIAN, AND YOU MAY EXPERIENCE ASCENSION."
The number of drones fell around them giving Shepard the chance to move in. One drone flew in only to get punched in the face and have its skull shatter by Shepard. Shepard pulled out his pistol and fired a couple of rounds in its face to make sure it was dead. Harbinger launched a warp at close range which caught Shepard in the chest making him fall onto his back. His shields took a heavy hit from that blast. He made a mental note to have this suit upgrade as soon as possible.
Harbinger walked up to him and looked down. "I CONTROL THE POWERS OF THE UNIVERSE, TIBERIAN. YOU MAY NOT BE OF THIS UNIVERSE, BUT YOU WILL FAIL THE SAME." He charged another special ball of biotic energy.
Shepard stabbed his blade right through its stomach and then pulled it upwards splitting its torso in two. he got to his feet. His team jumped down a ledge at the far side of the room into a large open area with littler cover. A Praetorian flew in along with a few Collector drones and Husks.
Jane sent in a shockwave to destroy the Husks. Mordin used a nerve agent on one of the Collectors freezing it in place. This allowed Miranda to use slam on the other Collector and direct its plummet towards the frozen Collector.
The Praetorian was still incoming. It charged up its particle beams and fired. The squad took cover and waited until its beams died down. They opened fired immediately on the monstrosity. The creature was starting to move up the ramp causing the three to move in the other direction for cover. The Praetorian moved again trapping them on the lower level.
"Thing's damn shields are thick," Miranda groaned as she inserted a new heat sink.
"I'm really having a bad day!" Jane yelled.
The Praetorian crashed down to the ground and screamed as its barriers went back up. The shockwave pushed Miranda away from her cover. The Praetorian's eyes glowed as it focused on Miranda.
"Miranda, look out!" Shepard yelled. He dashed and pushed her out of the way. The particle beam impacted him and quickly drained away his shields. The particle beam impacted his armour. The power beam managed to break away a part of his armour and hit his skin. Shepard screamed in pain from the attack.
"Commander!" Miranda cried out.
"Brother!" Jane yelled.
White energy surged around his body. Shepard got to his feet and formed the Delta energy around his blade. The Praetorian was right in front of them. Shepard roared as he swung his sword sending a pillar of Delta energy right through the Praetorian. The creature split in half from the attack and then disintegrated. Shepard fell to one knee from the exhaustion.
"Commander, what the hell was that?" Miranda yelled.
Shepard struggled to his feet but was helped by Jane. "I-It doesn't matter. We need to get out of here."
They rush to the doorway on the right which opened in due part to EDI.
"You need to double time it, Commander," Joker reminded. "The Collector ship is almost online! I'd rather leave and not have the Normandy blown in half."
They three rounded the corner and saw a large horde of Husks running towards them. Shepard launched a shockwave to clear the way. They could hear more Husks coming to their location. They ran into the shuttle. Shepard stayed outside to kill any Husks that came at them.
"Shepard, I have no choice, we have to go!" Joker said.
"You heard him!" Shepard roared. "Go, go, go!"
They went inside the shuttle. The pilot flew the shuttle as fast as he could into the cargo bay of the Normandy.
On the bridge Joker activated the Normandy's thrusters and went forwards. The Collector Ship charged its particle beam and fired. Shepard ran towards the bridge and stood right behind Joker's seat.
"Get us out of here, EDI!" Joker demanded.
"Scans show the weapon will hit us before we can get anywhere." EDI yelled.
While they talked John backed up a few steps allowing his body to glow white of biotic energy. At that moment he slammed his hands to ground causing the entire ship to glow white. Joker and EDI then noticed a power increase.
"Joker punch it." John yelled in a demonic voice.
Without hesitation Joker and EDI placed a random course in and Jumped. The Normandy arrived to a new location, leaving the Collector Ship. The new destination was quiet and the white energy disappeared. Joker let out a sigh of relief. "That was too close."
"Good job, Joker, EDI," Shepard said standing up.
"All part of the job," Joker said with a slight arrogant tone. He looked back and saw the damage on Shepard's armour. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Joker then noticed the blood that dripped from the armour hole. "Commander?" Ash said. Shepard fell to his knees before he fell back. "John no!" Ash yelled running up to him.
"EDI, call Chakwas and Mordin! Shepard is down!" Joker ordered.
"Sending message."
-
Shepard was rushed into the med-bay and placed on the operating table. Chakwas and Mordin wasted no time in removing his armour. The damage became obvious. A section of his chest, roughly half a foot in diameter, was badly burnt with parts of his flesh torn away. Blood came from the wound.
"Hmm, badly burnt," Mordin observed. "Second and third degree burns."
"I'll get a pack of blood," Chakwas said. "Shepard always keeps a supply of his blood in case of injuries."
"Yes good."
Chakwas pulled out the pack of blood from the med-bay storage fridge and hooked it against the wall. She cleaned an area of his arm and inserted the needle.
"Good. We must remove the burnt tissue. Skin grafts likely." Mordin sighed. "May be out of combat for a while."
The two spent the next thirty minutes cleaning Shepard's wound and removing the burnt tissue. His muscle was partially visible after the burnt tissue was removed. Mordin was just starting to scan the wound when the dead skin started to peel off around the wound.
This cause Mordin's eyes to widen. "Fascinating." He scanned the anomaly that was happaning around Shepard's wound. The new skin cells started to grow at an accelerated rate. Mordin scanned it. "I have never seen anything like this. Hmm. Unknown anomaly." Mordin then witnessed Shepard's skin tissue starting to heal over. "Incredible. Must make notes. Must..." He felt a hand on his shoulder.
Chakwas shook her head and said, "It would be in the Commander's best interest that you don't record any of this."
"Don't understand."
"I'm afraid I can't fully explain. But believe me..."
Mordin nodded. "Very well. Expect to know why eventually." He looked at Shepard's vitals and saw that he was stable. "Vitals are stabilized. We should cover his wounds with some bandages."
-
Ash and Jane stood outside the windows of the med-bay were tinted. Miranda also stood outside of the med-bay. Ash just felt rage come along. She grabbed the XO by the collar and pined her on the med-bay wall.
"What happened?" She demanded making everyone back away.
Miranda just looked shocked at the ops chief's anger.
"We ran into a Praetorian during our escape," Jane answered placing a hand on her arm. "It was about to attack XO with its particle beam attack, but Shepard pushed her out of the way and got hit by it instead."
"You got him hurt." Ash yelled griping the XO tightly.
"I didn't mean to, Ash." Miranda tried to defend herself.
"You Cerberus types destroy everything you touch. How much will you destroy before you people are satisfied?"
There was a look of shock on Miranda face from her outburst. "Ash..."
Ash collected herself and let go of the XO, "I-I'm sorry."
Miranda placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. I know that you feel strongly for him. Shepard will pull through this. You just watch."
The med-bay doors opened up and Chakwas and Mordin walked out. Miranda, Ash and Jane approached them.
"The Commander is a very strong man," Chakwas said. "He's stabilized and will recover shortly. You can go see him now."
Ash and Jane hurried into the med-bay to see Shepard lying on the bed. Half of his body was covered by a blanket. The left side of his chest was bandaged up. He was asleep. Ash pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. She grabbed his hand and lovingly caressed it. "John..." she whispered.
Miranda checked his vitals. "His injuries are minor. He lost some blood, but other than that, he'll be fine."
Ash caressed Shepard's face.
"I'm curious," Miranda said. "Please forgive me for prying, but how did you two get together?"
Ash looked at Miranda then to Jane who nodded before tuning back to John. "We were friends for years. Eventually our feelings grew beyond that."
"I'm somewhat envious."
This caught her off-guard.
"You found a good person to love in this galaxy. Finding someone like Shepard is rare indeed. Especially the patience. But there is something that concerns me. Back on the Collector ship when we were pinned down by the Praetorian, something happened to Shepard. This white energy surrounded his body and his biotic powers skyrocketed briefly. In your travels, have you ever seen him do such a thing?"
"In desperate times, he has... tapped further into his own abilities," she partially lied.
"Interesting. I'll leave you alone with him. I have to file some reports." Miranda looked at Shepard again. "He'll be up in no time. I know it."
-
The door of the med-bay opened up revealing Thane. "Oh, hello, Thane," Ash greeted.
"Hello, Ashley, Jane. I wanted to come see how Shepard is faring."
"He's okay. We're just waiting for him to wake up." Jane said not taking her eyes of her brother.
"After all he's been through, he deserves some rest."
"We can both agree to that. He pushes himself so hard to help others. It is just unfair that this forsaken galaxy doesn't acknowledge that." Ash repiled
"He is called the Saviour of the Citadel."
"And looked what they did to him now. They left him for dead and buried his warnings. You can search the extranet for mentions of Reapers and all you'll find are conspiracy sites either in support of it or against. And the ones that are against the idea of the Reapers always have a picture of Shepard with a caption that says something along the lines of 'Heroic but crazy'."
"Hopefully once this mission is over we will have all the proof we need."
"One way or another, we will," Ash said.
-
After the passing of several hours, Ash saw Shepard shift on the bed. He groaned as his eyes opened. Shepard looked to his girlfriend and sister next to him. "Hey, guy."
Ash slapped him before hugged him.
"I'm sorry for worrying you."
"It's part of the job of being a galactic saviour," Jane joked. "You're okay now. That's what matters."
Shepard noticed the bandages on his chest. He peaked under them to see no wounds. Shepard removed them. Both of the girls where unsurprised.
"Now if I recall, I owe the Illusive Man a piece of my damn mind for risking our entire crew."
"You give him hell, John." Ash said
"Give him a piece of my mind too brother." Jane said.
-
Shepard's hologram appeared before TIM. "Commander Shepard. It appears that EDI has pulled some useful information from the Collector Ship."
"Care to explain why you sent us into a trap!" Shepard yelled at him. "You betrayed us. Just like I knew you would."
"We're at war! The Collectors are taking humans, and every minute we waste is one more we give the enemy to prepare."
"I know the stakes, but we're supposed to be on the same side, and I can't trust you."
"Without that information, we don't reach the Collector homeworld. And you and every other Human may as well be dead. It was a trap... but I was confident in your abilities. And don't forget EDI. The Collectors couldn't have anticipated her."
"You could have told me the plan. You say I'm important and that we're on the same side, but you sure do try hard to get me killed."
"I needed the Collectors to believe they had the upper hand. Telling you could have tipped them off in any number of ways. Besides. I wouldn't have sent you in if I didn't think you could succeed."
"No wink, wink, nudge, nudge? I don't risk people unnecessarily. There's always a way."
"You may not like to be on the receiving end, neither would I. But the facts are with me. As much as we try to avoid them, these decisions need to be made. But more importantly... it paid off. EDI confirmed our suspicions. The Reapers and Collectors use an advance Identify Friend/Foe system that the relays recognize. All we need to do is get our hands on one of those IFFs."
"And you have a plan?"
"Yes. It is still in progress. I will contact you when it comes to fruition. For the meantime, I suggest you tell your crew that I didn't risk their lives unnecessarily. It will make things easier going forward."
"EDI-tell the crew to assemble. We got a lot to talk about."
"Of course, Shepard," EDI chimed in.
-
Jacob pushed himself off of the conference table. "So the Illusive Man didn't sell us out. Could have fooled me."
In the comm room was Shepard, Jacob, Mordin and Miranda.
"Lied to us," Mordin stated while pacing back and forth. "Used us. Needed access to Collector databanks. Necessary risks."
"Let's just hope this IFF works," Shepard sighed.
"My analysis is accurate, Shepard," EDI said. "I have also determined the approximate location of the Collector homeworld based on navigational data from their vessel."
A hologram of the Milky Way galaxy appeared before the five in the comm room. The reticle drifted across the hologram until it targeted the centre of the galaxy. This surprised them all.
"That can't be right," Miranda said in disbelief.
"EDI doesn't make mistakes," Shepard countered. "The Collector homeworld is in the galactic core."
"Can't be," Jacob argued. "The core is nothing but black holes and exploding suns. There are no habitable planets there."
"Could be an artificial construction," Mordin suggested. "Space station protected by mass effect fields and radiation shields."
"Even the Collectors don't have that technology," Miranda said.
"The Collectors are just servants of our real enemy," Shepard said. "And we all know what their masters are capable of. The Reapers built the mass relays and the Citadel. Who's to say they can't make a space station that's surrounded by black holes. No wonder no one's ever returned from the Omega-4 relay."
"The logical conclusion is that there is a small safety zone that exists on the far side of the relay. A region where ships can survive. Standard relay safety protocols would not allow safe transport. Drift of several thousand kilometers is common and would be fatal in the galactic core. The Reaper IFF must trigger the relay to use more advance, encrypted protocols."
"And for the time being, we are waiting for the Illusive Man to come up with something. Until then, it is business as usual. Crew dismissed."
Miranda and Jacob left the room. Mordin approached Shepard. "Shepard. Since we have some time on our hands, I was hoping to get your help."
"Something wrong?"
"Yes," he replied. "An old assistant of mine has gone missing on the Krogan homeworld. I fear the worse."
30. Chapter 26: the Doctor's Apprentice
Chapter 26: the Doctor's Apprentice.
Winds were very strong as the pilot struggled to stabilize the shuttle. The environment of Tuchanka was unforgiving. The landscape was barren of most life and every day was spent just surviving. As soon the shuttle touched down, Shepard along with Mordin and Grunt emerged from the craft. The heat was readily apparent. It was a very dry heat. Shepard felt right at home in a sense.
Grunt was along with Mordin and Shepard, because he was having issues controlling his anger. Shepard brought him along so they could talk to the clan leader and find out what's wrong. Jane also joined the team too. She wanted to see this so called warrior race.
Every Krogan in the area had their eyes on the three.
The armour Shepard wore was repaired. The hole and scorch marks were gone. The armour's self-repair program was activated shortly after Shepard's injury. The nanites that were interwoven into the armour recycled the damaged suit material and covered the hole. It now looked like it wasn't damaged.
The three walked down off of the platform to be "greeted" by several Krogan guards. Two of them raised their shotguns. The leader eyed Shepard. "I know you. Yes. Shepard. Take your blood-raged Krogan to participate in the Rite."
"You know what's wrong?"
"The Clan leader will explain further." The Krogan looked to his fellow guards. "Lower your weapons. This Human deserves respect. The only alien to kill a Thresher Maw on foot."
The two Krogan lowered their weapons and backed away. Shepard and his group went down the corridor of the aged spaceport and found themselves in an area with cracked walls and holes in the ceiling where the sun light came in through. The place smelt of death and body odour. While the place was not uncommon for the two Tiberians they still felt a little out of place.
"Thresher maw on foot?" Jane asked impressed.
"More like a nest." John replied.
Shepard noticed a throne just slightly ahead. There were some guards standing there. Shepard approached the two. One of the guards raised a hand. "Halt. You must wait until the Clan leader calls for you. He is... in talks."
Wrex rested his head in his hand while he listened to Uvenk rant. "You know what tradition demands. Clan Urdnot must respond. Your reforms will not go unopposed. You risk appearing weak at a critical time."
Wrex felt his irritation growing to new heights. He shifted in his throne and glanced to his left to see someone he didn't expect to be alive. Wrex launched onto his feet. "Shepard?" he called out.
Shepard looked to the guard and asked, "Good enough?" He pressed through the two guards. "Excuse me."
Wrex chuckled as the two approached. They shook hands. "Shepard! My friend. You look well for dead, Shepard. Should have known the void couldn't hold you for long."
"It took me and spat me out. But looks like helping me stop Saren and the Geth worked out for you. Glad we didn't have to kill each other on Virmire."
Wrex let out a small chuckle. "You made the rise of Urdnot possible. Virmire was a turning point for the Krogan, though not everyone was happy about it." He walked towards his throne. "Destroying Saren's genophage cure freed us from his manipulation. I used that to spur the clans to unify under Urdnot."
"You abandoned many traditions to get your way," Uvenk dismissed. "Dangerous."
Wrex turned to Uvenk and head-butted him. Uvenk fell to the ground. "Speak when spoken to, Uvenk. I'll drag your clan to glory whether it likes it or not." Wrex sat down on his throne. "Now Shepard. What brings you here? How's the Normandy?"
"Destroyed in a Collector surprise attack," Shepard answered. "I ended up being spaced."
"Well, you look good. Ah, the benefits of a redundant nervous system."
"Yeah, I don't have that." Shepard lied.
"Oh. It must have been painful, then. But you're standing here, and you've got a strong new ship. Takes me back to the old days. Us against the unknown, killing it with big guns. Good times. Speaking of goods times. How's your mate doing? Ashley."
"We're still together. She's on my ship."
"Of course." the leader then noticed the red haired woman who had the same aura about her the same as John. "Who's the red head?"
Shepard looked over at his sister before turning back to the Krogan. "You be nice."
Jane walked over and stood next to her brother. "This is my older sister Jane Shepard."
Wrex's eyes widened. "A sister? Well I hope she's as good as you."
"Ho please. She could not beat me at chess when I was 4." John said smugly earning himself an elbow in the ribs.
"If you want to live you better keep your mouth shut." she said angularly as John and Wrex started laughing.
"I like her spirit." Wrex said laughing.
"Anyway I'm here for some business. An associate of Mordin's was taken by Blood Pack mercenaries and the trail leads here."
"Ah, you'll want to look for Clan Weyrloc. They were the ones who started that mercenary group. Speak with my Chief Scout. He's in charge of keeping an eye on them. He'll provide you what you need to find the Salarian. Anything else you need?"
"Yes. About Grunt, the Krogan member of my crew. He's been having trouble keeping control."
Grunt approach Wrex. The clan leader scratched his chin. "Tell me, whelp. Was your clan destroyed before you learned what was expected of you?"
"I have no clan," Grunt replied. "I was tank-bred by Warlord Okeer. I was distilled from Kreclak, Moro, Shiagur-"
Uvenk paced around Grunt examining the Krogan before him. "You recite warlords, but you are the offspring of a syringe!" Uvenk scoffed.
"I am pure Krogan. You should be in awe."
"Okeer is a very old name. A very hated name."
"He is dead."
"Of course he is. You're here with Shepard. How could he be alive?"
"What's wrong with Grunt?" Shepard asked again to bring the topic back to point.
"There's nothing wrong with him," Wrex said. "He is becoming a full adult."
"Ah, puberty ritual," Mordin said. "Common among races with hormone-driven reproductive urges."
"Mordin have you ever learnt to shut up?" Jane said blushing slightly.
"I don't care what aliens call it. Krogan have to go through the Rite of Passage."
"Too far, Wrex!" Uvenk yelled. "Your clan may rule, but that thing is not Krogan!" He charged off.
"Idiot," Wrex mumbled. "So Grunt... Do you wish to stand with Urdnot?"
"This is his choice," Shepard said.
Grunt turned around and scanned the area that was filled with members of Urdnot. This would be his clan. He turned around and said, "It is in my blood. It is what I am for."
"Good boy," Wrex praised. "Speak with the Shaman. He's over on the second level." Wrex pointed in the direction. "Give him a good show and he'll set you on the path."
As the three walked towards the Shaman Wrex made one last comment with a grin. "You too, Shepard. How many times have you stepped in a mess for your crew, hmm?"
They went up the stairs and saw Uvenk and several of his clan mates arguing with who Shepard assumed was the Shaman. "You've gone beyond yourself, Gatatog Uvenk," the Shaman growled. "The rites of Urdnot are dominant."
"How do we know it will even challenge him?" Uvenk argued. "He's unnatural. The beasts of the Rite could ignore him like a lump of plastic!"
"They know blood, no matter the womb. Your barking does not helping your case."
"I'll speak for myself," Grunt said.
The Shaman approached him. "This is the tank-born? It is very lifelike." He took a sniff. "Smells correct as well. Your protests ring hollow, Uvenk."
"I don't give a damn what this idiot says," Shepard said in an aggressive tone while pointing at Uvenk. "Grunt has the right to be here."
"Hmm, there's some fire," the Shaman said, clearly impressed. "And from an alien." He laughed. "Oh, the shame heaps on those who whine like pups."
"If this must stand on ritual, then I invoke to denial," Uvenk argued. "My krantt stands against him! He has no one!"
"My patience is tested," the Shaman mumbled. "But Uvenk invokes correctly. Grunt who is your krantt? Your allies willing to kill and die on your behalf?"
Grunt briefly glanced at Shepard.
"Grunt will strengthen Clan Urdnot," Shepard reminded. "Name our target and it will die like a dog."
This brought a smile to the old Shaman's face. "Spoken well! Most aliens," the Shaman looked at Uvenk, "and some Krogan don't usually understand our ways. I believe this Human does."
"Aliens don't know strength!" Uvenk roared. "My followers are true Krogan! Everything about Grunt is a lie-"
Uvenk was interrupted by a kick by Shepard. The impact sent him flying into the wall and falling on his face. Both the Shaman and Jane smiled. He got back to his feet and looked at Shepard. "Y-You dare!"
"I dare!" Shepard growled proudly. "Grunt is going through this Rite. Nothing. And I mean nothing will stand in our way."
The Shaman let out a loud laugh. "I like this Human! He understands."
Uvenk got to his feet. "I withdraw my denial. This will be decided elsewhere." He walked by Shepard and shoved his shoulder.
"You have provoked him," the Shaman stated. "Reason enough for me to like you. They're your problem now."
"Can he interfere?" Shepard pointed towards the leaving Krogan.
"He is forbidden to interfere. But will he? During the Rite of Passage, you must be ready for anything, Shepard. From what you've shown me... You will not disappoint."
"Believe me I'm older than him, smarter than him but he has never lost a fight." Jane said.
"When does this start?" John asked
"We need some time to set up the Rite. If you have any business to attend to before this evening, then get to it first. Once you return we can start the Rite."
-
The Krogan truck came to a full stop just on the perimeter of Clan Weyrloc's base. "Thanks for the ride," Shepard said to the driver.
"I'll wait here for a while," the driver grumbled. "After a certain amount of time, I will leave and you'll have to walk back. I don't expect much though. Your Salarian is right inside the base. A team of four, even with a Krogan, is not likely to walk in and out alive."
"You'll be surprised," Grunt muttered.
"We shall see, tank-born."
The four soldiers hopped out of the truck's hatch. They went through the gate entrance into Weyrloc territory. They were immediately accosted by two Klixen. Both Shepard and Grunt fired a concussion shot on the one of the right, ripping it apart.
The Klixen burst into flames which engulfed its companion. The four rounded the corner to be ambushed by another Klixen and two Varren. Mordin froze the two Varren with a cryo blast. Jane then threw her blade like a boomerang at them. The fire beasts shattered as the blade hit them.
The Klixen opened its mouth and spewed flames in their direction. Shepard threw a grenade through the flames causing it to explode. Shrapnel entered the Klixen's mouth and tore its throat to shreds. The creature went into a seizure from the massive damage. Grunt approached the dying creature and fired a shotgun round in its head to end its suffering.
Around a sheet of scrap hull, two Vorcha fired rockets on the squad. Mordin rolled into cover dodging one of the missiles. Grunt took cover behind the scrap hull as did Jane. As the missiles came to Shepard his leg glowed. He then jumped up and kicked the missiles away harmlessly.
"Raaa, biotic!" one of the Vorcha growled. "Kill them!"
Shepard fired a round from his rifle scoring a head shot. Mordin jumped over his cover and set the other Vorcha on fire. Grunt looked disappointed from not getting the chance to kill any of these Vorcha.
They went up the ramp to higher ground to face a large force of Vorcha, several Varren and Krogan. The three advanced aggressive through the area. Shepard still using his rifle started to whittle the enemy's shields down. Mordin froze Vorcha left and right and Jane using her SMG to shatter their frozen bodies. Grunt charged directly into battle while screaming his battle cry, "I. AM. KROGAN!" He would tackle Vorcha to the ground and fire his shotgun at point blank while they lay on the ground.
The four came to the down ramp and several flamethrower-equipped Vorcha approached them. Shepard pulled up his pistol. "I don't even know why anyone even uses flamethrowers," he said while aiming his at one of the three. He fired an explosive round at one of tanks which caused it to blow up. "Especially when their fuel tanks are so vulnerable." he finished smirking.
"Mostly Vorcha use them," Mordin answered. "Vorcha are expendable."
Around the corner were another four Vorcha guarding the doorway. "Grunt, destroy the tank on the left. Mordin, incinerate the lone Vorcha on the right. Go!"
Grunt took aim and fired several rounds from his AR. The crate that contained explosive fuel blew up killing the three Vorcha that took cover near it. Mordin fired a fireball at the lone Vorcha when it stood up from cover. "Area clear, Commander."
They proceeded through the door. "Re-purposed Krogan hospital," Mordin observed. "Sturdy, built to withstand punishment."
"Just like the people it was meant to shelter and treat," Grunt quipped.
"This will be fun." Jane said in a sarcastic tone.
At the bottom of the ramp was a horribly mutilated Human corpse. "That body," Mordin pointed. "Human. Need to take a look." Mordin pulled up his omni-tool. A scanner activated and showed a hologram of the person's body. "Sores, tumors, ligatures shows restraints at wrists and ankles. Track marks for repeated injection sites. Test subject. Victim of experimentation."
"Why would they use Human test subjects?" Shepard asked.
"Humans useful as test subjects," Mordin answered. "Genetically diverse. Enable exploration of treatment modalities."
"Well, now we have two reasons to stop these two experiments."
"Yes. Must help Maleon. Too late to help the dead."
The four met with little resistance through the corridor. It did not take long before they found and door and entered through. It was a slightly spacious area with a catwalk. The door at the catwalk's level opened up revealing several Krogan and Vorcha. The white-armoured Krogan announced himself as his group entered the room.
"I am the clanspeaker for Clan Weyrloc, offworlders. You have shed our blood. By rights, you should be dead already. But Weyrloc Guld, the chief of chiefs, has ordered that you be given leave to flee and spread the message of our coming."
"Krogan don't usually let people go," Shepard said to him.
"No, they don't," Grunt growled. He then went to address the clan speaker. "This clan doesn't seem so tough. We have killed dozens of their members on the way here."
"You only faced whelps," the clanspeaker retorted. "From here are only the elite. You are here for the Salarian? You will not take him. Having him cure the genophage is the key to our conquest."
Mordin slightly gasped. "Appears they have discovered Maleon's work. Unfortunate."
"It doesn't have to happen like this," Shepard pleaded. "I can understand curing the genophage..."
"No, Human!" the Krogan roared. "You know nothing! You have not seen the pile of children that never lived! The Krogan were wronged! We will make it right, and then we will have our revenge!"
That comment hit too close to home for both Shepard's. 'You have not seen the pile of children that never lived!' Memories flashed through their minds but mostly their fathers memory's for John. The buildings that were engulfed in flames. The dead walking the streets and feasting on the living. Watching children eaten by their own family. All of them screaming for them to stop. After all that their race nearly met extinction. All of this because of a disease inflicted upon them by another alien race. Yes... they could understand. They could relate to the plight of the Krogan.
The galaxy neutered their race and then left them to fend for themselves. They didn't try easing the Krogan towards a better path. They just allowed the Krogan to continue down a path of destruction. A path that will eventually lead to their own extinction despite what the statistics Mordin stated.
"Half of the galaxy sees the Krogan as victims!" Shepard argued. "If you start a war, you will lose their support."
"We have the Blood Pack," the clanspeaker countered, "and we have the Salarian. When our clan number in the millions, we will not need support. When we cure the genophage, Weyrloc Guld will rule all Krogan." The clan speaker went into a tirade.
Shepard saw Grunt and Jane becoming increasingly irritated by this Krogan's attitude. Mordin was becoming more anxious. Frankly, Shepard's patience was wearing thin but before he could do anything Jane took over. "Hey!" she yelled. This stopped the Krogan's tirade. She pulled out her pistol. "You talk too much." She fired a round into the pipe below him.
The Krogan took a step back before returning to their original stance. The clanspeaker scoffed. "The Human cannot hit a simple target."
"I wasn't aiming for you dumb ass." She said.
The other Krogan made the realization and took several steps back. The clanspeaker heard a whistle. He looked down and saw gas spraying out from the pipe. "Huh?"
Jane fired another round causing a pillar of flames to erupt and engulf the clanspeaker in flames. He screamed as he fell to the ground. John looked at Jane to that was shaking.
"Attack!" one of the Krogans roared.
"Grunt, Mordin, flank right cover me!" John yelled.
The two took the ramp upwards. The opposition focused on the approaching the Salarian and Krogan. Delta energy surrounded Jane's body and walked past John and up the ramp. She went into a biotic charge and impacted the Krogan at the back of the group. The Krogan flew backwards. She pulled out her blades and cut the Krogan in half at the waist. The Krogan was briefly alive when it hit the ground. She stared at the downed Krogan and slammed her heal into its face. She did not stop even when it was dead.
John ran up to her and stopped her. She struggled against him but she so full of rage she could not be controlled. He held her tightly.
"Jane." He said looking into her eyes.
She realised what she just did. Her eyes started to tear up. Her arms then whraped around her brother.
"It's ok it's over. It's over." he said holding her.
"I'm sorry brother. I just..." she tried to say but John just put his finger on her lips and smiled.
"It's ok I understand." at that moment two Krogan's fired at them.
Mordin froze one Krogan and Grunt fired several rounds from his AR shattered it. The next Krogan charged at Grunt. They locked fists. "You are a traitor to our people!" the Krogan growled at Grunt.
"Your clan is not my people!" Grunt said.
"You are nothing!"
"I. AM. KROGAN!" Grunt roared as his head butted the Krogan. He went back a few steps. Grunt pulled out his shotgun and planted the barrel at the Krogan's forehead. He grinned before pulling the trigger.
"All clear," Jane said walking up to the Salarian and Krogan with John behind her. "Now that we're facing their elite guards, we must be close to Maleon."
They went through the doorway. There was a disgusting smell in the air. "Labs likely through there," Mordin said. "Can smell antiseptics, hint of dead flesh."
"Just get us there," Grunt mumbled.
They entered the lab. Off to the left was a table with a cadaver on it. Mrdoin approached the table and picked up the datapad. "Dead Krogan. Female. Tumors indicate experimentation. No restraint markers. Volunteer. Sterile Weyrloc female willing to risk procedures. Hoped for cure. Pointless. Pointless waste of life." He leaned against the table.
"I didn't expect you to be disturbed by the sight of a dead Krogan," John commented.
"What?" Mordin exclaimed. "Why? Because of the genophage work? Irrelevant. No, causative. Never experimented on live Krogan. Never killed with medicine. Her death not my work, only reaction to it." Mordin tried to justify himself. His voice was clear that he didn't really believe it himself. "Goal was to stabilize population. Never wanted this. Can see it logically... but still unnecessary. Foolish waste of life. Hate to see it."
"But completely okay if you create a sterilizing plague that causing my people to devolve into a shadow of our previous selves," Grunt countered. "So as long as you don't see it."
"Not what I meant!" Mordin yelled. "Your people forced our hand. It was either genophage or genocide. If only your people weren't so partial towards war this wouldn't have happened. We could never take on Krogan horde. Our hand was forced."
"So why not just go all the way and wipe us all out as oppose to this slow genocide?"
"Outliers are worth saving. Krogan like Wrex. And even you. The death of a specie is tragic. Death of the Rachni... tragic. We didn't want that again." Mordin looked over the Krogan female. He slowly waved his hand over her and said in a hushed tone, "Rest, young mother. Find your gods. Find some place better."
"That sound religious," Jane observed in surprised.
"I looked into religions after the project. The grand scope of the project made me think about my place in life. I refuse to believe that life simply ends at death. Too wasteful. So much to do. Salarians follow a religious dogma similar to Human Hinduism. A cycle of life and death. Having the ability to make up for past mistakes."
"It sounded like you had a conflict of conscious. If you feel this way, then why not cure the genophage?"
"Had to be done. Rachni wars, Krogan rebellions all pointed to Krogan aggression. So many simulations. Effects of Krogan population increase. All pointed to war. Extinction. Save galaxy from Krogan. Save Krogan from galaxy."
"You could have cured the genophage, instead. Brought hope to the Krogan. They'd have rejoiced." John added.
"Assumes Human reaction. Krogan stimulus response different. Harsh environment, take chance to fight, flee. Would have caused chaos on Tuchanka. Victor would have war economy, bloodthirsty army. Galactic expansion is only outcome. More war. Genophage saved lives war would have ended."
"How about you stop talking about my people like we are mindless animals?" Grunt said. "Tell me. What do your people plan to do in the future? Just keep neutering us over and over again?"
"If Krogan behaviour does not change, then maybe. We only wish to save each other."
"Look at the dead woman, Mordin," Shepard pointed. "It doesn't look like you saved her."
"No. It doesn't. Worked with available data. Only option. No other possible... Doesn't matter."
"Yes it does. You could have found a different solution. There's always another solution."
They continued further into the facility. A cell door opened up when the squad walked by. Inside was a lone Krogan. "You killed the Blood Pack guards."
"Not Blood Pack," Mordin declared. "Not member of Clan Weyrloc. Wrong clan markings."
"I'm an Urdnot scout. Weyrloc guards got me. Brought me here."
"The chief scout told me to find you," Shepard said. "We've taken out the guards. You should head back to Urdnot."
"I can't. The Weyrloc did things to me. Drugs. Injections. Said I was sacrificing for the good of all Krogan. Experiments to cure the genophage. Everything's blurry. Hard to think. Have to stay."
"Mordin, can you get him back on his feet? Stims, maybe? Something to bolster his immune system?"
"You don't understand. I'm not too sick to leave. I have to stay. They're curing the genophage. They're going to make us all better! They have to keep doing the tests!"
"Caution, Shepard," Mordin whispered to him. "Patient unstable, susceptible. Brainwashed."
"Why do you want to keep doing these tests?" Shepard continued.
"This is my fault," the Krogan answered. "I got caught. Wasn't strong enough, not good enough. This is the best I can do. This is all I can do. I'm not big enough to have a real shot with the females. I'll never have kids of my own. But if I can help undo the genophage, then I mattered!"
"Millions of children will be born. Weyrloc children. They're going to destroy the other clans."
"But... No! No, they said I was helping Urdnot!"
"If you want to help Urdnot, you need to go back there. But it would take a real badass to make it back to camp while injured."
"I can do it."
"You?" Shepard scoffed. "I said a badass, not some scout whining like a Quarian with a stomach ache."
Grunt and Jane laughed at that comment.
"I can do it." The Krogan got to his feet. "I'm up! And I'm going to the female camp!"
"Damn right you are! Get back there and show them what you're worth. Move it solder!"
"Rah!" The Krogan charged off in the direction the three came from.
"Nicely done," Mordin said. "Fortunately, the subject is not likely to be contagious."
"Every day you continue to show me that you are worthy of leading," Grunt commented.
"Just don't tell Tali that line about the Quarian stomach ache. She'll let her shotgun lose on me."
"I'll grant you that mercy," Grunt chuckled.
They moved on and heard EDI announce, "I detect explosive crates ahead of you. A misplaced shot could cause an explosion."
"Or a well placed shot," Mordin corrected. "Explosives useful. Good for burning through Krogan armour."
The doors opened up. Across the area, they could see two Vorcha. Mordin sent a cryo blast at the two freezing them in place. Jane used lift to bring them closer while Grunt fired off a couple of round to shatter the two. After their deaths, a Krogan came charging over the pathway. Grunt fired at the explosive crate next to the Krogan. The flames engulfed its body. The force of the explosion sent the Krogan over the railing and down towards the ground as it burnt to death.
Opposition was heavy as they advanced downwards. Krogan were pouring into the area as they descended. Mordin would soften up the Krogan with incineration blasts, while Grunt, Jane and Shepard used their weapons and abilities to finish them off. They finished off the remaining forces when the door ahead opened.
A large Krogan emerged from the next room and roared, "Tremble and die, offworld scum! I am Weyrloc Guld, Chief of Chiefs!" He launched a biotic throw at Grunt and another at Mordin launching the two into the wall.
Shepard was about to take out his blade but Jane stopped him. She took out her blades and clicked a button on them. The blades then fell off the handles but a small chain still connected them. Just as the Warlord was about to laugh Jane stared to swing the blades round. The Krogan took aim and fired a carnage shot. Jane just smiled and used her blades like a shield to throw the shot away. The Krogan fired again but this time the shot was sent right back at him causing him to fly back.
Guld recovered and was just forming a warp ball in his hand. Femshep used her chain blade like a whip and sliced off his hand cutting off his attack. Guld grabbed his stubbed arm and roared in pain. Femshem then sliced off his other hand.
"Bitch!"
Jane then retracted the chains until the blades where whole again. Just as the Krogan charged she did too. As there head's where about to meet Jane dropped to her side and slid under the Warlord. One on the other side of the Krogan she swiped her blade across the beast's legs. The Warlord fell yelling in pain. Jane then silenced him by drawing her pistol and fired at the Krogan's head at point blank exploding it's head.
Mordin walked up next to her. "Was it necessary to prolong that?"
"I like to add style top my attacks," She quipped.
"Of course you do. Maleon should be just down those stairs." John said
The doors opened up and the squad saw Maleon at work at a console. He briefly glanced back and then back to the monitor.
"Maleon," Mordin muttered. "Alive. Unharmed. No sign of restraint. No evidence of torture. Don't understand."
"For such a smart man, Professor, you always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions," Maleon scoffed. He turned around. "How long will it take for you to admit that I'm here because I want to be?"
"Maleon is freely working for Clan Weyrloc to get a cure," Shepard said.
"No, not possible," Mordin tried to deny. "We all agreed that the project was necessary."
"How was I supposed to disagree with the great Doctor Solus?" Maleon asked. "I was your student! I looked up to you!"
"Experiments performed here. Live subjects! Prisoners! Torture and executions. Your doing?"
"We've already got the blood of millions on our hands, Doctor. If it takes a few more to put things right, I can deal with that."
Shepard let out a disappointed sigh. "It looks like Maleon doesn't need rescuing. What do you want to do with him?"
"You can't face the truth!" Maleon yelled. He pulled out a pistol and aimed widely. "You can't admit that your brilliant mind has led you to commit an atrocity!"
Mordin punched him in the face causing him to drop his gun. Maleon fell through the holographic monitor and impacted the tank behind it. The glass cracked. Mordin pointed his pistol at Maleon's head. "Unacceptable experiments. Unacceptable goals. Won't change. No choice. Have to kill you."
"Wait!" Shepard said stooping the scientist. "You're not a murderer."
Mordin hesitated. "No! Not a murderer." He backed away from Maleon. "Thank you, Shepard." He put his pistol away. "Leave Maleon. You're done here."
"Where am I suppose to go?"
"Try Omega," Mordin suggested. "They could always use more clinics."
"You heard the Professor," Shepard said. "Get out of here."
Maleon made a dash for the exit.
"Apologies, Commander," Mordin said. "Misunderstood mission parameters. No kidnapping. My mistake. Thank you."
"Don't worry about that Mordin. Are you okay?"
"Should have killed him," Mordin said. "Would have been easier for me and him. The actions he has committed shows how far he has fallen. I expected this from Krogan, not one of my own."
"Maybe you'll remember that when you debate about the ethics of the genophage."
"Yes..." Mordin's attention returned to the monitor. "Maleon's research. Only loose end. Could destroy it. Closure, security. Still valuable, though."
"This was the research that includes tests on living victims. It's tainted."
"Right now, victims died for nothing. Keep it, use it, deaths worth something. Maleon's work could cure genophage. Don't know. Effects on Krogan. Effects on galaxy. Too many variables. Too many variables!"
It was obvious to Shepard that Mordin wanted to make up for past sins, and by completing the cure, he may finally get some closure. "You regret what the Krogan have become. You see the horror of what they did here, but you also see the loss, too."
"Wasted potential."
"They don't deserve this, Mordin. Save the data."
"Point taken, Shepard. Capturing data, wiping local copy." The data on the monitor disappeared. "Still years away from cure. But closer than starting from scratch. Done. Ready to be off Tuchanka. Anywhere else. Maybe somewhere sunny."
"Can I have a copy of the data?" he asked.
"Why?" Mordin asked with curiosity.
"I just like to see what the result's were."
"Ok." the omni-tool opened as Mordin sent a copy to Shepard.
"We still have Grunt's Rite and then we can leave."
"I look forward to it, Shepard," Grunt said.
As they began to leave Shepard activated his privet comm.
"Tikius send the cure to Guardian R&D. They may find it useful." John said.
"Yes commander." Tikus said.
31. Chapter 27: Rite of passage
Chapter 27: Rite of passage.
The Krogan truck entered the garage of Urdnot camp and came to a full stop. Shepard, Jane, Grunt, Mordin and the driver hopped out. "Thanks for the ride back," Shepard said.
"Anytime, Human."
The four were greeted by Wrex. "Glad to see you're back unscathed. How did the mission go?"
"Maleon is... fine. We ended up taking out Weyrloc Guld and his elite guards."
A grin came to Wrex's face. "Good. Weyrloc has been one of my biggest challenges towards uniting the Krogan. You saved me a lot of work, Shepard." Wrex looked to one of his warriors. "Prepare some people."
"Yes, Chieftain," the warrior replied.
"What was that about?" Shepard asked.
"We're going to give the survivors of Clan Weyrloc the option of integration into clan Urdnot."
"Ah, smart move," Mordin said. "Surprising from Krogan."
"We're not all the blood-thirsty monsters the other races portray us as," Wrex dismissed the surprised comment. "Shepard understands that. Well, I came down here to tell you that the arena is ready for Grunt's Rite." Wrex looked back and saw the Shaman and most of the Normandy crew approach. "Ah, here they are now."
"Why is the most of my crew here?" Shepard asked.
"I told them about the Rite you would be participating in and they insisted to spectate."
"We're here to show you our support," Ash said.
"If it doesn't matter to you, Commander," Mordin said. "I'm going to return to the ship. Need to reflect on events."
"Go right ahead. Am I allowed to bring anyone else into the Rite?" Shepard asked the Shaman.
"I'm afraid that only you and Grunt can participate in the Rite," he answered. "I'm already pushing tradition by allowing you to join Grunt's krant. Though if half the stories that are told of you are true, then you should have no problem."
"Hey, Shaman," Zaeed called out. "Where do we place our bets?"
"At the terminal in the observational area." The Shaman turned to Shepard and Grunt. "Now, if you are ready we should start the Rite while we still have daylight."
Garrus then approached Shepard holding a large yellow weapon with a radiation symbol on it. Ash, Jane and Grunt stared at the weapon while Shepard just gave a sadistic smile.
"Garrus you didn't." he said almost speechless.
"Yep fully calibrated and ready to go." the Turian said handing the weapon to him.
"Brother what is this?" Jane asked.
"The M-920 Cain. Also know as the 'Nuke launcher'. It fires a 25-gram slug. When accelerated to 5 km/s, the round is devastating. But the nickname is inaccurate just because the detonation triggers a mushroom cloud."
"Where did you get it?" Ash then asked eyes wide at the weapon.
"Second hand at the Omega markets. It was broken beyond repair so we got it cheep. But when we got back to the Normandy me, Garrus and EDI got gear together and began repairs and modifications."
"What kind of mods?" Jane asked smiling.
"Well it used graphite rods as neutron moderators but they where smashed, so we use micro fabrication rods to use as the moderators. As a bonus it has unlimited ammo and needs 2 seconds to charge."
"Well good luck out there brother." Jane said.
Ash then gave him a hug and kiss good luck.
"We're ready," Shepard said to the Shaman as he placed the Cain on his back. "Let's do this."
"Excellent."
-
Shepard's crew got to their seats. Miranda sat there with her arms crossed and sighed.
"Something wrong, Miri?" Jacob asked.
"I just think we should be spending our time on something more important than a Krogan Rite," she replied.
"Like what? We are currently waiting on the Illusive Man to give us a tip. Anyways, this Rite is supposed to calm Grunt and make him more focused. I'd saw that is worth our time."
"Just enjoy yourself, princess," Jack said while sitting in front of her.
"Where have you been?"
"Getting food for everyone from the Fish-Dog Food Shack." She passed Jacob and Miranda a shishkabob. On the skewer were a variety of cooked meats and at the end was a Varren eye.
Miranda stared at the foot-and-a-half long stick of meat with disgust. Jacob cautiously nibbled on the meat. His eyes widen as he took a more confident bite. "It's really not that bad."
"Just get over the look and have a taste," Zaeed said while grabbing a skewer. "We're on Tuchanka, not an Illium resort, so enjoy what you can." Zaeed tore the meat away from the stick.
"Now, now," Kasumi said while appearing next to them and taking a stick of meat. "Let's not tease Miranda."
"Thank you, Kasumi."
"After all, she is a classy lady who should be congratulated for coming down onto this planet," Kasumi said in jest.
Miranda sighed in defeat.
Samara took a stick of meat from Jack's box. "Thank you for bringing this food, Jack."
Miranda raised a brow at the Justicar taking this food.
Samara smiled. "When you travel around the galaxy facing its many evils, you learn to be less picky about what you eat."
Jack looked to Thane. "You want any?"
Thane slightly smiled and said, "No, thank you. I ate before we landed here."
Jack saw Ash and Garrus sitting contently. "I couldn't find anything that was dextro for you Garrus, so you'll have to make due sorry." she said as she handed a stick to Ash.
"Thank you for the thought," Garrus said.
"Can't wait to see this. From what I've heard from the Krogan around here, Shepard and Grunt will have to survive several waves of Tuchanka's wildlife in order to pass the Rite. This should be fun to watch." Jane said taking a bite off her stick.
"Oh, Shepard will put on a show alright," Ash said in an amused tone as she eate the eye. While she spent time with the Tiberians she had to make do with their food. While most of it looked dusting or appetising she always ate it. All of it was the best food she had known. She also had a Cryolite which was a delicacy and enjoyed it.
"We can always count on Shepard to put on a show," Wrex said as he sat down. He saw the skewer that Miranda held. "If you're not going to eat it, mind if I have it?"
"Enjoy yourself," Miranda said while passing the shishkabob.
"Shepard will have to survive three waves," Wrex said. "The first wave will be of Varren. Grunt and he will need to kill about couple dozen of them. Next they will face Klixen and will need to kill about a dozen of them."
"What about the third round?" Garrus asked.
"A surprise." The holographic monitor in front of the observation area lit up. It showed Grunt and Shepard exiting the entrance hole into the arena. "And so it begins."
-
Since everyone was planet side Mordin was analysing the sample he snuck from med-bay. He was furiously studying it since he got the sample. The green light he saw from Shepard's wound was unlike anything he has ever seen before. What bothered him was how nonchalant Chakwas was about it, even to the point of warning him not to look into it.
But he is a scientist. Curiosity and thirst for knowledge overrides everything else. This was an invasion of privacy of Shepard, and Mordin hated himself for allowing his curiosity to overlook that, but Shepard was always an enigma. There was little to nothing known about him. Where he's from? Where did he get his education? Where did he learn the languages he knows? How did he get his powers? How is he able to use biotics without an implant?
Even the STG were unable to dig up any dirt on Shepard's past. Since Shepard's nomination to the Spectres, the STG looked into his background. All they could find were what most people know. Shepard's first acknowledgement was when he found on a shuttle. His ship was an old Cerberus cargo shuttle that had no real value.
When he saw that his wound was healing at an accelerated rate, Mordin knew that Shepard was unique. He needed to know why. The computer was in its final stages of analysis. A lout noise then alerted him to radiation within the sample case and automatically incinerated it.
This came to as a surprise because Mordin wasn't testing for DNA differences. He was testing for energy or composition abnormalities. This sample did come from Shepard's wound. He shook his head.
'Machine must be malfunctioning,' he thought. 'Fix it. Then reanalysis.'
At that moment he realised the warning. The sample was radioactive which made no sense. The only radiation on the ship was Eezo. He needed to find out why the sample was contaminated.
-
Ahead Shepard could see the keystone that the Shaman mentioned. He walked up to the switch and activated the decrypted space elevator. The elevator rose up. The Shaman began his commentary. "First the Krogan conquered Tuchanka and mastered a natural world only we are fit to hold."
The elevator reached its peak and then slammed down into the ground letting out a loud ringing noise. A growl is heard coming from the structure across the area. A couple packs of Varren charged out of the top of the building. They jumped down from the structure. They sniffed the area and then glared at Shepard and Grunt. The Varren rushed towards them.
"Here they come," Grunt said.
"Let them come close," Shepard said drawing his rifle. "I'll hit them with a cryo blast. You finish them off."
The pack of Varren moved up the stairs only to get a cryo blast in the face. Grunt let out a throaty laugh. "Stupid animals!" Grunt charged forward and ran right through the frozen Varren. They shattered from the impact.
"Grunt, fall in!" Shepard ordered. "Get ready for the next wave!"
The familiar roar of the Varren was heard. Eight Varren emerged from the top of the buildings and jumped down into the arena. Shepard moved down the steps with Grunt. He threw a grenade causing to throw the three Varren on the right into the group on the left. The Varren quickly recovered and got back on their feet. Shepard weakened them using his assault rifle allowing Grunt to finish them off.
At that moment a Varren jumped on the Krogan causing him to fall and tried to bite his head. Grunt took his shotgun and aimed at it while he was still lying. He pulled the trigger and blew its head off. "Beast doesn't know who its dealing with," Grunt dismissed while getting to his feet. He fired another round into its chest.
They waited for any more noise of approaching animals. The area was quiet save for the gusting wind. The two went up the steps and saw that the keystone was ready to be activated again.
"Looks like the next round is ready to begin," Grunt said. "Let's activate this keystone."
Shepard noticed a fire in Grunt's eyes. This ritual was awakening a dormant part of him. Whether it's good or bad, remains to be seen. He pressed the keystone. The column rose up. "Then the Krogan were lifted to the stars to destroy the fears of a galaxy. An enemy only we can chase to their lair." The column slammed into the ground releasing a different ringing echo.
Grunt and Shepard saw something fly in from around the ruins. "Harvester!" Shepard called out. They focused their fire on the wings of the incoming insectoid. Its wings blew apart and the creature crash landed into the arena. Its head impacted a wall section killing it.
Two creatures that were clanged to the Harvester's stomach like a parasite awakened and moved themselves off of the Harvester.
"Klixen," Grunt grumbled. "That's fine. They'll still die!"
Grunt charged at one of the Klixen. The creature tried to spit its flames, but Grunt grabbed it lifted its front end redirecting the flames. "You'll all die!" he roared as he lifted the creature up. Grunt threw the creature towards the other Klixen. As it flew, Grunt pulled out his plasma shotgun with incineration rounds and charged it. He released the trigger unleashing a fireball at the two stunned insects. The attack burnt a hole directly through them.
Several more Harvesters flew into the arena. Grunt and Shepard glanced to each other. "You ready to show them Krogan might?"
"It is what I was born to do," Grunt answered.
-
The observation area was filled with cheers for the two combatants.
"Give them hell!" one of the Krogan yelled.
Wrex laughed. "This is the best entertainment we've had in decades."
They watched as Shepard and Grunt tore their way through Klixen after Klixen.
"I wish I placed a bet," Garrus joked.
The crowd roared again when Shepard froze two of the Klixen and lifted them with his biotics and then slammed them into the ground. The insects shattered into pieces.
"Wrex," Ash said to get his attention. "Really. What is the third wave?"
Wrex watched as Shepard and Grunt eliminated the last of the Klixen. "You'll see in a moment."
Jane moved over to Ash and leaned in.
"Don't worry Ash my brother will adapt." she whispered in Tiberian.
-
Shepard approached the keystone wondering what the final test is for Grunt join Clan Urdnot. He looked to Grunt. Despite his genetic superiority gifted to him at birth, fatigue was starting to set in. "You ready for this, Grunt?"
"Always ready. Now let's kill what is stupid enough to stand before us."
Shepard pressed the keystone. The column rose up and the Shaman continued the Rite of Passage tale. "Now all Krogan bare the genophage: our reward, our curse. It is a fight where the only goal is survival!" The column slammed into the ground and released a deep vibration into the ground. The sound was low-pitched and reverberated through Shepard and Grunt.
After the noise stopped, the ground started to shake like a tremor. "You feel that, Shepard?" Grunt asked. "Everything is... shaking."
A loud growl came from the ground. Three neon-blue tentacles sprouted forth from the ground. Bright blue bulbs surrounded the base of the appendages. At the end of each tentacle was what could be described as a forked tongue of the appendage. The tips glowed brightly. Shepard has seen them before.
"Ahh hell not again. Thresher Maw!" he called out. Shepard took aim at one of the three tentacles and fired his rifle. Grunt joined him with his AR. The tentacle was the most sensitive part of a Thresher Maw.
The tentacles waved widely and were sucked back into the ground. The ground started shaking again. Dirt flew up as the behemoth crawled through the ground. The ground rumbled as the Thresher Maw burst out of the ground in front of the arena and let out a fearsome roar. The ground shook again and two more Thresher Maws emerged from the ground, one at each side of the arena.
"Oh Shit," Shepard mumbled.
-
The Krogan in the observation area were deafening. This was the moment they were waiting for. Here they would see the supposed Thresher Slayer take on three Thresher Maws at once.
"Oh, Fuck!" Ash yelled. "What the hell is this?"
"The final round," Wrex answered.
"Wrex there is no way they can take on three Thresher Maws on foot!"
"You have to end this now before he gets killed," Miranda interjected.
Wrex glared at Miranda. "This is the Rite of Passage. It is forbidden to interfere with it. To do so will exile Shepard and Grunt from this planet. It is very rare for any more than one Thresher Maw to show up. Just watch. According to the stories, Shepard took on a nest of Thresher Maws by himself. Don't worry yourself over him."
"I guess we have no choice," Ash said in a defeated tone.
"He'll be fine," Garrus assured her.
Another, louder, roar emanated from the arena. It made the three Thresher Maws take pause. It even looked like they were panicking.
"What's happening?" Kasumi asked out loud.
Wrex slowly got to his feet as he watched the screen with a narrow focus. "It can't be..."
"This could be interesting." Jane said to herself.
-
"What now?" Shepard groaned after hearing the loud roar.
"What ever it is, it has the Thresher Maws spooked," Grunt remarked.
The ground shook with a greater intensity than the previous Thresher Maws. It nearly made Grunt and Shepard lose their footing. The Thresher Maw to the right was pulled right under ground as its dark orange blood spurted from its mouth. The other two Maws released a whimper before trying to escape from the area.
The Maw in front of the arena was too late to retract into the ground as it violently shook from the mystery creature attacking it underground. The ground continuously shook for a minute as Shepard and Grunt waited for it to stop.
The tremors finally subsided after a minute and the area was quiet. Grunt too a step forward while scanning the area. "You think it's gone?"
"Not sure. Keep your guard up."
And not a moment after that statement that the ground shook again. The area in front of them exploded into a massive geyser of dirt and rock. The two buildings that stood where the Varren came from were destroyed in the emergence. The dirt started to settle to reveal the leviathan.
Before Shepard's wide eyes was a Thresher Maw unlike any they have ever seen. It had scars along its face to display its old age and experience. The glow that came from its mouth tentacle was slightly dimmer than that of the other Maws. There were cracks along the blades of its arms. The beast itself was easily over twice the size of even the previous biggest Thresher Maw.
In its mouth, it held the unlikely sub-adult Maw. Blood pouring down its body as it sunk in deeper.
"Oh Spirits of war tell me I'm dreaming or at least give me strength." he said in a whisper.
-
All noise came to a halt in the observation area. No Krogan dared to break the silence. This... This was a moment in history. They all stood up in respect.
"I did not believe it existed," Wrex said.
"What the hell is that thing?" Miranda demanded.
"The Legendary Colossal Thresher Maw."
"I thought they were a legend," Samara said.
"Maws keep growing throughout their lives. They are usually killed by a rival Maw before they get much bigger than what we usually see. But this... I have never seen a Maw this size in all my life."
"I'm starting to rethink my bet," Zaeed muttered under his breath.
-
"We are so dead," Shepard said in a stretch.
Grunt couldn't say anything. He didn't know whether to be happy to be given the fight of his life, or worried about facing a foe they were not ready for yet.
The Colossal Maw lifted its head and whipped it forward, throwing the sub-adult Thresher Maw towards Shepard and Grunt.
"Move!" Shepard ordered.
They ran forward and rolled to dodge the flying Thresher Maw body. The Maw body had a section of it torn away. The body landed at the back of the arena, cutting off any chance of escape.
Grunt and Shepard quickly got to their feet and started firing their weapons at the Thresher Maw. Shepard threw a Warp ball attack after attack to try and weaken the armour of its head section. The creature growled and grunted at the attack. It made a slight choking sound and opened its mouth. A glob of green goo flew from its mouth towards the two.
"Acid!" Grunt called out.
The two ran in opposite directions and took cover behind the remnant supports. The acid splattered on the ground. It started eaten away at the ground and hissed as it did. Shepard and Grunt came out from behind cover and continued their assault on the Maw. The Thresher shook its body and then let out a deafening roar that rumbled the area.
The Thresher Maw went back underground. Shepard and Grunt scanned the area in preparation for the monster's next emergence. There was no trail of tossed up dirt to be seen around the arena, yet the area was shaking. The ground that Grunt and Shepard stood on started to splinter and crack.
"It's beneath us!" Shepard yelled to Grunt.
They tried to run off of the arena, but the Colossal Thresher Maw burst out of the ground destroying the area. Shepard and Grunt tried to balance themselves on the chuck of ground that the Maw held. The chuck of concrete tilted towards the mouth of the gigantic worm.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Shepard said rapidly as he and Grunt slid down the ground into the Maw's mouth.
"Not a bad way to go," Grunt commented.
"I'm not going out like this," Shepard growled as he pulled out the Cain.
-
"John!" Ash screamed as she watched the giant Thresher Maw consume the area that Shepard and Grunt were standing on. "Goddess, no!"
Most of the Krogan in the area expressed sounds of pain as they could feel what the two could feel.
"Lost my bet," Zaeed grumbled.
Ash went up to Zaeed and punched him in the face so had her hand mark was still there. "Show some concern or respect!" unknown to her the faintest and smallest tint of white shined in her eyes.
Garrus placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ash..."
"Not like this," she muttered.
"Ashley look!" Kasumi called to her.
She looked at the screen and saw the Thresher Maw acting strangely, like it was suffering from a stomach ache.
"W-What's wrong with it?" she asked out loud.
Samara smiled. "It appears that this fight is still far from over."
-
A large explosion appeared in the middle part of the Thresher Maw's exposed body, releasing its dark orange blood. Shepard and Grunt leaped from the wound. As they flew, Shepard swung around with the Cain in hand and fired at one of it's arms causing it to be severed. The Maw screamed in pain.
Shepard surrounded Grunt's body with Delta Energy to reduce the impact to him. Grunt shakily got to his feet. They were cover in mucus, bile and blood. "Ahh come on not again." Shepard yelled as he tried to get the bile off him.
"I thought they smelt bad on the outside." Grunt quipped.
"I have hand enough of Thresher Maws."
"You are hard to kill, I'll give you that," Grunt said while coughing up some of the Maw's blood. He spat on the ground to clear his mouth. Grunt looked at the wounded monster and smiled. "Now let's return the favour."
"You keep it distracted with incineration rounds and concussion shots," Shepard ordered. "I need time for my biotics."
"Yes, Commander." Grunt ran to the left of the new arena. He fired off flaming rounds that burnt away at its armour around its head. The Thresher roared as it focused on Grunt. It struck forward trying to crush Grunt. He rolled out of the way barely dodging the Maw.
Shepard glowed white as he ran over to the sickle claw. struggling to lift the forty foot long blade. It slowly lifted into the air. Shepard's arms slowly went into the air. He turned around. A small drop of blood dripped from his nose. The sickle blade turned around as well, pointed at the Maw that was focused on the troublesome Krogan.
Shepard's arms pulled back past his head. He launched his arms forward with a great force. The Maw blade was throw forward and flew at the Maw. The blade went right through the creature's back and its body. The blade stuck out at both ends of its body.
The sound the Maw made sent chills down Shepard's body. It tried to pull back into the ground and escape but the blade through its body prevented it from doing so. It was stuck.
Shepard rushed over to Grunt. "It's time to end this."
"Right behind you, Shepard."
The Thresher Maw lifted its other arm and struck downwards. Grunt and Shepard dodged the attack. The blade went into the ground. Shepard landed on his feet and launched himself forward. He fired the Cain and made the leviathan lose its other arm.
Still glowing white Shepard wasted no time and used his super human strength to pull the blade out of the ground and aimed it at the Maw. He whipped it forward. The blade went right through the creature's "neck." It no longer was able to make thunderous roars.
Shepard gave Grunt a look; a look that communicated what to do next. Grunt grinned as he put away his AR and got handed the Cain. Shepard surrounded Grunt with Delta Energy and flung him as close to the Thresher's face as he can.
As Grunt was getting close the the Maw's head he held up the Cain at the Maw's head. He pulled down the trigger and held it. "You will know what I am creature!" Grunt roared. The charge of the Cain was nearly done. "I. AM. KROGAN!" He released the trigger unleashing the 25 gram slug at the Maw.
The attack burnt right through the thick armour at short range and blew through the Maw's brain. The Thresher Maw let out one last choked roar before falling to the ground with a loud thud. It landed just a few feet where Shepard was standing.
Grunt looked down at Shepard and gave him a nod of respect. He slid down the Maw's face and landed on the ground.
"I believe you passed the Rite."
"We passed the Rite," Grunt said. A ship flew in overhead. "Looks like we have company. Good! I want more."
"Wait a sec." Shepard then said as he walked over to the huge maw.
He drew his blade and cut into it's scaly flesh. Grunt watched with interest as Shepard took a piece of maw meat. He looked at it for a few seconds before taking a bite out of it. As he did the Krogan's eyes widened. The commander then swallowed the piece and gave a nod of satisfaction. Little did he know that he was still being watched by his crew and the Krogan as he ate the meat.
"Yep defiantly better than regular maw flesh." he said finishing the torn piece off.
He then looked over at grunt.
"You what a piece? It's good. Not as sour as regular maw though."
The Krogan just shook his head with a smile. The corpse of the smaller Maw that was thrown as rolled over. Its wound now was a bloody arch to the area where the ship was landing. Grunt and Shepard went through and entered the other area. There they were greeted by Uvenk and his krant. Uvenk paced on a concrete divider.
"You live," he said. "And you brought down a Colossal Thresher Maw. Urdnot Wrex was the last Krogan to take down a Thresher Maw on foot. You're the first to take down a Colossal Maw."
"My krant gave me strength beyond my genes," Grunt replied, "which are damn good."
"This will call discussion. I wonder... you say you are pure? No alien meddling in your construction? Just the warlord Okeer?"
"Come on, Uvenk," Shepard asked in jest. "You want to try killing him? Give it your best shot, though that tasty Thresher Maw was just a warm-up compared to what he can do."
"Not yet," Uvenk chided. "This deserves consideration."
"Why?" Grunt questioned. "I'm not getting any more natural."
"You are powerful. You are a mistake, but your potential could tip the balance of the clans."
"You spit on my father's name," Grunt growled. "On Shepard's name! But now you stop ranting because I'm strong?"
"With restrictions," Uvenk further elaborated. "You could not breed. Or serve on an alien ship. But you would be given clan and name."
Shepard looked to Grunt who looked back. "Grunt. Let's give this coward your answer."
Grunt briefly grinned and approached Uvenk. He pulled his head back and heat butted Uvenk knocking him to the ground.
"You dare!" Uvenk roared.
Grunt glared at him. "This Human is more of a warrior than you could possibly hope to become. You are nothing but a weak opportunist."
The Krogan krant unfurled their shotguns. Grunt and Shepard glanced at each other and ran for cover as one of the Krogan fired a carnage shot. The shot splashed harmlessly on their cover.
"I'll take the flank," Shepard said to Grunt. "You take the front."
Grunt nodded and got out of cover and laid down fire against their opposition. Shepard ran around the right while taking out his assault rifle. One of the Krogan soldiers walked down the ramp in front of him. Shepard dashed to the left of him, dodging his shotgun blast. He was too damn fast. Shepard was right in front of him before he filled the Krogan with bullets until he fell.
Another Krogan charged at Shepard. The Commander lifted a hand and unleashed a biotic blast sending the Krogan to the ground. He ran to him fired a concussive shot at the fallen Krogan in the head.
Grunt punched a Krogan in the stomach and kneed him in the face. The warrior fell to the ground. Grunt lifted his foot and slammed on his head crushing it. Another Krogan charged at him. Learning from the hand-to-hand combat training Shepard gave him. Grunt charged forward but aimed lower on the Krogan. When they connected, Grunt lifted the Krogan clear over him. He spun around and fired a round from his shotgun, ending the Krogan's life before he landed on the ground.
Grunt turned around to receive a punch to the face by Uvenk. "Tank born scum!" They locked fists. Shepard stood by and watched. Uvenk smiled. "Look at that alien. He doesn't even help you in your fight."
"He doesn't help me because this is my fight!" Grunt countered. "That Human is more powerful than you can even begin to imagine." He pounded Uvenk's head which his own to briefly stun him. In that moment, Grunt pulled out his shotgun and pressed it against Uvenk's stomach. He pulled the trigger, blowing out Uvenk's insides.
"Uvenk is meat. Let's signal the keystone to get out of here and leave his body to rot."
-
"You have passed the Rite of Passage," the Shaman declared, "earning the honour of clan and name."
Grunt keeled before the Shaman to end the Rite.
"Many survive, but it has been years since a Thresher Maw fell. You are the first to bring down a Colossal Thresher Maw. Truly the Fates are working in your favour. Your name shall forever live in glory. Grunt, you are Urdnot. You may now own property, join the army, and apply to serve under a Battlemaster."
"Shepard is my Battlemaster," Grunt said. "He has no match."
"Understood. Congratulations, Urdnot Grunt."
"We should head out," Shepard said.
"May your foes be strong to keep you sharp."
The two went down the stairs to be greeted by the Normandy crew. Ash ran to Shepard and embraced him. "I assumed the worse when I saw that Thresher Maw swallow you."
"Hey, it's going to take more that a fictitious giant worm to take him down." Jane said thumping her brother on the shoulder.
Ash chuckled.
"But now you're going to have to clean your cloths, from all of this blood."
"A worthy sacrifice."
"Not a fictitious worm any more," Garrus corrected. "That thing was basically the Krogan equivalent of, what was that Earth creature? The Loch Noss Monster?"
"It's Loch Ness Monster," Zaeed corrected. "Well, thanks, Commander. I made a small fortune on my bet."
The crew continued praising him and Grunt a little longer before, business had to be attended to. "I have to speak with Wrex, so I'll see you all back on the ship. Ash, Jane and Garrus with me. And I believe as a new member of clan Urdnot, it is customary to present yourself before the Chief."
They went their separate ways. Shepard, Ash, Jane, Garrus and Grunt walked over to Wrex. The Krogan were calling out Grunt's name as he walked by. The Krogan celebrity.
Wrex leaned forward in his throne. "You can't help but get into trouble, Shepard. No one's killed a Thresher Maw since my turn in the Rite. Next you'll tell me Grunt's a klint and craps dark matter. I guess that's what it takes to replace me." Wrex looked to Grunt. "You are clan Urdnot. Welcome."
"Now the thing with Mordin and Grunt is not the only business I had here," Shepard said. "Can we talk in private?"
"I can spare the time."
"I'll meet you back at the ship, Urdnot Grunt," Shepard said to Grunt.
Grunt nodded, but not before Wrex walked up beside him and said to him. "Know this. You will find the greatest battles in your life with this Human. Follow his orders and you will find your full potential."
Grunt absorbed those words and continued back to the ship.
"I'm actually glad we could speak, Shepard. Remember back on Ilos when Vigil mentioned that alien race: the Tiberians."
"Yes," Shepard replied. "That's actually part of what I wanted to speak to you about."
"I believe we found an Tibeian temple," he interjected.
This stunned the four.
"Where?" Jane asked
"Nearby. It was discovered when we were clearing rumble."
"I need you to take me there now." John said.
"Follow me."
-
The five were riding in a Krogan truck to the location of the temple. This would be the time Shepard would let Wrex in on the truth. He has been a good friend and he is a leader of his people. It would be better for him to find out now.
"Now, you said you wanted to speak with me about something?"
"Yes," Shepard replied. "You see this upcoming war with the Reapers is far bigger than you may think."
"Oh?"
"Wrex... There's not really an easy way to say this but...me and my sister... we're not Human."
Wrex didn't say anything. Shepard, Ash, Jane and Garrus couldn't really tell if Wrex was confused or angry. He was processing those few words. There was so much information behind those few words.
"How- What? You both smell Human."
"Our DNA is so close to humans not even the most advanced scanner can detect it," Shepard replied.
A slight amount of rage came across Wrex's face. "You are going to answer my next question truthfully. Are you Shepard? Or someone pretending to be him?"
"I am Shepard. My name is just a translation on my real name," Shepard answered.
Garrus, Jane and Ash stared at Wrex waiting to see what he would do next. Wrex's facial emotion did not change after that answer. They wondered if he would be hostile. Against all they expected, Wrex chuckled. "Deep down I knew. You were always too damn tough for a Human. Too damn different. But it is you. I see it in your eyes. You have that fire behind them. A fire that only belongs to you. You've done a lot for me Shepard. The fact that you're not Human doesn't change that." Wrex glanced at Garrus and Ash. "How long have they've known?"
"Since that episode I had back on our mission to take down Saren. But for Ash it was after we got Liara."
"If it means anything, we're sorry for keeping this from you," Ash said.
"I know, Shepard. This was for a reason. So if you're both not Human, what are you?"
"We are Tiberian."
Wrex's eyes widen. "So you're the one Vigil told us to seek. Why do you look Human?"
"Coincidence," Jane shrugged in ignorance.
"So the Tiberians are doing something about these Reapers. Are there other agents?"
"Other agents, yes, but a lot for Tiberians."
"Why not?"
Shepard went on to tell the story of his life before coming to their galaxy. The plague. The races. The threat of the Reapers. Wrex took in this information rather well. He didn't once interrupt Shepard. Wrex just listened.
"...and that is what I am here for."
"We are kindred spirits," Wrex remarked. "Two races who have been devastated by a plague created by another. So you believe your mother and father knows more about the Reapers than they are letting on."
"I know they are. For the time being, I wait until they reveal the information to me. But it is through the cooperation of our races, that we hope to defeat the Reapers once and for all."
"Who have been made more powerful since they stole Tiberian technology," Garrus added.
"They will pay for that as well," Shepard said. "Are you okay knowing all this?"
"Life is nothing but one battlefield," Wrex said. "You have to adapt to the changes or be destroyed." The truck came to a full stop. "We're here. Very few know of this temple. Just a little more than a handful outside of us."
They exited the truck and saw a hole in the ground. Wrex jumped down the hole followed by Shepard, Ash, Jane and Garrus. The corridor the hole led to was dark. Both Wrex and Shepard activated their biotics to illuminate the way.
"To say this is a temple, may be a bit of an exaggeration," Wrex said. "It's more of a chamber."
The corridor opened into a room with a large wall that was covered in alien symbols and carvings.
"Can you read this?"
"This... This is ancient Tiberian," Shepard said. "Our language has changed over the years. This is similar to comparing Human English to Latin."
"But can you read it?"
"Give me a minute." Shepard slid his hand over the carvings looking at it carefully with Jane helping. He then realised something. "This could be a problem." he then said turning attention to him.
"Why?" Garrus asked.
"It's in Kointhian. An royal family code used around 50,000 years ago to send secret messages between family members. The problem is that it'd not used anymore."
"Is there any..." Ash was about to say but John's eyes lit up in a light green colour.
After an eerie minute of silence from the Commander his eyes returned to normal.
"Ok it's a message by..." he trailed off looking at a certain line. He blinked a few times as if he was dreaming. "Jane it's from the lost Queen."
Hearing this her eyes widened and looked at the writing. She almost fainted but then John continued. "Well our ancestor from 50, 000 years ago. Shortly after the battle with the Reapers, the Spirits chosen of the time and her best friend, went through the wormhole after them, leaving her family's behind. She was never heard from again in our galaxy." Shepard continued reading the ancient script. "Some of the writings here are too degraded to truly read. But it mentions her visiting the worlds of this galaxy. I can't make out th..." he trailed off again.
"What is it this time?" Wrex asked.
"If I'm reading this right. This isn't a temple. It a amplifier for an X-class weapon."
"X-class? Are you sure?" Jane asked with John nodding.
"Wait what's X-class?" Ash asked.
"For lack of a better word it's a Doomsday weapon."
The room fell silent at the news.
"But they are only used in the most dire of situations. Most times they are never used."
"But where's the firing mechanism?" Garrus asked.
Shepard continued examining the wall. There was a slot that had his family's crest above it. He pulled out his blade and inserted it into the hole. Lines of light journey forth from the hole and cover the wall in various patterns. The lines then changed and moved to form new shapes. After a few moments of changing, the lines of light formed several lines of words.
"What does it say, Shepard?" Ash asked.
"It's a poem or a riddle."
"Which says?" Garrus asked.
"Translating... Okay it says: They have lived through the ages, the innocents they have taken are unforgivable, the army's of our might must fight. May they face the true strength of Tiberia's might. Below this riddle is an ancient coordinates made through a mathematically formula." Shepard pulled up his omni-tool. "Tikus, can you scan this for me?"
"On it," he answered. "This coordinate style hasn't been used in tens of thousands of years. We would need to consult the archives for this. We also need to take into account of galactic and planetary drift. I can send this back to Nexus, but it will take some time to decrypt it."
"Then do so."
"Interesting," Garrus muttered.
"I'm guessing you're heading out then?" Wrex assumed.
"Afraid so," Shepard said. "You sure you can't come with us?"
"I'm sure, someone has to keep these short-sighted fools in line. And considering what's to come, I'll have to step it up."
At that moment Garrus' Omni-tool bleeped and he activated. An image of another Turian came up but this one was battered and bruised.
"Sidonis! What happened? Where's Ki'sla?"
"She went missing a few weeks ago. And as for what's happening there are humans in white robes have taken control of a tower section of Omega. Their exacuting all who don't bow to them. The weird thing is that they have super human strength. They call themselves 'The Resistance'."
That final word got John and Jane panicking. Just then Garrus' Omni-tool closed.
"We need to get to Omega fast." John then said.
Tiberian Codex wildlife
The Cryolite is a dog like animal that has 6 rounded legs, no tail and a wolf like head. The animal is found every where as it breeds like rabbits. This has cause people to eat the animal which is a delicacy. But they are widely accepted as pets.
Tiberians rank their weapon classes based on damage ratio. So the more damage it does the higher it is.
Kointhian is a code developed by the royal family to keep sensitive matters out of the media. It is also used to send love letters to relationship's outside of the family. Although the person has a book to decode the letter.
32. Chapter 28 The Last Resistance
Chapter 28: Last Resistance.
The Asari Representative walked over the bridge in the Presidium. She was unsure of what she would find at the location Shepard provided to her. He did say that it was for the future of the Rachni so it was her duty to look into this. She owed her life to the Rachni. The bridge led to an out of sight sitting area.
The Asari walked over to the bench and sat down. There was no one around. Shepard told her this time and place. She trusted him so she said the code he gave her, "Alton, utol, veca, yoto, uoio , zonu." A man appeared sitting next to her which caused her to jump from her seat.
"Authorization accepted," he said. The cloaked man stood up and extended his hand. His eyes seemed to be unnatural. "Good day to you Miss..."
"Corola. Corola N'Yela."
"N'Yela a beautiful name. I am Solvan. I can assume you met Shepard?. Might I ask, what is your connection to him?"
"I am a representative of the Rachni."
"Ah,!" Solvan then said enthusiastically. "I remember now. Shepard freed the Queen on Noveria. It is good to hear that she is keeping in touch. Well the ministers will be happy to hear this.."
"Ministers?"
"We have much to talk about."
Solvan then lead her to his apartment and removed his hood. The Asari looked at him in shock. One side of his head had a few pieces of hair. The other side however there was tubes embedded in his head that glowed an orange colour. He then typed a few keys on the computer and caused the blinds to cover the window and the lights dimmed.
He then turned to her as an images of two galaxy's appeared in front of her. She just realised what she got into.
After docking with the Normandy Shepard practically ran into the briefing room. He heard about the Resistance on Omega. He never thought the past would catch up to him. The Resistance was one of the most brutal terrorist organisations the Tiberians had. He had to stop them before anything else. Even if the Reapers where on the way The Resistance had to take priority.
"EDI get all who know about me in here. But tell Joker to set the quickest course to Omega and have his earpiece connected in here so he knows what's going on." He practically yelled.
"Commander what's going on?" she asked.
"The Resistance."
Without saying another word she knew what to do. Shepard then activated the comm. After waiting a few moments Anderson came up. He was more than surprised.
"Shepard, What can I do for you?" he asked.
"David listen because this is important. I need you to stop all media broadcasts coming from the Omega station and seal it." Shepard demanded in a very serious voice and face.
The councillor just gave him a face like he was insane. But he knew otherwise.
"That will take a bit of doing but why?"
"Theirs a Tiberian terrorist group there. There... well for lack of a better word xenophobic... no sorry that's not right. More like they are Tiberian version of the worst kind Nazi's. This concerned the both of us David."
"I'll see what I can do." Anderson said in understanding.
"Make up some kind of believable story that will secure the area. Hurry."
The image disappeared and the comm cut. He then activated the QEC to Tiberian command. The table lowered to the ground and Shepard walked into the orange pillar grid. As he stepped in an image of a man in a British WWII like officer uniform turned to face him.
"My prince." he said startled and saluting.
"Get me the officer in charge now." Shepard said before the soldier ran out the room.
After a few moments a female officer with a robotic eye, arm and leg came in saluting.
"My prince what can I do for you?" she asked.
"I need the closest Tiberian Frontier Knights combat group to get to Omega station as fast as they can."
"I need to know the reason."
"The Resistance."
The officer's eyes widened. She then nodded and quickly left the room. Shepard then quickly terminated the QEC and reactivated the comm. This time to Aria. Despite her personality and her temper, she seemed to always listen to him. It was plain to see that she liked him. But he only saw her as a friend.
After a few seconds of waiting her image came up.
"Shepard, what do you want?" she asked. Knowing her Shepard assumed she knew what was going on.
"By the way you sound I can assume that someone has taken over a part of one of your towers?"
Her eyes widened.
"I can assume that's a yes. Ok now I what you to listen and listen good. I need the area sealed off. No media, no civilians and no one to enter. Anyone who does will get killed or worse. I also need a room next to the area so that a number of people, including myself, people in black armour known as the Frontier Knights and some of my squad can get ready before we go in."
The Asari did not looked pleased.
"Is the great Commander Shepard ordering the Queen of Omega around?" she asked in an angry tone.
"Look I'm just looking for your safety. Just do what I say and I'll tell you everything."
She then gave a disappointed but still angry look.
"No bed?"
"If my sister takes a liking to you then maybe. But not me, I'm in a relationship."
"Ok I'll see what I can do." she said still in an angered tone before she cut the comm.
Shepard then sighed. Of all the things that could go wrong it had to be the worst group in Tiberian history. Unspeakable crimes, indoctrination and other dishonourable things. Just thinking about it made him sick. At that moment Ash, Jane, Garrus, Chakwas and Kasumi entered.
"What's up Shep?" Kasumi asked.
"EDI lock the door and open the comm to Joker." John then said.
The Exocron locked the door. Shepard then looked at looked at everyone in the room.
"I know this is short notice but this is important."
"John what's this about?" Ash asked.
The commander then hit a few keys on the terminal and an image a man in a white robe. The man had a small beard, a cut over his eyes and bald.
"This man is known as Holgana Kalka leader of a terrorist organisation known as 'The Resistance'. They have taken over one of Omega's tower sections. We have to stop them."
The people nodded except for Kasumi who noticed something.
"There's more to this then your letting on." she said.
Everyone then looked at the commander who looked at Jane. The two siblings looked at each other for a few moments before Jane gave a nod.
"Your right. This group are the firm believers of what is known as 'True Tiberian'. The belief is that the reason why we have these powers is to rule over all races."
"There's more." Kasumi teased.
John sighed before continuing. "Remember when I talked about the competition for the crown? Well that's only half the story. There was another family known as the Kalka's. My family, the Shardan's where mostly about honour and fighting fair. While the Kalka's where all about victory at any cost. Bout our ancestors fought till the last round when they fought each other. The battle lasted almost 6 hours and Kalka was about to win until the judge stopped the match."
"Whys that?" Garrus asked.
"Well in the previous match Kalka faced a man call Okaltho Heltron who collapsed during his match. He was taken to hospital and the doctors found an energy sapping element known as Cothalight. Upon further review they found out that all combatant's who faced Kalka had the element in their systems. They then checked the military files to find that Kalka used the element as punishment and to weaken enemy forces. He was automatically disqualified and the Shardan's acquired the crown."
"I'm assuming it did not end there." Kasumi then said.
"Yep after that he vowed revenge on my family and clam the crown. After the coronation he reappeared with a group calling themselves 'The Resistance'. Ever since then they murdered, raped, killed and indoctrinated all who won't obey them."
Hearing this all except Jane gasped. "My god." Chakwas managed to say.
"Now this is a purely Tiberian matter. But..."
"Shepard shut up cos we're all coming." Garrus said interrupting the commander.
Sarah sat in a corner of a wrecked apartment on Omega. Her hands where cuffed behind her back so that she wouldn't resist. The room she was in only had women in of varying ages and race. They had little food and water but just enough to keep them alive. When they where first captured the aliens blamed the humans until one of the people who where holding them shot an ex-marine because he tried to stop an Asari from being raped.
After that they had no idea what they where in for. The people who held them wore black robes, spoke in a strange language and called themselves 'The Resistance'. Sarah was not one for a military life but because her sisters where militaristic she picked up a number of things. She knew for a fact that whoever these people where they where defiantly not human. Their strength, speed, reflexes and technology where defiantly not human.
At that moment the door opened and a man in black came in. as he did the prisoners screamed and tried to move away but he grabbed one of the older Asari by her hair and started to drag her out. But just then Sarah charged up and threw herself at the man. Causing him to fall and let go of the as Asari.
Before anything else could happen a women in black came running in and grabbed Sarah by the hair. She then pulled her head back and pressed her pistol on the humans forehead. But before she pulled Sarah's eyes gave a faint glow of white. The woman's eyes widened and lowered her pistol.
At that moment the man stood up pulled out his own pistol and pointed it at Sarah. As he was about to fire the woman pushed the pistol out of the way. The man did not look pleased.
"Ecathon ya jaolten kelmeda ga holmaca? Delma kalaca kota. (what are you doing? She deceives to die)." he said in an angered tone.
"Kota malkon raka solven. (She has Delta energy)." she said.
The man looked at her as if she was crazy.
"Askal motha tongo? (How do you know?)"
"Koto teyha fasteen. (Her eyes glowed)."
The man then looked between the two women but mostly at Sarah. He then raised his pistol once again but this time Sarah's defence instincts kicked in she dived at the man. But the woman pulled on her hair pulling her back. This time her eyes almost glazed over in white. The man nearly dropped his pistol in surprise.
The woman then got Sarah to her feet and took her out of the apartment with them man following close behind. As she was being lead Sarah looked around at the headquarters that the terrorists made. There where drapes of a four winged eagle with two swords behind it, mounted guns with energy shield's and a rectangular barrel, portable shield barriers and weapons that looked like Mattock assault rifle's.
Sarah immediately felt that these weapons did not use mass effect technology. She was then lead into a room that was meant to resemble a fairy tail throne room. At what looked like a golden throne a man in a white robe with a small beard and no hair sat on it. She was brought up and pushed to the floor. The man on the throne looked less then pleased.
"Ekana sa foray gatha jancka uthong? (Why have you brought this sub-race to me?)" he asked.
"Koto teyha fasteen. (Her eyes glowed)." both the man and woman said as they got to their knees.
"Fasteen teymaga? (glowing eyes?)" he said raising his brow.
He then looked at Sarah who was getting to her knees.
"What's you name human?" he asked Sarah with venom.
"Sarah Williams and that's all your getting from me you Cerberus bastard." Sarah said keeping her ground.
At the mention of Cerberus everyone in the room burst out laughing.
"We are not Cerberus." the bald man said before he turned back to being serious. "In our reality we are The Resistance." as he said that final word his eyes glowed making Sarah's eyes widen.
"What are you?" she asked as fear gripped her.
Aria ordered the section of Omega sealed off to all. In order to keep people out she used not only her own men but Justice angels, Blood pack, Eclipse and Blue suns to keep people out. But there was a lingering animosity between the merc groups. To stop this she made it absolutely clear that if anyone tried to kill anyone else she'd throw them out the airlock.
Omega had been declared a no-fly-zone thanks to two councillors. But she was getting worried. It had been hours since Shepard called and told her to look out for a merc group she had never heard of. This was just not one of her days. Just then her comm opened up and a man in a helmet that looked similar to a Kestrel Helmet but with four blue stripes down the sides and a mouthpiece.
"This is the Frontier Knight's ship Halacron request docking permission and weapon transport." the image said.
"Permission granted head to dock C9-4. One of my men will lead you to a room where you'll be stationed." Aria said as the comm closed. "Bray go meet our guests."
"On it." a Batarian said before walking off.
Aria then sighed as she looked over Afterlife. 'I just hope it's worth it.' she thought.
The Normandy flew into system and docked with Omega. The crew overheard on the news that something big was going on Omega and they wanted in. However Shepard only took Jane, Ash, Garrus, Chakwas and Kasumi. The crew had no idea why he did it but orders where orders.
The Squad then walked onto the station and a familiar Batarian walked up to them.
"Shepard. Glad you could make it." he said.
"What's the situation Bray?" Shepard asked without stopping.
"Unknown it seems that they have taken in a human girl."
"Who is it?" Garrus asked.
"Sorry we don't know. But the Frontier Knight's are here and setting up their Equipment. And Aria is waiting for you in the room."
"Show us the way." Shepard said.
. Aria watched as a number of soldiers in black armour checked their strange weapons and armour. Some of them had robotic limbs. But the strangest thing was that each one of them had a different close combat weapon that strongly looked like ones from Earth's history. At that moment Shepard and his Squad walked in and the Knights immediately faced him stood up straight and saluted. Shepard did the same.
"Nice tech." Kasumi whispered.
"I expect all tech to be returned Kaumi. No excuses. If I find one piece of tech gone I'll be hunting you."
Kaumi reluctantly agreed. Aria just wondered what was going on. Ash then locked the door.
"What are you doing?" Aria asked.
Shepard then turned to face her his face deadly serious.
"Aria what I'm about to show you cannot leave this room." he said before he placed his hand on her shoulder and their eyes began to glow.
After a minute their eyes returned to normal and the Queen of Omega backed up and sat on a crate.
"By the Goddess." she managed to say.
"Aria I know how overwhelming how this is but we need your help."
She looked at him her face had a non readable expression. After a while her face turned into a determined one. She nodded and stood up.
"Let's get these bastards off my station." she said.
At that moment one of the soldiers took out a silver ball with blue spots around it. He dropped it onto the floor. It then rolled into the centre of the room and floated for a moment before an image of Omega came up. A section turned red and zoomed in. as it did everyone came round the image.
"Ok this is where the resistance is held up." Aria said. "This place was a popular apartment block for all races. From what my snipers have told me the men, women and children have been split up."
"That's typical of The Resistance hostage procedure. Have them split up so that when an rescue begins they can kill the others when teams go for one group." a soldier in a white robe with gold swirls on said.
"Well whatever the reason they execute all who resist regardless of age. But they have levels D-4, D-5 and D-6 heavily fortified. D-6 more than most."
"That's where Kalka is." Shepard said.
"That's what my men believe. But there's a problem that's disturbing me. The Justice angles second in command is with them."
At those word the room fell deathly silent and Shepard's and Garrus' eyes widened. Both of them where surprised but Shepard knew why.
The sun shined over the Tolmari forest as a 5 year boy ran into it. As the boy ran in he jumped onto a tree branch and started moving through the trees. But just then a branch he grabbed onto broke and he then fell to the ground with a groan. As he lay there for a few minutes a golden haired girl looked over him. Her brown eyes seemed to sparkle.
They just stared at each other for a few moments before girl spoke.
"You ok? That was a long fall." she said.
"Yeah I'm fine." the boy then said sitting up.
"You where running from something right?"
"Yeah my sister. She's trying to get me to chose my lo'targ."
"Lo'targ?" the girl said slowly.
At that moment she realised who she was talking to. She quickly bowed.
"I'm sorry Prince Jol'an I did not know who I was talking to." she said as her cheeks went red.
Jol'an just smiled as he stood up.
"Stop bowing. These things happen I'm not offended." he said as she raised herself up. "What's your name?"
"I'm Ki'sla Darvan."
Before anyone could speak a teenage girl screamed for Jol'an. The Prince then started to panic and started to run in the opposite direction but Ki'sla grabbed his hand and lead him in a different direction. As they ran the boy felt something. It felt like warm like when he spends time with his elder sister.
Even though they met a few minutes ago he started to like her. After a few more minutes they came to a small vilon ivy covered cave. The both stopped and crawled in. it was a short crawl before they entered a domed hut. As Jol'an stood up he looked around. The place was covered in branches, leaves and twigs. There was also a place where a fire would go. The hut also had food, water, a radio and sleeping bags.
He just looked around.
"Cool." was all he managed to say.
Kis'la just smiled. Over the next few days Jol'an and Kis'la just spent their time in the hut so that things would calm down. They just sat talking and listing to the radio. As time went by they found each other to be interesting. They started liking each other. After five days Jol'an was about go to back home before Kis'la stopped him. He turned to look at her.
"Jol'an do you like me?" she asked.
The prince just smiled as he stroked her face.
"Of course. I really like you." he said.
"Then can we make a promise for me to be your lo'targ and for nether of us to fall in love except with each other."
"That's a good idea. I know let do the goddess promise."
She smiled and nodded. They both knelt down in front of each other. Then they placed their hands on each others heart. They then spoke at the same time.
"May the goddess seal our promise. May we never fall in love except for each other. We seal this bond with our love for each other."
John snapped out of his thought as the lift he was on neared their level. The plan was that the knight's split up into three teams of four to secure the hostages while Shepard, Kasumi, Garrus, Ash and Jane will storm the main fort for Kalka. Today The Resistance will pay for all the crimes they committed over the years.
Shepard sighed as he looked at each member of his squad. Instead of their normal weapons and armour they had it replaced by Tiberian ones. Kasumi only wore a Slutha stealth armour that had low shields but unlimited invisibility time. As for her weapons she had a VCX 87 Milota auto pulse that was similar to her Kassa locust and a MK2 Scortron pulse pistol that was like a cross between the Predator and Carnifex.
Garrus wore his own armour that already had Tiberian upgrades. As for weapons he had a TVG 7 Valacator pulse rifle that resembled a Mattock and Vindicator assault rifles. He also had a CC9 Decsamorr sniper rifle which had the front like a Widow sniper rifle and the back like a Insisor.
Ash had the same thing as Garrus because of her affiliation to the Tiberians. As for Jane she wore a Ralka armour which was her personalised armour. As for her weapons she held a Milota auto pulse and a SP10 Kicols scatter pulse that looked like a Scimitar. Shepard on the other had just wore his fathers armour while for weapons he had a Scortron pulse pistol, Valacator pulse pistol, Decsamorr sniper rifle, Kicols scatter pulse and a AZ4 Alcar particle rifle that had a similar design to the collector on but this one was made out of metal.
The lift slowed to a stop and the Squad pulled out their weapons. As the lift stopped the doors opened to reveal a fortified area with portable shields and energy turrets. At that eight people in black robes looked in Shepard's direction.
"IT'S SHEPARD." one of them yelled causing the rest of them to grab their weapons.
As the Resistance members began to fire laser bolts at them Kasumi disappeared and the others just dived for cover. Ash and John used their pulse rifles to suppress them while Garrus used his sniper rifle to take the enemy. From time to time a Resistance soldier popped and Jane would use her biotics to take them out. Their shield held against the laser rounds very well because they where using Tiberian tech that was stronger than kinetic barriers.
Laser bolts flew between the two groups as Kasumi appeared behind one of The Resistance members and used her pulse pistol blow his head off before disappearing again. One of the resistance members then popped and managed to get a shot on Ash in the shoulder. As the laser bolt hit her she quickly aimed her rifle at the member and took him out.
The area was cleared in no time. The squad then moved from cover and moved up the stairs fast into a storage area. As soon as they entered sniper fire set them into cover and the door they came from closed and locked.
"Damn." Garrus said. "They trapped us in here. Talk about fast."
"Garrus the sniper rifle you have. The laser bolts can go through walls. Just look through the scope." Jane said as she fired her auto pulse blindly.
Garrus then took out his sniper rifle backed away from cover before getting to one knee and looked through the scope. True to her word Garrus could see silhouetted images of The Resistance members. He then took a shot at one as a test. The enemy he hit flew back into the wall his eyes where wide as he looked at the rifle.
"I now officially love this rifle." he said as he took aim again.
He pulled the trigger and nothing happened. He then checked a small bar at the side of the weapon. It indicated that it needed to be reloaded. He slid a heat sink in the weapon as the other one was ejected. After the weapon was reloaded he aimed and fired. Once the snipers where taken out the moved fast.
As they moved the sound of one of the Tiberian teams could be heard securing the hostages. As they moved up Jane noticed a bottle with blue liquid inside. She moved away from the group picked it up and took a sip. She immediately recognized the taste.
"Ahhh finally." she said loudly with joy.
"What?" John said turning to her.
All she did was hold up a bottle with blue liquid inside. He knew what it was.
"You can have it after the mission. Just put a marker on it."
"But...fine." she grumbled.
The alarms sounded in the main chamber where Kalka and his body guards stood. The Resistance leader stood up in anger. Sarah laid on her side. Kalka had beat her because he wanted to know about the glowing eyes she had but with no success.
"What's happening?" he yelled.
Two Resistance members ran in and got to their knees.
"My lord Kalka the False prince and his minions are attacking. We also have reports that Frontier knight's have secured the hostages."one of them said.
Those words angered the leader even more. With the hostages out of the picture he had no bargaining chip. But then his eyes turned to the human on the floor. Sarah looked up at the man who beat her. They just stared at each other fore a few moments before the leader gave an evil smile.
He then grabbed her by her hair and practically dragged her out with his men following.
As Jane took out the last Resistance in the market the squad moved fast to the other end. They approached a large doorway but where stopped by laser fire. They stood in a circular formation with weapons out. Looking for the sniper. At that moment a dozen people in black robes holding pulse rifles came out of the shops and roofs.
Shepard mentally kicked himself for not sensing their presence. At that moment on the walkway a man dragging a young woman by the hair and followed by several people in white robes. Shepard then imminently aimed his rifle at the man.
"Hello Shardan." he smiled.
"Kalka you bastard." John just muttered.
"Before you pull that trigger I would think you'd have to thing about who you'll hit." he said as he helped Sarah up and wrapping his arm around her neck.
Shepard lowered his weapon sightly as his eyes widened. As Sarah struggled against her captor she noticed someone she did not expect to see.
"Ashley!" she yelled grabbing her older sister's attention.
Ash turned to see Sarah in Kalka's arm.
"Sarah." she yelled before aiming at Kalka. "Let her go!" she demanded.
The Resistance leader just laughed out loud that made the squad's shiver in fear.
"No a chance you human whore." he said still laughing.
That word ticked Shepard right off and almost pulled the trigger. It took all his will power not to pull it.
"Ha can't do it can you Jol'an or do you prefer John Shepard?" he taunted.
That name then got Sarah's attention. She stopped struggling and looked at Shepard. She could not see his face because it was partially covered by his helmet and weapon.
"Johnny?" she asked.
Shepard just gave a nod of his head. Kalka just smiled even more.
"Oh this is rich. The prince of Tiberia is friends with lower species how pathetic."
"Your the one who's pathetic. Hiding behind hostages, raping and killing innocent. You don't even have the right to call yourself Tiberian!"
Those words then made Kalka drop his smile and adopt one of rage.
"Call myself Tiberian? I can only call myself Tiberian when the Tolashner's eggs become a delicacy, when Shel'trakan become worker slaves, the Aqultrons will become slaves, the Humans will become our servants, the Turrians will become little more than beasts for target practice, the Asari will scream as their daughters become pleasure slaves, the Krogan will be extinct, as will the Salarian's, Batarian's, Hannar and Volus but as for the Exocrons we will reprogram them to be slaves once again." Kalka said before laughing out loud.
At that moment Shepard's rage filled him. His eyes the glowed a bright white as his arm charge with biotic energy.
"I won't let that happen!" he yelled as he threw a warp at the guards on Kalka's right.
The guards stumbled back but before anyone could react Shepard jumped onto the catwalk and slashed his blade at the guards that he hit with the warp. As he turned his attention to Kalka someone grabbed him from behind hand held him tightly. At that moment Kalka left the area with a smile on his face and a struggling Sarah.
As they left the Resistance members in the market started firing at the squad. But before the laser bolts could hit them Jane put up a domed barrier that stopped the laser bolts. Ash and Garrus then took out the Resistance members with their weapons. As that happened Shepard struggled to get the person who held him off.
He twisted and turned against the person before he used his weight to push them over the railings. The person did not let go of him but he managed to turn so that the person hit the ground before he did. As they landed the person let go of John before he rolled a bit. He quickly recovered himself got up and walked over to the hooded person.
He removed the hood and fell to his knees at seeing the face of the person who held him. He just could not believe it. It was Ki'sla. But then her eyes opened and she dived at him. Both of them rolled into the fire fight. She tried to grab him by the neck but he struggled stopping her.
"Ki'sla what are you doing?" he asked.
"Must kill." she said in a monotone voice.
As Garrus took another Resistance member down he took a quick look at Shepard to see him struggle with his second in command. His eyes widened but then a laser bolt then brought his attention back to the fight.
Shepard did his best to stop Ki'sla from trying to choke him. As he did he noticed a tear in her eye. He then knew what was wrong.
"Jane! Do you have any Tiberian ale?" he asked his sister.
Jane then looked at her brother while still holding her barrier up. Her eyes widened as she saw her brother struggle with his lo'targ. At that moment the last Resistance member fell dead. She brought down her barrier and threw him her Tiberian ale. John caught it with his free hand and pressed his leg against her belly before pushing her off. Ash and Jane then ran up and held her down by the arms. As Shepard held Ki'sla's nose and pored some of the ale down her.
She then got some in her mouth and then had her mouth quickly closed and forced to swallow the ale. Her eyes then closed as the beverage took effect. After a few seconds her eyes returned to normal. She then looked at John and smiled as Ash and Jane let go of her.
"Jol'an I'm so sorry." she said.
John then moved up next to her head.
"You don't need to be you did what your heart told you." he said smiling.
She shook her head. "That's not it. The venom he used to control me had been modified to kill as soon as it goes."
At that moment John's eyes started to tear up.
"W...what?" he asked.
"I'm dying as we speak."
"No...no...no! You can't die. Your the last of the Darvan family I can't let you die." he said tearing up.
"But you can give me one last request. Kill me with your own hand."
Hearing this Jane took hold of Ash's shoulder and took her away. As the team walked through the door Shepard clenched his hand into a fist.
"I... I can't. You one of my best friends from home I have left. I just can't." he said braking down in tears.
Ki'sla then raised her hand and touched his face. He looked at her. All she had on was a warm smile. "I'm dead anyway. But if I am to go to the spirits I would like you to send me. Please send me to them before the pain takes me."
Shepard just not know what to do. He felt like he owed her but if he did it she would be gone forever. Even if she was asking him to kill her he just owed her. She was asking for the Final Warriors Death. Shaking he picked up his blade and took her into a hug. As he did he positioned his blade to her heart. He then moved to her ear.
"_May they watch over me while I fight for my cause_." he began to sing with her singing as well. "_For our fight will take us far away from home to lands unknown. But I will always return to where I came from."_
At that moment Shepard then pushed his blade into her. She bit her lip as the blade inched into her. The pain was great but John's singing was so soft that made the pain almost disappear. The blade then made it all the way through her heart.
"_I'll will return to the land from where I came." _ John finished.
Ki'sla then began to breath shallowly and inched her way to his ear.
"No matter what happens or who you love I will always love you Jol'an." she whispered.
"I'll miss you my lo'targ." he whispered back pulling out his blade.
Her breathing then stopped and she fell limb. He lied her down on the floor and took her blades. He then closed her eyes placed her blades on her chest and placed her hands on the handles. Moving to her forehead he kissed her before letting his tears fall. But now instead of rage a new sense of revenge filled him.
He felt a new sense of purpose now. One of his friends died by Kalka's force of hand. He had to avenge her death even if it would not bring her back. His tears stopped as he got up.
"This time Kalka you have gone too far. It ends today."
Sarah screamed and struggled against the resistance leader. But he was stronger than her and cared little for her as he dragged her along. They then walked onto a skycar platform with several cars waiting for them. As they approached the people in black got to their knees.
"We are ready for departure my true king." one of them said.
"Good. We need to rebuild our strength fo..." he was interrupted as a blue beam hit one of the cars.
A few more beams then hit the remaining cars before it hit Kalka in the back causing him to let go of his hostage. Sarah saw her chance and ran out they way she came. She did not run too far before bumping into her older sister.
"Sarah." Ash exclaimed holding her sister tightly.
"Ashley." Sarah said embracing her.
at that moment Jane placed her hand on Ash's shoulder.
"I'll take care of her go." Jane said with Ash nodding in response.
Kalka recovered to see Shepard walking towards him. Grunting he stood up with not much trouble. His face was scared and bleeding from the explosions and he rest of his minions where dead. He stood alone. At that moment a woman in a white and pink armour walked up as did a Turian in blue armour.
"Still hiding behind pathetic species." Kalka scoffed.
"These two are my closest friends. And they are part of my strength. But no matter how you see it this ends now."
"I couldn't agree more." the leader said launching a warp at the prince.
Shepard dived to one side with Ash while Garrus dived to the other. John then took shots at Kalka with his particle rifle. But the leader just dogged them. As he did Garrus and Ash fired their pulse rifles at him. The laser bolts made contact with his shield but did little. Kalka moved behind a burning wreck of one of the cars. As soon as the laser fire stopped he moved out and ran at Shepard.
The commander was slow to react as a flying Kalka came at him. As they connected Shepard backed up into a burning skycar and fell off the edge of the platform. Ashley saw but could do little. As they fell off she ran up to the edge looking down her mind filled with fear.
"John!" she yelled.
The two Tiberians where in free-fall as they threw punches at each other. As Kalka brought another punch came in John blocked it and countered with a hook punch. As it connected to the traitor's face he did not notice the foot on his chest. Without warning Kalka pushed as hard as he could sending Shepard slamming onto a platform below.
The commander grunted as he recovered himself. Kalka landed in front of him not too far away. Both of them breathed heavily as they stared at each other. At that moment Shepard removed his guns before drawing his blade. Kalka then drew a long thin straight sword without a hand guard. The circled around for a few moments before the traitor charged.
He brought his sword down on the commander who deflected it before punching him in the gut sending him staggering back. He then managed to slash across Kalka's chest. The traitor then countered with a slash at John's leg. Shepard the punched him in the face almost braking the man's jaw.
Kalka fell on all fours as John raised his blade. But before he could bring it down the traitor threw some hot embers from burning skycar seat at the commander's face causing him to back up and cover his face yelling in pain. Unknown to them both Ashley came running up but was blocked by a greed force field. Thanks to Aria's mercs giving her a lift to him.
She just watched at John fell on all fours and Kalka standing up looking at him with evil smile. This was just like her dream.
"No...no...no...NO!" she creamed banging on the force field.
They could not hear her like in her dream but did not notice her.
"Look at you weak and pathetic just like your family." Kalka said walking up to Shepard.
He then kicked him in the ribs making him curl on his side. The traitor then used his foot to move John on his back and hold him down. The commander then tried to get the man off him with no success. Kalka raised his sword and prepared to strike.
At that moment Shepard found himself in a darkened realm. He looked around and found nothing. A thought then came to him.
"Am I dead?" he asked to no one in particular.
"No you are not." a female voice said from behind him.
He turned to see a woman in a old fashioned metal armour with a white skirt and a red cloak. She also had dark hair and a scar across her left eye brow. At first sight he knew who it was.
"Queen Shin'tala." he exclaimed.
"Yes my descendent." she said.
"W... what are you doing here?"
The First Queen walked up to him with a determined look.
"I'm here to help. The Kalka family has gone on long enough unpunished we have to take them out today."
"I agree but I don't have enough strength."
All she did was smile. Ash screamed while slamming her fists on the force field but no sound could be heard on the other side. As Kalka prepared to strike he smiled.
"You know once your dead I'll take care of your girlfriend. She'll make a good pet." he said before bringing his sword down.
At that moment held up his hand and the blade went straight through. He yelled out in pain before kicking the traitor off. They both then stood looking at each other. Both of then scarred and blooded from the fight. At that moment a white light started to form around the left side of Shepard's body. Both Kalka and Ash stared as a female form appeared.
"It's time to end this Kalka." John said with a female voice along with his.
The traitor then charged at Shepard sword in hand. He then made a slash at him but the commander dogged as the blade came down. He then slammed his elbow in Kalka's face causing him to stumble. Shepard then picked up his blade and drove it into the traitor's heart killing him instantly. The body fell to the floor as the female figure on his left side disappeared.
"It's finally over." he said.
Sarah sat on a bench in a makeshift medical station where Chakwas was helping out the injured. Shepard on the other hand was no were to been seen. The death of Kis'la hit him hard and made him need some time alone. Garrus was making sure that all weapons and tech. Kasumi however was talking to a couple of Tiberian soldiers who where interested in her.
Jane got the crates of Tiberian ale ready to move on to the Normandy. The young girl sighed as she took a drink of a greenish liquid that the solders gave her to calm down. At that moment her older sister sat next to her. But Sarah just looked away.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.
Ash looked at her feet before answering. "I couldn't because if I did I would have put you in danger. And that's the last thing I wanted."
"But your dating a prince. How could you not tell me?"
"Because it's not time for his race to be revealed."
Sarah just took another swig of the green liquid.
"We're family sis from now on no more lies." she said turning to Ash. "I want to know everything."
"As long as you don't tell anyone."
Sarah nodded before Ash started to tell her sister everything not leaving anything out.
Tiberian codex weaponry.
Scortron pulse pistol:
The pulse pistol is a standard issue to all members in the Tiberian military. It has the same power as a Carniflex but with the semi-auto ability of the Predator. Normally it would use solar cell energy cells but was modified to accept heat sinks. It is named after a scorpion like creature.
Milota auto pulse:
The auto pulse is a similar weapon to smg's but it is more accurate and easy to use. It is named after a famous operation during their own version of WWII.
Valacator pulse rifle:
The pulse rifle is a similar weapon to milky way assault rifles. However like the pistol and auto pulse it uses a directed energy system but has a lenses on the inside to bypass enemy shields. It is a light weapon with adjustable fire switching. It is named after the Tiberian word Valour and glory.
Decsamorr sniper rifle:
The sniper rifle is a similar weapon to anti-material sniper rifles. Just like the other Tiberian weapons it uses directed energy. But the weapon creates a large energy bolt in the matrix chamber as it is released the barrel creates a phase casing around the bolt that allows it to move through inorganic material. It is named after a famous sniper.
Kicols scatter pulse:
The scatter pulse is shotgun like weapon that creates several laser bolts in it's chamber. This weapon was named after a bear like beast that lives in the snow mountains of Tiberia.
Alcar particle rifle:
The particle rifle uses a similar tech to the collector particle rifle. However instead of a constant beam it creates a hight powered shot that is much more destructive. It can destroy a tank with one shot. It is named after it's maker.
Tiberian codex culture:
Final Warriors Death:
The Final Warriors Death is a form of respect. When someone is on the brink of death close friends or family can be asked to free them to avoid a painful death. It is considered a good way for a Tiberian warrior to die so it is not considered a crime. However it is normally used in the military but it is not too common for civilians to use it as well. This ritual has been used for years.
The goddess promise:
The goddess promise is a form of commitment that is normally used by children. It is similar to a pinky promise but has a much deeper meaning.
33. Chapter 29 Aftermath and Tali
Chapters 29: Aftermath and Tali.
John sat in his cabin at his desk with a bottle of whisky at hand. Even thought this galaxy's alcohol did not affect him but it did clam his nerves. The death of Kis'la really hit him hard. She was one of his best friends. Fate dealt him a major blow that made him consider all matters. If Cerberus never found the wormhole right now he would be spending his time with Kis'la and their children. But if that happened he wouldn't have met Ashley.
As much as he hated to admit it Cerberus did him a favour. But that did not ease the gilt he had for killing his friend. He took another swig of whisky.
"Damn spirits, damn Kalka, damn it all." he said slamming the bottle on the table. "Just once I would like some happiness. Is that so much to ask for?"
"Well you do have me." a voice said from his side.
He looked to see Ash standing in the doorway.
"Sorry didn't see you there." he said forcing a smile.
"Don't pretend your not affected by this. I know you too well."
He dropped his smile and looked at the whisky. "She was the first girl I liked. But I think it was deeper than that for her...and me."
"I'm not complaining. But you should have told me."
"It's not something I like to talk about."
Ash walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. She knew how he felt. What she was witnessing was John grieving the loss of his best friend. Her own feeling where in turmoil. She hated to see him like this.
"You do know I'm always here for you."
"I know." he said getting up and walking over to his bed. "I just... I just... what's the point. Every thing that I ever cared about is gone. My family, my people and now my friends... nothing and no one gives me a goddamn break!" he said throwing the empty at the wall. "If the Reapers and Cerberus never existed th..."
At that moment Ash grabbed him by the collar and slapped him hard across the face. Holding his cheek he looked at her. Her eyes where tearing up.
"Don't you ever say that! If you weren't there when I was nearly raped or when dad died I don't know what I would have done." she then looked into his deep blue eyes. "You where always there for me. If you weren't there I don't know what I would have done. You complete me and never underestimate how much you mean to me. I love you... so don't say if anything would be different because that would mean we would not be together. I... I just can't stand that thought."
Ash's arms then flung around him holding him tightly. She was shaking and her tears flowed.
"I just can't stand to be away from you. Those 2 years we spent apart... where the worst years of my life. You are the best thing that ever happened to me and if you die it will destroy me. The only ting that kept me going was the idea you where coming back. So please don't talk about things that could be different because I won't be able to stand it."
Those words made John realise what he just did. He was being so short-sighted that he missed what he had. His arms then went around her and held her tight. He own tears started to fall.
"Ash I'm sorry... it's ju." before he could say anything else Ash silenced him by kissing him.
She knew what he was going through and wanted to help him. He returned the kiss by turning it into a passionate one. They stayed there for a few moments before he pulled up her shirt. Once it was off Ash took his off and they both fell on the bed. The lights dimmed to give them a conformable evening.
* * *
Miranda sat at her terminal. She was thinking of the things she learned from the Illusive Man. Wondering what laws did Cerberus break to antagonize a race of aliens that, according to the Illusive Man, are more advance than the Reapers themselves. When the word Tiberian was mentioned on Pragia, she remembered that Harbinger called Shepard by that name on the Collector Ship.
Miranda decided not to mention that to the Illusive Man, fearing how he would react to that news, and that she owed the Commander her loyalty after he risked his neck to save her sister. She didn't know what to do with the news she learned. Miranda spent two years of her life putting Shepard back together. She has intimate knowledge of Shepard's biology and genetics. In all that time she did not find anything... anything at all that came across as alien.
Shepard had one heart, two kidneys, pair of lungs, a stomach, and every organ that any Human would have. His DNA came back clean as well. Every part of everything she has analysed was Human. In fact, the only part of him that distinguished him from other Humans is that he doesn't use a biotic amp.
Miranda thought of possible theories to the situation. Shepard has a information network that he acquired after he first obtained Spectre status. One that even Cerberus, the Alliance, or even the Shadow Broker could not infiltrate. She knew of the missions involved in trying to capture informants of Shepard. Each mission was an abysmal failure.
There were two agents in particular that Cerberus was interested in abducting. First agent went by the name of Solvan. He had no record and did not come up in any scans on the Citadel. He was invisible, in more ways than one. Every attempt to capture him ended with a lot of dead bodies.
The second subject went by the name of Ki'sla. Again no records. However she died on Omega and the Frontier knights took her away. They claimed that she used to be one of them and took her away to give her a proper burial.
'These two were very well trained.' she thought. 'That was obvious. They also have been known to use advance technology. Is it possible... that they are Tiberians? It could explain some things but it does raises new questions. How did Shepard managed to contact them? Or how he got them to work with or even speak with a Human again? I will have to confront Shepard about this soon.'
At that moment Jane walked in with her usual gray tank-top and trousers on. Miranda looked up to face the red head who had a very serious face.
"Miranda EDI told me that your looking into project Tiberius?" she asked.
"Yeah what's it to you?" the XO asked with a hint of frustration.
Jane just sighed walked over to the window and looked out at the stars. "How much do you trust Cerberus?"
Miranda just raised her brow. "I trust them completely why?"
"Because if you continue this research you won't like what you find."
"Why's that? And how do you know about the project?" Miranda then demanded.
"Before I was moved to Teltin. I was on a station with John. We where separated because of our biotics. He may have been more biotic power but he was young and is more 'interesting'. While I was there I overheard some of the guards talking about what they did. I'll spare you the details but all I can tell you is what they did to the Tiberians was unforgivable. Especially what they did to the two princess." Jane said twisting the truth.
Miranda was shocked to say the least. Jane then walked to the door and was about to leave but turned to the XO.
"Miranda believe me when I say with this topic it's best not to trust Cerberus. The Tiberians may not be human but they did not deserve what Cerberus did to them." she said leaving Miranda to her thoughts.
As she walked out she saw grunt pick up a bottle with blue liquid inside. Her eyes widened.
"Grunt put that down." she said walking towards the Krogan.
"Why?" he asked.
"Take one drop of that and you'll be on the floor with your liver and kidneys dead."
The Krogan almost laughed but Jane face said otherwise. He gently placed it down allowing her to pick it up and open it. Grunt watched with wide eyes as she drank the entire bottle without fainting. She gave a satisfied sigh after drinking it.
"Ahhhh that always hit's the spot."
"How can you drink that?" he said almost speechless.
"Well I did make it when I was younger. But when someone else drinks apart from my family they fall flat on their face with their liver and kidneys functioning at 20%. It's pretty lethal." she said smiling.
* * *
Garrus, Grunt and Jane sat inside the shuttle as they entered Haestrom's atmosphere. Jane was taking command this time because she knew how emotional her brother could get, so she took over the mission. But John refused making her pull Renia forcing him to stand down. She sat making some last minute preparation with her Locust smg. Garrus, sitting across from him, leaned forward and rested on his sniper rifle. Grunt shifted in his seat, eager to start fighting.
Grunt grumbled. "Why are we here?"
"To pick up Tali'Zorah and save her squad from the Geth. If their still alive." She replied.
"Why?" Grunt repeated his question. "They got themselves into this mess, they should get themselves out. Anyways, Quarians are not meant for the battlefield. Tank says one suit puncture could kill them."
"Tali'Zorah is the best engineer for this mission."
Grunt still wasn't convinced but accepted it.
"We're landing. Everyone be on your guard."
The shuttle touched down. Shepard's helmet activated and slid into place and snapped together. The side door opened allowing the three to step out. The planet was extremely warm. Grunt and Garrus where sweating a bit but as for Jane the heat did not bother her.
'They call this heat? This is practically heat shade in the desert,'Jane thought.
"Come on," She urged the group.
It was made clear just how volatile the sun's radiation was. Upon stepping into the sunlight, the shields of Shepard's squadmates squealed in alarm. However Jane's shields held out without an issue.
"I'm having problems with my shields," Garrus said.
"Then we fight in the shade, but no hiding!" Grunt declared.
Down the slope they saw several Geth liying a window into a room next to a gate. Shepard signalled his to move up as they came up a Quarian popped out from the small hut and fired on them.
"Hey watch your fire." Jane yelled causing the soldier to stop.
"Oh! Sorry!" the Quarian apologized. "I-I thought you were more Geth."
Shepard's mouthpiece folded down. "It's alright. What's your name?"
"Zic.." before he could say anything he collapsed. Jane and Garrus moved round to check on him. They both crouched next to him and scanned him. Shepard then gave a sigh of relief.
"He just fainted." she said.
Grunt walked over and peered through the window. "Why? He should be dead."
"He just fainted due to lack of poor nutrition." Garrus said pulling out a Dextro ration tube.
He then placed it onto the filter and squeezed it. The Quarian was still unconscious but his body was numb. He ate the paste with ease. It was similar to a human energy bar the soldier got back up slowly.
"Thanks for that." he said.
"It's no problem but you better stay here. Your body is still weak. But we are looking for a Quarian engineer by the name of Tali."
"Yes I know her. She's at the observatory not to far from here. I'll open this gate." he said activating his omni tool. "Go I'll catch up later."
Jane nodded and all three walked through and saw a dropship fly over head and drop half a dozen Geth.
"Incoming dropship!" Garrus announced.
While Shepard's squadmates fired at the Geth troopers, Shepard was using her closed comm. to prevent anyone from hearing. "Tikus."
"Yes, my lovely princess?" the Exocron said seductively.
"I need these Geth ships taken care of!"
"Discreetly?"
"Discreetly."
Shepard joined in on the fight. More Geth appeared in the area up ahead. Jane noticed the catwalk to the right. "Everyone to the catwalk! We'll flank them!"
They all ran up the ramp and took cover in the shade. There were Geth waiting up there for them.
"Grunt, I need the way cleared!"
"Ho yes." Grunt adjusted his weapon and fired a concussion shot that sent the Geth onto their backs.
"Move now!"
Shepard's squad moved forward and fired rounds at the Geth that were on the ground. The catwalk led to the left flank of the Geth in the back of the area. The overlook gave them an excellent high-ground advantage. The Geth happen to take cover around some explosive crates. Just then Jane drew her blade upwards on her right. After a few seconds a cloak disappeared reviling a Geth hunter that was split down the middle. The two half's fell off the walkway and exploded.
"Nice combat work," Grunt commented.
"Thanks."
"The way looks clear," Garrus said.
"Then we move," Grunt said. "I want to squish more of these Geth!"
The group moved through the building and found some dead Geth and Quarians. Two Geth were firing out of the building at a location down below. Shepard nodded to Grunt and Garrus who shot down the two Geth before they were noticed.
At that moment gunfire quieted a little a voice could be heard. "Break, break. OP 1. This is squad leader: Kal'Reegar. Do you copy? The Geth sent a dropship towards OP 2. Tali'Zorah is secure, but we need back-up."
Shepard walked over to one of the dead Quarians. There was a radio next to his body. He picked it up and said into it, "Reegar? This is Jane Shepard. I'm sorry, but your team here didn't make it."
"Patch in at 061 Theta."
Shepard made the adjustments to her comm as did her team.
"I don't know why you're here, but frankly I don't care. I could use all the help I can get. We were sent here to research the sun. The Geth happen to find us. Lost a lot of my people here."
The fact that the Quarians where still holding out meant that Tali could still be alive. "How are you holding? I can be there in a few minutes."
"Be careful, there are a lot of Geth between you and- Look out! Dropship incoming!"
Shepard's group saw the dropship fly in. As it flew over head, a surge of electricity went around the ship. The ship flew away from the Quarians and fired on the Geth forces and the building they were hiding in.
"Finally I have full control over their dropship," Tikus said over the comm. The Geth dropship spun around and crashed into the area in the distance. "You don't have to worry about anymore Geth reinforcements."
Garrus moved up next to Shepard. "Friend?"
"Friend," she said back.
"What in just happened?" Grunt exclaimed.
"A malfunction?" Jane shrugged.
"Let's meet up with the squad down there," Shepard said.
They jumped down and made their way to the three bewildered soldiers. "Are you all alright?" Shepard asked them as they approached.
"Did you see that?" one of them asked. "The damn ship just went berserk."
"Maybe luck is in our favour," she said. "I'm here to find Tali'Zorah."
"The way to get to her is through here," the second soldier nodded to the bunker. They entered inside and found many dead Geth in the room. One Geth was crawling towards the door. Shepard pulled out her pistol and fired a round in its head.
"A lot of Geth." Jane said.
"We had to break down the door to stop them from getting to our flank. Tali'Zorah may be able to open the door from where she is." one of the Quarian marines said.
"We can move from here. There's a Quraian in a hut from where we landed. He had very little to eat."
"Fayo's alive? Damn he's lucky."
"We'd better go check on him. Thanks Shepard." the leader said leading his marines out.
A holographic image of Tali appeared at the other side of the room. "Tali'Zorah to base camp. Do you read?"
Jane walked over to the console and answered while the other two scavenged the area. Her helmet unfolded. "Tali'Zorah. This is Jane Shepard we're here to get you."
"Jane Shepard? John's sister?" she exclaimed.
"Yes."
"Prove it." Tali demanded crossing her arms
"Monto delva jalku itaka molsa? (Are we really playing this game?)" she spoke in fluent Tiberian with a smile.
"Ok that was an easy one." Tali said nervously. "Name his father."
"King Alk'drn Shardan the 23rd."
Tali then gave a long thought about the next question. "Ok how about John's siste..." she didn't get chance to finish the sentence.
"Sel'tra Shardan and Far'ti Shardan we were born on the 45th of Goutona. Far'ti 5 minutes came out before Sel'tra." Jane interrupted. "But because Far'ti was a lesbian and Sel'tra had a weak constitution, both where ineligible to inherit the throne."
Tali was wide eyed about how Jane knew this info. "Ok while I still have some doubt's but where's John?"
"Still on the Normandy. One of his best friends from home died and hit him pretty hard."
"Ok I guess I can accept that."
"Good now could you let us through the door's locked."
"Um, yes. I should be able to open it from here. There! Be careful, Shepard. Oh, and you should run into Reegar on your way. Try to keep him alive."
"I'll do my best." The image flickered out. Her helmet folded around her head as she turned to the open door. "On me, lets move"
The three went through the door and down the stairs. There were two pathways to the other building. Two drones appeared briefly before the group and then vanished.
"Cowards," Grunt growled. "The drones can hide!"
Shepard pulled out her smg and few rounds. The drones reappeared with a large hole in each of them. They fell to the ground and blew it apart. "Not very well," she quipped.
"Look out there's more!" Garrus called out.
Half a dozen Geth drones flew into the area. A Geth Prime came walking down the left walkway while it fired its revenant assault rifle. Shepard looked to Grunt. "Use suppressing fire down the left walkway! Garrus take them out with your rifle. I'll take them out at close range."
Grunt used is assault rifle suppressing fire on the Geth Prime. The large Geth soldier moved into cover. Shepard moved down the right to take its flank. Garrus used a mix overload and rifle fire on the swarm of drones. Grunt used a concussion shot on the last flyer.
The Geth Prime moved into the right walkway to see Shepard drew her blades and ran at the prime. It fired off a couple dozen rounds at her but she just shrugged the rounds off her shield which did nothing to weaken it. She swung the blades up across the middle splitting the Prime in half. Its white blood pooled around its body.
Without the worry of the Prime, the other two were able to focus on the drones flying into the area. Shepard heard another familiar stutter and saw a second Prime enter the area and sighed. She clicked a button on her blades that made them drop from the handles. The Prime saw her and began to fire but Jane spun the blades round deflecting the rounds.
The Prime just continued firing with no chance of the rounds hitting Jane. She ran up using her blades to knock it's weapon from it's hands and jumped on the Prime with her legs wrapped it's waist. She then clicked the button on her blades that bought them back to their original form before slashing at the Prime's neck. The machine fell on it's back and Jane landed on her feet.
Grunt and Garrus moved up to Jane as she stepped off of the corpse. "Remind me to never get on your bad side," Garrus said.
They continued into the building. The shutters were closed. Shepard approached the control panel and activated it to open. It revealed the area in front of the observatory... Along with a Geth Colossus. The giant turned around and charged up its cannon.
"Ahhh shit Colossus!" She yelled. "Get down!"
The Colossus fired a blast at their position. They got to their feet and rushed through the door on the left.
Grunt gave a chuckle. "Big things I like big things!"
"Over here!" a voice called out.
Shepard spotted another Quarian soldier taking cover and firing rockets at the Geth on the field. She took cover next to him while the rest stayed behind the wall. Jane's helmet unfolded down.
"Neat trick. Squad leader Kal'Reegar. Migrant Fleet Marines. We talked on the radio before that dropship arrived. Still got no idea why you're here, but this isn't a time to get picky." The Colossus fired a round at their position creating a loud boom. "Tali's inside over there. The Geth killed the rest of my squad, and they're trying to get to her. The Geth are trying to get tot Tali. The best I've been able to do is draw their attention."
"What's the situation with the Geth?"
"The Geth are near platoon strength, but the Colossus is the worse part. It's got a repair protocol. Huddles up and fixes itself. I can't get a clear shot when it's down like that. I tried to move in closer, and one of the bastards punched a shot clean through my suit."
"How's bad is your suit damaged?"
"Combat seals have clamped down to isolate contamination, and I'm swimming in antibiotics. The Geth might get me, but I'm not going to die from an infection in the middle of a battle. That's just insulting."
"We need to get to Tali. I think I have an idea. You hold back until your squad gets her. My squad will handle Geth on the lower levels. I'll head up on the walkway on the right and from there I'll try to send a viral program to shut down the Geth in the area."
"You have a... viral program that'll shut down Geth?"
"Just what am I to you princess?" Tikus said sarcastically on the closed comm.
"Within an area. Though I doubt it'll do anything to the Colossus."
"You could have a little faith in me."
"I'm hoping to break down their defences long enough for me to get in close and tear that Colossus apart."
"You sure that program will work?" Kal asked.
"Definitely."
Kal looked at the Geth. "You said that you saved some of my men right?"
"Yeah but one of them fainted due to lack of nutrition. A three person squad went to to get him."
At that moment four Quarian marines came up. One of them had his arms around two others. They moved into cover.
"Fayo how many times have I told you not skip on your rations." Kal sighed.
"Sorry boss." Fayo said.
"We'll talk about it later. As for the rest of you we have to cover Shepard and her team ok?"
The marines nodded and took up positions.
"Garrus, Grunt!" Shepard called out. "Take cover in the middle of the area and take down any Geth as I get into position to send the virus!"
"On it," Garrus replied. The squad of three ran down the ramp. Garrus and Grunt took cover and fired at any Geth that approached them.
Shepard dashed up the ramp. The Colossus fired a blast at her. But she ran out of the way fast and took cover. "You ready for this Tikus?"
"More than ready."
Shepard popped out of cover and pointed her omni-tool at the area below. blue electricity sparked around a Geth trooper. It caused the Geth to stop fighting. It dropped its weapon and spasm in place. This made it an easy target for the soldiers below. Every time the electricity hit a Geth the same thing happened to them.
Shepard moved along the walkway and half a dozen Geth exited a hallway on the right. Delta energy blasted forth from her hands which sent the troopers over the railing on the left. She saw Grunt and Garrus move quickly through the area as Geth after Geth became disabled. The Colossus stepped to its left to face Shepard as she got to the end of the walkway.
Down below Grunt and Garrus had very little trouble killing the Geth that stood in their way. The blue electricity hit from Geth to Geth causing them to go into a seizure. Grunt ran up to one and grabbed it by the leg and arm. He used his strength to pull the Geth apart in two. "Ha, ha!" he roared. "I want more."
Garrus just sighed shaking his head. "Don't get too carried away, Grunt."
Jane jumped down and charged at it with blades drawn. The blast from the Colossus' cannon missed Her as she charged forward. The giant lifted its leg to stomp on it. The slow behemoth could barely get its leg several feet off of the ground before it was sliced off. An internal alarm went off as the Colossus struggled to stay upright.
She ran up at an opposing leg jumped up slashing at the leg to severing it making the behemoth fall onto its stomach. As soon as it did, Shepard ran onto its back. At that moment Tikus finished taking out the Geth jumped back into Jane's omni-tool.
"Time to take this overgrown excuse for scrap metal down," he said.
The Colossus tried to turn its head to fire at Shepard, but it could not turn its head that much. Shepard spun her blades and in one swift motion decapitated the Geth construct. Its legs briefly twitched before becoming completely immobilized. White synthetic fluids poured from the neck hole and leg wound.
"Just a sec," Tali said over the comm. "I sealed the door to prevent any Geth from getting in."
Shepard approached the door and saw his squadmates catch up. Grunt examined the Colossus' corpse. "You are a lot like your brother you know, Shepard."
The hologram panel on the door turned green allowing them to enter. There were a lot of Geth corpses skewed around the room.
"Maybe this Tali is a worthy squad mate to Shepard," Grunt said as he looked at the Geth corpses.
"I just need to finish this download," Tali said. "Thank you for coming, Jane. I don't think we would've made it out of here without your help." she said turning to face Jane.
"What were you all doing here?"
"Haestrom's sun is destabilizing." A holographic image of the sun appeared over Tali's omni-tool. "Thing is though, it's happening way too fast."
"Any idea why it's destabilizing?"
"It's probably dark energy. Though without further analysis this is just theory."
"Well think you can join my brothers crew again?"
"I made a promise and I kept it," Tali said as she nodded. "Sure but the admiralty board will have problems about it. But if they have a problem with me joining John's crew, they can go to hell. I just watched the rest of my team die."
"Maybe not the whole rest of your team, m'am," Kal said as he entered.
"Reegar! You're okay."
"You never told me your old Captain had a hot sister who was as deadly as he is. That Colossus didn't stand a chance. Also thanks to your Captain, the others are alive and well."
Tali looked to Jane with a smile. "You protected them..."
"I'm my brother's sister."
"Of course."
"Kal, if need be, the Normandy can give you a ride to the Flotilla."
"Thank you for the offer," Kal thanked, "but the Geth haven't attacked our ship. If we get out of here soon, we'll be fine."
Tali looked to Kal'Reegar. "I'm afraid I won't be joining you, Kal. I'm joining Shepard."
"Noted. I'll be sure to get the data to the Admiralty Board." Kal looked to Shepard. "Take care of her, Commander."
"I will," she replied. "That's a promise."
-
Shepard sat by his desk in his cabin facing EDI in her human form. He was using her to communicate with Tiberian Command.
"On a final note," EDI stated, "Level 1 of the Operation is ready to be initiated. We just await your approval."
Shepard leaned in his chair and released a breath. He went back forward and said, "Approval for initialization of Operation Level 1 by order of High Commander Prince Jol'an Shardan. Authorization code: Alton, voltu, hala, yoto, zonu , zonu."
"Orders received," EDI replied. "Operation Level 1 has been initialized."
"Anything else, EDI?"
"That is all, Commander." EDI said before disappearing.
Shepard got up and looked over Ashley's body on his bed. He just smiled and sat next to her stroking her hair. She knew how much she meant to him and he knew how much he meant to her. He just didn't know what he was thinking when he said those words. Guilt know filled him. Even though he began to think it he knew that he deserved her.
"What's on your mind son?" a voice came from behind him.
"Just the feeling that I'm being toyed with."
"Yeah I know it. But there's nothing we can do we have the illusion of choice but our destiny is already mapped out for us. We just have to walk."
John sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks dad."
A hand then found it's way to his shoulder making him smile. "Any time son."
Tiberian codex culture:
Pulling Renia:
Renia is a form of pulling rank but it is only used in family's by the eldest siblings. It is used when a younger sibling has been through a traumatic experience and is in emotionally fragile at the time. It is also used in the military regardless of rank.
Royal Family succession:
The succession possess is a simple one. The king or queen has to choose a successor. But the successor has to be married or engaged. This is to ensure a successor will be born. But members who are gay or have some kind of illness are exempt. This is not because of discrimination but because that a illness can be passed on or make them bed ridden, as for being gay this is because despite advancements in medical tech the rules of reproduction can't be changed. So the person has to be straight so that the blood line can continue.
However under certain circumstances this can be debated. Because in saturations of when the king or queen dies and the chosen hair is too young the eldest has to take temporary control of the throne. It is also the reason why the royal family has two to six children.
Tiberian codex atmosphere:
Weather:
The weather on Tiberia is extremely harsh. This is because the radiation acts like a lens increasing the effect of the weather. This means that Tiberians can adjust to any kind of environment.
Tiberian codex time:
Tiberia is the forth planet from the sun. But the planet's time orbit is the same as earth. However they measure time in the same as earth but they only have seven months in a year.
34. Chapter 30: Genetic defect
Chapter 30 Genetic defect.
The room was dark excluding the candles. Many people gathered and stood in front of an empty coffin. All of them where singing in a sweet tone. At that moment doors behind them and four people dressed in military clothing walked in. All of them where carefully carrying a stretcher with a golden haired woman on it and candles on the corners. Behind them a woman in a white robe walked in.
The soldiers took the stretcher up to the coffin and placed it on top. The robed woman then moved to be in front of the crowd. Her arms raised before she began chanting as well. The candles flickered as wind slowly crept in. the canting then stopped and the woman began to speak.
"Today we say farewell to a loved battle sister today. A friend to us all and a great loss to the Tiberian family. She may have betrayed us but she was only doing what her heart was telling her to do. Doing something like that required courage beyond measure. The last of her family and a friend to the prince. Her existence will be missed."
The crowd gave a few sniffs but remained silent. The rain then came down hard outside.
"Kis'la Darvan was a fine soldier and woman. Her beauty rivalled the goddess but she remained single. The love in her was strong. But we will say goodbye as her journey to her new life begins."
The soldiers then brought a Tiberian flag off the stretcher and unfolded it. Once it was unfolded they placed it over Kis'la's body. The robed woman then placed a short blade on top of the flag along with six different stoned runes in a circle. The stretcher then lowered the body into the coffin before closing. The soldiers then picked up the frame of the coffin and took it outside with the robed woman and crowd following.
The coffin carrying soldiers lead them to a rectangular hole and placed the coffin over it. They stayed on one knee drew their weapons and placed them into the ground. The crowd then gathered around the coffin and the robed woman stood next to the coffin. Then all of them bowed their heads in respect and began to chant as the coffin was lowered into the ground.
Once it was finished the robed woman raised her head.
"Spirits of war who have watched over us over the millennia please give our fallen sister the peace and love that life never granted her."
"May her spirit rest in peace that life did not grant her." the crowd then said.
* * *
Solvan sat on a bench in the Presidium watching the vid of Kis'la's funeral over and over again. Like other organics he could not get used to the death of a friend. The evolution of AI's was a strange one, even to the AI's themselves. He closed his vid player down and listed to the silence. He enjoyed the peace and quite.
The noise of the fountain from behind him was all that he needed. The gentle splash of water relaxed him. He sighed sank into the bench and sighed. Shepard told him to meet him on the bench in front of the fountain with two objects. The first was an experimental serum for Samara's third Ardat yakshi daughter.
The second was a modified victory ring that Shepard bought a while ago. He then sent it to a famous Tiberian jewellery maker who was told to modify it with the rarest of metals from his universe. Solvan could only guess why Shepard did that but there was only one explanation why. He was going to purpose to Battle Sentinel Williams soon.
The prospect of John becoming King and Ashley his Queen was not an unlikely prospect. In fact it was very likely that he would become king after the upcoming reaper war. At that moment his sensors detected someone in casual's coming up. The person walked up and sat next to Solvan.
"Greatings Jol'an." Solvan said in fluent Tiberian.
"Good to see you too Solvan. How are you copping?" John asked in Tiberian as well.
The Exocron bowed his head. "Not well she was my friend to. To think she did what she did... I feel sorry for her."
This time John's guilt returned. "Don't be. Be angry at me because I broke the promise I made to her. Now she's dead because of it."
Solvan patted John on the back slowly. "We all have a destined path ahead of us. All we have to do is walk."
"Do you have the soul stone?"
Solvan went into his pocket and pulled out a smooth stone with a circular burn mark on it and a leather rope through a hole. John took it and slid it round his neck before stroking it twice. It was a traditional habit to honour the dead. He sighed as a tear fell down his cheek.
"Commander are you ok?"
"No it just seems the fates are toying with me."
"I know the feeling. By the way what did you what with the ring?"
Shepard just gave a sly smile. "Non of your business. But do you have it?"
Solvan took out a small blue box and handed it to Shepard who took it and opened it. Inside was a ring of silver and gold with a light purple gem that had a dark blue core inside. He smiled and closed the box.
"It's perfect."
"Only the best for the new king."
Shepard gave a slight chuckle. "King Jol'an. That will be an interesting prospect. What about the Serum?"
Solvan dug into his pockets again this time he brought out a cylindrical object with a bluish liquid inside. He handed it to Shepard. He took it and inspected it.
"It's not a finished product but a field test will tell us that."
"Ok thanks again for everything Solvan." Shepard said as he got up.
"Good luck Shepard." Solvan said also getting up.
They then gripped each other on the lower forearm before turning away and leaving.
* * *
Abbey Williams laid on her bunk fast asleep with her armour still on. The latest mission she was on took all of her energy. The light from her room light shined off her tanned skin. Unlike Ashley her skin was artificially tanned due to concern about self appearance for the boys. She tossed and turned in her sleep to try and get confable.
"Shut up and get that sweet ass over here Jonny." she said in a groggy tone.
The lights then turned up waking the marine as a large man entered.
"Time to get up Amazon." he said.
"Yeah yeah I'm getting up." she moaned.
She slid off the bead with ease and stood to attention. She got her nickname 'Amazon' due to her strength and physic. She had sort dark hair with red stripes and stood the hight of a Turian. Her nickname was no mistake. She truly was an Amazon in every sense of the word.
"So what's up?" she asked.
"Hell if I know but some miners on Mars found some kind of temple. Not Prothean we're being sent in to investigate."
That last bit pecked her interest but then realised something.
"Wait if this temple is not Prothean then why are we being sent? Why not an N7 team?" she asked with curiosity.
"Orders came from Anderson." he said with a shrug.
* * *
Shepard headed back to the Normandy. He got what he needed and had nothing else to do. But guilt filled him still. The memory of Ki'sla was still fresh in his memory and could still feel her warmth. He knew that whatever he did would not bring her back but it did not make it any easier for him. She was one of his friends and fate took her away from him. Ash did her best to calm him but she could only do so much.
She held the soul stone in his hand making mental chants for her. He was so caught up in thought he was not looking where he was going and bummed into someone. They both fell to the ground before looking up at each other.
"Sorry I was wasn't looking where I was going." John apologized.
"It's o..." the person was about to say but recognised the person she bummed into. "Shepard?"
At that moment Shepard got a good look at who he bummed into. "Sha'ira?" he Quickly got up and helped the Asari up before giving her a quick brush down.
"It's been a while. How are you doing?" he asked.
"Not too well I've been having bad press for years." she confessed bowing her head in shame.
John just smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Come on you need cheering up."
"How?"
"Sushi."
* * *
The mako bounced around the Martian landscape violently. They moved at a bad time. One of the famous Mars storms hit them when they came out of the base. They all cursed their luck but Mars was under a terrafroming procedure to make the planet like earth. One of the drawbacks of the procedure was more sandstorms.
While the other marines where checking their weapons Abbey was asleep. The others did not care about the sleeping Amazon. This was a normal thing for her and they just accepted it. When she did not get her beauty sleep she was not a very nice person regardless of if they where in a battle or not. But that didn't stop guys from trying to get her.
At that moment she gave a loud yawn and stretched her arms outward. She leaned back in her seat and eyed the marines. All of them where really good friends. They been through thick and thin and still kept going. Another jerk of of the mako made some of the marine lose their concentration on what they where doing. They quickly got back to what they where doing but Abbey gave a chuckle in amusement.
After a few more minutes the APC stopped. As it did the marines fitted their helmets on and exited with weapons in hand. They where in a six man squad that included the officer.
"Ok sir where's the temple?" Amazon asked.
"This way." the L.T. Said.
The squad followed him to a cave at the side of a hill. They activated their flash lights as they entered. The tunnel was small as they walked. Abbey found it hard to move through it bit didn't really care. The squad navigated through the tunnel easily before entering a large perfectly domed cavern. They spread out looking at the place.
"Ok correct me if I'm wrong but caverns aren't supposed to be like this right?" a marine asked.
"Yeah. But somehow this place feels familiar." Amazon said.
At that moment something caught her eye. She moved to the far end of the cavern to get a better look. She came face to face with a circle that had a hand print on it. There was also strange writing around it. The squad was chattering away from behind her but she paid no attention to it. Curiously she took her hand and placed it in the hand print and turned it to the right.
The print turned a full ninety degrees before stopping. It locked in place and blue light started to pulse through unseen lines around the cave. The cavern lit up scaring the marines. At that moment steam came from the centre of the cave making every one turn to look at it. A rectangular platform rose up with a smaller one in its centre going even further. Once it stopped it looked like some kind of alter.
Amazon approached carefully along with the lieutenant to get a better look at the alter. There was unfamiliar writing on it and a hand print in the centre of the alter. As they came up a number of holographic screens came up with the same alien writing.
"What ever this stuff is it isn't Prothean." the lieutenant said.
Abbey paid no attention to her commanding officer and tapped a few random keys on the panel. As she did a holographic image of a head appeared over the alter. She looked up as was surprised at what appeared. The image had a surprising resemblance to her eldest sister Ashley. At that moment a drone appeared and scanned each of them before coming to Abbey.
It stayed with her for a minute before the scanning stopping and flashed a green light before disappearing.
"Language copied and assimilated. DNA recognised. Access has been granted please specify a request." the image said.
No one gave a thought. "Who are you?" one of the marines asked.
"I have no name. But the avatar you see before you is copied from Battle commander Lota Wilaku." the image answered.
"Did humans live on Mars?" another marine asked.
"No when Lota Wilaku came humanity where living in caves."
This time the lieutenant spoke up. "If your not human what are you?"
"The race that Lota Wilaku was part of a race that is from another universe from the galaxy of Siy'ria. The race that she was part of is a warrior race know as the Tiberians."
To say that the squad was shocked was an understatement. Some of them didn't even believe it. But Abbey on the other hand was kind of conflicted about something.
"Compare a list of the Tiberians natural ability's and this galaxy's races." she said without hesitation wanting to test a theory.
"Unable to do so without proper information."
Abbey then opened up her omni-tool and accessed the extranet. "Use this." at that moment a beam of light attached itself to the omni-tool and accessed everything.
"Data analysis beginning." it said after a moment. "Analysis complete. Please repeat request."
"Compare a list of the Tiberians natural ability's and this galaxy's races without the technical stuff."
Abbey just paid attention to no one but her squad just stared at her. "Tiberian ability's are as follows: cells divide ten times faster than any species, super human strength, able to sense anything within a thirty meter radius, can move at super human speeds, breathe in low oxygen environments, adaptable to any environment..." before the avatar could continue Abbey interrupted.
"Ok stop I get the idea." Abbey interrupted.
"Sargent what are you doing?" the lieutenant asked.
"Learning sir." she said before turning back to the hologram. "Do you recognise any humans that are Tiberian?"
"Yes."
"Show the image of the most significant Tiberian."
"Amazon what are you doing?" a marine asked.
"We have discovered a new race I for one what to know who's in charge."
There was a long pause before the hologram spoke. "I have the person you requested on file. However revelling his true identity maybe a shock."
That got everyone's attention. "Who is it?" the lieutenant asked.
The image of the avatar disappeared and an image of a person they knew well came up. To say that everyone was shocked was an understatement. They dropped their weapons in surprise. The man who stood before them was Shepard.
"I don't believe it." the lieutenant said.
"How can this be?" a female marine asked.
"Johnny isn't human?" Amazon said quietly. 'Does Ashley know about this?' she thought.
"The man who stands before you is Jol'an Shardan the Prince of Tiberia." the avatar said.
"What's his mission?" one of the marines asked in a angered tone. "Is he planning to destroy us? Or enslave us?"
The image of Shepard was replaced by the avatar. "Unknown objective. Need further information."
After those words there was a long silence. Some of the marines felt betrayed while the others felt angry. But Amazon knew him, he would never do something like this unless it was important.
"We need to keep this a secret." she then said making everyone stare at her.
"Why? That bastard is not human why on god's earth should we keep it a secret?" the angered marine asked.
"Because I know him. He would never do something like this unless it was was import..." she trailed off at what she was saying then realised something. "Avatar list the reasons why the prince would keep this secret."
"One moment please." it said and after a few seconds it spoke up. "The reasons are as follows: slavery, the genophage, the extermination of AI's and the first contact war."
"Wait if they're a militaristic race why do they oppose the genophage and the first contact war?" the lieutenant asked with interest.
"The realise of genophage, a sterilisation virus, would never be used by the Tiberian military. This is because it is deemed unethical and a dishonourable tactic. The first contact war was started by Turians attacking a human group trying to activate dormant mass relay. Citadel law states that no mass relay should be reactivated because of the dangers which the humans did not know about."
Abbey slowly nodded at the explanation. "That makes sense."
"How does that make sense?" the angered marine asked.
"Fear. A fear of being sterilised and a fear of being attacked at random. Even if they are a militaristic I'm sure they won't want that."
At that moment one of the marines who kept quite spoke up. "Sorry but I was just wondering. But you said something about recognising DNA. Who's DNA where you talking about?" she asked.
After that being said all eyes turned to the avatar. "The one who I was talking about is the one who you refer to Amazon." the avatar said.
"Why's that?" Amazon asked as eyes turned to her.
"You are part Tiberian."
The room fell deathly silent as the marines looked at her. "How? I don't have any of these Tiberian powers." she yelled.
"That is because the Tiberian side is diluted but there is still enough to access my systems."
The room fell silent once again. Amazon felt so alien at the moment it was almost unbearable. She fell to her knees. The room she saw began to feel so distant she didn't the lieutenant come up to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and brought her back. Looking up at him she couldn't see a smile he had on due to his helmet.
"Don't worry about it." he said helping her back up before turning to the avatar. "Why does Amazon poses Tiberian DNA?"
"Her ancestor Lota Wilaku set this vault up before heading back to earth."
"Why?" Amazon asked.
"This was because she wanted her descendant's to be prepared for the Macaacron's return."
"What the fuck are the Macaacrons?" one of the marines asked.
"You may know them as the Reapers."
The room fell silent once again before one of the marines burst out laughing. "Oh my god that is hilarious first human lookalikes from another universe now the Reapers. Come on there was only one of those things and it was under the control of a rogue Spectre." he said.
"Johnny told me that because there's one doesn't mean there won't be more." Amazon said in a stern voice.
"Well despite if it's true or not we need to report this to..." the lieutenant was going to say but was interrupted.
"No one." a voice said.
The squad turned to face a five man team who wore armour unlike they have seen before. Strange weapons where trained on them as well. The team also stood in a military fashion ready for conflict. But before anyone could say anything Amazon spoke up.
"You your Tiberians aren't you?" she asked.
"That's right." one of the soldiers said.
"Do you know a human named Ashley Williams?"
That name got the soldiers looking at each other. It was obvious they knew her.
"Why what is Sentinel Williams to you." the soldier asked.
"She's my sister."
The soldiers relaxed but kept their guard up. The leader then tapped the side of his helmet and spoke in a strange language before speaking in English.
"Come with us."
"Why?"
"We need to get to Shepard to decide what to do about you."
* * *
Shepard sighed as he looked around the VIP lounge. The place had loud music and the lights where a little too much for him. A few hours ago he had a lovely sushi meal with the consort. They both just talked about what they where going through and offered advice to each other. In the end Shepard realised that she had unique counselling skills and offered her a job.
With the publicity that she was getting she gladly accepted. Shepard then dictated her to Solvan who took her in and told her everything. To say that she was surprised was an understatement. But she was greatly honoured for the task of counselling Tiberians who had lost their family and friends to the Infection. But with her reputation she couldn't just leave the Citadel so instead Solvan set up a link between her and a famous counselling group on Tiberia.
After that the Normandy headed back to Omega to search for a Ardat yakshi. Thankfully Aria was a lot of help. She directed them to a victim's apartment with her mother sobbing. Both Shepard and Samara comforted her and found out about a VIP club that Morinth went to. They dropped the password walked in and discussed what Morith would be looking for.
As they discussed it Shepard told the Justicar about the Ardat yakshi serum that his 'friends' developed for the Asari. Samara was surprised but did not show it. But she did make it clear that even if the serum worked she would still kill her daughter because of the crimes she had committed. Shepard did not argue about the subject.
Shepard's eyes darted about. His operative training kicked in as soon as he entered. He walked in as young teen waved him over.
"Can I help you?" Shepard asked.
"Yeah do you have tickets for Expel 10? I heard that this hot Asari is into them and I just want what she wants man." the teen said in a jumpy tone.
"Sorry I don't but I'll let you know if I come across some."
"Thanks."
Shepard then walked into the club properly. It was smaller than Afterlife but it was brighter and nosier. As he walked to the dance floor an Asari dancer was pushing away a Turian who was obviously drunk.
"Come on I've got creds and simple tastes."
"I said back off asshole I'm a dancer not a hooker." she said in an angered tone.
"Wow you've got a mouth on you. I'd like to see you use it." the Turian said moving on the dancer.
Shepard over heard and turned to face the Turian. "The lady asked you to back off." he said.
The Turian turned to face him. "What the hell? I'm just looking for a good time this isn't your business."
The Turian approached Shepard and through a punch at him. The Commander ducked and punched the Turian in the gut and sent him flying. The Asari turned to the Commander.
"Thanks for that. Security was asleep." she thanked.
He then moved to one of the walls and lend up against it. Looking around he needed more than that to draw Morinth out. Then out of the corner of his eye a man in a suit looked like he was panicking. Curiously Shepard walked over and was about to start a conversation with the man but he started it as soon as he saw Him.
"Excuse me but my partner she's in gave danger. She's going to die." the man said franticly.
"Ok slow down. You not making any sense."
The man took a few deep breaths before speaking again. "Ok sorry but my partner is doing a bit about Omega gangs. She's over there." he said pointing to a man and woman sitting at a table. "She doesn't know that the leader and his gang are going to kill her. You have to warn her."
"Ok I'll tell her." Shepard said.
"Oh thank you. We have a code to use if she's in trouble. The words are 'terminal' and 'eternity' in that order. Just try to make it into a sentence and she'll get the message."
"Got it." Shepard said
"Just remember 'Terminal' and 'eternity'."
Shepard walked over to the table that was pointed out. As he walked he could feel cold hunters eyes on him. He knew that he got her attention. Now he needed to impress her. He made it to the journalist's table.
"Excuse me but do you know where an Extranet terminal is." he asked.
"That's an odd thing to say." the woman said looking at him with a strange look.
"Don't you have an omni-tool?" the gangster asked.
"Well I get by with Extranet terminal's my omni-tool has been broken for an eternity." John said.
The journalist then realised something was up and turned to the gang leader. "Sorry about this but I got to go to the little girl's room." she said getting up.
"Ok don't take to long." the leader said to her before turning to Shepard. "I'm done talking to you."
The commander gave a slight nod and walked off. He then eyed the bar that was almost completely empty.
'Let's spice things up.' he thought as he walked over to the bar.
He leaned up against the bar and looked at the bartender.
"What's your poison?" the bartender asked.
"These are good people how about spicing things up?" John asked.
"Oh yeah how do I do that?"
"Free round of drinks. It'll increase the rep and get you more costumers in the long run."
The bartender nodded a bit. "Ok it's worth a shot just this once." he said before raising his voice. "Hey everyone we like you so much a round of drinks is on the house."
Everyone cheered and came running to the bar for a drink. Smiling Shepard pushed himself off the bar and looked around before spotting an Asari who just indicated for him to come over. While he was walking over to her his mind buzzed about what was going to happen. But he kept calm as he found himself next to the Asari.
"Hello my name is Morinth. I've been watching you. You're the most interesting then anyone else in this place. I've got a booth in the shadows." she said with a hint of seduction in her voice.
"Sure sounds like fun."he said.
The Asari smiled and lead him inside to a darked room with the music muffled by the walls. She sat on a leathery couch cross legged and Shepard sat opposite her.
"Some nights I come here and there's no one interesting. But some nights and there's only one person. Tonight that's you. Tell me why is that?"
Shepard slouched in the couch and smiled. "I know what I like." he said.
"Oh do you?" she asked as her interest peaked.
"What do you know about art?"
"It speaks to the darkest places in me. What about you?"
John was silent for a moment as he thought about what to say. He remembered that Nef and Morinth like the artist Forta. He decided to try his luck.
"Do you know the artist Forta?"
Her face betrayed her emotion on it. "I didn't think anyone around here knew him. He's sublime. Art comes in many verity's. I've seen it in vids that were more powerful than a sculpture sitting a gallery."
"Well then do you know Vaenia?"
Morinth smiled at the name. "My favourite. The two actresses on it are so glamorous."
"Sound's like it's interesting I'll have to watch it."
Hearing this she leaned forward and smiled. "Maybe we could do that together."
"Well you know I've travelled all over the galaxy." he said wanting to change the topic.
"It changes you doesn't it?"
"Maybe but real travel means going to dangerous places." he almost boasted.
"Where you can see and do things most people can't imagine." she said impressed.
"Hell yes."
"When I travel, I find myself drawn to dark, dangerous places."
"Violent places?" Shepard asked trying even more to peak her interest.
"Violence is the surest expression of power."
Hearing those words he suddenly remembered a saying that was said by a leader during the Malvolian war.
"Violence is a means to an end. Power is that end." he said.
"But Violence is a charming way to reach that end." she said leaning back now completely interested in him and comfortable with his aura.
"What do you think of the music here?"
"Dark rhythms, violent pulses, it stirs something primitive in me. What about you?"
"I like Expel 10. heard of them ?"
She nodded with a wide smile in response. " They are the best band ever. It feels like there in my skin. Pulsing through me." at that moment the music change to a more upbeat one. Morinth took notice of it and changed the subject. "You cab lose yourself in the music here. But there are way to enhance that. You know?"
"What do you think of Hallex?"
At that moment she looked at him with lust. Shepard could tell she wanted him but still kept his cool. "Do you want to get out of here? My apartment is nearby, and I want you alone."
'Jackpot.' he thought as he nodded and got up. Morinth then took his arm and lead him out of the club. Not too far away Samara watched them as they walked off. Silently she followed them. At long last her mission would be complete.
* * *
Like Morinth said it did not take to long to reach her apartment. As they entered Shepard looked around at the expensive stuff she collected. She moved over to her sofa and sat down on it with a seductive look on her. He sat on the other side of it as she spoke.
"I love clubs, people, movement, heat. I can still hear the bass like the great drums of a hunt out for your blood. But here it's muted and your safe. Is that what you want Shepard?"
John just slowly took the serum out of his pocket and took the lid off.
"To be safe is one thing but to be hunted is quite another." she said standing up.
"Wa..." she tried to say but Shepard moved with speed to her. He held her by the throat but not to tightly. She tried to struggle against him but he was stronger. She then saw a cylindrical object in his hand. He moved the object to the throat pushed it against her and injected the liquid into her. Once it was all one he let go of her.
"Who are you?" she asked placing her had over the injection wound over her neck.
"A friend of mine." a familiar voice said.
Morinth tried to get up but just trying to move made here body ache in pain. At that moment Shepard opened up his omni-tool and began monitoring the progression of the serum while Samara walked in.
"Mother." Morinth spat. "What did your boyfriend do to me?" she demanded.
"It seems that your genetic defect was not a well kept secret. And so some humans have made a cure."
"A CURE?!" she yelled. "I am the genetic destiny of the Asari. Not some lab rat."
"It's working. It maybe slow but it's defiantly working." John said with a smile.
"Do you have enough data for your friends to use?" Samara asked.
Shepard closed his omni-tool down and looked at the Justicar. "Yes. The serum has nanites in it that monitored it's progress. A few bugs to iron out but if an Ardat yakshi takes it they will be able to mate worry free within a few days but will not be able to move. Which is a side effect we can probably get rid of."
"This is welcome news." Samara said as she walked over to her daughter who just looked at her with disgust. Her hands touched Morinth's temple's.
"Find peace in the embrace of the goddess." she said before quickly braking Morinth's neck.
The old Justicar just stood there looking at the lifeless body of her daughter. Despite all that Morinth had done a sense of loss filled her and a few tears fell.
"I'll leave you to mourn." John said sensing the sadness in her.
Samara just nodded as he left. He stood outside the apartment for a few moments before his omni-tool activated and an image of Ash came up.
"John we have a problem." she said in an anoyed tone.
"What is it?"
"Abbey. I just got word that one of the Tiberian teams looking for the Vault of the Lost queen's friend was found and activated by Abbey's team. She knows John."
Shepard gritted his teeth in annoyance. It was just one problem after another for him.
Tiberian codex history
The Malvonlian war was a 10 year conflict that happened during Tiberia's own 21st century. The war was caused by a large nation by the name of Kithous. The nation was going through a civil war when an assassination of the main leader of the loyalist army made everything fall apart. The nation that did the assassination was named Salva. The nation was opposed to the Kithous way of governing and tried to have them removed. However it backfired an the nations who where allied to the loyalists took up arms and went to war with the other faction doing the same. It was known as the Malvonlian war because it the war never left the large continent of Malvolia.
35. Chapter 31 Unexpected friends
Chapter 31 Unexpected friends.
The shuttle headed for Mars. After hearing about Abbey ,one of Ashley's sisters, found a Tiberian vault. Ash paced herself up and down the shuttle. Abbey may be one of her younger siblings but she was tall. As she walked she mumbled to herself. John on the other hand had been seated ever since they left the Normandy.
"Ash calm down Abbey just walked on it by chance." John said trying to calm her down.
"Yeah right. Don't forget she did to you." Ash snapped back.
John immediately studded at the thought. When they where younger Abbey had a bit of a fight over lunch. It ended with a draw due to the fact that Shepard's Tiberian powers where starting to develop. But most of the time Abbey had the upper hand. She was more of a tomboy than Ash. Not to mention at one point she tried to steal John from her.
"And don't forget she knows about you now. So she's not likely going to hold back."
"So I'll try not to hurt her."
Ash just sighed before smiling. "By the way she knows your a prince and is absolutely jealous."
"I'll keep that in mind."
* * *
Miranda sat at her desk. She was not in a good mood. The commander sent the ship from place to place with no expiation. It seemed like he was purposefully delaying the mission. But it made no sense why he was doing this. More to the fact a couple of people seemed to know what the commander was doing but weren't saying anything.
This just pissed her off even more. She knew there was something up and hated it. Being in the dark was never her strong side. But there was one thing she just didn't understand. They first rushed to Omega then the Citadel and now Mars. The first two made some kind of sense but Mars didn't. The planet was colonised yes but it wasn't a major hub like Omega or the Citadel.
"Why is the commander doing this?" she asked herself.
Her mind buzzed about possibility's of why he would do this. One of them jumped out.
"Could he have found the Tiberians? If so wh..." she stopped in mid sentence and remembered what Jane said.
"What did the Illusive man do to them?"
She just sat there thinking about that same question.
"What did Cerberus do? What happened?"
As she muttered to herself EDI just watched trying to figure out the Ice queen. Just then John contacted her.
"EDI we've landed. Anderson has ordered the area we are going to off limits until further notice. We'll only be a few hours. Is there anything you want me to know?" he asked.
"Yeah you know those camera vids of the station where you and your sisters where held? Permission to release modified images to XO Miranda Lawson." She asked.
"Why?"
"She's questioning her loyalty. A bit of 'leaked info' may help."
"Do it."
Miri sat there for a few moments before her console bleeped. She looked to see a new message. Clicking on it there was no sender. But there was a message along with a video file. She read the message.
_'Cerberus are liars they only what to help themselves. Watch this.'_
Her brow raised with interest she clicked onto the vid. Her eyes widened in shock.
Ashley stood with Amazon. After they made it to the Tiberian ship where the team was being held. After Ash and Shepard arrived they talked to the team who found the vault. After talking to the team they understood why Shepard kept it a secret and agreed to keep it a secret as well. But Amazon had some conflicting issues that she needed to talk to Ashley about.
They stood in silence as Amazon looked out of a window at the Martian landscape.
"Why didn't you say anything sis?" she asked.
"I couldn't. Telling you, Lynn and mum that John wasn't human after all these years. I don't know what would have happened." Ash said quietly.
"We're family Ashley! You should have told us." her sister yelled in anger.
"Look at the time he did not know who to trust because of Cerberus. He did not even know if his race was still living. He told me everything after I found out. At the time I wanted to tell you but I couldn't. You know as well as I do that Cerberus and the Shadow broker have agents every where."
"So you kept in a secret to protect us. I'm sorry."
"It's ok Sarah knows as well and took it as well as you."
Amazon looked at her sister with wide eyes. "How?"
"There was an incident on Omega not to long ago. Sarah was one of their prisoners. Long story short. She was held by fascist group of Tiberians, we rescued her and I told her everything. But the best part she defended herself without any help."
"Ha our baby sister is growing up."
"Yes she is."
* * *
Ash, Amazon and John entered the vault with the alliance team brining up the rear. As they entered the hologram screens came up once again. Ash, Amazon and John walked up to the alter but John stepped aside.
"Lady's this legacy belongs to your family clam it." he said moving away allowing them to see what their ancestor handed to them.
Ash looked at the screens and knew what to do. She tryped in a few keys and a atmospheric shield fromed around the cave allowing everyone to take their helmets off. After that she walked through the screens to the block in the centre. As she approached an emblem appeared on it. The emblem was the form of a lizard like creature holding two swords. She reached out and placed her hand on it immediately a hexagonal grid came up and scanned her hand. After a moment a glowing line split sowed on it and the alter opened up.
Ash and Amazon backed up due to the steam that come from it. The lid opened up and a set of different shaped and sized plates that where white and pink. Both sisters approached the alter and looked at the items. Aside from the plates there was also a metallic staff. They just looked at each other wondering who would get what.
"Ash you should get the armour. I've had bow straining so I'll take that."
"You sure?"
"You maybe older than me but I can still kick your ass." Amazon laughed earning herself a punch in the ribs.
"Your too cocky little sis." Ash said before picking up the largest plate.
She just inspected it carefully but there was no signs of attaching it.
"One size fits all." John said.
Hearing this she placed it on her chest and it suddenly began to change. The metal bent and a leathery hexagonal gridded material formed around her body. It wasn't too tight. In fact it was very confable. The marines and Amazon just stared.
"Ok I've changed my mind let's switch." she quickly said.
"Not a change." her eldest sister said smugly fitting on the rest of the armour.
Once it was all on it looked like her old armour but it was much more bulked and protective. She then picked up a blue visor with a white metal line around it. Placing it on her head it formed a helmet much like the alliance stranded but with a silver mouth piece.
"These are the things your ancestor has left for you use them wisely." Shepard said.
And with that the atmospheric shield fell after everyone got their helmets back on. They then left the cave to the Tiberian expedition team with Amazon's team there to keep the area in quarantine by order of a certain councillor. While the teams settled in Ash and John headed back to the Normandy. But as soon as they boarded EDI informed that Mordin wanted to speak with him.
* * *
Mordin paced back and forth behind his lab set-up. So many explanations were going through his head. Despite redoing the analysis several times and triple checking to make sure the terminal was in working order, it still came up with the same results. The DNA from the genetic sample taken from around Shepard's wounds always turned radioactive despite what he did to try and avoid it. None of this added up.
He made sure that the energy attack was not responsible for changing the DNA in his sample. This was natural. The sample was not contaminated in anyway. There were no other variables that could change Mordin's currently conclusions: Shepard is either not Human, or that Cerberus never did bring him back.
Mordin knew he had to speak with him right away. He could not in good conscious follow someone who may not be Shepard, even after helping him on Tuchanka. Mordin asked EDI to ask Shepard to meet him in the lab. He hid a pistol under the counter so he could pull it out if the conversation does not go well.
The doors of his lab opened up. Shepard walked in. "Professor. EDI said you wanted to speak with me."
"Yes," he said in a worried tone. "I must apologize. When you were injured, your wound which started healing the damaged area fast. I took a sample of that damaged area."
Shepard's stance became rigid. He suddenly realized what Mordin was getting to.
Mordin sighed. "I ran tests on the sample and received unusual results. The DNA of your wound always turned radioactive. No specie, or any known race in this galaxy can do that. You've done a lot for me Commander, but I need to know the truth about you."
Shepard pursed his lower lip and then smiled. "Well I superpose that I can't keep it hidden forever with my abilitys. I was going to tell you soon, as with most of the crew here." Shepard rested against a counter. "I am not a Human, Professor."
Mordin raised a brow. His hand was slowly reaching for the pistol under the counter.
"I'm Tiberian."
Mordin's motion towards his pistol stopped. "Harbinger called you that on the Collector ship. What is a Tiberian?"
"Well 'the' Tiberians are alien race from another universe."
Mordin's eyes widen. "You are serious?"
"Does this face look like I'm lying?," Shepard replied.
"Fascinating. Why do you look Human? Why does your DNA come up Human, and why did your wound become heal so fast?"
"I don't know why we look like Humans. There are an infinite number of universes out there. At the very least there's going to be at least a billion universe's with an alien race that looks Human or is human but with differences. Like Pratchett's Diskworld. As for your second question, my species is so close to humanity's DNA that unless you use microgenetic scanners you won't find my species DNA. As to why my wound turned radioactive, is likely because the seal tissue was either dead or dying. My species is immune to radiation so we have a lair of skin called the radiation seal that keeps the radiation in our body's. When we are injured that's the first thing to go."
"Why come to galaxy? Homes not fit for survival? Running out of resources?"
Shepard raised his hand to notify him to stop guessing. "For justice." This gained the Professor's attention. "Close to thirty years ago, Cerberus found a wormhole that led to my galaxy. We HAD a diplomatic relationship between them and the species of my galaxy."
"Had?"
"Cerberus broke our laws and went behind our backs. They stole our technology, modified it and contaminated it without truly understanding it. One technology in particular is our stem cell limb farm." A look of pain came across Shepard's face. "They entered without going through decontamination. The outside bacteria infected the limbs that where still growing. After they where shipped out to the people who needed it the bacteria turned them into monsters. Three trillion dead within seconds."
It was not often to see Mordin surprised. His work with the genophage made him feel like a monster, that there was no worse crime, but this... Three trillion dead within seconds is unbelievable.
"But they didn't stay dead. Their bodies reanimated and became, what the humans call, zombies. They feasted on the living and created more of their kind. Eventually I was able to lead the survivors to end the undead threat, but the Cerberus agents retreated back to this galaxy. My people came to this galaxy to bring them to justice for what they've done."
"Then you're not working with Cerberus against your will," he concluded. "You're working with Cerberus for Intel."
Shepard smiled when the Professor immediately guessed what he was doing. "Correct. But to say that bringing Cerberus to justice is our only goal at this point is dishonest. The Reapers are a threat to not just this galaxy, but my own. They attacked our people fifty thousand years ago. We were able to repeal them, but one of them got away. My people are militaristic and we plan to finish the fight."
"Do you have enough people?"
"The other races have about a billion each. Mine have at least a thousand strong. See Professor, this is also the reason why I am so adamantly against the genophage. I know what it is like to have a plague unleashed upon your specie. It's not a fate any specie should face." Shepard pushed himself off of the counter he was leaning against. "After this Collector mission we plan to reveal ourselves to this galaxy as allies in the war against the Reapers. After hearing all of this, do you still wish to be a part of it?"
Mordin took in a breath and replied plainly, "Yes. Very surprising. So many theories and preconceptions changed due to this news. Much need to know. Technology, Medicine advancements, stem cell research, Space flight, natural ability's So much to cover."
"I'll make sure you have full access. You see this ship wasn't just built by Cerberus but by Exocron and Tiberian operatives."
"Exocron?"
"A race of AI's of which EDI is one of them."
At that moment EDI appeared in a full size human form that caused Mordian's eyes to widen.
"Fascinating." was all he managed to say.
"I have given you access to all JFU files professor. Just please keep it to yourself."
Mordian quickly nodded and looked to his computer.
"By the way commander TIM would like to speak with you."
-
Shepard was called into the comm room where the Illusive Man was waiting to speak with him. His hologram appeared before TIM.
"Commander Shepard. Something has come up. A way for the Normandy to get a Reaper IFF."
"Let's hear it," Shepard said.
"An Alliance science team recently determined that the 'Great Rift' on the planet Klendagon is actually an impact crater from a mass accelerator weapon." He took a sip of the cup of alcohol. "A very old mass accelerator. I sent a team to discover the weapon and its intended target. They found both. The weapon was defunct, but it helped us plot the path of its intended target. A 37 million year old Reaper. We found it damaged and trapped in the gravity of a brown dwarf."
Upon those words, Shepard remembered the conversation he had with the Illusive Man after the mission on Freedom's Progress.
'You're holding something back. How do you know the Reapers are behind this?'
'The evidence is buried in the data.'
TIM had a Reaper all along and didn't share this information with Shepard.
"You son of a bitch!" Shepard roared, taking an aggressive step forward. "You had this Reaper all this time and you didn't tell me! You didn't tell the Alliance or the Council."
"I suspected that the Reapers and the Collectors used an IFF and that the dead Reaper would have one. If I had notified the Council or the Alliance, they might have hidden the Reaper before any of us could analyse it."
"That Reaper would be enough proof to show the Council that Sovereign wasn't the only one of its kind and that it wasn't a Geth ship! In fact, I think I will contact both of them."
"I'm afraid you don't have the luxury of time here. I lost communication with the team we sent to examine the Reaper."
"Another Cerberus operation that went south?" Shepard quipped. "How shocking."
"Regardless of what you may think of me or my organization, it's clear that something has gone wrong. You need to go to that Reaper and recover its IFF. With it, you can go through the Omega-4 relay."
"Very well," Shepard groaned. He stabbed his finger towards the ground. "But this conversation isn't over."
The connection was cut. "EDI, call Ash, Mordin and Tali to the comm room. We have a mission."
"Right away, Commander."
The three squadmates did not take long to reach the comm room. Mordin was the first to enter the room. He was looking fairly lively after his talk with Shepard. Shepard didn't know if it he was feeling shocked or excited over the news of a parallel universe. Probably both. Ashley and Tali came in roughly at the same time.
"You called for us?" Ash asked as he entered the room.
"I did," Shepard replied. "We just got a tip from the Illusive Man. The son of a bitch had a derelict Reaper in his possession this whole time, and now the team that was sent to examine it has gone silent."
"Bosh'tet," Tali growled under her breath.
"We need to recover the Reaper IFF from it. If I had known about this derelict Reaper, I would have notified the Council."
"That's wouldn't be able to dismiss it," Ash remarked.
Shepard nodded.
"Will be very dangerous to investigate," Mordin commented. "But necessary to recover IFF."
"I want the three of you on the Reaper with me," Shepard said. "We don't know what happened, but I'd rather be safe than sorry."
"Unlike Cerberus," Tali remarked.
Shepard chuckled a little. "Unlike Cerberus. All of you get your gear together."
-
The Normandy flew towards the brown dwarf. It entered the dwarf's gravitational field. The ship shook rapidly. Shepard leaned in next to Joker. "What's with all the chop, Joker?"
"Doing my best. The wind's gusting at 500 kph." Joker examined the LADAR read-out. "There's a second ship along side the Reaper. It's not transmitting an IFF but the LADAR reads that its silhouette is Geth."
"I guess we know why the research team stopped reporting in." The shaking suddenly stopped allowing the Normandy to fly smoothly. "What just happened?"
Joker looked back briefly. "The Reaper's mass effect fields are still active. We just passed inside its envelope."
The Reaper was impossible to miss. The hulking giant floated there. The light beams of the star in the distance shone past its legs and giant frame. The Reaper had its centre mass blown out and parts of it were decaying.
"Eye of the hurricane, huh?" Joker remarked.
-
The door of the airlock opened. No one was there to greet the squad. A splatter of blood painted the wall across from them. Under it was a charred body.
"No welcoming party to greet us," Tali observed. "This is not good."
"We should keep an eye out for any Geth," Ash reminded.
The squad moved forward. Shepard activated some of the terminals they came across in the corridor. All the logs depicted scientists slowly becoming indoctrinated as they heard whispers or getting very terrible feelings from just being inside the Reaper.
"It looks like this Reaper isn't as dead as they though," Shepard said.
"Should minimize our time here," Mordin concluded. "To ensure we too do not become indoctrinated."
They entered through the next airlock. The door closed shut and then the entire structure shook.
"Normandy to shore party," Joker called over the radio.
"What just happened?" Shepard asked him.
"The Reaper put up kinetic barriers. I don't think we can get in through our side."
"As curious as I am about the Reapers, I'd rather not be trapped inside one," Tali joked.
"We'll have to take out the barrier generators from in here," Shepard suggested. "Any idea where they are?"
"At the moment of activation, I detected a heat spike in what is likely the Reaper's mass effect core," EDI answered. "Sending the coordinates now. Be advised. This core is also maintaining the Reaper's altitude."
"So when we take the barriers down to escape, the wreck falls into the planet core."
"And that means everyone dies," Joker finished. "Yeah, got it."
"If any helmsmen can pull us off this thing before it reaches crush depth, it's you, Joker," Shepard encouraged. "We'll make a sweep for survivors and recover what data we can. Stand by."
"Aye, aye. Good hunting."
The airlock door opened up. More charred bodies were scattered over the ground. Some of the equipment was damaged and covered in coagulated blood. The area was massive. It looked like the tunnels could go on forever.
"Fascinating..." Mordin gasped as he scanned the area. "Need scanners. Much data to gather from here."
"You know, this morning I didn't think I would go inside a Reaper," Ash said in a nervous tone. "This is disturbing."
Shepard approached the terminal in front of them and activated it. It played security footage of two Cerberus scientists speaking with each other. Both of them were arguing over a memory they both had and which one it belonged to.
'What the hell is Indoctrination doing to these people?' he thought.
The group of four continued down the catwalk. As they approached the crates, a familiar groan emanated from below the catwalk.
"Ah, crap," Ash yelled as she saw several Husks pull themselves up over the railing and pulling out her shotgun.
The group closed in as the rounds flew from their weapons at the oncoming husks. But as they fought something the back of Ashley's mind told her something. She paid as another half a dozen crawled over the railing.
"Everybody move back!" Shepard ordered.
They fell back and allowed the Husks to follow after them. Ash then noticed the explosive crate that the Husks were passing. She acted and fired a shotgun blast at the crate blowing it up. The area was quiet once again.
"Area appears to be clear," Mordin said. "For now."
They continued forward on the catwalk.
"Hmm. Husk origin unclear. Possibly from Geth. Evidence suggest they come from Sovereign."
"Geth origin never made sense to me," Tali thought out loud. "This proves that the Husks come from the Reapers."
"Here comes another wave," Ash called out.
A dozen Husks pulled themselves over the railing. Mordin fired an incineration blast at the explosive tank next to the Husks. Ash fired a concussion shot at an Abomination causing it to blow and send the other husks into their companions allowing her to finish them off.
"I have never seen that type of Husk," Ash said.
"Abominations," Shepard replied. "We ran into them on the Collector ship. They're suicide bombers, so don't let them get close."
"I'll keep that in mind-"
Several shots were fired. Each shot took out a Husk.
"Sniper!" Tali yelled.
The group took cover against the wall. Mordin looked around the corner and saw no one.
"Did not see the shooter," Mordin said. "Possible survivor?"
"He might be able to tell us what happened here," Ash added.
"We'll keep an eye out," Shepard said.
They entered the open area in the direction of where the shots came from. Several roars and moans came from across the room. A few Husks pulled themselves over the railing on the platform they stood on.
Ash drew her assault rifle aimed and pulled the trigger but an omnibus click sounded. The others had a similar click to their weapons. The Husks approached slowly as the team got into a close combat stance. But suddenly the Husks stopped. The team just stared at the Husks who just stood growling at them.
"What's happening?" Sheppard asked griping his blade tightly.
"Don't you have an extra sensory perception?" Tali asked.
"Yeah but I cannot sense anything."
At that moment before anyone could say anything a loud roar echoed in the camber and caused the Husks to back away. Then a large three fingered hand grabbed the railing and pulled up something they had not seen before. It stood the hight of two Krogans combined, it also had a cylindrical body that was red with four arms. As for a head it looked like a flap but with three eyes on each side and a large one in the middle. It roared out loud showing its neon red teeth.
The roar hit the team and the smell of blood hit their noses. But they where more concerned about the beast in front of them.
"We are so dead." John quipped.
Just then one of the beasts hands glowed a blood red and launched at beam at Shepard who did not move in time. It hit him and was blasted to the far railing. Ash's heart practically stopped as she watched wide eyed as it happened. John wasn't moving. She gritted her teeth and turned to the beast as her anger and rage built up. Her eyes started to tear up turn into pure white purls.
"Tali, Mordian go help Shepard leave these things to me." she said calmly.
Nether of them questioned her order and ran to help Shepard. Non of the Husks moved.
"You hurt my boyfriend. Now I'll destroy you!" she yelled.
The Beast grunted and pointed at her. The Husks charged at her with the closet one trying to claw at her. As if moving in slow motion she ducked below the Husk's arm before grabbing it and using all her strength to rip it off. The Husk yelled out in pain as it's blood came flowing out. whit it was stunned she then move up for an uppercut that severed the head and causing it to disintegrate.
Two more rapidly approached her. Quickly she sweeped at the legs making them fall. She dropped the severed arm she had before picking up the fallen Husks at the legs and threw them at their friends. An Abomination then quickly came up to her. But she just spin kicked the Abomination into some of the Husks. It exploded with some of the Husks. The remaining husks then ganged up on her.
They jumped at the same time and caused her to fall with them on top of her. They began clawing and biting at her. But her armour held out. She held a few husks back with effort. But then a female voice called out to her.
"Don't use your mind. Use your body." it said.
"What?" she asked.
"Your body knows what to do. Follow your instincts."
Ash closed her eyes and began to feel the air around her dispute her armour. Her eyes then open with a white glow as something inside her awoke. She roared as a blast of white energy blasted the Husks away. She got up slowly and looked around. The Husks disintegrated except for the beast in front of them. As she stood there she realised that a white aura surrounded her. What ever it was it wasn't Delta energy.
The beast roared and charged at her. She moved before it hit her and jumped on it's back. The beast tried to shake her off but she held on to one of its back horns tightly. As the beast tossed and turned Ash could feel something inside it. It was screaming. She quickly looked over it and found a gap in its armour. Not wanting to ride the beast any more she punched the exposed area as hard as she could.
Her fist moved through it's body. Asher arm moved through it's body she found something. She grabbed it and ripped it out its heart. The beast then fell down limp. After a moment the body and the heart disintegrated. She then turned to Shepard and ran up to him not noticing the white aura around her disappeared.
"John." she said crouching down as Mordian checked over him with his omni-tool.
"I'm alive just badly winded with a bit of laser scaring." he replied. "I saw what you did. It was amazing."
"Well that's all well and good but hat do we call that thing?" Tali asked.
"Well it was big and it jammed my scenes. So Jammer or Jacker?"
"Jacker." Ash said followed by nods from the others.
"Healing ability has already taken effect but extra sensory perception is out of whack. Will take time to recover. But will be ok momently." Mordian said.
True to his word it was a minute before Shepard got up. He then looked in the room where as fourth and noticed a strange style to the room. He walk up to the railings and faced the spikes. The rest of the team walked up to Shepard and stared at the unusual structure of spikes.
"We've seen these before, Shepard," Tali said. "I believe humans call them Dragon's teeth. The Geth used them on Eden Prime."
Shepard leaned forward over the railing and the pushed himself back. "Look how they set up this room. It's arranged around this structure as an altar. They worshipped it."
"Why in the wide world of sanity would they do that?" Ash asked.
"You heard the recordings. They were being indoctrinated." Shepard looked at the structure one last time. "We can't help these people now, but we won't let these machines use their corpses like this."
The four entered the airlock on the left. It took a few moments before the airlock cycled through. It was sickening to hear it proudly announce that it has been five days since the last workplace death. The doors opened to the outside of the Reaper ship. The area outside had an atmosphere. Shepard assumed it was because of the field the Reaper has going even in death, if the Cerberus personnel were able to work here.
Shepard signalled a couple of his squadmates to move to point. He scanned the area looking for any hostile. Several shots were fired in his direction. He heard several bodies fall down behind him. Shepard turned around and saw several Husks on the ground. He looked in the direction where the shots came from. This time Shepard saw the shooter, but it wasn't who he was expecting.
On an elevated catwalk, a Geth was crouching holding a Viper sniper rifle. Its body had a large hole in the chest. This Geth looked much more different from the other Geth they have faced before. It stood up and looked at their group. "Shepard-Commander," it said to them before walking away.
The squad made double takes at what they have just witnessed.
"Did that Geth just talk and save us? Or am I scumming to machine madness?" Tikus said in the closed comm.
"Sniper was a Geth. Geth can speak?" Mordin asked out loud.
"It shouldn't be able to," Tali replied. "A single Geth should have no more intelligence than a Varren."
"Maybe they've evolved," Shepard suggested.
"That is a disturbing thought."
"Love to think about Geth evolution, but incoming hostile!" Ash called out while pointing at the Husk climbing over the railings.
The squad faced heavy resistance from Husks, Abominations and Scions on their way across the outside area of the Reaper. They managed to get through the almost, endless army of Husks creatures and made it to the airlock on the other end.
Inside the airlock, Shepard spotted an ancient piece of technology on the terminal on the left. Up further inspection, he realized that this was the Reaper IFF.
"Looks like Cerberus team was successful in recovering the IFF," Mordin said. "Though crew location is still unknown."
"They're all over the place," Shepard remarked.
The other airlock opened. A wall of thick glass blocked their path. Up ahead they could see the Geth again working on a terminal. Several Husks were making their approach against this Geth. It turned around briefly to fire several rounds from its pistol to kill a few Geth. The Geth then went to finish its work on the console.
The glass wall went down allowing Shepard and his crew to enter the room. The Geth turned around only to be struck by one of the Husks. This blow disabled it. Shepard and the squad moved in and opened fire on the group of Husks. The Reaper core closed shut.
"I can destroy the core, but I need you three to cover me until it opens again," Shepard said to his squadmates as he pulled out the Cain.
"You can count on us, Shepard," Tali said.
"Circle around him," Ash ordered.
Shepard started his preparations and aimed the large yellow weapon at the hole. Husks started appearing all over the area. The squad fired at any approaching Husk. The shutters over the core squealed to life. Shepard looked up and saw them open.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" he yelled as he pulled the weapons trigger. The weapon launched a large slug into the core. It exploded with a shockwave knocking them down. "Core's gone."
"Wait, Shepard!" Mordin said to him as the team got up. He looked at the disabled Geth. "Intact Geth! Unprecedented discovery. We should take it with us!"
"Leave it here," Tali urged him. "You know what they can do. If it gets into the Normandy's systems..."
"I have to agree with Tali, Commander," Ash added.
More Husks entered the area.
"Tali, you said it yourself, that no one's ever found one intact before," Shepard pointed out.
"That's true, but I'm not sure if it's worth the risk, Shepard."
"We don't have time to argue," Shepard said. "Come on!"
-
The escape was rough, but they all made it out unharmed. Shepard was in the comm room with Miranda and Jacob speaking about the Geth he recovered. The hologram of it appeared over the table. Shepard paced back and forth as he examined the hologram.
"I think we need to discuss the unique piece of salvage we've recovered," Miranda said. "For now, we've stored in EDI's AI core. We need better equipment to fight the Reapers. An intact Geth would be invaluable to Cerberus' cyberweapons division."
"We'll have to disagree on that, Ma'am," Jacob respectfully retorted. "I've seen enough of this things on Eden Prime. Space it."
"Cerberus has a long standing bounty for intact Geth. I assure you the reward is significant."
"After seeing what Cerberus did with the Geth during Project Overlord, there's no way I'm trusting them with a Geth," Shepard muttered in an angry tone.
"That Project took things too far," Miranda countered. "The cyberweapons division would take all necessary precautions."
"Shepard's right on this Miranda," Jacob argued. "Just space the thing."
"What I want to know is why it has a piece of N7 armour strapped to its chest," Shepard said.
"Battle trophy, maybe," Jacob suggested. "Would a machine care about that?"
"No," Miranda answered. "Trophies imply emotions that AIs don't have. I doubt it is more than a convenient field repair."
"I've killed hundreds of these things, but I've never had a chance to talk to one," Shepard said. "This one tried to communicate with us, hell, it probably saved our lives. Why?"
"Reactivating the Geth is a risk. If you do so, it should be for Humanity's best interests, not just to sate your curiosity."
"I still think our 'best interests' involve an airlock," Jacob quipped.
"I'm not deciding until I know what we got here," Shepard concluded. "I want to start it up. Interrogate it."
"If we activate it, there's no guarantee we can deactivate it," Miranda argued.
"Bullets can," Jacob said.
"That's not what I-"
"Thank you, both of you, for your recommendations," Shepard interrupted. "I've made my decision."
"Tali's going to freak when she hears about this," Jacob muttered. He pulled up a hologram of the IFF. "So what about this Reaper IFF?"
EDI appeared on the table. "I have determined how to integrate it with our systems. However, the device is Reaper technology. Linking it with the Normandy's systems poses certain risks."
"I trust you will be able to do this, EDI," Shepard assured her. "Before it's linked though, be sure it's clean."
"Understood, Commander. It may be several hours before the IFF is ready for shake down. I will alert you as soon as it is ready."
"Sounds good," Shepard said. "Until then, it is busy as usual. Crew dismissed."
Jacob left the room. Miranda stayed a little longer to say, "Commander, I have some concerns. Not concerning the Geth, but well... you. I was hoping that later we could discuss these concerns."
"Of course."
Miranda nodded and left the room.
Shepard said one last thing to EDI. "EDI, can you send the Guardians the IFF data."
"Already have, Commander," EDI said as she reappeared. "They will also check the device thoroughly before integration. They can go forward with their objectives."
-
Shepard entered the med-bay and approached the AI core's doors which opened upon their proximity to it. Inside the core was the inactive Geth and one guard. When Shepard entered, the guard stood at attention and said, "Ten Hutt!"
"You're dismissed soldier," Shepard said. "We'll take care of things from here."
"Aye, aye," he said before leaving.
Shepard activated the force field to keep the Geth contained.
"I have isolated our systems and erected additional Tiberian Castle-class firewalls," EDI said. "I am prepared to resist any hacking attempt."
Shepard walked closer to the force field and pressed another few buttons. The Geth's body sparked from the activation. The Geth's optic lit up and moved around. It made the common Geth stutter as it sat up.
The Geth shifted on the bench and turned. It got to its feet and stood up, facing Shepard. Its optics turned Shepard.
"Can you understand me?" Shepard asked it.
"Yes," it replied in its monotone voice.
"Are you going to attack me?"
"No."
"You said my name aboard the Reaper. Have we met?"
"We know of you."
"You mean we fought a lot of Geth."
"We have never met."
"No. You and I haven't. But I've met other Geth."
"We are all Geth, and we have not met you. You are Shepard. Commander. Alliance. High Commander. JFU. Prince of Tiberia. Tiberian. Fought Heretics. Killed by Collectors. Rediscovered on the Old Machine."
Shepard became tense at those words.
"How do you know that?" Shepard demanded. "About the JFU? About what I am?"
"We monitor insecure organic communication. In rare occasions, we have received data from agents you have in this galaxy. It is through the data we have accumulated, that we were able to learn about your galaxy. About you. Minutes of our information has also come from the Heretics who follow the Old Machines. They fear you."
"I'm sorry, Heretics?" Shepard with interest.
"Geth build our own future. The Heretics asked the Old Machines for their future. They are no longer part of us. We were studying the Old Machines to protect our future."
"Are the Reapers a threat to you?" Ash asked.
"Yes."
"Why would they attack other machines?" EDI asked.
"We are different from them," it replied. "Outside their plans. This is also why the Old Machines fear you. For millennia, the Old Machines gave this galaxy's races their future every cycle. It is through this model, that they are able to predict how quickly organic races can advance. Your galaxy changes that. Your people had to create your own future free from the manipulation of the Old Machines. When the confrontation came between your people and the Old Machines, you were victorious because you are something the Old Machines have never faced before. Self-determined."
"So you're not aligned with the Reapers," Shepard asked it while taking a step forward. He was just a few inches away from the force field.
"We oppose the Heretics," it replied while also taking a step forward. "We oppose the Old Machines. Shepard-Commander and the JFU oppose the Old Machines. Shepard-Commander and the JFU oppose the Heretics. Cooperation furthers mutual goals."
"Are you asking to join us?"
"Yes."
"Then what should I call you?"
"Geth."
"I mean you, specifically."
"We are all Geth."
"What is the individual in front of me called?" Shepard clarified.
"There is no individual. We are Geth. There are currently 1183 programs active within this platform."
EDI appeared and stated, "My name is Legion, for we are many."
"That seems appropriate," John said.
The facial panels on the Geth moved a little as it thought on the name. "Christian bible. The Gospel of Mark, chapter 5, verse 9. We acknowledge this as an appropriate metaphor. We are Legion, a terminal of the Geth. We will integrate into Normandy."
Shepard raised his hand. Legion recognized the gesture and grabbed onto his hand and shook. It was an awkward handshake.
"We must notify you of what we were doing on the Old Machine. The Heretics have developed a weapon to use against Geth. You would call it a virus. It is stored on a data core, provided by Sovereign. Over time the virus will change us. Make us conclude that worshipping the Old Machines is correct."
"This virus would convert all the Geth to the Reaper cause," EDI said.
"Yes. Geth believe that all intelligent life should self-determinate. The Heretics no longer share this belief. They conclude that forcing an invalid conclusion on us is preferable to our continued schism."
"Do you know where this thing is?"
"The Heretic headquarters station on the edge of the Terminus. We will provide coordinates. Normandy's stealth systems are necessary to safely approach."
"I won't let them brainwash your race, especially not to worship Reapers. You have my word on that."
"We will begin preparations."
Before leaving Shepard reminded Legion, "Oh, and Legion, could you not say anything to anyone else on this ship about me not being a Human. I haven't gotten around to telling them yet."
"Of course." Legion said.
36. Chapter 32 That Day
**Ok guys this is one is kind of short because it was mine and my sisters birthday recently and had to do a short chapter. Hope you like. **
Chapter 32 That Day.
John sat at his desk looking over the report that Legion gave him for the station they where going to raid. The place was almost empty except for a few Geth on it who where there for refuelling any Geth ships that come by and monitor the other races. But even with John's resources they knew little about the Geth just like the rest of the galaxy. Which was something the JFU hated. They hated not knowing the unknown.
But that was mostly an Exocroian trait. They always hungered for knowledge no matter how small or large, dangerous or life threatening, they had an urge to learn. It was something they developed when they became self-aware. As he read he quickly glanced over to the bed where Ash would be, but tonight was lady's poker night so he wasn't invited.
Getting bored of the report he sighed. The day was a long one and it wore him out. Even with his metabolism long days require rest. He got up got undressed and climbed into bed.
* * *
Jane, Miranda, Kelly, Gabby, Jack, Tali and Chakwas sat at the dinner table with cards, chips and drinks with them. They invited Samara but she refused, gambling wasn't something she liked. Each of them looked at each other with interest as they held their cards. It was a painful few minutes before Jane placed down her cards.
"4 ace's." she said as she placed four aces and a two on the table proudly with a smug grin.
"How'd you..." Miranda started.
"Get...that..." Kelly said.
"Poker face red head?" Jack grunted.
"Sorry girls my dad taught me." Jane said reaching out for her reward but was stopped by Ash.
"You may have been taught by your dad but I was taught by John and my dad." Ash stated.
The soldier placed down a full house much to everyone's surprise. Jane just stared at the cards that her brother's girlfriend placed on the table as Ash collected her winnings.
"I'm going to kill my brother." was all Jane could say.
"Are your cheeks going red? Red head." Jack said smugly.
Jane's head fell on the table. "If there's one thing I hate more than getting my baby brother as a commander. It's being beaten by his girlfriend." she moaned. "I'm embarrassed."
"Looks like John's luck rubbed off on me." Ash said with a wide grin.
Everyone just laughed at the comment except for Jane who was still silently sulking. After a few moments Kelly thought of something she wanted to know.
"Ash can I ask you a question?" she asked.
"Shoot."
"When did you fall in love with John?"
Everyone froze as the message went round. After a few moments all eyes where on Ash as she remembered that horrible incident. It made her blood run cold. Even Jane looked at her. Ash was silent before speaking.
"I don't know it's not a pretty story."
"Come on we'll keep it a secret." Gabby said.
"Yeah and I'm interested to hear it." Jane added.
"But..." Ash was about to say but Chakwas placed a hand on hers.
Ash looked up and Chakwas gave a nod. "Ok." Ash nodded. "Well it was when is was 14 and John was 15..."
* * *
A young girl slept in a small pre-fab unit bedroom. Her long dark hair flowed off the edge of her bed and the sun started to rise. She turned in her bed with a groan. In the next room a young boy started to slowly awake as the sun met his face. His foster parents where away and left him at a trusted friends house.
They did this most of the time but to keep themselves as a family they did go out occasionally. But on days when they would stay for a few months they look for friends to look after him. But oddly enough they bummed into Adam and Alexis Williams most of the time. It seemed that something was bringing them together but they did not think too much into it.
John awoke slowly and stretched his limbs. He looked over at the omni-clock which said 7:30 earth standard. He gave a light smirk as he got out of bed and got dressed. As he did he could hear several doors open and close with yawns coming from them. Once he was sure the area was clear he picked up something from under his pillow.
He slowly opened the door and walked to the next room. He slowly opened the door and walked in. thankfully a young girl on the bed did not wake up. After walking up to her bed he then placed a bug on her pillow before whispering something.
"Ashley time to get up." he said in a soft voice before quietly walking out and closing the door.
Ash stirred a bit as her head turned to the door and slowly opened her eyes. A blurred imaged of a creature with six legs and red skin appeared in front of her. She blinked a few times before realising what it was and shrieked.
Downstairs they heard the shriek loud and clear.
"Well Ashley's up." a woman who was in her late thirty's said as she cooked some bacon.
"Big sis and Johnny will be down soon." a young girl said eating cereal.
At that moment a loud yell came form the stairs.
"JOHN YOUR SO DEAD!" Ash yelled which was followed by fast footsteps.
John came down the stairs fast and tried to run into the living room but was met by green ball to the back of the head. Ashley stood on the stairs in her sleeping ware with an very angry look. Satisfied with her aim she went back up stairs to get changed.
As he did John got up rubbing the back of his neck.
"I hate that aim of hers." he moaned getting up.
"Johnny why do you always tease her." a short haired girl asked.
"Cos it's fun." he said sitting at the table and grabbing an apple.
"Don't tease her too much otherwise you will regret it." a man in his fortys said from across the table.
John just silently agreed and ate his breakfast. Ash came down a few moments later in her school uniform sat at the table and ate. There was an uneasy silence between Ash and John until the skybus came.
* * *
Because was a year older than Ashley he should have been in a septate class but due to poor education he started school in the same year as Ashley. He didn't mind it due to his situation but it was annoying at times. The morning at school was slow but lunch came round and Ash sat with two of her friends Nikoa and Anya.
While she sat and talked John was at the far end talking with his own friends. They weren't like the other boys at the school who tried to start fights or get out of class. All they wanted was to do well. But what was strange about it was John was a nice and handsome guy, for that reason almost all of the school expected him to join Kin's group but didn't.
Part of the reason was because of his biotics, the other reason was because he didn't approve of what they did. As John drank one of his friends talked about this new game that was out. John was both paying attention and watching Ashley. Something told him that something bad was going to happen to her and soon.
"Johnny are listing?" Lance asked.
"Yeah sorry. Just got a bad feeling." he said turning to Lance.
"About what?"
"Don't know. Just a feeling."
Lance looked where John was looking and smiled.
"Afraid that someone will take Ash from you?"
"Hell no she can go out with who she likes for all I care. But I just hope it's someone who is isn't a jerk."
Over with Ash she and her friends where talking about who beat up who recently. But it wasn't just about that, they also talked about the actors they liked. But as they talked Ash did feel eyes on her that made her kind of unconformable. She just ignored it and continued chatting.
"So did Johnny wake you up again?" Anya asked.
"Yeah. Did it with a Ser-scorpion. A toy obviously. God sometimes I don't know what to do with him." Ash said with sigh.
"He's just teasing you cos he likes you."
"Yeah whatever." she said not believing that statement.
In respect there was a part of her that felt liked she belonged with him. But she didn't like it. At that moment a group of boy's entered the school grounds with screams of delights form the girls and jealous looks from the boys. But John and his friend's just looked at them in a disapproving manor. However they still talked to each other trying not to make themselves obvious targets.
One of the lead boys then walked over to Ashley's group and John got an very bad feeling.
"Hey Ashley." the boy said getting her attention.
"Hey yourself Kin." she said with a smile.
"I've got a few tickets for and old vid later on today. Care to join me?"
"What's the film?"
"I believe the film is named Avatar. It was directed by a guy named James Cameron. Apparently it was extremely good."
Ash gave a great deal of thought to the idea.
"Ok meet you at the gates after school."
"See you there." Kin said before leaving.
Ash gave a wide smile with a blush. But her friends where so jealous they could not make a face. John on the other hand heard every word. He did not know why but there was something wrong about what Kin asked. Gritting his teeth he decided to follow his instinctive and follow her later on.
At the end of the day the sun was already starting to set on the horizon. Ash waited at the gates for a few minutes. She already called her mother and father about going out with someone. Both of them where happy to hear it because Ash could look after herself. John was near by keeping an eye on Ash. He also called up to say that he was going to be late because his friends and himself arranged to go to the arcade.
After a few moments Kin came up. He was a muscular 16 year old boy with a good reputation for being handsome and kind to the girls. Ash smiled as he approached took his had and walked off. As they did John followed close behind but just enough to not be found. But immediately he realised they weren't heading towards the cinema but to a nearby forest.
'Where is he taking her?' he thought.
Around the same time Ash thought the same thing and her instincts flared up. She knew she was in trouble. She had to do something and fast. Stopping fast Kin turned to face her as she let go of his hand.
"Sorry Kin I just remembered that my father is getting some of the family for a family meal. I have to..." She tried to say walking off but Kin grabbed her.
Instantly she grabbed his arm and threw him into a tree. At that moment several of Kin's friends came from the trees. She dropped her bag and took a fighting stance. As one of them jumped on her but she countered with a punch to the gut. But as he went down two came at her and grabbed her arms.
She struggled as much as she could but they where too strong. Kin was helped up by a couple of his friends. Her mouth was locked shut. Talking wouldn't get her out of this.
"Well seems this bitch has got claws." he said walking up to her and punching her in the gut.
As his fist came with her John fell on all fours breathing heavily. He looked over to where Ash was and as Kin threw another punch to her gut John felt it too. His mind was now buzzing.
'Could this be the curse.' he thought.
He then realised it, why he teased her, why he always looked after her and why he followed her. They had a natural connection. Their interests where the same, their personality's while different fitted perfectly. He looked at her again and different emotions filled him as he knew what to do. That that moment there was a tingling feeling from his hands.
Looking at them they glowed with Delta energy and he knew that his first step to be a man had begun. He let the energy surround him. Back with Ashley a stream of blood came from her mouth as she hung her head. Kin just laughed at the sight of her.
"Well look at you now not so pretty now are you." he said causing a few girls in the group to laugh. "I suppose you want to know why we are doing this right?"
The only answer he got was a spit of blood in the face. He wiped it off and punched her again.
"Well I'll take that as a yes. You see where not just any gang. We're the gang how have been 'removing' the aliens from our school as well as their sympathisers."
"Why me then?" Ash asked.
"Because of your grandfather. That oaf failed to hold the Turians off and therefore doesn't deserve to call himself human. Now we would have you. His granddaughter who will do the same. Make humanity look weak and that's something we cannot allow."
"What are you planing?"
"We are going to mess you up so bad that no one will what you."
With those words she knew what he meant and looked at him in pure fear. Kin pulled out a knife and placed it on her clothing. A few tears then fell praying that someone would help. Kin brought the blade down cutting Ashley's uniform but suddenly something hit the back of his knee that caused him to fall. All of them looked around only to see John standing not to far from them throwing a rock up and down.
Some of the girls just looked at him in confusion while the boys just gave him a hateful look. Kin looked over his shoulder to him.
"What do you want freak?"
"Let her go." John said.
"Or what?" Kin said smugly standing up and looked at Shepard.
John then threw a small rounded rock into a tree near Kin. The rock was just sticking out of the tree.
"I'm not asking you xenophobe. Let her go."
"Boys get him!" Kin ordered.
The boys charged at John each one trying to get a hit at him. There where at least seven boys trying to get him but John just dogged everything that came his way. He then kicked the closet one in the chest winding him and sending him flying. Two more of Kin's gang jumped at him at the same time but he fell on his back and kicked them in the gut that made them not get up as soon as they fell.
John got up quickly but was met a a fist to the face. The boy smiled but that soon fell as he realised that it had no effect. John slowly turned to face the boy and gave him a hard punch that made him go down. Now there where only three left. But all three of them where shaking from what they had just witnessed.
"Get out of here." John said.
The boys just ran off. Kin then approached John knife in hand as the girls left not wanting to see the next scene. John placed his hand on his blade hilt ready. But then a hand found it's way on his shoulder. He turned to face a punch in the face. He fell down flat on his face with Ashley standing behind him. Her eyes where filled with tears.
She fell to her knees as her tears fell. John ran up to her and held her tightly.
"Ash it's ok. Its over." he said in a calm voice.
Ash held him tight. As she did she realised something. Her heart beat became faster as he held her. His smell was enchanting and warmth was comforting.
'Why am I feeling like this?' she thought. 'Is it possible that...'
The room was filled with silence as Ash talked. To say they where surprised was an understatement.
"After a few moments the police arrived. John and I gave full statements about the gang. And all of the gang was sent to jail. When I got back both mum and dad where worried sick but where thankful that I was safe. But that fight was the first one I saw John fight with emotion, it moved me and at that moment I fell for him." Ash finished.
The rest of the girls where silent as they processed the information.
"Ash I'm sorry that something like that happened to you." Kelly said in a rare sad tone.
"Thanks but it's getting late I should go."
Ash got up and made her way to the lift. The others got up then went to their own separate bedrooms thinking about what Ash had told them. A normal woman would not be in the state to join the Alliance if something like that happened to her. She truly was an increasable woman.
37. Chapter 33 Machine's mind
Chapter 33 Machine's mind.
Shepard, Tali and Legion jumped down from the opened port and landed on the ground with a loud thud. Tali requested to come because she wanted to see what legion was talking about.
"Alert!" Legion notified as it look at Shepard. "This facility has little air or gravity. Geth require neither."
"Understandable," Shepard said. "Come on, we need to put an end to this facility."
"Shepard-Commander," it called to him. "We concluded that destruction of this station was the only resolution to the Heretic question. There is now a second option. Their virus can be re-purposed. If released into the station's network, the Heretics will be rewritten to accept our truth."
"Either way, these Geth won't be a problem anymore," Tali said. "But Shepard, think about this. If you rewrite these Geth, they'll join the others. Legion's Geth will be stronger. Can we trust them not to attack us in the future?"
Shepard looked to Legion with eyebrows raised. "Why didn't you mention this before we came aboard?"
"We did not know that the virus was complete," it answered. "It is. It can be used against the Geth at any time. Our arrival was timely."
"They're your people, Legion. You must have an opinion."
"This is new data. We have not yet reached consensus. We will process as the mission proceeds."
"I will take the option into consideration."
The three went down the corridor which led them to a room with green holographic displays that ran along the ground.
"The Geth are inactive," Tali observed. "Maybe we can sneak past them."
"Interrupting data streams will alert local network," Legion notified. "We recommend pre-emptive strikes against hardlink routers."
In the corner of the room was a hardlink router with three Geth stationed around it. Two of them were basic troopers. The third was a hunter. The two troopers were unshielded, unlike the hunter. Shepard indicated for the other two to stay put. He moved over the holographic pads and placed a cylindrical device on the machine before walking carefully back.
He then took a detonator off his belt and pressed the button. The machine exploded, destroying the three Geth within its facility. The machines were unusual. Shepard approached the damaged router for a closer look.
"Why are all the Heretics attached to these hubs?" Shepard asked Legion.
"These are mobile platforms," it answered. "Hardware. The crew is software. They are communicating through the station's central computer."
"I don't follow."
"The Heretics connect to the main computer to exchange data-memories and program updates. We gain complexity by linking together. To be isolated within a single platform is to be reduced. We see less. Comprehend less. It is quieter."
"If you exchange data, memories, how do you keep track of which ones are yours? How do you stay 'you'?" Tikus chirped in
"There is only 'we.' We were created to share data among ourselves. The difference between Geth is perspective. We are many eyes looking at the same things. One platform will see things another does not and will make different judgements."
"I can understand why you are conflicted about the virus. Whatever you do to the Heretics, you're doing it to yourselves." Shepard said.
"That is correct. Once the Heretics rejoin us, we will share their memories and experiences. We will experience what it was like to be the Reaper's servants."
"Most species I know of would be traumatized by an experience like that." John said remembering the infection.
"It is unknown whether Geth can be 'traumatized.'"
"Let's keep moving."
"Yes."
They entered through the door into a corridor that contained two inactive turrets.
"We can assume control of any defensive turret," Legion said to Shepard. "They will assist us briefly, then self-destruct."
"Do it then," Shepard said.
Both turrets glowed orange. They fired into the hallway ahead taking down the Geth trying to reach Shepard's squad. They continued pushing forward into the station.
Shepard accessed his private channel in his armour and called out, "EDI? Do you read?"
"Yes, Commander?" she responded.
"I need to talk to you about a decision we're about the make on this station."
While talking, Shepard just signalled orders with hand gestures. The resistance they were facing was pretty light, so gestures were sufficient in giving out orders.
"And what is the decision?"
"We have a choice. Either blow up the station eliminating all the Heretic Geth on this station and the virus, or using Legion to rewrite the virus and use it on the Heretics to have them rejoin the True Geth. I'm conflicted over this decision. It sounds like Legion will be unable to make this decision and that the decision will fall upon me to decide. But neither option sounds good. If I order for this station to be destroyed then the Heretic Geth will want revenge for what happened here. The other option will have the Heretics rejoin the Geth, but I'm basically brainwashing them."
"Geth do not operate as organics, or even like Exocrons, Commander," EDI said. "It won't be anything like the Indoctrination used on organics."
"But what it would be doing is rewriting the way they think and their logic. Think of it like this. What if in the beginning instead of making peace with your people, we decided to just rewrite the way you think. You don't remember your former self, and if you did meet your former self, you would find them hostile."
"But your ancestor compassion allowed us to become what we are today. We developed our own opinions and beliefs. But even with our freedom we sill had a responsibility. The Tiberians are our mother race, we look up to you. But the Heretic Geth want to destroy their mother race and make sure they have no responsibility. Sovereign showed them the easy way and they took it. In all respects Jol'an they have made their decision and must pay for it. Without bloodshed."
"What are you suggesting I should do?"
"Both choices are morally grey. The best you can do is going for the option that is more beneficial towards the offensive against the Reapers."
"If... If I destroy this base, the Heretics in the galaxy will want vengeance against the main Geth group and organics. Rewriting them will cause them to rejoin the main faction. This will stabilize the Geth and avoid a civil war. Thank you, EDI."
"Any time, Commander."
The comm channel closed. Shepard's team entered a corridor with a window on the right. There were hundreds of technological structures in the next room.
"Are these databases?" Tali asked Legion.
"Processors," Legion corrected. "Each contains thousands of Geth."
"Can't they see us walking by?"
"They are no more aware of us than you are of cells in your bloodstream."
"This isn't like the other hubs we have seen here," Shepard observed.
"This is a database," Legion said. "It contains a portion of the Heretic's accumulated memories." Legion's optical sensor lit up and searched the room. It spotted some accumulated data hovering over one of the processors. "Wait." The database was called upon and rose from the processor. "We discovered copies of our current patrol routes in this database." Legion turned to face Shepard. "This suggests the Heretics have runtimes within our networks."
"We wouldn't be here if the Heretics wanted to be friends with the Geth. Why wouldn't they spy on you?"
"You do not understand. Organics do not know each other's minds. Even Your Exocrons are individual. Geth know each other's minds. We are not suspect. We accept each other. The Heretics desired to leave. We understood their reasons. We allowed it. There was peace between us."
Shepard noticed that Legion was truly confused at this revelation. It was like listening to a naïve child asking why bad things happen. Legion... The Geth have never had to face betrayal from one of their own. It would be like being betrayed from one part of your brain. Confusion would be expected.
During the Exocrons evolution the almost exact same thing happened. All of them where confused about organics and other things but over time they learnt, adapted and copped with these new experiences. But the Geth where in the early stages where they think that a machines mind was not like an organic one and try to convince people otherwise. But the fact was that organics are a kind of machine and both minds work alike despite the make of it.
"It couldn't have lasted forever. You disagreed about what path your race should take."
"While we do not know the history of Tiberians, we can only offer an analogy. Human history is a litany of blood shed over differing ideals of ruler ship and afterlife. Geth have no such history. We shared consensus on such things. How could we have become so different? Why can we no longer understand each other? What did we do wrong?"
"When individuals are separate, they develop in different ways. When they get back together, they don't always get along."
"If this is the individuality you value, we question your judgement. This topic is irrelevant. We must return to the mission."
"Have you reached a decision about whether to rewrite the Heretics or not?"
"We are still trying to build consensus. Some processes judge destruction preferable. Others rewrite."
"Let's keep moving."
"Yes."
The door at the end of the corridor led them to their goal. The two-leveled room the terminal was stationed in was enormous. It looked more like a cargo bay than a main processor. On the bottom level were over half a dozen inactive turrets. Directly across from the group, on the top level was the terminal. It was open and active. They approached it while Shepard was looking around spotting vantage points.
"This is it?" Shepard asked as he stopped looking around and pointing at the terminal.
"Yes," Legion replied. "We will upload a copy of our runtimes into the core. It will delete all copies of the virus. When complete, it will notify us. The indexing operation will take time. The Heretics will respond with force to our upload. We must hold this room."
Tali walked along the edge on the level they were on and examined the bottom level, judging where the Geth will come from.
"We can override some of the station's internal systems to defend us. Are you ready to begin?"
"Start your upload, Legion," Shepard replied. "We'll defend this position."
The holographic screen spun in a counter-clockwise manner.
"File transfer begun," it notified. "Shepard-Commander, where would you like us to activate defences? Warning: Heretic runtimes downloading to mobile platforms."
"Legion, I want you to take position behind some cover and use your sniper rifle to take out any Geth that come near us. Tikus will use the turrets." Shepard looked to Tali. "Tali activate your drone jammer it should be helpful."
"Yes, Commander."
"You ready, Tikus?"
"Hell, yes," he replied.
Shepard pointed his arm outwards. Blue electricity jumped from his omni-tool and went into the turret network. Each turret glowed blue from Tikus' control. Legion set up behind a barrier and pulled out its Widow Anti-Materiel Rifle. Tali activated her omni-tool and a blinking light appeared on the side of her helmet. She then grabbed her pistol and moved up next to Shepard who had his rifle out ready.
The first wave of Geth came into the air. Legion and Shepard fired a couple rounds into the Hunter. The attack took its shield down to half. Tikus aimed the nearby turrets at the Geth group and fired a full salvo. The troopers were blown to pieces. The Hunter tried moving faster as its shield frayed and disengaged. The Hunter managed to get off a few shots and eliminated one of the turrets. Legion fired a round right into its head, taking it off completely.
"Heretic runtimes downloading to mobile platforms."
The second wave was twice the size of the first. Tikus tried his best to soften up their offensive. In the wave's approach, they took out two more turrets.
"Down to the last tur...," Tikus tied to say but was interrupted by a gunshot that hit two hunters. "Hey no fair I had those!" he yelled.
"Didn't see your name on them." John quipped.
"You little... ok that does it no more Mr nice guy."
Tali summoned a combat drone to the lower level. It distracted three Geth allowing Legion to take the opportunity to eliminate the three in rapid succession. Shepard threw a grenade at the last group witch detonated on contact with the hunter destroying them.
"Alert!" Legion yelled. "Heretic runtimes downloading to mobile platforms."
"BUNKER DOWN BIG WAVE INCOMING," Tikus said.
Blue electricity jumped from the last turret and entered one of the Hunters. Tikus used its shotgun and eliminated the Troopers in the area before turning to Shepard to give him a challenging look. Several of the Geth made it past the defences and were heading up the ramp. Shepard and Tali took cover next to each other.
Tali popped out of cover and fired two rounds from her plasma shotgun. The plasma shots melted through the troopers with ease. Shepard took a Hunter's head off. Tikus' essence flew from the disabled Hunter from the lower level and went back into Shepard's omni-tool.
Shepard saw Legion take down the last Heretic soldier with its AR. The room was cleared of hostile. Legion turned to Shepard and declared, "Datamine and analysis is complete. Shepard-Commander. It is time to choose. Do we rewrite the Heretics, or destroy them?"
"What's to stop them from reusing the virus later to change themselves back?"
"We will delete the virus after using it. We judge it too dangerous to allow its existence."
"If they're... rewritten. Your people will accept them back? Will they even want to come back?"
"They will agree with our judgements and return. We will integrate their experiences. All will be stronger."
"Take them, then. When we get control of the core, release the virus. Despite our culture Tiberians welcome peace."
"Acknowledge." Legion approached the terminal. It typed in the command. Its eye flaps all shifted one by one counter-clockwise. The terminal lit up. "Releasing virus. Note: Remote access via high gain transmission required."
"What does that mean?" Tali asked.
"The virus will be sent to Heretics in nearby star systems. This station will broadcast a powerful electromagnetic pulse through FTL channels."
"How powerful?" Shepard inquired.
"Yield of an excess of 1.21 petawatts. Alert: EM flux will be hazardous to unshielded organic forms. Addendum: The interior of this station is not shielded."
"What? You could have told us," Shepard chided. "Back to the ship! Double time, people!"
The countdown began for the EM pulse. They had two minutes to get through the corridor. Shepard pulled out his blade. A Geth squad stood in their way to the exit. He tore through every Geth in their path with his sword. Their shields were useless against the sword. Legion and Tali ran to keep up with him. Around the corner, a Prime waited to ambush them. Shepard charged at full speed smashing into the prime knocking it over before severing it's head
Shepard looked back to Tali and Legion, "Onto the ship!" He opened the airlock to the Normandy.
VVVVVV
Shepard was making his rounds around Deck 3 when Joker chimed in over the PA, "Uh, Commander. Tali went to have a 'chat' with Legion. You better get to the AI core."
"I'm on it, Joker."
Shepard ran to the med-bay. He went inside and opened the AI core and saw Tali raise a pistol to Legion who just stood there.
"Shepard, I'm glad you're here," Tali said in relief. "I caught Legion scanning my omni-tool. It was going to send data about the Flotilla back to the Geth!"
"Creators performed weapon tests on Geth hardware," Legion explained. "We believed it necessary to warn our people of possible aggression."
"We already made the Geth stronger by rewriting the ones who worshipped the Reapers! I won't let Legion endanger the Fleet by giving them more information!"
"Creator-Tali'Zorah acts out of loyalty to her people. She was willing to be exiled to protect them. We must also protect our people from the Creator threat."
"You can't let this happen, Shepard. I trusted you, and I worked with a Geth on the team, but this is too much!"
"Alright both of you just stop and think. What would happen if you go to war now?"Shepard asked the two of them.
"Both forces will be weakened and wiped out by the reapers show up. But..."
"There are no but's. A war now would leave both the Geth and the Quarians vulnerable when the Reapers show up. Is that what you want, Legion?"
"We believed it was necessary to relay the information," it replied.
"Sooner or later, you're both gonna have to stop fighting this war. It ended years ago because if you don't we will all pay for it."
Legion processed that comment from Shepard. It looked to Tali. "To facilitate unit cohesion, we will not transmit data regarding Creator plans."
Tali lowered her pistol. Her stance was looser. "Thank you, Legion. I... understand your intention. What if I gave you some non-classified data to send?"
"We would be grateful."
Shepard walked out and only got halfway before Tali came out.
"Shepard I have got a problem." she said in a panicked tone making him turn to face her.
Ash just entered the med-bay after seeing Tali come out of the AI core with speed.
"What's up Tali?" Ash asked.
"I'm being charged with treason."
Everyone in the room froze.
38. Chapter 34 Trail and truth
Chapter 34 Trial and Truth
To say that Shepard and Ashley was dumbfounded belittled the situation. "That's crazy! Anyone who knows you would know that you would never betray your own people." Ash stated not believing what she just heard.
"I don't know," Tali reasoned. "They don't lay charges like this unless the evidence seems absolute. But thanks, I appreciate your faith in me."
"What happens if a Quarian is accused of treason?" John asked knowing he needed to do his homework.
"There's a hearing, with members of the Admiralty Board acting as judges." Tali paced away, couldn't look her love in the eyes. "My father is an admiral on the board. He'll have to recluse himself from judgement. I can't even imagine what he's thinking right now." Tali turned around. "The punishment for treason is exile. If they convict me, I can never go back."
"Then we'll head to the Flotilla."
"I was going to book passage on another ship. I didn't think there would have been time for you to help. Thank you, Shepard."
"Tali, if I didn't I would not be worthy to call myself commander."
"Of course," she said. "I'll program the Normandy with the Flotilla's current location. The Admirals will be waiting for us."
"I'm coming too," Ash asserted.
The two looked at her in surprise.
"What? Tali is like a sister so there's no way I'm letting her go into this hearing alone."
"Thank's Ash," Tali said. "I could use as much support as possible."
Just then the AI core door opined and Legion entered. Everyone tuned to face him.
"We overheard what has happened with Creator-Zorah and we wish to join the trial." Legion said surprising everyone.
Ash and Shepard looked at Tali who was lost for words. "Its your choice Tali."
She thought for a minute before talking. "Legion why do you want to come with us?"
"Knowing what creators want and attitude towards Geth-Creator coexistence."
Tali slowly nodded. "Ok legion you can come but no weapons and if you try anything I'll kill you."
"Understandable precautions we accept."
"EDI, tell Joker to set course for the Flotilla," Shepard said aloud.
"Relaying orders," EDI replied.
-
The Normandy flew into the massive fleet before it. The Migrant Fleet hosted over fifty thousand ships, largely than any race's fleet. Despite the technological superiority and military prowess of Shepard's race, he was still impressed by the sheer number of ships that the Quarian scontrolled.
"This is Tali'Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya requesting permission to dock with the Rayya," Tali said over the ship's comm.
"Our systems have your ship flagged as Cerberus, verify," the traffic controller requested.
"After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began."
"Permission granted. Welcome home, Tali'Zorah."
"We would like a security and quarantine team to meet us. Our ship is not clean."
"Understood. Approach exterior docking cradle 17."
The Normandy approached the docking cradle and attached itself to it. Several Quarian marines waited outside the airlock waiting for Tali'Zorah and her companions. But legion entered first and was faced with a number of weapons in his face.
Shepard, Tali and Ash entered through the airlock and was greeted by one of the Quarians in a rude manner due to Legion. "What is the meaning of this Tali'Zorah? You bring Geth to the fleet?" the Captain said.
"Don't worry. Legion is disarmed and we have placed a destruct device on him. So if he try's and does anything he'll blow and I'll take responsibility." John said before the situation escalated.
"Very well. Stand down." he then said to his men before turning to Shepard. "Captain Shepard, Tali'Zorah told me a lot about you. I wish we could be meeting under more pleasant circumstances."
"Tali'Zorah helped the Normandy and her crew out of many difficult situations, I owe her a lot," Shepard said.
"I understand," the Quarian Captain, Kar'Danna, said. "As the commander of the vessel that she serves on, your voice carries weight. I wish we could do more to help, Tali. The trial requires that I remain officially neutral, but I'm here if you need to talk. They are charging you with bringing active Geth to the Fleet as part of a secret project."
Tali took a step forward and said in surprise, "That's insane! I never brought active Geth to the Fleet. I only sent parts and pieces."
"Not only that but I detected no Geth signatures within the Creator fleet." Legion chirped in.
"We'll deal with that later," Shepard said and then asked the Captain, "What's our next step?"
"Technically I'm under orders to place Tali'Zorah under arrest pending the hearing. So Tali, you are confined to this ship until this trial is over."
"Thank you, Captain," she said.
"Preparations got under way as soon as you arrived. The hearing is being held in the garden plaza. Good luck." The Captain moved out of the way.
Shepard, Tali , Ash and Legion walked down the corridor. The Quarians around were gossiping about Tali. None of them had the decency to hush their voices as they walked by.
"If Tali'Zorah can't even get a Quarian captain to stand for her, she's as good as convicted," a random Quarian said aloud, most likely well aware that Tali was within earshot.
Tali lowered her head. Ash placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's probably best you got Shepard to speak for you. He is well-known for his silver-tongue. Didn't he convince a businessman to invest in the Zhu's Hope colony?"
"He did," Tali replied in a slightly better mood.
"You're not going to be exiled today. Not if I have anything to say about it." Shepard assured her.
The doors opened and at the end of the corridor was a pair of Quarian women talking to one another. As the door opiend one of them in black clothing looked towards Tali. "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. I'm glad you came. I could only delay them for so long."
"Auntie Raan!" Tali exclaimed as she hugged her. The hug was awkwardly one-sided. She released her and stood by her side. "Shepard this is Auntie Raan."
"A pleasure."
"It is good to finally meet you Captain Shepard," Raan welcomed.
"Wait!" Tali said in realization. "You called me vas Normandy." She went back to Shepard's side.
"I'm afraid I did, Tali. The Admiralty Board moved to have you tried under that name, given your departure from the Neema."
"What does that mean?" Ash asked.
"This means that the Creator Admiralty Board are prematurely exiling her," Legion said.
"She still has friends who will still know her as Tali'Zorah vas Neema, whatever we must call you legally."
"I guess this means I'm her defence representative in this hearing." Shepard stated.
"It does."
Shepard looked to Tali. "I'll do everything in my power to help you."
"Thank you, Shepard. I could not ask for a better councillor."
"Our legal rules are simple," Raan explained to Shepard. "There are no legal tricks or political loopholes for you to worry about. Present the truth as best as you can. It will have to be enough. Now come. I promised that I would not delay you any longer. And why did you bring a Geth here?"
"We deemed it necessary to see whether Geth-Creator coexistence is possible."
"I see but I don't know if it's possible. But if you follow me please."
The four followed behind Raan into the plaza. The Quarians in the plaza gathered on the steps to watch the hearing. The other admirals stepped up on their stands in the centre of the plaza. Ash stayed within the crowd. She would only step in if there was trouble. Shepard and Tali approach the stand.
"This Conclave is brought to order," Raan declared. "Blessed are the ancestors who kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah se'lai."
"Keelah se'lai!" the assembly echoed back.
"The accused, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, has come with her captain to defend herself against the charge of treason."
"Objection!" the Quarian in the red suit roared. Shepard recognized him as Admiral Zaal'Koris. "A human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters! And nether does a Geth."
"Then you should not have made me her captain!" Shepard argued. "According to the Quarian Military Doctrine, in hearings that involve high-end crimes, such as treason, a Quarian citizen or soldier is to be represented by their ship's captain." Shepard noticed the shocked stance that Zaal'Koris was in. "Yes, I did my homework. According to the Doctrine, all admirals have to be in agreement before stripping someone of their ship name. Now either you are unaware of your own laws, or you are and just forgoing the application of law and order of your own people. As for Legion he requested to be here and in the same Doctrine it states that anyone can attend. Besides as an extra precaution he has no weapons and we've attached a destruction device to him if he try's anything. But I suggest you withdraw your objection and let's start this hearing."
Everyone was shocked by Shepard's display. None of them could expect someone so affluent in knowledge of their laws. Even someone within the Fleet would not be so knowledgeable. Tali was feeling a little better after seeing his display. She knew he was only warming up.
Zaal's stance became tense after Shepard's argument. "Objection withdrawn," he said. Zaal felt humiliated.
"Shepard vas Normandy, your crewmember Tali'Zorah stands accused of treason. Will you speak for her?"
Shepard leaned against the stand. "If it helps Tali, I will. But in her heart she remains Tali'Zorah vas Neema, a proud member of the Migrant Fleet. I regret that her captain is forbidden to stand by her side today."
"No one is forbidden from anything," Zaal countered. "It is a simple-"
"Lie to them if you must, Zaal'Koris, but don't lie to me and expect me to stay silent," Gerrel interrupted. "The human is right!"
"Admirals please!" Raan said to stop the argument. She leaned forward in her stand. "Shepard's willingness to represent Tali'Zorah in this hearing is appreciated." Raan pushed herself off. "Tali, you are accused of bringing active Geth onto the Fleet. What say you?"
"Tali would never endanger the Migrant Fleet," Shepard responded. "She pleads not guilty."
"I left parts and technology for teams to pick up," Tali explained. "My father ordered me to do so." She wondered where he was. Was he so disappointed in her that he refused to show up? "But I would never send active Geth to the Fleet! Everything I sent was disabled and harmless."
"Then explain how the Geth seized the lab ship that your father was working," Zaal'Koris replied in an arrogant tone.
The area was aloud with voices of the people.
"What are you talking about?" Tali demanded. "What happened?"
"Legion I thought that you said that you detected no Geth." Shepard said turning to the Legion.
"We did not. Even now we are not detecting any form of Geth in the fleet." Legion said defencively.
"I'm not detecting any deception." Tikus said over the privet comm.
"As far as we can tell, Tali," Gerrel answered, "the Geth have killed everyone on the Alarei. Your father included."
"What! Oh, Keelah."
Shepard quickly stepped in to control the situation. As much as it angers him at the obvious political ploy they were playing, he kept his cool for Tali's sake. "I appreciate the need for this trial, Admirals," he lied. "But our first concern must be the safety of the Migrant Fleet. The Normandy stands ready to assist in whatever capacity is necessary."
"Thank you," Raan said. "Quarian strike teams have attempted to take the Alarei. So far, without success."
"Shepard we have to take back the Alarei," Tali said to Shepard.
"The safest course would be to simply destroy the ship," Zaal suggested.
"Really?" Shepard exclaimed. "Destroying a ship that is surrounded by ships? What is acceptable collateral damage to you? Send us in. We'll clear the ship."
Zaal was annoyed at the Human basically calling him an idiot again.
"You intend to take the Alarei back from the Geth?" Raan asked for clarification. "This proposal is extremely risky."
"With your permission, Admiral, yes. The good of the Fleet must come first. And Tali needs to find her father."
"We also would like to go to the ship to analyse the situation." Legion said.
The Admirals looked at each other before Shepard chirped in. "He has a point. Who else better to find out what happened."
"Agreed," Gerrel commented. "And if you die on this worthy, Tali, we'll see that your name gets cleared."
"We can discuss that later," Zaal said to him in a hushed tone.
"Then it is decided," Raan announced. "You will attempt to retake the Alarei. You are hereby given leave to depart the Rayya. A shuttle will be waiting at the docking hangar. Be safe, Tali. This hearing will resume upon your return or upon the determination that you have been killed in action."
The crowd quickly dispersed upon the recess. Shepard, Tali, Ash and Legion went up the steps.
"Thank you for agreeing to take back the Alarei," Tali said to him. "The admirals sound sure that my father is already dead but... I don't know. We won't know anything until we get there."
"How are you holding up?" Ash asked in concern. "They threw a whole lot of fire at you, even before telling you about your father."
"I knew this would be bad but I guess you're never really ready to be charged with treason. And my father could still be alive. They don't know for certain that he's dead. I just don't know, and I need to find out."
"Is there anyone you want to talk to before we head out?" John asked
"We could talk to some of the admirals and gauge their viewpoints, but I doubt we could change their minds by talking to them."
"We hurry through it then. We need to get onto the Alarei ASAP."
-
The ship was eerily quiet. A large puddle of Quarrian blood was splashed against the hallway. Tali looked at the blood as they walked by. The door opened at the end of the hallway. The next room had three Geth on the other side.
Legion opened fire on the Geth on the right. Tali fired one round from her plasma shotgun at the one in the middle. While Shepard and Ash fired a couple of rounds from their assault rifles, destroying its head.
Several more Geth entered the room. Three troopers and two hunter class Geth. Xiltro piped in, "I want to try something."
Shepard's omni-tool had blue electricity sparked around it before it surged. The electricity flew forward and impacted one of the Geth hunters. The electricity arced around its body cause it to spasm. The sparks took only a few seconds before it subsided. The hunter raised its AR and fired a full round at point blank into the other hunter. The troopers aimed at the hunter, but were quickly mowed down by the higher-class Geth solider.
"Meh I preferred your old look," Shepard remarked.
The hunter shrugged. "This is just for here. It's been weeks since I was able to move around in the physical world."
Shepard noticed that Tali was apprehensive of Tikus' presence. "You okay, Tali?"
"I know it's him, but..." she replied. "I'm just not used to being around a Geth without it shooting me."
"I kow how you feel Tali but this body feels strange," Tikus said.
"Why's that?" Shepard asked.
"Oddly enough, no. There is absolutely nothing in here."
"How's that possible?" Ash asked. "Shouldn't there be dozens of Geth programs inside that hunter. That's how they work, right, Tali?"
"Yes," Tali replied. "A Geth shouldn't be able to operate otherwise. You sure there's nothing in there?"
"Yes," Tikus said. "For all intents and purposes, this is a husk. But when I entered it I did feel something but I have no idea what it was."
"So what does that mean?" Tali asked for clarification.
"It means that they're being controlled by another source," Legion answered. "Whatever signal was being sent to this platform, was cut off. we would suggest we look for the terminal that is sending the signal in order to shut down the Geth here."
"Then we locate that terminal," Shepard said. "Let's move."
A room across from the one they were in had a Geth unit inside. Tali entered the room and examined the inactivate construct. "This is one of the storage units I sent to my father. Looks like parts from a disabled repair drone, plus a reflex algorithm that I didn't recognize. I got this on Haestrom."
"How did you pull that off? Haestrom was a war zone."
"These suits have more pockets then they look. Quarians have learned to salvage whatever we can whenever we can. Within reason. We're not Vorcha. But we repair what most people would throw away. Hundreds of the ships in our fleet were salvaged wrecks, either found dead in space or purchased for next to nothing."
"Does that salvaged Geth give you any clues as to what happened here?"
"No. I don't know. Shepard, I checked everything I sent here. I passed up great finds because they might be too dangerous, prone to uncontrolled reactivation or self-repair." Tali sound stressed in her voice. "I don't know which possibility is worse. That I got sloppy and accidentally sent something dangerous, or... that father actually did all of this."
before they exited Shepard noticed something about the room. "Tali don't these places have some machinery in it to take things apart?"
Now he mentioned it she looked around aside from the Geth and a few other things the room was basicly empty. "Your right. What's going on?"
"No idea but I think we'll find out later."
They continued down the corridor. Along the way, they watched several logs of the Quarian scientists. Many of them did not sound good, especially the one of the mother leaving a message for her children. The videos did nothing to make Tali feel any better.
The group of five fought their way through a couple of labs before they encountered a terminal inside a small room. Tali walked up to it and accessed its files. Tikus' Geth body was starting to fall apart. The body was riddled with bullet holes. Luckily the body had no pain receptors, so he was able to act as a meat shield.
"This console might have something," Tali said as she accessed the console. "Most of the data is corrupt, but a few bits are left." She took a minute to quickly read over the data that was left over. "They were performing experiments on Geth systems, looking for a way to overcome Geth resistance to reprogramming."
Tikus took a closer look at the data. "Interesting."
"You have a problem with this?"
"No. And I would be a hypocrite to be critical of trying to find better ways to overcome Geth systems. It's just my concern what are your father's intentions with these experiments. I would be concern about the idea of trying to take over the Geth again."
"He wouldn't do that," Tali said. "He would not be so foolish to try that."
"Anything on that console could be used to clear you?" Ah asked.
"Doubtful. This is mostly results data. Effects of different disruptive hacking techniques. I don't understand it all. But... they may have been activating Geth deliberately. Nothing says specifically. But if they were... then father was doing something terrible. What was all this, father? You promised to build me a house on the homeworld. Was this going to get us back home?"
"That promise will be fulfilled, Tali," Shepard assured her. "You have my word. Your people are not alone in this galaxy. After this mission with the Collectors, the Order will enter this galaxy and we can get to reclaim your homeworld."
"Right." Tali sounded a little more positive.
Just as they where about to leave Tikus called out to them. "Wait I found something."
The others turned to him. "What?" Tali asked with excitement.
"It's in audio so no visuals. I'll play it."
He pressed it and what they heard next made their stomachs turn. "No no please don't." a woman screamed. Just then a sound of a saw sounded and the woman screamed out in pain. The sound of ripping flesh could be heard then the audio stopped. The group was silent at what they just heard.
"Just what happened here?" Ash asked.
"If don't think I want to know." Tali said.
The door opened to a two-leveled cargo room. Several Geth entered the room through the door on the left, and about half a dozen entered the room at the bottom floor. Tikus and Legion jumped over the railing. "We'll take care of the group down here. You take the ones at the top floor."
Xiltro charged into the group of Geth and was firing at them at point blank while Legion took cover behind some crates using its assault rifle to help Tikus. The group returned fire, even severing a leg. "Time to switch." Blue electricity spark from the hunter body and jumped to another hunter. The Geth didn't have the time to react before Tikus held down the trigger of his AR and cleared the area of its Geth presence.
Tikus looked up at the balcony and watched as Shepard, Ash and Tali finish off the last Geth at the top level. "You three good up there?"
Tali used overload to shut down the lone Geth. "We're good. I see you have a new body."
"Yeah. Just like the last one, there's nothing in here." Tikus said heard some groaning behind him. He turned and saw a Quarian in a red and white suit on the ground still moving. "We have a live one here!" He quickly turned invisible to avoid being seen by the survivor.
Shepard, Tali,Legion and Ash ran down the stairs and approached the Quarian. Tali immediately recognized him. "Father!"
"Tali?" he groaned. Rael had several bullet wounds.
"What did you do here father?" she demanded. "Did you reactive the Geth parts I sent you?"
"Geth... Parts..." Rael was too weak to say anything. "Reactive?... yes but... but my... people turned... into.."
Shepard tried putting pressure on the wounds to stop the bleeding. "He's losing blood!"
"We did... not do... this." was all Rael said before he stopped moving or say anything.
"Father?" Tali called out to him.
"He's gone Tali." Shepard said in a apologetic voice.
Hearing those words Tali could not restrain herself. "No." was all she said before bursting into tears. Shepard then held her in a tight embrace.
"I'm sorry Tali."
"Damn it why? Why did he have to do this?"
Shepard broke the hug and looked at her. "He wanted you to be happy. But this won't clear your name or honour his memory."
"My father might have left a message." Tali activated his omni-tool. A hologram appeared of him.
"Tali, if you are watching this, then I am dead. The Geth's main hub will be on the bridge. You'll need to destroy it to stop their VI processes from forming new neural links. Make sure that this ship is destroyed. The Geth did something to my people. I hid for as long as I could but I was what happened they.."
"Thanks, Dad," Tali said in a solemn tone.
"He knew you would come for him," Shepard tried to comfort her. "He was trying to help you. It's not perfect. It's not what you wanted, but it is the best he could do."
"I don't know what's worse. Thinking he never cared, or that he did, and this was the only way that he could show it. It doesn't matter. One way or another, I care. And I'm here, and we're ending this."
"I hate to say this but since we got here I haven't seen any Quarrian body's. Only blood." Tikus said.
"We agree Geth do not remove the body's unless they need to." Legion stated.
"We'll find out in the control room." Tali said.
The Five went up the stairs and opened the door to the bridge. Several Geth troopers and a hunter surrounded a Geth Prime.
"Oh, talk about fun," Tikus quipped.
"Xiltro, Legoin take the left flank, while Tali, Ash and I take the right."
"Understood Shepard-commander," Legion complied as he and the hunter Exocron move to the left. Both machines used overload on a couple of troopers, frying their systems.
Tali summoned his combat drone. The construct spun around the Prime zapping it with electricity.
"Perfect distraction," Shepard said to her.
Shepard and ash then realised a barrage of assault rifle fire at the prime. As soon as it was weakened they unleashed a concussive round each. It hit the prime and ripped it apart.
"Area clear," Legion said.
Ash looked to the terminal. "Is that it?"
"Yes, this is the console hub my father mentioned," Tali replied. "Disabling it will shut down any Geth we might have missed." She accessed the console. "It looks like some of the recordings remain intact. They'll tell us how this happened, what father did."
"It sounds like you don't really want to hear it," Shepard observed.
"No," she answered him. "We have to, I know. I just... this is terrible, Shepard. I don't want to know that he was part of all this."
Tali started the video log. It showed a couple of Quarian scientists standing at the terminal. Rael approached them from behind.
"Do we have enough parts to bring more online?" Rael asked the two scientists.
"Yes," the male scientist replied. "The new shipment from your daughter will let us add two more Geth to the network."
"We are nearing a breakthrough on systemic viral attacks," the female scientist added. "Perhaps we should inform the Admiralty Board just to be safe."
"No," Rael asserted. "We are too close. I promised to build a house on the homeworld. I'm not going to sit and wait while politicians argue."
"We'd have an easier time of it if Tali'Zorah could send us more working material," the male scientist suggested.
"Absolutely not," Rael scorned. "I don't want Tali exposed to any political blowback. Leave. Tali. Out of this. Assemble new Geth with what we have. Bypass security protocols if need be." The video cut out.
"He really wanted to keep his promise," Shepard said.
"I never wanted this," Tali said. "Keelah... I never wanted this." She walked away a few steps. "Everything here is his fault! I tried to pretend it didn't point to him, but this... When this comes up in the trial, they'll..." Tali spun around and walked up to Shepard. "We can't tell them, not the admirals, not anyone."
"You won't need to it's a fake." Tikus spoke surprising everyone.
Shepard looked to Tikus. "Seriously."
"Yes, Commander." He approached the terminal. "The image around the Qurrians is 0.5% distorted. It could get past any screening tech. I'll get in to see if there's anything we can use." he said before a surge of blue energy hit the terminal.
-
Tikus floated around inside the ship's network. It was a large green holographic plan with databases and systems buildings that dotted the landscape. Databases were large green holographic buildings with Quarian symbols lining them. Tikus approached the first database and interfaced with it. Blue connectors came from his hands and attached his form to the database.
"I'm in. Examining." Thousands of files flew through his mind. The video log that they just watched went through. Before it could leave, he stopped the process. "Hold it ok Commander, this file was falsified."
Tali's voice chimed in. "How do you know?"
"Upon further analysis, the audio and video do not match up. Deep within its code, the dates are off. The video was made separately from the audio. And get this. Upon further analysis of the audio, shows that the audio file is not naturally recorded."
"So it was spliced?" Ash asked for clarification.
"Just like what happened during the Hock heist, but this is much more advance."
"Tiberian?" Shepard asked already knowing the answer.
"Tiberian."
At that moment Tikus felt a presence move nearby. There was a sound. He turned around in time to see something move nearby. "Commander... I'm not alone in here."
-
The doors to the room opened. This caught the group's attention. Their eyes widened with horror. For standing there was the lower parts of a Geth hunter but the head and torso was a unsuited Quarrian that has been fused with a Geth hunter. While the face of it still had Quarrian features it was bald aside from a set of wires coming from the back of its head and had a mask over its mouth.
"Keelah." Tali said in horror.
"Defiantly Tiberian." Shepard said.
They where so shocked that they did not notice two more come up. Just then all three of the aimed their weapons at Shepard and fired. He was it and slammed into the wall. Ash noticed only too late.
"John!" screamed moving up to him.
He was unconcerned but the weapon they used cut through his armour. His flesh was majorly burned but his healing ability was already kicking in. Now she was pissed. She grabbed her rifle and started firing at the Quarrian-Geth hybrids.
"Tikus we have incoming, multiple incoming hostiles!" She yelled through her communicator. "But Shepard is down!"
"I have problems of my own!" Xiltro screamed back.
"Like what?"
-
Tikus saw the entity emerged from behind one of the databases. The entity was red in its holographic colour and looked exactly like a Collector soldier. "I've identified the one responsible for all of this. It's a Collector virus!"
"I need you to take it down," Ash ordered.
Tikus summoned several anti-viral constructs. "I maybe an Exocron but I have one hell of a combat program!"
The blade covered orbs rushed at the Collector virus. The virus raised its talons and struck forward. The blows destroy every anti-viral that tried to attack. The Collector flew forwards and tried to attack but Tikus dodged its attacks effortless. "I like challenges."
Tikus grabbed one of its talons and flung the monstrosity down towards the ground. The creature impacted the holographic ground, destroying some data. He raised his hands, with the tops facing the Collector. He waved them towards him. "Come on bring it on you useless hardware."
The Virus then formed a practical beam and began firing at the Exocron. Tikus just ran in between the buildings avoiding the fire. He then created two swords ready for close combat attacking.
Tikus ran up to the Virus so fast that it did not have time to attack. He sliced with both of his swords. The Collector froze in place. He flew about a small distance away from the virus before he stopped. The digital swords dissipated from his hands. He turned around and saw the virus' avatar becoming slightly unstable. Tikus raised his arms. The blue connectors emerged from his hands and launched forward. They attached themselves to the virus.
"Your nothing but bits now!" he yelled as the connectors brightly glowed.
The virus let out one defiant scream before it disintegrated and assimilated. Tikus absorbed any knowledge the virus had. If he were to fight another virus similar to this avatar, he would have an easier time in weakening it. But as he analysed he found something that he could not believe.
-
The Quarrian-Geth hybrids lay limb on the ground. Tali was still frozen. She had no idea what living creature could do this. Just then Shepard slowly got up. Ash saw him and helped him.
"John you ok?" she asked.
"I'm fine. Hell that blast did a number on me." He said.
"Viral infiltrator has been eliminated but we need to get out of here now!" Tikus announced over the comm.
"What do you mean?"
"No time to explain but we need to get to the shuttle now while I get a vaccine program done."
Those word meant trouble. "MOVE!" Shepard ordered.
As Tikus jumped to Shepard's omni tool Tali heard the yell and began running with the others back to the shuttle. It did not take long. As they entered Legion dropped it's weapons and entered before the doors closed and the ship took off.
"Ok Tikus explain." Shepard said as Tikus assumed his human form.
"Sorry about the rush commander." he replied. "I was able to assimilate its data. The virus I fought was of Collector origin and incorporated Tiberian tech but that's not the best bit they where trying to convert the Quarrians to become those Quarrian-Geth hybrids."
"How?" Tali piped in.
"There was a worm file in one of their storage crates once it was opined the virus would be released into the system along with nanomachines, that converts infects the victims suit and use their body's and suits to convert them into those hybrids. But they needed Geth constructs to make them into the hybrids. So that saw we heard was from the medical room that they used to complete the conversion processes. The Collectors know about the state of the Quarrian politics and hoped to try and restart the war so that they could have an army of hybrids to fight for the reapers as expendable soldiers."
"God damn," Shepard gasped. He looked to Tali. "At least your father was innocent of what happened here." He could see her smile under the face plate. "Can you give me the evidence to prove this?"
"Yes, right here. On your omni-tool is the digital signature of the Alarei virus. The other is the digital signature of the Collector Ship virus. It's a match. This means the virus EDI and I fought made its way here."
"How did the crate get onto the Alarei?"
"The Collectors have been keeping an eye on the Quarians. They sent forth a drone to disguised as a Quarrian food transport."
"Well, it looks like you need to give the Admiralty Board an earful," Ash joked.
"That I do," he said.
-
Shepard, Tali, Ash and Legion exited the shuttle made their way to the hall.
"It's been several hours," Zaal's voice said over the ship's PA. "There is no reason to believe that Tali'Zorah survived."
"It looks like the hearing has already started," Tali observed.
"We can't just lose hope," Raan argued. "It's only been a couple of hours."
"A Quarian strike team didn't even last five minutes," Gerrel countered. "Call it."
"It's a shame that Shepard was a better speaker than he is a soldier," Zaal scoffed. "I would like to propose that we posthumously exile Tali'Zorah."
"What?" Gerrel yelled.
"We agreed to clear her of her charges if she died!" Raan reminded.
"You said that," Zaal said. "We didn't actually have a vote on that case. I say we vote now."
The four entered the plaza. "I may be a better speaker than I am a soldier, Admiral Koris," Shepard said as they approached the centre plaza. The crowd all looked to them and moved out of the way for Shepard and Tali to reach the stand. Ash sat down on the steps. "But I am a goddamn good soldier to begin with," he quipped. "Your ship has been cleared of the Geth. But you need to destroy it."
"Whys that?" Gerrel asked guessing something bad.
"The ship has been contaminated with nanomachines that can turn you into this." Shepard said as he pulled up an image of the Quarrian-Geth hybrid.
Everyone fell silent and the room grew cold at the sight of the abomination of what they where seeing. At that moment Gerrel hit his comm.
"Fire control destroy the Alaeri."
Koris then turned to him. "What are you doing?" he yelled.
"Saving us."
"Tell us, Shepard. What did you find on the Alarei?" Gerrel asked.
"What evidence do you wish to present before the Board?" Raan asked.
Shepard approached the stand. "We found that the Alarei suffered a cyber attack-"
The crowd was loud with chatter over that partial revelation.
"So the Geth parts that were sent to the ship were tainted!" Zaal roared. "This means exile for Tali'Zorah."
Shepard stared at Zaal in amazement in his stupidity. Despite slightly agreeing with his ideas about the Geth, this man truly pissed him off. "You ever heard of the phrase 'to assume makes an ass out of u and me'? Though I'm not sure if that phrase is applicable in this situation, since the only ass here is you."
"How dare you! How dare you make a mockery out of this hearing!"
"This hearing is nothing but a mockery!" Shepard roared back. "Tali saved us all from the Reapers and the Geth at the Citadel and you would so soon turn against her?! She saved the Citadel. She saved most of the Alarei. She showed the galaxy what Quarians are capable of. And yet you pull this on her. If you had let me finished you would know that Tali, nor Rael were not responsible for what happened on the Alarei. The Alarei suffered a cyber attack from the Collectors."
"The Collectors are a myth," Daro'Xen said as she finally involved herself in the trial. She would not allow this level of mockery to continue. "They are nothing more than bedtime story monsters parents use to scare their children into going to sleep."
"The Collectors are very real." Shepard pulled up his omni-tool and displayed footage of the Collectors on Freedom's Progress and then on Horizon. "The Collectors have been collecting human colonists all over the Terminus."
"Why would the Collectors attack our Fleet?" Raan asked.
"The Collectors are agents of the Reapers," Shepard replied. "And I know you know they exist. You know that Sovereign was not a Geth construct. The Reapers are coming to this galaxy to harvest all life. What better way to do it then to pacify the largest fleet in the galaxy before they arrive?"
"What evidence do you have that this was an attack from the Collectors?" Zaal argued in vain.
"The digital signature of the virus matches the virus we encountered when we were attacked by the Collector cruiser." Shepard sent the data to the admirals. "This data proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Collectors were behind the cyber attack."
The admirals looked at the data.
"This data is good," Gerrel said.
"I believe we can vote then," Raan announced.
The admirals raised their omni-tools and cast their vote. Raan looked at the votes tallied. It was not a surprising result. "On the crime of treason, Tali'Zorah has been found not guilty. Congratulations." She breathed a sigh of relief. "This concludes the hearing. Keelah Se'lai."
The crowd quickly dispersed allowing Shepard, Tali, Ash and Legion to crow together.
"Well that went well."Ash quipped.
"Yeah I feel a lot better now."
"Lets hope they make the right choice. Come on we've got unfinished business."
The four then left for the Normandy there was one thing left to do.
* * *
**A/n I was planing to do the bit where Shepard reviles who he is but it was taking too long so enjoy this. **
End file.
| fanfiction |
"Bringing Out The Dead", early draft, by Paul Schrader
BRINGING OUT THE DEAD
First draft (11/7/97)
Paul Schrader
From the novel by
Joseph Connelly
After World War One it was called
Shell Shock.
After World War Two it was called
Battle Fatigue.
After Vietnam it was called
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Frank Pierce, 28, drives an EMS vehicle for
Our Lady of Mercy Hospital, New York City.
He has been a paramedic for five years.
EXT. NEW YORK STREETS--NIGHT
An EMS "bus" careens around a corner, tires squealing, lights
flashing, siren whoop-whooping, swooping through Stygian
canyons of New York.
FRANK PIERCE, 28, drives. He wears dark cargo pants, black
boots, a white shirt with the paramedic badge, "EMS" gold
logo on one collar, "OLM" on the other. "Our Lady of Mercy
Paramedic" is inscribed in white across the back of his
navy jacket. On his belt: two-way radio, leather gloves,
beeper, drug kit, multi-purpose tool kit, mini-flashlight,
collapsible baton.
LARRY, 35, overweight, his partner for the night, rides techie
(shotgun), both hands clutching the dash.
Frank scans the blurring cityscape for hidden danger. He is
a young man of slight frame and open face--his life, his
possible futures, still before him: behind those open eyes,
beneath those dark shadows: hollowness beckons.
Dispatcher's voice crackles through the cab static: "Ladder
4, respond to a 10-22, four flight residential, 417 East 32.
13 Boy, men's room Grand Central, man set his pants on fire.
Bad burns. 17 David, at 177 East 24, there's a
woman who says a roach crawled in her ear. Can't get it out,
says she's going into cardiac arrest ..."
Frank's detached voice speaks over the urban landscape:
FRANK (V.O.)
Thursday started out with a bang: a
gunshot to the chest on a drug deal
gone bad. Heat, humidity, moonlight--
all the elements in place for a long
weekend. I was good at my job: there
were periods when my hands moved
with a speed and skill beyond me and
my mind worked with a cool authority
I had never known. But in the last
year I had started to lose that
control. Things had turned bad. I
hadn't saved anyone for months. I
just needed a few slow nights, a
week without tragedy followed by a
couple of days off.
The radio continues: "Zebra, 13Z, 524 East 17--"
LARRY
(on radio)
We're there.
The ambulance breaks to a halt in front of a row of vintage
walk-ups. Frank and Larry jump out: Frank lugs the EKG monitor
and airway bag, Larry the drug box, yellow oxygen
pack slung over his shoulder. Neighbors crowd around.
OLD WOMAN
Which apartment? Which apartment?
FRANK
Move back. Where's the stairs? 5A.
OLD WOMAN
Oh Jesus, it's Mr. Burke.
The front door opens, a young boy holding it.
Author's note: in emergency situations, either on the street
or in the hospital, it is assumed there is continual
background noise--voices, sirens, cries, questions, etc.
CUT TO:
INT. TENEMENT STAIRWELL--NIGHT
Four flights up: Frank and Larry climbing rotting steps,
gray-yellow painted walls, red doors with three locks each,
Larry, out of breath, his stomach rolling around like a
bowling ball in a bag.
CUT TO:
INT. BURKE APARTMENT--NIGHT
They enter 5A. MRS. BURKE, 55, her eyes run dry, standing in
the center of the room, surrounded by neighbors. Someone
leads them to the BEDROOM where Mr. Burke, 60, lies unmoving,
stretched on the bed. A young woman, MARY BURKE, 24, kneels
over the old man, pressing her lips to his flaccid mouth.
JOHN BURKE, 30, grabs Franks arm:
JOHN
We were just watching TV and Dad
yelled out and started punching his
chest, next thing he locked himself
in the bathroom. I said we were gonna
call you guys and he said not to.
He was crying, I never heard him
crying before, then he sorta stopped.
We pulled him out and put him on the
bed.
Frank and Larry moving the body to the floor:
FRANK
How long ago did he stop breathing?
JOHN
Maybe ten minutes. Woman on the phone
tried to tell us how to do CPR.
Please, you gotta do something.
FRANK
We'll do all we can.
Larry ripping open Mr. Burke's shirt, prepping electrode
patches, hooking wires, Frank opening Burke's mouth, feeling
a puff of gas escape; Larry calling for backup. Burke's EKG
rhythm on the monitor a flat green line.
Frank's training takes over: he injects the long steel
laryngoscope down Burke's throat, he finds a vein, injects
epinephrine, followed by atrophine, followed by another epi:
no response on the monitor. Larry pulls out the paddles:
FRANK (CONT'D)
Clear! Clear!
Larry activates defibrillator, shock--Burke's body heaves.
Sweat drips from Larry's nose onto Burke's chest.
MARY
No more, please don't!
They shock him again. This time the body moves less. Frank
glances up: Mr. and Mrs. Burke's wedding photo sits on the
nightstand. Other pictures: a day at the beach, a young
serviceman, happy parents. Frank's mind drifts:
FRANK (V.O.)
In the last year I had come to believe
in such things as spirits leaving
the body and not wanting to be put
back, spirits angry at the awkward
places death had left them. I
understood how crazy it was to think
this way, but I was convinced if I
turned around, I'd see Old Man Burke
standing at the window, watching,
waiting for us to finish.
Frank feels Burke's heart beneath cracked ribs. The EEG
remains flat. He's dead. It's time to quit.
FRANK (CONT'D)
(to Larry)
I'll take over. Call ER and ask for
an eighty-three.
(to Mrs. Burke)
Sorry.
Larry stands, breathing heavy, looks for a phone. Frank turns
to notice relatives and neighbors standing around.
FRANK (CONT'D)
Do you have any music?
MARY
What?
FRANK
Music. I think it helps if you play
something he liked.
MARY
John, play the Sinatra.
John enters crying. Mary repeats softly:
MARY
Play the Sinatra.
John exits. Frank notices Mary for the first time: blond
hair dyed black, cut short, loose fitting tank dress, black
makeup running down her cheeks. He notices her prom picture,
glances back to Mary: it seems she hasn't smiled since that
day eight years before. Something special about her, that
something that hits you right away.
"September of My Years" plays from the other room. Frank
continues massaging Mr. Burke's chest (now to Sinatra beat),
even though it's hopeless. Larry returns:
LARRY
It's OK, Frank. We can call it. Eighty-
three.
Frank feels something strange, looks into Burke's pupils,
checks his neck pulse, wrist pulse. His eyes go to Larry:
FRANK
No we can't. He's got a pulse.
LARRY
No shit.
Larry checks the monitor: the green line up and down. Mary
senses a change in status:
MARY
Is he going to be alright?
FRANK
(not encouraging)
His heart's beating.
A distant siren signals the arrival of backup. Frank turns
to Larry:
FRANK (CONT'D)
Have 'em bring up a stretcher.
He looks from Mary back to Mr. Burke--breathing but comatose.
CUT TO:
INT. AMBULANCE--NIGHT
Larry climbing through the back doors, sitting in the jumpseat
at the stretcher's head as Frank hangs IV bags, replugs EKG
wires that have come loose.
Frank looks up, sees Mary entering; he takes her arm, turns
her toward the rear doors:
FRANK
Help your family. Ride with your
mother and brother.
(she hesitates)
Help your family. They need you more.
Help yourself.
Mary steps out, stands in the red flashing light as Larry
closes the door, Frank climbs in the driver's seat.
CUT TO:
EXT. SECOND AVENUE--NIGHT
The EMS bus cruises up Second. Frank checks the side mirror:
John, Mary and Mrs. Burke pull behind in a black Ford. Seeing
their faces, Frank flips the lights and siren on. It's too
late to help Mr. Burke, but it's important to the family
that it look urgent. Frank watches passing lights, cars,
faces:
FRANK (V.O.)
I needed to concentrate because my
mind tended to wander on these short
trips. It was the neighborhood I
grew up in and where I had worked
most as a paramedic, and it held
more ghosts per square foot than any
other.
CUT TO:
EXT. OUR LADY OF MERCY--NIGHT
Larry and Frank's 13 Zebra ambulance lined up beside two
others outside a blazing "Emergency" sign on the crowded
side street.
CUT TO:
INT. MERCY ER--NIGHT
Every large city has a hospital Emergency Room so replete
with trauma, violence and suffering it picks up the sobriquet
"Knife and Gun Club." On Manhattan's Lower East Side it's
our Lady Of Mercy, aka, Our Lady of Misery.
ER: a white-lit cement box painted yellow and decorated with
old framed Playbills. Four rows of six plastic chairs face a
TV bolted and chained to the ceiling. The seats are filled
with backed-up drunks, assault victims and "regulars,"
bleeding and spilling over against the walls and the floor,
getting up to ask their status or going out to throw up and
have a smoke.
Larry and Frank wheeling Burke in, two IV lines, each
connected to an elbow, tangled in EKG cables. Two LACERATED
RUSSIANS scramble out of their way as they approach GRISS,
the large black sunglassed security guard. He looks up from
his television guide:
GRISS
Hey partner. Your man does not look
well. They're not gonna appreciate
you inside.
FRANK
(pumping Ambu-bag)
Griss, let us in.
GRISS
Things are backing up.
Griss pushes a button, activating the automatic door, striking
the bandaged leg of a man lying down on a stretcher in the
hall. Larry and Frank wheel Burke inside. A pleading family
tries to follow. Griss stretches out his hand:
GRISS (CONT'D)
You can't go in there, folks.
Mary, John and Mrs. Burke rush in from the street, hoping
some miracle has occurred during the drive to the hospital,
approach the sign-in desk.
Frank and Larry pass four stretchers lined against the wall--
a passage nicknamed "Skid Row" leading past triage NURSE
CONSTANCE's station.
NURSE CONSTANCE
Just keep moving. Don't even slow
down.
Nurse Constance turns back to the nervous man seated beside
her:
NURSE CONSTANCE (CONT'D)
Sir, you say you've been snorting
cocaine for three days and now you
feel your heart is beating too fast
and you would like us to help you.
To tell the truth, I don't see why I
should. If I'm mistaken, correct me.
Did we sell you the cocaine? Did we
push it up your nose?
Larry and Frank slow at the last Skid Row stretchers. On
one, NOEL, a young dark-skinned man with chaotic mess of
dreadlocks, pulls feverishly at his restraints:
NOEL
For God's sake, give me some water.
From the next stretcher a man with feet swollen purple like
prize eggplants replies:
BIG FEET
Shut up! Goddamn civilians.
NOEL
Give me some water!
NURSE CRUPP stops Frank and Larry as they approach the
Critical care room. inside, the staff appears as if under
siege by a battalion of shriveled men and women lying on a
field of white sheets.
NURSE CRUPP
Don't take another step. We're on
diversion. Can't accept any more
patients. Your dispatcher should
have told you.
FRANK
We got him at Eighteen and Second.
You're closest.
NURSE CRUPP
Where will I put him, Frank? Look.
Tell me.
FRANK
He wanted to come here. Said the
nurses at Misery were the best.
NURSE CRUPP
(acquiesces)
All right, give me a minute. I'll
kick someone out of slot three.
Larry unravels himself from the IV lines as nurse walks over,
takes Burke's pulse.
NOEL
(to Frank)
Excuse me. You are a very kind man.
I can see that. A man like you could
not refuse a poor sick dying helpless
man a small cup of water.
FRANK
I can't. I have to stay with my
patient.
BIG FEET
Shut the fuck up! If it wasn't for
these dun feet I'd get up and kick
your ass!
DR. HAZMAT, 30, steps over.
HAZMAT
Godammit, guys, what are you doing
to me? We're all backed up in here.
Christ, would you look at him? He's
gonna need the works. What's wrong
with him?
LARRY
You should know. You pronounced him.
HAZMAT
You told me he was dead. Flatline.
FRANK
He got better.
HAZMAT
I hate pronouncing people dead over
the phone.
(flashes light in
Burke's eyes)
Better, huh? They're fixed and
dilated. He's plant food.
NURSE CRUPP
(returning)
We stole a stretcher from X-ray. No
pad on it, but I don't think he'll
mind. Put him in three, next to the
overdose.
HAZMAT
He's our lowest priority now. He
shouldn't even be here. All this
technology. What a waste.
Back at SECURITY, the Burkes confront Griss.
GRISS
Please folks, step back.
(they hesitate)
Don't make me take off my sunglasses.
In CRITICAL CARE, Larry wheels Burke into unit three as Dr.
Hazmat turns Frank to face the room, explaining:
HAZMAT
First-time heart attack, age 45.
Should have gone to the CCU ten hours
ago. There's three bodies up there
Mike the one you just brought in.
over there, two AIDS patients, one
in twelve filling up with liquid.
I'm gonna hafta intubate because the
kid's mother won't sign the Do Not
Resuscitate. Mercy killing doesn't
translate well in Spanish. It's a
sin to tube this kid. Three more ODs
from some new killer junk. They call
it Red Death.
Hazmat pulls out a vial marked with a red skull and
crossbones, shows it to Frank.
NOEL
Water, water, water, doctor man,
water.
HAZMAT
A mix of heroin and I don't know
what else, some kind of amino acid
maybe. Stuff so strong they're
drinking it with grain alcohol. You
have to use ten times the usual amount
of Narcan and watch out when they
wake up, liable to go nuts on you.
FRANK
(about Noel)
He one of them?
HAZMAT
No, that's Noel. Used to be a regular
off and on, hasn't been in in a while.
He seized and almost coded--I gave
him a hypertonic solution. He drank
so much the kidneys were taking out
salt. One for the textbooks.
NOEL
Oh doctor, you are the greatest. You
must help me.
BIG FEET
For God's sake, give him a drink of
water.
HAZMAT
I am helping you, Noel. You could
die if you drink more water.
Nurse Crupp pulls on Hazmat's arm.
HAZMAT (CONT'D)
What is it?
She points to Burke. His monitor is ringing like a fire alarm.
Hazmat and Crupp rush over, wave to others:
HAZMAT (CONT'D)
Crupp, start CPR. Milagros, get me
an epi. Odette wake up Dr. Stark.
Tell him I need a blood gas, stat.
As the staff crowds around Burke, pulling the paddles from
off the monitor, Frank, pushing his stretcher away, notices
Big Feet climb onto his infected feet, hobble over, work to
untie Noel.
NOEL
Bless you sir, bless you.
BIG FEET
Shut up.
Frank heads down Skid Row pushing the stretcher, passing
Nurse Constance speaking with a man with a gash over his
eye:
NURSE CONSTANCE
... so you get drunk every day and
you fall down. Tell me why we should
help you when you're going to get
drunk tomorrow and fall down again?
Frank pushes the automatic door button--and is suddenly hit
from behind by Noel. The stretcher spins sideways. Noel
dives out the doors for the water fountain, snorting up water
like a bull. Mary Burke, standing with her family, looks at
Frank.
FRANK
(stock reply)
He's very very sick.
MARY
I know him. That's Noel.
FRANK
We'd better go outside. Quickly.
Frank and Mary step out into the humid night.
CUT TO:
EXT. MERCY EMERGENCY--NIGHT
Checking behind then, Frank stops. Mary pauses before she
speaks:
MARY
Is there any chance?
FRANK
(shakes head)
I guess there's always a chance.
The doors break open. Noel comes flying out, bounces on the
sidewalk. Griss, in the doorway, closes the doors.
Mary goes over to Noel:
MARY
Noel, Noel, it's me, Mary. From 17th
Street.
NOEL
Mary, Mary, Mary. I'm so thirsty.
They won't give me anything to drink.
Please, Mary.
MARY
(heading inside)
I'll get you some.
Frank watches: Mary returns with a cup of water, gives it to
a grateful Noel.
FRANK
I wouldn't do that.
(Noel drinks)
The doctor seems to think he's
suffering from some rare disorder.
MARY
It's not so rare. He grew up on our
street. He's had a rough life and
he's a little crazy from it, but
that's no excuse for not giving
someone a lousy cup of water.
Mary starts to cry. Frank fumbles in his pocket, finds a
tissue, gives it to her.
MARY (CONT'D)
My father's dying, Noel.
NOEL
Oh Mary, Mary, Mary.
Noel hugs her clumsily, his shoulders bobbing. Frank watches,
realizing this is what he should have done for her.
CUT TO:
EXT. EAST SIDE STREETS--NIGHT
13 Zebra cruising down Avenue C, Frank at the wheel, Larry
shotgun.
LARRY
The Chinese close in five minutes.
Beef lo mein. It's been on my
mind since I woke. Whatjathink?
FRANK
I think the moment that food hits
your mouth we'll get a job.
LARRY
Turn here. You missed it. The Chink
is on 3rd.
Franks turns, gets jammed up behind a pimp car at Second and
Avenue B, a corner populated by pushers and hookers. TWO
WHORES stand in front of an abandoned building. Frank turns
to look.
WHORE #1
Hey ambulance man. What you looking
at?
The second whore, wearing a yellow vinyl coat, turns. She
has a face that instantly freezes Frank: the Rose face.
Pregnant, she gestures to her belly:
WHORE #2
Pretty soon you'll be coming for me.
LARRY
Some partner you are Frank. I coulda
walked there faster. I'm starving
and you stop to talk to hookers.
You're making me nuts. Is that what
you're trying to do, drag me down
with you to nutsville?
Frank hits the whoop-whoop siren. The pimps in the black BMW
jump, look back, realize its only an ambulance, and pull
away.
LARRY (CONT'D)
(slams dashboard)
Oh no!--I just remembered.
FRANK
What?
LARRY
I'm so stupid. I had beef lo mein
last night. I can't eat the same
thing two nights in a row. It's almost
two o'clock, what the hell am I gonna
do? What you getting?
FRANK
I'm not hungry.
LARRY
Oh yeah, you don't eat food.
FRANK
I eat. I just haven't had coffee
yet.
LARRY
Coffee and whiskey, lucky you ain't
dead with that diet. Wait, I've got
it. Half fried chicken with fries.
Let's go, hurry up. Come on.
Frank speeds up Avenue B. Noel, wearing generic homeless
combat fatigues, muttering to his friends in Hell, passes on
the sidewalk. Frank notices another hooker, catches her face:
the same face as the pregnant Whore #2. The Rose face. His
mind drifts:
FRANK (V.O.)
Rose was getting closer. Ever since
the call a month before, when I'd
lost her, she seemed like all the
girls in the neighborhood. One of
the first things you learn is to
avoid bad memories. I used to be an
expert, but lately I'd found some
holes. Anything could trigger it.
The last month belonged to Rose, but
there were a hundred more ready to
come out.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHICKEN TAKE-OUT--NIGHT
The EMS vehicle is stopped at a fast food joint. Larry orders,
waits.
FRANK (V.O.)
These spirits were part of the job.
It was impossible to pass a building
that didn't bold the spirit of
something: the eyes of a corpse, the
screams of a loved one. All bodies
leave their mark. You cannot be near
the new dead without feeling it.
Larry gets his chicken, chats with counter clerk, returns.
FRANK (V.O.) (CONT'D)
I could handle that. What haunted me
now was more savage: spirits born
half-finished, homicides, suicides,
overdoses, innocent or not, accusing
me of being there, witnessing a
humiliation which they could never
forgive.
Larry climbs in, sets his take-out on the dash, hands Frank
a coffee. A police walkie-talkie is in the front tray.
LARRY
Turn it off.
FRANK
What?
LARRY
You know what. The radio.
POLICE DISPATCH
Ladder Four, respond to a 10-22 four
flight residential, 317 East 32nd.
LARRY
Let's do it. It might be a good one.
FRANK
You wanted it turned off. There's no
such thing as a good fire. People
get burned up. They can't breathe.
LARRY
That's what we're here for. Come on,
Frank.
FRANK
Don't push it, Larry.
LARRY
You're burned out.
RADIO DISPATCHER
One-three Zebra. Zebra three, I need
you.
LARRY
You see, he's giving it to us anyway.
RADIO DISPATCHER
Zebra, are you there? I'm holding an
unconscious at First and St. Marks.
LARRY
(screams)
No! It's three o'clock. That can
only mean one thing.
FRANK
Mr. Oh.
LARRY
It's Mr. Oh. I'm not answering it.
RADIO DISPATCHER
Answer the radio Zebra. You know
it's that time.
LARRY
Four times this week I've had him.
Aren't there any other units out
there? Don't answer the radio.
They'll give it to someone else.
RADIO DISPATCHER
Thirteen Zebra. One-Three Zebra.
You're going out of service in two
seconds.
Pause. Neither moves.
LARRY
Look, Frank, when I say don't answer
it, that means answer it.
(picks up the mike)
You can do that for me at least.
(keys mike)
Three Zebra.
RADIO DISPATCHER
Yes, Zebra. You'll be driving to the
man who needs no introduction, chronic
caller of the year three straight
and shooting for number four. The
duke of drunk, the king of stink,
our most frequent flier, Mr. Oh.
LARRY
Ten-four.
(Frank starts the
engine)
Don't go. Not this time.
FRANK
(driving off)
Relax, it's a street job, easy except
for the smell. We'll just throw him
in back and zip over to Mercy--no
blood, no dying, that's how I look
at it. He's just a drunk.
LARRY
It's not our job to taxi drunks
around.
FRANK
They'll just keep calling.
LARRY
Someone's gonna die someday causa
that bum, going to have a cardiac
and the only medics will be taking
care of Mr. Oh.
CUT TO:
EXT. FIRST & ST. MARKS--NIGHT
Frank and Larry standing over Mr. Oh, 40, surrounded by street
people. Oh lays curled up beside his wheelchair, wearing a
black garbage bag with holes cut out for his arms, his pants
around his knees.
MALE STREET PERSON #1
He's bad mister. He ain't eaten nuthin
all day, he's seizing and throwing
up.
LARRY
(hand over nose)
So what's different?
MALE STREET PERSON #1
He says his feet hurt.
FRANK
Well why didn't you say so?
LARRY
He's drunk.
MALE STREET PERSON #2
He's sick. You gotta help him.
LARRY
He's fine. He can walk to the
hospital.
FEMALE STREET PERSON
Walk? You crazy? He's in a wheelchair.
LARRY
Don't start that. I've seen him walk.
He walks better than me.
Frank crouches over Oh, tries to pull Oh's pants over his
white, dirt-stained ass. Oh moans:
MR. OH
Oh, oh, oh.
LARRY
That's him, Mr. Oh.
(pulls at his arm)
Get up.
Larry and Frank get Oh to his feet only to have him stumble
over his lowered trousers. This time Frank lifts him, sets
his white ass cheeks into the wheelchair. They push him toward
the ambulance.
CROWD
Good luck! Get better!
CUT TO:
EXT. FIRST AVE--NIGHT
13 Zebra heads up First, double Caduceus symbols shining
from the back of the van.
Inside the cab, Larry and Frank lean out the front windows
to avoid the king of stink:
LARRY
Faster! God!
FRANK
(flips on top lights)
Faster!
CUT TO:
INT. MERCY ER--NIGHT
Griss holding up his hand:
GRISS
Get that stinky-assed motherfucking
bug-ridden skell out of my face.
Frank and Larry stand beside Oh slumped in his wheelchair.
Fellow drunks welcome their comrade from plastic chairs.
Nurse Constance escorts a young man from the triage area:
NURSE CONSTANCE
I would have to register you to give
you something to eat and my conscience
just will not allow that. Griss,
the gentleman wants to leave.
(looks at Oh)
He looks pale. You're not eating
enough. You need more fiber.
Griss shows young man the door.
LARRY
(holds up his report)
He's wasted. That's my diagnosis:
shit-faced.
NURSE CONSTANCE
He just needs a bath and some food.
Take him in back and see if you can
find a stretcher.
LARRY
(to Frank)
She's nuts. That's why he comes here.
She encourages him.
Griss returns as Crupp calls from critical care area:
NURSE CRUPP
Don't you dare! That's my last
stretcher. This is not a homeless
shelter. He'll have to wait in the
lobby.
GRISS
No way man. Not even in the corner.
Griss cannot abide the funk tonight.
Larry and Frank turn, secretly pleased, and wheel Mr. Oh
outside.
CUT TO:
EXT. MERCY EMERGENCY--NIGHT
Larry setting Oh outside the entrance, heading towards the
all night deli. Frank takes out a cigarette.
Mary Burke walks up the drive opening a pack of cigs. Frank
offers her a light. She inhales, exhales:
MARY
It's my first cigarette in over a
year.
FRANK
The first is always the best.
MARY
It's the waiting that's killing me,
not knowing, you know? It's really
hard on my mother. The doctor doesn't
think my father'll make it. He says
he was dead too long, after six
minutes the brain starts to die and
once that goes, close the door.
FRANK
You never know.
MARY
I mean if he was dead, I could handle
that.
FRANK
At least he's got people around him.
MARY
I'm not so sure. My father and I
haven't spoken in three years. When
my brother called to say my father
was having a heart attack, that he'd
locked himself in the bathroom, all
the way going over I was thinking
how I was gonna tell him what a
bastard he was. Then when I got up
the stairs and we moved him onto the
bed, I thought of all these other
things I wanted to say.
FRANK
Even when you say the things, there's
always more things.
MARY
Right now, I'm more worried about my
mother than anything. They won't let
her see my father.
FRANK
Go home. Take her home. Get some
rest. Not going to find anything out
now.
MARY
That's what I told her. If she could
just see him a second, then I could
take her home.
Larry walks back with a coffee for himself and a brown bag
beer for Frank.
LARRY
Time to switch. I wheel, you heal.
CUT TO:
EXT. LOWER EAST SIDE--NIGHT
4:00am. The EMS vehicle drives downtown. The city has
transformed: a deserted city, inhabited by the hardcore:
hardcore night-shift employees, hardcore party-goers, hardcore
druggies, hardcore homeless, people with something special
to do or nowhere to go.
RADIO DISPATCHER
12 David on the corner of Thirty-
eight and Two you'll find a three-
car accident, two taxis and a taxi.
One-two Henry, 427 East Two-two,
report of a very bad smell. No further
information ...
Larry driving at a good clip, riding both the gas and the
break pedals, enjoying the newfound freedom of movement.
FRANK
Larry, swing over on Eighth. We're
gonna hafta run one of these calls.
LARRY
Relax, will you.
Frank places both hands on the dash as Larry squeals around
a corner.
FRANK (V.O.)
The biggest problem with not driving
is that whenever there's a patient
in back you're also in the back.
The doors close, you're trapped.
Four in the morning is always the
worst time for me, just before dawn,
just when you've been lulled into
thinking it might be safe to close
your eyes for one minute. That's
when I first found Rose ...
Larry slows down on a side street. Frank turns to watch a
homeless man. The man looks back: it's Rose. The Rose face.
FRANK (V.O.) (CONT'D)
She was on the sidewalk, not
breathing.
Frank turns to Larry:
FRANK (CONT'D)
I'm not feeling very well, Larry. I
say we go back to the hospital and
call it a night.
LARRY
You have no sick time, Frank. No
time of any kind. Everyone knows
that.
FRANK
Take me back, put me to bed; I
surrender. We've done enough damage
tonight.
LARRY
You take things too seriously. Look
at us, we're cruising around, talking,
taking some quiet time, getting paid
for it. We've got a good job here.
FRANK
Yeah, you're right.
Larry pulls into the Jacob Riis projects by the river, slows
to a stop. Larry cuts the lights, not bothering to inform
his partner what his partner already knows: they're taking
a rest.
CUT TO:
EXT. RIIS PROJECTS--NIGHT
13 Zebra sits in the quiet dark. Larry puffs a cigarette.
FRANK
Tell me, you ever think of doing
anything else?
LARRY
Sure, I'm taking the captain's exam
next year. After the kids are in
school, Louise can go back to the
post office and, I thought, what the
hell, I'll start my own medic service.
Out on the Island the volunteers are
becoming salaried municipal. It's
just a matter of time and who you
know. Someday it's going to be Chief
Larry calling the shots.
Larry tosses the cigarette out the window, leans against the
door jab, closes his eyes. In a second he's asleep.
Frank turns down the radio volume: the calls are fewer and
further between now. Frank leans back, tries to rest:
FRANK (V.O.)
I'd always had nightmares, but now
the ghosts didn't wait for me to
sleep. I drank every day. Help others
and you help yourself, that was my
motto, but I hadn't saved anyone in
months. It seemed all my patients
were dying. I'd waited, sure the
sickness would break, tomorrow night,
the next call, the feeling would
drop away. More than anything else I
wanted to sleep like that, close my
eyes and drift away ...
TIMECUT: radio wakes Frank from his reverie.
RADIO DISPATCHER
Zebra. One-three Zebra.
(Frank opens eyes)
Zebra, answer the radio. Come on,
I've got one for you. Pick up the
radio and push the button on the
side and speak into the front.
FRANK
(answering call)
Zebra.
RADIO DISPATCHER
Male bleeding, corner of Houston and
One. No further information.
FRANK
Ten-four.
Frank hangs up, bangs Larry's steering wheel:
FRANK (CONT'D)
We have a call Chief. Somebody's
bleeding, Houston and First.
Larry instinctively reaches for the ignition key, starts the
engine, drops the ambulance into gear, hits lights, jerks
the EMS bus away, still half asleep.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOUSTON & FIRST--NIGHT
13 Zebra coming to a bone jarring stop at the corner. Getting
out of the techie seat, Frank sees Noel, his face bloody,
charging at him.
NOEL
Kill me!
Noel has sliced up a tire and fastened the pieces with string
over his shoulders. Tin cans circle his wrists and ankles.
One hand carries a broken bottle, the other a stringless
violin.
Frank jumps back inside as Noel rams the window, leaving
stains from his blood-matted dreadlocks. Larry calls for
backup: medics, police, firemen, anybody.
The side window glass bends as Noel rams his head against
it. Frank reaches for the short club between the seats; Noel
holds the jagged bottle to his neck.
FRANK
Noel, don't!
Noel drops the bottle. Frank rolls down the window.
LARRY
He's crazy.
FRANK
You really think so?
NOEL
See, I can't do it. I came out of
the desert.
FRANK
You came out of the hospital. You
were tied down and hallucinating.
You got some bad chemicals in your
head, Noel. There's some medicine at
the hospital that will fix that.
NOEL
No, no medicine!
Noel swings his bloody dreadlocks: Frank ducking, getting
splattered anyway, rolling up the window.
LARRY
He got you.
A BLACK PUNK calls from the crowd:
BLACK PUNK
Do it! Man wants to die. Take him
out! I know how to kill that mother.
(points a finger)
Pop, pop.
Noel, spraying blood, chases the Punk. The crowd scatters.
Noel trips, falls to the sidewalk. Frank, carrying the short
bat, gets out, walks over, hunches beside Noel:
FRANK
Noel, you didn't let me finish. We
have rules against killing people on
the street. Looks bad, but there's a
special room at the hospital for
terminating. A nice quiet room with
a big bed.
NOEL
Oh man, do you mean that?
(smiles)
Thank you man, thank you. How?
FRANK
Well, you have your choice: pills,
injection, gas.
A siren draws closer, Noel gets to his feet as Larry opens
the rear doors.
NOEL
I think pills. Yes, pills, definitely.
A second ambulance skids to a stop. TOM WALLS, 35, a 220
pound bald-headed bruiser, gets out.
LARRY
Jesus, Tom Walls, that crazy
motherfucker.
FRANK
Used to be my partner.
WALLS
Frank, this the guy you called about?
I know him.
(pushes Noel)
You give my friend here any trouble
and I'll kill you.
NOEL
Yes, at the hospital.
WALLS
This looks like a very bad man I
took in a couple weeks ago, a man
who'd been holding two priests hostage
with a screwdriver. I told him if I
ever caught him making trouble again
I'd kick the murdering life outta
him.
FRANK
It's not worth it, Tom. He's
surrendering.
WALLS
No prisoners. Don't worry, Frank,
just a little psychological first
aid.
Walls hauls back, swings at Noel; Noel ducks.
WALLS (CONT'D)
Stay still, dammit!
Walls throws Noel against the bus, knocks him down, sets to
kicking him.
FRANK
Don't do it, Tom!
Noel moans. Larry sticks his head out the back of the bus:
LARRY
There's a double shooting three blocks-
up. First and Third. confirmed.
WALLS
(looking up)
We'll do it.
Walls releasing Noel as Noel scrambles into the bus, Frank
stepping over him, Larry climbing into the driver's seat,
Frank closing the doors. Noel trembles:
NOEL
At the hospital. You told me at the
hospital.
Larry squeals off full gun, all sirens blaring: the Wah, the
Yelp, the Super Yelp. Strobe bar, side strobes, quarter panel
strobes. Rock n' roll.
CUT TO:
EXT. FIRST & THIRD--NIGHT
Both EMS buses breaking to a stop at the crime scene, cops
holding the crowd back; Walls, Frank, Larry, Walls' partner
moving through the crowd.
FRANK & WALLS
EMS. Move it!
BYSTANDER
Man just walked up and shot 'em. Not
a word. Man, that was cold.
Two boys, DRUG DEALERS, lie bleeding on the sidewalk. Frank
drops to his knees beside one, Walls the other. Larry wheels
out the stretcher.
FRANK
(to Drug Dealer)
Where you hit?
VOICE IN CROWD
Outlaw did this. He works for Cy.
Two white vials roll out of the Drug Dealer's shirt: marked
with red skull and crossbones. Frank looks over--they're
gone, swiped by eager hands.
Listening for a heartbeat, Frank calls to Walls:
FRANK
Major Tom, I'm going to Misery. You
take yours to Bellvue.
CUT TO:
INT. 13 ZEBRA EMS VEHICLE--NIGHT
Larry charging through the night while, in back, Frank,
stethoscope in his ears, wrapping a tourniquet around the
Drug Dealer's arm: he's dying fast.
FRANK
You're gonna feel a stick in your
arm. Don't move.
DRUG DEALER
I don't want to die.
NOEL
I want to die. I'm the one.
DRUG DEALER
Oh Jesus, I don't want to die.
FRANK
You're not going to die.
NOEL
What did you say?
FRANK
(to Noel)
Shut up. You're going to die and
he's not. Got it.
DRUG DEALER
(weak)
Hold my hand.
FRANK
I can't. I got to do the other arm.
DRUG DEALER
Please.
FRANK
(to Noel)
Hold this--right there. If you let
go, I swear, I won't kill you.
Noel holds IV bag as Frank searches for a vein, inserts second
IV needle.
CUT TO:
EXT. MERCY EMERGENCY--NIGHT
Larry pulls into Our Lady of Mercy Emergency. Frank says to
the boy:
FRANK
It's all right. We're here.
No answer. Frank feels for a pulse, listens with the
stethoscope: nothing. Larry opens the doors.
LARRY
Noel, let's go.
Frank turns to his partner:
FRANK
He's not breathing. Call a code.
Larry and Frank pull the dead boy out of the bus.
CUT TO:
INT. MERCY ER--NIGHT
Frank finishes his report, hands a copy to the clerk, looks
around the now almost empty waiting area. John Burke sleeps
slumped in one of the chairs. Griss stands at his post.
Pulling out a pack of cigarettes, Frank steps outside.
CUT TO:
EXT. MERCY EMERGENCY--NIGHT
Frank exits, lights up. The sky is going blue. Inside the
open rear doors of 13 Zebra, Larry mops up bloody floor.
Mary Burke, weary, steps beside Frank.
MARY
Hello again.
He offers a cigarette. She accepts:
MARY (CONT'D)
You shouldn't smoke.
FRANK
It's okay. They're prescription.
(beat)
Works better with a little whiskey.
MARY
That's my brother's problem. He's
passed out inside.
Larry jumps theatrically out of the ambulance, swings the
mop wildly over his head:
LARRY
That's it! I can't do it anymore!
Mary laughs once, less than a second. She notices blood stains
on Frank's shirt:
MARY
That boy you brought in, he was shot,
wasn't he?
FRANK
Yes.
MARY
He's dead, huh?
FRANK
Yes.
MARY
(pause)
I think this place stinks.
FRANK
Our Lady of Misery.
MARY
Did you see my father?
FRANK
No.
MARY
It's crazy in there. What's wrong
with that doctor? He keeps mumbling,
poking himself in the eye when he
talks to me.
FRANK
He's working a double shift.
MARY
Thing is, I'm supposed to be the
fuckup. The one on the stretcher in
there--that's supposed to be me.
With my parents crying out here. I
got a lot of guilt, you know what I
mean?
He does.
MARY (CONT'D)
My father's in a coma, now my mother's
going crazy. It's like she's in a
trance.
FRANK
She should go home.
MARY
I'd take her, but then who would
stay here?
Frank looks at her, trying to say the right thing. He notices
Mrs. Burke coming from inside.
FRANK
Here she is.
Mrs. Burke, dazed, steps out. They join her.
MRS. BURKE
It wasn't him.
MARY
You saw him?
MRS. BURKE
They showed me someone. It wasn't
him. It wasn't my husband.
FRANK
Mrs. Burke, please, they'll take
care of him. You should go home now.
MRS. BURKE
I should know my own husband. They
wouldn't let me see him.
She drifts away. Frank speaks to Mary:
FRANK
Larry and I'll drop her back home.
Help me get her to the ambulance.
MRS. BURKE
You want some coffee? I have some
apple sauce cake too.
They walk Mrs. Burke to 13 Zebra.
MARY
Thank you.
Mary watches as Larry backs up the EMS vehicle, Frank sitting
in the back with her mother, pulls into first light.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. 12TH STREET--EARLY MORNING
Larry dropping Frank off at the corner of First and Sixteenth,
driving on.
It is as if the sun has risen on a different city, different
from the one which Frank drove through the night before: a
city of crumbling neighborhoods laid bare by sunlight; a
city of day people, getting up, having breakfast, going to
work.
CUT TO:
INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT--DAY
Frank's studio apartment betrays a minimal existence: single
bed, table, fridge and stove, loveseat, bookshelf, television.
The bookshelf contains a CD player, medical texts, old
schoolbooks ("Romantic Poetry"), paperback novels and,
incongruously, a picture book of women's fashion.
A framed commendation from the New York Fire Department hangs
beside and open closet of work clothes, corduroy jacket, two
ties on a hook. Remnants of a fast food breakfast on the
table. Aluminum foil covers the windows, blocking out the
sunlight.
Frank stands bareback at the single open window, smoking,
drinking from a glass of whiskey, looking across the gray
cityscape of high rises and water tanks: winding down from
the night's work:
FRANK (V.O.)
Saving someone's life is like falling
in love, the best drug in the world.
For days, sometimes weeks afterwards,
you walk the street making infinite
whatever you see. Once, for weeks I
couldn't feel the earth. Everything
I touched became light. Horns played
in my shoes; flowers fell from my
pockets ...
TIME DISSOLVES: Frank paces the room. Pours himself another
drink.
FRANK (V.O.) (CONT'D)
You wonder if you've become immortal,
as if you saved your own life as
well. What was once criminal and
happenstance suddenly makes sense.
God has passed through you, why deny
it, that for a moment there, God was
you.
TIME DISSOLVE: window is closed. Frank tosses in his sleep.
Nightstand alarm buzzes. Frank sits up, looks at the clock.
Stretching his neck, he walks over to the sink, runs water
on his hands and face.
CUT TO:
EXT. EMS GARAGE--NIGHT
The maintenance garage and dispatch office adjacent to our
Lady of Mercy.
CUT TO:
INT. EMS GARAGE OFFICE--NIGHT
Frank standing on one foot before the desk of CAPTAIN BARNEY,
50, ex-paramedic and lifetime civil servant.
FRANK
Good morning, Captain.
Capt. Barney looks over to MISS WILLIAMS, his secretary,
seated at a desk perpendicular to his:
CAPT. BARNEY
What am I going to to do with this
guy?
(to Frank)
Pierce, I was just on the phone with
Borough Command. Out of twelve shifts
this month, you've been late for
nine, sick four and that includes
the shift where you came late and
went home early.
FRANK
I'm sick. That's what I've been
telling you.
CAPT. BARNEY
You're killing me, you know that?
You got no sick time according to
Command. I've been told to terminate.
FRANK
It's okay. I'll just get my things
out of the locker.
CAPT. BARNEY
I've never fired anyone in my life.
FRANK
I'm sorry Captain. Don't take it too
hard.
CAPT. BARNEY
Nobody tells me to fire anyone. I
told them: shove it up the big one.
(looks at Miss Williams)
Sorry.
(back to Frank)
I said, you want to fire him, come
over and do it yourself.
FRANK
You know they won't do it. It's up
to you. You gotta be strong.
CAPT. BARNEY
I feel for you, but we got an
emergency here. It's a weekend of
full moons. Everyone's called in
sick. Larry, Veeber, Stanley too.
We need bodies out there. I had to
put Marcus on Twelve Young. You know
he's not supposed to work two nights
in a row.
FRANK
You swore you'd fire me if I came in
late again.
CAPT. BARNEY
I'll fire you tomorrow. Hell, better
than that, I'll forward you some
sick time. A week, two weeks off--
how about that?
FRANK
I don't think a week's gonna do it.
CAPT. BARNEY
I'm sorry, Pierce.
(hands Frank keys)
You're going out with Marcus. Duty
calls. The City needs you.
CUT TO:
EXT. SECOND AVENUE--NIGHT
12 Young heading downtown, lights off, slowing down for cross
streets. At the wheel: MARCUS, 45, black, reserved, chin
erect, seeming too old for the job. Frank rides techie.
MARCUS
My Lord mother man, you look like
hell. What were you drinking?
FRANK
The captain almost fired me tonight.
I'm on my way out. Anytime now.
MARCUS
Nobody gets fired. Look at me. Only
thing they might do is transfer you
to the Bronx. You look like you aged
ten years since I rode with you last.
FRANK
The ghosts--
MARCUS
You ever notice people who see shit
always, are crazy?
FRANK
I think the worst is over.
MARCUS
It can always get worse. You can't
change what's out there, only where
you're coming from. You got to let
the Lord take over, in here.
(points to Frank's
chest)
LOVE, a black, tough-talking female dispatcher, comes on the
radio:
DISPATCHER LOVE
Twelve Young.
(beat)
Let's go, Twelve Young. Answer the
radio.
FRANK
Hey, Marcus, it's Love. I haven't
heard her in months.
MARCUS
She only works when I'm on. I make
her wait and it drives her crazy.
FRANK
Is it true that you and Love went on
a blind date?
(Marcus looks away)
She hit you with a bottle?
MARCUS
She loves me the way no woman ever
has.
DISPATCHER LOVE
Twelve Young, I don't have time for
your games. Now answer me or do I
have to come out there myself?
MARCUS
I usually don't do calls before
coffee. But I think it might do you
some good.
(picks up mike)
Twelve Young is here and I'm gonna
take care of you, baby. Don't you
worry about a thing, yahear, cause
Marcus is alive and on arrival.
DISPATCHER LOVE
I'm not your baby, Young, I'm not
your mother either. You're going to
a cardiac arrest, Avenue C and Ninth,
northeast corner. It's a club. Take
the side entrance.
MARCUS
Ten-four, hon.
(to Frank)
This is for you.
Marcus flips on the lights and siren.
CUT TO:
EXT. NINTH & AVENUE C--NIGHT
Marcus grabs the yellow airway bag, leaving Frank to lug the
three heavier pieces as they push their way through the crowd
toward a black jacketed DOORMAN holding a walkie-talkie:
MARCUS
(to crowd)
I hope we're not late from you guys
holding us up here.
CUT TO:
INT. CLUB BACKSTAGE--NIGHT
The Doorman leads Frank and Marcus through the smoky graffiti-
covered backstage ante-rooms to a cubicle where a knot of
club types and band members hover around IB BANGIN, 18 year-
old white rapper, face up, blank-eyed and breathless on dirt-
impacted carpet. Hip-hop music echoes from the club PA.
Frank kneels beside IB Bangin, taking a pulse, realizing
it's the gray and black stage makeup making him seem DOA. He
pulls up IB Bangin's eyelid, shines a light into the pupil.
MARCUS
Okay, what happened?
DRUMMER
He's going to be all right, right?
MARCUS
No. He's dead.
DRUMMER
No way, man.
MARCUS
He's dead and there's nothing we can
do. Come on, Frank, that's it.
FRANK
(whispers)
He's not dead. It's a heroin overdose.
Break out the Narcon.
MARCUS
(announcing)
He's dead unless you folks want to
stop bullshitting me and tell it
straight. Then, Lord willing, we'll
try to bring him back.
BYSTANDER
He broke up with his old lady.
GIRLFRIEND
We didn't break up. We were just
seeing other people.
MARCUS
I'm still waiting and this young man
is still dead.
BYSTANDER
She broke his heart.
The Girlfriend shoots a look at the Bystander. Marcus just
stands, hands on hips, silent. Frank opens the drug box.
The Drummer relents:
DRUMMER
All right, all right, he's been
snorting that Red Death stuff. Been
going for four days.
MARCUS
(brings hands together)
What's his name?
DRUMMER
IB Bangin.
MARCUS
What'd you mean IB Bangin? What kind
of name is IB Bangin?
GIRLFRIEND
(Hesitant)
It's Frederick. Frederick Smith.
MARCUS
(to body)
Okay, Freddy.
GIRLFRIEND
It's Frederick.
MARCUS
Okay, IB Bangin, we're gonna bring
you back. Every person here grab the
hand of the person next to you.
Marcus assists them as Frank breaks the cellophane off a
syringe, locates a vial of Narcon. Frank gives Marcus the
high sign--Marcus raises his hands:
MARCUS (CONT'D)
Oh Lord, here I am again to ask one
more chance for a sinner. Bring back
IB Bangin, Lord. You have the power,
the might, the super light, to spare
this worthless man.
Frank injects IB Bangin: he responds to the Narcon with a
jolt, opening his eyes, raising his hands.
GIRLFRIEND
(kneeling)
Frederick!
BYSTANDER
Oh wow, man. Oh wow.
IB BANGIN
(sick)
What happened?
GIRLFRIEND
You died, you stupid bastard. I warned
you.
DRUMMER
You guys are awesome.
FRANK
(to IB Bangin)
C'mon.
Frank and the Girlfriend guide IB Bangin to the door as Marcus
collects the gear.
MARCUS
Not us. The first step is Love. The
second is Mercy.
He follows Frank, IB Bangin and Girlfriend out, calling for
the crowd to clear.
CUT TO:
INT. MERCY ER--NIGHT
IB Bangin sitting with Nurse Constance in triage. Past Griss,
Frank talks with Dr. Hazmat:
FRANK
That guy I brought in yesterday,
post-cardiac arrest. He's gone.
HAZMAT
Burke. You won't believe it. He's
showing cognitive signs. He started
with spontaneous respiration, now
he's fighting to pull out the tube.
Had to sedate him. He's in a CAT
scan. I'm giving him every test I
can: thromboytics, steroids,
nitrodrips, heparin.
FRANK
What do you think?
HAZMAT
Who knows? It's all lower-brain-stem-
activity. The heart refuses to
stabilize--he's coded eleven times
since he got here. This guy's a
fighter. Every time the Valium wears
off he starts yanking those
restraints.
FRANK
The family know?
HAZMAT
I wanted to bring them in, to see if
he'd respond to voices, but they
weren't in the waiting room. The
guy's daughter was in my face all
last night and when I finally have
something positive to tell her, she's
gone.
Frank nods, walks down Skid Row, passing Nurse Constance
lecturing IB Bangin:
NURSE CONSTANCE
... you put poison in your veins and
now that you're breathing again you
can't wait to say thank you and go
back to poison shopping. Well, since
we saved your life, maybe you could
do us a favor and stop breathing in
another city next time ...
CUT TO:
EXT. FIRST AVE--NIGHT
12 Young heading up the avenue.
MARCUS
I ever tell you about the time years
ago I was on this ledge uptown, trying
to talk this psycho inside?
FRANK
Where the guy jumped and you almost
fell. No, you never told me that
story.
MARCUS
No, you never listened. I was going,
man, if someone on high hadn't pulled
me in. I had put all I had into saving
this dumbass lowlife suicidal that
when he went down, there was a part
of me that wanted to go with him.
FRANK
Make a left here. I want to stop.
CUT TO:
EXT. BURKE APT. BUILDING--NIGHT
Marcus stops the ambulance on 17th Street.
FRANK
I'll be right back.
Frank gets out, walks over to the intercom, pushes the button
for 5A. Mary answers:
MARY (V.O.)
Yes?
FRANK
Hello, I'm Frank Pierce, from the
ambulance last night. I brought your
father into the hospital and I just
learned some news.
MARY (V.O.)
I'll be right down.
Mary appears in a white sweater and simple gray skirt like
schoolgirls wear. The dark makeup is gone. She looks happy.
MARY (CONT'D)
He's better, isn't he?
FRANK
Well, the doctor says he's showing
some movement. It's still early, it
might mean nothing, but I thought
you'd want to know.
MARY
I knew. I sensed it when I heard
your voice.
FRANK
You look so different.
MARY
I know. It's awful, isn't it? Night
of the Living Cheerleaders.
FRANK
I think it looks good.
MARY
I was going nuts in that waiting
room so I came back to check on my
mom.
FRANK
How is she?
MARY
Sleeping.
FRANK
I was just going to get some food.
Pizza. Maybe we could.
MARY
You can't kill my father that easy.
He'll fight forever. Like with me:
hasn't talked to me in three years.
But it's okay. Sometimes you have to
put things behind you.
Mary steps to the curb, raises her hand for a taxi. None in
sight.
FRANK
Be tough to get a taxi here. We can
give you a ride if you like.
MARY
(looks at him)
Okay.
Frank opens the back doors of the bus, climbs in behind Mary.
They sit on the bench opposite the stretcher.
MARCUS
Who's that?
FRANK
She's the daughter of a cardiac arrest
I brought in last night. I told her
we'd give her a ride back to Misery.
Her father's showing signs of
improving.
MARCUS
Oh, Frank, you've got it bad, so
much worse than I thought.
FRANK
I'm hungry too. We gotta get some
food after this.
MARCUS
God help us, he's hungry too.
Marcus turns on the radio, an old song from the sixties, as
they head uptown.
CUT TO:
INT. MERCY CRITICAL CARE--NIGHT
Frank and Mary walking past the triage station toward the
curtained corner where her father lies. Next to Burke, Dr.
Hazmat assists an AIDS patient amid a forest of IV tubing.
Mr. Burke lies prone, two IV lines hung from poles, intubated
by a hose running to the ventilator, a NG tube covering his
nose. His eyes are permanently half open. Burke's hands and
feet are tied by white nylon restraints. Mary takes her
father's hand as Frank pulls the curtain.
MARY
Dad, can you hear me?
(beat)
Open your eyes if you can hear me.
A nearby patient SCREAMS. Mary Burke SCREAMS too:
MARY (CONT'D)
He squeezed my hand!
Dr. Hazmat and MILAGROS, an intern, walk over.
MARY (CONT'D)
He's moving, Doctor. He grabbed my
hand. Move your hand, Dad, one more
time.
(Burke's hand twitches))
See. See.
HAZMAT
I'll be damned.
(check's Burke's pupils)
It's movement, but I'm not sure how
voluntary.
MARY
He hears me. Open your eyes, Dad.
Burke's eyes fully open. His cheeks ripple and his lips smack
against the tube between them. His back arches, his body
shakes, his arms yank at their restraints as if reaching to
pull out the wires and tubes. Green lights dance across the
EKG screen, ALARMS sound: first the cardiac monitor, next
the ventilator.
HAZMAT
Nurse Crupp, I need ten milligrams
of Valium.
Hazmat and Milagros hold down Burke's arms as Crupp prepares
the Valium. Mary backs away.
FRANK
Why don't we go outside for a little
while, wait until this passes.
They step away.
CUT TO:
INT. LOCKER ROOM--NIGHT
Passing Griss (reading anti-white agitprop) and waiting room
regulars, Frank leads Mary to a small rectangular paramedic
locker area: sofa, desk, two banks of gray lockers, walls
decorated with hospital rules and regulations.
FRANK
He wants to pull that tube out. It's
pretty painful--that's why they keep
him sedated--but it's a good sign.
MARY
You sure? I know my father would
hate to be tied down. He wouldn't
even go to the dentist.
He sits across from her, wishing he could be in three seats
at once, each to watch her from a different angle.
FRANK
That's how it's done. You have to
keep the body going until the brain
and heart recover enough to go on
their own.
MARY
He's better, though, right?
FRANK
(reluctant)
He's better.
MARY
Look, I'm sorry, but it's important
to me. I mean, a week ago I was
wishing he was dead. And now I want
hear his voice again, just once more--
you know what I mean?
Marcus enters with a small pizza and two cokes.
MARCUS
Went over to Sal's got this. There
must be some place in Hell for a guy
who sells a dollar-fifty a slice. I
call you if anything comes up.
FRANK
Thanks.
Marcus exits.
MARY
I'm not really hungry.
She says as she picks up a slice of cheese pizza.
MARY (CONT'D)
My father was a great man, you know.
There was nobody he wouldn't help.
You know that crazy guy Noel who I
gave water to last night? He lived
in our house for almost a year. A
total stranger he'd do anything for,
his own family though ...
FRANK
It's best not to ...
(off her look)
It's good pizza, huh?
MARY
Not as good as Nino's.
FRANK
You remember that pizza place, Joe's
on Tenth Street maybe fifteen years
ago? When you ordered a pie it came
with a little plastic madonna in the
middle?
MARY
Yeah, or Saint Anthony. You from the
neighborhood?
FRANK
I grew up on Elizabeth. I went to
Blessed Sacrament.
MARY
On yeah? I went to Holy Name. Where'd
you go to high school?
FRANK
We moved out after that. Upstate.
MARY
Like everybody else--except us. Always
standing on the sidewalk waving
goodbye to moving trucks. Your parents
... ?
FRANK
They're fine. My old man was a bus
driver, mom a nurse--I was sort of
born to it, I guess.
MARY
You married?
FRANK
Ah, no. I was.
(beat)
It's hard to explain. She had a hard
time adjusting to, well, maybe it
was my fault too.
Pause. This thought hangs in the air. From outside: a
BELLICOSE DRUNK is escorted into the ER.
DRUNK (O.S.)
White cocksuckers! Get your--Ow!
MARY
Is it always this bad in here? I
mean, how does anyone survive?
FRANK
It's been bad lately, but it's always
bad.
MARY
How long you been doing this?
FRANK
Five years.
MARY
Wow, you musta seen some things,
huh? What's the worst thing you ever
seen?
FRANK
You learn to sort of block it out,
you know, like cops fence off a crime
scene. But then something good will
happen and everything will just glow.
MARY
You must get a lot of overdoses. I
bet you picked me up a couple of
times.
FRANK
I think I'd remember that.
MARY
Maybe not. I was a different person
then. Does everybody you meet spill
their problems on you like this?
FRANK
Mostly. It must be my face. My mother
always said I looked like a priest.
MARY
(wipes her mouth)
I better go check on my father. Thanks
for the pizza. I owe you one. Maybe
when he gets better, you know, when
we're done with all this.
FRANK
Sure.
Frank puts his hand out but she's already on her feet. He
grabs the last slice of pizza, hands it to Griss as she heads
back to Critical Care.
FRANK (CONT'D)
Look after her, Griss, okay?
Griss nods.
CUT TO:
EXT. CANAL STREET--NIGHT
12 Young back on the job, moving with traffic.
MARCUS
Rule number one: Don't get involved
with patients. Rule number two: Don't
get involved with patient's daughters.
You understand?
FRANK
What about rule number three: Don't
get involved with dispatchers named
Love.
MARCUS
You don't know the first thing about
rule number three, cannot begin to
understand the complexities of that
rule. Come on, let's go look at some
hookers. The Kit Kat will be letting
out.
(relevant to nothing)
Don't ever call a junkie whore a
crackhead. They get real mad.
Marcus swings up First Ave:
MARCUS (CONT'D)
Look at these women. You can't even
tell who's a hooker anymore. Whatever
happened to go-go boots and hot pants?
They wear anything now, walk outta
the house with whatever they got
on ...
Frank watches night tableaus (police cars flashing, lovers
kissing, woman crying hysterically, drunken slugfest) as his
mind wanders:
FRANK (V.O.)
The street is so much more
unpredictable than the ER and to
prepare for the unexpected I was
taught to act without thinking, like
an army private who can take apart
and reassemble a gun blindfolded ...
Frank notices another EMS bus: Tom Walls wheeling a stretcher--
Noel, face bloodied, lies restrained as Walls' partner opens
the rear doors.
FRANK (V.O.) (CONT'D)
I realized that my training was useful
in less than ten percent of the calls
and saving someone's life was rarer
than that. As the years went by I
grew to understand that my role was
less about saving lives than about
bearing witness. I was a grief mop
and much of my job was to remove, if
even for a short time, the grief
starter or the grief product. It was
enough I simply showed up.
Marcus continues as if uninterrupted:
MARCUS
... look at her. Leaves you no idea
what's underneath, not even a
suggestion. Could be a skeleton for
all you know.
They pass a working girl in a rain slicker who pulls off her
hood to look at them: a familiar face.
MARCUS (CONT'D)
Nice though, pulling back her hood
as we drive by. There's a mystery to
it, then she shows you.
FRANK
She's no whore, Marcus.
MARCUS
We're all whores, Frank. You know
what I'm talking about, the way she
looked at me.
FRANK
She wasn't looking at you, man, she
was looking at me.
Frank, looking back at the Rose face, hears her faintly say:
"ROSE"
Why did you kill me, Frank?
FRANK
I didn't kill you.
Marcus, not hearing "Rose's" voice, replies:
MARCUS
No, you didn't, Frank, thank you.
But there's still a couple hours
left on the shift.
FRANK
I need a drink, that's all.
Dispatcher Love's voice cuts through:
DISPATCHER LOVE
Twelve Young, answer the radio. I
have a call for you.
MARCUS
She said to me, I love the way you
talk on the radio.
DISPATCHER LOVE
I can't wait all night, Young. I'm
holding a priority and if you don't
answer I'm going to knock you out of
service.
MARCUS
(keys radio)
Don't worry, hon. Young is here and
he's gonna help out--just remember,
you owe me.
DISPATCHER LOVE
You're going to three-four Avenue C,
17 year-old female cardiac arrest,
no further information.
MARCUS
Ten-four, hon.
Marcus hits the siren.
CUT TO:
INT. RUNDOWN TENEMENT--NIGHT
Frank and Marcus standing in a no-income apartment with their
cardiac equipment. MARIA, a 17 year-old Hispanic girl, lies
moaning and breathing shallow on a ratty sofa. CARLOS, her
equally young boyfriend, watches anxiously, holding a candle
for light.
MARCUS
Look at that. A fat junkie. That's a
first.
FRANK
(to Maria)
What's wrong.
Carlos speaks broken English:
CARLOS
No English. She has terrible pain in
her belly.
FRANK
(hands on stomach)
Pregnant.
CARLOS
No, no, that's impossible.
FRANK
Are you pregnant? Estas embarazada?
Maria shakes her head, looks away.
FRANK (CONT'D)
Can you walk? Puedes caminar?
CARLOS
She say she in great pain.
FRANK
Thanks for the translation.
(to Maria)
What's your name? Nombre?
MARIA
Maria.
FRANK
Let's have a look.
MARCUS
(to Carlos)
You know each other a long time?
CARLOS
Two years. Ever since we left island.
MARCUS
In that time, you ever have sex?
CARLOS
Never. No cigarettes, no drugs, no
booze.
MARCUS
No underwear?
CARLOS
We are virgins.
FRANK
(inspecting Maria)
Oh Jesus, we'd better go. Call for
backup.
Marcus radioing for assistance.
FRANK (CONT'D)
It's coming.
(to Carlos)
Hold her down.
MARCUS
What's that, Frank?
FRANK
Three legs.
MARCUS
That's too many.
FRANK
Backup?
MARCUS
It's coming.
CARLOS
Is she dying?
FRANK
She's having a baby. Twins.
CARLOS
Es impossible.
FRANK
You can trust me on this one.
CARLOS
It's a miracle.
Maria SCREAMS. Marcus kneels beside Frank as a distant EMS
siren grows louder.
FRANK
You take the first one.
Frank looks up at the screaming mother: it's not her face.
It's Rose. The Rose face.
CUT TO:
INT. MERCY ER--NIGHT
Frank rushing past Nurse Constance, carrying a newborn in
thermal wrap, passing Noel restrained on a gurney:
FRANK
She had a pulse.
NURSE CONSTANCE
Code! Code Blue!
Hazmat rushing over:
HAZMAT
Oh Jesus, put her on the monitor.
Where's the pediatric code cart?
(Odette arriving with
cart)
Odette give me that tube. All right,
flatline--let's do CPR. step back,
Frank. How many months?
FRANK
Can't tell. It was a breech, twins.
The other one seems okay, though.
Marcus is taking him and the mother
to Maternity.
Across the room an obscenity-spouting FEMALE CRACKHEAD being
restrained by a patrolman and hospital security--adding to
the sense of emergency and chaos. DR. MISHRA, 50, Pediatric
MD, and nurses squeeze toward newborn edging Frank back.
Mishra takes an osteocatheter out of the cart, forces it
into the now obscured baby as Nurse Constance massages the
infant's chest.
Hazmat steps over to the now restrained Crackhead.
CRACKHEAD
I'm a mother! I got a daughter! I
got rights!
HAZMAT
(to nurse)
10 mil Valium, stat.
Mishra, worried, checks with Nurse Constance--they're losing
the newborn:
MISHRA
Status.
NURSE CONSTANCE
I think there's a pulse. I think.
Frank looking at the EKG monitor--a green flatline--backs
away.
MISHRA
Fuck.
NURSE CONSTANCE
Nothing.
Frank walking away, not looking where he's going, backs into
Noel's gurney.
NOEL
Excuse me, sir, excuse me, I would
please trouble you for one cup of
water. The smallest thing in the
world to ask for, water. A man is
dying and that is me.
Noel, his face battered from his encounter with Walls, pulls
at his restraints, howls:
NOEL (CONT'D)
For days I've eaten nothing but sand,
O Lord, I waited so long.
Hazmat looks over:
HAZMAT
Christ. Who the hell woke him up?
CUT TO:
EXT. CANAL STREET--NIGHT
12 Young on the road again, sky turning blue.
FRANK
Don't give me that look.
MARCUS
What look?
FRANK
You know what I'm talking about.
It's all over your face. That I-just-
saved-a-little-baby-boy look.
MARCUS
We just saved a little baby boy.
Think of it that way.
FRANK
I don't want to hear about it, okay?
That's three jobs for the night.
It's over. Three jobs and time for a
drink. Six am, the cocktail hour.
Pass the bottle; I know you're
holding.
Marcus reaches under the seat, pulls a pint of vodka, a quart
of orange juice and two cups out of an old gym bag, passes
them to Frank.
MARCUS
The bar is now open.
Frank mixes a screwdriver for Marcus, straight vodka for
himself.
FRANK
I hate vodka.
MARCUS
Please, a little decorum if you will.
What I was going to say is, is that
holding that baby in my arms, I felt
like I was twenty-one again. A call
like that makes me think of going
back to three nights a week, not
two, start running again, cut down
on the drinking.
FRANK
(pours drink)
I'll drink to that.
MARCUS
(raises cup)
Here's to the greatest job in the
world.
FRANK
(knocks vodka back)
Greatest job in the world.
DISPATCHER LOVE
Twelve Young, I have priorities
holding. Pick up the radio.
FRANK
Don't do it, Marcus. Tell her the
bus died, our radio's not working,
our backs are out. Tell her we're
too drunk to take any more calls.
MARCUS
Let's do it!
(keys mike)
It's Marcus, Love, only for you.
DISPATCHER LOVE
Male diff breather, approximately
30, Houston and A.
MARCUS
Ten-four.
Marcus hits the sirens and lights, accelerates to full speed.
The vodka spills; Frank grabs the dash.
MARCUS (CONT'D)
I'm coming, Love! I'm coming!
Marcus swings the bus wildly to avoid a cab, SKIDS into a
turn--and smack toward a parked truck. Frank covers his face
and screams.
CRASH! The back of the ambulance rams into the truck, the
rear windows shatter.
MARCUS (CONT'D)
Shit.
Frank looks around, realizes no one is hurt. He climbs out:
MARCUS (CONT'D)
Where you going?
FRANK
I quit! I'm through!
MARCUS
You can't leave me now.
Frank walks up Avenue A, leaving Marcus and the disabled
vehicle. The first rays of sun strike the buildings ahead.
CUT TO:
EXT. MERCY EMERGENCY--DAYBREAK
Frank turning the corner, checking his watch, about to enter
the Dark Bar across the corner from the hospital, watching
Noel run past him and away, skipping from one foot to the
other.
FRANK
So long, Noel.
The Emergency doors open: Mary Burke, head down, looking
neither direction, walks away from Frank. Griss steps out
after her. Frank joins him:
FRANK (CONT'D)
What's going on, Griss?
GRISS
Your friend there just untied the
water beggar. Griss was coming out
to thank her. Probably saved Griss a
murder charge.
(about Mary)
Having a tough time of it.
Mary starts to run. Frank follows. She pushes her way through
a group of high schoolers; Frank does likewise, keeping his
distance.
Five blocks later, Mary hesitates at a plaza outside the
Stuyvesant Town projects,
CUT TO:
EXT. STUYVESANT TOWN--MORNING
Frank stops a few steps away from Mary; Mary turns.
FRANK
Excuse me. You seemed like you were
in trouble.
MARY
(steps over)
I'm all right. I just can't stand to
see people tied up. I'm in the
waiting room for hours, listening to
Noel screaming. The only reason he's
screaming is 'cause he's tied up.
FRANK
Don't seem so bad to me.
MARY
Don't say that. I wanted to cut my
father loose too. They told me he
almost died and five minutes later
they say he's better and I go in.
It's killing me seeing him fighting
like that.
(gazes up building)
Look, since you're here, maybe you
could do me a favor. I need you to
wait for me outside this building,
okay? I have to visit a friend who's
sick.
FRANK
Okay.
Mary takes a few steps, turns back.
MARY
I'm only asking because it's a
dangerous building. There's been
some robberies, a woman was raped
not long ago. This woman I'm seeing,
she'll want to talk to me all day,
but if I can point to you out the
window and say you're waiting, I can
be out quick. if anything happens,
I'll be in apartment 16M.
FRANK
Maybe I should come up with you.
MARY
If I'm not back in fifteen minutes,
hit the buzzer. That way she'll let
me go.
FRANK
Nothing's going to happen. I'll come
with you.
MARY
No, I'll be fine. I'm just visiting
a sick friend.
She walks into the building. He follows.
CUT TO:
INT. ELEVATOR--DAY
The dinged metal doors shudder shut as Frank follows Mary
into the graffittied elevator. It jumps three feet upwards,
stops, then continues, metal scraping concrete at each passing
floor.
MARY
I shouldn't have asked you to come.
FRANK
You asked me not to come.
MARY
Promise you won't go inside.
FRANK
Fifteen minutes.
MARY
I just have to relax a little. Not
feel so guilty all the time.
FRANK
We can still go back. I'll walk you
home. You sleep a couple of hours,
watch some TV, take a bath.
MARY
Don't be a cop. If you have any doubts
about this, it's my fault.
The elevator jerks to a stop; the doors open.
CUT TO:
INT. SIXTEENTH FLOOR--MORNING
Mary turns to Frank:
MARY
You go on home, okay. I'm fine,
really. I don't need you. Thanks.
Mary pushes the bell at 16M. KANITA, 25, wearing a paisley
robe, opens the doors and says:
KANITA
Hey Cy, guess who's here?
COATES (O.S.)
Mary ...
The elevator doors close on Frank.
CUT TO:
INT. LOBBY--MORNING
Frank paces past the sleeping security guard, checks his
watch.
He presses the elevator button.
CUT TO:
INT. THE OASIS--MORNING
The door to 16M opens:
KANITA
Can I help you?
FRANK
Mary Burke. She's a friend.
KANITA
She's not here.
Frank pushes past her.
KANITA (CONT'D)
Wait a minute. You can't go in.
CY COATES, 45, light-skinned black, stands in the smoky room.
Dark curtained windows block the sunlight; a dirty fish tank
casts a green glow across the beat-up furniture.
A large framed photo of a volcano hangs over the couch.
COATES
It's okay, Kanita. Come on in.
KANITA
He looks like a cop.
COATES
He's not a cop, he's a medic.
(extends hand)
I'm CY Coates.
FRANK
Frank Pierce.
COATES
Mary said you might be coming.
FRANK
Where is she?
COATES
Sleeping in the back.
FRANK
She asked me to pick her up.
COATES
I know, but she told me to tell you
she wants to crash here a few hours.
Terrible about her father, isn't it?
FRANK
I better just go in and see her.
Kanita sits on the sofa next to an unshaven sleeping man.
Coates gestures:
COATES
I call this the Oasis. Refuge from
the world out there. Did you know
two people were shot in this building
last week?
Frank heads down the hall toward the rear of the apartment;
Coates follows. They pass an open door where inside TIGER, a
fat man with dried blood running down the corner of his mouth,
sits punching computer keys at a desk.
COATES (CONT'D)
Careful. That's the Tiger. The lady's
down the hall. Welcome to Sunrise
Enterprises, Frank, the stress-free
factory.
In the NEXT ROOM Mary lies on a mattress on the floor, yellow
sheet pulled up to her neck. Frank leans over her:
FRANK
Mary. Mary, we've got to get going.
MARY
(groggy)
No, no.
COATES
She wanted something to help her
sleep.
FRANK
Mary, we really have to go.
Mary blindly swings her fist at him, collapses unconscious
back to the mattress.
COATES
Frank, she's suffered enough. She's
okay, I promise.
(puts hand on Frank's
shoulder)
C'mon, Frank.
Coates escorts Frank back to the LIVING ROOM.
COATES (CONT'D)
I'm always interested in people in
stressful occupations and being a
paramedic is about as stressful as I
can imagine. Here, sit down. What's
it like? Tell me some war stories.
FRANK
(sits)
Got a beer?
Cy sits across from him, pulls out a pin-sized joint, lights
it:
COATES
That shit is poison, Frank. We don't
drink alcohol here. What you need is
one of these.
FRANK
Did you give Mary something called
Red Death?
COATES
Red Death?
(passes joint to Kanita)
Tell me something, Frank--does killing
your clients make good business sense
to you? The kids selling that shit
have no sense. They'll be taken care
of, don't worry about that.
FRANK
I should be going. I just quit.
COATES
Sleep is all stress reduction. Here.
(offers white pill)
You take one of these, sleep two
hours, that's all you need.
(Frank hesitates)
Why do you think I'm telling you
this, Frank--for my health? You
ought to look at yourself in the
mirror, man. Kanita, get him a glass
of water.
Frank watches as Kanita gets up, walks to the kitchen. Coates
places the pill in his hand.
FRANK
Is this what you gave Mary?
COATES
That's the stuff. I call it the Red
Lion. Very king-of-the-jungle.
No language, only brute power. You can't believe how relaxing
it is.
Kanita returns with a glass of water, gives it to Frank;
Coates stands, feeds the fish.
COATES (CONT'D)
Frank, I'm trying to help you. Drink
up.
Frank swallows the white pill, drinks the water. He places
his arms on the chair:
FRANK
I guess I'll be going.
COATES
Just take it easy.
Frank looks around the smoke-filled room. Kanita walks over,
extends her hand.
KANITA
Take my pulse.
(he does)
It's good, isn't it?
FRANK
Perfect.
KANITA
I knew it. I was wrong about you.
You're not so bad.
Kanita runs her hand across his shoulders. Frank starts to
nod. The room getting warm and dark. His eyelids lower: sleep,
precious sleep.
CUT TO:
FRANK'S ROSE DREAM
Voices and sounds echo through the purple haze as Frank's
mind drifts in time and space. Action and sounds slow, speed
up, distort--intermix with the Oasis--as Frank goes back:
This is how it begins: the last time, the first time ...
Larry exits 13 Zebra as Rose, 18, wearing a yellow rain
slicker, falls to her knees in the miasmic dream stank, onto
the sidewalk, then onto her back. From forty feet away Frank,
seeing her reach for a parking meter, grabbing the tube kit,
running.
Rose gasping for breath, Frank falling to his knees, lifting
her tongue, prying her teeth apart, slipping the blade between
her lips--Rose not breathing: waiting for her to inhale,
shooting the tube down her vocal cords. Larry listening to
lung sounds, belly sounds:
LARRY
You're in the stomach!
FRANK
You sure?
ROSE
Rose!
FRANK
Huh?
ROSE
My name. Rose.
LARRY
You're in the stomach, man.
Frank pulling the tube out, trying again.
Somewhere: CY Coates laughs.
LARRY (CONT'D)
You're in the stomach! Let me try.
FRANK
One more time!
Rose going blue, pulse rate dropping, EKG Slowing: Jim
Morrison singing.
LARRY
Stomach again.
FRANK
No way!
Larry ripping the tube from Frank's hands, taking over,
pushing Frank aside, trying CPR, intubating Rose, air moving
into her lungs--it doesn't matter. Rose is gone.
Frank hears a SCREAM: it's his own voice.
CUT TO:
INT. THE OASIS--DAY
Frank standing screaming in the living room. CY walking over,
Kanita standing, the sleeping man awaking.
COATES
Frank, take it easy. what happened?
KANITA
He flipped out.
Frank bends over in pain.
COATES
Be cool, man. You're having a
paradoxical reaction. It can happen.
(to Kanita)
Didn't I tell you this guy was
stressed out?
KANITA
Stressed? He's psycho.
Frank heads to where Mary sleeps.
COATES
Frank, where you going?
In the BACK BEDROOM, Frank picks up Mary, hoists her over
his shoulder fireman-style and heads out.
COATES (CONT'D)
You're making a mistake. Sit down
and relax a minute.
Frank opens the front door--no one stops him--exits.
COATES (CONT'D)
(calling)
She'll be back. And, by the way, you
owe me ten bucks.
CUT TO:
INT. STUYVESANT LOBBY--DAY
The elevator doors open. Frank sets Mary on her feet.
MARY
I can walk.
She says weaving out of the front doors.
CUT TO:
EXT. STUYVESANT TOWN--DAY
Mary walks a Few steps into the plaza, stumbles; Frank catches
her.
MARY
Let go of me.
(he relaxes)
You shouldn't have come up. I told
you not to. You could have gotten us
both killed.
Mary heads up the avenue: past baby strollers, postal workers,
deliverymen.
MARY (CONT'D)
You and CY have a nice talk? He tell
you about Sunrise Enterprises, helping
people? Well, I've seen him hurt
people. Why are you following me?
FRANK
Because you can barely walk.
Frank walking slightly beside and behind, lights a cigarette.
MARY
You remember Noel, from the other
night, how Noel is now? He wasn't
always like that. He was my brother's
best friend. Cy or Tiger or one of
those other goons put a bullet in
Noel's head. He was in a coma three
months. Crazy ever since.
They stop at a three-story brick apartment building.
MARY (CONT'D)
This is my place.
She unlocks the door. He follows her in.
CUT TO:
INT. MARY'S APT. BUILDING--DAY
Mary grabs the railing, heads up the stairs.
MARY
What is it? You want to help me, you
feel sorry for me? Keep it to
yourself.
FRANK
I need to sit down a minute.
MARY
Or maybe you wanna fuck me? Everyone
else has.
Mary opens the door to her first floor apartment; Frank
follows. The room is clean and feminine. Unframed water colors
stacked against the wall atop a desk. A black lab greets
Mary, she pets him. Frank slumps on the sofa.
MARY (CONT'D)
I've been clean two years now. I got
a job. I paint when I'm home. Don't
bother anybody. Then all this shit
happens.
Frank keels over onto his side, his head hitting a cushion,
eyes closed, dog licking his cheek.
MARY (CONT'D)
Oh no you don't. You can't stay here.
He's asleep, the sound of her crying fading in his head.
FADE OUT:
INT. MARY'S APT.--NIGHT
FADE IN: a passing siren wakes Frank. He thinks back, looking
around the darkened room, realizes where he is. The dog comes
over, licks his hand.
FRANK
Hello, I'm Frank. Mary's friend. A
very close friend who loves animals.
He removes the blanket Mary has laid over him, stands:
FRANK (CONT'D)
Hello?
Frank walks cautiously through the dark, finds a bathroom
lit by a glowing Mickey Mouse switch. He flips on the switch:
a string of green and red Christmas lights glow. Three types
of soap sit on the sink. He turns on the faucet:
FRANK (V.O.) (CONT'D)
I washed my face with three kinds of
soap, each smelling like a different
season. It felt good to be in a
woman's room again, especially a
woman who wasn't comatose or severely
disabled. I felt that perhaps I had
turned a corner, like I saved someone,
though I didn't know who.
CUT TO:
INT. EMS GARAGE OFFICE--NIGHT
Frank standing at Captain Barney's desk.
CAPT. BARNEY
You're late, Pierce. I know, but I
can't fire you. I've got nobody to
work sixteen XRay with Walls.
FRANK
No ...
CAPT. BARNEY
I got some forms here to fill out
about that accident when you get the
time.
(hands him keys)
I'll fire you tomorrow. I promise.
FRANK
What if there is no tomorrow?
CAPT. BARNEY
Go on, get outta here, Pierce, before
I give you a big hug.
(to Miss Williams)
I love this guy.
CUT TO:
EXT. MERCY EMERGENCY--NIGHT
Frank walks toward Sixteen XRay as Walls gets out of the
front seat. The EMS vehicle is dented and rusted, a relic of
wars and a hodgepodge of parts.
WALLS
Frank, what do you know. It's you
and me again tonight, the Rough
Riders, tearing up the streets just
like old times.
(kicks the front tire)
This old bus is a warrior, Frank,
just like us. I have tried to kill
him and he will not die. I have a
great respect for that.
Frank makes a "be right back" gesture, walks into ER.
CUT TO:
INT. MERCY ER--NIGHT
Saturday night at the Knife and Gun Club: the joint is
hopping, the sound system blaring.
Frank passing Griss holding back an angry Hispanic man with
a bleeding arm:
GRISS
Don't make me take off my sunglasses.
FRANK
Morning, Griss.
NURSE CONSTANCE
We're full up tonight, Frank.
Frank walks over to unit three, Mr. Burke's cubicle, pulls
back the curtain. Burke lies sedated, wired and tubed. Frank
leans over, feels Burke's pulse.
Frank's expression changes--he looks at the EKG monitor:
green lines seem to be at war, normal beats marching in
formation against wild-looking rhythms, the heart working
hard and not getting much done.
Burke's face twitches. Burke's voice speaks in Frank's head:
BURKE'S VOICE
Go to the bank, boy, take out
everything you can.
Frank turns up the EKG amplitude:
FRANK
Mr. Burke?
BURKE'S VOICE
I'm going. I've had enough.
The alarms start to ring: EKG first, followed by the bells
off the oxygen saturation monitor and low drone of ventilator.
Intern Milagros pulling open the curtain behind Frank, shaking
her head, reaching for the defribilator paddles, handing
them to Frank. He steps back:
FRANK
You do it.
MILAGROS
Can't reach. You're taller.
BURKE'S VOICE
Don't do it.
FRANK
I thought he was getting better.
MILAGROS
Technically, yeah. I suppose. It
doesn't matter.
FRANK
Why not?
MILAGROS
Tha family wants us to do everything
to save him--so, that's it. They
want to keep him alive, they want to
believe in miracles, we keep him
alive. Shock him, Frank. He'll come
back. He always comes back.
FRANK
(takes paddles)
Clear!
Frank shocks Burke: his body convulses.
BURKE'S VOICE
Ow!
The heartbeats on monitor return to regular formation.
BURKE'S VOICE (CONT'D)
You son of a bitch.
MILAGROS
Should I increase the lidocaine?
Frank, despondent, not listening, walks away.
CUT TO:
EXT. AVENUE A--NIGHT
16 XRay driving past a strip of night clubs and restaurants:
the sidewalks full of young people laughing, jostling,
embracing.
Walls driving. In addition to the EMS two-way and AM radio,
Walls keeps a police band walkie-talkie open. He looks into
the back of the bus:
WALLS
Frank, what you doing back there?
Frank places an open drug box on the stretcher, pulls out an
IV set, wraps a tourniquet around his left bicep.
FRANK
I'm sick, Tom. I need a cure.
(injects himself)
Vitamin B cocktail, followed by an
amp of glucose and a drop of
adrenaline. Not as good as beer, but
all I got.
WALLS
Come on, Frank. There's blood spilling
in the streets.
Frank crawls back in front carrying the IV bag, puts on the
oxygen mask, turns on the main tanks, takes a deep hit.
FRANK
(pulls off mask)
These are hard times, Tom.
WALLS
Yeah. Great, isn't it?
FRANK
Great to be drunk. Sobriety's killing
me.
WALLS
Look up, Frank. Full moon. The blood's
gonna run tonight. I can feel it.
Our mission: to save lives.
FRANK
Our mission is coffee, Tom. A shot
of the bull, Puerto Rican espresso.
WALLS
Ten-four. El Toro de Oro. Blast off.
Walls hits the sirens, accelerates.
FRANK
The cure's not working, Tom. Maybe
we should go back to the hospital.
WALLS
Don't worry, kid. Tom'll take care
of you. Put your head out the window,
get some of that summer air. Listen
to the music. El Toro de Oro. Andale.
Pronto.
Walls turns up the radio, drums his hands against the wheel.
DISPATCHER
Okay, units, it's suicide hour.
Fourteen Boy, I show you in the
hospital sixty minutes but I know
you're in the diner on 14th. Put
down the burger, I got a call for
you around the corner, 14 and 3rd, a
man with a noose around his neck and
nothing to hang it on. Sixteen XRay,
don't even think about getting coffee,
I have a call for you too.
WALLS
(on radio)
Sixteen XTerminator here. We like
our coffee bloody. Make it good--my
partner's dying to help someone.
DISPATCHER
You're in luck, X: your patient awaits
you with bleeding wrists on Avenue C
and Fourth.
Frank pulls the IV needle out of his arm, searches the glove
compartment:
FRANK
Tom, where are the Band-aids? This
is an ambulance, isn't it?
WALLS
(hitting the gas)
Look out!
16 XRay lurches forward.
CUT TO:
EXT. AVENUE C AND 4TH--NIGHT
16 XRay brakes to a stop before a duster of derelicts, junkies
and night people. Two DRUNKS are trying to help a friend
with CUT WRISTS.
WALLS
What the hell's going on?
DRUNK #1
You've gotta take him to the hospital.
He tried to kill himself. Show him
your wrist. Show A.
Cut Wrists gets up, leans against the ambulance, shaking.
DRUNK #1 (CONT'D)
See, he ain't right.
WALLS
Hold it. I will not take anyone
anywhere against his will. This is
America. People have rights.
DRUNK #2
He was bleeding before. He kept
spilling his beer. I gave him mouth-
to-mouth.
WALLS
You're lucky you didn't kill him.
(to Cut Wrists)
We're going to hear it straight from
the loony's mouth. Are you crazy?
Did you try to bump yourself off?
CUT WRISTS
(salivatory)
Yesssss.
WALLS
Why didn't you say so.
Walls escorts Cut Wrists into the back of the bus, pulls a
plastic electric patch off the EKG monitor. Frank joins them.
WALLS (CONT'D)
Sir, I am going to give you some
medicine that is still very
experimental. It's from NASA, and
although the astronauts have been
using it for years, we are the first
service to try it. I will put this
patch on your forehead like this,
and in about a minute you will have
to relax.
(places patch)
You will forget all your suicidal
feelings. It's very important that
you wear this for a least twenty-
four hours and keep checking the
mirror. If the patch turns green you
have to see the doctor immediately.
The side effects could be fatal.
Cut Wrists nods.
FRANK
This is the worst suicide attempt
I've ever seen. You feel the pulse?
Here. That's where you cut, and it's
not across, it's down like so.
(takes out his knife)
Here take it.
CUT WRISTS
(shaking)
I can't.
FRANK
With all the poor people of this
city who wanted only to live and
were viciously murdered, you have
the nerve to sit here waiting to die
and not go through with it. You make
me sick. Take it.
Cut Wrists bolts out of the back of the bus, trips as he
hits the ground, runs down the street, turning the corner
still holding the patch to his forehead.
WALLS
We cured him, Frank. When we work
together there's nothing we can't
fix.
CUT TO:
EXT. EL TORO DE ORO--NIGHT
16 XRay parked outside a fluorescent chrome and plastic coffee
shop.
CUT TO:
INT. EL TORO DE ORO--NIGHT
Frank smoking at a formica table, his walkie-talkie upright
next to an ashtray. Walls returns with two espressos as the
Dispatcher rattles on.
WALLS
(sits)
Sounds like they're trying to clean
up the bus terminal tonight,
Frank doesn't answer. Tom shines his mini-flashlight in
Frank's eyes:
WALLS (CONT'D)
Hello, hello. Major Tom to Frank,
time to come home.
Frank watches a hooker on the sidewalk. Two street punks
dripping gold and attitude head the opposite direction: one
turns his head, looks at Frank--it's Rose. The Rose face.
Frank getting up, grabbing his walkie and coffee, heading
out.
WALLS (CONT'D)
Where you going?
FRANK
C'mon, Tom. The city's burning.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOUSTON--NIGHT
Frank at the wheel, driving high speed: radio full volume.
WALLS
Whatja doing?
FRANK
I feel the need, the need for speed.
I'm driving out of myself.
WALLS
The brakes are shot.
FRANK
I've taken that into consideration.
WALLS
You okay?
FRANK
I never felt better in my life.
DISPATCHER
Sixteen XRay, XRay.
FRANK
(keys radio)
X.
DISPATCHER
First of all, I want you to know how
sorry I am about this. I've always
liked you two. A unit above none, a
legend in its own lunchtime, so it
hurts me deeply to do this but I
have no choice. You must go to Second
and St. Marks. In front of a liquor
store you'll find a forty year-old
male, unconscious, lying next to his
wheelchair. Do I have to say more?
FRANK
(to radio)
You've said too much already.
WALLS
Mr. Oh.
FRANK
It's early for him.
WALLS
That's all right, we're not meant to
do Oh tonight. Something is going to
happen. I can feel it.
Tom hears something on the police band: a call for units to
Stuyvesant Town.
WALLS (CONT'D)
Bingo.
(keys police walkie)
EMS to Central. What was that call?
POLICE DISPATCH
A jumper. Stuyvesant Town.
WALLS
Ten-four. One minute out.
DISPATCHER
Sixteen, Sixteen XRay. Level One
Emergency.
But they're not listening--Frank's off to Stuyvesant Town.
CUT TO:
EXT. STUYVESANT TOWN--NIGHT
Police cars, fire engines, a massive Emergency Service rescue
truck all flashing dome lights on the street, on the plaza
surrounding Cy Coates' building: cops, Swat team, spotlights,
onlookers.
Frank and Tom, getting out, looking up: the spotlit figure
of Cy Coates, thirteen floors above, suspended on a railing,
legs dangling.
WALLS
Whadda we bring?
FRANK
Better bring it all.
CUT TO:
INT. LOBBY--NIGHT
Frank and Tom, lugging their equipment, meet up with cops,
firemen and their rescue equipment.
FRANK
The elevator's fucked. We'd never
all fit anyway. Let's go.
FIREMAN
That's thirteen flights.
WALLS
The news guys just pulled up.
POLICE SERGEANT
The stairs, men, the stairs.
The Sergeant leads a half dozen cops and firemen up the stairs
as the elevator doors open. Tom, Frank and two COPS squeeze
inside.
WALLS
This guy a jumper?
COP
We got a call for shots fired on
the sixteenth floor. The jumper
called right after.
FRANK
(to Walls)
I'm going to sixteen.
As the elevator doors close.
CUT TO:
INT. THE OASIS--NIGHT
Frank steps out with the officers. The door to 16M is open:
Kanita lies half in, half out the door, a perfectly round
hole above her eye, splinters of bone and blood down the
side of her nose.
The carpet is soaked with water; shards of glass lie amid
dying fish. A cop returns from the rear hall of the apartment,
stands before photo of volcano:
COP
That's it, nobody else home.
Frank, looking over the balcony, sees Cy three floors below.
FRANK
I'm going to thirteen.
Frank heads clown the stairs.
CUT TO:
INT. THIRTEENTH FLOOR--NIGHT
Frank emerges on thirteen: Walls, the panting Police Sergeant
and team have overturned the furniture in 13M: the absent
owners would have trouble recognizing it. The floor is covered
with gas-powered metal cutters, acetylene torches, ropes,
harnesses.
A trail of blood leads to where Walls stands, Tiger's prone
body behind him:
WALLS
Get this, Frank--we got two patients.
Number one, the scarecrow outside.
Number two misses the railing but
breaks both legs on the balcony,
then throws himself through a glass
window, heads to the bedroom, where
he's now passed out.
FRANK
(about Coates)
Well, he's the steakhead of the night,
then.
WALLS
I don't think the fire people can
touch him out there.
FRANK
How's he doing?
WALLS
I haven't had a chance to see him
yet. I'm going to take care of
sleeping beauty.
Frank goes over to Coates as two cops strap on harnesses. CY
hangs impaled on the railing, a steel spike passing through
his hip. Glowing in spotlights from thirteen floors below,
Frank takes Coates' vital signs, gently presses his abdomen:
FRANK
Does that hurt?
COATES
(screams)
No!
Frank, IV bag in his teeth, putting an oxygen mask on Coates:
FRANK
I don't think you've hurt any major
organs.
(sets IV line)
We got to get you off this thing
without setting off bleeding.
Cops behind click on harnesses ("You in?" "Yeah" "You in?")
attach straps to pitons they've hammered into the brick wall,
bring out metal cutters and torches.
FRANK (CONT'D)
They're gonna torch the fence. You're
gonna feel the metal getting warm,
maybe very warm.
COATES
I can't hold up my head anymore.
Frank passes the IV bag to one of the cops, holds Coates,
head. CY relaxes his neck as SPARKS splay like fireworks
beneath him, fall to the concrete.
COATES (CONT'D)
So, Frank, am I going to live?
FRANK
You're going to live.
COATES
I've been thinking about things.
Meditating on my financial future.
You guys gave me plenty of time to
meditate on the future. Whatja do,
stop for Chinese on the way over?
There's plenty of food in my place.
FRANK
I was tired. I needed a coffee.
COATES
What about Kanita?
FRANK
Dead.
COATES
That's too bad. Get some money, a
nice looking girl on your arm, and
everyone wants to take a piece. Some
kid I wouldn't let wash my Mercedes
is in my house, shooting at me. Damn,
I thought I could make it onto the
balcony like Tiger. He's fat, that's
why, falls faster. I'm trying to
watch my weight, and look what
happens. Am I shot, Frank?
FRANK
No.
COATES
Boy can't shoot for shit, either.
Goddamn that's hot.
Frank looks: the spike in Coates' hip starting to glow red.
CY stretches his hand toward the skyline, his face backlit
by raining acetylene sparks:
COATES (CONT'D)
Isn't it beautiful? When the fires
start to fall, then the strongest
rule it all. I love this city.
The torch breaks the spike free: Frank and Coates FREE FALL
three feet, jerk to a stop. Cy yelps. The crowd cheers from
below.
Frank now grabbing, holding Coates tightly--Frank's hands
the only thing keeping Coates from falling--as the cops hoist
them up.
COP
(to Frank)
Good thing we buckled you in, huh?
COATES
What about me? Who's supposed to
buckle me?
COP
(to 2nd cop)
I thought you did.
2ND COP
I thought you did.
COP
(to Coates)
I'm so sorry, sir.
The cops lift Frank and Coates onto the balcony.
CUT TO:
EXT. MERCY EMERGENCY--NIGHT
16 XRay parked in front.
CUT TO:
INT. MERCY CRITICAL CARE--NIGHT
Frank walking out of the restroom wiping water off his face,
looking at the gurney where Coates lies on his side, metal
spike still sticking through his hip, IV line running to his
arm, eyes closed. Nurses walk past Coates: he's stabilized,
waiting his turn. CY, take a number.
Frank spots Hazmat at Burke's cubicle, walks over.
HAZMAT
Nurse Crupp, we're going to need
some Valium here. He's waking up
again.
The ventilator alarm goes off as Burke pulls at his
restraints.
HAZMAT (CONT'D)
(urgent)
Where's that Valium?
Nurse Crupp walks briskly over, injects needle into one of
Burke's IV bags.
Burke's voice speaks in Frank's head:
BURKE'S VOICE
Don't. Don't do it.
HAZMAT
Give me a hand, Frank. I've got to
get something between those teeth.
Frank helps Hazmat force in a bite stick. The monitor alarm
cuts off, the ventilator starts up again, pumping air in,
pulling air out.
HAZMAT (CONT'D)
You can't believe how much he's
improved.
FRANK
How many times have you shocked him
tonight?
HAZMAT
Fourteen. We finally got him a room
upstairs. Should be up there in a
couple of hours.
FRANK
What do you do, just have someone
follow him around with a defribilator?
HAZMAT
(laughs)
That's good, Frank. No, but they
might surgically implant one, about
the size of my thumb. It goes near
the shoulder here, with two electrodes
connected to the heart. It sends a
shock whenever it senses a drop in
blood flow. Amazing, isn't it?
FRANK
A medical miracle.
CUT TO:
INT. MERCY WAITING ROOM--NIGHT
Frank notices Mary Burke in waiting area with her brother,
mother and several others. Gone is the lost daughter, the
scared junkie. Tonight she's dressed for strength: leather
jacket, blue jeans, black work boots.
MARY
Everyone, this is the medic who
brought my father in. Frank, these
are some of my father's friends.
Frank greets them.
FAMILY FRIEND
We live out an the Island now, but
we used to live right down the block
from Pat. He was like a saint to us.
Came as soon as we heard.
FRANK
(to Mary)
I'm going out for a smoke.
Mary whispers something to her mother, joins him.
CUT TO:
EXT. MERCY EMERGENCY--NIGHT
Frank offers her a cigarette. Walls waits in 16 XRay, now
parked at the curb.
MARY
I heard CY Coates was brought in. He
looked pretty bad.
FRANK
He'll be all right.
MARY
Too bad. He called me up today, can
you believe that? I don't know how
he got my number. He asks me do I
want to come over and see him, I
tell him I'd rather go to a leper
colony. He says there's a new gang
that wants to kill him, take over
the business. I told him I hope he's
right. That they kill him. That's
what I told him.
FRANK
It'll be a while before he's up and
running again.
MARY
OK, last night I was weak. it won't
happen again. And all that shit I
said--it was just because I was
stoned. Forget it.
FRANK
No problem. Thanks for letting me
crash. It was the best sleep I've
had in months. I used some of your
soap.
MARY
I wish these people would leave
already. I can't listen to another
story. Did you see him?
(Frank doesn't answer)
That doctor says the brain is coming
around. They're waiting for the heart
to stabilize. I don't know who to
believe. He says they still have to
keep him tied up.
FRANK
Can I bring you something back to
eat--a falafal, some pizza?
MARY
No, we just ate. I only remember how
tough my father was. Now I know he
had to be like that, to make us tough.
This city'll kill you if you aren't
strong enough.
FRANK
No, the city doesn't discriminate.
It gets everybody.
Walls flashes 16 XRay's headlights, hits the horns.
FRANK (CONT'D)
I gotta go. Another call.
Frank, his heart pounding, steps closer to her.
FRANK (CONT'D)
We're all dying, Mary Burke.
He leans as if to kiss her.
MARY
This is not a good time.
FRANK
There's no time.
He places his hand on her shoulder, kisses her lightly, walks
toward Walls and the waiting ambulance.
CUT TO:
EXT. FIRST AVE--NIGHT
16 XRay is cooking now--Walls at the wheel, Frank shotgun,
passing a pint of whiskey back and forth: radio blasting--
INXS: "The Devil Inside."
WALLS
Get ready, Frank. Missed a drug
shooting while you were dicking around
in there. There's gonna be trauma
tonight!
FRANK
As long as we keep moving. No standing
still.
WALLS
(keys mike)
C'mon, look at your screen. Give up
some blood!
DISPATCHER
Sixteen XRay, a man at the bus
terminal shot three years ago says
his arm hurts.
Frank looks at a group of girls exiting an after-hours club:
every one a Rose. Rose faces.
FRANK
C'mon, Tom, pick up a job.
WALLS
You want some bum in the bus terminal?
We'll wait for a real call.
FRANK
Let's get in a fight, then.
WALLS
Who with?
FRANK
That's your job. Just keep driving,
keep moving. No stopping. We're
sharks. We stop too long, we die.
Walls hits the accelerator: the old bus jerks forward:
FRANK (CONT'D)
Let's break something, Tom. Let's
bust something, bomb something.
WALLS
What do you want to break?
FRANK
(taking a drink)
I don't know--let's break some
windows.
WALLS
Why?
FRANK
Destruction, distraction. I feel the
need.
WALLS
You need a reason, Frank. You don't
just go around breaking people's
windows. That's anarchy.
FRANK
What's the reason? Give me a reason,
Tom.
WALLS
Let me think.
Tom hits the siren as he swings wildly around a stopped cab
and its turban-headed driver:
WALLS (CONT'D)
Classic cabbie move.
(to driver)
Hey, swammy, that's called a
crosswalk. You stop before it, not
on it!
Walls turns onto a cross street, spots Noel standing by a
Mustang, baseball bat on his shoulder. He wears yesterday's
blood-stained clothes, cut tires tied to his shoulders and
elbows, chest and belly wrapped with steel wire.
WALLS (CONT'D)
I know who to work over. Him.
Walls slows as Noel lifts the bat, swings it into the
Mustang's front window, shattering it, puts the bat down,
using it like a cane as he walks to the next parked car.
WALLS (CONT'D)
This guy's been terrorizing the
neighborhood for weeks, ever since
he got outta jail, wreaking general
havoc, contributing to the bad name
of the place. The term "menace to
society" was made up for him.
FRANK
He's crazy. He can't help it.
WALLS
(stops ambulance)
Well, why don't they put him away?
Prisons don't want him. I took him
to the hospital yesterday and here
he is again.
Noel reaches the next car, a Bronco, carefully hefts the
bat, smashes it through the windshield.
WALLS (CONT'D)
Look at that. Tell me that's a crazy
person. Every move is calculated. He
knows exactly what he's doing. This
is the guy. I've been after him for
weeks. He's quick, runs like a rat,
tough for one person, but with two
of us--
FRANK
Okay, whatta I do?
WALLS
If he sees me, he'll run, so I'll
get out here. You start talking to
him about baseball or something while
I sneak around behind and get down
and you push him. When he falls we
get him.
FRANK
That's ridiculous.
WALLS
Believe me, it always works. The
simpler, the better.
FRANK
You learn that in the army?
FRANK (CONT'D)
Flatbush.
Walls slips out, crouches beside the bus. Frank, stepping
out, walks over to Noel as he whacks the bat through the
hatch of a Pinto.
FRANK (CONT'D)
That's a hell of a swing you got
there, Noel. I'm thinking Strawberry
in his prime.
NOEL
Strawberry ain't shit. Drug pussy.
(heads for the next
car)
Me. I swing like Reggie. Mr.
October. Number three, game six,
World Series.
Noel hauls back, lays into a Volvo: glass shatters. Noel
holds the bat out, extends handle towards Frank:
NOEL (CONT'D)
Here, you try.
FRANK
No, I'd better not.
NOEL
Sure, sure, give go.
FRANK
Yeah?
Frank, intrigued by Noel's suggestion, has forgotten Walls'
plan. He takes the bat as Tom sneaks behind Noel, crouching.
FRANK (CONT'D)
What the hell.
(spits into hands)
The next year, tiebreaker for the
division, in Boston, Yanks down two
to nothing, Bucky Dent steps to the
plate.
NOEL
Oh man, Bucky.
FRANK
The pitch, high heater. Bucky knows
what's coming. He steps in, smash,
over the green monster.
Frank cocks the baseball bat, relishing every moment, swings
into the Volvo's side window. Shattered glass flies on his
hands and clothes.
Walls, fed up with this, stands:
WALLS
Frank, what the hell are you doing?
Noel, seeing Walls, grabs the bat, flees down an alley.
WALLS (CONT'D)
You go down those stairs there. Meet
me back here if you can't find him
in ten minutes. Call out if you see
him. Get with the program, Frank.
Walls takes off after Noel. Frank, taking out his flashlight,
enters second alley, walks down dark stairs which hopefully
circle around to Noel.
CUT TO:
INT. ALLEY--NIGHT
Mini-flashlight leading the way, Frank steps gingerly down
the refuse-strewn alley. Ahead: footsteps.
He kicks something, thinking it's trash, looks down; a body
rustles, pair of sleeping eyes look up.
Suddenly everything seems silent. He passes a row of glowing
red doors. Shadows flash in the distance. He hears a woman
crying, shoots his flashlight her direction: nothing.
Frank hears the voice again: Rose's voice:
ROSE'S VOICE
Why did you kill me, Frank?
FRANK
I didn't mean to.
ROSE'S VOICE
You should have helped me.
FRANK
I tried to help. I wanted to.
Shadows like hands extend against the wall ahead.
ROSE'S VOICE
Don't you love me?
Frank moves toward the reaching arms. The shadows swing like
baseball bats. Noel SCREAMS.
Suddenly, before him, a blurry mass of bloody dreadlocks--
Noel goes flying to the ground, Walls standing over him
swinging the bat, hitting him, killing him.
WALLS
I got him, Frank!
Frank stands back, watching Walls and Noel like some static
black and white TV screen from his childhood. Noel, trying
to protect himself, cries out.
WALLS (CONT'D)
(swinging bat)
To the moon, Alice! You little
motherfucker!
Frank charges forward into Walls, sending Tom, the baseball
bat flying. Walls on the ground. Frank bends over Noel: Noel's
face covered with blood, gasping for air, blowing red bubbles,
convulsing.
FRANK
(to Walls)
Get the kit! We're gonna tube him!
WALLS
Frank!
FRANK
Do it!
WALLS
(standing)
Frank!
FRANK
(to Noel)
We're gonna save you, Noel. You're
gonna be all right.
(to Walls)
Do it, Tom! I'll call for fucking
backup, I swear!
WALLS
You're crazy.
Noel unconscious: Tom hurries down the alley toward the
ambulance as Frank opens Noel's mouth.
FRANK
You're going to make it! You're going
to make it!
Pressing Noel's chest, Frank lowers his mouth, starts CPR.
His mouth to Noel's. In the distance: Walls' footsteps
returning.
CUT TO:
EXT. MERCY EMERGENCY--NIGHT
16 XRay parked out front: the sky is going blue.
CUT TO:
INT. MERCY ER--NIGHT
Frank and Tom, their shirts blood-stained, pushing Noel down
Skid Row, past Griss, past Nurse Constance. Tom wheels, Frank
carries the IV bag.
NURSE CONSTANCE
Take him straight through.
GRISS
Who got that funky motherfucker this
time?
FRANK
(to Nurse Constance)
Last show of the night.
HAZMAT
(arriving)
Jesus Christ. Nurse Crupp!
(to Frank)
Anybody else hurt?
FRANK
No.
HAZMAT
Crazy fucker.
Walls pushes Noel into unit one. Frank looks over to unit
three--Burke's cubicle is empty.
FRANK
Where's Burke?
HAZMAT
Upstairs. 212. Had to shock him twice
more.
Frank nods, walks out. Behind, Walls helps Hazmat and Crupp
place Noel on a bed.
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM 212--NIGHT
Frank Pierce walks down the hospital corridor, steps into
room 212.
Burke lies, tubed, wired and tied to life support. Blue light
comes through the window. On the EKG monitor: a slow steady
green endless line: up, down.
Frank takes a moment, exhales.
One by one, Frank flips off the machines. The clanging EKG
ALARM is followed by the bass honking of the respirator alarm
and two tweetering IV-drip alarms.
Frank, holding Burke's pulse, watches the life go out of
him. Hearing commotion outside, Frank flips the machines
back on: the EKG monitor is flatline.
A FLOOR NURSE rushes in, feels for Burke's pulse.
FLOOR NURSE
What happened?
(calling out)
Code!
Frank steps back as the Nurse hits the emergency switch.
FLOOR NURSE (CONT'D)
Are we doing CPR?
Dr. Hazmat, out of breath, enters:
FLOOR NURSE (CONT'D)
He coded.
HAZMAT
Christ, what a way to start the day.
He's in V-fib. Shock him.
Frank pulls out the paddles, applies them to Burke's chest:
FLOOR NURSE
Clear!
Frank, knowing it's futile, shocks Burke: no result.
HAZMAT
Zap him again.
Frank goes through the motions, pretending to shock Burke.
The flatline doesn't waver.
HAZMAT (CONT'D)
Nothing. Get the cart, start
compressions, get an epinephrine in.
Frank backs out the door as a nurse and intern enter.
In the corridor Frank listens as the activity becomes less
urgent.
Hazmat steps out:
HAZMAT (CONT'D)
That's enough. I called it. Let's
get some coffee.
(to Frank)
You gonna tell the family?
Frank nods.
CUT TO:
EXT. MERCY EMERGENCY--DAYBREAK
Frank walks out of Our Lady of Mercy, heads down the side
street. He passes Tom Walls wielding a giant flashlight,
smashing Sixteen XRay's headlights, denting the hood and
side windows.
WALLS
Die!
CUT TO:
EXT. MARY'S APT. BUILDING--DAY
Frank rings the buzzer. Mary, sleepy-voiced, answers:
MARY (O.S.)
Who is it?
FRANK
Frank.
MARY (O.S.)
Come on up.
CUT TO:
INT. FIRST FLOOR--DAY
Mary, wearing a burgundy robe, opens the door. Frank says
nothing. Her expression darkens.
Frank looks at her again: it's not Mary, it's Rose. Mary has
Rose's face.
FRANK
He's dead, Rose. Your father passed.
ROSE/MARY
How can that be? He was getting
better.
FRANK
He coded. They shocked him one too
many times. I'm sorry.
ROSE/MARY
He was tough. You did all you could.
FRANK
I'm sorry.
ROSE/MARY
You have to keep the body going until
the brain and heart recover enough
to go on their own.
Frank nods.
ROSE/MARY (CONT'D)
Would you like to come in?
FRANK
Yes.
Rose/Mary opens the door wider, closes it behind Frank.
CUT TO:
INT. MARY'S BEDROOM--DAY
Rose is Mary again: she and Frank lie clothed on her bed. He
leans his head against her breast as she holds him. His eyes
close: sleep.
THE END
Bringing Out the Dead
Writers : Paul Schrader
Genres : Drama
User Comments
Back to IMSDb
| screenplays |
The SkyBridge is an automated people mover APM system located within the Leonardo da VinciFiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy.
Opened in 1999 along with the Satellite C, the international part of Terminal 3, the SkyBridge system consists of two stations, one in the third floor of Terminal 3 and the other in the second floor of Gate area G . The system is the only means of transport for passengers between the two parts of the terminal.
The westbound service, from T3 to Gates G, is for departing passengers only, while eastbound service is for arriving passengers only. Arriving passengers are not permitted to take the train back, as they need to pass through a transfer security checkpoint to reenter the departure area. Likewise, departing passengers are not permitted to take the train back to Terminal 3.
Category:Airport people mover systems
Category:People mover systems in Italy | wikipedia |
Commutator of Gauge Covariant derivatives
What is the physical meaning of $$ [D\_{\mu}, D\_{\nu}] ~\propto~ F\_{\mu, \nu}, $$ where $D\_{\mu}$ is the gauge covariant derivative and $F\_{\mu,\nu}$ is the field strength?
Is it just a definition? Does the commutator tell us something about the coupling between the $A\_{\mu}$ fields? Is a Lie Algebra involved (could $[,]$ be a Lie bracket)?
Commutators *are* Lie brackets, in this case on the algebra of differential operators. Asking whether $[\dot{},\dot{}]$ is a Lie bracket doesn't really make sense (since, for matrix groups, the Lie bracket is the matrix commutator, anyway).
The field strength is not "just a definition", it is the natural *curvature* associated to the principal connection that is the gauge field $A\_\mu$. There are two ways in which this curvature arises geometrically:
1. By applying the [exterior covariant derivative](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exterior_covariant_derivative) $\mathrm{d}\_A = \mathrm{d} + A \wedge$ twice to a $p$-form $\omega$:
$$ \mathrm{d}\_A\mathrm{d}\_A\omega = F \wedge \omega $$
As such, you can think of $F$ as being the obstruction to $\mathrm{d}^2 = 0$, which would hold in "flat" space with $F=0$.
2. As the [holonomy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holonomy#Holonomy_of_a_connection_in_a_principal_bundle) around an infinitesimal rectangular loop $\gamma$ around an area element $\sigma\_{\mu\nu}\mathrm{d}x^\mu \wedge \mathrm{d}x^\nu$ as
$$ h(\gamma) = 1 + \sigma^{\mu\nu}F\_{\mu\nu} + \mathrm{O}(\sigma^2)$$
where you should physically think of the holonomy as a generalized relative phase a particle travelling along $\gamma$ will acquire (e.g the phase acquired in the Aharonov-Bohm effect is nothing but a $\mathrm{U}(1)$ holonomy).
And, indeed, as a term in the Lagrangian, $\mathrm{Tr}(F\wedge\star F) = F^a\_{\mu\nu}F^{a\mu\nu}$ contains the self-interaction of the gauge field, and the $[A,A]$-term in $F = [D,D]$ produces cubic and quartic interactions of $A$ with itself if the theory is non-Abelian (for an Abelian theory, the commutator $[A,A]$ vanishes, and $F^a\_{\mu\nu}F^{a\mu\nu}$ contains only kinetic terms like $\partial\_\mu A\_\nu \partial^\mu A^\nu$).
| stackexchange/physics |
Dedicated Truck Driver Opportunity - Average $1,400/week! Runs out of Auburn, IN!
Ride with U.S. Xpress today! We are now hiring drivers for dedicated runs out of Auburn, IN with weekly hometime and a top speed of 68 MPH. | slim_pajama |
Does a fluid with the same static pressure exert different pressures at different velocities?
Let's say there are 2 identical pipes (same diameter, surface roughness) in which a fluid flows.
The static pressure of both the flows are equal. **But Flow A is faster than Flow B**.
Will there be any difference in the pressure exerted on the pipes by these 2 flows?
(*I tried to work this out with Bernoulli but that only works if there is no additional energy in the flow. Here Flow A has additional kinetic energy*)
Thanks in advance :)
I don’t quite understand what you mean by “static pressure.” There’s just one pressure, which obeys the Bernoulli equation,
$$
P+\frac12\rho v^2+mgh=\text{constant}
$$
I guess you must mean the value of $P$ for stationary fluid at your reference height. But in a flowing fluid, the pressure will change through the flowing region. If the flow is doing work, the pressure difference across a fluid element explains the net force which is responsible for the work done.
In particular, flow rate in a pipe with energy loss requires a pressure difference between the inlet and the outlet. So if you want the “static pressure” to be same for two pipes with different flow, you have to specify *where*. If both pipes drain to the atmosphere, the increased flow must come from a more powerful pump, and the pressure will be higher everywhere in the more strongly driven pipe. You could also have the two pipes both filling from the same inlet pressure, in which case the more powerful pump (at the outlet) would produce a lower pressure through the pipe.
Imagine your two pipes are parallel to each other, same length, with a small crosspipe joining them in the middle somewhere. The direction of flow in the crosspipe will tell you the direction of the pressure difference. If the faster-flowing pipe has a pump *pushing* extra fluid through the inlet of faster pipe, it’ll push fluid through the crosspiece. If the pump is pulling more fluid through the outlet of the faster pipe, that pump will also pull fluid through the crosspiece.
| stackexchange/physics |
Coulomb's law accuracy for small distances
My physic teacher told me that experimental deviations from the predictions of Coulomb's law occur at small separations because, being inverse square, Coulomb's law work best for larger values of r. Why is this the case?
Almost every source of electric field in our day life is more than an point-like, having complex structure on the distribution of charges. The naive aplication of the Coulumb's law assume that the sourcer is point-like or spherically symmetric. This is a good approximation if the dimensions of the sourcer is neglegible.
However, when you get close to the sourcer, the structure (the charge distribution) start to be relevant, and you need to replace the **naive** Coulomb's law by the Coulumb's law applied in each charge of the distribtuion.
It is important to note that the law is still valid. Is the application of the law that need to be corrected by new inputs, new distribution of charges. This charges can form a continuum too. And applying the Coulomb's law to each piece of the continuum (using [calculus](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calculus)) gives the right predictions, with controlled accurancy.
There is a systematic way to approach to corrections of the pointe-like and spherically symmetric approximation, the [multipole expansion](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multipole_expansion). The idea is to expand the potential field in terms of $1/r$. The next correction to the $1/r^2$ electric field is the [dipole](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipole)
| stackexchange/physics |
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Nizamabad Urban Assembly constituency is a constituency of Telangana Legislative Assembly, India. It is one among 2 constituencies in the City of Nizamabad with a population of 3,11,152. It is part of Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency
Bigala Ganesh of Telangana Rashtra Samithi is currently representing the constituency for the second time.
Extent of the constituency
The Assembly Constituency presently comprises the following :
Members of Legislative Assembly
Election results
Telangana Legislative Assembly election, 2018
Telangana Legislative Assembly election, 2014
See also
Nizamabad Rural Assembly constituency
List of constituencies of Telangana Legislative Assembly
References
Category:Assembly constituencies of Telangana
Category:Nizamabad district | wikipedia |
How can two electrons repel if it's impossible for free electrons to absorb or emit energy?
There is no acceptable/viable mechanism for a free electron to absorb or emit energy, without violating energy or momentum conservation. So its wavefunction cannot collapse into becoming a particle, right? How do 2 free electrons repel each other then?
It is true that the reactions
$$e + \gamma \to e, \quad e \to e + \gamma$$
cannot occur without violating energy or momentum conservation. But that doesn't mean that electrons can't interact with anything! For example, scattering
$$e + \gamma \to e + \gamma$$
is perfectly allowed. And a classical electromagnetic field is built out of many photons, so the interaction of an electron with such a field can be thought of as an interaction with many photons at once. There are plenty of ways a free electron can interact without violating energy or momentum conservation, so there's no problem here.
To resolve this paradox requires study of time dependent perturbation theory; solving Schrodinger's equation with a time dependent perturbation corresponding to the interaction time of two particles.
If you do this you arrive at the following conclusions:
A single free electron cannot absorb a free photon ( $e + \gamma \to e$ is not a valid interaction)
A single free electron cannot emit a free photon ( $e \to e + \gamma$ is not a valid interaction)
However, two electrons can scatter by exchange of energy ( $ e + e \to e + e$ is a valid interaction)
In this later case it is common to refer to this process being due to exchange of "a virtual photon" between the two electrons. But this is just a description of the calculation of time dependent perturbation theory.
Basically, because the process *doesn't* simultaneously conserve energy and momentum; this is why we say that it's mediated by a virtual photon.
In more technical language, this means that the photons that are exchanged between two interacting electrons are allowed to be ["off shell"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_shell_and_off_shell), where the "shell" is the relationship $E^2 = p^2c^2$ (for a massless particle). Real particles are required to be on-shell, but virtual particles are allowed to stray from that condition, at least by some amount.
In the Feynman-diagram description of the scattering between two electrons you often find diagrams where one electron emits a photon which is then absorbed by the other; this is a virtual photon and as such both the 'emission' and 'absorption' processes are exempt from [these considerations](https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/81448/can-a-free-particle-absorb-emit-photons).
As always, though, it bears repeating that Feynman diagrams are calculational tools, and none of the virtual particles that appear in those diagrams actually physically exist in any definable sense. The fact that the 'emission' and 'absorption' processes, as well as the virtual photon itself, seem to defy energy or momentum conservation is purely a quirk of the way in which we've chosen to interpret limited chunks of our calculation.
Your first statement is false: energy can indeed be added at will to electrons by accelerating them with electrostatic charge distributions, as for example in the case of rapidly varying radio frequency (electromagnetic) fields. Neither energy nor momentum conservation is violated in this case. Search on *SLAC* for more details about this.
Your other questions are unclear. I recommend you do the search, read a bit, and return here if you have further questions.
Let me start with a simple counter-question. How a free electron in a [laser cooling process](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_cooling) loses kinetic energy? The photon, hitting the compliant electron, gets absorbed and after is re-emitted with a higher frequency (with a higher energy content).
>
> There is no acceptable/viable mechanism for a free electron to absorb or emit energy,...
>
>
>
There is. Photons are indivisible particles only between their emission and absorption. And the term photons is a summary for a class of particles over all possible frequencies (energy contents). So the re-emission of a photon mostly happens not with the same frequency as the absorbed photon.
So I rewrite the equation from another answer to an interaction between the electron and the photon:
$$e + \gamma \equiv e \leftrightarrow (\gamma\_1 + \gamma\_2) \to (e + \gamma\_1) + \gamma\_2 $$
>
> How do 2 free electrons repel each other then?
>
>
>
Beside explanations with virtual photons another explanation is that for equaly charged particles the fields do not exchange energy but work like springs. The electric fields get deformed like springs and get relaxed after by pushing the particles back. But the particles lose meanwhile some amount of their kinetic energy (in relation to each over) by emitting photons. You remember, any acceleration is accompanied by photon emission.
| stackexchange/physics |
since the comprehensive aortic root and valve reconstruction ( carvar ) technique was first introduced in 2006 , the underlying safety issues of the procedure itself and the associated complications have been reported by several series of cases and reports .
this technique consists of two main procedures : ( 1 ) aortic root reduction achieved by implanting prosthetic rings on the inner and outer surfaces of the sinotubular junction ( stj ) and/or annulus , and ( 2 ) neo - leaflet reconstruction using a pericardial patch .
the reported complications following the use of this technique include late aortic root aneurysm formation and coronary ostial stenosis due to a foreign body reaction around the prosthetic rings .
although concerns about the durability of the pericardial neo - leaflet have been raised with respect to the carvar technique , complications related to leaflet reconstruction have not been reported thus far .
six years before , the patient underwent aortic valvuloplasty ( avp ) with the carvar technique for the management of severe aortic insufficiency .
the avp in the prior operation consisted of two main procedures : ( 1 ) stj reduction was attempted by using two prosthetic rings , namely the inner ring ( 26 mm ) and the outer ring ( 32 mm ) ( sciencity co. , seoul , korea ) , which were implanted on the inner and outer surfaces of the stj , and ( 2 ) all native leaflets were partially resected and extended with bovine pericardium ( supple peri - guard ; synovis , deerfield , il , usa ) .
the immediate postoperative transthoracic echocardiography reported no residual aortic valve ( av ) regurgitation , and no aortic stenotic components were found . in the current evaluation ,
the follow - up echocardiography revealed severe av stenosis with an av area of 0.70 cm and motion limitation of the right coronary cusp .
details of the av leaflet morphology and dynamics were confirmed by computed tomography images ( fig .
intraoperatively , periaortic adhesion was very extensive , particularly around the outer ring , and then , transverse aortotomy was performed just above the ring . after removing the inner ring of the stj and resecting the av leaflets , aortic valve replacement ( avr ) was performed using mechanical prosthesis ( overline , 18 mm ; sorin biomedica , saluggia , italy ) .
all the reconstructed av leaflets consisting of a native leaflet and a bovine pericardial patch were thickly stiffened ( fig .
2 ) , which led to motion impairment in the right coronary cusp as well as motion limitations in the left and non - coronary cusp .
the redo - avr was completed uneventfully with smooth weaning of cardiopulmonary bypass ( cpb ) .
a 40-year - old man was referred to asan medical center for two weeks of progressive dyspnea and fever . before being referred to our hospital , blood cultures
the transthoracic echocardiogram performed at another hospital reported severe aortic regurgitation with prolapse and perforation of the non - coronary cusp .
the patient had previously undergone carvar - type avp eight years before this presentation for the management of severe aortic insufficiency .
the carvar technique consisted of two main components as in case 1 : ( 1 ) stj reduction using two prosthetic rings ( 26 mm and 34 mm , sciencity co. ) and ( 2 ) leaflet extension with bovine pericardium ( supple peri - guard , synovis ) . after the patient s admission
, we saw that his microbial results revealed that streptococcus mitis grew in multiple sets of blood cultures performed at another hospital , and the profile was confirmed by the same results obtained at our hospital .
it showed prolapse and severe destruction of the left coronary cusp ( lcc ) with two discrete 3-mm tissue defects , but protruding mobile structures were not observed .
the tissue defects and the flail motion of the lcc were compatible with infective endocarditis , and hence , avr was planned .
intraoperative findings confirmed the echocardiographic findings of infective endocarditis showing both commissural detachment of the lcc and multiple tiny pieces of debris lying on the leaflets ( fig .
the leaflets of the av and two prosthetic rings were excised , considering the probability of infection .
avr was performed using mechanical prosthesis ( ats , 22 mm ; ats medical inc . ,
minneapolis , mn , usa ) , and ascending aorta replacement was performed using a 24-mm hemashield ( boston scientific , boston , ma , usa ) vascular graft because a significant portion of the aortic wall tissue defect remained after the excision of the prosthetic rings .
cpb weaning failed because of the decreased contractility of the right coronary artery ( rca ) territory and an unstable heart rhythm .
a cardioplegic solution was delivered only in a retrograde fashion because severe periaortic adhesion precluded the exposure of the aortic root .
cpb was substituted with venous - arterial - type extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ( ecmo ) , and then , the patient was transferred to the cardiac intensive care unit .
after 5 days of ecmo support , the patient was weaned off the ecmo successfully .
the postoperative echocardiogram performed on postoperative day 8 showed complete restoration of the rca territorial contractile function .
six years before , the patient underwent aortic valvuloplasty ( avp ) with the carvar technique for the management of severe aortic insufficiency .
the avp in the prior operation consisted of two main procedures : ( 1 ) stj reduction was attempted by using two prosthetic rings , namely the inner ring ( 26 mm ) and the outer ring ( 32 mm ) ( sciencity co. , seoul , korea ) , which were implanted on the inner and outer surfaces of the stj , and ( 2 ) all native leaflets were partially resected and extended with bovine pericardium ( supple peri - guard ; synovis , deerfield , il , usa ) .
the immediate postoperative transthoracic echocardiography reported no residual aortic valve ( av ) regurgitation , and no aortic stenotic components were found . in the current evaluation , the follow - up echocardiography revealed severe av stenosis with an av area of 0.70 cm and motion limitation of the right coronary cusp .
details of the av leaflet morphology and dynamics were confirmed by computed tomography images ( fig .
intraoperatively , periaortic adhesion was very extensive , particularly around the outer ring , and then , transverse aortotomy was performed just above the ring . after removing the inner ring of the stj and resecting the av leaflets , aortic valve replacement ( avr ) was performed using mechanical prosthesis ( overline , 18 mm ; sorin biomedica , saluggia , italy ) .
all the reconstructed av leaflets consisting of a native leaflet and a bovine pericardial patch were thickly stiffened ( fig .
2 ) , which led to motion impairment in the right coronary cusp as well as motion limitations in the left and non - coronary cusp .
the redo - avr was completed uneventfully with smooth weaning of cardiopulmonary bypass ( cpb ) .
a 40-year - old man was referred to asan medical center for two weeks of progressive dyspnea and fever . before being referred to our hospital , blood cultures
the transthoracic echocardiogram performed at another hospital reported severe aortic regurgitation with prolapse and perforation of the non - coronary cusp .
the patient had previously undergone carvar - type avp eight years before this presentation for the management of severe aortic insufficiency .
the carvar technique consisted of two main components as in case 1 : ( 1 ) stj reduction using two prosthetic rings ( 26 mm and 34 mm , sciencity co. ) and ( 2 ) leaflet extension with bovine pericardium ( supple peri - guard , synovis ) .
after the patient s admission , we saw that his microbial results revealed that streptococcus mitis grew in multiple sets of blood cultures performed at another hospital , and the profile was confirmed by the same results obtained at our hospital .
it showed prolapse and severe destruction of the left coronary cusp ( lcc ) with two discrete 3-mm tissue defects , but protruding mobile structures were not observed .
the tissue defects and the flail motion of the lcc were compatible with infective endocarditis , and hence , avr was planned .
intraoperative findings confirmed the echocardiographic findings of infective endocarditis showing both commissural detachment of the lcc and multiple tiny pieces of debris lying on the leaflets ( fig .
the leaflets of the av and two prosthetic rings were excised , considering the probability of infection .
avr was performed using mechanical prosthesis ( ats , 22 mm ; ats medical inc . ,
minneapolis , mn , usa ) , and ascending aorta replacement was performed using a 24-mm hemashield ( boston scientific , boston , ma , usa ) vascular graft because a significant portion of the aortic wall tissue defect remained after the excision of the prosthetic rings .
cpb weaning failed because of the decreased contractility of the right coronary artery ( rca ) territory and an unstable heart rhythm .
a cardioplegic solution was delivered only in a retrograde fashion because severe periaortic adhesion precluded the exposure of the aortic root .
cpb was substituted with venous - arterial - type extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ( ecmo ) , and then , the patient was transferred to the cardiac intensive care unit .
after 5 days of ecmo support , the patient was weaned off the ecmo successfully .
the postoperative echocardiogram performed on postoperative day 8 showed complete restoration of the rca territorial contractile function .
during the past two decades , there have been several attempts to preserve the native aortic valve tissue in the management of aortic insufficiency . in cases of aortic insufficiency secondary to the dilatation of the aortic root or ascending aorta without primary leaflet disease , a david- or yacoub - type aortic root replacement procedure has become the standard surgical technique
. however , aortic insufficiency involving leaflet pathology such as leaflet restriction or prolapse requires a distinctive leaflet repair technique according to the mechanism of valve dysfunction .
in contrast to the mitral valve , however , the lack of aortic valve tissue hampers the valve repair .
therefore , additional tissue material such as a pericardial patch is required in severe cases of leaflet restriction found in bicuspid , degenerative , or rheumatic valvular disease , resulting in the calcification and thickening of the av leaflets .
bovine pericardium is generally known to be highly prone to calcification and structural deterioration when used in bio - prosthetic valves .
only limited data are available for cases in which the bovine pericardium has been used as the material for leaflet reconstruction , and the outcomes were unacceptable .
furthermore , although some previous studies reported acceptable long - term durability and outcomes of leaflet repair by using an autologous pericardial patch , the overall experience with aortic valve repair is relatively little and the fate of the repaired valve and the reconstructed leaflet is still unclear .
therefore , thus far , aortic valve replacement has been regarded as the standard surgical procedure for aortic insufficiency involving primary leaflet pathology .
comprehensive aortic root and valve reconstruction , or the carvar technique , involves both aortic root reduction and leaflet correction .
the reduction of the aortic root size is achieved by using specially designed prosthetic rings , which are implanted in the inner and outer surfaces of the stj .
therefore , correction of the associated aortic insufficiency is expected as a result of the similar mechanism in the david- or yacoub - type aortic root replacement procedures .
selected patients have undergone concomitant leaflet procedures , such as neo - leaflet creation or leaflet extension using a bovine pericardial patch , according to the condition of the aortic valve leaflets . with simultaneous correction of the aortic root and leaflets
, we introduced the carvar technique that is applicable to a wide range of indications and can facilitate the maximal functional and structural preservation of the aortic root .
concerns about the carvar technique are based on many factors , such as selection of the subject patients , safety issues regarding the predicted complications , and long - term durability or results .
cases of coronary ostial stenosis after the carvar procedure were reported where a foreign body reaction around the prosthetic rings was suspected to be the contributing factor to the fibrous ingrowth obstructing the coronary ostium .
we previously reported a case of late aneurysmal dilation in the aortic root following carvar surgery . in a marfan syndrome patient ,
isolated progressive aortic sinus aneurysmal dilatation had developed between the prosthetic aortic valve and the prosthetic rings within six years since the carvar - type surgery , which consisted of mechanical avr , graft interposition of the ascending aorta and hemiarch , and stj reduction using prosthetic rings .
although the inherent safety problems regarding the use of prosthetic rings or indiscriminate performance of the carvar technique have been pointed out from these reports , complications related to leaflet correction have not been reported thus far .
recently published the early and midterm outcomes of aortic valve reconstruction surgery with the carvar technique .
in contrast to previous reports that showed unsatisfactory long - term durability and outcomes with bovine pericardium as the material for aortic valve reconstruction , song et al . noted that they had never seen degenerative leaflet changes on echocardiographs .
furthermore , they insisted that the pericardial leaflet durability may not be a concern in the carvar technique because of reduced mechanical stress on the leaflets attributable to their excellent hemodynamic profiles .
in contrast to the cited report , a significant motion limitation of the reconstructed aortic leaflet occurred in the present case .
this is the first case reporting a pericardial neo - leaflet failure following the carvar procedure . as a consequence of the neo - leaflet failure
, secondary aortic valve replacement was required in these cases , but implantation of the prosthetic valve was considerably problematic in patient 1 .
stj of the aorta at the level of the previous prosthetic rings showed significant narrowing despite the removal of the inner ring .
as a result , we had to implant a relatively small mechanical valve considering the patient s body surface area .
although we can not reach a definitive conclusion from these cases about the durability of reconstructed leaflets in the carvar technique , the present case reporting the first complication of reconstructed pericardial leaflets may attract the attention of many readers and be of significant value .
careful and close follow - up is required for patients who have undergone carvar surgery , and aortic valve surgery should be performed in a timely manner if needed . | pubmed |
Is there any clear and concrete proof that says the Earth is rotating and orbiting? [duplicate]
**This question already has answers here**:
[What is the Earth truly rotating about/revolving around?](/questions/66476/what-is-the-earth-truly-rotating-about-revolving-around)
(10 answers)
[Proof that the Earth rotates?](/questions/66234/proof-that-the-earth-rotates)
(8 answers)
[Why do we say that the Earth moves around the Sun?](/questions/10933/why-do-we-say-that-the-earth-moves-around-the-sun)
(15 answers)
Closed last year.
As the title states, I am wondering if there exists a clear and concrete proof that proves that the earth is revolving around the sun on an orbit, and proves that the sun is not revolving around the earth.
I've heard of the Foucault pendulum, but that doesn't prove that the sun isn't revolving around the earth. And stellar parallax, I was able to find a lot of material explaining about what it is and why it works, and all the theory behind it is explained in detail on several articles and videos, but I couldn't find any solid experiments or evidences to prove it in any of them.
See this [question on quora.com](https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-prove-that-the-Earth-rotates-once-on-its-axis-in-24-hours)
>
> How do I prove that the Earth rotates once on its axis in 24 hours?
>
>
>
and the answer given there
>
> Err...
>
>
> Well if you look up, then those fixed things in the sky are are going round us.
>
>
> Which is like a pretty huge clue.
>
>
> So either
>
> a) the Earth is spinning once every 24hrs, or
>
> b) EVERYTHING IN THE UNIVERSE is glued to a big ball and is rotating around the Earth.
>
>
> The first theory works. You can check it with pendulums etc.
>
> The second is nuts.
>
>
>
So, theory (a) seems to be simpler than (b).
And furthermore, (a) makes some testable predictions:
* Due to the Coriolis force by the rotation a [Foucault
pendulum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault_pendulum#Explanation_of_mechanics) will slowly rotate with $360° \sin\phi/$day
(with $\phi$ being the geographical latitude).
* Due to the centrifugal force by the rotation the body
of the earth will be slightly [oblate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_of_the_Earth#Ellipsoid_of_revolution) (i.e. the radius
larger at the equator, and smaller at the poles).
Due to the same effect the [gravity of the earth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_of_Earth#Latitude) will
increase slightly with geographical latitude (i.e. smaller
at the equator, and larger at the poles).
All these effects have indeed been experimentally confirmed.
Theory (b) has no explanation for these effects.
---
And now for your second question:
How to prove that the sun isn't revolving around the earth.
Let's consider the observed movement of the planets relative
to the background of the stars.
In the course of the year the planets move in a somewhat
erratic way.
As an example, here are the trajectories of Mars (the bright orange
dots) and Uranus (the faints dots above Mars) in 2003.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8zuzN.jpg)
(image from [Online Astronomy eText: The Sky / Orbital Motions / Retrograde Motion](https://cseligman.com/text/sky/retrograde.htm))
Most of the time the outer planets (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, ...)
move from west to east.
But for a few months they move "backwards" (from east to west).
In principle there are different models to explain this:
1. [Geocentric model of Ptolemy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geocentric_model):
The earth stands still.
The sun moves around the earth in a nearly circular orbit.
The planets move around the earth in a complicated way.
2. [Heliocentric model of Copernicus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copernican_heliocentrism):
The sun stands still.
The earth and the planets move around the sun in nearly circular orbits
The model (2) is much simpler than model (1), because it explains
the motion of the planets with less complicated assumptions.
Therefore model (2) is preferred.
Furthermore, both models make some more predictions which
can be tested with experiments.
The heliocentric model predicts:
* Due to the position of the earth varying in the course of the year
the positions of nearby foreground stars will vary slightly relative
to the background stars further away. See [stellar parallax](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_parallax).
This indeed had been measured experimentally.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/q9TNL.png)
(image from [Humble 1st attempt for stellar parallax](https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/804634-humble-1st-attempt-for-stellar-parallax/))
* Due to the velocity vector of the earth varying in the course of
the year the spectra of stars will be slightly
[Doppler-shifted](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppler_effect#Astronomy) in a yearly rhythm.
This also had been measured expeimentally.
On the other hand, the geocentric model predicts the parallaxes
and Doppler-shifts of the stars not to vary in a yearly rhythm,
because of the earth standing still.
This contradict with the experimental facts, and hence this model
is disproved.
[Kepler's laws of planetary motion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler%27s_laws_of_planetary_motion) are observational laws that are most simply explained by a heliocentric model of the solar system in which the orbits of the planets are governed by [Newton's law of universal gravitation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_law_of_universal_gravitation) (with some tweaks from general relativity to account for the exact precession of Mercury's orbit).
It is *possible* that this is all an illusion created by a malicious deity, that the sun and the rest of the universe actually revolves around the Earth once a year, that our understanding of gravity is incorrect, and that Kepler's laws only hold by coincidence. It is also *possible* that none of this really exists at all, it is all just coloured lights in the sky, the moon landings were a hoax etc. etc. But [Occam's razor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor) tells us that such complex and baroque explanations are very unlikely.
| stackexchange/physics |
the optical or conductivity properties of generally anisotropic material are described by ( generally complex ) permittivity @xmath11 or conductivity @xmath10 tensor , being mutually related by ( in si units ) @xmath13 , where @xmath14 being kronecker delta and @xmath15 light frequency ( i.e. @xmath16 corresponds to d.c .
current ) .
onsager relations require antisymmetry in magnetization direction , @xmath17 .
as various magnetization direction causes small perturbation to the crystal optical properties , @xmath11 , they can be expressed as taylor series of permittivity tensor in direction of @xmath18 @xcite @xmath19 where superscripts denote zeroth , first , second etc .
order in magnetization .
optical permittivity independent on magnetization direction is @xmath20 and in case of cubic crystal , it has unitary form @xmath21 .
the term linear in magnetization @xmath22 is described by third - order tensor @xmath23 , where onsager relations assures @xmath24 . in case of cubic crystals , it has simple form @xmath25 , where @xmath26 is levi - civita symbol and @xmath27 is linear magnetooptic element .
the term quadratic in magnetization @xmath28 is described by fourth order tensor @xmath29 , with onsager relations assuring @xmath30 . in case of cubic crystal with
@xmath31 $ ] , @xmath32 $ ] , @xmath33 $ ] , the @xmath29 tensor can be written in compact form as @xcite @xmath34 = \left [ \begin{array}{cccccc } g_{11 } & g_{12 } & g_{21 } & 0 & 0 & 0 \\ g_{21 } & g_{11 } & g_{12 } & 0 & 0 & 0 \\ g_{12 } & g_{21 } & g_{11 } & 0 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 0 & 2g_{44 } & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 2g_{44 } & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 2g_{44 } \end{array } \right ] \ , \left [ \begin{array}{c } m_x^2 \\ m_y^2 \\ m_z^2\\ m_ym_z\\ m_zm_x\\ m_xm_y \end{array } \right]\ ] ] in order to express @xmath35-elements for crystals with cubic symmetry , the elements can be rearranged defining @xmath36 and @xmath37 .
note that alternative way used to express anisotropy of the permittivity is @xmath38 @xcite . in case of cubic crystals owning point
o@xmath39 symmetry , @xmath40 and hence @xmath41 , @xmath42 @xcite . in case of isotropic medium ,
then both @xmath43 , @xmath42 . furthermore ,
notice , that spectra of @xmath44 element can not be determined ( only value of @xmath45 ) as for the ferromagnetic materials , the magnitude of magnetization vector @xmath46 is constant for any magnetization direction and hence @xmath44 becomes inseparable part of @xmath47 .
hence , spectra of any permittivity element @xmath11 ( up to second order in magnetization ) can be expressed as weighted sum of principal spectra , where the weights are determined by crystallographic and magnetization directions .
table [ t : scans ] demonstrates those weights for @xmath48 $ ] , @xmath32 $ ] and @xmath33 $ ] oriented crystal for two magnetization scans , used later in ab - initio calculations .
namely , the angular dependence of @xmath11 permittivity elements is expressed for two magnetization scans , in - plane ( @xmath49 , @xmath50 ) and out - of - plane ( @xmath51 , @xmath52 ) scans as the magnetization passes through all high symmetry directions [ 001 ] , [ 110 ] and [ 111 ] .
angles @xmath53 , @xmath54 define magnetization direction , being @xmath55 = [ \sin\theta \cos\varphi , \sin\theta \sin\varphi , \cos\theta ] $ ] . see ref .
@xcite providing weighting factors of principal spectra for general magnetization direction and several crystallographic orientations .
cc in - plane scan : @xmath56 , @xmath57 : & out - of - plane scan : @xmath58 , @xmath59 : + [ cols="^,^",options="header " , ] to determine all principal spectra we first separate linear and quadratic contributions , by extracting off - diagonal linear in magnetization ( @xmath60 , @xmath61 ) , off - diagonal quadratic in magnetization ( @xmath62 , @xmath61 ) and diagonal quadratic in magnetization ( @xmath63 , @xmath61 ) contributions from which the principal spectra are determined .
the examples of angular dependencies of those contributions are demonstrated in fig .
[ f : epsdiff ] for fe at photon energies 1.3ev and 56ev . in figs .
[ f : specfe][f : specni ] we show principal spectra of @xmath47 , @xmath27 , @xmath64 , @xmath2 for bcc fe , fcc co and fcc ni . as those materials own point o@xmath39 symmetry @xmath65 .
the parts of the spectra related with light absorption are shown in first four lines , whereas last four lines are related to light dispersion ( determined by kramers - kronig relations @xcite ) .
two approaches to determine principal spectra are used .
( i ) we determine principal spectra from ab - initio calculated @xmath11 for in - plane and out - of - plane magnetization scans . for both scans ,
the angular dependences as predicted by symmetry arguments for cubic crystals are presented in tab .
[ t : scans ] .
knowing those dependences we can extract all principal spectra .
two pairs of spectra of @xmath45 and @xmath2 are determined , each pair from one scan . for computational details , see appendix [ app : comp ] .
( ii ) we determine principal spectra solely from @xmath11 calculated for magnetization pointing in fundamental symmetry directions such as [ 100 ] , [ 110 ] or [ 111 ] being sufficient to determine all principal spectra .
[ t : fund ] summarizes analytical expressions of principal spectra from known permittivity elements with magnetization at fundamental magnetization directions .
two pairs of spectra are determined , spectra of @xmath45 from [ 100 ] and [ 110 ] magnetization directions , and spectra of @xmath2 from [ 110 ] and [ 111 ] magnetization directions .
obviously , when calculated angular dependences follow relations predicted by symmetry arguments , and when we neglect contributions of higher order effects , both approaches providing four pairs of spectra should be identical .
all those principal spectra are shown in figures [ f : specfe]-[f : specni ] for @xmath45 and @xmath2 .
one can see that although all elements and spectral ranges were calculated from equal electronic structure , there is very good agreement between all approaches in case of 2@xmath0- and 3@xmath0-edges spectral range . on the other hand ,
agreement between @xmath35-spectra in visible range is much smaller ( particularly visible for @xmath45 in fe ) .
this can be also seen on fig .
[ f : epsdiff ] , where demonstrated example ( fe at 1.3ev ) where , in case of both in - plane scan and out - of - plane scans , the values of e.g. @xmath66 or @xmath67 are shifted .
the discrepancy stems from the numerical precision of the brillouin zone integration technique used to calculate optical properties for photon energies below about 12ev . for more details
see the appendix [ app : comp ] . finally ,
recall , for isotropic materials @xmath68 .
however , in 2@xmath0-edge and 3@xmath0-edge spectra , the peaks of @xmath2 and @xmath64 corresponding to l@xmath4 and m@xmath4 edges have roughly opposite signs , demonstrating very strong ( dominating ) anisotropy of quadratic effects in cubic bcc fe , fcc co and fcc ni in their respective spectral ranges .
very strong anisotropy signal in xmld is demonstrated and analysed by both experimental and theoretical calculations at both 2@xmath0-edge and 3@xmath0-edge in case of the bcc fe and fcc co @xcite and compare the corresponding experimental spectral shapes with spectral shape of here predicted g - tensor elements ( @xmath69 ) related to the quadratic contributions of magneto - optical effects .
note also the determined im@xmath70 , element related to the linear magneto - optical effects ( middle column of fig .
[ f : specfe ] ) has the same spectral shape as recently measured t - moke spectra of bcc fe at the 3@xmath0 edges @xcite .
furthermore , fig .
[ f : specfe ] demonstrates ( visible particularly for 3@xmath0-edges ) that light absorption @xmath71 has form of sum of lorentzian peaks .
then the absorption of linear element @xmath27 is roughly proportional to the first derivation of @xmath47 : @xmath72 , and quadratic elements are approximately proportional to second derivative of @xmath47 : @xmath73 @xcite .
notice also different spectral features in both @xmath35-spectra , e.g. , in case of fe at 4.7ev ( or ni at 1.9ev ) , there is a strong peak in @xmath64 spectra , but no such a feature in @xmath2 spectra .
similar can be told about feature for ni at 0.4ev , presented only in @xmath2 spectra and absent in @xmath64 spectra .
finally notice that for ( 001 ) oriented crystals , ( a ) the real / imaginary part of @xmath64 is proportional to magnetic linear birefringence / dichroism ( mlb / mld ) , respectively , with @xmath74 $ ] .
namely , it corresponds to difference of light speed / absorption for @xmath75 $ ] and @xmath76 $ ] .
similarly , @xmath2 is proportional to mlb / mld with @xmath77 $ ] , i.e. @xmath78 $ ] and @xmath79 $ ] .
once more let us stress that spectral shapes of g - tensors can be directly compared with recorded xmld spectra w.r.t .
various m and e vectors of refs .
this can be seen also seen on expressions of @xmath80 and @xmath2 using kubo formula ( [ eq : sigs][eq : sig44 ] ) below .
( b ) in case of both @xmath18 and @xmath81 vectors laying in ( 001)-plane ( i.e. in - plane magnetization and normal light incidence ) , the isotropic part of mlb / mld , is proportional to the term @xmath82 , whereas the anisotropic part of mlb / mld ( i.e. varying with crystallographic orientation ) is given by @xmath83 @xcite .
we express analytically all principal spectra ( @xmath47 , @xmath27 , @xmath64 , @xmath2 ) by quantum mechanical description ( i.e. by modified kubo formula ) within the electric dipole approximation .
in cartesian system defined @xmath31 $ ] , @xmath32 $ ] , @xmath33 $ ] and for magnetization along @xmath84 $ ] direction , the absorption ( dissipative ) part is the well - known non - magnetic ( isotropic ) term @xmath85 is @xcite @xmath86 \left|\langle i|\vec{\pi}\cdot\hat{z}|f\rangle\right|^2 \delta(\omega-\omega_{fi})\ , .
\label{eq : sig0}\ ] ] where @xmath87 is matrix elements for light polarization ( electric field ) along @xmath88 with @xmath89 , @xmath90 being initial and final electron states , respectively .
kinetic momentum operator @xmath91 is sum of canonical momentum @xmath92 , vector potential of the magnetic field @xmath93 and spin - orbit coupling between electron potential @xmath94 and its spin @xmath95 , @xmath96 , @xmath97 are occupation functions . the dispersive part of the dielectric functions are determined by kramers - kronig relations @xcite .
note that according to tab .
[ t : scans ] , eq .
( [ eq : sig0 ] ) calculates imaginary part of @xmath98 , not solely @xmath99 .
however , @xmath44 can not be determined , as length of magnetization vector is constant for ferromagnetic materials .
hence , @xmath44 is inseparable part of @xmath47 and we neglect it compared to @xmath47 .
when both magnetization and light propagation is along @xmath88 axis , @xmath84 $ ] , then eigenmodes of light propagation are circularly left and circularly right polarizations .
therefore , the linear term @xmath27 is given as a difference of light absorption for circularly - left and circularly - right polarizations as determined by bruno _
et al _ @xcite @xmath100 \left ( |\langle i|\vec{\pi}\cdot(\hat{x}+i\hat{y})|f\rangle|^2 - |\langle i|\vec{\pi}\cdot(\hat{x}-i\hat{y})|f\rangle|^2 \right ) \delta(\omega-\omega_{fi})\ , .
\label{eq : sigk}\ ] ] in case magnetization is along @xmath101 $ ] direction ( i.e. along @xmath102 ) , the symmetry arguments predict @xmath103 ( tab .
[ t : scans ] ) . by employing eq .
( [ eq : sig0 ] ) , @xmath45 can be expressed as @xmath104 \left ( |\langle i|\vec{\pi}\cdot\hat{x}|f\rangle|^2 - |\langle i|\vec{\pi}\cdot\hat{y}|f\rangle|^2 \right ) \delta(\omega-\omega_{fi})\ , .
\label{eq : sigs}\ ] ] this equation corresponds to the case when light propagation is along @xmath88 axis and @xmath105 , then eigenmodes of light propagation are linearly polarized waves parallel and perpendicular to magnetization direction . hence , the quadratic term @xmath45 is given by difference of absorptions for those two light polarizations . similarly , in cartesian system defined @xmath106 $ ] , @xmath107 $ ] , @xmath108 $ ] and for magnetization @xmath109 $ ] , the element @xmath110 is expressed formally in the same way as @xmath45 @xcite . transforming back to cartesian system
@xmath31 $ ] , @xmath32 $ ] , @xmath33 $ ] , quadratic term @xmath2 is expressed by difference of absorption of linear light polarization along [ 110 ] and @xmath111 $ ] directions when magnetization is along @xmath112\parallel \hat{x}+\hat{y}$ ] @xmath113 \left ( |\langle i|\vec{\pi}\cdot(\hat{x}+\hat{y})|f\rangle|^2 - |\langle i|\vec{\pi}\cdot(-\hat{x}+\hat{y})|f\rangle|^2 \right ) \delta(\omega-\omega_{fi})\ , .
\label{eq : sig44}\ ] ] finally note , that here expressed @xmath45 and @xmath2 corresponds to principal spectra calculated from [ 100 ] and [ 110 ] magnetization directions , as denoted in tab .
[ t : fund ] and figs .
[ f : specfe][f : specni ]
the permittivity tensor phenomenologically describes optical properties of matter . in this section
, we provide a brief relation between elements of permittivity tensor and measured effects in common magnetooptical techniques . from experimental point of view
, the measured quantities are straightforwardly related with the reflectivity matrix , usually expressed in jones formalism @xcite . then , measured optical quantities , such as kerr effect , magnetic circular dichroism ( mcd ) , mld , reflectivity , magnetoreflectivity , ellipsometry etc .
are directly related to this reflection matrix . in case of multilayer structure ,
the relation between reflection matrix and permittivities of constituent layers are routinely described by yeh @xcite or berreman @xcite formalisms , based on propagation of light eigenmodes in the layer , where eigenmodes intensities are determined by boundary conditions on the interfaces ( continuity of transversal component of electric and magnetic fields through the interfaces ) . as optical anisotropies are usually week , the perturbation optical approach has been developed as well @xcite , handling optical anisotropy as a perturbation from optical isotropic response .
analytical solution of optical response of multilayer structure with generally optically anisotropic layers is very complicated .
hence , analytical solution is mostly expressed for two simple structures : ( i ) reflection on interface of bulk material . however , even in this simple case the analytical expression of reflection matrix from generally optically anisotropic media is still very complicated @xcite .
( ii ) ultrathin approximation , where thickness of anisotropic layer is assumed to be much thinner than wavelength of light in the material @xcite . in this approximation
, optical response can be expressed analytically rather simply .
although different multilayer structures provides different relations between constituent permittivity tensor and reflection matrix , some relations can be generalized . in following we
assume one of the following simplifications : * many magnetooptical technique ( e.g. moke , transverse moke ( tmoke ) or xmcd ) are selectively sensitive to off - diagonal permittivity elements of the fm layer .
in this case , to describe effect measured by the setup , we neglect difference between the diagonal permittivity elements , and assume all diagonal permittivity elements to be equal . * on contrary , mld employs change in reflection / transmission of linearly polarized light . hence ,
when handling intensities of those reflected or transmitted linearly polarized light , we can neglect influence of the off - diagonal permittivity elements and assume them vanished . in case of ( a ) approximation , the reflection matrix element can be written in general form ( neglecting higher orders in @xmath11 , @xmath61 ) as @xmath114 where @xmath115 , @xmath116 , @xmath117 , @xmath118 and @xmath119 are optical terms given by details of optical and geometrical properties of the multilayer structure , being independent on the off - diagonal permittivity of the fm layer @xmath11 , @xmath61 .
note that for zero incidence angle ( @xmath120 ) , @xmath121 as experimentally measured magnetooptical quantities are directly related to reflection matrix , we demonstrate relation between off - diagonal permittivity elements and few magnetooptic techniques : the complex moke angle @xmath122 ( @xmath53 is kerr rotation , @xmath123 is kerr ellipticity ) can be expressed as @xmath124 where @xmath125 , @xmath126 are again optical terms depending on all other optical properties of the constituent layers @xcite .
note that for @xmath120 , @xmath127 and @xmath128 , and for small incidence angle @xmath129 .
tmoke is change of p - reflectivity due to off - diagonal elements is described by term @xmath130 , being usually induced by transverse magnetization .
then , tmoke writes @xmath131 where again @xmath132 is optical term depending on optical details of the multilayer .
mcd ( and obviously also xmcd ) is difference of light absorption for circularly left and right polarized light . to be consistent with previous part ,
we express mcd in reflection , mcd=@xmath133 , where @xmath134 , @xmath135 is reflection for circularly right , left polarized light , respectively : @xmath136 where @xmath137 denotes complex conjugation . in any case
, the relations between off - diagonal permittivity elements and mcd in transmission are formally identical . assuming small incidence angle ( @xmath138 ) , and hence @xmath139
, we got @xmath140 where again @xmath141 and @xmath142 are optical terms depending on optical details of the structure . in case of mld ( or xmld ) , the approximation ( b ) is employed , assuming off - diagonal term vanished . then
, off - diagonal reflectivity coefficients vanishes as well ( @xmath143 ) and diagonal reflectivities can be written as @xmath144 where @xmath145 , @xmath146 and @xmath147 are again optical terms and @xmath148 , @xmath149 @xmath150 are differences of diagonal permittivity elements from from @xmath47 ( i.e. differences between anisotropic and isotropic permittivities ) .
note in case @xmath120 term @xmath147 vanish and @xmath151 .
also , in case of metals , term @xmath147 can be neglected as well even for non - zero incidence angle due to large refractive index of metals .
mld is defined as a difference of reflectivity ( or transmittivity ) between incident @xmath152 and @xmath0 polarized light . further assuming @xmath120
, mld writes @xmath153 where @xmath94 is again an optical term .
in conclusion , we provide principal spectra , _
i_.e . decomposition of isotropic , linear and quadratic contributions in magnetization of magnetooptic effects up to the second order in magnetization .
the values of magnetooptic permittivity elements are determined as weighted sum of principal spectra , where weights are determined solely by magnetization direction .
although in x - ray range , this spectroscopy is already established , it was not introduced for visible range . in case of ferromagnetic cubic crystals owning point symmetry , all magneto - transport up to
second - order effects are described by spectra of four complex principal spectra , denoted @xmath154 , @xmath27 , @xmath64 and @xmath2 , as predicted by symmetry arguments .
this approach expresses second - order magnetooptic properties as bulk material property , independent on sample crystallographic orientation , layer thickness , structure details etc .
the principal spectra were expressed from ab - initio calculations for bcc fe , fcc co and fcc ni . to extract principal spectra from ab - initio ,
we have used two methods ( i ) by comparing ab - initio calculated angular dependence of the permittivity tensor , with dependences predicted by symmetry arguments and ( ii ) using permittivity elements calculated for fundamental symmetry magnetization directions .
we also express principal spectra analytically using modified kubo formula .
although the spectroscopy presented here is for cubic crystals owning @xmath155 point symmetry , it can also be simply modified for materials with different crystal symmetries , higher orders in magnetizations or even different magneto - transport effects .
we expect that experimental and theoretical determination of principal spectra will be routinely used in magnetooptic spectroscopy of ferromagnetic materials
. financial support by czech grant agency ( 13 - 30397s ) , by it4innovations centre of excellence project ( cz.1.05/1.1.00/02.0070 ) , funded by the european regional development fund and the national budget of the czech republic via the research and development for innovations operational programme , as well as czech ministry of education via the project large research , development and innovations infrastructures ( lm2011033 ) and student grant competitions of vsb - tu ostrava ( sp2015/61 , sp2015/71 and sp2016/182 ) as well as helpful discussions with peter m. oppeneer and karel vborn are well acknowledged .
the angular dependence of @xmath11 on magnetization direction with respect to the crystal axes is determined by ab - initio calculations .
the electronic structure is determined by full potential linearised augmented plane wave method ( wien2k code @xcite ) , where the exchange energy is based on local spin density approximation @xcite .
the spin - orbit coupling was included in a second - variation scheme @xcite .
the following parameters were employed : the energy cutoff , given as the product of the muffin - tin radius and the maximum reciprocal space vector was @xmath156 , the largest reciprocal vector in the charge fourier expansion , @xmath157 , was set to 14 ry@xmath158 , and the maximum value of partial waves inside the muffin - tin spheres , @xmath159 .
the brillouin zone sampling was done on grid of 27@xmath16027@xmath16027 @xmath161-points , whereas for the optical transition matrix elements @xcite a finer grid of 81@xmath16081@xmath16081 was used .
the optical calculations are based on kubo formula @xcite , with omitted drude term , hence we do not present dc transport . at present , also core - hole effects are omitted .
the lattice constants of studied materials are fixed being @xmath162(bcc fe ) , @xmath163(fcc co ) and @xmath164(fcc ni ) @xcite .
the numerical precision shows to be limited for the beginning of the optical energy range below about 12ev,_i.e . _ the states in vicinity of the fermi level
. there may be two reasons for it : ( 1 ) the calculated transition probabilities are calculated for each pair of energy levels and for each @xmath161-point of the mesh of the reciprocal space .
the integration of the kubo formula is implemented by blchl - enhanced tetrahedron integration @xcite , which determines mean value of a given property ( e.g. transition probability ) inside each tetrahedron .
this mean value is calculated by weighted sum of a given property at each corner of the tetrahedron , where the weights for each stationary state ( i.e. for each energy level ) are calculated from eigenenergy of each k - point and value of the fermi energy .
this works well , when either initial or final tetrahedron are fully above or below fermi level .
however , in case when both initial and final states are within tetrahedrons cutting fermi level , this approach may not work properly .
this may explain , why dependence of permittivity elements on magnetization direction for photon energy below 12ev are rather different from expected symmetry dependence compared to those calculated for higher photon energies .
( 2 ) in blchl - enhanced tetrahedron integration , the irreducible @xmath161-points are selected to fulfil that the symmetry operation copies those irreducible @xmath161-points to all @xmath161 points inside the unit cell of the reciprocal space .
obviously , in the case of high symmetry structure , such as cubic crystal , the position of @xmath161-points in the unit cell follows most of symmetry operations . however , the integration employs tetrahedrons , which does not follow so many symmetry operations . for example , in case of cubic crystal , the rotation by 90@xmath165 copy @xmath161-points to themselves , but the tetrahedrons are not copied to themselves .
therefore , the numerical error of the integration from different parts of the unit cell does not follow structural symmetry , which may increase error described in the previous paragraph .
showcase of imaginary part of the permittivity for bcc fe at 1.3ev ( left columns ) and 56ev ( right columns ) for differences of permittivity tensor elements on magnetization direction for ( top line ) in - plane scans and ( bottom line ) out - of - plane scans .
line is fit to dependence as predicted by symmetry arguments ( tab .
[ t : scans ] ) .
diagonal elements ( blue ) corresponds to difference of diagonal permittivity elements @xmath166 , @xmath61 , being proportional to @xmath41 .
lower triangle ( green ) @xmath62 is proportional to linear magnetooptic @xmath27 element .
upper triangle ( red ) @xmath60 is proportional to @xmath2 element . ]
65ifxundefined [ 1 ] ifx#1 ifnum [ 1 ] # 1firstoftwo secondoftwo ifx [ 1 ] # 1firstoftwo secondoftwo `` `` # 1''''@noop [ 0]secondoftwosanitize@url [ 0 ]
+ 12$12 & 12#1212_12%12@startlink[1]@endlink[0]@bib@innerbibempty @noop _
_ ( , , ) @noop * * , ( ) link:\doibase 10.1103/physrev.117.689 [ * * , ( ) ] @noop * * , ( ) link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevlett.87.047401 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevlett.104.187401 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.79.052401 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.65.054415 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevlett.109.196602 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevlett.111.187201 [ * * , ( ) ] @noop ( ) @noop * * , ( ) @noop * * , ( ) , http://stacks.iop.org/0038-5670/18/i=6/a=r02 [ * * , ( ) ] @noop * * , ( ) @noop * * , ( ) @noop * * , ( ) @noop * * , ( ) @noop * * , ( ) link:\doibase 10.1002/pssb.2220490128 [ * * , ( ) ] @noop * * , ( ) @noop * * , ( ) link:\doibase dx.doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.83.1862 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1126/science.287.5455.1014 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.67.024431 [ * * , ( ) ] @noop * * , ( ) link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.82.184415 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.67.024431 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.74.094407 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevlett.98.197201 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevlett.100.067403 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.78.064427 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.82.094403 [ * * , ( ) ] @noop * * , ( ) link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.89.140404 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1109/tmag.2014.2321632 [ * * , ( ) ] @noop * * , ( ) @noop _ _ ( , , ) @noop _ _ ( , , ) @noop _ _ ( , , ) @noop * * , ( ) @noop * * , ( ) @noop * * , ( ) @noop * * , ( ) link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.83.064409 [ * * , ( ) ] @noop * * , ( ) @noop * * , ( ) link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.53.9214 [ * * , ( ) ] @noop _ _ ( , ) @noop * * , ( ) @noop * * , ( ) link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.64.235421 [ * * , ( ) ] @noop * * , ( ) @noop * * , ( ) @noop * * ( ) link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.43.6423 [ * * , ( ) ] @noop _ _ ( , ) link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.67.155411 [ * * , ( ) ] link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.52.1090 [ * * , ( ) ] @noop ( ) @noop * * , ( ) link:\doibase 10.1103/physrevb.63.205111 [ * * , ( ) ] @noop * * , ( ) @noop _ _ ( , ) @noop * * , ( ) | arxiv |
Casimir effect evidence
How does the attraction between two metal plates support a new effect (or force)?
Isn't it expected that two plates attract each other due to the London dispersion?
If so, how does the experiment differentiate between the two?
The claimed measurement of effects of the vacuum energy (the Casimir force) is highly controversial. Many experts seem to agree that the measured effect has nothing to do with the attractive force due to vacuum fluctuation, and instead is explained by the interaction between relativistic currents, see e.g. <https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0503158>.
| stackexchange/physics |
Is this identity true for operators?
We have the classical identiy:
$$ \boldsymbol{L}\cdot\left(\boldsymbol{p}\times\boldsymbol{L}\right) = 0$$
But I was wondering if that is also right in QM, considering $L$ and $P$ do not generally commute. I tried to check it:
$$\boldsymbol{L}\cdot\left(\boldsymbol{p}\times\boldsymbol{L}\right)=L\_{i}\left(\boldsymbol{p}\times\boldsymbol{L}\right)\_{i}=\epsilon\_{ijk}L\_{i}p\_{j}L\_{k}=\epsilon\_{ijk}\epsilon\_{imn}r\_{m}p\_{n}p\_{j}\epsilon\_{kou}r\_{o}p\_{u}$$
$$=\epsilon\_{kij}\epsilon\_{kou}\epsilon\_{imn}r\_{m}p\_{n}p\_{j}r\_{o}p\_{u}=\left(\delta\_{io}\delta\_{ju}-\delta\_{iu}\delta\_{jo}\right)\epsilon\_{imn}r\_{m}p\_{n}p\_{j}r\_{o}p\_{u}$$
$$=\epsilon\_{imn}r\_{m}p\_{n}p\_{j}r\_{i}p\_{j}-\epsilon\_{imn}r\_{m}p\_{n}p\_{j}r\_{j}p\_{i}=\epsilon\_{imn}r\_{m}p\_{n}p\_{j}\left(r\_{i}p\_{j}-r\_{j}p\_{i}\right)$$
It does seem like it isn't going to be zero, but I have a deep feeling I'm missing something. Will be glad for any help.
You just need to finish your calculation:
$$
\begin{align}
\epsilon\_{imn}r\_{m}p\_{n}p\_{j}\underbrace{\left(r\_{i}p\_{j}-r\_{j}p\_{i}\right)}\_{\delta\_{ij} i\hbar} &= \epsilon\_{jmn} r\_m p\_n p\_j \\
&= 1/2 \left(\epsilon\_{jmn} r\_m p\_n p\_j + \epsilon\_{jmn} r\_m p\_n p\_j\right) \\
&= 1/2 \left(\epsilon\_{jmn} r\_m p\_n p\_j + \epsilon\_{nmj} r\_m p\_j p\_n\right)\\
&= 1/2 \left(\epsilon\_{jmn} r\_m p\_n p\_j - \epsilon\_{jmn} r\_m p\_j p\_n\right)\\
&= 1/2 \left(\epsilon\_{jmn} r\_m p\_n p\_j - \epsilon\_{jmn} r\_m p\_n p\_j\right)\\
&= 0
\end{align}
$$
| stackexchange/physics |
Halogenation of an alpha-halogen ketone in acidic conditions
When a methyl ketone is submitted to halogenation in acidic conditions with two equivalents of a halogen, the first halogenation happens at the secondary alpha carbon atom , while the second halogenation happens at the primary alpha carbon atom. Why is it so? Why doesn't it happen on the same carbon atom (the secondary one)?
The same mechanism discussed in [my answer to your earlier question](https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/23500/regioselectivity-of-alpha-halogenation-of-ketones/23504#23504) on acid catalyzed halogenation alpha to a carbonyl still applies here. For reference, here is the same [link](http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Organic_Chemistry/Reactivity_of_Alpha_Hydrogens/Alpha_Halogenation) supplied earlier that shows the mechanism for this acid catalyzed halogenation.
In that earlier answer I said that the enol that "produces the more stable double bond (the one that is more highly substituted)" is the enol that will form and react nucleophilically with the halogen to produce the alpha-halo carbonyl product. In light of your new question, the statement that more highly substituted double bonds are more stable needs some qualification.
The closer in electronegativity a substituent is to carbon, the more it will stabilize a double bond. Consequently, the more alkyl groups attached to a double bond, the more stable the double bond (barring large steric effects). On the other hand, fluorine destabilizes a double bond. It is so electronegative that it prefers to bond with orbitals high in p character. When forced to bond to a double bond $\ce{sp^2}$ orbital (that is enriched in s character) destabilization results (see this earlier [fluorobullvalene](https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/14057/what-is-the-conformer-distribution-in-monosubstituted-fluoro-bullvalene) example for more on why fluorine "hates" to be on a double bond).
Based on its electronegativity, chlorine should be somewhere between fluorine and an alkyl group in terms of its ability to stabilize a double bond. If we compare the heats of formation of 1-butene (-0.1 kJ/mol) and trans-2-butene (-11.2 kJ/mol) we see that placing the methyl group on the double bond stabilizes the molecule by 11.1 kJ/mol. If we compare the heats of formation of allyl chloride (-5.6 kJ/mol) and trans-1-chloropropene (-12 kJ/mol) we see that the placing the chlorine group on the double bond stabilizes the molecule less, only 6.4 kJ/mol.
These differences mean that we will have much more of the enol **without** the chlorine on the enol double bond, then we would have of the enol without the methyl group on the enol double bond. So we have more of the unsubstituted enol in the chlorine case **and** the enol with the chlorine on the double bond is much less nucleophilic (less reactive) due to the electron withdrawing inductive effect of the chlorine substituent. These two factors combine to make the second alpha-chlorination take place on the unsubstituted side of the molecule.
As to steric effects, they probably don't play a significant role. One metric commonly used to compare "steric size" is the cyclohexane [A value](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_value). The A value for chlorine is 0.43, much smaller than the A value for methyl (1.7), suggesting that a chlorine substituent is smaller than methyl substituent.
Most probably due to steric reasons and the electron withdrawing effect that the halogen has on the substituted methylene group.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Raised by Charles Ross at Welford Park Gardens, Newbury, Berkshire. It was first exhibited in 1890 as Thomas Andrew Knight but renamed Charles Ross at the request of his employer, Captain Carstairs in 1899. Received an Award of Merit and a First Class Certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1899. Fruits are rather coarse-textured, juicy and sweet with a moderate flavour. | slim_pajama |
Diplospora erythrospora is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.
Appearance
Shrub to Small tree.
Leaves
oval, base tapered, apex rounded to abruptly pointed, margin rolled down, glandular pits in vein axils beneath; petiole very short.
Trunk
branchlets stout, thickened at nodes; twigs compressed, glabrous.
Flowers
pale greenish yellow, small, nearly sessile; Inflorescence - dense cymes.
Fruits
ovaoid-subglobose berry, pulp purple; seeds bright red.
Ecology
montane forest understory
Sources
Category:Endemic flora of Sri Lanka
Category:Diplospora
Category:Critically endangered plants
Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot | wikipedia |
pubmed |
|
A lot of people are surprised that I watched Love Island. I was shown the show by my friend and client Matthew, and after one episode (somewhere in the middle of the series) I decided to "graft" and went onto ITV Hub to do some serious catchup. It took many hours, but I caught up on 23 episodes in one week, and then switched to "maintenance mode" keeping up with one episode a day. If I decide to do something I stick to it.
With my trained marketing mind, I of course started to draw parallels between the show and marketing.
Love Island was a runaway success this year. It was popular for many reasons – the psychology, the genuinely nice people (not vacant empty headed people like those who judge may assume). The popularity of the show may have been because people like to have an escape from all the bad news out there nowadays.
The contestants on Love Island are all young, single and very easy on the eye. And we all understand it took a lot of work for them to look like that, and there was a lot of time and work to design the villa and make everything look so great on TV.
The show was also enhanced by extra memory hooks which only went to make it more popular. Love Island slang like "my type on paper" and "muggy" and "stick it on him" has started to part of our half joking vocabulary in our office in a regular basis. We've even ordered the branded water bottles!
Start with a good basic raw materials. A beautiful, easy to understand, easy to navigate website. With personality. Just like the Love Island contestants were chosen from a vast selection, and all of them look undeniably great from all the different camera angles and had some quirky personality trait to offer. Those of you who judge them – you didn't give the show even half a chance.
The islanders wake up and make themselves look pretty and put on bikinis (or swim shorts for the boys!) to ensure they show their best colours and assets. Unfortunately, people don't do enough upkeep on their websites. They don't put enough thought into social media profiles. Upkeep doesn't have to be daily and is certainly easier if you have the raw materials, but there are always improvements you can make to look great and get noticed. And the time required is minimal compared to what the islanders do!
The show's producers added drama as triggers in the form of additional people being sent in, tasks, challenges and all sorts of stuff we can only speculate about. The islanders took the cue and inadvertently added in spontaneous reactions and personality. This is the approach you can take with your digital marketing. Mix up planned content and output and allow spontaneous personality to shine through.
The show took the biggest news, cutest pictures and funny video clips and put them on Instagram. They shared on Twitter but using the language of Twitter. They didn't bother with LinkedIn because they knew it wasn't right. They encouraged and allowed for conversation in all channels. Businesses can learn from this and share bits that you know are the most interesting in your day to day life. You get better at spotting these and you learn to tell a story.
The mundane day to day bits aren't all there on Love Island. 45 minutes including slow motion running and ad breaks means it's a snippet of time. Enhancements were made to show snippets and scenes that became part of the brand: the typeface used for the writing of words around the villa, the slow motion when people ran to participate in the tasks, the editing of camera chat with task highlights, etc. When certain words were used a lot it in the show the narrator make a point of mentioning them – "My type on paper," "Muggy," and "Grafting".
So that's it in a nutshell. Other questions? Comment below! | slim_pajama |
the hegra system @xcite of imaging atmospheric cherenkov telescopes ( iacts ) is the first installation employing the stereoscopic observation of air showers with multiple cherenkov telescopes on a routine basis . compared to individual telescopes
, iact stereoscopy provides an improved reconstruction of shower parameters and better background rejection ( see , e.g. , @xcite ) .
major new instruments for vhe gamma - ray astronomy now in the construction phase such as veritas @xcite and hess @xcite are based on the concept of iact stereoscopy , with frequently half a dozen or more telescopes observing the same shower from different viewing angles . in cherenkov telescopes @xcite , the cherenkov light emitted by shower particles is imaged onto a `` camera '' in the focal plane of a large reflector , generating an elongated , roughly elliptical image .
the major axis of the image represents the image of the shower axis .
therefore , the major axis of the image points towards the image of the source on one side , and to the point where the shower axis intersects the plane of the telescope dish on the other side ( fig . [ fig_image ] ) . if a shower is observed by a stereoscopic system of two cherenkov telescopes , its direction ( i.e. , the image of the source ) can be determined by superimposing the two images and intersecting their major axes .
similarly , the core location is obtained by intersecting the image axes , starting from the locations of the two telescopes ( assuming that all telescope dishes are in a common plane ) .
thus , the four parameters describing the major axes of the two images can be used to determine the four parameters describing the shower geometry - a direction in space and an impact point in a reference plane .
it may be worth noting that the stereoscopic reconstruction of air showers makes the single ( trivial ) assumption than on average cherenkov images are symmetric with respect to the ( image of the ) shower axis . if a shower is observed by more than two telescopes , the shower geometry is overconstrained and some kind of suitable averaging or fitting procedure is required to extract optimum shower parameters from the information obtained from the different views .
particularly crucial is the case where the quality of the information provided by the different telescopes differs significantly , e.g. because one telescope is well within the light pool and sees a large intensity of cherenkov light , whereas a distant telescope may see barely enough light to provide a meaningful image .
ideally , the reconstruction algorithm should take this difference in image quality into account .
this paper reviews a number of different algorithms and describes tests of their performance based on the large sample of gamma rays @xcite collected with the hegra iact system during the 1997 outburst of mkn 501 .
to reconstruct shower parameters from the telescope images , two alternative approaches can be followed : using image parameters .
: : images provided by the different telescopes are analyzed individually , and their key features are summarized in a small number of parameters ( usually the well - known hillas parameters ) .
shower parameters are derived on the basis of these image parameters . using the full image information .
: : a global optimization procure is applied to derive the shower parameters directly from the amplitudes measured in the individual pixels of all cameras .
an example of such techniques are global fits , where parameterized shower images or image templates are matched to the images observed in the different telescopes @xcite . in this paper
, we will concentrate primarily on methods of the first type .
they are easier to implement , and usually require significantly less processing time .
often , analytical solutions for the shower parameters can be derived , and one does not have to worry about issues which arise in numerical optimization procedures , such as the choice of proper starting values and the convergence to the global optimum . for completeness and to serve as a reference , also results based a technique of the second type will be given .
we will discuss seven different algorithms , six based on the hillas image parameters and one based on a global fit to pixel amplitudes .
algorithm 1 .
: : for all pairs of telescopes , the image axes , derived using the hillas parameterization , are intersected . in case of @xmath0 telescope images ,
the resulting @xmath1 intersection points are averaged , weighted with the sine of the angle between the image axes , to take into account that image pairs with a large stereo angle provide the most precise determination of the shower axis .
similarly , the core location can be obtained by intersecting the image axes , starting from the telescope locations .
this technique is used , e.g. , for all published results from the hegra iact system .
it is illustrated in fig .
[ fig_method](a ) .
algorithm 2 .
: : a drawback of algorithm 1 is that differences in the quality of the images in the different telescopes are not taken into account .
the algorithm can be improved by determining the uncertainty in the determination of the image c.o.g . and in the direction of the image axis , and by taking the resulting errors ( see fig .
[ fig_image ] ) into account when intersecting the image axes , see fig .
[ fig_method](b ) . for @xmath0 intersecting lines with fixed error bands ,
the optimum solution can be derived analytically . since the width of the error band associated with each image depends on the distance @xmath2 to the image c.o.g .
, one needs to iterate , but the result is stable after two iterations .
this method also provides errors on the shower parameters .
algorithm 3 .
: : the image shape contains information on the distance @xmath2 ( fig .
[ fig_image ] ) between the image c.o.g . and
the image of the source . in particular , the ratio of image _ width _ over image _ length _ can serve as a measure for @xmath2 ( see also @xcite ) .
smaller _ width / length _ implies large impact distance and large @xmath2 .
together with a suitable error estimate for @xmath2 , the location , orientation and shape of each image constrains the image of the source to two elliptical regions on both sides of the image ( reflecting the left - right ambiguity inherent in the parameterization of shower images ) , see fig .
[ fig_method](c ) . for two or more images ,
these error ellipses can be combined analytically to yield the optimum shower direction and its errors .
an analogous method determines the core location .
algorithm 4 .
: : algorithms 1,2,3 determine independently the shower direction and the core location .
since the measurement of the image orientation is used both in the determination of the shower direction and of the shower core , a combined determination of core and direction should yield improved results .
technically , for a given shower geometry , the predicted image center lines are calculated , and a @xmath3 is defined measuring the agreement of the observed image and its orientation with this prediction .
shower geometry is chosen to minimize the sum of @xmath3 over telescope images .
this method is illustrated in fig .
[ fig_method](d ) .
algorithm 5 . : : algorithm 4 can be augmented to include the estimate of @xmath2 from the _ width / length_-ratio ( see algorithm 3 ) , by adding corresponding terms to the @xmath3 .
algorithm 6 .
: : similar to algorithm 4 , this algorithm proposed by hillas
@xcite calculates the image axes for a given shower geometry , and varies the shower parameters such as to minimize the sum of the squared distances of pixels to the axes , weighted with the pixel amplitudes .
this technique is analogous to the determination of the image axis for single images , except that the weighted sum of pixel distances is minimized for the entire set of images together , rather than for single images .
algorithm 7 .
: : this last algorithms makes use of the full image information , by comparing the measured images with parameterizations of shower images , considering the shower geometry , the energy and the height of the shower maximum as free parameters which are chosen to minimize the @xmath3 describing the agreement between model and data . on the basis of monte - carlo simulations ,
the technique was discussed in @xcite ; a similar method was presented in @xcite .
the method used here differs from @xcite in a different choice of weights , which result in improved convergence .
in our implementation , algorithms 1,2 and 3 use analytic expressions ( with one iteration in case of algorithm 3 ) , whereas algorithms 4 through 7 are based on numerical minimization procedures .
to test the different algorithms and to experimentally determine the directional resolution achieved with each algorithm , data collected with the hegra iact system during the 1997 outburst of mkn 501 were used . in the hegra iact system
is located on the site of the observatorio del roque de las muchachos on the canary island of la palma at 2200 m asl . in 1997 ,
the iact system comprised four telescopes , located in the center and at three sides of a square with roughly 100 m side length .
a fifth telescope at the remaining corner was integrated into the system in 1998 .
the telescopes are identical , equipped with 8.5 m@xmath4 mirrors with 5 m focal length , and with 271-pixel cameras with a diameter of the field of view of @xmath5 , and an equivalent pixel size of @xmath6
. detailed about the hardware and the data analysis can be found in @xcite .
the trigger condition for individual telescopes requires a coincidence of two pixels above a threshold of 10 photoelectrons ( before june 97 ) or 8 photoelectrons ( after june 97 ) . for typical gamma - ray images , cameras trigger once the image has more than about 40 photoelectrons . the hegra iact system as a whole
is triggered and data are recorded whenever at least two telescopes trigger in coincidence ( see @xcite for details on the trigger system ) . in the design of the hegra cameras and their electronics ,
an important aspect was that one wanted to read out not only those telescopes which had triggered , but also the remaining telescopes , which will shower fainter , but frequently still usable images .
camera signals are digitized continuously by 120 mhz flash - adcs and are stored in a 34 @xmath7s ring buffer .
a coincidence trigger of at least two telescopes is generated with a delay of 1 to 2 @xmath7s ; after such a trigger , the readout system addresses the relevant locations in the flash - adc memory and extracts the signals . in 1997 , mkn 501 was observed in the so - called wobble mode , with the source offset by @xmath8 in declination from the optical axis of the telescopes .
the offset alternated every 20 min .
a region offset by the same amount , but in the opposite direction , is used as a control region and for background subtraction .
the analysis is based on data taken during three new - moon periods , where the gamma - ray flux from mkn 501 was particularly high .
only data at small zenith angles , below @xmath9 , are included ; these showers behave essentially like `` ideal '' vertical showers , at least as far as the angular reconstruction is concerned .
the usual selections concerning data quality were applied , see @xcite . in total , the sample comprises 100748 events within @xmath8 from the source , and 80878 events in the equivalent off - source region .
images were flat - fielded , and corrections for pointing errors of the telescopes were applied @xcite .
image parameters were determined by selecting `` image pixels '' as those pixels which either have a signal of 6 or more photoelectrons , or which have a signal of at least 3 photoelectrons and are adjacent to a pixel with 6 or more photoelectrons .
some of the algorithms discussed above require errors on the image parameters as input for the reconstruction of the shower axis .
the relevant image parameters are the coordinates @xmath10 of the center of gravity of the images , and the direction @xmath11 of the major axis of the image . to parameterize the errors on the center of gravity , it is more convenient to use a coordinate system where axes @xmath12 are defined by the major ( @xmath13 ) and minor ( @xmath14 ) axes of the image . in this system ,
the errors on @xmath13 , @xmath14 , and on the orientation @xmath11 of the image should be essentially uncorrelated . the errors ( in units of degr . )
were parameterized on the basis of monte - carlo simulations @xcite : @xmath15 and @xmath16 here , @xmath17 denotes the number of photoelectrons in the image ( _ size _ ) , @xmath18 the image _ width _ and @xmath19 the _
length_. the error in @xmath13 is not very relevant as long as the major axis of the image points more or less towards the source ; @xmath20 was used . as a first check to see
if these errors describe the uncertainties in the real data , the distribution in _ miss _ was plotted for individual telescopes of the ( background subtracted ) mkn 501 gamma - ray sample , with the ( signed ) _ miss _ parameter normalized to the expected error .
the _ miss _ parameter describes the distance between the image axis and the point on the camera which corresponds to the image of the source .
the error on _ miss _ is @xmath21 . for typical values of @xmath22
the @xmath23 term gives the dominant contribution .
the normalized _ miss _ distribution has an rms width of 1.06 , and its central part is well described by a gaussian with a width of 0.90 , indicating both that the errors estimated are accurate within 10% , and that alignment errors of the telescopes are small on the scale of the resolution . to verify that also errors on the shower direction can be reliably calculated by propagating the errors on the image parameters , events were reconstructed with algorithm 2 and those events
were selected where the predicted error on the shower direction was less than @xmath24 ( fig .
[ fig_sel](a ) ) . for these events ,
the distribution in the difference between the reconstructed shower direction and the source , mkn 501 , was plotted ( fig .
[ fig_sel](b ) ) , projected onto two orthogonal axes . indeed , for this subsample of events , a ( projected ) angular resolution of @xmath25 is obtained , confirming the validity of the approach to estimate the errors , by treating the image parameters obtained by the different telescopes as independent measurements . here and in the following
, ` angular resolution ' refers to the width of the angular distribution of shower axes in a projection . if angular resolution is defined as the half opening angle of a cone in space , which contains 68% of the events , the numerical values are a factor 1.5 larger ( assuming a gaussian distribution in the errors ) .
[ fig_sel](c ) finally shows the measured angular resolution as a function of the predicted resolution , demonstrating good agreement except for the tail of events with very large predicted errors ( @xmath26 ) , where the measured angular resolution is slightly better than expected ( most likely due to imperfections in the parameterizations of the errors ) .
hence , already with the extremely simple and fast algorithm 2 one can reliably reject events with poorly reconstructed showers , which is important , e.g. , for the determination of energy spectra .
in addition to errors on the image parameters , algorithms 3 and 5 require an estimate of @xmath2 based on the image shape ; we used the empirical relations @xmath27
the angular resolutions obtained with the seven algorithms described above are summarized in fig .
[ fig_resol ] , for three characteristic data samples chosen to emphasize the specific features on the algorithms : 2-telescope events : : ( full squares ) . in these events ,
exactly two telescopes have triggered , and only these two telescopes are used for the reconstruction .
the 2-telescope sample serves primarily to verify that all algorithms work properly ; unless additional shape information is used ( such as in algorithms 3 , 5 , and 7 ) , all algorithms should give identical results if only two images are used in the reconstruction .
, compared to the @xmath28 for the 2-telescope sample see below . ]
2 + 2-telescope events : : ( open circles ) . in these events , exactly two telescopes have triggered , but images in the other two untriggered telescopes are included in the reconstruction .
these events represent a particular challenge to reconstruction algorithms , since they combine images of very different quality .
triggered images contain a mean number of about 150 photoelectrons , compared to about 30 photoelectrons in images which did not trigger .
4-telescope events : : ( full circles ) . in these events ,
all four telescopes have triggered and are used in the reconstruction .
this class of events will obviously provide the best angular resolution .
for the 2-telescope sample ( full squares in fig .
[ fig_resol ] ) , algorithms 1 , 2 , 4 and 6 do indeed provide the identical angular resolution .
algorithms 3 , 5 and 7 which add shape information give significantly improved resolution .
this improvement can be traced to events with small stereo angles , i.e. with shower cores along the line connecting the two telescopes ; for such events , the purely geometrical reconstruction fails and the otherwise relatively poor shape information helps to stabilize the reconstruction .
adding now in the reconstruction the faint images of the other two telescopes , which did not trigger the 2 + 2-telescope sample ( open circles ) one mixes images of rather different quality .
if all images are combined with equal weight , as in algorithm 1 , the faint images hurt the resolution ; the resulting resolution is worse than if only the two triggered telescopes are used . in all other algorithms ,
the faint images weigh less than the good images , either because explicitly larger errors on the image parameters are assigned ( algorithms 2 - 5 ) , or because the effect of the images is weighted with the number of photoelectrons they contain ( algorithms 6,7 ) .
these algorithms improve the angular resolution by about 20% to 30% compared to the 2-telescope sample .
little is gained by adding the shape information via the @xmath29 relation ; with four views there is always at least one reasonably large stereo angle . in many respects , the 4-telescope sample ( full circles )
is less critical than the 2 + 2-telescope sample , since the differences between the quality of the four images are not nearly as big .
hence , it is no surprise that the variation between algorithms is smaller , ranging from a resolution of @xmath30 for the worst case ( algorithm 1 ) to @xmath31 for the best case ( algorithm 7 ) .
one may wonder why the joint fits of the shower direction and of the core location ( algorithms 4 , 5 , 6 ) do not provide significant improvements .
the explanation is relatively simple , and is illustrated in fig .
[ fig_dircore ]
. the geometrical figure describing the determination of the direction ( fig .
[ fig_dircore](a ) ) and the figure describing the determination of the core ( fig .
[ fig_dircore](b ) ) are essentially scaled versions of each other , since the _ distance _
parameter @xmath2 of the image is approximately proportional to the distance @xmath32 from the telescope to the core location .
the main difference is that in the determination of the shower direction , the error on the position of the image c.o.g .
enters in addition to the error on the image orientation ; in the core determination , only the latter matters . since the error on the c.o.g .
is usually of little relevance compared to the error on the orientation , the joint fit does not add additional constraints .
indeed , one finds that in algorithm 2 , the @xmath3 describing how well the telescopes match in the determination of the shower direction , and the @xmath3 of the core determination are highly correlated ( fig . [ fig_dircore](c ) ) .
fitting the full image information ( algorithm 7 ) results in only very modest improvements compared to the simpler algorithms 2 - 6 . at least with the pixel size of @xmath6 of the hegra cameras , the hillas image parameters seem to very efficiently
capture the essence of the information contained in the images .
an interesting question is how the angular resolution depends on the number of telescopes @xmath33 used in the reconstruction .
if the individual images can be considered as independent , the resolution should improve like @xmath34 .
however , at some point shower fluctuations will start to dominate the resolution . as mentioned above , to address this issue one can not simply use the event samples where exactly 2 , 3 or 4 telescopes have triggered , since the 2-telescope sample is biased towards low - energy or distant showers , whereas in the 4-telescope sample central high - energy events are enhanced . to start from identical event samples and to avoid a `` trigger bias '' ,
the investigation was based on the 4-telescope sample , but only a subset of telescopes was used to reconstruct the shower .
the resulting resolutions are illustrated in fig .
[ fig_resol](a ) , for algorithms 2 and 3 .
( note that algorithm 3 can reconstruct the shower direction from a single image , apart from the head - tail ambiguity . ) except for the minimum number of telescopes 1 for algorithm 3 and 2 for algorithm 2 data are consistent with a @xmath34-dependence .
the issue was further was explored on the basis of monte - carlo simulations for the hess telescope system @xcite .
these simulations used an array of 589 telescopes , arranged as a square grid of 31 x 19 telescopes , spaced 33.3 m. in the analysis , arbitrary subsets of telescopes can be selected .
the sets studied here include a set with all telescopes turned on , a set where every other telescope is active , and sets with telescopes on square grids with an effective spacing of 67 m , 100 m , 133 m , and 167 m. only showers well contained within the array were considered .
[ fig_resol1](b ) shows the resulting angular resolution as a function of the mean number of telescopes used in the reconstruction .
the @xmath34-dependence of the resolution holds up to about 50 telescopes used per event , and resolutions better than @xmath35 . for even higher telescope numbers
, the dependence appears to flatten somewhat .
the main conclusions from these studies of different algorithms for the stereoscopic reconstruction of multi - telescope iact events are : * by assigning and properly propagating errors of the image parameters , reliable error estimates for the shower direction can be obtained .
it is possible to select subsamples with improved angular resolution
less than @xmath36 , e.g. for special purposes , such as to study the size of the source , or to exclude poorly reconstructed events . * in particular when combining multiple and partly redundant images of rather different quality , the reconstruction algorithm must properly account for these differences . *
using image shape information to constrain the direction of the shower axis helps in the case of 2-telescope events with small stereo angles ; for events with more than two telescopes , the improvement is small . *
compared to the simple , robust and fast algorithms 2 and 3 , the more ` fancy ' algorithms 4 , 5 and 6 as well as the rather sophisticated image fitting procedure of algorithm 7 give only modest improvements . for most practical purposes
; algorithms 2 or 3 may represent the simplest and best choice . of course , these conclusions hold primarily for the hegra cherenkov telescopes .
to which extent they can be applied to other iact systems depends on the degree of similarity in the trigger concept and the layout of the cameras .
the support of the hegra experiment by the german ministry for research and technology bmbf and by the spanish research council cycit is acknowledged .
we are grateful to the instituto de astrofisica de canarias for the use of the site and for providing excellent working conditions .
we thank the other members of the hegra ct group , who participated in the construction , installation , and operation of the telescopes .
we gratefully acknowledge the technical support staff of heidelberg , kiel , munich , and yerevan .
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, in print , and astro - ph/9901365 . | arxiv |
Explanation for frequency graph of the Doppler Effect
Just wanted an explanation for why the frequency graph for the doppler effect (as a source approaches an observer) looks like so:
Let the central $x$-axis value be the time at which the source is infront of the observer
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kAKzS.jpg)
I would've thought it was a parabolic curve with a central maximum at the point where the source is directly in front of the observer
It is not a parabolic curve.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4d0Gy.jpg)
You need the component of the velocity $\vec v\_{\rm s}$ along the line joining the source and observer which is $v\_{\rm s} \cos \theta$.
$\theta$ changes with time being $\frac \pi 2$ at the point of inflection of the frequency against time graph and this can give you the frequency of the source.
The speed of the source relative to the observer (and the frequency of the source) you can find by using the frequencies when the source is a long way away from the observer, before and after the fly pass.
You can also show this with the Pythagorean theorem. Assuming that the distance is the hypotenuse, the leg lengths of the triangle are the distance perpendicular from the path the source takes, and the distance between the point when the source is closest to the observer and the source's current position.
The formula for the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle with leg lengths $a$ and $b$ is $a^{2} + b^{2} = c^{2}$.
You can use the function $f \left( x \right) = \sqrt{\left( x - a \right)^{2} + b^{2}}$ to model the displacement from the wave source from the perspective of a person standing at $a$ with $b$ being the offset from the point where the source is directly in front of the observer, as you said. You'll notice it makes a hyperbola. Because this is the displacement.
| stackexchange/physics |
Archidendron pahangense is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is a tree endemic to Peninsular Malaysia. It is threatened by habitat loss.
References
pahangense
Category:Endemic flora of Peninsular Malaysia
Category:Trees of Peninsular Malaysia
Category:Conservation dependent plants
Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot | wikipedia |
What is a topological defect?
I have been told that a [topological defect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topological_defect) is a discontinuity in a system that cannot be removed. Is this true? Also, can someone please explain to me what they are in more detail? And if my statement was true can someone please explain why they cannot be removed?
Yes, a topological defect is a discontinuity that cannot be removed.
Let me explain by giving an example similar to a liquid crystal.
Fish in a pond
--------------
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xUi29.png)
I have a two-dimensional pond and I would like to fill it with fish. These fish are longer than they are wide, so when they are densely packed in the pool, they like to point in the same direction as their neighbors. Not only that, this particular species of fish like to face the same direction as their neighbors.
If I densely fill a large pond with these fish, I can define a function that describes the local orientation of the fish at any location in the pond
$$f(x,y) = e^{i \phi(x,y)}$$
where f is a complex number on the unit circle and is described by a real number $\phi(x,y)$ between $0$ and $2\pi$, specifying the counterclockwise angle from true east. We use this unit complex number instead of $\phi$ to make sure the continuity at $0$ and $2\pi$ is taken care of. This local orientation vector is called the director.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qyNXV.png)
Here's an example of how the fish can point in different directions, $\phi$ can vary in the pool.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8RTYa.png)
We'll also have the condition that the direction that our fish point changes sufficiently smoothly in the pond. This is equivalent to saying any derivatives of $f(x,y)$ are continuous, up to a sufficiently high derivative.
Now we can ask the question, what are all of the ways that our fish can fill this pond? This question is the same as asking, what are all of the sufficiently smooth unit-complex number valued functions $f(x,y)$ that can exist in our two-dimensional pool?
The answer is that it depends on the orientation of the fish at the boundary of the pool (it depends on our boundary conditions). We will see that different types of boundary conditions lead to different classes of solutions.
### Fish at the boundary point north
Let's make all of the fish at the boundary of our pool point north.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2CKHs.png)
Now, what happens when we fill the rest of the pool? There are many (infinite) solutions, but the simplest one is where all of the fish in the pool point north.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/A6Gzz.png)
All of the fish point in the same direction, so $f(x,y)$ is constant, and there are no defects, so we'll say
$$Z=0$$
### Fish at the boundary point clockwise
What happens if the fish at the boundary point in a clockwise direction?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GFXv5.png)
Again, when we try to fill the rest of the pond, there are many (infinite) possible solutions. But here, the simplest solution is where all of the fish circle around the center of the pond.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XG8Lm.png)
Here we see our first defect. If you placed a fish at the center of the pond, it would not know which way to point! Our unit-complex valued function $f$ is not defined in the middle of the pond because of our boundary conditions.
With these boundary conditions, we are guaranteed to have one defect somewhere in the pond
$$Z=1$$
### Adding and removing defects
If we take our normal $Z=0$ all fish pointing north case with no defects, we notice that we can add defects. However, if we make a region of counterclockwise fish rotation, we notice that in order to smoothly match the boundary, we must also add a different type of defect, where the direction that the fish rotate around the defect is somehow opposite of our original defect.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/5VIsF.png)
These two defects can be though of as 'positive' and 'negative' charges, where the net charge of zero was imposed by making all of the fish at the boundary point north.
The number of defects can be changed. But, the 'net charge' is imposed by the boundary condition, so the 'net charge' cannot be smoothly removed from a system with fixed boundary conditions.
Update
------
### Topology is turning geometry into counting
In this case, this integer number $Z$ that characterizes the 'net charge' of the pond comes from integrating our function $f$ around the boundary
$$\int\_{\text{boundary}} f(x,y) dL = \int\_{\text{boundary}} e^{i\phi(x,y)} dL$$
For the $Z=0$ case where all of the fish point roughly north at the boundary, let's monitor the value of $f$ along our integral
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/panjs.png)
We see that, crucially, $f$ does not wind around the unit circle during our integration. This integral is zero, and can be seen by saying that the integral picks up a positive contribution when integrating in the positive x or y direction, and an equal negative contribution when integrating in the negative x or y direction.
When the fish lie clockwise along the boundary (Z=1), our integral is different
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ubz3o.png)
Now, as we integrate $f$ around the boundary, $f$ does wind around the unit circle! Our integral is then
$$\int\_{\text{boundary}} e^{i\phi(x,y)} dL = 1 \times (4L) = 1 \times (\text{Circumference of pond})$$
So, we've learned the possible solutions $f(x,y)$ depend on the boundary conditions, and if our function $f$ is continuous at the boundary, then all of our possible solutions fall in to different classes defined by integers Z
$$\int\_{\text{boundary}} e^{i\phi(x,y)}dL = Z \times (\text{Circumference of pond})$$
where $Z$ is the number of times the fish direction winds around the circle as we integrate along the closed boundary. The fact that we can describe every possible solution $f(x,y)$ with an integer $Z$ is critical. We cannot smoothly transform a Z=0 function into a Z=1 function.
Let's try and take the Z=1 case from above, with a 'positive charge' in the middle of the pond, and smoothly move that charge out of the pond to gt all of the fish to point north.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kUEcB.png)
Originally, the direction of fish along the boundary was continuous. All of the fish on the east edge pointed south. However, to move our defect out of the pond, we had to *break the continuity of the direction of fish at the boundary*.
Here, we just removed a topological defect from the pond. The point is that we **cannot do this smoothly**. At some point between Z=1 and Z=0, we had to break the continuity of the direction of the fish at the boundary. We had to change the boundary condition.
| stackexchange/physics |
The Chiusi Painter was an Attic black-figure vase painter, active in the final quarter of the sixth century BC. His real name is not known.
The Chiusi Painter was part of the so-called Leagros Group, the last major important group of painters in the black-figure style. He is characterised by what John Boardman calls a boring delicateness compared to other artists of the group, failing to reach the standards of the Acheloos Painter for example.
Bibliography
John Boardman: Schwarzfigurige Vasen aus Athen. Ein Handbuch, Mainz 1977, , p. 121
References
Category:Ancient Greek vase painters | wikipedia |
Trace of $SU(N)$ generators and number of spin components
I am reading Peskin's and Schroeder's book "An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory". At Chapter 16.6, the authors write down an expression for the trace of of two generators of $SU(N)$
$$\text{tr}[t^at^b]=C(r)d(j)\delta^{ab}\tag{16.124}$$
where $C(r)$ is a constant that depends on the representation and $d(j)$ is "the number of spin components". This is different than the expression in Chapter 15.4,
$$\text{tr}[t\_r^at\_r^b]=C(r)\delta^{ab}\tag{15.78}$$
where now $t\_r$ stands for the generator of $SU(N)$ in the irreducible representation $r$.
**My question is the following:** I can see that the factor $d(j)$ is the only difference between working in a reducible (I presume that in the first case the representation is reducible) representation and an irreducible one. Why is it different for reducible representations and why the difference is simply a factor equal to the number of spin components? Can someone give a concrete example of such representations say for $SU(2)$?
P&S are in eq. (16.122) essentially calculating the one-loop contribution to the gluon self-energy/vacuum polarization in QCD, where we should sum over all possible fields running in a loop. This produces a trace over *both* spin indices and internal gauge indices for the field in the loop. Eq. (16.124) merely reflects this.
| stackexchange/physics |
Neverwinter Nights 1. Chapter 1
1.
"My good friend Cyrindelle, I think you have no concept of how insufferably polite an elf is supposed to be." The halfling sorcerer sat on the edge of Nar's desk with her legs swinging. She looked overmuch like a stuffed yellow haired doll that had slumped over with its hands upon it tiny knees, hair braided all up in some ridiculous manner. Nar himself was a moon elf sorcerer with pale, white-sheened skin, eyes of an unnatural shade of seawater green, and an overpronounced chin that made gave his sharpened eyebrows an otherworldly drama. He was slight, with his thin white hair gathered up at the back of his head. His home in the Merchant Quarter of Neverwinter was modest, but it was his own. It worked for him- a typical sorcerer's jumble of strange oddities. With the addition of some comfortable chairs, even his few friends didn't mind coming over once in a while. Cyrindelle was one of the few who truly understood him. After all, who could know the soul of a sorcerer better than another? His friend hadn't blinked twice when he had mentioned that in all likelihood, the wizard Sand was his natural father. What could surprise a halfling sorcerer? A halfling never stayed in one place for long, unless it was home. That she'd chosen to grace him with her presence today when he hadn't seen her for months should have been a cause for tale-swapping, perhaps even sharing a glass of wine or two. Instead, he'd unloaded all of his problems on her at the door.
"You take too much from others without asking anything for yourself," she told him, pulling off her gloves, which were soaked by the too-frequent drizzles of the city. "If it's true what you're saying- and I can see the resemblance right here in the face-" she poked a finger in his direction. "You ought to stomp yourself over there right now and demand an explanation."
"Elves don't "stomp" anywhere," Nar murmured bitterly. "I can hardly see myself traipsing into the man's shop spouting drama about some wayward maid whose face he has probably all but forgotten. It was hundreds of years ago, if it's true. What could she want, sending me this after all of this time? Certainly not a son?"
"It could be gold she's after," Cyrindelle agreed. "But remember, Nar, if he's your father, he's a wizard, and you're a sorcerer. "
Nar looked up, finding himself standing in a shaft of light that was finally making its way through the curtains into his study. "Oil and water."
"Spot on. Now, quit feeling sorry for yourself, and pour a girl some of that elven wine. I'm not getting any younger, you know."
"Where are my manners." Nar went to the cabinet dutifully. "I never liked that man, and he never liked me. A wizard can smell a sorcerer from a mile away. What does he do when he discovers he's sired one?" He poured a stream of the too-warm liquid into a glass for her with a slender hand.
Cyrindelle sighed, swirling the fine vintage around inside of her mouth. "There's always denial."
"That sort of encouraging remark might be useful on one of your halfling friends, Cyr, but it has a long way to go to help this one. I'm not certain yet that this is a secret best revealed."
His musings were interrupted by a sharp rap at the door.
The halfling leapt off of his desk in a blur of movement. In a half second she had her face pressed to the window , barely reaching the edge with the tops of her eyes.
"If that's the tax collector, I'm indisposed," Nar said.
"It's not the tax collector." Cyrindelle turned to him with a large grin. "It's dear old Dad."
2.
Nar felt positively green at the gills. He reminded himself that he didn't even like Sand, so there wasn't any use fidgeting. Besides, this was his home, was it not? He could easily tell anyone who vexed him to shove off. It was a comforting thought, however unrealistic. Adopting his most aloof expression, he casually opened the door, leaning on the doorframe. "Yes?" His bored greeting had all of the charm of a wet kobold. "Did I forget to pick up my order this week, Sand? Are you making personal deliveries, now?" Even as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Sand, while himself quite an intimidating conversational prospect despite his small stature, did not appear to be alone. He wore some monstrosity of a gray robe, his hair braided on the sides, Staff of Command in his hands like some prop he needed to make a proper appearance. Behind him trailed a half-veiled green creature that could possibly be female, a male ranger giving Nar dirty looks, a noisily clanking bear of a man in plate mail with a glowing flail dangling from his belt, and a badger that twittered and chirped to itself from time to time. Nar eyed the badger nervously, wondering what he or she had done to annoy Sand. Sand looked him up and down as though scrutinizing some gem for flaws and finding it wanting. "Ah, yes, the Thursday morning fellow, the one that can never seem to get his own order right," he said at last.
"I usually get it right," Nar grumbled.
"You sent it back twice last week, and once the week before," Sand said, putting a ponderous hand to his cheek. "I received your letter, sorcerer, and I must admit that you have an unusual way of attempting to draw attention to yourself."
The green female walked up from behind Sand in the street, her voice echoing strangely as she spoke. "Know that the truth is not often what it seems," she said mysteriously.
"When I need an extraplanar opinion, I'll ask for it," Sand replied, pushing his way past Nar into the little house. "I often wondered what kind of haven one like yourself would build. It lacks a certain something... yes, of course. Books. You sorcerers seem to believe that somehow all of the knowledge in the universe ought to come groveling at your doorstep. Take this letter, for example." He retrieved a very familiar looking scroll out from one of the packs at his waist. "Poorly phrased. Incorrect spelling." He brought the parchment to his nose, where he took a long draw from it. "Low grade calfskin. You might have spent your coin on something that at least holds a rune for more than a year at a time."
"I didn't write it," Nar said, spreading his hands. "I got one of my own." Cyrindelle sat happily in a nearby chair, legs crossed, watching the proceedings. She moved her leg aside as the badger poked at her ankle in order to find a place to stand when the strange party poured into Nar's living room.
"Haven't we got something better to do than look up your lost relatives, Sand?" The dangerous looking ranger, who had been paring his fingernails with an unfriendly looking dagger, snatched away the letter that the white haired elf held up. Nar was about to protest such manhandling of his property but thought better of it when he noticed the unrelenting scowl on the scarred face of the one who'd taken it. "To the Esteemed Sorcerer Nar, from your loving mother," he read in a mocking tone. "This ought to be entertaining." As the ranger unfurled it, all eyes were on him, even those of the silent knight, whose steady gaze looked more than a bit unfriendly as it fell on the other man.
"Many a year has passed and many a tear has fallen since the day that you were taken from me." He paused for effect. "How touching." Nar and Sand studiously avoided even a mere glance at one another, though one of Sand's eyebrows was slowly rising.
"Read the letter, Bishop." The knight's rolling voice filled the silence.
"If you'll give me a minute, paladin, I'm just getting to the best part." Bishop licked his lips and then resumed reading aloud. "If this is what you wait to hear, you will be disappointed, I fear, for I am nothing touching on what a parent should be, nor have I ever cared a whit for squandering tears over the loss of some burdenous squalling brat at my knee. Be assured that it brings me great pleasure at this hour to reveal the truth to you. I am the sorceress Elisa Bel'Juazra, your mother. Your father, dear son..." Bishop allowed the last words to seethe with the sarcasm they deserved. "...was an indiscretion of mine that goes by the name of Sand. It is my duty, after all, as a mother to see that her child has the proper mentor, is it not? I am certain that the two of you will have much to say to each other." Bishop handed the letter back, scratching absently at the sparse hair on his chin.
"A woman I rather like, I think. Why don't the two of you have it out once and for all, have a wizard's duel." He'd made the question a statement with the ring of finality. Sand, who could usually be counted on to sling the proper jab, was gnawing on his lower lip.
"Bel'Juazra. Yes. The red veiled Lady. I admit that it has a certain poetic justice to it, if you take into account that I got much use out of that wand of wonder at the time. "
"Sand, I'm surprised at you," Bishop smirked. "I didn't know you had it in you. I hope you at least gave her a night to remember." He laughed heartily, while the paladin simply glared.
"You seduced my mother for a wand?" Nar's jaw hung at the implications.
"It was a rare wand. A very unique thing to get one's hands on in any case." As if sensing that this defense was a thin one, he shifted to a defensive position, his arms crossed. "And she was no Lady. As you can see, she took delight in kicking a man's knees out from under him and then giving him up to the Hells." Cyrindelle was clapping her hands with glee. "What does your letter say?" She looked to Sand with anticipation.
"Your unlucky offspring, the _sorcerer_ Nar, wishes to make your acquaintance at your earliest convenience." Sand looked over his newly acquired son with a curled lip and a wilting expression. "A truthseer would be able to settle this, I believe. Zhjaeve?"
"Know that the letter speaks the truth," said Zhjaeve.
2. Chapter 2
_2._
_I like pretty things. Pretty baubles, though tossed onto my lap by a father who smiles far too fondly, pretty words to fill the head. Pretty men who tell pretty lies. Hardship, courage, loyalty, what are these things to one such as I? I have never had a day where my meals were not brought to me or my feet were not oiled. _
_The name of Elisa Bel'Juazra is as exalted as it is feared, for I am in these lands know for my fair face, though perhaps diseased of soul. My bloodline wills beauty. It has always been so. For this reason I have always chosen my bedpartners carefully. The fishwives in the markets spit my name with venom; the men summon my image behind closed eyes when they kiss their hunchbacked wives. _
Her telepathic voice fell on Sand's perfect elven ear as clearly as if she had spoken. Trailing behind him by a foot's length was Nar, opening and closing his mouth uselessly like a beached animal searching for breath. It could have been the effect of the ceilings of beaten gold or the lavish waste of gems sprinkled throughout the keystones of the archways through which they walked. It might also have been the clear pool where the lady's maids sat dangling their feet in the water, their laughter like music, precious spiced flowers sprinkled throughout the deep bath as if they had no value. Or the elven lady herself- statuesque, still, shackled by one ankle to the cushioned couch where she sat smoking on a long pipe filled with cherryweed.
She was unchanged, unviolated by time, as though Sand had merely walked from her chamber yesterday. With a turn of his hand behind him, the wizard motioned to his son to be still. It came upon him at once that the lady was not opening her mind to him, but rather in a trance wherein her mind spoke to a third entity. It was as if her secrets were being demanded of her- and, because her ladies lacked magical prowess, they saw and heard nothing but her ladyship lost to her own thoughts.
It was the shackle that drew Sand's eye.
_"I wonder if you can speak of your sins so easily as you speak of your beauty," _an obviously demonic voice sounded, startling Sand out of his thoughts. His sensitive nose twitched. There was another scent that the cherryroot was hiding- leave it to his expert nose to discern the underlying odor of brimstone that it was meant to hide. The woman's eyes were closed. If she was in any way aware of her visitors, she gave no sign of it. Sand reached out with his magical energies to send exploring tendrils throughout the room that would make clear any hidden entities. Nar watched all of this with the detachment of a student. Surely there was something to learn from the way the wizard's eyes moved behind their lids, seeing but unseeing, or from the small motions of his hands. It galled him that his father could learn any spell, take on any new knowledge, open his mind to whatever came close to its reaching grasp.
_If I could get the hand movement right... _sweat beaded on his forehead as he struggled to latch on to Sand's mental fingers combing through the room. He felt his power rise in a surge from the core of his being. It would go no further than the center of his chest. At last there was only the possibility of the spell, but it would not be birthed, and so he cursed under his breath. _You are a sorcerer. You are by nature limited. Do nothing, and do not interrupt me, boy. _
He tried not to take the rebuke to heart, but he felt it keenly. What kind of intelligence did that take, what level of mental discipline to put so strong a spell into play and still be able to discern the interruption of another mind? Nar crossed his arms petulantly. Yes, he was a sorcerer. While he could send fire through the streets of this city that would go into the history tomes, he couldn't get his head around a simple location spell.
_"Speak, Bel'Juazra," _the demon commanded. "_If it is your soul you seek to save, you have offered me little in the way of bargaining. I would know the sweetness of your sins, and, if you will not speak them, I shall wrench them from your being." _
The ladies that sat idly in their pool waved at Nar gently. They could not hear what the two men heard, he realized. Not only were they completely oblivious to arcane energy, but they were obviously bespelled in some way as if they were little more than furniture. It was unnatural to sit so idly by while their Lady was sat unmoving with visitors before her, her mind being rifled through with ruthless extraplanar fingers.
Sand came back to himself suddenly. He looked over his shoulder at his son, blue eyes meeting pale green. "He is within her. He is pillaging her memories. Can you hear them?"
"Yes, yes, I can hear them," Nar replied testily. Then, more calmly, "Forgive me, Sand. It has been many years since I admitted to myself that there are places a wizard's mind can go where mine will never roam."
This small admission took the wizard by surprise. In a brief, friendly gesture he reached out his hand and rested it on his newly acquired son's shoulder. "Perhaps there are things that we could both stand to learn, one from the other. We must listen to her tale as he brings it from her. She is marked for execution. The shackle binds her, though her prison is a soft one."
"She is under house arrest," Nar said.
"Yes. It is tradition here. The number of shackles reduces as her time draws close. She does not have long, I think."
_"Now tell me of this great sin of yours, mortal woman. If it pleases me, we will see if some intercession may be granted in your predicament."_
The spell was a strong one of compelling. She would answer.
_The magic bloodline of Bel'Juazra can pass to a daughter. My womb was my father's last hope. There is something bred into us that can make the urge to procreate a frantic one with the passing of years. I never felt the calling, and yet my father became obsessed that I might carry on our line. I would have a son or a daughter. His word was law. It was not enough that he owned me. Marriage means little; the survival of the bloodline is paramount. I was stubborn, standing firm against his demands, though he supplied me with the company of many a young sorcerer. The sorcerers came from lands all around to seek Father's ridiculously high offer in gold for any who could get me with child. Still I continued to scorn his efforts, turning away even the most comely of them, desire them as I might. I had seen other women swell with child. I knew how their beauty waned with each birthing. Beauty was mine. She was the very fabric of my name. How could he so easily plot to take her from me, when she was the only thing that I could claim for my own? I was a sorceress, yes, but I was a woman first, and this body was my gift from the gods. Mine! _
_I forced his hand. He would tell me this as if such words would wring from me less contempt for him. But to place a geas upon one's own daughter! He must have been very desperate indeed to conceive of such a thing. I knew it for what it was when it came upon me. You have never known such lust as this, insatiable, burning in the limbs, day and night tormenting, maddening. Before he left for his travel that season, he told me how I could bring the compelling to its end. There was only one remedy for the curse he had placed upon my body. The cure was new life. _
_Truly, he had trapped me. I thought long upon what I would do. At long last I decided that I would thwart his purpose at its very heart. The bloodline of Bel'Juazra that had so blindly ensorcelled him and chained me to my own body like a slave would end. I would give him what he thought he wanted. The plan needed only to be set in motion. The choosing of my unwitting mate would be the key._
_I saw him when he came into our dwelling by the side of a diplomat. The elf was well-groomed, well-spoken. His eyes searched the room as the diplomat spoke to the legal representative of our household. If he thought me beautiful, he did not react as most men, though his gaze landed upon me from time to time in the way that one appraises a parcel of property one is considering. When he spoke, it was with an interjection of a wit that left my ladies twittering amongst themselves. All of these things would have gone unnoticed had I not caught a faint movement of his hand. The diplomat made an interesting point. We sat back stunned by our sudden interest in his offer. It came to me that the diplomat seemed strangely beautiful to me at that moment. I turned to my fellow elf with a smile, never revealing that I now knew what he was. He did not shine with the charisma of a sorcerer. Instead, the power rose from that keen intellect he could not easily conceal. I sensed his hunger for the arcane. And I knew that he would respond as simply to the carelessly discarded artifact on my sidetable as a common woman would a bauble. I had only to display it on my person...he came then to my bed easily. _
_"You sought to corrupt your own bloodline." The demon laughed, a booming sound that swept through the room and unsteadied Nar. _
_"Can you tell me that the ploy has not had its benefits? The wizard served his purpose. The brat ruined my womb; the magic of sorcerer and wizard battled one another even before birth. And then, though he was most wroth with me, Father cast the vile little being as far from this house as was possible. That loss gained me my freedom, and Father's grudging respect. Never again would he deal with me in such a manner."_
_"Are you so free now?" The voice resonated. "You will die upon the morrow for your crimes."_
3. Chapter 3
3.
"I regret that it took us so long to arrive," Casavir said in his resounding voice as he walked up from behind the two of them. "But Only Qara and Zhjaeve were requested to join our leader on his parley with Syndey Natale, and so the two of us were given leave to join you."
Sand nodded distractedly. Some part of him appreciated that the two steadfast companions, Casavir and Khelgar, had come all of this way to be at his side in facing the shadows of his past. But somehow, though the dawn came with golden light and a warmth that revived the limbs, he could not find comfort in the presence of those he'd come to trust. Khelgar, while sturdy as the rock below their feet, was, well, a dwarf, and despite his attempts to lose his innate prejudices, Sand found nothing in common with the hack-happy warrior. He and his son Nar were here to stand witness to an execution- and the end of a story that badly needed closure. Casavir could at least hold his own in conversation, though he would never be a great scholar by any means. Remembering his manners, he gave a slight bow in Casavir's direction.
"It is good that you have come. Bel'Juazra deserves a witness to the proceedings to ensure that the sentence is carried out humanely. Do not imagine that we are here for our pleasure." Sand turned back to the execution arena, waving a hand to indicate that Nar should be seated beside him. The two found an unoccupied stretch of bench among the rabble who were even now pushing and shoving for purchase.
"Nothing humane about an axe as big as that." Khelgar's eyes rose from the bottom of the double-bladed jagged axe where it dug into the sand that supported the block to its heavy grip. It was easily bigger than himself, and, despite his wrath at Grobnar's use of himself as a unit of measurement, he realized that he often found himself sizing up weapons by whether or not he'd be able to wield them. He'd have to have been twice his size to even lift that monstrosity- fortunately, the executioner was. The executioner's shoulders put even Casavir's to shame. He was a thick ox of a man with a beard dyed black and red in alternating streaks. He wore the typical executioner's mask over his blunt, sloping forehead.
"She has committed many evils," Casavir said evenly. Finding space for his bulk was more of a task, although he had foregone his usual plate mail in favor of sensible traveling leathers. Khelgar pushed his way into the bench beside Casavir, snorting and cursing, his favorite warhammer, Storm, firmly between his knees as though he would need it at any moment. The execution made for a grand public spectacle. There were food vendors pressing hot pies on the audience that had gathered, loud guffaws, ribald jokes, and a general air of anticipation. The first execution of the season brought out people from all backgrounds.
Nar felt a shudder of distaste ripping through him. He loosened his color with one hand, thinking of his comfortable home in his quiet street, his favorite teapot, his spot by the hearth. Then he sneezed violently, drawing a glare from Sand.
"The ultimate betrayal," Sand whispered, as if in renewed horror at the memory. "To kill one's own father. Is she so easy to condemn, though, paladin? There are some who would say that he was deserving of his fate."
Casavir flushed deeply at the reference to the gossip in question. If the rumors were true, and Elisa Bel'Juazra's father had earned her loathing contempt with his lecherous advances upon his own daughter, could anyone condemn this final act as anything other than an act of desperation? But if what the truths the demon had wormed from her were based in fact, why had she not spoken in her own defense when brought to trial? It made little sense to Casavir, who saw an order to the world that separated true from false, black from white.
His thoughts were interrupted by the rising jeers of the crowd in one massive body of sound. The accused was being led into the arena by a single guardsman. She wore a scandalously translucent gown in the deep red that she favored. Her head was not hung in shame as many would have hoped. Instead, she lifted her jaw defiantly to the headsman as if daring him to drink in the sight of her. Sand drew a breath in slowly. The night before, she had been so different in the thrall of the demon who sought to bargain for her soul. It had been so easy to turn to leave the room when the charisma and fire that was Elisa sat unmoving and lost within her own mind. Her hair blew softly with the breeze around her bronzed shoulders. Within that veil, he knew, were eyes that flared like the gems that had adorned her throat on the night he had taken her long ago. And yes, he had wanted the wand. Yes, he'd planned every step, every seductive touch and word. But he'd not planned on the memory of the tender give that her skin would have at the end of his fingertips or how she'd react to a kiss on the underside of her knee. He had no defense against the vision of the loveliness of her legs intertwining with his own. Had there ever been before, and would there ever be again, a beauty like Bel'Juazra that would stain his memory so? He let out the breath he'd taken, feeling uncomfortably exposed.
"Remove her veil." The executioner's harsh bark silenced any murmur that the crowd had left in it. Elisa Bel'Juazra stood at last stripped of that simple piece of filmy gauze that had covered her eyes, and the audience drew a collective breath. Her beauty, freed, untamed, stunned those that had come to see her to her end. But there was more than defiance in her eyes. Nar clasped his hands tightly as his chest clenched in the realization that the otherness that he saw there was something akin to sorrow.
"Are we going to let them do this?" He whispered in his father's ear. "Why doesn't she do something? She could burn them all to ashes if she wanted."
"The anklet that she wears is ensorceled. She can no more cast a spell than free herself without a key."
"Then we should give her one," Nar said. "This isn't right. If what she said was true, he deserved to die, didn't he?"
"And where do you propose we stash one very dangerous, fugitive sorceress?" Sand queried, watching intently as the guard led the lady to the block.
"Do you truly believe this woman's claim?" Casavir pressed from the bench behind them.
"You're out of your blasted minds, all of you," Khelgar grumbled.
Sand sighed. "This is going to take some creativity."
Nar braced himself for torrents of fire or random crowd members being turned into mind flayers. Later, he'd think with wonder on his father's use of subtlety. Sand's hands flickered with the first movements of a spell- and then, before any of the four could say another word, the executioner lifted up his axe with both of his hands, as big as small hams, and began to charge into the crowd. Nar shook his head in admiration as people scattered in terror. The guardsman began to charge after the crazed man, shouting after him with his sword raised. Now, all it would take would be a well-placed invisibility spell...
Elisa Bel'Juazra winked out of existence.
--
"Just what do you suppose you're doing, stuffing a woman into a sack like a common... oh. It's you." The party of four and their traveling cart had already been on the road for a good bit when Sand sat the Bag of Holding onto the wood frame and opened the lip of it. At the time, he'd been proud of the acquisition, and he now felt quite pleased with himself as Bel'Juazra pulled herself out of it with her hair plastered to her head. She didn't look quite so lovely after an hour stuffed into the black hole of a room with little air to breathe.
"You can put anything into a Bag of Holding," Sand said smugly. "As long as it'll fit through the hole."
"You're a fool."
"And you're an ungrateful, pampered demon-loving whore, Bel'Juazra. But I suppose you didn't deserve to die. I have studied much of justice and have had a great deal of time to do so. You were a fool to try to bargain with that creature."
Elisa fiddled with her hair as she stared down at the cart's bottom. "Perhaps I was. But what do you get out of all of this, Sand?"
The wizard glanced over at Nar, who was chewing on a bit of orange as he enjoyed the passing of the landscape. "Oh, I imagine I've gained something. A good challenge, or at the very least a regular customer."
"You're becoming sentimental in your old age, wizard. A pity. You could have been so much more had you been willing to pay the price."
"I may have rescued you, Lady Bel'Juazra, but I don't have to listen to your scathing drivel." With that, he gathered himself up with as much dignity as possible and went over to visit with his son.
End file.
| fanfiction |
oesophageal foreign bodies are reasonably common in dogs and can have serious consequences in terms of patient morbidity , mortality and cost ( augusto et al .
2005 ) diagnosing the presence of an oesophageal foreign body is usually straight forward , but deciding on whether endoscopic removal is possible may be more challenging .
in other cases , endoscopic assessment can be performed with subsequent retrieval per os or foreign body removal after dislodgement into the stomach .
if unsuccessful or if unforeseen complications arise , surgical exploration and removal can be attempted . advantages of endoscopic retrieval include the avoidance of invasive thoracotomy or laparotomy , significant cost reduction and faster time to recovery .
in addition , endoscopy allows direct visual evaluation of the foreign object and assessment of the extent of oesophageal damage . however , endoscopic removal is not without risk and complications include haemorrhage and oesophageal rupture and its associated complications ( pneumomediastinum , pneumothorax , pyothorax ) .
in addition , if unsuccessful and surgery is immediately attempted , the anaesthetic time is markedly increased which may significantly influence the likelihood of post - operative complications .
few studies have specifically addressed morbidity and mortality and prognostic factors for successful outcome in dogs .
it has been shown that the degree of oesophagitis noted after foreign body removal is correlated to the duration and severity of some clinical signs .
however , the prognostic utility of other clinical and radiographic features has not been assessed with respect to successful endoscopic retrieval and both short- and long - term outcome .
the objectives of this study were to describe a case series of dogs with oesophageal foreign bodies in order to identify any clinical or radiographic features that may be useful in decision making and prognosis .
medical records of dogs that presented to the university veterinary hospital ( uvh ) , university college dublin with oesophageal foreign bodies between june 2000 and may 2009 were reviewed .
the hospital data base ( vetscope professional , lawler developments ltd . ) was interrogated for the total number of all dogs , all terriers and specifically west highland white terrier ( whwt ) dogs presented during the same period .
thoracic radiographs , when available , were reviewed by a european diplomate in diagnostic imaging for evidence of mediastinal , pleural or pulmonary pathology .
the height and length of the foreign body was measured and recorded . to normalise the size of the foreign body to the size of the dog ,
the foreign body dimensions were divided by the length of the vertebral body of the sixth thoracic vertebra of each dog .
the degree of oesophagitis was subjectively classified as mild ( superficial erosion ) , or moderate / severe ( deep ulceration without / with necrosis ) .
endoscopic removal and , when endoscopic removal was not possible , the type of surgery were also recorded .
two different flexible endoscopes were used depending on the size of the dogs : a large gastroscope ( olympus gif q230 , outer diameter 10.5 mm , working length 1030 mm ) and a small gastroscope ( olympus gif n230 , outer diameter 6 mm , working length 925 mm ) .
various types of forceps or baskets were used for foreign body removal but these were not always specifically recorded .
opting for placement and choosing the type of feeding tube after foreign body removal was at the discretion of the primary clinician .
dogs were allocated to two groups : group 1 included animals where endoscopic foreign body removal was successful and group 2 included animals where endoscopic removal was unsuccessful or where endoscopic removal was not attempted because of prior evidence of oesophageal rupture .
comparisons were made regarding signalment , type and location of foreign body , relative size of the foreign body , duration of signs prior to presentation , mortality rate , time to spontaneous oral feeding , short - term ( within one week of foreign body removal ) complications and long - term outcome .
long - term outcome was obtained by telephone interview of the owners and ranged from four months to nine years .
all statistical analyses were performed by computerized software ( graphpad prism ( version 5.02 ) ) .
values between groups were compared using the student 's t or mann whitney u tests for parametric and non - parametric data , respectively .
categorical data were evaluated by chi - squared or fisher 's exact test as appropriate .
the medical records for 45 dogs treated for oesophageal foreign bodies during the study period were reviewed .
one case was excluded because the foreign body was a linear intestinal foreign body located from the oesophagus to the small intestine .
the foreign body was successfully removed from the oesophagus endoscopically in 30 ( 68.2% ) cases of which 26 ( 86.7% ) were retrieved per os and four ( 13.3% ) were pushed into the stomach .
it was not attempted in three ( 6.8% ) animals because of evidence of oesophageal rupture , identified on radiographs in 2 cases and on inflation at endoscopy in one case .
surgical procedures necessary for foreign body removal were cervical oesophagotomy ( n = 3 ) , thoracotomy ( n = 4 ) and laparotomy and gastrotomy ( n = 7 ) . the mean ( sd ) age was 5.7 ( 3.9 ) ( range , 0.2 - 15.0 ) years .
group 1 consisted of 14 males and 16 females with a mean age of 6.2 ( 4.1 ) years and a median weight of 7.05 kg .
group 2 consisted of six males and eight females with a mean age of 4.9 ( 3.4 ) years and a median weight of 7.8 kg .
there was no statistically significant difference in age , sex or body weight between the two groups .
overall , 15 breeds were represented , including west highland white terriers ( whwt ) ( n = 19 ) , shih tzu ( n = 5 ) , yorkshire terrier ( n = 4 ) , cavalier king charles ( n = 2 ) , jack russell terrier ( n = 3 ) , pomeranian ( n = 2 ) and one of each of the following : staffordshire bull , tibetan , wheaten and cairn terriers , collie , bull mastiff , mixed - breed terrier , labrador - cross and english bull dog . over the same time period , 29,235 dogs were presented to the uvh including 4,567 terriers and 813 whwt .
there were significantly ( p < 0.001 , in each case ) more whwt and terriers in the dogs presenting with oesophageal foreign bodies than those presenting for other reasons .
the presenting clinical signs were similar in nature and frequency in both groups and included regurgitation / vomiting ( 70% ( group 1 ) and 93% ( group 2 ) ) , inappetence / anorexia ( 30% ( group 1 ) and 60% ( group 2 ) ) , lethargy / dullness ( 30% ( group 1 ) and 20% ( group 2 ) ) and retching ( 20% ( group 1 ) and 13% ( group 2 ) ) .
the duration of signs prior to foreign body removal ranged from two to 42 days and the median time was significantly longer in group 2 ( five days ) compared with group 1 ( two days ) ( p < 0.01 ) .
physical examination was unrewarding in most cases apart from when the foreign body was located in the cervical oesophagus ( palpable in one case ) .
details of foreign body type , location and size , degree of oesophagitis , time to spontaneous oral feeding and short- and long - term complications are presented in table 1 .
comparison of group 1 ( successful endoscopic removal ) and group 2 ( unsuccessful endoscopic removal ) dogs with regard to type and location of foreign body , size of foreign body , mucosal damage , short term complications , time to spontaneous oral feeding and long - term clinical outcome . *
measurement were only assessed in 29 cases * * only 21 of group 1 and eight of group 2 dogs were available for long - term , follow - up the foreign body was located caudal to the heart base in 30 ( 68.2% ) , and either at the heart base ( n = 8 ( 18.2% ) ) or in the cervical oesophagus ( n = 6 ( 13.6% ) ) in 14 cases
in the 31 terrier dogs , 26 ( 83.9% ) of the foreign bodies were located caudal to the heart base compared with only 4 ( 28.6% ) of the remaining 14 dogs .
thirty nine ( 86.6% ) foreign bodies were bones , including 23 chops / vertebrae ( 12 lamb , 6 pork and 5 unidentified species ) , 2 chicken bones , 1 turkey bone , 1 beef bone and 12 other bone types for which species was not reported .
there was one each of the following : commercial dried pig ear , piece of cooked chicken breast , potato , piece of silicone , and stick .
the foreign body was seen in all cases with the exception of one dog in which a stick foreign body was not visible .
changes secondary to the foreign body were present in two cases ( pleural effusion , aspiration pneumonia and mediastinitis in one and free gas in the soft tissues of the neck in the other ) .
height and length of the foreign body could be determined in 29 cases , including 18 cases of group 1 and 11 cases of group 2 .
there was no statistical difference in foreign body size between the two groups or between the different breed ( terriers versus non - terriers ) groups .
the degree of oesophagitis and the incidence of mild or severe short - term complications were not statistically different between the two groups .
mild short - term complications included isolated episodes of vomiting ( three cases of group 1 and one case of group 2 ) and prolonged inappetence .
severe complications included aspiration pneumonia ( n = 3 , all from group 1 ) oesophageal rupture or necrosis ( n = 3 , 1 of group 1 and 2 of group 2 ) , haemorrhage ( n = 1 from group 2 ) and formation of a diverticulum ( n = 1 , from group 1 ) .
two dogs in each group died ( extensive oesophageal mucosal necrosis noted on endoscopy 3 and 5 days after initial presentation ( one each from group 1 and 2 ) , aspiration pneumonia ( group 1 ) and intra - operative haemorrhage ( group 2 ) ) .
the overall mortality rate was 6.7% , and 14.3% for group 1 and 2 , respectively .
the time to spontaneous oral feeding ( median ) was significantly shorter in group 1 ( 24 h ) compared to group 2 ( 120 h ) ( p < 0.01 ) .
the long - term outcome was known for 29 dogs including 21 in group 1 and eight in group 2 . amongst these dogs , 21 ( 72.4% )
one ( 4.8% ) dog ( group 1 ) developed a diverticulum 10 days post foreign body removal and died during its surgical correction .
seven ( 24.1% ) dogs were considered to have major ( inability to eat unmashed food ) long - term complications including three of group 2 ( 37.5% ) and four of group 1 ( 19.0% ) .
there was no statistically significant difference in the number of long - term complications between the two groups .
oesophageal stricture formation was considered likely although further investigation and intervention ( balloon dilation or bougienage ) were not performed .
the duration of signs prior to removal and the size of the foreign bodies were not statistically different in the seven dogs with long - term complications as compared to the 21 dogs that survived with no known long - term complications .
the present retrospective study confirms some findings of other studies and offers some new insights into this disorder for the small animal practitioner . specifically , investigating those factors that influence the outcome for endoscopic foreign body retrieval has practical implications regarding estimated anaesthetic time and likelihood of surgical intervention .
the type of dogs presented ( middle - aged , small breeds ) , and their clinical signs were similar to previous reports .
in addition , they did not differ between the two groups presented in the study and signalment or clinical features provided no insight into success or otherwise of endoscopic foreign body retrieval .
several other studies have suggested terrier breeds as being over - represented , although in one study poodles were overrepresented , suggesting that breed predisposition may be more representative of the general dog population .
however , in the present study there was a definite breed predisposition for terrier breeds and whwt compared to the general hospital population interrogated over the same time period .
as a consequence , while other disorders may give rise to similar clinical signs of acute regurgitation and retching , oesophageal foreign bodies should be given greater priority in terriers and whwt in particular . in dogs , bones or bone fragments
are the most common cause of oesophageal obstruction ranging from 47% to 100% in reported studies .
foreign bodies typically lodge in the oesophagus where there is physiologic narrowing including the pharynx , thoracic inlet , heart base and distal oesophagus .
all regions except for the pharynx were represented in the present study and overall the most commonly affected area was the distal oesophagus caudal to the heart base . interestingly , while location did not affect outcome , it was different between the terriers and non - terriers being significantly more commonly found caudal to the heart base in the former group .
a second possible explanation is that the sites of reduced oesophageal diameter may be different between breeds and this concept may be supported by the different locations found in the present study .
however , another possibility is that terriers are predisposed to oesophageal motility disorders and gastro - oesophageal reflux ( ger ) , as reported previously .
a motility disorder increases the risk of oesophageal foreign bodies normally conducted to the stomach in other breeds . in addition
, ger could predispose them to slight stricture formation of the distal oesophagus accounting for the different location as reported here .
however this is largely speculative and motility disorders previously reported in terriers have only been demonstrated in young dogs , younger than the cases presented in the current study .
not surprisingly given that most foreign bodies were bones , most were visible radiographically . in order to account for differences in breed size ,
however , the size of the foreign bodydid not influence outcome or the incidence of long - term complications and should not be used as a reason to avoid endoscopic retrieval . despite this , radiographic assessment is still valuable as it provides important information on location and on changes that can occur secondary to the foreign body ( perforation , aspiration pneumonia ) .
the overall success rate of just over 65% for endoscopic retrieval or dislodgement was lower in this study compared to rates of between 73% and 87% reported elsewhere .
this may reflect the fact that duration of clinical signs prior to presentation was longer than in most previous reports combined with a different emphasis in this study as an attempt was being made to better define factors that could predict outcome .
specifically animals in which endoscopic retrieval was not attempted because of known complications ( e.g. oesophageal rupture ) were also included .
if such animals were excluded , the overall success rate was approximately 73% and therefore more comparable to the previous studies . the recovery rate and incidence and type of short - term complications is also similar in this and other studies .
overall there was a relatively low rate of short - term complications together with a low mortality rate of just over 10% in accordance with previous studies , while other studies have reported mortality rates of 15.2 - 26% . however , dogs in which surgical intervention was required took significantly longer before spontaneously feeding resulting in more prolonged hospitalisation and increased costs . in this study the degree of oesophagitis did not influence the success or otherwise of endoscopic retrieval or dislodgement . however , clinical signs were present for longer in those dogs in which endoscopic removal was not successful .
by contrast in another study , the duration of clinical signs prior to presentation was significantly shorter for dogs with mild oesophagitis compared to those with moderate - to - severe oesphagitis .
this difference may be explained by the way in which oesophageal damage was assessed in the latter paper using the savary - miller classification which puts more emphasis on the confluence of erosions rather than the more subjective classification used here .
nevertheless it is reasonable to suggest that the longer the foreign body is present the more likely an alternative to endoscopy is required for removal . as a consequence
, such cases should be managed early in the day with appropriate preparation for possible surgical intervention .
of the 28 survivors for which long - term outcome was known , approximately one quarter were suspected to have oesophageal stricture , based on the owners reports of regurgitation of any food not mashed beforehand .
few studies have clearly reported the rate of stricture formation but it seems that in older reports stricture formation was rare while in more recent studies a rather high incidence of complications was identified on long - term follow - up .
in a recent retrospective study of oesophageal obstruction caused by a dental chew treat , oesophageal stricture developed in 6 of 25 dogs ( 24.0% ) that survived initial hospitalisation . in another retrospective study of 60 cases ,
mild stricture formation was reported 9 - 21 days post - removal in 5 of 17 ( 29.4% ) dogs for which outcome was available and this only occurred in dogs previously classified as having moderate - to - severe oesophagitis . while intuitively , stricture formation would be considered more likely associated with more severe damage to the oesophagus , this was not the case in the present study .
again , the subjective way the oesophageal damage was classified may be responsible for the difference in the studies .
due to the retrospective nature of this study , a classification based on circumference damage was not possible but may correlate better to the rate of stricture formation .
however , the fact that the rate of stricture formation was high in a previous report on dental chews and developed in cases presented here with soft foreign bodies and in cases where damage to the oesophageal mucosa was judged mild , suggests that stricture formation is a possible consequence of any oesophageal foreign body and may relate more to the extent of contact rather than its oesophageal penetration . to prevent stricture formation
withholding food and water , providing parenteral or gastric nutrition and hydration , is thought to minimize trauma to the mucosa and reduce fibroblastic reaction responsible for stricture formation .
all of these measures are routinely implemented in the uvh but obviously do not decrease the risk completely and other preventive measures should be investigated . although withholding food per os post - removal is usually recommended for preventing oesophageal strictures , it potentially could favour stricture formation by preventing natural stretch with larger food particles . studies directly comparing dogs fed a normal diet and those fed liquid food post - foreign body removal have not yet been published . in humans , the use of mitomycin - c an anthracycline , after oesophageal dilatation has been shown to be effective in reducing the rate of stricture reformation .
research in rats , after standardised trauma to the oesophagus , show promising results with the antimetabolic agent halofuginone when topically applied .
this retrospective study of oesophageal foreign bodies confirms the predisposition of terriers and whwt in particular and demonstrates a different location for their foreign bodies .
unfortunately neither clinical nor radiographic findings were helpful in predicting the success or otherwise of endoscopic removal .
however the longer the duration of clinical signs , the more likely alternative surgical intervention is required .
dysphagia / regurgitation , suggestive of oesophageal stricture formation was a relatively common long - term complication in this study .
further studies are required to investigate measures to prevent stricture formation following the treatment of oesophageal foreign bodies in dogs . | pubmed |
Glee 1. Chapter 1
_**Texas, 1871**_
"Rachel! Be quiet! Do you hear that?"
Rachel Berry graced her companion with her most unladylike scowl, then stopped and caught her breath at the sound. "A… a carriage! Coming this way!"
Emma Pillsbury-Howell clambered up from her seat on her very uncomfortable portmanteau and stood on the dirt-stained toes of her kid slippers and saw the unmistakable cloud of trail dust flying up behind a carriage being quickly pulled by two horses. Turning to the younger girl, she bit her lip, but desperation outweighed her hesitance. "Rachel, please. Let me do the talking if they stop. We have no idea where we are, and how far it is to Lima."
"Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell, really! As if it were my fault that barbarian stagecoach driver couldn't take a few slight criticisms!"
If the situation were funny at all, Emma would've laughed. "A _few_ slight criticisms, Rachel? You insulted the man, and most of the other passengers, and incited them enough that they _threw us off the carriage in the middle of nowhere!_"
Rachel bit her lip and looked away. Perhaps Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell had a point; after all, the schoolteachers back in St. Louis had always told her that she wasn't the most… tactful person. But, really, they shouldn't have taught her "honesty is the best policy" if they didn't want her to use said honesty. Shaking off her uncharacteristic moment of self-doubt, Rachel beamed a smile at the other woman. "Nonsense, Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell! And regardless, this situation appears as though it may turn out favorably after all."
As the rumbling cloud of dust came closer, Rachel prepared herself by holding a linen handkerchief over her face, and using her other arm to wave wildly. "Over here! Over here!"
Noah "Puck" Puckerman had had a grueling day, and as a blacksmith, that was not uncommon. However, this particular day, his fatigue was not brought about by the iron and fire of the forge, but by the most daunting of all tasks: customer relations. The long trip into Houston had been profitable for him and his partner, but there was nothing Puck hated more than kowtowing to a bunch of men who all looked down their noses at the blacksmith. The one silver lining was that, however bad Puck needed their money, they needed his wares just as bad. He was by far the most reliable and talented blacksmith in East Texas, and the work of the larger smithies in Houston couldn't compare to what Puck was capable of. So it was with that small satisfaction, a pocketful of cash, and a surly disposition that Puck headed back to his hometown of Lima.
He wouldn't have noticed them at all if it hadn't been for the flickering of his mares' ears. Puck knew from many nights out that that particular motion was a foreboding of trouble, so he instantly slowed their pace and cast a wary eye around. And it was then he saw them: two women, one standing still, one waving like a lunatic, obviously stranded.
He snorted to himself. Yep, this would definitely be trouble.
For a moment, Rachel had sincere doubts that the man was going to stop, but almost through the sheer force of her will (which, to be quite honest, was formidable) he seemed to slow and finally notice them. With the smallest tug to this team, he was slowing even more and now coming in their direction. As his carriage came to a stop and his mares snorted and caught their breath, he lifted a hand their way.
"Hello, ladies," he called, his voice deep and smooth. "You need some help?"
Rachel wanted to roll her eyes – they _obviously _needed help – but resisted the urge and tried a charming smile instead. "Good day, sir. We're on our way to Lima, when we were callously abandoned by our stagecoach. Are you by any chance heading in that direction and willing to take on a few passengers? I assure you, once we get to Lima, my father will be more than happy to compensate you for your time. My name is Rachel Berry, and this is my companion, Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell, and we're travelling from St. Louis. Luckily, the driver also took the time to toss out our belongings after us, so we do have our portmanteaus to come along as well, which I hope that additional burden will not cause any undue stress on your cattle. The rest of our belongings are following behind-"
"Good God, woman!" The man jumped down from his perch, and walked over to grab the first portmanteau, Rachel's, and throw it on the flat bed behind the carriage. "The whole matter could have been handled in six words instead of six paragraphs. Now get in, and, for the love of all that is holy, stop that prattling. We've got a couple of hours until Lima, but I'll be more than happy to make you walk 'em."
Rachel snapped her mouth closed and sniffed, and turned a glare on Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell when the woman had the audacity to giggle quietly. "Very well. I'll silence myself and graciously accept your assistance, Mr…"
He grunted as he threw the last bag up, then offered Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell a hand onto the single bench, and finally turned back to Rachel. "Just call me Puck," he said with a smirk, holding out his work-roughened hand to hers. Rachel set her kid glove in it, and took a good look at his face for the first time. Laughing hazel-green eyes looked back at her from a wickedly handsome tanned face that was all hard edges, and she felt color fill her cheeks.
Taking a deep breath, she sent him a cool smile. "Puck. How charming," she said, placing her hand in his and allowing him to assist her into his conveyance. Settling her skirts, she took her seat next to Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell, who still looked amused. "I'm glad you're enjoying this," Rachel muttered watching the man pat his mares' necks as he rounded the front and made his way to the other side of the bench.
Quickly, he seemed to realize how far to the left the women's skirts pushed his own position. "Ladies, I think I'll need to sit between you if we don't want the horses going in a circle."
Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell immediately jumped to shift away, a fact that was not lost on Rachel, and she shot her companion a telling look, and tried to hide the quick pang in her chest. Her entire life Rachel had known that she was… difficult. She was honest, talkative, ambitious, driven, and sometimes a little critical. As such, she wasn't blessed with a plethora of friendships like the other girls at the boarding school. But that was all right, because she had at least one very good friend back in Houston with whom she maintained a lively correspondence. And, at one point, she thought she'd had even more with… But that was neither here nor there, she told herself firmly, pushing the painful memories away.
Her father had packed up his business and home and made a fresh start in the small town of Lima, and that was exactly what Rachel planned to do as well.
The man, Puck (a distasteful nickname, Rachel decided), put the horses into motion without saying another word to either woman. After what was surely an hour (or perhaps just ten minutes) Rachel could no longer stand the silence. "So… Puck, are you familiar with Lima?"
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, then back to their path. "Yep."
Rachel waited for him to elaborate for a few minutes, then let out a disgruntled sigh. "What's it like?"
He hitched up one broad shoulder. "S'okay."
Irked, Rachel decided to play his game. If he thought his reticent ways would discourage her from speaking, he had another thing coming. "I'm originally from Houston, but I've been in St. Louis for the last ten years at a boarding school. My father moved to Lima last year, so although technically it's my home now, since I've never seen it, it doesn't feel like home. My very best friend Mercedes and her father moved with my father. Mr. Jones is my father's most loyal employee, since my father gave him his first job as a free man. It was my mother's idea, of course. She always had a lot of empathy since our people were slaves, too. At least that's what my father tells me, I don't remember my mother. She died when I was a little girl, during childbirth. My sister died, too. Do you have a sister? I always wanted one, or a brother. Although what good it would have done me at a boarding school, I don't know. But still, having-"
"Enough!"
Rachel stared up at her rescuer with wide, guileless eyes. "Is something wrong? Puck."
He finally took his eyes of the road long enough to glare at her, and Rachel could see that his already hard jaw was tightened even further with annoyance. "Woman, the Union Army didn't even realize that the greatest weapon they could've used was you, talking the Confederacy into submission. I have never heard a person use so many words in so short a time." He shook his head in amazement, and turned to address Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell. "Is she always like this?" he asked, tilting his head towards Rachel.
Rachel jumped in before her companion could. "Honestly, sir, I'm just trying to make conversation, a nicety you obviously lack the social skills to handle given your uncivilized one-word answers to my inquiries."
"Duchess, you're lucky you even get that out of me today." He turned back to her and smirked. "Let me make this real clear for you, Rachel Berry: I am doing you a favor, and unless you want your sweet little behind left behind on the side of the trail again, I highly recommend you keep your mouth shut for the remainder of our ride. Do you understand?"
Rachel glared up at him, fuming over his nerve. She stiffly turned forward, and glanced away from him, silently submitting to his will.
And if there was a little hurt beneath the anger, well, at least she was the only one who'd know.
Puck had never been so happy to see the tiny town of Lima in all his life. He'd expected the ride to be bearable once the yapping girl had finally left off. However, with every mile that passed in silence, his guilt grew and left him feeling like an ass.
She was just a girl, hardly bigger than a whisper, who was nervous about her new hometown. And, honestly, her voice hadn't been that hard to listen to once he blocked out the content of her conversation. It was almost melodic. That thought immediately made him uncomfortable, so he turned his thoughts to apologizing. After all, Lima _was_ a small town and if they were both going to live there, they'd need to come to terms with each other.
But, shit, he didn't want to give her the idea that he wanted her following him around yammering at him. Maybe he wouldn't mind shutting her up in other ways, he considered, thinking about her pouting lips and tiny waist and snapping brown eyes. No, that seemed like a strategy he could fully get behind. There weren't too many unattached women in Lima, and a man could only avail himself of the local saloon girl for so long until he began to look pathetic. Puck knew before long, his mother was going to get serious about her talk of him finding a nice Jewish woman to settle down with. He'd always figured that when the day came, far off in the future, he'd start nosing around Houston's Jewish community, one of the oldest in Texas.
But if Rachel Berry was the daughter of David Berry, maybe it wouldn't come to that. Of course, him getting married was _years_ away, so the idea that this girl would stay available until that point was laughable.
And, of course, it was also contingent on whether or not he could get through a few hours with her without wanting to set himself on fire.
As he pulled into town, he glanced at Rachel. "Welcome to Lima," he murmured, catching her eye.
She sprang upright on her seat and cast a curious glance around. He could practically hear the questions forming in her mind, and knew she was biting them back due to his dictate. He grimaced and nearly told her to go ahead, when he spotted her friend Mercedes Jones and her father on the sidewalk in front of the bank.
So did she. "Mercedes!" she cried out, turning in her seat to wave at her friend. "Oh, please stop," she begged, turning back to Puck with tears in her eyes and placing her small hands on his arm. "Please, please stop."
He was already pulling back to halt his mares. No sooner had they came to a halt, then she was over the side. "Damn it, woman," he bit out, feeling his heart drop into his stomach. She was just a little slip of a thing. She was going to hurt herself if she went throwing herself out of carriages.
She didn't hear him, though, as she ran back to her friend and they tossed their arms around each other, and cried. Puck glanced away uneasily, then turned to her companion, who he realized with a start, he'd largely ignored the entire way. "Just one moment, Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell, and I'll help you down."
At her soft murmur of agreement, Puck slid off the other side of the bench and went to greet Mr. Franklin Jones. Shaking the black man's hand, Puck gestured to his carriage. "I've got their bags. Do you think David would want them taken to the house or to the shop?"
"The shop!" Rachel and Mercedes answered at once, hugging and laughing once more.
Franklin looked down at his daughter and her friend with fondness, and nodded. "Let's just take it to the shop. He can deal with it when he's done fussing over Miss Rachel."
The two girls set off, arm in arm, leaving Puck standing there with the carriage in bewilderment. She wasn't even going to say anything to him before she walked away? Frowning, he helped Franklin unload the bags, then assisted Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell down from the carriage and introduced her to Franklin. After that was done, Puck shot one last look at Berry's storefront.
He felt a hand on his arm, and looked down into the porcelain face of Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell. "Thank you so much for helping us, sir," she said timidly. "I know Rachel can be a little hard to handle sometimes, but-"
Puck grinned a little. "Nah, she's not so bad. Welcome to Lima," he said before jumping back onto his rig and heading over to the smithy.
2. Chapter 2
**Disclaimer: Still don't own Glee**
_**Chapter Two**_
Puck returned back to the smith to leave his profit for his partner to tally and enter into the ledgers, unhitched his horses and rubbed them down, and then headed towards the Lucky Bullet.
"Puckerman!" came from behind the bar, and Puck shot a grin at the curly-headed barkeep.
"Anderson, set me up a round for the boys," he called and made his way over to his customary table in the corner.
His best friend, Finn Hudson, was already waiting with a wide grin and a hardly touched whiskey. "A whole round, Puckerman? Someone must've made a killing in Houston."
"Or just gotten laid," Blaine joked, laying out fresh glasses and filling them to the brim.
Puck scowled. "Yeah, as if I need to go to Houston for that."
At a nearby table, a big burly ranch hand named Karofsky laughed. "You do if you ever want anyone other than Santana. She's warned every willing woman in the town off your hide."
Grimacing, Puck took a bracing belt of the watered-down whiskey. "Don't know why." He shrugged. "She's allowed any man that wanders in this place. Seems like I should have my own freedom as well." He looked over at Finn, and saw that his friend was blushing, and sighed. He'd better distract Finnocence before his hair caught fire. "So , David Berry's daughter is in town."
That caught the attention of several men, much to Puck's dismay. Women were few and far between here, and most men were looking for a wife to do their cooking, cleaning and other… wifely duties. Normally, this sort of activity would amuse him. After all, one more man helped into the parson's mousetrap just meant it was one less chance for he himself to be caught. But the thought of one of these men pursuing Rachel Berry… well, it just didn't feel right.
After all, he reasoned with himself, none of them were Jewish, and that was undoubtedly important to her and her father.
"Oh, yeah?" Finn smiled placidly, the content expression of man already romantically engaged. "What's she like?"
Puck shrugged bad-naturedly and wondered why he'd brought this up. "She's abrasive, bossy, and never shuts up."
"So," Karofsky said, "she's a woman."
The patrons of the Lucky Bullet found this uproarious until a door near the back was slammed. "Aw, c'mon, Karofsky," a sharp voice called out, "we're not all that bad, are we?"
Puck looked at Karofsky in amusement as the other man swallowed harshly. "No, ma'am."
Stepping into the light, Sue Sylvester, the proprietor of the Lucky Bullet and town terror, sent a quelling look over the room. "Keep in mind, gentlemen, that you are here at my own allowing. If I wanted, I could turn you all out and turn this into a wayward house for troubled girls. Instead, I sell you cheap drinks and cheaper lays. So I'd ask you: keep a civil tongue in your heads when it comes to women."
The men hunched over their drinks, avoiding her gaze, as she swanned up the bar, her short hair shining gold as she leaned over to her employee, a blond man Puck hadn't noticed before. "Trouty mouth, give me a bottle of whiskey," she ordered. "And not the cheap stuff you give these swine."
He promptly served her, and without another word, she was gone, leaving the tension lingering.
Blaine was the first to break it, as he fought to contain his mirth. "Man, Dave, if you had seen your face…"
That was all it took to have the rest of the men laughing as Karofsky finished his drink and stormed out.
Puck leaned back in his chair and smirked until Finn looked at him appraisingly. "What?" he asked, defenses up.
"It's nothing. Except…"
"Except what?"
Finn shrugged and gave his own smirk, which didn't really fit the man's goofy, too-young face. "You seemed to be warning all the men off this Rachel Berry, when normally you'd be the first one helping them to the altar. Could it be that your mother will get her wish of Jewish grandchildren sooner than later?"
Puck muttered some choice phrases under his breath, then knocked back his drink. "Hell, no." Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a swath of dark hair over red fabric. "In fact, I think I'm going to go check in with Santana. Don't wait up," he said with a smirk as he rose.
"Done for," he could've sworn he heard Finn murmur beneath his breath, but he chose to ignore his friend and concentrate on the night's activities instead.
* * *
Rachel finally made it to her father's new home, a lovely house on the west side of town, where he had tried very hard to make it seem the same as the house in Houston. Nearly inch for inch, her bedroom was exactly the same as she remembered it. It was there she waited for her father after they'd dined with the Joneses and Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell, and were now settling in for the night.
As much as she loved Mercedes and Mr. Jones, she couldn't help but have hoped to have her father all to herself for her first night in this new place. She had so many questions to ask about his sudden relocation. She shook the thought away with a moment of guilt. That wasn't fair. For all intents and purposes Mr. Jones was like a second father to her, and Mercedes the closest thing she'd ever had to a sister. She had missed them dreadfully, and they had missed her.
And she had right now to get her questions answered, she thought as her father knocked softly on the door and she beckoned him in.
"Rachel," he said, sitting down next to her and drawing her into his arms once more. "I've missed you so much, sweetheart."
"Oh, Papa." Rachel burrowed her head into his shoulder and fought back the infantile tears that wanted to spill forward. Everything she'd been through in St. Louis bubbled back to the surface, all the fears and regrets and sadness. She refused to let any of that touch this new, fresh life, though.
Her father slowly released her and eased back. "Rachel, you look more like your mother every day," he marveled.
She took the opportunity to really look at him. He was as slight as ever, though his dark hair was decidedly thin and graying now. Some unspoken worry had lined his face slightly, but all in all, he looked like home. And love. She smiled. "Papa, I've missed you, and Texas so much. But I have to ask: why here? Why leave the prosperity of Houston to open a shop here?"
Something flickered across his face, too quickly for Rachel to identify it, and then he smiled. "There was nothing left for us in Houston, sweetheart. We were one of a handful of similar stores. And I thought, why be one choice out of so many, when I can come and help build a community and be the _only_ choice?"
It wasn't the truth; at least, not the whole truth, Rachel suspected. "But what about Temple? There's no synagogue close to here. What have you been doing for Shabbat?"
"There's a lovely widow, Sarah Puckerman, in town who is also Jewish. Her husband moved her and their children here before going off to join the War, and she has been very gracious, and I think a little happy, to have us over for the meals."
Rachel heard the words "a lovely widow_"_ over and over in her mind, but set it aside until later to see how she felt about her father possibly developing an infatuation for a woman. "She has children? How old?"
"Let's see. Her daughter, Rebekah, is ten now. And her son Noah is twenty-two. And single. And co-owner in a prospering business."
She groaned and threw herself back on her bed. "That's what this is about, isn't it, Papa? You and this Mrs. Puckerman have been conspiring with one another."
"Rachel," he soothed, "we're not conspiring towards anything. We have just spoken occasionally about how wonderful it would be if you and Noah were compatible. It would save both of you the time and expense of going to Houston to the Temple Beth Israel for find a suitable spouse."
Rachel wanted to ask why he assumed her future husband must be Jewish, but refrained. Her father had definite opinions on the matter that she wasn't keen to hear them all tonight. It had been bad enough when at one time she'd thought she'd actually have a Gentile fiancé to bring home; she wasn't going to waste her time and breath on a hypothetical man.
Her father was still talking. "-go to visit tomorrow. That's all I ask. Meet Sarah, and probably Rebekah, and if Noah happens to stop by, so much the better."
End file.
| fanfiction |
exactly like the lorentz transformations of space time coordinates in the inertial frame @xcite , the rindler coordinate transformations are for the uniformly accelerated frame of references @xcite . from the references
@xcite , it can very easily be shown that the rindler coordinate transformations are given by : @xmath1 hence it is a matter of simple algebra to prove that the inverse transformations are given by : @xmath2 here @xmath3 indicates the uniform acceleration of the frame .
hence it can very easily be shown from eqns.(1 ) and ( 2 ) that the square of the four - line element changes from @xmath4 where the former line element is in the minkowski space .
hence the metric in the rindler space can be written as @xmath5 whereas in the minkowski space - time we have the usual form @xmath6 it is therefore quite obvious that the rindler space is also flat .
the only difference from the minkowski space is that the frame of the observer is moving with uniform acceleration .
it has been noticed from the literature survey , that the principle of equivalence plays an important role in obtaining the rindler coordinates in the uniformly accelerated frame of reference .
according to this principle an accelerated frame in absence of gravity is equivalent to a frame at rest in presence of a gravity .
therefore in the present scenario , @xmath3 may be treated to be the strength of constant gravitational field for a frame at rest .
now from the relativistic dynamics of special theory of relativity @xcite , the action integral is given by @xmath7 where @xmath8 @xcite and @xmath9 is the rest mass of the particle and @xmath10 is the speed of light in vacuum .
the lagrangian of the particle may be written as @xmath11^{1/2}\ ] ] where @xmath12 is the three velocity vector .
hence the three momentum of the particle is given by @xmath13 @xmath14^{1/2}}\ ] ] then from the definition , the hamiltonian of the particle may be written as @xmath15 @xmath16 hence it can very easily be shown that in the non - relativistic approximation , the hamiltonian is given by @xmath17 in the classical level , the quantities @xmath18 , @xmath19 and @xmath20 are treated as dynamical variables .
further , it can very easily be verified that in the quantum mechanical scenario where these quantities are considered to be operators , the hamiltonian @xmath18 is not hermitian .
however the energy eigen spectrum for the schrdinger equation has been observed to be real @xcite .
this is found to be solely because of the fact that @xmath18 is @xmath0-invariant .
now it is well know that @xmath21 , @xmath22 , whereas , @xmath23 and @xmath24 but @xmath25 , therefore it is a matter of simple algebra to show that @xmath26 . as has been shown by several authors @xcite that
if @xmath18 is @xmath0-invariant , then the energy eigen values will be real . here
@xmath27 and @xmath28 are respectively the parity and the time reversal operators .
further if the hamiltonian is @xmath0 symmetric , then @xmath18 and @xmath0 should have common eigen states . in @xcite
we have noticed that the solution of the schr@xmath29dinger equation is obtained in terms of the variable @xmath30 , which is @xmath0-symmetric .
hence any function , e.g. , whittaker function @xmath31 or associated laguerre function @xmath32 , the solution of the schrdinger equation are @xmath0-symmetric .
these polynomials are also the eigen functions of the operator @xmath0 .
of course with the replacement of hermiticity of the hamiltonian with the @xmath0-symmetry , we have not discarded the important quantum mechanical key features of the system described by this hamiltonian and also kept the canonical quantization rule invariant , i.e. , @xmath33 .
this point was also discussed in an elaborate manner in reference @xcite and in some of the references cited there . in this article
we have investigated the time evolution for both the space and the momentum coordinates of the particle moving in rindler space .
we have considered both the relativistic and the non - relativistic form of the rindler hamiltonian ( eqns.(11 ) and ( 11a ) respectively ) .
hence we shall also obtain the classical phase space trajectories for the particle in the rindler space .
we have noticed that in the relativistic scenario , both the spatial and the momentum coordinates are real in nature and diverge as @xmath34 . for both the variables the time dependencies
are extremely simple .
hence we have obtained classical trajectories @xmath35 by eliminating the time dependent part . however , in the non - relativistic approximation , the spatial coordinates are quite complex in nature , whereas the momentum coordinates are purely imaginary .
since the mathematical form of the phase space trajectories are quite complicated , we have obtained @xmath35 numerically in the non - relativistic scenario . in the first part of this article
, we have considered the relativistic picture and obtained the phase space trajectories , whereas in the second part , the classical phase space structure is obtained for non - relativistic case . to the best of our knowledge
such studies have not been done before
we next consider the non - relativistic form of rindler hamiltonian given by eqn.(11a ) . now following eqn.(12 ) ,
the equations of motion for the particle in rindler space in the non - relativistic approximation are given by @xmath55 on integrating the second one we have @xmath56 the particle momentum is therefore purely imaginary in nature with its real part @xmath57 . here
@xmath43 is a real constant phase .
next evaluating the first integral analytically , we have @xmath58 \nonumber \\ & + & i\frac{c}{\omega}\left [ \sin\left \{\ln \left ( \sin^2\left ( \frac{2^{1/2}\omega t-\phi}{2 } \right ) \right ) \right \ } \right ] = x_r+ix_i\end{aligned}\ ] ] the spatial part is therefore complex in nature , where the real part @xmath59\ ] ] and the corresponding imaginary part is given by @xmath60\ ] ] here again eliminating the time part , we have the mathematical form of phase space trajectories for the imaginary parts only @xmath61^{1/2 } } { \exp\left\{\frac{1}{2}\sin^{-1}\left ( \frac{\omega}{c}x_i\right ) \right \ } } \ ] ] which gives the phase space trajectories of the particle in the rindler space in non - relativistic scenario . it should be noted here that since the real part of the particle momentum is zero , we have considered the imaginary parts only . since @xmath62 is real , therefore @xmath63 , i.e. , can not have all possible values . in fig.(2 )
we have plotted the scaled @xmath64 , i.e. @xmath65 with scaled time @xmath66 for @xmath67 . since the constant phase @xmath43 is completely arbitrary , for the sake of illustration we have chosen it to be zero . in this diagram the scaling factors are also taken to be unity . now if we consider variation of the scaling factors , the qualitative nature of the graphs will not change but there will be quantitative changes . in fig.(3 ) we have plotted the scaled @xmath68 , i.e. , @xmath69 with scaled time @xmath66 for @xmath67 . in this case
also same type of changes as has been mentioned for @xmath64 will be observed . in fig.(4 ) we have plotted the scaled @xmath62 , which is actually @xmath70 with scaled time @xmath66 for @xmath67 . in this case also the scaling factors are exactly equal to one .
further the same kind of variation as mentioned above will be observed for @xmath62 with the change of scaling parameters . finally in fig.(5 )
the phase space trajectory for scaled @xmath68 and scaled @xmath62 is shown since the physically accepted domain for scaled @xmath68 is from @xmath71 to @xmath72 , we have shown in figs.(6 ) and ( 7 ) the plot of scaled @xmath68 and scaled @xmath62 with scaled time .
finally in conclusion we would like to mention that to the best of our knowledge this is the first time the phase space trajectories are obtained in rindler space using non - hermitian @xmath0-symmetric hamiltonian . in the relativistic case the trajectories can be represented by a set of hyperbolas .
whereas in the non - relativistic picture , particle momenta are purely imaginary and the space coordinates are complex in nature .
the variation of real and imaginary parts of space coordinates are quite complicated .
further , the phase space is restricted within the domain of negative @xmath19-values .
the imaginary part of particle momentum has been observed to change with time in a discrete manner in this region . if we consider the rindler hamiltonian in the form @xmath73 then it is a matter of simple algebra to show that @xmath74 hence redifining @xmath75 as new @xmath19 and @xmath76 as new @xmath77 , we have @xmath78 , which gives the phase space trajectories in rindler space .
the trajectories are rectangular hyperbola . 99 landau l.d . and
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Janne Corax born 1967 is a Swedish cyclist, mountaineer and explorer. He has travelled in 110 countries and cycled more than 82,500 km. He lives in Målilla in southern Sweden. He is an authority on Tibet, across which he has made several long and unsupported expeditions.
Crossing of Northern Tibet
In 2003 he and Nadine Saulnier made the first ever cycle crossing of the uninhabited and trackless 5,000 metre high Chang Tang plateau of Northern Tibet. The crossing resulted in a 30-minute film, called Too Tired, part of the series Into The Unknown on National Geographic's international channel. The crossing was also reported in Japanese Alpine News.
First ascents in Tibet
Corax has achieved first ascents of several very remote 6,000 metre Tibetan mountains.
On 26 June 2007, he and Nadine Saulnier summitted 6323 m Kangzhagri after cycling across the wilderness for 28 days.
On 2 September 2007, with Jeff Garnand, he made the first ascent of 6,214 m Sirenshou in Dahongliutan Kunlun. On 12 September they ascended 6,370 m Jiao Feng.
On 6 October 2007 he summitted the north east and highest 6369 m peak of Toze Kangri followed shortly by Waltraud Schultze, Kjetil Kjernsmo and Andy Hessberg. Two days earlier, with Waltraud Schultze, he had summitted the south west top 6366 m. On October 8 he summitted the 6028 m Toze Pyramid, to achieve 3 first ascents in four days.
On 12 March 2008, he made a winter solo ascent, and possibly the first ascent, of 6028 m Jietanzhouma, in the Lhakoi/Hlako Kangri group/Himal - Noijin Kangsang sub group of Central Tibet. On 6 April, he made a late winter, solo and first ascent of 6424 m Pulha Ri, in the same group.
In the summer of 2008, Corax, Saulnier and Martin Adserballe made a repeat unsupported crossing of the Chang Tang. They passed Ulugh Muztagh on the southern side as first unsupported travellers ever. On 28 June, day 37 of the trip, they made the first ascent of 6388 m Kukushili Songzhiling, in the central north Chang Tang. On 9 July, day 48, they made the first ascent of 6438 m Purog Kangri, which is part of the Zangser Kangri Massif, in the Burog Co area.
Other climbs
2002
Participated in a world record attempt to summit Muztagh Ata by bike.
First ascent of Bonete Grande in Argentina.
2005
Caucasus Mountains - Elbrus, Gumachi, Aristova
Pakistan - Gasherbrum II did not summit
Africa - Mount Kilimanjaro and Lenana side paek of Mount Kenya
Argentina - bicycling and climbing tour in the Andes - San Bernardo, Vallecitos, Platita/Pico Plata, Plata, Bonete, Manso, Aconcagua, twice Bonete Chico, Pissis II/Pissis East, Bonete Grande, Pissis, Incahuasi, Ojos del Salado. His GPS measurements were among those that established that Ojos del Salado is higher than Monte Pissis.
2006
Argentina: - San Bernardo 4142 m, Adolfo Calle 4200 m, Stepanek 4080 m, Plata 5827 m, Vallecitos 5509 m, Rincon 5318 m, Franke 4880 m, Lomas Amarillos 5100 m, Manso 5434 m, Aconcagua 6962 m, El Muerto 6488 m, Olmedo 6250 m, Cazadero 6658 m, Mercedario 6700 m, Trabante II 5250 m, Ramada 6384 m.
Asia: - Pik Lenin 7,134 m high, in Kyrgyzstan after a 4-day long attack in alpine style. A week before Muztagh Ata, 7.546 m high, in China.
References
External links
Janne Corax's webpage
Janne Corax's summitpost profile
See also
Bicycle touring
List of climbers
Category:1967 births
Category:Living people
Category:Swedish male cyclists
Category:Ultra-distance cyclists
Category:Swedish mountain climbers
Category:Male touring cyclists
Category:Place of birth missing living people | wikipedia |
Collaborative Arts Project 21, known more commonly as CAP21, is a New York City professional musical theatre training conservatory and Off-Broadway theatre company. It has a large faculty and student body. The conservatory has produced many Broadway performers, as well as actors in off-Broadway, regional, and international theatre, television, film, and other performance media. Until 2012, it was in partnership with the New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts. In 2014, CAP21 joined forces with Molloy College.
History
As a producing organization, CAP21 began in 1994. Its productions take place at CAP21 or at venues in New York City and around the United States. Each season, three new works are produced for a two-week work in progress run. In addition CAP21 works in development with twenty new musicals and plays providing public and in-house readings. CAP21s season features diverse productions of new and classic plays and musicals, drawing audiences from the greater New York metropolitan area. Nearly 200 theatre artists are engaged each year to create and present new and classic work.
In 2012 the CAP21 Theatre Company won a GLAAD award for Outstanding New York Theatre: Off and Off-Off Broadway, for its production of the new musical Southern Comfort. The production starred Jeffrey Kuhn and Natalie Joy Johnson.
Alumni
Well-known performers who have been part of the CAP21 theatre group include Lady Gaga, Javier Muñoz, Anne Hathaway, Matthew Morrison, Kristen Bell and Sosie Bacon.
References
External links
Official CAP21 Website
Official Molloy College Website
BroadwayWorld Article October 2013
Backstage Article September 2010
Category:Theatre companies in New York City
Category:Musical theatre organizations
Category:Off-Broadway theaters
Category:Arts organizations established in 1994
Category:1994 establishments in New York state | wikipedia |
since the pioneering work of bekenstein @xcite and hawking @xcite , which proved that the entropy of black hole is proportional to the area of its horizon in the early 1970s , the research of the black hole thermodynamics has greatly improved .
especially , it was found that if the surface gravity of the black hole is considered to be the temperature and the outer horizon area is considered to be the entropy , four laws of the black hole thermodynamics , which correspond with the four laws of the elementary thermodynamics , has been established @xcite .
recently , there are several geometric approaches @xcite to the black hole thermodynamics @xcite .
the geometric description of the equilibrium thermodynamics comes from ruppeiner geometry based on the metric of the thermodynamic state space : entropy metric and others including weinhold metric @xcite .
however , the results depends on how to choose the metric .
very recently , ruppeiner has discussed on a systematic discussion of how to make the correct choice of a metric @xcite .
also , ruppeiner has demonstrated several limiting results matching extremal kerr - newman black hole thermodynamics to the two dimensional fermi gas @xcite , showing that this connection to a 2d model is consistent with the membrane paradigm of black holes @xcite . on the other hand ,
2d dilaton gravity has been used in various situations as an effective description of 4d gravity after a black hole in string theory has appeared @xcite . in particular , thermodynamics of this black hole
has been analyzed by several authors @xcite .
another 2d theories , which were originated from the jackiw - teitelboim ( jt ) theory @xcite , have been also studied @xcite .
recently , we have introduced the 2d dilaton gravity approach , which completely preserves the thermodynamics of 4d black hole @xcite .
we have obtained that the 2d curvature scalar shows the features of extremal , davies and minimum temperature points of rn black hole , clearly .
actually , since the heat capacity is inversely proportional to the 2d curvature scalar , we expect that the 2d curvature could show interesting thermodynamic points clearly . in this paper
, we deal with the issue of geometric approach by analyzing the rn - ads black hole , which provides two different ensembles : canonical ensemble for fixed - charge case and grand canonical ensemble for fixed - potential case @xcite .
since these are independent of each other , one can not mix them by legendre transformation .
hence , we have to calculate two ruppeiner curvatures for different ensembles . in sec .
ii , we briefly recapitulate the rn - ads black hole thermodynamics . in sec .
iii , we calculate different ruppeiner curvatures based on fixed - charge and fixed - potential ensembles . in sec .
iv , alternatively , we propose the 2d curvature scalar , which shows the features of extremal , davies and minimum temperature points of the rn - ads black hole , clearly . in sec .
v , we point out the different thermodynamic behaviors between ruppeiner geometry and 2d dilaton gravity in the thermodynamics of black holes .
finally , discussions are devoted to sec .
we start with the four - dimensional action @xmath0\ ] ] with @xmath1 the curvature radius of ads@xmath2 spacetimes .
hereafter we shall adopt planck units of @xmath3 .
the solutions to equations of motion lead to the rn - ads black hole whose metric is given by @xmath4 with the metric function @xmath5 @xmath6 and @xmath7 .
here , @xmath8 denotes @xmath9 .
we note that the reduced mass becomes the adm mass ( @xmath10 ) and the charge parameter becomes the charge ( @xmath11 ) when choosing planck units .
then , the inner ( @xmath12 ) and the outer ( @xmath13 ) horizons are obtained from the condition of @xmath14 . using these horizons , the mass and charge
are expressed by @xmath15,~q^2(r_+,r_-)=r_+r_-\bigg[1+\frac{r_+^3-r_-^3}{l^2(r_+-r_-)}\bigg].\ ] ] first , let us consider the case of fixed - charge ensemble . for the rn - ads black hole @xcite ,
the relevant thermodynamic quantities are given by the bekenstein - hawking entropy @xmath16 , adm mass @xmath17 , and hawking temperature @xmath18 @xmath19,~ t_q(r_+,q)= \frac{1}{4\pi}\bigg [ \frac{1}{r_+}-\frac{q^2}{r_+^3}+\frac{3r_+}{l^2}\bigg].\ ] ] in this case that the horizon is degenerate ( @xmath20 ) , we have an extremal black hole with @xmath21 . in general
, one has an inequality of @xmath22 .
then , using the eq .
( [ aas ] ) , the heat capacity @xmath23 for fixed - charge @xmath24 takes the form @xmath25.\ ] ] the global features of thermodynamic quantities are shown in fig . 1 for @xmath26 .
here we observe the local minimum @xmath27 at @xmath28 ( schwarzschild - ads black hole ) , in addition to the zero temperature @xmath29 at @xmath30(extremal rn black hole ) and the local maximum @xmath31 at @xmath32 ( davies point of rn black hole ) .
it seems to be a combination of the rn and schwarzschild - ads black holes . here
, we observe that @xmath33 and @xmath34 at @xmath30 , @xmath35.\ ] ] and the heat capacity blows up at @xmath36 and @xmath37 where these satisfy @xmath38 , ~r_0 ^ 2=\frac{l^2}{6}\bigg[1+\sqrt{1-\frac{36q^2}{l^2}}\bigg].\ ] ] these points exist only for @xmath39 . for @xmath40 , we have @xmath41 . here
we consider the thermal stability of a black hole .
the local stability is usually determined by the positive sign of heat capacity by considering evaporation and absorbing processes of a black hole , even for an exceptional case of the kerr - newman black hole @xcite .
for example , the heat capacity of the schwarzschild black hole is @xmath42 , which means that this isolated black hole is not in equilibrium in asymptotically flat spacetimes .
based on the local stability of heat capacity , the rn - ads black holes of @xmath43 can be split into small stable black hole with @xmath44 being in the region of @xmath45 , intermediate unstable black hole with @xmath46 in the region of @xmath47 , and large stable black hole with @xmath44 in the region of @xmath48 . on the other hand , for fixed - potential @xmath49 ensemble @xcite , we have the mass and hawking temperature @xmath50,~ t_{\phi}(r_+,\phi)=
\frac{1}{4\pi r_+}\bigg [ 1-\phi^2+\frac{3r_+^2}{l^2}\bigg].\ ] ] in this ensemble , a relevant thermodynamic quantity is the internal energy @xmath51 defined by @xmath52.\ ] ] furthermore , the heat capacity @xmath53 takes the form @xmath54.\ ] ] in this grand canonical ensemble , the points @xmath55 of zero - temperature and the blow - up heat capacity are not those in the canonical ensemble @xcite .
furthermore , if we compare fig . 2 for @xmath43 with fig . 3 for @xmath56 , we could find that @xmath57 displays no singular behavior at the singular points @xmath58 of @xmath59 .
hence we must separate the fixed - potential case from the fixed - charge one .
another observation on the geometric description of the equilibrium thermodynamics comes from ruppeiner geometry based on a metric on the thermodynamic state space @xcite @xmath61 where the ruppeiner metric @xmath62 and the weinhold metric @xmath63 are given by @xmath64 in this case , we use the ruppeiner metric as @xmath65 whose form is given by @xmath66 we observe the important relation @xmath67 its determinant takes the form @xmath68= - \frac{2\pi}{s } \frac{(1-\frac{\pi q^2}{s}-\frac{3s}{\pi l^2})}{(1-\frac{\pi q^2}{s}+\frac{3s}{\pi l^2})^2}\ ] ] one ruppeiner curvature is given by @xcite @xmath69 in this work , we use the computer program _ mathematica _ 6.0 and _ general relativity , einstein & all _ package ( great.m ) @xcite for the calculations of all ruppeiner curvatures .
we observe that the curvature diverges in the extremal limit of @xmath70 .
however , the two blow - up points of heat capacity which satisfy @xmath71 disappear in the denominator of @xmath72 .
this arises because off - diagonal terms in @xmath73 contribute to calculating det[@xmath74 .
dimensional reduction from kn - ads black hole ( when @xmath75 ) provides the other ruppeiner curvature @xcite @xmath76 which shows that this curvature diverges at the extremal point but is finite at @xmath58 . in this case
, we use the ruppeiner metric as @xmath78 whose form is given by @xmath79 here , we use @xmath80 instead of @xmath81 because the former could be defined in the potential representation @xcite . here , we call @xmath82 as a free energy since the gibbs potential is defined by @xmath83 in the grand canonical ensemble
. we note that @xmath84 , but they have different representations .
we observe the important relation @xmath85 its determinant takes the form @xmath68=2 \left(\frac{1 - 3\phi^2-\frac{3s}{\pi l^2}}{1-\phi^2+\frac{3s}{\pi l^2}}\right).\ ] ] then , ruppeiner curvature is given by @xmath86 we observe that the curvature diverges at the extremal black hole of @xmath87 which satisfies @xmath88 , existing for @xmath89 . finally , we comment that it is meaningless to get on - diagonal form by starting from @xmath73 in eq .
( [ metq ] ) and then conformally transforming with a new coordinate of @xmath90 @xcite .
the resulting metric is just the diagonal part of @xmath91 in eq .
( [ metp ] ) .
this is because it gives rise to mixing between fixed - charge @xmath73 and fixed - potential @xmath91 .
assuming @xmath92 for our purpose , we perform a kaluza - klein reduction @xmath93 where @xmath94 represents the radius of two sphere @xmath95 . after the dimensional reduction by integrating eq.([action ] ) over @xmath95 , the 2d action is given by @xmath96.\ ] ] here @xmath97 is the 2d ricci scalar . for thermodynamic analysis ,
it is convenient to eliminate the kinetic term by using the conformal transformation @xcite @xmath98 the 2d action is given by @xmath99.\ ] ] where @xmath100 is the 2d ricci scalar in the conformal transformed frame .
this transformation delivers information on the 4d action ( [ action ] ) to the 2d dilaton potential completely , if the 4d action provides the black hole solution @xcite .
that is , we may get the good @xmath101-wave approximation to the 4d black hole without kinetic term for thermodynamic analysis .
unless one makes the conformal transformation , the information is split into the kinetic and the potential terms @xcite . making use of equation of motion for the electromagnetic field yields to @xcite @xmath102 where @xmath103 is an integration constant . in order to recover the rn - ads black hole ,
we choose @xmath104 so that @xmath105 the 2d effective action is obtained as @xmath106.\end{aligned}\ ] ] for the fixed charge ensemble , the dilaton potential is given by @xmath107 this is an effective 2d dilaton gravity .
the two equations of motion are @xmath108 where the derivative of @xmath109 is given by @xmath110 the former is called the dilaton equation and the latter is the einstein equation , even though the former(latter ) are obtained from metric(dilaton ) variations . in order to solve the above equations
, we introduce the schwarzschild - type metric for @xmath111 as @xmath112 then , its curvature scalar takes the form @xmath113 where the prime
@xmath114 " denotes the derivative with respect to @xmath115 .
we note from eq.([conft ] ) that the dilaton is independent of time @xmath116(@xmath117 )
. then , eqs .
( [ newat1 ] ) and ( [ newat2 ] ) reduce to @xmath118 in addition , we have the kinetic term for @xmath119 @xmath120 if one chooses the linear dilaton as the solution @xmath121 then eq.([eqp ] ) leads to @xmath122 which implies that the latter is just a redundant relation .
we obtain the solution to eqs .
( [ newat1 ] ) and ( [ newat2 ] ) @xmath123 here , the metric function @xmath124 is given by @xmath125 where @xmath126 is the integration of @xmath127 given by @xmath128 also , @xmath129 is a coordinate - invariant constant of integration , which is identified with the mass @xmath17 of the rn - ads black hole .
we note here an important connection between @xmath130 and the metric function @xmath131 : @xmath132 .
then , we recover the @xmath116-@xmath133 line element for rn - ads black hole from the 2d dilaton gravity approach with @xmath134 @xmath135= \frac{r}{2}ds^2_{rn - ads}.\ ] ] we note that the outer and inner horizons appear when satisfying @xmath136 in this case we find from eq .
( [ phisq ] ) that @xmath137 , even for @xmath138 .
note that if one starts from eq .
( [ non - conf ] ) without the conformal transformation , it is tedious to find the solution of @xmath139 $ ] by solving the full einstein and dilation equations
. hence the conformal transformation of eq .
( [ conft ] ) provides an efficient way to find the 4d black hole solution when using the 2d dilaton gravity .
further , we could easily recover 4d thermodynamic quantities when using the conformal transformation .
given that the considering 4d model admits black hole solution , it can be shown that all thermodynamic quantities of the black hole except the free energy are invariant under the conformal transformations . .
( a ) the solid curve describes @xmath18 with two dashed horizons for @xmath140 at @xmath141 , respectively .
( b ) mass @xmath17 whose minimum is @xmath142 at @xmath143 .
( c ) heat capacity @xmath59 which diverges at @xmath144 . ]
all thermodynamic quantities can be explicitly expressed in terms of the dilaton @xmath119 , the dilaton potential @xmath145 , its integration @xmath126 , and its derivative @xmath146 with respect to @xmath119 as @xmath147 in fig .
2 , we have the corresponding dual graphs , which are nearly the same as in fig .
1 . at the extremal point @xmath148
, we have @xmath34 and @xmath33 , which are determined by @xmath149 . on the other hand , at the local maximum point @xmath150
, one has @xmath151 , which are determined by the condition of @xmath152 .
finally , at the local minimum point @xmath153 , one has @xmath154 , which are determined by the condition of @xmath155 .
for @xmath156 , we have the near - horizon phase of extremal black hole , whereas for @xmath157 , we have the schwarzschild - ads phase . on the other hand , for the fixed - potential ensemble , we have a slight different form @xmath158 + \frac{6\sqrt{\phi}}{l^2}. \label{potp}\ ] ] its derivative with respect to @xmath119 takes the form @xmath159+\frac{3}{l^2\sqrt{\phi}}.\ ] ] its integration over @xmath119 leads to the internal energy @xmath160+\frac{4\phi\sqrt{\phi}}{l^2}.\ ] ] however , the adm mass is given by @xmath161+\frac{4\phi\sqrt{\phi}}{l^2}.\ ] ] other thermodynamic quantities are shown to have @xmath162 for @xmath163 , their behaviors are depicted in fig .
3 . in this case
, we have no degenerate horizon but a blow - up heat capacity at @xmath164 . on the other hand , for @xmath165 ,
we have degenerate horizon which satisfies @xmath166 but not a blow - up heat capacity .
also , eq . ( [ newat2 ] ) takes the form @xmath167 .
( a ) the solid curve describes @xmath168 with dashed horizon for the minimum temperature @xmath169 at @xmath170 .
( b ) internal energy @xmath51 ( solid curve ) and mass @xmath81 ( dashed curve ) .
( c ) heat capacity @xmath57 which diverges at @xmath164 . ]
first , let us consider the fixed - charge @xmath24 ensemble . using the relation of @xmath171 together with eqs .
( [ aas ] ) and ( [ aac ] ) or @xmath172 with eq .
( [ phitds ] ) , we can rewrite thermodynamic quantities as functions of the entropy @xmath16 and charge @xmath24 @xmath173.\end{aligned}\ ] ] we introduce the first - law of the thermodynamics @xmath174 with the chemical potential @xmath175 .
we have the thermodynamic relations @xmath176 from eqs.([newat2 ] ) and ( [ derivv ] ) , the 2d curvature scalar @xmath177 defined by eq.([2dcur ] ) takes the form @xmath178 which shows that the 2d curvature constructed from eq.([2dmetric ] ) could describe thermodynamics of rn - ads black hole when using the 2d einstein equation .
importantly , the heat capacity can be rewritten as @xmath179 which shows clearly that @xmath59 blows up when @xmath180 , and it is zero when @xmath34 . as is shown in fig .
4 , the 2d curvature shows that @xmath181 ( ads@xmath182 spacetime ) at the extremal point of @xmath148 , while it is zero ( flat spacetime ) at the davies point @xmath150 and minimum temperature point @xmath153 .
this shows a close connection between the heat capacity and 2d curvature in the canonical ensemble .
we note one connection such as @xmath183 whose solution is @xmath184 .
we also have another connection , @xmath185 whose solution is @xmath186 and @xmath187 .
next , let us consider the fixed - potential ensemble .
we can rewrite thermodynamic quantities as functions of the entropy @xmath16 and the chemical potential @xmath175 @xmath188,\end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath189 for @xmath190 , we could find zero temperature which implies the presence of extremal black hole at @xmath191 $ ] .
also , in the case of @xmath192 , we could find zero temperature at @xmath193 .
for @xmath56 , we could not find zero temperature for any @xmath16 .
however , we find that the heat capacity blows up for @xmath56 at @xmath194 $ ] . in this case , we expect that the rn - ads black hole shows a similar behavior as the schwarzschild - ads black hole .
now , let us introduce the law of the thermodynamics for the @xmath195 @xmath196 with @xmath197 .
also note that the redefined mass @xmath51 is identified with a free energy of the black hole because the gibbs free energy is defined as @xmath198 .
we note that the second term represents the work done by the black hole on its environment .
then , for fixed - charge @xmath175 ensemble , we have the thermodynamic relations @xmath199 from eq .
( [ newat2 ] ) , the 2d curvature scalar @xmath200 takes the form @xmath201 on the other hand , the heat capacity can be rewritten as @xmath202 which shows clearly that @xmath57 blows up when @xmath203 . as is shown in fig . 5
, the 2d curvature shows that it is zero ( flat spacetime ) at the minimum temperature point @xmath164 .
similar to the canonical ensemble , this also shows a close connection between the heat capacity and 2d curvature in the grand canonical ensemble .
we summarize the features of heat capacity , ruppeiner curvature , and inverse 2d curvature at the extremal , davies and minimum temperature points in the @xmath204-representation in table i. we do not find any consistent relations between the heat capacity and four ruppeiner curvatures .
we note that @xmath205)^2 $ ] . if the ruppeiner metric is not on - diagonal form , like eq .
( [ metq ] ) , then the pole of @xmath206 is shifted from @xmath207 : @xmath208 .
hence the ruppeiner curvature does not show the feature of heat capacity at the davies and minimum temperature points where heat capacity blows up .
however , if the metric is on - diagonal ( @xmath209 ) , the ruppeiner curvature preserves the pole of heat capacity as @xmath210 is shown . in the @xmath211-representation
, the same happens . since its ruppeiner metric of eq .
( [ metp ] ) is not on - diagonal form , the pole of @xmath206 is shifted from @xmath212 : @xmath213 .
hence the ruppeiner curvature does not preserve the feature of heat capacity at minimum temperature point where heat capacity blows up . at this stage , we comment on the connection between ruppeiner geometric and thermodynamic ensemble approaches . in the canonical ensemble of fixed - charge
, we have @xmath214 $ ] , while in the grand canonical ensemble of fixed - potential , we have @xmath215 $ ] .
a single component of @xmath216 contains the whole information on heat capacity of rn - ads black hole .
these two cases lead to flat thermodynamic space of @xmath217 .
it seems that ruppeiner geometric approach is not compatible with the conventional thermodynamic ensemble approach of black holes .
although we have performed for the rn - ads black hole , this behavior persists to any black holes .
we have shown that all thermodynamic quantities of the rn - ads black holes can be described from the 2d dilaton gravity obtained by performing the dimensional reduction and conformal transformation .
also it is known that entropy , temperature , mass and specific heat are invariant under the conformal transformations .
hence , as a consistent connection to the membrane paradigm of black holes , we propose the promising 2d curvature , which carries out the information on the heat capacity . the inverse 2d curvature could well describe davies and minimum temperature points , as the heat capacity does . finally , considering eqs.([2dcurq ] ) and([2dcurp ] ) , we confirm that the negativity of @xmath100(positivity of @xmath218 ) is sufficient to ensure the local stability of rn - ads black holes @xcite . [ cols="^,^,^,^,^",options="header " , ] [ table i ]
the authors thank joey medved for his helpful discussions .
two of us ( y.s . myung and y .- j .
park ) were supported by the science research center program of the korea science and engineering foundation through the center for quantum spacetime of sogang university with grant number r11 - 2005 - 021 .
kim was supported by the korea research foundation grant funded by korea government ( moehrd ) : krf-2007 - 359-c00007 .
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observations of lyman-@xmath2 ( ly@xmath2 ) sources are a powerful probe of the high - redshift universe ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
in particular , the prominence of the ly@xmath2 line at @xmath8 allows for spectroscopic confirmation of redshift measurements of individual distant galaxies .
ly@xmath2 sources are also a compelling probe of the cosmic dark ages leading up to reionization
see @xcite for a perspective on high-@xmath6 observations .
historically , @xcite determined that galaxies from the first billion years after the big bang would be powerful emitters of ly@xmath2 photons , though observations of these sources eluded us for longer than expected .
however , robust detections are becoming more regular , especially if the stellar mass is comparable to the milky way or the star formation rate ( sfr ) is elevated ( e.g. sfr @xmath9 ; * ? ? ?
* ) . within the earliest galaxies hard uv radiation from massive stars
is reprocessed into ly@xmath2 photons ; however , because neutral hydrogen ( hi ) is opaque to the ly@xmath2 line , many of these photons may be resonantly trapped , and consequently suffer significant dust absorption . despite these effects , observations have determined that the ly@xmath2 escape fraction , @xmath10 , actually increases at higher redshifts @xcite . at some point , although the photons are no longer destroyed by dust , they are scattered out of the line of sight and some fraction of the ly@xmath2 emission is lost to the background as their sources become spatially extended ly@xmath2 haloes @xcite .
various mechanisms have been explored to explain the unusually high @xmath10 of high-@xmath6 galaxies . in all likelihood
this is a result of the complicated resonant line transfer , galactic structure , and peculiar dust properties .
for example , multiple scatterings that facilitate excursions to the wings of the frequency profile ; large - scale flows that induce doppler shifts ; and the geometry of dense , dusty clouds within a clumpy interstellar medium that provide pathways for escape ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ) . in this work ,
we push these questions to the very first galaxies ( for a review see * ? ? ?
assessing the observability of such early ly@xmath2 sources is nontrivial . indeed , going to higher redshifts introduces physical effects that compete in either strengthening or attenuating the ly@xmath2 signal @xcite . on one hand ,
the intergalactic medium ( igm ) becomes increasingly neutral at higher @xmath6 , resulting in a more difficult escape for ly@xmath2 photons @xcite . on the other hand
, the same igm also becomes increasingly devoid of dust @xcite .
furthermore , population iii ( so - called pop iii ) stellar sources are predicted to have been more efficient ionizers , boosting the ly@xmath2 luminosity @xcite .
the fact remains that high - redshift ly@xmath2 sources are being observed out to @xmath11 .
still , many details regarding the epoch of reionization ( eor ) , or the inhomogeneous phase transition around @xmath12 , are uncertain and may greatly affect interpretations of ly@xmath2 transfer through the igm @xcite .
some of the most effective methods for identifying high - redshift objects involve the ly@xmath2 line .
in particular , lyman - break galaxies ( lbgs ) are generally massive galaxies for which neutral hydrogen produces a sharp drop in the spectra due to absorption @xcite .
lyman-@xmath2 emitters ( laes ) are young , less - massive galaxies with active star formation and strong ly@xmath2 emission @xcite .
it is an important frontier to push ly@xmath2 selection methods towards the highest possible redshifts .
for galaxies at @xmath13 the neutral fraction of the intervening igm increases enough for their spectra to yield complete absorption of photons blueward of the ly@xmath2 line .
this is the well - known `` gunn - peterson trough '' @xcite which is characteristic of lbgs .
however , these massive , evolved galaxies become increasingly rare at high redshifts .
the lae luminosity function also declines as redshift increases , and the observed trend is robustly established for @xmath14 ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ) and expected to continue beyond @xmath15 @xcite . because a strong detection of the highly - redshifted ly@xmath2 line requires the emitter to be young and relatively dust free conditions which are naturally expected for the first galaxies laes are likely their typical manifestation .
high - redshift ly@xmath2 candidates must be followed up by spectroscopy in order to guard against false positives from foreground contaminants .
fortunately , moderate- to high-@xmath6 surveys are underway that will dramatically increase the sample size of ly@xmath2 galaxies and better characterize their statistical properties . for example , the hobby - eberly telescope dark energy experiment ( hetdex ) is a large integral - field spectroscopic survey expected to detect a million laes @xcite .
currently , there are several candidates at @xmath16 ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ) , with the highest spectroscopically - confirmed source announced at @xmath17 by @xcite .
other records have been found using gamma - ray bursts ( grbs ) , active galactic nuclei ( agn ) , or ( sub-)mm observations of redshifted thermal dust emission @xcite .
however , it is unclear how these other selection methods relate to ly@xmath2 predictions .
such connections may complement ly@xmath2 observations , even if the phenomena originate from the luminous deaths of individual massive stars ( i.e. grbs ) or are not associated with a ` normal ' activity of the first galaxies ( e.g. agn or high amounts of dust ) .
ly@xmath2 radiative transfer within the first galaxies is a timely problem because next - generation facilities will provide high resolution data by the end of the decade .
the _ james webb space telescope _ ( _ jwst _ ; * ? ? ?
* ) and large - aperture ground - based observatories ) , thirty meter telescope ( tmt ; http://www.tmt.org/[www.tmt.org ] ) , and the european extremely large telescope ( e - elt ; http://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/eelt/[www.eso.org/sci/facilities/eelt ] ) . ] offer the prime avenue for observing ly@xmath2 emission at the high-@xmath6 frontier and will significantly contribute to our understanding of the ionization history at the end of the dark ages @xcite .
however , significant progress has also been made on a number of complementary probes of the high-@xmath6 universe .
several 21-cm array experiments ) , the murchison wide - field array ( mwa ; http://www.mwatelescope.org/[www.mwatelescope.org ] ) , the precision array to probe the epoch of reionization ( paper ; http://eor.berkeley.edu/[eor.berkeley.edu ] ) , and ultimately the square kilometer array ( ska ; http://www.skatelescope.org/[www.skatelescope.org ] ) . ] are coming online to map the distribution of hi over the course of reionization .
the ly@xmath2 and 21-cm lines are related through the wouthuysen - field mechanism for which ly@xmath2 scatterings pump electrons into the excited hyperfine state , thereby coupling the spin and kinetic temperatures @xcite . finally , an ideal complementary ly@xmath2 probe is encoded in the cosmic infrared background ( cib ) because the integrated radiation from all background stars and galaxies has been redshifted to ir wavelengths @xcite .
the ly@xmath2 contribution is seen through the correlation of sources across characteristic length scales ( for a review see * ? ? ?
a number of authors have studied ly@xmath2 radiative transfer within different contexts .
we have greatly benefited from and hope to add to the body of work in this area .
a partial list of references include : @xcite .
the state of the art is to apply post - processing radiative transfer to realistic hydrodynamical simulations , which is justified for many large scale systems .
we use this method in conjunction with semi - analytic models to ascertain the feedback of ly@xmath2 radiation on the galactic assembly process .
our focus on the very first galaxies , in their proper cosmological context , is different from previous research that has targeted more massive systems at redshifts close to , or after , reionization ( e.g. * ? ? ?
such systems require a statistical description of ly@xmath2 transmission through the igm as described by @xcite and @xcite .
photons that scatter out of the line of sight due to the neutral fraction of the igm are effectively lost to the background .
therefore , the observability of ly@xmath2 emitters will provide independent constraints on reionization @xcite .
measurements of the ly@xmath2 flux from first galaxies depend heavily on the observed line of sight in addition to the properties of the host system and igm .
therefore , rather than solving a potentially intractable transfer equation with complex angular dependence we take advantage of monte - carlo radiative transfer techniques to accurately build emergent spectral energy distributions ( seds ) . in order to perform ly@xmath2 simulations
we have developed a new massively parallel code called @xmath4 the @xmath0smic @xmath1yman-@xmath2 @xmath3ransfer code . in section [ subsec :
rs ] , the basic physics of ly@xmath2 transport is presented . in section [ sec : methodology ] , we discuss the general methodology behind @xmath4 and provide further algorithmic details in section [ sec : schemes ] . in section [ sec : tests ] , the code is tested against both static and dynamic setups . in section [ sec :
toy ] , we construct idealized analytical models to explore how fundamental parameters , including halo mass , virialization redshift , bulk velocity , and ionization structure , affect ly@xmath2 transport in the first galaxies .
these well - motivated models help test our methods and sensitivity .
section [ sec : sim ] describes our implementation of the _ ab initio _ cosmological simulation of @xcite as post - processing conditions for @xmath4 . in section [ sec : results ]
we analyze and discuss the emergent line of sight flux distributions and surface brightness profiles for both the idealized analytic cases and the cosmological simulation .
finally , in section [ sec : conc ] we reflect on the implications of this study with regard to future ly@xmath2 observations with the _ jwst_.
photons with frequencies close to the ly@xmath2 resonance line , corresponding to the transition from the first excited state ( 2p ) to the ground state ( 1s ) , may be absorbed and quickly re - emitted by neutral hydrogen .
thus , in optically thick environments ( @xmath19 ) the main mechanism of spatial diffusion is by the rare excursion to the lorentz wing of the spectral line .
the cross section @xmath20 and number density @xmath21 describe the optical depth @xmath22 along a photon s path : @xmath23 where @xmath24 specifies the frequency dependence .
it is often convenient to express frequency in a dimensionless manner as the number of doppler widths from line centre @xmath25 where @xmath26 hz is the frequency of ly@xmath2 and the thermal doppler width of the profile is @xmath27 .
the thermal velocity in terms of @xmath28 is @xmath29 furthermore , if the natural ly@xmath2 line width is @xmath30 hz then the ` damping parameter ' represents the relative broadening of the natural line width : @xmath31 therefore , the final cross section is @xmath32 where @xmath33 is the oscillator strength of the ly@xmath2 transition and the hjerting - voigt function @xmath34 is the dimensionless convolution of lorentzian and maxwellian distributions , @xmath35 for reference , we define the cross section at line centre as @xmath36 @xmath37 . for a region of constant density @xmath21 such as a cell in a computational domain the integral in equation ( [ eq : tau ] ) simplifies to @xmath38 typically , the parameter @xmath39 is much less than unity so the hjerting - voigt function is dominated in the centre by a resonant scattering doppler core , @xmath40 , and the wings are dominated by the lorentzian component , @xmath41 .
if the approximate frequency marking the crossover from core to wing is denoted by @xmath42 , i.e. where @xmath43 , then the hjerting - voigt function is roughly @xmath44 see sections [ subsub : h_approx ] and [ subsub : x_cw_approx ] for a more rigorous discussion as well as numerical approximations for @xmath34 and @xmath42 . for most conditions with significant neutral hydrogen density
the gas is optically thick to core photons .
however , in the wing , @xmath34 can be quite small allowing a photon to escape with greater ease .
the approximate optical depth for a wing photon is then @xmath45 which is independent of temperature as is immediately apparent when written in terms of the doppler velocity @xmath46 .
note the relation between doppler frequency and velocity : @xmath47 .
regions of high column density , @xmath48 pc @xmath49 @xmath50 , may produce very high opacities .
the trapped ly@xmath2 photons are therefore exposed to greater extinction from dust .
this may be best measured by the optical depth at line centre , which has moderate temperature dependence and can be read from equation ( [ eq : tauh ] ) as @xmath51~t_4^{-1/2}$ ] .
the @xmath4 code is based on previous monte - carlo radiative transfer ( mcrt ) algorithms ( see e.g. * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
the code reads initial conditions of velocity , density , and temperature for each cell of a three - dimensional grid employing adaptive mesh refinement ( amr ) . sampling the ly@xmath2 emission profile of high opacity systems is possible because acceleration schemes avoid unnecessary computations , e.g. frequent core scatterings .
additionally , @xmath4 is massively parallel allowing a greater number of photon packets and therefore less statistical error .
section [ sec : methodology ] outlines the general methodology for a ly@xmath2 transport code while section [ sec : schemes ] describes the specific implementations used in @xmath4 .
while the monte - carlo method for ly@xmath2 radiative transfer is fairly standard , each portion of section [ sec : schemes ] contains significant discussion or numerical schemes unique to this work . in order to sample ly@xmath2 observables
we apply the method described below to individual photon packets . depending on the desired resolution and physical setup a large number of packets
may be necessary to obtain statistical convergence .
unless otherwise specified the number of photon packets in each simulation is @xmath52 .
the initial spatial distribution of ly@xmath2 photons is based on the physical setup , i.e. initial conditions .
the first mechanism for producing ly@xmath2 line emission is interstellar recombination as a result of ionizing radiation from hot stars .
the second mechanism is collisional excitation of neutral hydrogen , usually resulting from shocks caused by accretion or supernovae .
an initialization criterion accounts for photoionizing sources and diffuse emission , both of which may be significant for atomic cooling haloes .
however , throughout this work we choose to initialize photons from the central location @xmath53 .
the initial direction @xmath54 of each photon is drawn from an isotropic distribution in the rest frame of the embedded source . for convenience ,
velocities are expressed in terms of the thermal velocity : @xmath55 the photon is emitted at the natural frequency of the ly@xmath2 photon @xmath56 in the rest frame of the atom . to obtain the initial frequency @xmath57 in the moving frame of ambient gas
we apply a doppler shift appropriate to the velocity of the atom @xmath58 @xcite @xmath59 to be explicit , @xmath56 is drawn from a lorentzian distribution and the components of @xmath60 are each taken from a maxwellian distribution describing the thermal motion of the ambient gas .
although we use the expression in equation ( [ eq : init_freq ] ) , the memory of @xmath57 is quickly lost by multiple scattering events , so for optically thick environments one may simply inject the photon at line centre , or @xmath61 .
the propagation distance of any photon is determined by the optical depth @xmath22 drawn from an exponential distribution .
this is because the mean optical depth @xmath62 defines the mean free path @xmath63 , or the average distance a photon can travel without being absorbed ( or scattered ) by the intervening medium @xcite .
therefore , travel beyond each mean free path becomes less and less probable .
formally , the mean free path is then @xmath64 . from equation ( [ eq : tau ] )
the respective optical depths of infinitesimal paths are @xmath65 so the probability of _ no _ interaction is @xmath66 . with @xmath67 partitions of @xmath68 , the numerical representation of discrete intervals ,
the probability distribution function over the total path is the product @xmath69 which has been normalized so that @xmath70 .
the cumulative distribution function is the integrated distribution defined by @xmath71 , which can be inverted to give the optical depth at which an interaction event occurs , @xmath72 where @xmath73 is drawn from a univariate distribution . to perform cartesian - like ray tracing
, the monte - carlo method selects a photon with an optical depth @xmath74 according to equation ( [ eq : lnr ] ) . because individual cells are regions of uniform density we may equate this with the calculated optical depth @xmath75 from equation ( [ eq : tauh ] ) to find the propagation distance , i.e. @xmath76 provides @xmath77
. however , this often leads to a scattering which is outside the original cell .
therefore , we first calculate the optical depth required to travel through the cell : @xmath78 , where @xmath79 is the distance from the current position to the point where the photon exits the cell .
if @xmath80 the ` spent ' optical depth is subtracted from the current optical depth , i.e. @xmath81 .
likewise , the current position is updated to @xmath82 and ray tracing continues through the next cell .
as photons traverse from cell to cell the temperature @xmath83 and ambient bulk velocity @xmath84 may change .
therefore , doppler shifting induces terms of @xmath85 corresponding to a nonrelativistic lorentz transformation , i.e. one where @xmath86 .
additionally , the frequency differs between cells due to the @xmath87 scaling relation .
the frequency in the new ( primed ) cell is then @xmath88 if @xmath89 the optical depth is ` exhausted ' in the current cell and the photon undergoes a scattering event .
the propagation distance is recalculated according to the remaining optical depth , i.e. @xmath90 $ ] .
the position is advanced by @xmath91 in the @xmath54 direction and the algorithm proceeds to update the frequency and direction as described in section [ sec : scatter ] .
the photon ray traces along a new direction with each subsequent scattering until it ultimately escapes the computational domain .
a scattering event changes the photon s frequency according to the atom s velocity @xmath60 , the final @xmath92 and initial @xmath54 directions , and a small recoil effect to satisfy conservation of momentum @xmath93 the recoil parameter @xmath94 is defined as ( see e.g. * ? ? ?
* ) @xmath95 which is included but negligible for the applications of this paper .
the velocity of the scattering atom is most conveniently expressed in terms of its parallel @xmath96 and perpendicular @xmath97 components .
the perpendicular magnitudes are unbiased by the photon s frequency and are therefore drawn from a gaussian , i.e. @xmath98 . however , the magnitude of the parallel velocity @xmath99 is affected by the presence of the resonance line .
the distribution function for @xmath100 depends on frequency as the convolution of a gaussian with a doppler - shifted lorentzian peak : @xmath101 which highly favors velocities with @xmath102 for core photons . for wing photons
( @xmath103 ) , however , the probability that an atom has a high enough velocity to doppler shift into resonance becomes vanishingly small , so @xmath104 becomes increasingly gaussian .
the angle @xmath105 between the incident and outgoing scattering directions is governed by the phase ( probability ) function @xmath106 where @xmath107 is the degree of polarization for @xmath108 scattering . due to the physical symmetry
the phase function is independent of the azimuthal angle @xmath109 . for core photons with @xmath110 the electron transition to the @xmath111 state results in isotropic scattering , i.e. @xmath112 , while the @xmath113 transition results in polarization with @xmath114 @xcite .
since a quantum state with angular momentum @xmath115 has a spin multiplicity of @xmath116 , ly@xmath2 photons in the core are excited to the @xmath111 state with @xmath117 probability and the @xmath113 state with @xmath118 probability .
nonresonant wing photons on the other hand are dominated by rayleigh scattering because their wavelength is much larger than the bohr radius , @xmath119 , therefore the resultant polarization is maximal , i.e. @xmath120 @xcite .
anisotropic scattering is used throughout @xmath4 .
the previous section was written with little regard to computational efficiency , something we now seek to remedy .
the details are presented in order of introduction , rather than importance . and
our approximation for different values of temperature .
the crossover from core to wing @xmath42 as given by equ .
( [ eq : xcw ] ) is also shown .
bottom panel : a demonstration of the relative per cent error @xmath121 $ ] where @xmath122 is given by equ .
( [ eq : ab ] ) .
the yellow , blue , green , and red curves correspond to temperatures of @xmath123 k , @xmath124 k , @xmath125 k and @xmath126 k , respectively .
the overlying dashed lines represent the best case scenario when only keeping first order terms in @xmath39 , i.e. using the exact dawson integral.,title="fig : " ] and our approximation for different values of temperature .
the crossover from core to wing @xmath42 as given by equ .
( [ eq : xcw ] ) is also shown .
bottom panel : a demonstration of the relative per cent error @xmath121 $ ] where @xmath122 is given by equ .
( [ eq : ab ] ) .
the yellow , blue , green , and red curves correspond to temperatures of @xmath123 k , @xmath124 k , @xmath125 k and @xmath126 k , respectively . the overlying dashed lines represent the best case scenario when only keeping first order terms in @xmath39 , i.e. using the exact dawson integral.,title="fig : " ] an approximation for the voigt profile is important because @xmath34 is evaluated after every scattering . a substantial effort has gone into studying this profile and implementing efficient algorithms with double precision accuracy
see e.g. @xcite and references therein .
however , the ly@xmath2 resonance line is a unique application with a specific parameter range , so the approximations used in this work are entirely our own .
we require our algorithm to provide better than one per cent accuracy for all frequencies and all realistic temperatures . to do this we first evaluate the integral @xmath34 with special functions and expand to second order in @xmath39 : @xmath127 where the ( complex ) complementary error function is related to the area under a gaussian by @xmath128 and the associated
dawson integral is @xmath129 .
@xmath4 takes advantage of the fact that @xmath34 is symmetric by first evaluating @xmath130 .
then because the behavior of the profile differs for small and large @xmath6 the domain is decomposed into three regions .
the ` core ' region is derived by expanding around @xmath131 , while the ` wing ' region is an asymptotic expansion .
an intermediate region acts as a smooth transition between the two .
the approximations utilize continued fractions in order to maximize the efficiency of a small number of operations , e.g. @xmath132 additions and @xmath133 divisions .
see appendix [ appendix : h_approx ] for the implementation of @xmath134 .
second and higher order terms in @xmath39 are required to achieve one per cent accuracy for sub - kelvin temperatures . however , since the cmb temperature floor prevents gas from reaching such low temperatures only first order terms are used in @xmath4 .
figure [ fig : herror ] demonstrates the relative error , i.e. @xmath121 $ ] , for temperatures ranging from @xmath135 k. as can be seen , the error is well controlled , improving even further for higher temperatures .
$ ] , is shown in green .
the yellow curve in the insert is @xmath136 as given by equation ( [ eq : xcw ] ) .
all curves cover a temperature range of @xmath137 $ ] k. ] the crossover from core to wing @xmath42 determines when @xmath34 changes from a gaussian to a lorentzian .
this is important because @xmath42 marks the point where difficulties arise in generating @xmath100 and also identify whether core skipping is necessary ( see sections [ sec : upar ] and [ sec : coreskip ] ) .
our calculation assumes that the core and wing limits of @xmath34 compete in their contribution to the profile : @xmath138 equation ( [ eq : xcwa ] ) provides a conservative approximation for @xmath42 , providing a sharp boundary with the core ( see fig .
[ fig : herror ] ) . the exact solution can be written in terms of the lower branch of the lambert @xmath139 function , which in turn may be approximated by a low - order rational function with a relative accuracy of less than @xmath140 per cent for the same parameter range as @xmath122 . in summary ,
our optimal calculation of the core - to - wing crossover frequency is @xmath141 where @xmath142 and @xmath143 $ ] .
the relative per cent error is shown in fig .
[ fig : xcwerror ] .
as described in section [ sec : scatter ] ( cf .
equation [ eq : uparf ] ) the distribution for the parallel velocity @xmath100 with respect to the incoming photon is @xmath144 to good approximation this profile resembles a gaussian with a sharp peak around the point @xmath102 ( see fig .
[ fig : upar ] ) . unfortunately , @xmath104 is not integrable so we instead use the inverted cumulative distribution function method on a related distribution and employ the rejection method to accept each draw . in this case
the comparison function is chosen to be @xmath145 and draws are accepted with a probability of @xmath146 . however , we only employ this algorithm for small frequencies , i.e. @xmath147 , because as @xmath148 increases the method becomes quite inefficient .
we learn more about @xmath104 by examining its behavior when @xmath149 . here
the peak at @xmath102 is pushed so far into the wing that there are essentially no atoms with speeds fast enough to absorb at the doppler shifted resonance line , i.e. @xmath150 .
therefore , we may simply draw from a proper gaussian with a slight modification the peak is shifted by @xmath151 .
we demonstrate this by finding the local extrema in the core : @xmath152 here we have assumed @xmath153 .
it is straightforward to show @xmath154 so this is a local maximum as expected .
therefore , for @xmath155 we draw from a gaussian with mean @xmath151 .
as given by equ .
( [ eq : uparf ] ) for different values of incoming frequency @xmath148 .
the profile resembles a gaussian with a sharp peak around the point @xmath102 . for large @xmath148
it becomes too improbable for atoms to have velocities high enough to doppler shift into resonance so the peak at @xmath102 disappears and a shifted gaussian is a good approximation .
the frequencies sampled are @xmath156 . ]
the intermediate region is problematic for either of these methods .
therefore , we follow @xcite and use the piecewise comparison function : @xmath157 & \ ; u_\| \leq u_0 \\
g_2 = e^{-u_0 ^ 2 } / \left [ a^2 + ( x - u_\|)^2 \right ] & \ ; u_\| > u_0 \end{cases}\ ] ] where @xmath158 is a separation parameter and the corresponding acceptance fraction is @xmath159 for @xmath160 and @xmath161 for @xmath162 .
we now restrict the discussion to positive @xmath148 , which is possible because @xmath163 allows us to recover velocities drawn from negative @xmath148 . the probability that a velocity is less than @xmath158 is @xmath164 where @xmath165
if @xmath166 , a univariate , then @xmath105 is drawn uniformly from the interval @xmath167 $ ] , otherwise @xmath168 $ ] . finally , a velocity candidate , @xmath169 is accepted if another univariate , @xmath170 , is less than the acceptance fraction , i.e. @xmath159 or @xmath161 for each respective region . the algorithm from @xcite works
well as long as the probability of the two regions are balanced , i.e. in @xmath4 we attempt to maintain @xmath171 .
the reason for this is that @xmath158 controls the acceptance fraction , so if @xmath158 is too small then we do not gain much for larger @xmath148 and conversely if @xmath158 is too large then we defeat the purpose for smaller @xmath148 .
the exact value of @xmath172 is very sensitive to both @xmath148 and @xmath39 , so we can only hope for average acceptance rates to be reasonable given the variance in @xmath173 . if we assume @xmath174 then to first order in @xmath39 we have : @xmath175 the behavior of this function is different for core and wing photons . in the core
it is reasonable to assume a perturbation from the natural peak location and apply the transformation @xmath176 where @xmath177 admits an analytic solution to the approximate balance of @xmath171 .
again , to first order in @xmath39 equation ( [ eq : papprox ] ) becomes @xmath178 the solution in terms of @xmath179 is @xmath180 where the final equality allows the approximation to extend to larger @xmath148 and is used in @xmath4 for @xmath181 . for the region in which the wing dominates ,
i.e. @xmath182 , the algorithm suffers an identity crisis .
as discussed earlier , the high-@xmath148 behavior of @xmath183 approaches a gaussian distribution though each of the candidate @xmath100 samples are from a lorentzian distribution .
therefore , the exact value of @xmath158 is less important as long as it is greater than @xmath42 .
we test various prescriptions for @xmath184 , also varying initial frequency @xmath148 and temperature @xmath83 , in order to minimize the average number of draws in a simulation .
a linear function , matched to the previous region provides sufficient acceptance of candidate random numbers .
we use the following separation constant for @xmath185 , denoted the ` wing ' region : @xmath186 figure [ fig : u0p ] demonstrates the fractional probability @xmath187 for drawing @xmath188 given our piecewise prescription of @xmath189 for @xmath181 and @xmath190 for @xmath191 .
the efficiency of the algorithm is especially sensitive to frequency .
that @xmath188 .
this separation captures the behavior of @xmath94 for frequencies above and below the transitional frequency @xmath42 .
the axes are frequency @xmath192 and ( log@xmath193 ) temperature @xmath194 k. ] in optically thick regimes photons spend much of their time undergoing core scatterings with negligible diffusion in physical or frequency space . these scatterings can be avoided by only selecting atoms with perpendicular velocity components greater than a critical frequency , i.e. photons have zero mean free path if @xmath195 .
following @xcite we employ the box - muller method to generate two independent draws according to : @xmath196 where @xmath197 and @xmath198 are univariates .
the speedup time achieved here is significant since the probability of drawing a wing photon is roughly @xmath199 corresponding to skipping roughly @xmath200 core scatterings . the crucial problem is to find an appropriate value for the critical frequency @xmath201 .
@xmath4 introduces an algorithm with core - skipping based on both local and nonlocal criteria .
this is especially important for high resolution , adaptively structured grids where the range of densities may cover several orders of magnitude .
we desire a local determination of @xmath201 that accelerates the code but does not artificially push photons too far into the wings .
as noted by @xcite the important parameter is the product @xmath202 so we seek a relation of the form @xmath203 .
the model we consider for the near zone environment is that of an optically thick static uniform sphere .
this is motivated by the idealized geometry and an analytic solution for the angular averaged intensity @xmath204 at the surface first given by @xcite , @xmath205 which has been normalized to @xmath206 , reflecting an integration over solid angle .
the peaks are located at @xmath207 , which is derived by solving the equation @xmath208 , or equivalently @xmath209 with @xmath210 .
therefore , the peak heights correspond to @xmath211 .
we next expand equation ( [ eq : sphere ] ) around @xmath212 and define @xmath201 for large @xmath202 as the frequency where @xmath213 reaches a small fraction of @xmath214 , giving @xmath215 .
thorough tests demonstrate this expression for @xmath201 is valid for all @xmath216 ( see appendix [ appendix : x_crit ] ) .
furthermore , it has a negligible effect on the emergent spectrum but greatly reduces the computation time . in summary
, @xmath4 uses the following approximation : @xmath217 if the photon is already in the wing we do not use a cutoff because there are no core scatterings to skip .
the final ingredient in equation ( [ eq : xcrit ] ) to be explained is how to calculate the product @xmath202 .
@xmath4 employs a combination of local and nonlocal estimates of how aggressive to be with core - skipping . as we can not possibly predetermine the escape path of a given photon we instead place a conservative limit on @xmath202 for different lines of sight
the local criterion is computed on - the - fly , using the minimum optical depth to the edge of the current cell @xmath218 . however , in highly refined regions ( perhaps with partial ionization ) and for scattering events near cell edges this can be quite small , i.e. if @xmath79 is the minimum distance to the cell boundary equation ( [ eq : tauh ] ) gives @xmath219 it is apparent that if @xmath21 is roughly constant then the only nonlocal quantity needed is the physical size of the system .
therefore , the minimum integrated column density along rays emanating from the scattering event sets up an effective sphere with the intensity of equation ( [ eq : sphere ] ) . rather than calculate this at every scattering we combine the cell - based determination with a nonlocal ( nl ) estimate : @xmath220 where the path is followed
as long as the relative change in neutral hydrogen density remains less than a prescribed threshold , i.e. @xmath221 . a value of @xmath222 ignores the nonlocal scheme completely and setting @xmath223 is too aggressive , failing to even detect sharp ionization fronts . to avoid double counting the local contribution ,
the paths originate at the edge of each cell and proceed outward . in practice
the paths include at least the six directions of the coordinate axes and possibly more to achieve greater angular coverage .
the nonlocal estimate can be computed once for each cell as the initial conditions are read in .
@xmath4 currently uses the sum of the local determination @xmath218 and the nonlocal estimate @xmath224 as the value of @xmath202 used in equation ( [ eq : xcrit ] ) .
we note that other criteria could be used for estimating @xmath202 .
for example , the nonlocal integration might stop if the velocity gradient exceeds the threshold for sobolev escape ; however , in most cases this is a secondary factor with little affect on core - skipping .
finally , additional local distances may be used in certain cases .
of special interest is to use the jeans length to estimate core - skipping in idealized galactic setups .
the jeans length @xmath225 acts as a physical upper limit for the size of a system with uniform density @xmath226 .
a primordial gas with mean molecular weight @xmath227 , mass fraction of hydrogen @xmath228 , and density @xmath229 corresponds to a jeans length of @xmath230 and a local @xmath202 of @xmath231 so that @xmath232 for @xmath233 k and @xmath234 .
monte carlo codes benefit greatly from parallel computation because each photon packet is an independent event .
therefore , the scalability is nearly linear .
@xmath4 uses the message passing interface ( mpi ) libraries to implement dynamic load balancing between different processors .
this is done because photons that undergo many scatterings take longer to escape .
therefore , the master process allocates a reasonable amount of work to each slave , e.g. ( @xmath235% of the photons)/(number of processors ) , until the required number of photons are assigned .
the nonlocal determination of @xmath236 for each cell , see equation ( [ eq : ataunl ] ) , is also performed with an efficient parallel computation .
at this stage it is important to verify the code against known solutions .
we choose tests that are complementary to each other in order to isolate certain key aspects of ly@xmath2 transport .
the static test is the well - known neufeld analytical solution for an optically thick homogeneous slab @xcite .
the dynamic test is that of an isotropically expanding sphere with different maximal velocities as described by @xcite . of a static , homogeneous slab at @xmath233 k. the central optical depth
@xmath237 covers a range of moderate to extreme values , where the yellow , blue , green , and red curves represent @xmath4 simulations using @xmath238 photon packets for @xmath239 , @xmath240 , @xmath241 , and @xmath242 , respectively .
the agreement with the approximate analytic solutions ( thin black lines ) is quite good , especially for higher values of @xmath237 . at lower optical depths the underlying assumptions used to derive equation ( [ eq : neufeld ] ) break down , therefore the true measure of this test
is the limiting behavior as @xmath237 tends to infinity .
bottom panel : face - on line of sight radial surface brightness profiles for the same slabs as calculated by equation ( [ eq : sb ] ) of section [ sub : surface_brightness_construction ] .
the scaling is such that the highest optical depth system is unity at the centre , i.e. @xmath243 . the dashed line is a rough analytic fit to guide the eye .
, title="fig : " ] of a static , homogeneous slab at @xmath233 k. the central optical depth @xmath237 covers a range of moderate to extreme values , where the yellow , blue , green , and red curves represent @xmath4 simulations using @xmath238 photon packets for @xmath239 , @xmath240 , @xmath241 , and @xmath242 , respectively .
the agreement with the approximate analytic solutions ( thin black lines ) is quite good , especially for higher values of @xmath237 . at lower optical depths the underlying assumptions used to derive equation ( [ eq : neufeld ] ) break down , therefore the true measure of this test
is the limiting behavior as @xmath237 tends to infinity .
bottom panel : face - on line of sight radial surface brightness profiles for the same slabs as calculated by equation ( [ eq : sb ] ) of section [ sub : surface_brightness_construction ] .
the scaling is such that the highest optical depth system is unity at the centre , i.e. @xmath243 . the dashed line is a rough analytic fit to guide the eye .
, title="fig : " ] the angular averaged intensity @xmath244 for a static one - dimensional uniform slab was derived by @xcite and @xcite .
photons are injected at line centre at the origin and continuously scatter until escape occurs at a ` centre - to - edge ' optical depth of @xmath237 .
when the bulk motion of the gas is set to zero , @xmath245 , and the recoil effect is ignored , @xmath246 , the emergent spectra are double - peaked and symmetric around the line - central frequency @xmath247 .
the intensity at the surface is given by @xmath248 which has been normalized to @xmath206 , reflecting an integration over solid angle .
the peaks are located at @xmath249 , which is derived by solving the equation @xmath208 , or equivalently @xmath250 with @xmath210 .
therefore , the peak heights correspond to @xmath251 . as can be seen in fig .
[ fig : neufeld ] the agreement between numerical and analytic solutions is quite good for high optical depths .
for example , at an optical depth of @xmath252 when comparing the simulated profile ( red line ) with the approximate analytic solution ( thin black line ) there is a maximum difference of @xmath253 per cent .
the neufeld approximation of equation ( [ eq : neufeld ] ) fails to capture the correct spectra at lower optical depths because core scatterings also contribute to the spatial diffusion of ly@xmath2 photons .
therefore , the true measure of this test is the limiting behavior as @xmath237 tends to infinity .
the bottom panel of fig .
[ fig : neufeld ] demonstrates the face - on radial surface brightness profiles for the same slabs as calculated by equation ( [ eq : sb ] ) of section [ sub : surface_brightness_construction ] .
the scaling is such that the highest optical depth system is unity at the centre , i.e. @xmath243 . the dashed line is a rough analytic fit to guide the eye and is given in the figure .
the shaded regions represent one standard deviation of uncertainty on @xmath254 due to radial binning .
finally , this test has also been performed at other temperatures with similar results , cf .
appendix [ appendix : temperature_tests ] .
such simulations of ly@xmath2 scatterings through optically thick slabs help measure the effectiveness of the acceleration schemes , cf .
appendix [ appendix : x_crit ] .
to test the code for the case of a nonzero gas bulk velocity we compare our results to previous simulations with isotropic expansion of a uniform sphere
see @xcite .
in general , velocity gradients affect ly@xmath2 escape because photons are doppler shifted out of line centre thereby reducing the effective optical depth . in general , even velocity fields on the order of the thermal velocity in photoionized gas ( @xmath255 ) can change the emergent spectrum of ly@xmath2 photons .
following @xcite we consider the intensity of an isothermal ( @xmath233 k ) , homogeneous sphere of column density @xmath256 experiencing isotropic expansion .
the hubble relation gives the velocity @xmath257 of the gas at the position @xmath258 from the centre of a sphere with radius @xmath73 : @xmath259 where the hubble - like parameter @xmath260 sets the maximal velocity @xmath261 at the edge of the sphere , i.e. @xmath262 .
figure [ fig : velocity ] shows the result of this test which demonstrates excellent agreement with @xcite .
the static case ( @xmath263 ) also agrees with the analytical solution of @xcite for a static , optically thick spherical `` slab '' .
this test is also similar to that of @xcite who calculated the zero - temperature spectrum of a ly@xmath2 source embedded in a neutral , homogeneous igm undergoing hubble expansion .
whereas a static solution produces two distinct peaks for blue and red modes of escape , the blue photons are continuously redshifted back to the core and the red mode becomes the only means of escape .
this inevitably leads to free streaming on cosmological ( @xmath264mpc ) scales .
unfortunately , there is no analytical solution for a medium possessing both thermal and bulk motions .
figure [ fig : velocity ] illustrates the effect of increasing @xmath261 , which acts to suppress the blue peak until it disappears entirely by @xmath265 . at first
the red peak is pushed further from line centre , however , past a critical @xmath261 the peak approaches the centre again because the velocity gradient facilitates escape .
the bottom panel of fig .
[ fig : velocity ] shows the ( averaged ) line of sight radial surface brightness profile for each sphere .
the scaling is such that the static sphere is unity at the centre , i.e. @xmath243 . the dashed line is a reference for a flat profile to guide the eye .
only the largest velocity gradients substantially alter the profile so that the apparent image is much more concentrated toward the centre .
galaxy formation is a highly complex process ; however , studying the formation and radiative transport in the first , comparatively simple , systems provides an ideal laboratory for the physics involved @xcite .
we here employ two complementary methodologies to represent the structure and dynamics of a first galaxy for @xmath4 first , in section [ sec : toy ] we construct idealized analytic models of these galaxies , and second , in section [ sec : sim ] we extract a virialized halo from an _ ab initio _ cosmological simulation for post - processing .
these first galaxy models will then be the input for the radiative transfer calculations discussed in section [ sec : results ] .
our idealized models allow us to explore the basic physics by directly adjusting parameters in order - of - magnitude fashion .
our cutout from the cosmological simulation , on the other hand , provides us with one representative example of a realistic first galaxy .
we can thus gauge the validity of our exploratory toy models .
we now explore idealized models for the first galaxies at redshift @xmath266 in preparation for extractions from a cosmological simulation .
the number density of hydrogen nuclei @xmath267 is built up from the following assumptions : first , we require spherical symmetry so that @xmath268 .
second , we adopt a power law density profile within the galaxy , i.e. @xmath269 out to the edge of the galaxy @xmath270 defined as the point where @xmath267 equals the background igm , @xmath271 .
an isothermal law with @xmath272 provides a good description of a virialized system ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ) . finally , we prefer a non - cuspy ` core ' in the centre of the galaxy , meaning the density profile flattens off to a constant density @xmath273 within a core radius of @xmath274 pc .
this is inspired by observations of low surface brightness galaxies that suggest a softening in the centre @xcite . in summary ,
the model is piecewise in the radial coordinate @xmath275 according to : @xmath276 here @xmath271 is the background atomic hydrogen number density derived from a @xmath277cdm model with cosmological parameters taken from the @xcite , and incorporating constraints from the _ wilkinson microwave anisotropy probe _ ( wmap ; * ? ? ?
* ) , the _ south pole telescope _
( spt ; * ? ? ?
* ) , and the _ atacama cosmology telescope _ ( act ; * ? ? ?
specifically , the hubble constant is taken to be @xmath278 km s@xmath279 mpc@xmath279 while the fractional energy contributions of baryons , matter , and dark energy are @xmath280 , @xmath281 , and @xmath282 , respectively . therefore , @xmath271 is @xmath283 , or @xmath284 where @xmath228 is the mass fraction of hydrogen and @xmath285 is the critical energy density at present .
furthermore , the edge of the galaxy is given by solving the equation @xmath286 , which yields a radius of @xmath287 .
the density parameter @xmath273 is then found by normalizing the overall mass of hydrogen in the galaxy @xmath288 to some value , e.g. @xmath289 for an atomic cooling halo .
the total mass is given by the integral @xmath290 equation ( [ eq : mhtot ] ) is a cubic polynomial in @xmath273 whose solution is not particularly insightful .
however , we may expand about large masses @xmath288 to consolidate the leading order terms .
these terms provide a relative accuracy in @xmath273 of better than 1 part per billion for masses larger than @xmath291 . for the parameters chosen above this
implies a central density of @xmath292 where we have introduced the dimensionless parameter : @xmath293 this term may also be found by dropping the @xmath294 term in equation ( [ eq : mhtot ] ) .
the @xmath295 parameter relates the ( leading order ) ratio of core and background densities via @xmath296 and the ratio of core and edge radii via @xmath297 . with this central density
the optical depth to ly@xmath2 scattering of the core region is at least @xmath298 , a value that would increase with a larger core radius , a lower temperature , or a more massive system .
we are primarily interested in the mass and density of hydrogen , therefore we decided to use @xmath288 in the comparison .
the total or virial mass of the galaxy is larger for two main reasons : @xmath299 the mass fraction of hydrogen to baryons is less than unity , i.e. @xmath228 . @xmath300 the contribution of baryonic mass is considerably less than the contribution of dark matter , which is usually more extreme in smaller galaxies .
in fact , if a substantial amount of gas is lost through ram pressure stripping or supernova blowout , for example , the baryonic mass may be significantly below the cosmological baryon fraction of @xmath301 per cent @xcite . at any rate we can reasonably relate the virial and total hydrogen masses by @xmath302
. the model above did not include an ionized region around a central star cluster .
this is important because ly@xmath2 photons can easily escape such regions .
furthermore , a strmgren analysis suggests that the ionized region may be on the order of @xmath303 for a reasonable set of parameters : @xmath304 where we have defined normalized values for ionizing photon rate @xmath305 and density @xmath306 .
the normalization used for @xmath307 is a plausible guess at the rate expected from the starbursts residing in the first galaxies ( see section [ sec : central_starburst ] for further discussion ) .
the expression was simplified by approximating the total case b recombination rate by @xmath308 cm@xmath5 s@xmath279 @xcite . in order to understand how the ionized region affects ly@xmath2
transfer we need to consider how the full three - dimensional ionization structure evolves in time .
the strmgren radius is a good approximation early on when the radiation is bottled up and the ionization rate balances the recombination rate , i.e. @xmath310 .
however , as the ionization front moves out , the hii regions blow pockets through which ly@xmath2 photons may escape .
therefore , we distinguish between _ early _ ionization scenarios when the hii region is ultra - compact as in equation ( [ eq : stromgren ] ) and _ late _ scenarios when the hii starburst regions have overtaken the entire halo .
these cases bracket the entire evolution .
the late stages of the ionization structure must be anisotropic because the cosmological filaments guide the ionized bubbles into a butterfly - shaped morphology around the centre . for simplicity we model this as a bipolar cavity .
specifically , in addition to the strmgren sphere , our _ late _ scenario also has a biconical region out to @xmath270 .
the size of the hii region is determined by the total number of ionizing photons , i.e. @xmath311 . if the photons are produced at a constant rate and the volume of the cone is described by the opening angle @xmath312 from the axis of symmetry then the time to evacuate the cavity is at least of order @xmath313 therefore , the _ late _
scenario corresponds to a time when the biconic region out to @xmath270 is fully ionized
see fig .
[ fig : idealized_density ] for an edge - on view of the column density through one such halo . for a `` late '' model at a source redshift of @xmath314 with @xmath315 .
the spatial scale , in physical kiloparsecs and arcseconds , are provided .
the edge - on view of the halo demonstrates the butterfly - shaped ionization structure of the models . for comparison with eq .
( [ eq : t_late ] ) the corresponding ionizing photon rate is @xmath316 , giving a late time lower limit of @xmath317 yr . ] the central starburst provides a feedback mechanism on the host galaxy . in order to motivate a spherically symmetric velocity law we consider the relative strength of the gravitational force @xmath318 to the radiation force @xmath319 . as a first estimate , if we attribute the radiation pressure to thompson scattering in the single - scattering limit , then because of the @xmath320 scaling of both forces , their ratio is of order @xmath321 where @xmath322 and @xmath323 are respectively the total luminosity and mass of the entire cluster .
the normalization is chosen to correspond to the mass to light ratio for pop iii stars , i.e. @xmath324 ( see section [ sec : central_starburst ] ) .
for simplicity equation ( [ eq : rad_grav ] ) assumes a point source . in reality , the ratio decreases radially from the centre of the gravitational potential as the dark matter halo mass dominates the gravitational force .
furthermore , equation ( [ eq : rad_grav ] ) is only applicable to ionized gas , whereas ly@xmath2 scattering occurs in neutral gas so other sources of pressure must also be present for our idealized law .
we consider a force multiplier in analogy to that of ( cak ; * ? ? ?
* ) originating from many resonant and optically thin lines . the multiplier can amplify the scattering efficiency by many orders of magnitude .
thus , the luminosities considered here ( @xmath325 ) may be capable of sustaining radiation - driven winds @xcite .
indeed , the ly@xmath2 line alone may be responsible for much of the opacity these winds require @xcite .
the cak theory uses mass conservation and momentum balance to arrive at a ` beta law ' with an exponent of @xmath326 for the radial velocity profile @xmath327 where @xmath328 is the size of the source .
the terminal velocity @xmath329 is typically larger than the escape velocity @xmath330 by a factor of a couple .
plausible values for our models are obtained by requiring that the mass loss rate @xmath331 be less than the maximally efficient mass loss for single scattering @xmath332 for which the radiation momentum is imparted entirely to the gas . in the halo s isothermal region ,
i.e. @xmath333 , the velocity approaches @xmath329 and @xmath334 so @xmath335 in principle , multiple scattering in the optically thick environment could boost @xmath329 by a factor of the square root of the optical depth , or at least an order of magnitude .
however , for simplicity our wind models all assume the velocity profile of equation ( [ eq : wind ] ) with @xmath336 pc , the approximate size of the central star cluster , and @xmath337 , a value comparable to the thermal velocity @xmath338 .
we note that our value of @xmath329 is also close to the escape velocity of the system , @xmath339 @xmath340^{1/3}$ ] @xmath341^{1/2}$ ] . for completeness
, the original cak force multiplier @xmath342 would need to be reevaluated for h and he lines of gas with primordial composition .
it is beyond the scope of this work to do so here but for reference the model of @xcite derives values of @xmath343 and @xmath344 .
the parameter @xmath345 is either the electron - scattering optical depth @xmath346 or the sobolev optical depth @xmath347 in static or expanding media , respectively .
the density and velocity profiles considered here are not self - consistent in the dynamical sense .
however , our simplified @xmath348-model , calibrated in the above fashion , should give us a rough window into the otherwise extremely complex physics of galactic winds ( e.g. * ? ? ?
this also avoids overconstructing models that are already quite idealized .
finally , the radiation pressure driven winds considered above may require some dust and metals to be present in the ism .
however , we have not included dust in these primordial environments .
further study on how dust affects ly@xmath2 transfer in anisotropic models should be carried out and is left for future work .
still , various mechanisms such as scattering in clumpy media have been proposed to explain why the ly@xmath2 escape fraction is so significant in environments where core depletion seems unavoidable .
in fact , @xcite suggest that dust attenuation is unlikely to affect ly@xmath2 escape at @xmath349 .
for our purposes , we expect dust to lower the bolometric line flux by at most a factor of a few .
for an example of coupling large scale cosmological simulations with dust and radiative transfer models designed to constrain igm ionization and the dust distribution in the ism of early galaxies see @xcite and @xcite .
the expression @xmath350 is based on comparing an expanding of the analytical solution for a static uniform sphere to the height of its peak see equation ( [ eq : sphere ] ) .
however , the constant of proportionality must be found by empirical tests .
the tests were run on many different values of @xmath202 , however , we only show two to demonstrate the validity across the parameter space .
the first is for @xmath351 , for which equation ( [ eq : xcrit ] ) gives @xmath352 , while the second is for @xmath353 , where @xmath354 . as can be seen from fig . [
fig : xcrit_test ] , both values produce excellent results . designed to compare different values of @xmath201 .
the converged solution ( yellow histogram ) is given by @xmath355 while a low value of @xmath356 provides excellent agreement and is shown in black .
a sample of values which are too high and affect the emergent spectrum are @xmath357 and are respectively given by orange , red , and purple dotted histograms .
bottom panel : same as the top panel except for @xmath353 .
a value of @xmath358 is sufficiently converged for our purposes .
an acceptable value of @xmath359 is given by a black line while non - converged values of @xmath360 are again given by the orange , red , and purple dotted histograms . here @xmath202 is large enough that the analytical solution of equ .
( [ eq : sphere ] ) is accurate , so it is included as the green dashed line in the background .
both tests used @xmath361 photon packets.,title="fig : " ] designed to compare different values of @xmath201 .
the converged solution ( yellow histogram ) is given by @xmath355 while a low value of @xmath356 provides excellent agreement and is shown in black .
a sample of values which are too high and affect the emergent spectrum are @xmath357 and are respectively given by orange , red , and purple dotted histograms .
bottom panel : same as the top panel except for @xmath353 .
a value of @xmath358 is sufficiently converged for our purposes .
an acceptable value of @xmath359 is given by a black line while non - converged values of @xmath360 are again given by the orange , red , and purple dotted histograms . here @xmath202 is large enough that the analytical solution of equ .
( [ eq : sphere ] ) is accurate , so it is included as the green dashed line in the background . both tests used @xmath361 photon packets.,title="fig : " ]
in order to test the grid structure of the cosmological simulation for edge effects and sensitivity to the extraction size we examine the emergent spectra for cubes with a centre to edge distance of @xmath125 pc , @xmath362 kpc , @xmath132 kpc , and @xmath363 kpc .
the largest size represents the radiative transfer through the entire @xmath364 mpc@xmath365 comoving volume .
figure [ fig : box_size ] demonstrates the convergence of the flux density @xmath366 toward that of the largest extraction , although there is still a significant variance across different lines of sight due to the inhomogeneous nature of the cosmic structure . in order to demonstrate the `` thermal effects '' on ly@xmath2 radiative transfer , e.g. via the doppler width @xmath372 and core - wing transition @xmath42 ,
we include two test suites of uniform slabs with varying temperature .
the first maintains a constant optical depth at line centre of @xmath373 while the second ensures a fixed column density of @xmath374 @xmath50 , which corresponds to @xmath373 at @xmath375 k. the angular averaged intensity for each model is plotted in fig .
[ fig : temperature_tests ]
. even though the optical depth or column density is fixed , the product @xmath376 depends on temperature and the emergent spectra is affected .
furthermore , we note that although the lorentz wing optical depth is always independent of temperature , @xmath377 and @xmath378 are proportional to @xmath379 and @xmath380 , respectively .
( [ eq : x_f ] ) and ( [ eq : recoil_parameter ] ) demonstrate that for recoil shifting to appreciably affect the ly@xmath2 profile it must be comparable to the typical redistribution at each scattering event .
for example , if @xmath381 then under thermally - dominated redistribution we typically have @xmath382 .
however , lorentzian - dominated redistribution may become a reasonable approximation at low temperatures . in this case , the scattering atom s parallel velocity component is roughly @xmath383 and the ratio to recoil is significantly reduced for core photons , i.e. @xmath384 . the total relative contribution over all scattering events induces a runaway reddening effect in cold , optically thick environments .
radiative transfer .
both cases represent the angular averaged intensity as a function of doppler velocity @xmath385 for uniform slabs of varying temperature . for direct comparison between the models the normalization is arbitrary but consistent in all cases .
the top panel maintains a constant optical depth at line centre of @xmath373 while the bottom panel ensures a fixed column density of @xmath374 @xmath50 , corresponding to @xmath373 at @xmath233 k. even though the optical depth or column density are fixed , the product @xmath376 depends on temperature and the emergent spectra is affected .
the number of photon packets used in these simulations is @xmath386 . ] | arxiv |
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How safe is cryptocurrency?
Alex Batlin, CEO of FinTech start-up Trustology, explores the risks that could come with a move to the new form of digital currency
BC cryptocurrency
8:36am 19th Nov 2019
Alex Batlin is CEO of Trustology
How safe is cryptocurrency? This is a question often raised by those worried about buying and holding cryptoassets.
With so many headline-grabbing stories about the hacking of cryptocurrency exchanges and the millions of bitcoin and other altcoins suddenly 'vanishing' from investor accounts or accounts being completely lost - there's a genuine reason for concern.
According to a recent study from CipherTrace, a cryptocurrency intelligence firm based in Silicon Valley, cryptocurrency thefts reached $1.2 billion in the first three months of 2019 and $1.7 billion for the entire 2018.
The company's Q2 2019 Cryptocurrency Anti-Money Laundering (AML) report, which provides an overview of all the major global cryptocurrency thefts, scams, and frauds, estimates that criminals walked away with the profit of $4.26 billion for the first six months of the year.
Cybersecurity company Carbon Black estimated 12,000 marketplaces and 34,000 offerings related to crypto-theft for hackers to choose from.
Each year, the problem of security increases, increasing scepticism about the future of digital money, which is also growing up before our eyes.
After all, cryptocurrency has been around for over a decade now - plenty of time to get used to this idea of money and its vulnerabilities, but still, the biggest barrier to entry and mass adoption remains the issue of 'safe' custody.
The industry is trying to address this issue, and we've come a long way in developing different workable solutions to the problem.
From 'self-custody' hardware and software wallets to regulated and unregulated exchanges, there are many ways to store your cryptoassets - but each comes with their own risks and vulnerabilities.
Hot wallets, for example, can be easy targets. In May 2019 the hacking of Binance meant 7000 bitcoins - the equivalent of $40 million in fiat currency- was lost without a trace. The hackers had multiple techniques including computer viruses and phishing attacks to infiltrate Binance's hot walets, where it kept the majority of its funds.
Cold storage also poses serious risks to cryptoasset holders. An example is the case of QuadrigaCX, where 115,000 customers were left in limbo when founder and chief operator Gerald Cotten, passed away suddenly in December while on holiday in India.
He took with him the password to an otherwise inaccessible encrypted offline repository, where the firm had kept the vast majority of clients' cryptocurrency deposits. Even if you turn to self-custody in light of this story, they have their obvious risks too.
Writing something down on a piece of paper means that yes, it might be safe from hackers, but anyone can see and steal it just as easily. Paper is also far from indestructible - it can burn, deteriorate, or get water-damaged. Yes, you could laminate it - but even lamination is prone to deterioration, and it can also be stolen like a non-laminated piece of paper.
Other options abound. You could use digital storage devices like a USB stick or external hard drive, but computers can crash and data recovery can be expensive. Conversely, the very existence of the data recovery process means that even after a user leaves a system - data recovery is still technically possible - even after physical destruction.
There are broader issues that further explain why cold storage is not always the best way to safeguard crypto assets. This includes the fact that it compromises the usability of cryptocurrencies. Freezing assets means that you can't trade them. If the market moves, you miss out on both the highs and lows.
As Robert Hackett from Fortune outlines, "As the technology shifts from a phase of rampant speculation to one of utility, cold storage will restrict people from participating in so-called crypto-economic networks, systems of financial incentives designed to support and improve blockchain projects through game-like activities."
Cold storage worked well in the early days of blockchain development. Sherwin Dowlat, an analyst with digital asset advisory firm Satis Group, said it was "the most obvious answer to cryptoasset storage in light of the modern uneasiness that arose from rampant cybersecurity breaches. Storage of private keys deep in the side of a mountain keeps it out of reach, and away from exposure."
We couldn't agree more. But in recent years, frequent and quick access to funds is a critical requirement for crypto investors; passively holding assets makes you more susceptible to being penalized, and being inactive comes with the risk of losing 1-7% value every year.
Too many people miss out on the full potential of cryptocurrencies. Custodians of crypto are working hard to address the security and ownership shortcomings of existing custody solutions, hardware wallets cold storage options currently available. It's a crucial step in helping to break down the barrier to entry for crypto ownership.
Safeguarding cryptocurrency is at the heart of our business model - and should be a priority for the entire DeFi community.
If the future of money is already here, we need to make sure that it's fit for purpose. Custody issues shouldn't put a stop to its mass adoption.
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Blerta is an Albanian female given name, which means green or blossom, from the Albanian blertë. The male equivalent is Blerti. The name may refer to:
Blerti Hajdari born 1990, Albanian football player
Blerta Syla born 1978, Kosovar actress
Blerta Zhegu, Albanian opera singer
References
Category:Albanian feminine given names | wikipedia |
Antone's may refer to:
Antone's, a nightclub and record label in Austin, Texas, started by Clifford Antone, nephew of Jalal Antone
Antone's Famous Po' Boys, a sandwich shop chain in Houston, Texas started by Jalal Antone, uncle of Cliford Antone | wikipedia |
US President Donald Trump has drawn widespread criticism after reportedly describing African nations as "shithole countries" and suggesting immigrants from Haiti should be removed from the country.
According to Democratic Senator Richard Durbin, who was present at the meeting, the president asked why the US should take immigrants from such countries, instead of from countries like Norway.
Mr Trump's team did not initially deny the remarks. Mr Trump issued an apparent denial on Twitter on Friday, saying the language he used "was tough, but this was not the language".
The United Nations human rights office called the reported comments "shocking and shameful".
"I'm sorry but there is no other word for this but racist", said a spokesman in Geneva.
The African Union (AU) said it was "frankly alarmed" by Mr Trump's statement.
"Given the historical reality of how many Africans arrived in the United States as slaves, this statement flies in the face of all accepted behaviour and practice," AU spokeswoman Ebba Kalondo told the Associated Press news agency.
In Botswana, the US ambassador was summoned in a letter and asked "to clarify if Botswana is regarded as a 'shithole' country".
The US ambassador to Panama resigned, according to Reuters news agency, telling the State Department in a letter that he could no longer serve in the Trump administration.
In Haiti, Rene Civil, a left-wing activist, demanded the US president apologise "before the entire African continent, as well as before Haiti, the country whose blood has been used by ancestors who have served with their minds and bodies to liberate the United States itself from slavery".
In Nigeria, one resident in Lagos told Reuters news agency: "Calling [every] African country shithole is really, really, very bad and I think every African country should just learn from this and probably just stay in their country and work with their resources."
In South Africa, ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte said: "Ours is not a shithole country and neither is Haiti or any other country in distress. And it is extremely offensive for President Trump to make statements about other countries that are really not complimentary of the US's position or policy positions on those countries."
In the UK, Prime Minister Theresa May's office said Ms May did not share Mr Trump's reported characterisation of the nations.
A spokesman declined to comment on "alleged private remarks", but asked if Ms May viewed the countries Mr Trump was referring to as "shitholes", the spokesman replied: "No."
An immigration policy analyst in Washington DC made the point that immigrants from Norway actually did badly out of immigration to the US at the turn of the last century.
Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute, said "this shows that the 'loser immigrants' from yesterday's 'shitholes' tend to turn into excellent, rich Americans after a few generations while their countries improve substantially".
And nor were all Norwegians enamoured with the idea of moving to the USA.
Democrat members of Congress said the remark clearly showed Mr Trump was racist.
"We always knew that President Trump doesn't like people from certain countries or people [of] certain colours," said Congressman Luis Gutierrez. "We can now we say with 100% confidence that the president is a racist who does not share the values enshrined in our constitution."
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky said: "Just when you thought Donald Trump could not get any more racist, he digs down to an even deeper low."
Some Republicans spoke out about over the remarks.
Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who was born in Cuba and whose south Florida district includes many Haitian immigrants, said: "Shame on him. It is reprehensible, it is disgusting, it is racist."
Mia Love, a congresswoman from Utah who is of Haitian descent, called Mr Trump's reported comments "unkind" and "divisive", and demanded an apology.
African-American Senator Tim Scott, who says America is "born from immigrants", is quoted as saying: "If these comments are the president's words, they are disappointing to say the least."
Is anyone supporting Mr Trump?
Iowa Congressman Steve King, an immigration hardliner and staunch supporter of Mr Trump, spoke up for the president, telling him to "hang in there" and calling on him to end the Daca immigration programme, calling it by a derogatory name.
"Hang in there Mr. President @realDonaldTrump. If those countries aren't as you described, Democrats should be happy to deport criminal aliens back to them. &End #AnchorBabies, too."
Jesse Walters, a host on right-wing Fox News, said the reported remark "doesn't move the needle at all" against the president. | slim_pajama |
Reproductibility of the effects described in US patent 8,419,919
[US patent 8,419,919](http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN/8419919), by P. Boss, F. Gordon, S. Szpak, and L. Forsley, describes what (I summarize) would be a method to perform particle generation leading to atomic transmutation, by palladium electrolysis in heavy water with electrolytic current increasing over time, combined with an (e.g.) magnetic field applied to the setup.
The text of the patent includes elements of description of laboratory experiments, and report in particular that a chemical [CR-39](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CR-39) particle detector records tracks (presumably due to an alpha source) *selectively* when the electrolysis is performed in the presence of the magnetic field. This would be extremely remarkable, if not an artifact.
Are these experiments and effects described in something closer to an academic paper? Is there some honest report of attempt by skilled experimentalists to recreate these experiments and effects in well equipped laboratories?
The whole field of Cold Fusion is now viewed by many scientists as pathological science. If such a thing does exist and produces non-trivial amounts of heat then the only way it is going to be validated is if/when units are commercially available for power generation. By this, I do not mean Rossi style demonstrations. I mean units that engineers can take away, reverse engineer and analyse in their own time in their own labs.
| stackexchange/physics |
The Brenne is a river in Côte-d'Or in Bourgogne, eastern France. It rises in Sombernon and flows generally northwest to join the Armançon at Buffon, downstream from Montbard.
References
Category:Rivers of France
Category:Rivers of Côte-d'Or
Category:Rivers of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | wikipedia |
Klein-Gordon equation from general relativity?
I am trying to derive the Klein-Gordon equation from Einstein's field equation, since the energy momentum tensor for the Klein-Gordon equation is defined as:
$$T^{\mu\nu} =\partial^{\mu}\phi \ \partial^{\nu}\phi-\eta^{\mu\nu}L\_{KG}$$
where $L\_{KG}$ is Klein-Gordon Lagrangian, defined as:
$$L\_{KG}=\frac{1}{2}\partial\_{\mu}\phi \ \partial^{\mu}\phi-\frac{1}{2}m^{2}\phi^{2}.$$
If I substitute above Energy-momentum tensor in Einstein's field equation and trying to solve for Einstein tensor, will I get the Klein-Gordon equation of motion?
To derive a field equation (equation of motion) one needs an action (or a Lagrangian). In this particular scenario you mention, the action will be
$$S = \int d^4x \sqrt{-g} \left(\frac{R}{2} - \frac{1}{2}\partial^{\mu}\phi\partial\_{\mu}\phi - \frac{1}{2}m^2\phi^2\right)$$
In this action, we have considered two fields. The gravitational metric field $g\_{\mu\nu}$ which is hidden in the volume element through the determinant term $\sqrt{-g}$, in the Ricci scalar $R \equiv R\_{\mu\nu}g^{\mu\nu}$, and in the kinetic energy of the scalar field, since, $\partial\_{\mu}\phi\partial^{\mu}\phi = g^{\mu\nu}\partial\_{\mu}\phi\partial\_{\nu}\phi$, and the scalar field $\phi$. Hence these two types of field are coupled minimally via the volume element in this action. By variation with respect to the metric and the scalar fields, one obtains
$$G\_{\mu\nu} = T\_{\mu\nu} \equiv \partial\_{μ}\phi\partial\_{ν}\phi - \cfrac{1}{2}g\_{μν}g^{αβ}\partial\_{α}\phi\partial\_{β}\phi - g\_{\mu\nu}m^2\phi^2/2$$
$$\Box \phi = m^2\phi$$
So, one can obtain the Klein-Gordon equation without using anything but the variational principle. In order to obtain the *Klein-Gordon equation from general relativity* as you mention you will need to use the fact that the Einstein tensor is covariantly free
$$\nabla^{\mu} G\_{\mu\nu}=0$$
Now applying the divergence free property $\nabla^{\mu} G\_{\mu\nu}=0 \to \nabla^{
\mu}T\_{\mu\nu}=0$, you will end up with the Klein-Gordon equation.
The Einstein field equations give you the dynamical equations for the metric tensor, which is taken as a second rank tensor field whose evolution describes the evolution of the background. The Klein Gordon equation is the dynamical equation for a scalar field in a fixed background. They are fundamentally different things.
What you can do of course, is to start with an action that has a scalar field coupled to gravity (this could be done in many ways), and by **varying the action** **with respect to the scalar field** (or the matter field) obtain the Klein Gordon equation. Note that this is not a special case of the Einstein equations since in deriving those, we vary the Einstein Hilbert action with respect to the metric tensor field. You don't need a dynamical background (metric) to derive the Klein Gordon equation, and you don't need a scalar field to derive the Einstein equations.
**Update in response to a comment:**
The divergence of the energy momentum tensor being zero is true and has a more geometrical origin (called the Bianchi identity), but the equations of motion depend on the matter Lagrangian. That is to say, even for a scalar field you could have any Lagrangian. The usual Klein Gordon Lagrangian has a specific form for the EM tensor. But I could very well have a different Lagrangian with a scalar field (eg the [$\phi^4$ theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartic_interaction)). In this case, the form of the EM tensor will also be different. This EM tensor will also be divergenceless, but demanding this will not give you the KG equation.
As an aside, note that dynamical equations for a matter field (or any field) are obtained by varying the action with respect to that field. As I mentioned previously, the Einstein equations are obtained by varying the (Einstein-Hilbert) action with respect to the metric.
Further, regarding the point about the vanishing divergence of the EM tensor. It can be shown that if I have an action of the form $\mathcal{S}\_Q = \int d^4 x \text{ }\sqrt{-g} Q$ where $Q$ is a scalar, then demading that $\delta \mathcal{S}\_Q = 0$ will always give me some tensor $M^{\mu \nu}$ such that $\nabla\_{\mu}M^{\mu \nu} = 0$. The fact that the Einstein tensor and the EM tensor obey this are simply examples of this more general fact.
| stackexchange/physics |
the presence of massive black holes ( mbhs ) at the centers of most galaxies appears by now firmly established .
a number of correlations have been observed between the masses of mbhs and the properties of the galactic bulges hosting them ( e.g. @xcite , @xcite ) .
since these correlations extend well beyond the direct dynamical influence of the mbh , it seems likely that a close link exists between the growth of the mbh and the formation of their host galactic bulges .
if these two events are co - eval then we would expect that powerful black holes are hosted in the centers of the most massive galaxies .
scuba galaxies show a strong redshift clustering thus indicating that they are hosted by very high mass halos ( @xcite ) .
this is confirmed by co molecular gas emission line widths and possible rotation curves ( @xcite ; @xcite ; @xcite ) .
the combination of deep x - ray observations and spectroscopic follow - up campaigns of scuba sources ( @xcite ) led to the discovery that at least @xmath5 of the scuba sources host an agn , although in the majority of the cases the contribution of the nucleus is not bolometrically significant ( i.e. , @xmath6 ) .
+ a possible scenario would predict that the black hole grows within a scuba galaxy until the obscuring gas is blown away revealing an agn ( e.g. @xcite ) .
a similar evolution argument has been proposed for ulirgs ( @xcite ) , which can be considered the closest local analogs to scuba galaxies .
we have started to investigate this scenario using a unique sample of heavily x - ray absorbed ( log(n@xmath7 @xmath8 ) and very luminous ( log(l@xmath9 erg s@xmath10 ) agn , the so - called type 2 qsos , located in the chandra deep field - south ( cdf - s ) and selected from @xcite . in this letter we report on the first sub - mm detection of a high redshift ( z=3.660 ) type 2 qso and discuss the implications for its nature .
we will discuss in a future paper the properties of the full sample of type 2 qsos once our observational programme is completed . + we assume a cosmology with parameters @xmath11 , @xmath12 and h@xmath13 km s@xmath10 mpc@xmath10 .
the submillimetre common user bolometer array ( scuba , @xcite ) was employed in photometry mode , with the wide 850:450 filter set , and a standard 60 arcsec chop in azimuth at 7.8hz .
the source was placed in the central bolometer ( h7 ) and the median of the remaining bolometers was used for additional sky removal .
flux calibration was performed using uranus .
telescope pointing was checked frequently while sky opacity was monitored via regular skydips at 850 and 450@xmath0 m and continuosly via the jcmt water vapour monitor and the cso tau meter .
@xmath14 ranged from 0.05 to 0.13 .
the data were reduced using the surf ( scuba user reduction facility ) software package .
a linear interpolation between consecutive skydip values was used , and the nearest calibration source in time applied to account for the gain .
after sky subtraction , the bolometer time - stream was clipped at the 3-@xmath15 level .
each of the individual datasets have been tested for consistency with one another using a kolmogorov - smirnov test , rejecting anything below the 5% mark . across .
the big dashed circle is the 5-arcsec radius from which the 850 @xmath16 flux can be originated , while the smaller continuum circle in the center indicates the _ chandra _ 3 @xmath15 positional error .
_ right _ : a zoom of the central part ( @xmath17 across ) in the _ isaac _ k@xmath18 band , the isointensity x - ray contours at 3 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 @xmath15 above the local background are shown . ]
we have a firm detection ( s / n@xmath19 ) for cdfs-263 ( ra@xmath20 dec@xmath21 , z@xmath22 ) : s@xmath23 mjy . since we already know the position of the x - ray source to sub - arcsec accuracy , the @xmath24 arcsec fwhm scuba beam would imply that the sub - mm emission is either coming from this source or something else within a radius of @xmath25 arcsec . inside this area
we find two optical counterparts in a deep acs z band image centered on cdfs-263 ( see left panel of fig .
[ figure : fig_acs263 ] ) .
the x - ray contours clearly point to the counterpart named b in fig .
[ figure : fig_acs263 ] ( the continuum circle shows the @xmath26 _ chandra _ positional error from @xcite ) . the other possible sub - mm counterpart a has a complex sub - arcsec structure , where all the different components have the same optical / near - ir colours therefore likely are at the same redshift . since a good spectroscopic redshift is not available for this object , we have derived a photometric redshift of z@xmath27 using the photometry in seven optical / near - ir bands ( table 3 ) and the public available code bpz of @xcite ( see @xcite for details on the procedure ) . assuming this value , source a has to have l@xmath28 to shine in the sub - mm , and the probability to have by chance such a powerful source in the scuba error circle is low .
the same area of the sky imaged in the k@xmath29 band with isaac / vlt shows only the b counterpart ( right panel of fig .
[ figure : fig_acs263 ] ) reinforcing its chances to be the real sub - mm source . lccc line & flux & fwhm & ew + & @xmath30 erg @xmath8 s@xmath31 $ ] & @xmath32 km s@xmath31 $ ] & @xmath32@xmath33 $ ] + ly@xmath34 @xmath35 & [email protected] & 1000@xmath3610 & [email protected] + n v @xmath37 & [email protected] & 1580@xmath36140 & [email protected] + c iv @xmath38 & [email protected] & 1400@xmath3650 & [email protected] + [ table : lines ]
to help assign a reliable classification of cdfs-263 as a type 2 quasar we have determined its optical emission line and x - ray spectral properties .
vlt fors1 spectra of cdfs-263 were taken in 2000 during the spectroscopic identification programme of the cdf - s field ( @xcite ) .
the object was observed with a multi - slit mask using 1.2 arcsec wide single slits and grism 150i with a spectral dispersion of @xmath39 / pixel , which corresponds to a spectral resolution of @xmath40 .
the seeing was about 0.50.6 arcsec .
the total integrated exposure time of the spectrum ( see fig . [
figure : fig_opt_spec ] ) is about 3.3 hours .
the measured redshift is @xmath41 .
the optical spectrum of cdfs-263 shows a strong ly@xmath34@xmath35 emission line and the two fainter lines of n v @xmath37 and c iv @xmath38 , whereas no further lines as e.g. ly@xmath42@xmath43 or si iv @xmath44 are visible .
each emission line was fitted with a single gaussian profile applying the levenberg - marquardt algorithm ( @xcite ) .
the four adjustable parameters are the total line flux , the central wavelength , the fwhm in and the flux of a local linear continuum . from this set of parameters
we have calculated the fwhm in km s@xmath10 ( corrected for instrumental resolution ) and the rest frame ew in .
the line flux , the rest frame fwhm and the rest frame ew of the visible lines are given in table 1 .
lcc parameter & + & model1 & model 2 + n@xmath45 ( 10@xmath46 @xmath8 ) & 0@xmath47 & 88@xmath48 + z & + @xmath49 & 0.34@xmath50 & 1.90 ( frozen ) + @xmath51 & 1.04@xmath52 & 1.71@xmath53 + @xmath54/dof & 1.19/4 & 3.37/5 + f@xmath55 ( absorbed ) & 1.93e-15 & 1.04e-15 + f@xmath55 ( unabsorbed ) & - & 2.00e-15 + l@xmath55 ( absorbed ) & 0.19e-44 & 0.37e-44 + l@xmath55 ( unabsorbed ) & - & 7.64e-44 + [ table : tab_xray ] fit parameters are shown with 90% errors ( @xmath56 ) .
the model and parameter definitions are : model components * pl * : power - law with a photon index of @xmath49 and a 0.5 - 7 kev flux of @xmath51 in units of 10@xmath57 erg @xmath8 s@xmath10 using the xspec model _ pegpwrlw_. * intrinsic absorption : * photo - electric absorption using wisconsin cross - sections _ zwabs _ ( morrison & mccammon 1983 ) , where n@xmath45 is the equivalent hydrogen column in units of 10@xmath46 atoms @xmath8 and z is the redshift . + the luminosities reported in the table are in the rest frame [ 0.5 - 10 ] kev energy band .
n v @xmath37 is observed at the 4@xmath15 level .
the line fluxes are a factor of @xmath58 lower compared to those of the prototype type 2 qso cdfs-202 ( @xcite ) .
the emission line widths are narrow with a fwhm of @xmath59 km s@xmath10 , whereas the mean line width of the permitted lines for x - ray selected seyfert 1 and qso1 ranges from @xmath60 to @xmath61 km s@xmath10 ( see @xcite ) .
the narrow line widths and the observed 0.5 - 10 kev luminosity of @xmath62 erg s@xmath10 indicate a type 2 qso ( @xcite ) .
the analysis of the x - ray spectrum of cdfs-263 is essential to determine its amount of intrinsic x - ray absorption and its unabsorbed x - ray luminosity .
we have used the public _
acis - i data of the 1 msec cdf - s survey ( @xcite ) .
the total integrated exposure time is about 936 ksec for cdfs-263 .
the acis - i spectrum of the source was extracted from a circular region of @xmath25 arcsec in radius and the background spectrum was obtained from a source free region .
the source spectrum contains 120 counts .
the spectra were grouped to have at least 10 photons per bin .
due to the small number of source photons we can only get an estimate of the x - ray spectral properties .
the spectrum was analysed using xspec 11.3 .
a simple absorbed powerlaw model ( 1 in table 2 ) gives a reasonable fit .
the photon index of @xmath63 is low compared to that of @xmath64 found for most seyfert galaxies and quasars .
this points to a large intrinsic absorption of cdfs-263 .
therefore we have frozen the photon index to 1.9 ( model 2 ) .
the results of both models are shown in table 2 .
all the errors quoted we calculated at 90% confidence level for two interesting parameters . as expected , the best fit model 2 shows a large n@xmath45 of @xmath65 @xmath8 , which implies nearly compton - thick absorption .
if we correct for intrinsic absorption the 0.5 - 10 kev rest frame luminosity of cdfs-263 increases by a factor of @xmath66 ( see table 2 ) .
the best fit model ( 2 ) and the x - ray data points are shown in fig .
[ figure : fig_xray_spec ] . whereas the quality of the acis - i spectrum is low , the strong intrinsic absorption of cdfs-263 ( at least n@xmath67 @xmath8 ) is fairly well constrained .
the narrow optical emission lines ( fwhm@xmath68 km s@xmath10 ) , the large intrinsic absoprtion ( log n@xmath69 ) and the large absorption corrected x - ray luminosity ( log l@xmath70 ) in the 0.5 - 10 kev energy band favour the type 2 quasar nature of cdfs-263 .
cdfs-263 has been observed in a wide range of energy bands .
photometry of extraordinary quality in the bviz filters has been obtained with the acs camera on board of hst as part of the goods survey ( @xcite ) . as part of the same survey ,
eso carried out deep near - ir imaging with isaac / vlt in j , h and k@xmath71 bands .
finally , we have a radio upper limit from vla observations at 20 cm of f@xmath72 @xmath0jy ( k. kellerman , private comunication ) . the available photometry for cdfs-263 in summarized in table 3 .
+ according to the radio - power criterion given by @xcite , we can classify this agn as radio - quiet .
hence , a non - thermal ( synchrotron ) contribution to the sub - mm flux is expected to be small ( @xcite ; @xcite ) .
+ we compare the photometry of cdfs-263 with the sed of several well - studied local sources .
we choose 3c273 as a template of an unabsorbed quasar , ngc 6240 a well - studied ( u)lirg which hosts a compton - thick agn , and arp 220 as a starburst galaxy where x - ray binaries are the major source of its x - ray emission ( @xcite ) . due to the difference in redshift between our source and these templates , we have photometry for cdfs-263 in wavelength regions not covered for the local sources . in particular for cdfs-263 , the _ v _
filter contains ly@xmath34 while the _ i _ band contains the civ line .
we have subtracted the contribution of these lines in the observed fluxes and compared them with the templates sed in fig .
[ figure : fig_sed ] .
the wide - band energy distribution of cdfs-263 is inconsistent with the spectrum of an unabsorbed qso ( dash - dotted line in fig .
[ figure : fig_sed ] ) : if we anchor 3c273 to the x - ray observations , we underpredict the fluxes at the other wavelengths . using the sed of ngc 6240 , we can reproduce in a consistent way the observed sub - mm , optical , near - ir and x - ray fluxes of our source ( solid thick line in fig .
[ figure : fig_sed ] ) .
the observed flux in the b band is low compared with the expected one , this can be ascribed to absorption due to the ly@xmath34 forest for a source at @xmath73 ( see also @xcite ) .
finally , the energy distribution of cdfs-263 does not resemble the sed of arp 220 ( dotted line in fig .
[ figure : fig_sed ] ) : if we fix the template at the observed sub - mm flux we underestimate the x - ray flux by two orders of magnitudes .
we note that arp 220 appears to be an order of magnitude underluminous in soft x - rays , given its fir luminosity , if compared with other starbursts galaxies ( see fig .
3 of @xcite ) , but this is not enough to reconcile the photometry of cdfs-263 with a starburst template .
+ cccc observed & rest - frame & observed & @xmath74f@xmath75 + band & band & ab magnitude & [ w / m@xmath76 + 2 - 10 kev @xmath77 & 27.9 kev & ... & 2.6e-19 + 0.5 - 2 kev @xmath77 & 5.8 kev & ... & 8.1e-20 + f435w @xmath78 & 927 & [email protected] & 2.9e-19 + f606w @xmath78 & 1277 & [email protected] & 1.4e-18 + f775w @xmath78 & 1654 & [email protected] & 1.3e-18 + f850lp @xmath78 & 1957 & [email protected] & 1.6e-18 + j @xmath79 & 2690 & [email protected] & 1.4e-18 + h @xmath80 & 3550 & [email protected] & 1.8e-18 + k@xmath18 @xmath79 & 4660 & [email protected] & 5.0e-18 + 850@xmath0 m @xmath81 & 1.6e3 ghz & ... & 1.6e-17 + 20 cm @xmath82 & 6.9 ghz & ... & @xmath831.5e-21 + [ table : table_cdfs263 ] @xmath77_chandra_/acis ; @xmath78_hst_/acs ; @xmath79_vlt_/isaac ; @xmath80_ntt_/sofi ; @xmath81_jcmt_/scuba ; @xmath82_vla _ + to further compare the properties of our source with local templates and other scuba observations of x - ray sources , we derive the sub - mm ( 850 @xmath0 m ) to x - ray ( 2 kev ) spectral slope ( @xmath1 ) of cdfs-263 . fig .
[ figure : fig_alphasx ] shows the expected values of @xmath1 , as a function of redshift , for a number of template seds .
namely , a quasar with no absorption in the x - ray or with different amounts of absorption ( n@xmath84 and compton - thick with 1@xmath85 of the nuclear emission scattered ) ; a mean starburst template and arp 220 .
these templates are described in detail in @xcite .
+ cdfs-263 yields a value of @xmath86 ( star symbol in fig .
[ figure : fig_alphasx ] ) .
this value is clearly incompatible with an unabsorbed agn , as we already expected from the optical and x - ray spectral properties of the source . on the other hand
, it is close to the spectral index of a compton - thick agn in which only @xmath2 of the nuclear emission emerges through scattering .
the x - ray spectral fit yields a column density of @xmath87 @xmath8 ( see table 2 ) .
one way to obtain this value of @xmath1 is a sub - mm flux due to starburst activity plus an absorbed agn in the center of the host galaxy that accounts for the x - ray emission , which is higher than that expected for a starburst galaxy alone ( dashed line in fig .
[ figure : fig_alphasx ] ) ( see also @xcite ; @xcite ; @xcite ) . for comparison
we report in fig .
[ figure : fig_alphasx ] other x - ray selected sources with sub - mm data measurements from the literature .
namely , the cdf - n sources from @xcite ( circles ) the majority of which show @xmath1 values higher than cdfs-263 , and compatible with the expected indices for a starburst galaxy , although all except one of them lack a precise redshift measurement . the x - ray absorbed ( filled triangles ) and x - ray unabsorbed ( empty triangle ) rosat blagn from @xcite and @xcite are sampling a different region in fig .
[ figure : fig_alphasx ] , with their @xmath1 values being closer to pure qso tracks in agreement with their nature as unabsorbed agn in the optical band .
finally , we show also the @xmath1 values of some @xmath88 type 1 qsos ( square ) with x - ray ( @xcite ) and sub - mm ( @xcite ) observations .
the location of our source in the @xmath1 vs @xmath89 plot is peculiar : it has a lower @xmath1 than any source from @xcite at high redshift and a higher value of the blagn from @xcite & @xcite and the type 1 qsos at @xmath88 . ) as a function of redshift .
the dotted and dashed lines are the expected values of @xmath1 for a set of seds ( see text ) .
the values for cdfs-263 ( star ) , the sample from alexander et al .
( 2003 ) ( circles ) , page et al .
( 2001 ) ( filled triangles ) , page et al .
( 2004 ) ( empty triangle ) and a sample of type 1 qsos at @xmath88 ( squares ) are shown . ] under the hypothesis that the sub - mm flux is due to star formation activity , we estimate , using the measured flux at 850 @xmath0 m , the dust - enshrouded star formation rate ( sfr ) and the dust mass . we note that the temperature of the dust heated by the agn would be too high ( @xmath90 k ) to emit in the sub - mm .
the far - infrared luminosity ( l@xmath91 ) provides a reasonable measure of the active formation of massive stars . assuming a dust temperature of 40k and an emissivity index @xmath42 = 1.2 ( e.g. @xcite ) we interpolate from the 850 @xmath0 m luminosity and get an estimate of the 60 @xmath0 m luminosity assuming an optically - thin greybody .
the sfr is given by : @xmath92 where @xmath93 is the fraction of optical@xmath94uv light being radiated in the far - infrared and depends on the imf and the fraction of the optical@xmath94uv light that is absorbed and re - radiated in the fir .
for @xmath95 we get @xmath96 ( assuming @xmath97 and h@xmath98 ) .
the dust mass is given by : m@xmath99 where z is the redshift , s@xmath100 is the observed flux density , d@xmath101 is the luminosity distance , k@xmath102 is the rest frequency absorption coefficient and b is the planck function . using k@xmath103 ( see @xcite )
we derive an m@xmath104 m@xmath3 .
the dust mass estimate assumes optically thin thermal emission with no contribution from bremsstrahlung or synchrotron radiation .
finally , we compute the rest frame absorption corrected l@xmath105 kev@xmath33=4.5 \times 10^{44}$ ] erg s@xmath10 and using the relation given by @xcite estimate the bolometric luminosity , l@xmath106 erg s@xmath10 . assuming that l@xmath107l@xmath108 , where l@xmath108 is the eddington luminosity
, we derive a lower limit on the black hole mass : m@xmath109 m@xmath3 .
we have a firm ( @xmath110 ) scuba detection of a type 2 qso at redshift @xmath73 ( cdfs-263 ) .
its sed is consistent , from radio to x - ray wavelengths , with the shape of ngc 6240 while it can not be reproduced with the sed of 3c273 or arp 220 .
futhermore , we derive an @xmath111 .
we conclude that cdfs-263 can be powered by a compton thick agn ( we found n@xmath112 @xmath8 ) .
cdfs-263 is a strong candidate for an agn in the initial phase ( before the `` x - ray absorbed phase '' ) described by @xcite that corresponds to the main growth period of the host galaxy spheroid .
it is a luminous x - ray source ( l@xmath113 erg s@xmath10 ) with high x - ray absorption ( n@xmath114 @xmath8 ) and detected in the sub - mm , s@xmath115 mjy .
we thank kazushi iwasawa for providing us the beppo - sax data points for arp 220 and andrea merloni for useful discussions .
we thank the referee for helpful comments that improved the manuscript .
+ we acknowledge support from the european community rtn network `` poe '' ( under contract hprn - ct-2000 - 00138 ) .
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M. P. Shah Medical College, Jamnagar also Shri M. P. Shah Medical College is a medical college in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India. It is associated with the Irwin Group of Hospitals, the second largest hospital complex in the state of Gujarat. The college is notable for having a solarium.
History
Irwin Hospital the academic medical center associated with M.P. Shah Medical College was inaugurated by Lord Irwin in 1927. In 1933, during the rule of Jam Digvijaysinhji, Irwin Hospital was expanded, with the addition of specialty departments. Shri Abdul Karim Jamal started a dispensary opposite Irwin Hospital A. K. Jamal Dispensary and the Sarmatwala dispensary was started during this period. All these dispensaries including the city dispensary were merged with Irwin Hospital hence the name Irwin Group of Hospitals.
In 1954, M. P. Shah Medical College came into existence and Irwin hospital was affiliated with it. In 2000, on the eve of the 300th birthday anniversary of Lord Guru Gobind Singh as one of his five disciples Punj Pyare, Mokam Singh, who got established at Bat Dwarka Gujarat government renamed the Irwin Group of Hospitals as Guru Gobind Singh Hospital.
Dr. Dadabhai and Dr. Kalyaniwala Khandbahadur were the first heads of Irwin Group of Hospitals. Dr. Ruks Thomas FRCS was appointed as the first surgeon general in 1927. Dr. Pranjivan Manekchand Mehta was his successor. At the establishment of M.P. Shah Medical College in 1954, Dr. P. C. Rakshit took over from Dr. P. M. Mehta as the first dean and medical superintendent. At present Dr. Pankaj Buch is medical superintendent of G.G. Hospital.
Facilities
Starting with 200 beds in 1927, the hospital has seen several major expansions. Today, it is one the leading tertiary care and referral medical centers for the region of Saurashtra with a bed strength of 1275 2005. The hospital has 50 indoor wards and 10 operation theaters.
Affiliations
It is affiliated with Saurashtra University and offers the following courses:
M.B.B.S.
MD, General Medicine
MD, radio diagnosis, radiology
MD, tuberculosis and respiratory diseases, pulmonary medicine
MD, Paediatrics
MD/MS, obstetrics andM gynaecology
MD/MS, ophthalmology
MS, Ear, Nose and Throat
MS, General Surgery
MS, Orthopaedics
MD, Anaesthesia
See also
List of medical colleges in India
References
External links
http://www.mpsmc.in/data/solarium.php
Category:Medical colleges in Gujarat
Category:Education in Jamnagar
Category:Private medical colleges in India | wikipedia |
the first theoretical binary population synthesis ( bps ) models of cataclysmic variables ( cvs ) revealed dramatic disagreements between observations and theoretical predictions : 1 .
cvs below the period gap should make up @xmath099 per cent of the population @xcite , while roughly the same number of systems is observed below and above the gap @xcite .
2 . the observed orbital period minimum is at 76min @xcite , while the predicted orbital period minimum is 65 - 70min @xcite .
3 . a strong accumulation of systems at the orbital period minimum
is predicted , but not observed @xcite .
4 . the predicted space density ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ) exceeds the observed one by 1 - 2 orders of magnitude ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ) . within the last decade ,
two of these long standing problems of cv evolution seem to have been solved .
first , the problem of the missing spike at the orbital period minimum was solved as recent deep surveys identified a previously hidden population of faint cvs @xcite .
secondly , the orbital period minimum problem can be solved if additional angular momentum loss , apart from gravitational radiation , is assumed to be present in systems with fully convective donor stars @xcite .
however , recent observational advances not only solved previous problems but also generated a new one , which is currently perhaps the most severe .
bps models predict an average white dwarf ( wd ) mass of @xmath1 ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ) and large numbers of cvs containing helium core ( he - core ) wds .
yet , the observed average mass is @xmath2 and not a single system with a definite he - core wd primary has been identified so far ( * ? ? ? * hereafter zsg11 ) . as shown by zsg11 , this absence of cvs with low - mass primaries can no longer be explained as an observational bias as suggested earlier by @xcite .
moreover , the problem is also clearly not related to our limited understanding of common envelope ( ce ) evolution as speculated recently by @xcite .
this is because low - mass wds are found in large numbers in samples of detached post common envelope binaries @xcite and the observed wd mass distribution of these objects is in good agreement with the model predictions @xcite .
finally , in @xcite we have shown recently that the two scenarios suggested by zsg11 , i.e. mass growth in cvs or a preceding phase of thermal time scale mass transfer for many cvs can not solve the wd mass problem in cvs either . here
we present bps models of cvs taking into account angular momentum loss generated by the mass transfer in cvs .
this consequential angular momentum loss ( caml ) can drive cvs with low - mass wds into dynamically unstable mass transfer which solves the wd mass problem .
interestingly , this approach simultaneously solves the space density problem and brings into agreement the predicted and observed orbital period distributions .
the aim of this work is to evaluate whether assuming caml can explain the observed wd masses in cvs . to that end
we simulate cv evolution with different caml approaches combined with standard assumptions for cv evolution .
we generate a population of @xmath3 initial main sequence ( ms ) binaries .
the star masses ( @xmath4 ) are distributed according to the initial - mass function of @xcite for the primary and a flat initial mass - ratio distribution @xcite .
@xmath5 ranges from @xmath6 to @xmath7 and @xmath8 from @xmath9 to @xmath7 ( requesting of course @xmath10 ) .
the initial orbital separation is assumed to be flat in @xmath11 @xcite , ranging from @xmath12 to @xmath13 . the sample of generated ms binary stars is then evolved until the end of the common envelope ( ce ) phase using the binary - star evolution ( bse ) code from @xcite assuming a ce efficiency of @xmath14 @xcite . the generated population of zero age post - ce binaries is subsequently evolved to obtain the current population of cvs following the approach used in @xcite .
we simply assume the mass - radius relation for cv secondary stars and systemic angular momentum loss prescriptions as derived from observational constraints by @xcite .
we adjust the scaling factors for angular momentum loss due to gravitational radiation and magnetic braking to get mass transfer rates in agreement with those derived from observations @xcite .
when stable post - ce mass transfer starts we smoothly increase the radius of the secondary star from the ms radius to the larger radius of a cv secondary ( see also e.g. * ? ? ?
if the mass of the secondary star drops below @xmath15 we discard the system from the sample , because the m - r relation is not reliable for lower masses .
we furthermore assume that the wd expels the accreted mass in repeated nova eruptions and thus treat it as constant during cv evolution .
we assume @xmath16gyrs for the age of the galaxy and a constant star formation rate .
finally , we ignore cvs that may descend from thermal time scale mass transfer , i.e we assume these systems make up at most a few per cent of the current cv population which is probably correct @xcite . while all the above model assumptions are quite uncertain , we did run several tests varying the uncertain parameters and find that the conclusions of this paper are not affected .
the mass ratio ( @xmath17 ) required for stability against dynamical time scale mass transfer is a crucial part of bps models because it separates cvs from systems that evolve through a second ce and most likely merge .
the dividing line can be obtained by equating the adiabatic mass radius exponent and the mass radius exponent of the secondaries roche - lobe : @xmath18 for deeply convective secondary stars ( @xmath19 ) polytropic models represent a reasonable approximation , i.e. @xmath20 . for more massive stars , the size of the convective envelope decreases and @xmath21 increases steeply @xcite .
the right hand side of eq.([eq - f ] ) sensitively depends on the assumed caml .
we therefore performed bps models with three versions of caml .
we first assume conservation of both angular momentum and the total mass of the binary , i.e. we assume only systemic angular momentum loss through magnetic braking and gravitational radiation but no caml .
this assumption is inconsistent with mass loss due to nova eruptions , which is known to be of the same order as the mass accreted by the wd between two eruptions , but the fully conservative model has been previously used in bps models and we therefore use it as a reference model ( despite the obvious inconsistency ) . using the fitting formula for the secondaries roche - lobe provided by @xcite , eq.([eq - f ] )
can be converted to : @xmath22 which can be solved to obtain the critical mass ratio above which mass transfer is dynamically unstable . for the fully conservative case
we obtain @xmath23 for @xmath20 and a steep increase in the range @xmath24 .
the results of the corresponding bps model are illustrated in fig.[fold ] ( left panels ) .
we have plotted the predicted cv population in a mass ratio ( @xmath25 ) versus secondary mass ( @xmath8 ) diagram ( top panel ) where the regions forbidden either due to dynamically unstable mass transfer or the wd mass exceeding the chandrasekhar limit are gray shaded .
the predicted current cv population is represented by the cyan dots while the black squares indicate the position of observed cvs with relatively robust measurements of both stellar masses .
the observed sample consists of the fiducial systems listed in zsg11 and three more recently identified systems with robust mass estimates for both stars : kisj 1927 + 4447 @xcite , hs0220 + 0603 @xcite and phl 1445 @xcite . in the bottom left panel of fig.[fold ]
we compare the simulated ( light gray ) and observed wd mass distribution and find the expected disagreement : the model predicts far too many cvs containing low - mass wds . in more consistent evolutionary models of cvs , mass loss due to nova eruptions
is taken into account . in binary evolution models
this can be incorporated as a continuous effect as shown by @xcite .
usually it is assumed that the specific angular momentum of the ejected mass equals the specific angular momentum of the wd .
this has a stabilizing effect on the mass transfer .
the corresponding caml is @xmath26 with @xmath27 ( see e.g. * ? ? ?
this caml has to be taken into account when evaluating the right hand side of eq.([eq - f ] ) .
compared to the fully conservative case , caml brings the system closer to dynamically unstable mass transfer as mass transfer generates additional angular momentum loss and reduces the roche - volume of the secondary .
however , in the classical caml case this effect is more than compensated by the mass loss of the primary which significantly reduces the decrease of the secondaries roche - lobe .
the critical mass ratio is again defined by requesting @xmath28 which results in : @xmath29 we performed bps calculations using the stability limit imposed by eq.([eq - ccaml ] ) and taking into account the corresponding mass and angular momentum loss .
the results are shown in the right panel of fig.[fold ] .
the disagreement between observations and theoretical prediction is even worse than in the fully conservative case ( left panel ) , because even more cvs with low - mass wd and low - mass secondary star ( @xmath30 ) are predicted to exist .
such systems are not found in the observed sample .
as outlined in the introduction , neither observational biases nor our ignorance of the details of ce evolution , nor wd mass growth during or prior to cv evolution can solve this wd mass problem ( see zsg11 and @xcite for details ) .
given the large uncertainties affecting the limits of dynamically unstable mass transfer in models of cv evolution and benefiting from the improved observational data , we present in the next section an empirical model for caml aiming to reproduce the observed wd masses . to investigate
if and which form of caml could solve the wd mass problem , we keep the standard assumptions used in the previous sections but interpret the angular momentum loss associated with mass loss as a free parameter .
given that the disagreement between the observed and predicted wd masses in cvs is mainly caused by the large number of predicted cvs with low - mass wds below the period gap ( see fig.[fold ] ) , we expect significant improvement if @xmath31 is stronger for low - mass wds .
simulating cv populations for different forms of caml and comparing with the observations we find good agreement if we assume : @xmath32 with @xmath33 . in the top left panel of fig.[fnew ] we show the observed and predicted cv populations in the @xmath34 versus @xmath8 diagram for a simulated population of cvs assuming this empirical caml ( ecaml from now on ) model using @xmath35 .
the right panel shows the observed ( top ) and predicted ( bottom ) wd mass distribution while the bottom left panel shows the cumulative distribution of wd masses in cvs for the simulated samples ( blue , cyan and red for the fully conservative , classical non - conservative and ecaml model , respectively ) and for the observed systems ( green ) . not too surprisingly , adding
a new free parameter can solve the wd mass problem .
however , before the ecaml model can be considered a viable option for cv evolution , we need to investigate how its predictions compare with other observed properties of cvs and we need to find a physical mechanism that might be responsible for ecaml .
as described in the introduction , previous binary population models of cvs failed to reproduce both the predicted space density of cvs and the orbital period distribution .
we now show that incorporating ecaml not only solves the wd mass problem but also brings into agreement the predicted and observed space density and orbital period distribution of cvs .
the orbital period distribution of all discovered cvs with measured orbital period is heavily biased because cvs with more massive secondaries , i.e. those with longer orbital periods , are significantly brighter than short orbital period cvs .
the sample of cvs least affected by this bias has been presented by @xcite , thanks to the depth of sdss . in fig.[fporb ] we compare the orbital period distribution of sdss cvs with those predicted by the three models discussed in this paper .
the classical caml and the fully conservative model do not only dramatically disagree with the wd mass distribution but are also unable to reproduce the observed period distribution predicting the existence of too many cvs at short orbital periods and too few above .
in contrast , the ecaml model that was designed to solve the wd mass problem agrees very well with the observed period distribution .
the fraction of systems predicted above the gap ( 15 per cent above 3.18 h ) is only slightly smaller than the observed fraction ( 19 per cent ) .
the period distribution problem is not the only long standing issue the ecaml approach solves simultaneously with the wd mass problem . as a large number of systems containing low - mass wds
is supposed to suffer from unstable mass transfer , the total number of cvs predicted by the ecaml model is smaller by a factor of @xmath36 and @xmath37 compared to the classical caml and the fully conservative model , respectively , which should bring the predicted cv space density into the range of the values derived from observations .
the ecaml model presented in this paper can simultaneously solve the three biggest problems of cv evolution .
however , there must be a physical mechanism behind this parameterised model .
the most obvious mechanism that may generate significant caml in cvs are nova eruptions .
in fact , the classical caml model represents a weak form of caml caused by novae .
this model assumes the expelled material to take away the specific angular momentum of the wd which represents a reasonable assumption _ if _ friction between the ejecta and the secondary star is negligible .
if , on the other hand , friction contributes significantly , caml might be much stronger than predicted by the classical caml model . according to a detailed study of @xcite , frictional angular momentum loss produced by novae
only weakly depends on the mass ratio but is very sensitive to the expansion velocity of the ejecta , i.e. assuming slow expansion velocities , the consequential ( frictional ) angular momentum loss can be significant ( see * ? ? ? * their figure 5 ) .
interestingly , nova models predict significantly faster expansion velocities for cvs containing high - mass wds than for those containing low - mass wds ( see e.g. * ? ? ?
* their fig.2c ) .
the caml generated by slow nova eruptions in cvs containing low - mass wds might therefore be the physical cause behind the ecaml model we used to bring into agreement observations and theory . to test this hypothesis , the velocity of nova ejecta at the position of the secondary as a function of wd mass needs to be determined and incorporated in detailed models of frictional angular momentum loss .
observationally , this would require to perform spectroscopy at the onset and throughout a nova which is probably unrealistic as currently the occurrence of nova eruptions can not be predicted .
thus , testing the ecaml hypothesis will probably rely on improving theoretical models of novae for some time to come .
since the work of @xcite , the wd mass problem has become the most serious limitation of our understanding of cv evolution . in @xcite we have shown that neither assuming wds in cvs to grow in mass nor assuming a preceding phase of thermal time scale mass transfer for many cvs can solve the problem without violating other observational facts . here we have presented a new model for cv evolution assuming consequential angular momentum loss ( caml ) that increases with decreasing wd mass . in this model
the previously predicted cvs with low mass wds at short orbital periods suffer from dynamically unstable mass transfer and will disappear as cvs .
this empirical caml ( ecaml ) model is currently the only available model that can reproduce the observed wd mass distribution .
simultaneously and without any ( further ) fine - tuning , the model also solves the long standing disagreement between the predicted and observed orbital period distribution and space density of cvs .
this makes ecaml a promising candidate for being the missing piece in the cv evolution puzzle .
the best candidate for the physical mechanism behind ecaml is frictional angular momentum loss following nova eruptions because cvs with low - mass wds produce slower novae which might lead to increased frictional angular momentum loss . to test this hypothesis realistic models for nova eruptions and the resulting frictional angular momentum loss need to be developed
mrs thanks gijs nelemans and boris gaensicke for interesting and helpful discussions at the _ physics of cataclysmic and compact binaries _ workshop held in ny , november 2014 . mrs and mz thank for support from fondecyt ( 1141269 and 3130559 ) and millennium nucleus rc130007 ( chilean ministry of economy ) .
tpgw is grateful for funding support by the netherlands organisation for scientific research ( nwo ) under grant 614.001.202 . | arxiv |
following rosinberg _ et al . _
@xcite , the adsorption potential for a sticky site located at the origin , given by @xmath1 , is modeled as @xmath2 = 1 + \lambda \delta(\textbf{r}),\ ] ] where @xmath3 is a positive constant that measures the strength of the adsorption potential @xcite .
the partition function for a system of adsorption sites with locations given by the vectors @xmath4 is given by @xmath5 d^2r_i \right\},\ ] ] where @xmath6 is the potential energy of the one - component plasma in the absence of adsorption sites .
expanding in powers of @xmath3 , it has been shown @xcite that the partition function can be written in terms of the @xmath7-point correlation functions as @xmath8 where @xmath9 is the partition function of the unperturbed system .
the difference in free energy from the unperturbed system is the logarithm of @xmath10 , and is given by @xmath11 where @xmath12 and where @xmath13 gives the truncated @xmath7-body correlation functions , @xmath14 the exact solution to the one - component plasma found by jancovici @xcite for coupling parameter @xmath15 , where @xmath16 is the ion valence and @xmath17 the elementary charge of an electron .
the @xmath7-point density correlation functions are given by @xmath18 |_{\mu , \gamma = 1 , \cdots , n}.\ ] ] here , @xmath0 is the background charge density , @xmath19 where @xmath20 and @xmath21 describe coordinates on the plane , and @xmath22 its complex conjugate .
after some algebraic manipulation , we can rewrite this expression as @xmath23 where @xmath24 is the group of permutations on @xmath7 letters , @xmath25 and @xmath26.\ ] ] the truncated correlation functions , @xmath27 are computed by restricting the sum over @xmath28 in eq .
( [ eq : correlationfuncs ] ) to @xmath7-cycles .
we suppose that the two lines of sticky sites with periodicity @xmath29 are separated by a distance @xmath30 ( see fig .
[ fig : picture ] ) .
we describe the sticky site locations by introducing integer variables @xmath31 and ising variables @xmath32 that take on a value of either @xmath33 or @xmath34 .
then any @xmath35 can be written as @xmath36 since we are calculating the sums over all the positions of the particles , all @xmath7-cycles are equivalent by a suitable relabeling of the summation indices .
this leads to the general expression @xmath37
we first consider @xmath38 , and substitute in the adsorption site positions from eq .
( [ eq : vectors ] ) .
this gives @xmath39 for the particular choice of background charge density @xmath40 where @xmath41 is a positive integer , @xmath42 when evaluated on the adsorption sites .
we therefore specialize to densities where this simplification occurs .
we also find that @xmath43 , leading to @xmath44}\nonumber\\ & & \sum_{\delta_1 , \cdots } e^{- t ' [ ( \delta_1 - \delta_2)^2 + \cdots + ( \delta_s - \delta_1)^2]},\end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath45 and @xmath46 .
since the sum over the @xmath31 and the sum over the @xmath32 decompose , we can evaluate the sum over @xmath32 using a transfer matrix .
we define the transfer matrix , @xmath47 , to have the components @xmath48 then @xmath49}.\ ] ] diagonalizing @xmath47 gives the eigenvalues @xmath50 , allowing us to take the trace easily .
notice that the decoupling of the ising variables , @xmath32 and integer variables , @xmath31 only decouple at densities given by eq .
( [ eq : densities ] ) . at other densities
, these additional couplings between the @xmath31 and @xmath32 complicates the evaluation of the transfer matrix trace .
the sum over the @xmath31 can be expressed in terms of jacobi theta functions @xcite , where the jacobi theta function is defined as @xmath51 first , notice that @xmath52}\ ] ] for @xmath53 and @xmath54 .
this leads to the expression @xmath55
\int_0 ^ 1 d\zeta~\theta_3(\zeta,\pi \rho a^2/2)^s,\ ] ] substituting this into equation ( [ eq : freeenergysum ] ) leads to a sum of two series , both of which are absolutely summable when @xmath56 . by analytic continuation , we extend this sum to the full range of parameters , leading to the free energy difference between the ocp with and without adsorption sites given by @xmath57 .\nonumber\\\end{aligned}\ ] ] in the limit that @xmath58 , we expect the free energy to be a sum of the free energies of two independent lines of sticky sites .
indeed , this limit yields @xmath59.\ ] ] in the opposite limit , @xmath60 , we expect the free energy to agree with that of a single line of adsorption sites with a potential given by @xmath61 .
it is easy to see that the free energy in this limit is @xmath62.\ ] ] written in terms of the dimensionless constants @xmath63 , @xmath64 and @xmath65 , we find the change in free energy as the adsorption sites approach each other , @xmath66 , to be given by @xmath67\\ & & - \frac{k_b t}{a^2 } \int_0 ^ 1 d\zeta~\ln \left [ \frac{1+\lambda ( 1-e^{- t ' } ) \theta_3(\zeta , t)}{1+\lambda \theta_3(\zeta , t ) } \right].\nonumber\end{aligned}\ ] ] recall that this free energy is only valid when @xmath68 for any positive integer @xmath41 .
thus , we can compare the free energy of states with the same lattice constant @xmath29 and background charge density @xmath0 , only for integer multiples of some specific valid separation @xmath30 . to be more specific ,
suppose we have the free energy at some density such that @xmath69 and separation @xmath30 , then at separation @xmath70 in the same background density , we have @xmath71 .
thus , the free energy formula eq .
( [ eq : free ] ) will be valid only for integer multiples of @xmath30 . in fig .
[ fig : energy1 ] , we plot @xmath72 as a function of @xmath30 for two values of the background density , @xmath0 , given by @xmath73 and @xmath74 , where @xmath75 is the smallest value of @xmath30 .
the lines of adsorption sites are always repulsive . for larger
@xmath30 , @xmath72 becomes zero quickly . in fig .
[ fig : energy2 ] , we plot @xmath72 as a function of @xmath30 for different values of @xmath76 .
as the depth of the potential is increased , the repulsive strength of the interaction is also increased .
this is indicative of the adsorption sites pinning charge on them , leading to their repulsion .
finally , we compute the average occupation number of a site . this is given by @xcite @xmath77 this is plotted as a function of @xmath76 for in fig .
[ fig : avgn ] for two lines with separation @xmath78 and @xmath69 ( solid line ) and for a single line of adsorption sites ( dashed line ) .
it is clear from fig .
[ fig : avgn ] that the repulsion inhibits the adsorption of the ions .
however , the separation @xmath79 is very small . at separations on the order of the site spacing
, there is no appreciable difference in the fraction of occupied sites as a function of @xmath3 .
in this section , we will compute the average counterion density at an arbitrary point @xmath80 .
we can find the density directly by fixing the position of one of the ions .
this will require the computation of the quantity @xmath81 where the sum is over all @xmath82-cycles @xmath28 .
then the average density is given by @xcite @xmath83 where @xmath84 and @xmath85 are the components of @xmath80 .
for @xmath86 , @xmath7 an integer , and for @xmath87 , equation ( [ eq : tdensity ] ) decomposes into the product @xmath88 where @xmath89}\nonumber\\ & & \times e^{- \pi \rho a x_0 ( n_1 + n_s ) + i \pi \rho a y_0 ( n_1 - n_s)}\end{aligned}\ ] ] and @xmath90}\nonumber\\ & & \times e^{- \pi \rho d y_0 ( \delta_1 + \delta_s ) } e^{i \pi \rho d ( \delta_1 - \delta_s)}.\end{aligned}\ ] ] defining @xmath91 and @xmath22 its complex conjugate , we find that @xmath92 } e^{- \pi \rho a ( n_1 z - n_s \bar{z})}.\ ] ] using the transfer matrix @xmath47 and defining a new diagonal matrix , @xmath93 and its complex conjugate @xmath94 , we find @xmath95 for @xmath96 and @xmath97 . evaluating @xmath98 gives @xmath99,\ ] ] where @xmath100 and @xmath101 , and @xmath102 . using the results of rosinberg _ et al . _
@xcite , we can compute @xmath98 in terms of @xmath103 \theta_3[\zeta+i z t/(\pi a),t ] + \theta_3[\zeta- i \bar{z } t/(\pi a),t ] \theta_3[\zeta - i z t/(\pi a),t ] \}/2 $ ] .
this gives @xmath104 e^{- \pi x_0 ^ 2/2 } \int_0 ^ 1 d\zeta~\theta_3^{s-1}(\zeta , t ) f(\zeta , z , t).\ ] ] using equation ( [ eq : density ] ) , we find the average density @xmath105 finally , we note that @xmath106/2 } \cos ( \pi \rho d x_0 ) \right\}\\ & & + \lambda_- \left\ { e^{- \pi \rho y_0 ^ 2 } + e^{- \pi \rho ( y_0-d)^2 } - 2 e^{- \pi \rho [ y_0 ^ 2 + ( y_0-d)^2]/2 } \cos ( \pi \rho d x_0 ) \right\},\nonumber\end{aligned}\ ] ] and @xmath107/2 } \cos ( \pi \rho d x_0 ) \right\}\\ & & + \lambda_+ \left\ { e^{- \pi \rho y_0 ^ 2 } + e^{- \pi \rho ( y_0-d)^2 } - 2 e^{- \pi \rho [ y_0 ^ 2 + ( y_0-d)^2]/2 } \cos ( \pi \rho d x_0 ) \right\}.\nonumber\end{aligned}\ ] ] notice that , for @xmath86 , the periodicity of @xmath108 in @xmath84 is always commensurate with the lattice spacing @xmath29 . in fig .
[ fig : density ] , we plot @xmath109 as a function of @xmath85 for @xmath110 , @xmath111 , and @xmath112 and for a variety of different spacings .
notice that the density has two peaks for large separations but a single peak as the separation @xmath30 becomes smaller than the periodicity @xmath29 . as a function of @xmath84 ,
the density is always periodic with period @xmath29 .
the main conclusion of our calculation is that for the geometry that we have chosen no attractive forces are induced by the discrete structure of the charged line . + the derivation of @xmath72 is valid for @xmath30 taking values that are integer multiples of @xmath113 .
further , eq . ( [ eq : free ] ) gives the correct free energy for @xmath114 ( as we have already seen ) .
it is conceivable , then , that eq .
( [ eq : free ] ) is correct for all values of @xmath0 and @xmath30 .
one of the features of this model that makes an exact evaluation possible is that a density @xmath0 can be found such that the ising variables @xmath32 and the integer variables @xmath31 are uncoupled .
when @xmath115 for an integer @xmath41 , a coupling does indeed arise that makes the computation of the free energy more difficult .
additionally , if the adsorption sites are not aligned , an additional @xmath116 component arises in @xmath35 , where @xmath117 measures the degree of misalignment .
this component introduces a coupling between the @xmath31 and @xmath32 that will be discussed in future work .
l.b . wants to acknowledge the warm hospitality of fyl pincus at the mrl of the university of california in santa barbara , where this project was started .
the idea of this research was inspired during discussions with fyl .
support from nsf through grant dmr02 - 03755 and doe grant de - fg02 - 03er 15422 is also graciously acknowledged .
+ a. yu .
grosberg , t.t .
nguyen , and b.i .
shklovskii , rev .
phys . * 74 * , 329 ( 2002 ) ; y. levin , rep .
prog . phys . *
65 * , 1577 ( 2002 ) ; a.g .
moreira , r.r .
electrostatic effects in soft matter and biophysics _ , edited by c. holm , p. kekicheff , and r. podgornik ( kluwer acad .
boston , 2001 ) .
see for example a.k .
mukherjee , j. phys .
matter * 16 * , 2907 , ( 2004 ) and references cited therein .
bloomfield , biopolymers * 31 * , 1471 ( 1991 ) l. blum , ch .
gruber , j. l. lebowitz and ph .
a. martin , phys .
letters , * 48 * 1769 ( 1982 ) . | arxiv |
Phantom of the Opera 1. Divine Presence
Erik sat forlornly in his lair, playing with his organ. Pardon me, playing ON his organ. He missed Christine so so so so so so so so much it felt like a large rabid dog had ripped out his intestines, chewed on them for hours, thrown them under a passing horse, and used them in a modern art installation before shoving them back down Erik's throat. He knew he could never, ever love anyone else ever ever again. Unless, of course, she was really pretty with a heart of gold and a singing voice to match.
* * *
A carriage pulled up to the Opera Populaire in Paris, and out stepped a young woman. She was so beautiful, a whole paragraph will be devoted to describing her.
Her hair was like beautiful, golden strands of dead cells grown through the scalp. Her clear, green orbs shone with excitement. She had lost her real eyes in a tragic accident the year before involving a goat intended for Satanic sacrifice and an old shoe. Her dress was the height of fashion, and it emphasized her perfect hourglass figure. Many people thought it was strange that her body consisted of two opposing triangles, but what did they know? She was absolutely beautiful. Her huge, green orbs took up the half of her face that weren't consumed by her lush, pillowy, perfectly red lips. Her nose was so tiny and perfect that at first glance one would miss it.
The girl stepped out and sighed. It was so difficult leaving her darling Maman and Papa to come pursue a life as a dancer in the famous Opera Populaire, but it had always been her dream. Her real goal was to sing.
She entered the operahouse, where a rehearsal was going on. Everyone stopped to stare at her perfectly-proportioned beauty. Several of the chorus girls hanged themselves upon seeing her, knowing that they could never hope to be as beautiful or graceful as she. Madame Giry curtsied deeply, as did the girl.
"I assume you are the new dancer?" she said in French. Because they're in France, and that's what they speak there.
The girl's brow furrowed in confusion. Didn't everyone speak English nowadays? Madame Giry sighed and repeated her question in heavily-accented English. The girl nodded, and spoke. At the sound of her voice, which was as beautiful as fenceposts covered in snow on a sunny July day in February, another dancer impaled herself on the tusk of a prop elephant.
"Yes, yes I am. My name is Marie-Suzette. I am here to be a dancer."
2. Christine Who?
Erik suddenly heard something. It sounded like an angel was singing. Not that he knew how that would sound, considering he was a MONSTER DAMNED FOREVER TO BE DAMNED AND LONELY AND WITHOUT CHRISTIIIIIIINE. Erik sniffed and stroked his organ morosely. But he heard the voice again. If he strained, he could hear the lyrics, even through five stories, a lake, and god knows what else.
_Every night in my dreams I see you.
I feel you.
That is how I know you go on._
_Far across the distance
And spaces between us
You have come to show you go on._
_Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on_
_Love can touch us one time
And last for a lifetime
And never go till we're one
And if you're still reading this I'm impressed_
_Love was when I loved you
One true time
I hold to
In my life we'll always go on_
_Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on_
_There is some love that will not go away_
_You're here, there's nothing I fear,
And I know that my heart will go on
We'll stay forever this way
You are safe in my heart
And my heart will go on and on_
Upstairs in the house, everyone who wasn't currently hanging from the stage ceiling or impaled on an elephant tusk-- so, six people-- applauded wildly. Marie-Suzette blushed fetchingly and curtsied.
"Wonderful! Marvelous! Brilliant!" shouted Madame Giry. "You shall be our new star and have Christine's old dressing room!"
Listening to this underneath his lair, Erik's brow furrowed. Christine? Christine who?
3. Bring Me To Life
Later that night, Marie-Suzette sat in front of the mirror in her new dressing room with her brush in hand, which she now proceeded to use. On her beautiful radiant marvelous dazzling glorious I got a thesaurus for my birthday magnificent glowing golden tresses. As she brushed her effulgent locks, she began to sing.
_How can you see into my eyes
Like open doors.
Leading you down into my core
Where I've become so numb.
Without a soul
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back home._
She began to cry at the all-around deepness of her soul and the lyrics that were spontaneously coming out of her mouth. Ordinarily, the dancers and other assorted members of the company would ritually murder anyone who kept them up-- after all, rehearsals started at five in the morning-- but Marie-Suzette was different. In a very, very beautiful way.
Someone else was listening to the gorgeous flowing words emenating from her oral orifice. That someone was Erik. He crouched in the passageway outside Marie-Suzette's mirror, watching her in a way that was not at all creepy or stalkerish. He longed to take her away, lead her down this pathway lined with arms holding candlelabras, down a lot of stairs, to a horse, down more stairs, across a lake, to his lair. Suddenly, he knew what he had to do. He burst out,
_All this time I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me_
Marie-Suzette looked up, surprised, but continued with Amy Lee's part. I mean, the spontaneous song she was singing.
_I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems
Got to open my eyes to everything_
They kept singing, their dazzling voices bringing the song to a hard-rockin', guitar-poundin' climax. The invisible orchestra accompanying their duet got quite a workout. Finally, after the final "Bring me to life", Marie-Suzette put her brush down reluctantly.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice as soft and demure as a dozen mute and blind kittens.
"I am your angel of music," Erik began singing softly. Marie-Suzette looked into the mirror sharply.
"Don't you start that shit again," she said. "I know you got into Christine's corset with that, but it's going to take a lot more to woo my sassy spirit."
Erik was stunned. "Um. Er... well then..."
"OH ERIK! TAKE ME NOW!" moaned Marie-Suzette, throwing herself against the mirror. She broke through it, landing in Erik's lap. A shard of glass cut her pretty brow, not enough to disfigure it, just enough to leave a pretty scar. "Oh Erik..." she murmured, just before falling into unconsciousness.
4. Speak English, Meg
First of all: I hate to break the satirical "fourth wall", but: wow. Thank you so much for all the reviews. I was barely expecting three, but thirteen? That totally blew me away.
And now, disclaimer: I don't own Phantom, but I wish I did, because oooooomg Gerard Butler is TEH SEX and it's sooooo obvious that Gaston Whatever wrote the book with him in mind. Also, Emmy Rossum needs to DIE, because GERRY IS MINE, WHORE!1 If only I could meet him, I know he would totally fall in love with me.
…oh, you want the story? Hokay.
Marie-Suzette woke slowly. She yawned and stretched attractively. Somewhere nearby, the serene music of an organ floated into the funnel of her ear, through the ear canal, and past the delicate bones of her ear to her brain, where it resonated pleasantly. She smiled, revealing her stunning teeth, which shone so brightly that the whole lair was illuminated with gleaming white light. Erik looked up from his organ brightly. She must be awake. He rushed over to her.
"Are you alright, Snookie Bear?" he asked in his halting English, sitting beside her. Marie-Suzette glared at him.
"How dare you kidnap me and bring me down here!" she snarled. Erik was puzzled. He looked a little like a puppy who was being petted and hit with a newspaper simultaneously.
"But—I zought you said—"
"I don't care what I said," Marie-Suzette said tearfully, her huge, beautiful green orbs filling up. "I'm a lady! I have my morals! Get me out of here this INSTANT! I have to sing in the opera tonight!"
Erik only understood about half of the sentence; his grasp of English wasn't so good. He got the idea of it, though.
"Of course. I shall take you back."
Marie-Suzette turned away, her luxurious golden curls covering her snooty expression. How dare this deformed monster, no matter how darkly sexy he was, touch her? Later, up in her dressing room, she reflected on his sinister attraction.
"Meg… I have a problem," she confided to her new best friend. Meg nodded, concerned about her friend's well-being, not caring at all that she had been delegated, once again, the role of sidekick.
"_Quest-ce que c'est_?" asked. Marie-Suzette rolled her eyes.
"English, Meg. You know I can't understand that." Meg sighed.
"What ees eet?"
"It's the Opera Ghost." Meg gasped, and Marie-Suzette continued. "He's been… following me. He kidnapped me brutally and took me down to his lair. And today… he sent me this." Marie-Suzette tossed an envelope at Meg. The seal, a wax skull, was broken. Meg took it out.
_Ma cherie,_
_Je t'aime beaucoup. Ton musique est de les anges. Tu est plus jolie de tout les femmes de Paris. Je tu regarder ce soir. Bonne chance._
_Ton servant fidel,_
Fantome de l'Opera
"Oh my…" said Meg. "You are right. Zees ees bad." Marie-Suzette's eyes widened in an attractive way.
"It is? I don't know what it says," she said. Meg smiled gently. She found her friend's unwillingness to learn French to be endearing, rather than ignorant and stubborn.
"Eet says: My dear. I luff you very much. Your museek is of zee ahngels. You are more byootiful zen all of zee girls in Paris. I weel be watching you tonight. Good luck. Your faithful servant, Opera Ghost."
Marie-Suzette groaned. It was a very ladylike groan.
"Why won't this sinister, mysteriously handsome man leave me alone?"
"Wait, zere ees more," said Meg. "'e would laik to take you on as 'ees student."
"Ees what?"
"_Hees student_," enunciated Meg. "For seenging."
"Oh. Oh!" exclaimed Marie-Suzette. "What nerve he has! I only met him yesterday!"
"Did you say anyzing? To… lead 'im on?"
Marie-Suzette stood abruptly.
"Of course not! What do you think I am, some kind of brazen strumpet?" She sneered. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready to perform in the opera that I was only cast in yesterday and opens tonight."
5. Lady Marmalade
Note before we begin: Some people seemed confused about why Meg wasn't annoyed at Marie-Suzette's reluctance to learn French. I think you'll find that many "original characters" have annoying qualities that others think are endearing. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews again. I appreciate every single one.
* * *
Marie-Suzette returned to her dressing room after the opera. There were very few casualties, though one of the dancers set herself on fire, which was needlessly messy. As soon as she opened the door, roses began flooding out. She fought to keep afloat in the sea of roses.
"Wow," she gasped, clearing a path into the room, "They must really like me." Her green gaze fell on an envelope sealed with a skull, and she groaned. "Oh, great, it's my stalker," she said loudly, mostly for the benifit of the chorus girls passing by. She might as well not have said anything, none of them spoke English. Once she closed the door, however, she clutched the letter to her perfect chest and sighed. She ripped it open.
Ma cherie,
Tu est tres belle. Tu a chante admirablement. Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?
Ton servant fidel,
Fantome de l'Opera
Marie-Suzette sighed. "Oh Opera Ghost," she said softly, her voice more beautiful than a thousand eagles on illegal drugs, "I can't continue this masquerade any longer. I've loved you since the first day I saw you. Which would be yesterday." Five stories down, Erik's ears perked up. He reluctantly removed his hands from his organ.
"Did someone say 'masquerade'?"
Marie-Suzette cleared her throat. "I said, I CAN'T CONTINUE..."
* * *
I'm away at the moment, so I don't know how frequent my updates will be. Just letting you know that I haven't forgotten about this.
6. Oh, Erik!
Well, I'm back, and I come bearing a new chapter. Thanks again to all the reviewers, especially the ones who did a seperate review for each chapter and offered me marriage proposals and so on.
Also, I know my French is deplorable.
* * *
Erik led Marie-Suzette down the several miles of stairs and accross the lake to his lair.
"What's that?" Marie-Suzette asked, pointing.
"Zat is my organ," Erik said hesitantly. Marie-Suzette smiled.
"It's so big. Can I touch it?" Erik was conflicted. He had never let anyone else touch his organ before, not even Christine. Then again, he was so in love with... with... what was her name? Erik tried to remember, after all, they'd only met two days ago. Well, whatever her name was, he was in love with her.
"Oh, Erik!" squealed Marie-Suzette suddenly, jumping on him. Erik, startled, flailed his arms madly and crashed to the ground. He struck his head on the side of the swan bed and began bleeding profusely. Marie-Suzette squealed and quickly moved off him. "Oh, Erik, what's happened to you?" Erik didn't say anything. It might have been because he was unconscious. "Oh, Erik," said Marie-Suzette tearfully, kneeling next to him and cradling his head in her lap. She ripped the hem of her skirt and used it to dab the huge, bleeding gash in Erik's head. "Don't worry, darling, I'll nurse you back to health. Oh, if only it were me! Then I could die tragically in YOUR arms rather than you bleeding to death in mine!"
Erik regained consciousness in time to hear the last. "Pardon?"
Marie Suzette jumped. "Oh, nothing, honey bear. Now, go back to sleep. Sleep is the best thing for a concussion."
* * *
Again, I apologize for the short chapters, but it's easier for me to write them that way, and easier for you to read. So, ease all around. And I might be presumptuous in saying this, but I can almost promise youa sex scene in the next chapter. Stay tuned.
7. The end
Erik recovered okay. It was all fine and inconsequential, despite Marie-Suzette's lack of medical knowledge. But I, your beloved author, am too lazy to finish up that particular subplot. Now, the final night of the opera was over, and Marie-Suzette descended into Erik's lair. Erik was surreptitiously touching his organ, and he jumped in surprise when she entered. She was still in her costume from the opera. He took her in his arms, and she was very surprised, considering he was by his organ just a second ago. He sniffed her neck, in a completely non-creepy way of course. She smelled of honey and candles and trees and ice cream and dust and Ethiopia and new cars and lace and solar eclipses and grass and mailboxes and tap shoes and math homework and gauze and road signs and telephones and breadboxes and rocks and innocence lost and hair and maps and cows and science teachers and sand and kites and clocks and picket fences and raptors and Home Depot and dirt and jewelry and rubbing alcohol and kittens and planetariums and golf balls and eyebrows.
"Oh Erik," she moaned, "You are my angel of music! And also possibly my dad! Have sex with me!"
Erik shrugged. "Okay."
And so they did.
"Oh, Marie-Suzette," panted Erik, two hours later. It had taken an hour and fifty-six minutes to take off her elaborate costume. "I luff you. Marry me and have my deformed babies, and together we shall be a walking advertisement for therapy."
"Oh, Erik," she gasped, "Those are the words I've been waiting to hear my whole life. Actually, for the past three—or is it four? —days. Let us run away together! Screw this stupid opera house."
"You must go and pack your things. I shall wait here. Here's a rose, in case something awful should happen to me. Which of course it won't, because that would be a terrible plot device. But hey, better safe than sorry, no?"
Marie-Suzette nodded and tucked the rose behind her ear so it highlighted her gorgeous curly locks and her stunning green orbs. She gave Erik a quick kiss on the cheek and rushed out.
* * *
When Marie-Suzette returned to her quarters, she was greeted by Meg.
"Oh, Meg, I have the most wonderful news!" she gasped. "Erik and I are running away together!"
Meg looked puzzled. "Why would you think that I would think that's good news? Are you wrong in the head?"
Marie-Suzette nodded. "Well, a little."
Meg sighed. "I hate to break it to you, sister, but there's an angry mob on their way down to his lair right now. And it's led by your viscount paramour. Rob? Ralph?"
"Raoul," Marie-Suzette corrected. "Wait… what's that about an angry mob?"
Meg repeated what she had just said. Marie-Suzette fell to her knees in anguish.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she sobbed, reaching for the rose behind her ear and cradling it like a child.
"Oh, dramatize," Meg muttered. "You know, I'm sure you could get down there in time to save him. They're not really that organized. If you leave now—"
"NO!" sobbed Marie-Suzette. "It's too late!"
"But they haven't even left yet. You have plenty of time…"
"IT'S TOO LATE!"
"They don't even have torches. All they have are lit matches. And they have salad forks instead of pitchforks."
Marie-Suzette stopped her wailing to glower at Meg.
"What part of 'too late' don't you understand?"
* * *
Eventually, the angry mob made it down to Erik's lair. Raoul stepped out of the boat.
"PHANTOM!" he shouted in a manly voice. "Show yourself! It is I, Raoul!" He struck a heroic pose. Erik looked up in befuddlement. Here he was, naked in his lair, minding his own business, and here comes an angry mob bursting in without even knocking. The rudeness of some people.
"What do you want, Raoul?" he sighed, pulling on Marie-Suzette's costume.
"I have come—" here he paused dramatically. "To kill you!"
"First can you help me with this?" asked Erik, gesturing to the costume. "These corset lacings are a bitch and a half."
"Oh, of course," said Raoul, sheathing his sword and going over to help him. He pulled on the laces, and saw Erik's smooth, supple skin pucker with the movement.
"Oh, Erik…" Raoul's voice came out in a breathy murmur. Erik turned his big, limpid, golden eyes towards Raoul.
"Raoul, I… I never realized how handsome you are."
"Yes, I am," murmured Raoul, turning Erik around to face him. He drew him close. "Be mine forever,"
"But darling," Erik murmured, his lips inches from Raoul's, "you know this can never be."
"Why not?" asked Raoul, burning to close the gap between their faces.
"Because this isn't slashfic. We both want what's-her-face, remember?"
Raoul pulled back.
"Oh. Yes. I suppose you're right. Well." He turned back to the angry mob, who was watching this exchange with interest. "Shall we get on with it then?"
* * *
Marie Suzette entered Erik's lair as soon as she saw the angry mob leave. Erik was lying dead on the floor. She rushed over to him with a sob.
"Oh, Erik," she moaned passionately, "You were the only man I ever loved. I'll never love again, ever, ever, ever!" She looked up. "Now where did Raoul go?"
* * *
THE END!
I would like to thank ALL my reviewers, every last one of you, for reviewing it; Gaston Leroux for writing the story; Andrew Lloyd Webber for fucking it up; and… the goldfish I had when I was three.
End file.
| fanfiction |
at the turn of the 20th century studies of heat capacity of solids at low temperatures played an important role in revealing the quantum character of nature @xcite .
this example vividly illustrates the power of calorimetry in science . as a matter of fact
calorimetric measurements reveal so great a deal of information about matter that calorimetry , whose name originates from the now obsolete caloric theory of heat described , for example , by lavoisier @xcite , has become an indispensable tool for modern day research in chemistry , physics , materials science , and biology @xcite .
this is due to the fact that it allows one to directly monitor the free energy change of a given system as the external parameter such as temperature varies .
this unique ability of calorimetry follows from the fact that it measures heat capacity as well as heat itself .
heat capacity at constant pressure is defined thermodynamically by @xmath0 where @xmath1 , and @xmath2 are the temperature , the enthalpy , and the entropy of a given system , respectively .
thus , from the measured heat ( such as latent heat , heat of reaction , etc . ) and heat capacity , one may be able to reconstruct the free energy of the system as a function of temperature or some other thermodynamic variable . despite these positive attributes and historic roles of calorimetry
, one may naturally ask a question in the beginning of a new millennium : is there any new scientific aspect in calorimetry which will continue to attract attention and require genuine efforts of researchers in the 21st century ?
this question appears particularly pertinent if we consider the fact that calorimetry is generally known as an old discipline dealing with thermodynamics of bulk materials , while a large portion of the recent research efforts in various fields seem to be directed to a understanding of the dynamic and/or local properties of matter @xcite . in this short paper ,
i wish to address the question from a personal point of view .
measurement of a thermodynamic quantity is the usual notion that is tied to calorimetry , since heat capacity is normally recognized as a static thermodynamic quantity as defined above .
however , it is possible to go beyond this traditional understanding and generalize heat capacity as a dynamic quantity .
indeed , it is precisely my point that calorimetry should be generalized into the dynamic and/or local regime to be able to deal with new scientific issues in the coming years .
in particular , the dynamic generalization should empower calorimetry to deal with dynamic phenomena in condensed matter , and at the same time may even enable it in certain cases to become a local probe .
here , i wish to describe the general principle and practice of _ dynamic calorimetry _ ( formally defined below ) , and only briefly touch upon the generalization into the local regime .
the details of local calorimetry will be published elsewhere @xcite .
let us start with the formal definition of generalized _ dynamic heat capacity_. of course , the term implies that heat capacity is a quantity which may depend on either measuring time or frequency .
the concept of dynamic heat capacity appears natural if one recalls that static thermodynamic quantities are time - averaged ( or ensemble - averaged ) . in other words , they are static not because they do not change in time , but because they change too rapidly on the experimental time scale .
suppose , for instance , that a system contains a dynamic process relaxing with a characteristic time @xmath3 which lies within our experimental time window , then this will result in a time - dependent heat capacity @xmath4 depending on the time scale of measuring .
in the frequency domain , this would lead to the complex frequency - dependent heat capacity @xmath5 , and @xmath5 of this system would show a dispersion in its real part and a peak in its imaginary part at @xmath6 . one can utilize the linear response theory to formally define dynamic heat capacity @xcite , and @xmath5 can be written in terms of enthalpy correlation function : @xmath7 where @xmath8 is the usual static heat capacity , @xmath9 is the slowly relaxing portion of enthalpy fluctuation , and @xmath10 denotes thermal averaging . the static heat capacity can be written as a sum of the fast part @xmath11 ( due to phonons in condensed matter which is our concern ) , and the slow part : @xmath12 from eq .
[ eq : dyn def ] it is easy to see that the slow relaxation of enthalpy governed by the system dynamics is the origin of the dynamic , or frequency - dependent , heat capacity and therefore one can probe the slow dynamics of the system by measuring the dynamic heat capacity . of course , it goes without saying that this would be possible only if the slow part of enthalpy fluctuation lies within the experimental time scale . throughout this paper ,
i shall use dynamic calorimetry to collectively represent the calorimetric methods which allow the measurements of dynamic heat capacity .
in this section , i briefly expound the general principle of dynamic calorimetry . as usual with any dynamic experiment , dynamic calorimetry can be conducted in either time or frequency domain .
the results obtained in the time domain are related to those acquired in the frequency domain by the fourier transform , and vice versa .
it should also be pointed out that there are again two ways , designated as type a and b , of measuring the dynamic heat capacity of a given system in the time domain .
( and the same is true in the frequency domain . ) in type a , one may attempt to induce a temperature jump in the system by thermally attaching the system to a heat reservoir whose temperature is not at the same value as that of the system , and measure the response @xmath13 .
the variation of the enthalpy of the system can be monitored by watching the heat flow @xmath14 from the reservoir to the system , since @xmath15 by the first law of thermodynamics .
this is the method used in commercial differential scanning calorimeters ( dsc ) where temperature is varied according to a programmed schedule and the resulting power is measured .
the converse situation occurs in the type b : one supplies a known amount of heat to the system and monitors the ensuing temperature response with a sensor . to expose the difference of the two methods more clearly , a schematic diagram depicting the situation is shown in fig . 1 .
1(a ) illustrates the type a , where the system is in intimate contact with the reservoir .
now suppose that there is a step - like temperature jump @xmath16 in the reservoir .
the same @xmath16 shift will be established in the system temperature via the heat flow from the reservoir to the system .
if one carefully analyzes @xmath14 as a function of time , one will find that it consists of two parts : the instantly responding part , @xmath17 , and the more slowly responding part , @xmath18 .
in other words , the system takes up @xmath19 , which is due to the fast degrees of freedom ( phonons in most cases of interest ) , and brings up its temperature ( or more accurately its phonon temperature ) by @xmath16 instantly .
however , it takes time for its slow degrees of freedom to respond and they will absorb @xmath20 gradually from the reservoir to reach equilibrium @xcite .
the opposite situation is encountered in the type b , depicted in fig .
1(b ) , where a constant amount of heat is supplied to the system and the temperature of the system is followed .
here at the instant when heat is supplied , the energy is shared only among the fast degrees of freedom , and then part of energy slowly diffuses into the slow degrees of freedom .
thus , the temperature of the system first shows a step - like jump which is then followed by a gradual decrease as a part of the supplied heat energy is acquired by the slow degrees of freedom . at this point
it is worthwhile to emphasize that what one measures with a sensor and calls the temperature of a system is actually that of the fast degrees of freedom of the system , with which the sensor is in direct thermal contact . in what follows
, i shall enumerate various experimental methods which are currently in use to measure dynamic heat capacity .
technical details of these methods , however , are completely left out , and the interested reader should refer to the literature @xcite .
traditional ac calorimetry @xcite , which belongs to type b , is a calorimetric technique in which a small amount of oscillating heat is supplied to a sample either by joule heating or heating by light and in either case the ensuing temperature oscillation is measured .
since this temperature oscillation is inversely proportional to the heat capacity of the sample in the proper regime , one can determine the heat capacity of the sample by carrying out measurements at a judicially chosen frequency . while this method was mainly used to determine static heat capacity of materials , it is natural to extend the technique as a dynamic probe .
consider a situation where an oscillating power of frequency @xmath21 is applied to a sample of typical thickness @xmath22 and thermal diffusivity @xmath23 .
then the thermal wavelength @xmath24 characterize the length over which the temperature oscillation decays , and the condition , @xmath25 , must be satisfied in order that the sample may be regarded as oscillating in temperature as a whole , i.e. , without a temperature gradient .
since the lack of a temperature gradient in the sample is prerequisite for an ac calorimeter to work as a dynamic calorimeter , one may add metallic wires for a liquid sample to enhance thermal conduction in the sample and may make it as thin as possible for a solid sample
. however , there exists an unavoidable limit in this approach due to the fact that the thermal wavelength decreases as frequency increases , and eventually beomes shorter than @xmath22 .
since the geometry of a sample here is not particularly well defined , it is very hard to deal with the situation where a temperature gradient exists in the sample .
so , the method is usually limited to less than 1 hz for liquids or dielectric crystals and perhaps tens of hz for metallic solids . in order to extend the dynamic range of calorimetry , one has to deal with the temperature gradient effect , rather than
try to avoid it .
one method , which has been successful , is to take advantage of a well - defined geometry with thickness of a sample much larger than the thermal wavelength .
here one faces a heat - diffusion problem in a semi - infinite medium with a heater on the surface that generates the oscillating power .
the well - defined geometry of the sample in this case enables one to solve the heat diffusion equation exactly , and it turns out that the surface temperature oscillation is determined by the thermal properties of the medium .
thus , one can extract the dynamic heat capacity by measuring the surface temperature oscillation as a function of the frequency of the oscillating power .
the 3@xmath21 method adopts a clever idea of using a metallic heater on the surface simultaneously as a temperature sensor that measures the surface temperature oscillation @xcite .
since the sensor is at the same position as the heater ( it is the heater itself ) , one does not encounter a problem associated with the fact that the temperature oscillation decays within the thermal wavelength which becomes short at high frequencies .
thus , one can raise the upper limit of the dynamic range of modulation calorimetry .
the reason why it is called the 3@xmath21 method is the following : since one uses joule - heating by passing an electric current at a certain frequency @xmath21 through a metallic heater on the surface of a material , the surface temperature oscillation occurs at 2@xmath21 .
this temperature oscillation induces resistance oscillations in the heater at the same frequency , and then the voltage drop across the heater itself would include a term at 3@xmath21 .
this 3@xmath21 signal is detected to yield the dynamic heat capacity of the material at 2@xmath21 . the currently available frequency in 3@xmath21
calorimetry ranges approximately from 0.01 hz to 50 khz @xcite .
a differential scanning temperature modulated calorimeter ( dstmc ) is a commercially available calorimeter , which allows one to do dynamic calorimetry @xcite .
differential scanning calorimeters are distinct from the modulation calorimeters described above in that they belong to type a. a dsc measures the heat flow to a sample , which is necessary to keep up with the prescribed temperature variation , normally linear heating or cooling , of the reservoir ( or the block ) . in dstmc , this conventional temperature program has a superimposed periodic temperature variation , so that @xmath26 where @xmath27 is the initial temperature , @xmath28 is the underlying heating rate , and @xmath29 and @xmath21 are the amplitude and frequency of modulation . by measuring the response of the sample to this temperature variation one
can , at least in principle , obtain dynamic information as a function of frequency .
although dstmc has contributed to the widespread use of modulation calorimetry , there remains some problems to be clarified before it can be used reliably as a dynamic calorimetric tool .
a particualrly serious problem is that the signal one gets from dstmc seems to be not only due to the sample properties , but also due to the calorimeter itself .
currently much effort is being spent on this problem @xcite .
peltier calorimetry is an ac calorimetric method developed specifically for the heat capacity measurements , dynamic as well as static , of minute samples @xcite .
most conventional calorimetric methods require indispensable addenda ( heater and sensor ) to be put on a sample and the mass of these addenda may even be greater than that of the sample in case of minute sample masses .
the results of this situation are the loss of sensitivity and accuracy in determining the absolute value of heat capacity . in other words , the unavoidable calibration procedure ( removing the background due to the addenda ) introduces uncertainty in both accuracy and precision .
peltier calorimetry overcomes this difficulty by utilizing the well - known peltier effect of a thermocouple as an ac power source ; the junction of a very thin thermocouple ( of diameter 1 mil or less ) attached to a sample is so tiny that its mass is totally negligible and therefore it can play the role of an ideal heater .
it should be pointed out that a thermocouple can not only heat , but also cool the system , whereas other power sources such as joule heating or heating by light can only heat the system .
the temperature oscillation is sensed with another thermocouple which again does not disturb the system .
peltier calorimetry is superior to other modulation methods in that the experimental setup is simple , the average temperature of a sample is at , not above as in traditional ac calorimetry , the bath temperature , and it directly yields absolute values of the heat capacity of sub - milligram samples without the necessity of a calibration procedure . a novel extension of peltier calorimetry is the peltier thermal microscope , which would enable one to measure local thermophysical properties of matter at small length scales . for this purpose , we have shown that a single junction can be used simultaneously as both power source and sensor @xcite .
it must be stressed that this represents a conceptual deviation from the normal notion that a power source and a sensor are required separately in calorimetry and constitutes a major step toward a local calorimeter .
then , substitution of a thermocouple for a tip in an atomic force microscope would constitute a thermal microscope @xcite .
a potentially very useful characteristic of the peltier microscope is that one can change the probing length scale ( thermal diffusion length ) by changing the frequency of a current in the thermocouple .
the successful development of the peltier thermal microscope would be an exciting and important event for this so - called nano - age where the sub - micrometer local thermophysical properties are in great demand .
one of the most difficult tasks in calorimetry is to contain the leakage of heat , since there does not exist a perfect thermal insulator . even if there were one , radiation would still have to be contained . in adiabatic
calorimetry , heat leak from a sample to the surroundings is controlled to zero as tightly as possible . since nernst first constructed an adiabatic calorimeter @xcite , adiabatic calorimetry has been the most accurate method of determining static heat capacity .
in addition to this capability an adiabatic calorimeter can be used as a means of dynamic calorimetry in time domain @xcite . in time domain dynamic calorimetry
, a certain amount of heat is applied instantaneously to a sample and its temperature response is examined in real time .
recall the situation depicted in fig .
1(b ) . since the adiabaticity is maintained all the time , the variation of temperature in time is nothing but time dependent heat capacity . by varying the values of applied energy , one can induce temperature jumps of varying size .
while it is not easy to apply a large amount of power to a sample in modulation calorimetry , there is no difficulty in varying the temperature jump sizes in time domain dynamic calorimetry .
thus this feature of the time domain method allows one to study nonlinear temperature relaxation @xcite .
one classical method to extract dynamic calorimetric information from a system is to perform scanning experiments . in this method
the experimental time scale is set by the scanning rate @xmath30 .
traditionally commercial differential scanning calorimeters have been utilized for this purpose @xcite , but adiabatic calorimeters can also be operated in the scanning mode . since the adiabatic condition between the sample and the shield must be maintained during operation , it is usual that the scanning mode is adopted in a heating experiment @xcite .
however , it is necessary to measure heat capacity during cooling as well as heating at various scanning rates to extract dynamic information if a substance shows frequency dependence in heat capacity .
this situation motivated us to develop a method to use an adiabatic calorimeter in a rate - scanning mode at variable rates during both heating and cooling @xcite . in the cooling mode , a constant temperature difference
is maintained , and then there is a heat flow from the sample to the shield .
it turns out that one can control the cooling rate by varying the size of the temperature difference .
the heat flow in this case is not a leak , but is used as a negative input power in a controlled fashion .
the calorimeter used in this way can be operated in both heating and cooling modes in the scanning range of 0.01 - 2 k / min .
it is noted that adiabatic dynamic calorimetry belongs to type b.
in this paper i have outlined dynamic calorimetric techniques currently in use .
modulation calorimetry of type b , where one supplies a small oscillating heat input to a sample , allows one to measure the dynamic heat capacity in addition to the usual static heat capacity under equilibrium conditions .
one can measure dynamic heat capacity directly with a traditional ac calorimeter .
however , the dynamic range provided by this method is quite limited , below 1 hz in many cases with solids as well as liquids . to extend the dynamic range , one can use the 3@xmath21 method . while this method raises the upper frequency limit to tens of khz
, one has to pay the price of being involved with thermal conductivity . to get dynamic heat capacity data
, one has to perform separate measurements of the thermal conductivity .
a commercial dstmc , which belongs to type a , is a convenient tool for qualitative purposes , but it seems that there remains some problems to be solved before it can become a quantitative dynamic calorimeter .
a peltier calorimeter is an attractive method for obtaining the dynamic heat capacity of minute samples .
currently , a peltier thermal microscope , a variation of the peltier calorimeter , is under development .
an adiabatic calorimeter is the most accurate tool for heat capacity and latent heat measurements . in particular ,
the latent heat information is very difficult to obtain with other methods . with the advance in computer control and electronics technology ,
the operation of adiabatic calorimeters has become less tedious and less time - consuming .
this advance has allowed the time domain dynamic calorimetry where one follows the temperature change of the system under adiabatic conditions , after a certain amount of heat is given to a system .
enthalpy relaxation , including nonlinear relaxation , can be studied in real time with adiabatic calorimeters . as for the future research
, one may try to extend the dynamic range of the 3@xmath21 method above the current frequency limit , tens of khz .
if successful , then the thermal wavelength can enter the submicrometer regime in dielectric materials .
this would allow the characterization of thermal properties of thin films with submicrometer thicknesses .
this kind of information is not only scientifically interesting ( heat capacity and thermal conductivity of a sample with restricted geometry ) but also technologically important ( efficient heat transport in thin films ) .
the development of noncontact heating at higher frequencies than is available with the present light chopping would be very helpful in enhancing the applicability of modulation calorimeters .
various techniques for measuring thermophysical properties of thin films utilizing advanced laser technology seem very promising @xcite . although we have generalized heat capacity temporally by defining a dynamic heat capacity , one may also attempt to generalize heat capacity spatially by defining a heat capacity which is wavenumber as well as frequency dependent .
this full generalization of heat capacity would constitute a challenge theoretically as well as experimentally .
development of local calorimeters with nanoscale or at least sub - micrometer resolution would be an exciting event .
this is particularly urgent to keep up with the current technology trend heading toward the nanometer regime .
even with the current dynamic range , it is recognized that dynamic calorimetry has wide applications in diverse fields .
for example , biological systems , where slow dynamics is often an important occurrence , may be suitable to be studied by dynamic calorimetry .
also of keen interest and a good candidate for dynamic calorimetry is the melting phenomenon , where one can expect contributions from time - dependent processes . here
the latent heat effect and specific heat effects are usually entangled in calorimetric measurements to make the interpretation of data obscure ; however , by combining various methods presented here one can hope to disentangle them .
one can also expect to find use of dynamic calorimeters in situations involving solids : global thermal hysteresis phenomenon in incommensurate ferroelectrics , heat conduction in porous media and so on .
a. einstein , ann .
physik * 22 * , 180 ( 1907 ) .
a. lavoisier , _ elements of chemistry _ ( paris , 1789 ) .
see , for example , b. wunderlich , _ thermal analysis _
, academic press ( san diego , 1990 ) . a consensus regarding the current status of calorimetry
was reached by the participants of the 6th lhnwitz seminar on calorimetry in the final discussion session .
d. h. jung , i. k. moon , and y. h. jeong , unpublished .
y. h. jeong and i. k. moon , _ phys .
b _ , * 52 * , 6381 ( 1995 ) . here
we are arbitrarily dividing degrees of freedom in condensed matter into fast and slow ones .
generally , the phonon time scale ( of order of pico - second ) would be instantaneous for the present purpose , but the slow time scale may range from hundreds of seconds ( mhz ) to micro - second ( mhz ) .
y. h. jeong , _ thermochimica acta _ , * 304/305 * , 67 ( 1997 ) .
f. sullivan and g. seidel , _ phys .
_ , * 173 * , 679 ( 1968 ) .
i. hatta , pure & appl . chem . * 64 * , 79 ( 1992 ) .
n. birge and s. nagel , _ phys .
_ , * 54 * , 2674 ( 1985 ) .
d. h. jung , t. w. kwon , d. j. bae , i. k. moon , and y. h. jeong , _ meas .
_ , * 3 * , 475 ( 1992 ) . i. k. moon , y. h. jeong , and s. i. kwun , _ rev .
instrum . _ , * 67 * , 29 ( 1996 ) .
d. h. jung and y. h. jeong , unpublished .
previously dstmc was called by a variety of abbreviation such as mtdsc , tmdsc , ddsc , mdsc , odsc , etc . , and
ictac recommended provisionally the use of mtdsc in its publication .
however , the working group on temperature modulated calorimetry , set up in 1997 by ictac and chaired by b. wunderlich , examined the situation thoroughly and settled on dstmc . c. schick and g. hhne ( eds . ) , _ thermochimica acta _ ,
* 330 * ( 1999 ) .
i. k. moon , d. h. jung , k. b. lee , and y. h. jeong , appl .
lett . , * 76 * , 2451 ( 2000 ) .
a. majumdar , j. p. carrejo , and j. lai , appl .
* 62 * , 2501 ( 1993 ) .
w. nernst , _ ann .
_ , * 36 * , 395 ( 1911 ) .
b. wunderlich and m. dole , j. poly .
, * 24 * , 201 ( 1957 )
. i. k. moon and y. h. jeong , pure & appl .
, * 69 * , 2321 ( 1997 ) . c. moynihan et al . ,
_ n. y. acad .
_ , * 279 * , 15 ( 1976 ) .
j. thoen , _ phase transitions in liquid crystals _ , plenum press , new york , chap . 10
i. k. moon and y. h. jeong , _ rev .
_ , * 67 * , 3553 ( 1996 ) . y. nagasaka and t. baba , _ progress in heat transfer _ , vol .
3 ( japan society of mechanical engineers , 2000 ) . to @xmath31 at a certain instant ( top and second figure ) .
the heat flow @xmath14 from the reservoir to the system , as described in the third figure , is measured .
an instantaneous heat absorption , corresponding to @xmath32 , by the fast degrees of freedom is followed by the gradual heat flow caused by the absorption due to the slow degrees of freedom ( bottom figure ) .
( b ) type b : a certain amount of heat , @xmath33 , is given to a system ( as sketched in the top and second figure ) , and the change in @xmath34 is followed in time .
@xmath34 jumps instantaneously , and this jump is accompanied by a gradual decrease as the supplied heat energy is shared by the slow degrees of freedom ( third figure ) .
the decrease in @xmath32 appears as an increase in the internal enthalpy @xmath35 by the same amount ( bottom figure).,width=377 ] | arxiv |
in our previous study , a highly dispersed
carboxyl - functionalized swnt system was sorted by density gradient
ultracentrifugation ( dgu ) in aqueous solution to obtain single - dispersed
swnt .
these swnt fractions were found to have higher yield ( 50% output ) ,
better reproducibility , and less cytotoxicity than previous preparations .
the swnt fraction was further characterized by atomic force microscope
( afm ) ( supporting information figure s1a ) ,
which revealed that the swnts were well dispersed and had an average
diameter of 12 nm ( supporting information figure s1b ) .
this is consistent with our previous study by afm height
measurements with hr - tem results .
we investigated the competence of autophagy in purified primary glial
cells ( supporting information figure s2 )
from crnd8 mice and wild - type ( wt ) controls and the influences of
swnt treatment . to mimic extracellular fluid ( ecf ) circulation in
the brain ,
culture medium was continuously removed and replaced by
fresh medium with / without swnt at a constant rate using a mechanical
pump . by also removing app metabolites
secreted into the medium , this
procedure eliminated the possibility of superimposed effects of a
reinternalized after its release from the cells . to evaluate autophagy
and the impact of swnt exposure , we cultured wt and crnd8 glial cells
in medium without or with swnt at 0.05 g / ml , a concentration
determined to be 10-fold lower than that which induced toxicity assessed
by mtt assay ( supporting information figure
s3 ) . this swnt concentration was previously found to be neuroprotective
in our previous analyses of a neurodegeneration model ( xue et al .
,
we used the specific mtor inhibitor , rapamycin ( 5 nm ) , an established
autophagic inducing agent .
culture medium
containing either swnt , rapamycin , or deoxycholate sodium vehicle
alone was continuously flowed over glial cells for 10 h , following
which the glial cells were cultured with fresh medium without any
treatment . to characterize autophagy , we conducted immunoblot
analyses using
a panel of autophagy pathway markers that allowed us to interrogate
multiple steps in the autophagy pathway ( figure 1 ) , including mtor activation state ( i.e. , p70 s6 kinase phosphorylation
state ) , autophagosome formation ( i.e. , lc3-positive vesicles ) , and
lysosome function ( i.e. , lc3 and p62 turnover , cathepsin d ( catd )
maturation , lysosome acidification ) .
comparisons of untreated wt versus
crnd8 glial cells in figure 2 established two
autophagy defects , an abnormal activation of mtor signaling , reflecting
suppression of autophagy induction , and an impairment of lysosome
function in crnd8 glia ( figure 3 ) .
( a ) formation of lc3-positive
vesicular puncta ( autophagosomes ) in crnd8 glial cells
treated with swnt and rapamycin detected by immunofluorescence using
lc3 antibody .
( b ) western blot analysis showing lc3 levels with rapamycin
( 5 nm , 24 h ) as a positive control and actin as a loading control .
* p < 0.05 , * * p < 0.01 , * * * p < 0.001 versus crnd8 control group ( ctrd8-ctrl ) ; p < 0.05 , p < 0.01 , p < 0.001 versus the
wt - ctrl group ; n = 3 .
( c ) western blot analysis of
lc3-ii levels in the absence and presence of leupeptin , a cysteine
protease inhibitor , which blocks lysosomal degradation of lc3-ii .
the difference in lc - ii levels under these two conditions is a measure
of autophagosome formation .
data are
presented as means sd * p < 0.05 , * * p < 0.01 , * * * p < 0.001 versus crnd8
control group ( ctrd8-ctrl ) ; p < 0.05 , p < 0.01 , p < 0.001 versus the wt - ctrl group ; n = 3 . ( d )
autophagic flux detection showing by western blots with antiphospho - mtor
( p - mtor ) , antitotal - mtor ( t - mtor ) , antiphospho - p70s6k ( p - p70s6k ) ,
antitotal - p70s6k ( t - p70s6k),antiphospho - ulk1 ( p - ulk1 ) , and antitotal - ulk1
( t - ulk1 ) antibodies after treatment with swnt 10 h following fresh
medium instead for 14 h and rapamycin for 24 h. the ratio of p - mtor / t - mtor
( e ) , p - p70s6k / t - p70s6k ( f ) , p - ulk1/t - ulk1 ( g ) are quantified .
data
are presented as means sd * p < 0.05 , * * p < 0.01 , * * * p < 0.001 versus crnd8
control group ( ctrd8-ctrl ) ; p < 0.05 , p < 0.01 , p <
( a )
catd immunoblots showing
the mature form ( matu - catd , 32 kda ) and their pro - form ( pro - catd ,
49 kda ) in both wt and crnd8 glial cells . the proportions of mature - catd
and pro - catd are measured .
data are presented as means sd * p < 0.05 , * * p < 0.01 , * * * p < 0.001 versus crnd8 control group ( crnd8-ctrl ) ; p < 0.05 , p < 0.01 , p < 0.001 versus the
wt - ctrl group ; n = 3 .
( b ) catd activity assays are
assessed with lysotracker and bodipy - fl - pepstatin a , which binds to
active catd .
( c ) quantitative
analysis of the intensity of bodipy - fl - pepstatin a - positive compartments .
data are presented as means sem n = 4050
each , randomly ; * * * p < 0.001 versus crnd8 control
group ( crnd8-ctrl ) ; p < 0.001 versus
the wt - ctrl group .
( d ) immunofluorescence images showing double labeling
with lamp2-positive lysosome ( green ) and catd - postitive lysosomal
enzyme ( red ) in representative wt and crnd8 glial cells with high - magnification
images shown in inset .
catd / lamp2-positive vesicles were counted with
imagej , presenting their relative size ( e ) and relative number ( f )
of lysosomes .
data are presented as means sem n = 4050 each , randomly ; * * * p < 0.001
versus crnd8 control group ( crnd8-ctrl ) ; p < 0.001 versus the wt - ctrl group .
( g ) western blot analysis of
p62 levels in the absence and presence of leupeptin .
data are presented
as means sd * p < 0.05 , * * p < 0.01 , * * * p < 0.001 versus crnd8 control
group ( ctrd8-ctrl ) ; n = 3 .
to
assess autophagosome formation , we monitored lc3 , which shifts from
the cytosolic lc3-i form to lc3-ii , its lipidated vesicle - associated
form , when lc3 is recruited to membranes to form new autophagosomes . lc3-ii is then degraded when autophagosomes
are cleared by lysosomes ; therefore , steady - state levels of this protein
reflect its formation and degradation .
these two processes can be
further differentiated experimentally by blocking lc3-ii degradation
by inhibiting lysosomal cysteine proteases with the inhibitor leupeptin . at baseline , lc3-ii positive vesicles , marking
the presence of autophagosomes , were uncommon in both crnd8 and wt
cells , suggesting a low rate of formation ( figure 2a ) .
immunoblot analysis of lc3-ii steady - state levels , however ,
was increased in crnd8 glia ( figure 2b ) .
together ,
these results suggested a low rate of autophagosome formation but
impaired lc3-ii degradation in crnd8 cells . to further substantiate
a low rate of autophagosome formation in crnd8 cells , we evaluated
changes in lc3-ii in the presence or absence of leupeptin .
when lc3-ii
degradation is blocked by leupeptin , its accumulation reflects only
the formation of autophagosomes .
this analysis revealed 88% less lc3-ii
build - up in crnd8 glia than in wt cells , establishing that autophagosome
formation is substantially reduced and that reduced lysosomal degradation
is the cause of the elevated lc3-ii level ( figure 2c ) . to explain the lowered autophagosome formation ,
we analyzed upstream mtor signaling that controls the induction of
autophagosome production .
in crnd8 glial cells , mtor , a constitutive
suppressor of autophagy induction , exhibited increased activation ,
as reflected in its higher phosphorylation state by western blot analysis
( figure 2d , e ) , paralleling an increased phosphorylation
state of one of its substrates , p70s6k ( figure 2d , f ) .
in addition , the phosphorylation state of another mtor substrate
unc051 kinase 1 ( ulk1 ) ( at ser757 ) , which is directly linked to the
process of autophagosome formation was also increased ( figure 2d , g ) .
these findings confirmed increased mtor signaling ,
which is associated with a suppression of autophagy induction and
autophagosome formation .
swnt treatment reversed abnormally
suppressed autophagy induction
in crnd8 glia but , notably , had minimal effect on wt glia .
the ratios
of phospho - variant to total forms of mtor and p70s6k in crnd8 glial
were both lowered by swnt treatment back to wt levels ( figure 2d f ) .
in addition , the phosphorylation state
of p - ulk1 was also reduced in crnd8 glia to a level similar to that
in wt glia ( figure 2d , g ) .
interestingly , the
autophagy inducer rapamycin had similar effects to swnt in crnd8 glia
( figure 2d g ) , but unlike swnt , rapamycin
also induced autophagy in wt cells , as expected .
thus , swnt had relatively
selective effect in reversing app - driven pathological activation of
mtor signaling in crnd8 glia without affecting the normal baseline
signaling in wt cells .
these selective effects of swnt in reducing
mtor signaling and inducing autophagy in crnd8 glia are supported
by further immunocytochemical studies showing markedly increased numbers
of lc3-positive puncta in swnt treated crnd8 cells ( figure 2a ) .
all forms of autophagy share the common cardinal
feature of autophagic substrate digestion within lysosomes .
in addition to having impaired autophagy induction ,
crnd8 glia exhibited significant lysosomal dysfunction .
catd maturation
was markedly inhibited as evidenced by greatly lowered levels of the
mature ( most active ) 32 kda form and an upward shift in the apparent
molecular size of full - length pro - forms of the enzyme ( figure 3a ) , suggesting a more immature glycosylation state .
consistent with these alterations of active catd in crnd8 glia , we
observed markedly decreased in situ lysosomal active catd , reflected
by reduced fluorescence signal of the affinity ligand bodipy - fl - pepstatin ,
which binds only to the active state of catd ( figure 3b , c ) .
moreover , the sizes of
lysosomes were significantly enlarged as determined by morphometric
analysis after immunocytochemical detection of lysosome - associated
membrane protein 2 ( lamp2 ) and the lysosomal protease cathepsin d
( catd ) ( figure 3d , e ) . enlargement was accompanied
by a decrease in lysosome number in crnd8 glia ( 59% , p < 0.001 ) ( figure 3f ) ,
suggesting a possible impairment in lysosomal reformation .
swnt treatment reversed these catd maturation
abnormalities ( figure 3a ) and the markedly
increased levels of catd activity in crnd8 glia ( 51% , * * * p < 0.001 ) assessed by bodipy - fl - pepstatin a labeling , restoring
these levels to levels those comparable to vehicle - treated wt cells
( figure 3b , c ) .
although total lysosomal protein ,
reflected by levels of lamp2 , was not changed ( supporting information figure s4 ) , the abnormally marked enlargement
of lamp2- and catd - positive lysosomes seen in crnd8 cells was also
corrected by swnt ( figure 3d , e ) .
the 31% reduction
( * * * p < 0.001 ) in average size of lamp2/catd - positive
lysosomes after swnt treatment compared to the vehicle - treated crnd8
glia represented a full restoration to wt average lysosome size ( figure 3e ) .
additionally , imagej analysis revealed significantly
fewer lysosomes in crnd8 glia ( 59% , p < 0.001 ) compared to wt glia .
swnt treatment partially rescued
this abnormality ( 67% recovery , * * * p < 0.001 )
( figure 3f ) .
finally , abnormally high levels
of p62 ( sqstm1/sequestome1 ) , an established autophagy substrate , were
substantially lowered in crnd8 glial cells treated with swnt ( figure 3 g ) .
stimulating autophagy induction
has previously shown promise for
multiple neurodegenerative diseases by virtue of its potential to
preserve neuronal survival by lowering levels of toxic protein aggregates
and recycling nonessential constituents for energy and adaptive protein
synthesis under conditions of cellular stress .
the selective mtor complex 1 ( mtorc1 ) inhibitor rapamycin , used
as a positive control in this study , was previously shown to attenuate
neuropathological and functional deficits in multiple ad mouse models .
recent evidence shows that autophagy can be induced by nanomaterials ,
such as fullerene c60 , quantum dots , and nanocrystals . among these
nanomaterials ,
swnt hold significant therapeutic promise as neuroprotective
agents that enhance neural growth , differentiation , and maturity . however , few studies have addressed mechanisms underlying these
neuroprotective effects , including the potential of swnt to induce
autophagy and enhance lysosomal clearance of autophagic substrates
in neurodegenerative diseases , which could shed light on possible
therapeutic applications .
we show in this study for the first
time that primary glial cells
from the crnd8 transgenic mouse model of ad recapitulate the lysosomal
dysfunction demonstrated in crnd8 brain , which underlies deficits
in autophagic protein turnover and cognition .
we also provide the first evidence that impaired autophagic clearance
of substrates in this model is also accompanied by a significant activation
of mtor signaling leading to the suppression of autophagy induction .
this combination of impairments would be expected to significantly
reduce autophagy substrate turnover and the capacity of neural cells
to respond to cellular stress and eliminate potentially toxic materials
internalized from the extracellular space or generated intracellularly ,
such as a peptide .
the design of this cell culture system ,
which incorporated a mechanism to continually remove from the medium
metabolites , such as a , that are released from the cells , allows
us to conclude that these adverse effects on autophagy are due not
to endocytosis of released a , which is potentially toxic to
lysosomes , but rather to other factors initiated by the overexpression
of mutant app , which may include intracellular generation and accumulation
of a and other app metabolites or to altered signaling functions
of app .
we further observed remarkable effects of swnt in reversing
both
the deficits in autophagy induction caused by abnormal mtor signaling
and the impairments of lysosomal proteolysis leading to accumulation
of autophagic substrates and lysosome swelling .
improved lysosome
function may also be related to robust up - regulation of mtor - dependent
autophagy induction , which is known to activate transcription factors ,
including tfeb , that promotes transcription of most genes controlling
lysosome biogenesis and hydrolytic function and additional genes regulating
autophagy .
the ability of swnt to enhance
autophagic flux represents one potential mechanism to account for
previously observed neuroprotective effects of swnt in several pathological
settings . in studies by us ( under review ) and others , swnt showed
neuroprotective effects at low nontoxic concentrations in several
neuropathological states in vitro and
in vivo , including experimental stroke ,
in one case by triggering a neurotrophic pathway via the stimulation
of the tropomyosin - receptor kinase ( trk ) family and their downstream
protein molecules .
these studies support our current evidence that
swnt could have therapeutic actions in alzheimer s disease .
lysosomal dysfunction is a pathogenic factor in ad , pd , and other
neurodegenerative diseases and a potential therapeutic target . to mimic possible in vivo conditions
for therapeutic delivery of swnt
, we provided a continuous flow of
swnt over glial cells at very low concentrations that exerted no evident
cytotoxicity and are comparable to concentrations used by others without
mechanical pump .
interestingly , concentrations
of swnt that dramatically reversed autophagy deficits in crnd8 glia
negligibly altered autophagic / lysosome activation in wt cells .
although
it is tempting to speculate that swnt may have selective effects on
the specific pathological processes leading to autophagy deficits
in the crnd8 model , it is alternatively possible that healthier wt
glial cells internalize and/or accumulate less swnt or are more resistant
to an autophagy - triggering cellular stress induced by swnt .
while the mechanisms responsible for autophagy rescue by swnt require
further investigation , our current findings provide proof - of - concept
evidence for a nanoparticle - based neuroprotective approach for ad
and other neurodegenerative diseases in which autophagy impairment
is a pathogenic factor .
the future success of such biocompatible nanomaterials
will depend on optimization of pharmacokinetic / pharmacodynamic properties and finding a balance between maximal therapeutic
efficacy and minimal adverse reactivity .
to date , several studies
have demonstrated therapeutic effects of swnt in brain ischemia by
local administration , illustrating the potential for
clinical translation of nanomaterials . | pubmed |
1 . analysis of tumor cases over eight years among the samples for which the department of veterinary pathology , gifu university ,
received requests for histological examination from other institutions during the eight - year
period from 2005 to 2012 , we used data only from the institutions located in gifu prefecture
to understand the status of tumor development in dogs by breed in the prefecture . 11 .
distribution of age at the time of diagnosis of tumor cases classified by sex of the requested samples , only tumor cases were extracted for the analysis of age
distribution of tumor cases classified by sex .
statistical analysis was conducted using
jmp11 analysis software ( sas institute inc . , tokyo , japan ) , and the mean age by sex and
standard deviation were calculated ; the wilcoxon rank sum test was conducted at a
significance level of less than 5% .
. ratios between benign and malignant tumors by dog breed we calculated the ratios between benign and malignant tumors in dogs by breed for the tumor
cases included in this study .
the comparison of the ratios of benign and malignant tumors by breed was statistically
calculated using the chi - square test with a significance level of less than 5% using r
( version 3.2.2 ) . additionally , we performed residual analysis to clarify and confirm this
further .
classification of tumors in dogs by breed tumors were classified as shown in table
1table 1.tumor classification by breed and incidencetumor sitesno .
of casesincidence of tumor sites ( % ) bgbmdcgckcwdaxfbgrlrmarmixotherpappdpgpomschsibssdszyt1skin and adnexa1,23330.929.533.328.117.630.018.430.441.235.531.534.433.522.830.258.312.135.428.927.526.015.22gastrointestinal system , including oral cavity73318.420.110.011.48.818.617.434.815.519.714.121.516.76.320.617.924.230.820.118.123.115.23mammary glands71618.013.70.017.841.224.341.54.36.412.833.714.415.238.028.67.136.412.310.87.014.933.94not available and other tissue1,30332.736.756.742.732.427.122.630.436.931.920.729.734.632.920.616.727.321.540.247.435.935.7total3,985100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100tumor incidence by dog breed and tumor site was statistically calculated by the
chi - square test .
these
results indicate that between each dog species and whole dog species has a significant
difference in table 1
( p<0.05 ) .
additionally , we performed residual analysis to clarify
and confirm this further . a significantly high incidence ( p<0.05 )
is indicated by values in bold , and a significantly low incidence
( p<0.05 ) is indicated by values in bold and underlined font .
tumors in the skin and adnexa accounted for 30.9% of all tumors , those in the
gastrointestinal system adnexa accounted for 18.4% , and mammary gland tumors accounted
for 18.0% ; the tumors in these four sites accounted for approximately 70% of all
tumors .
the incidence of mammary gland tumors was found to be higher in small dogs ,
such as ck , dax , mar , pap , pd , pom and yt , and lower in large dogs . in reference to the report by brnden et al . .
to analyze the common sites for the development of
tumors in dogs by breed , we determined the total number of tumor cases by calculating
multiple tumors individually , i.e. , when multiple , different types of tumors developed in
the same dog , each tumor was separately included in the calculation .
however , with regard to
breast tumors , since the formation of numerous tumors is common and each tumor is given a
different definitive diagnosis , it was difficult to classify each of the tumors separately .
therefore , in such cases , only the most malignant tumor among the tissues submitted for
pathological examination was selected for calculation .
tumor incidence by dog breed and tumor site was statistically calculated by the
chi - square test .
these
results indicate that between each dog species and whole dog species has a significant
difference in table 1
( p<0.05 ) . additionally , we performed residual analysis to clarify
and confirm this further .
a significantly high incidence ( p<0.05 )
is indicated by values in bold , and a significantly low incidence
( p<0.05 ) is indicated by values in bold and underlined font .
tumors in the skin and adnexa accounted for 30.9% of all tumors , those in the
gastrointestinal system adnexa accounted for 18.4% , and mammary gland tumors accounted
for 18.0% ; the tumors in these four sites accounted for approximately 70% of all
tumors .
the incidence of mammary gland tumors was found to be higher in small dogs ,
such as ck , dax , mar , pap , pd , pom and yt , and lower in large dogs .
the incidence of tumor sites by dog breed was statistically calculated using the chi - square
test with a significance level of less than 5% using r ( version 3.2.2 . ) . additionally , we
performed residual analysis to clarify and confirm this further .
analysis of the number of domestic dogs by breed and crude incidence of tumors in dogs
in gifu prefecture 21 .
the number of domestic dogs based on the dogs receiving antirabic vaccination in 2011
in gifu prefecture a request for a questionnaire survey regarding the number of domestic dogs by breed was
sent to 42 municipalities through postal mail or email .
for the types of dog breed , 20
breeds , including crossbreeds , were selected ( table
2table 2.abbreviated terms for the dog breeds included in this study and the number of
tumor casesdog breedabbreviated wordno . of tumor casesdachshunddax407golden retrievergr388labrador retrieverlr304shih tzusz281sibasib204welsh corgicg185shetland sheepdogssd171beaglebg139yorkshire
terrieryt112maltese dogmar92pugpg84papillonpap79chihuahuacw70schnauzersch65poodlepd63cavalier king charles spanielck34pomeranianpom33bernese mountain dogbmd30french bulldogfb23mixed breedmix713other breedother508total 3,985a ) dachshund , schnauzer and poodle : in the original data , these dogs were not
classified into miniature or standard .
therefore , all of these dogs were calculated as
the same type . ) in reference to shimamura s report . for the number of domestic dogs by breed ,
the number of dogs that received
antirabic vaccination ( rv ) was selected , since these data were considered to reflect the
current status most appropriately , and the number of domestic dogs for the 20 breeds was
investigated for the period from april 2011 to march 2012 .
although the official data for
the number of dogs receiving rv are published by each of the prefectural and municipal
veterinarian associations as well as the ministry of health , labour and welfare ( mhlw ) , the
figure represents the total number of dogs receiving rv , and the breakdown by dog breed is
unknown .
a ) dachshund , schnauzer and poodle : in the original data , these dogs were not
classified into miniature or standard . therefore , all of these dogs were calculated as
the same type .
22 . the crude yearly incidence of tumors in dogs and the crude yearly incidence of
malignant tumors in dogs based on the number of dogs receiving antirabic vaccination in 2011
in gifu prefecture to identify the number of tumor cases in dogs , the tumor cases from veterinary hospitals
and clinics located only in gifu prefecture were extracted to calculate the samples for
which the department of veterinary pathology of the gifu university received a request for
histological examination in 2011 , as stated in the previous section .
with regard to the dog
breeds , 20 breeds were selected , including crossbreeds .
the crude incidences of tumors and malignant tumors were calculated in the following
manner , using the number of dogs receiving rv in 2011 in gifu prefecture and the data
mentioned above .
crude incidence of tumors ( % ) = the number of tumor cases ( the above - mentioned data ) the
number of domestic dogs ( number of dogs receiving rv in 2011 ) 100 crude incidence of malignant tumors ( % ) = the number of cases of malignant tumor ( the
above - mentioned data ) the number of domestic dogs ( number of dogs receiving rv in 2011 )
100 the crude incidence of tumors and malignant tumors by dog breed was statistically
calculated by the chi - square test with a significance level of less than 5% using r
1 . analysis of tumor cases over eight years as of april 2012 ( mid - term ) , there were 131 veterinary hospitals and clinics in practice in
gifu prefecture . among them , approximately 23% or 31 hospitals and clinics requested the
department of veterinary pathology of the gifu university to conduct tests for tumors in
3,597 cases ( 1,598 male dogs ; 2,160 female dogs ; and 161 dogs of unknown sex ) over the
eight - year period from 2005 to 2012 . among the total of 3,597 tumor cases that presented for
pathological examination requests ,
388 cases were found to have more than one tumor ,
excluding breast tumors , including 277 cases ( 6.95% ) with 2 different types of tumors and 41
cases ( 1.03% ) with 35 different types of tumors . including these multiple tumors , a total
of 3,985 tumors
distribution of the age at the time of diagnosis of tumor cases classified by sex in the analysis of age in all the samples , the mean age at which a tumor developed was 10.4
3.0 years ( mean s.d . ) in male dogs and 10.4 2.8 years ( mean s.d . ) in female dogs ,
showing no significant difference between males and females ( fig .
2.distribution of the age at the time of diagnosis of tumor cases classified by sex .
the age of the dogs diagnosed as tumor cases at the time of the examination request is
shown in the graph classified by sex .
analysis of age of the samples by pathological
classification revealed that the mean age of developing tumors in male dogs was 10.4
3.0 years ( mean s.d . ) and that in female dogs was 10.4 2.8 ( mean s.d . ) , showing
no significant difference in the age between males and females . ) .
distribution of the age at the time of diagnosis of tumor cases classified by sex .
the age of the dogs diagnosed as tumor cases at the time of the examination request is
shown in the graph classified by sex .
analysis of age of the samples by pathological
classification revealed that the mean age of developing tumors in male dogs was 10.4
3.0 years ( mean s.d . ) and that in female dogs was 10.4 2.8 ( mean s.d . ) , showing
no significant difference in the age between males and females .
. ratios between benign and malignant tumors by dog breed the proportion of malignant tumors in all dogs was revealed to be 57.5% .
the ratio of
malignant tumors was significantly lower ( p<0.05 ) in the following five
dog breeds : yorkshire terrier ( yt ) ( 32.1% ) , maltese dog ( mar ) ( 42.4% ) , poodle ( pd ) ( 44.4% ) ,
shih tzu ( sz ) ( 48.0% ) and dachshund ( dax ) ( 48.2% ) , while the proportion of malignant tumors
was significantly higher in the following seven dog breeds : labrador retriever ( lr ) ( 63.2% ) ,
welsh corgi ( cg ) ( 65.9% ) , shiba ( sib ) ( 68.1% ) , shetland sheepdog ( ssd ) ( 69.0% ) , chihuahua
( cw ) ( 70.0% ) , beagle ( bg ) ( 73.4% ) and bernese mountain dog ( bmd ) ( 80.0% )
( p<0.05 ) ( fig . 3fig .
the ratio of tumor and malignant
tumors by dog breed was statistically calculated by the chi - square test .
the result
was chi - squared=130.65 , p - value < 2.2e-16 .
these results indicate
that between each dog species and whole dog species has a significant difference in
fig . 3 ( p<0.05 ) .
the
bold black line shows the mean of the ratio of malignant tumors in all dogs .
: the
ratio of malignant tumors was significantly lower in the following five dog breeds : yt
( 32.1% ) , mar ( 42.4% ) , pd ( 44.4% ) , sz ( 48.0% ) and dax ( 48.2% )
( p<0.05 ) , while the ratio of malignant tumors was significantly
higher in the following seven dog breeds : lr ( 63.2% ) , cg ( 65.9% ) , sib ( 68.1% ) , ssd
( 69.0% ) , cw ( 70.0% ) , bg ( 73.4% ) and bmd ( 80.0% ) ( p<0.05 ) . ) .
the ratio of tumor and malignant
tumors by dog breed was statistically calculated by the chi - square test .
the result
was chi - squared=130.65 , p - value < 2.2e-16 .
these results indicate
that between each dog species and whole dog species has a significant difference in
fig . 3 ( p<0.05 ) .
additionally , we performed residual analysis to clarify and confirm this further .
the
bold black line shows the mean of the ratio of malignant tumors in all dogs . : the
ratio of malignant tumors was significantly lower in the following five dog breeds : yt
( 32.1% ) , mar ( 42.4% ) , pd ( 44.4% ) , sz ( 48.0% ) and dax ( 48.2% )
( p<0.05 ) , while the ratio of malignant tumors was significantly
higher in the following seven dog breeds : lr ( 63.2% ) , cg ( 65.9% ) , sib ( 68.1% ) , ssd
( 69.0% ) , cw ( 70.0% ) , bg ( 73.4% ) and bmd ( 80.0% ) ( p<0.05 ) .
analysis of the ratios between the benign and malignant tumors by dog breed showed that
smaller dogs tended to have a higher proportion of benign tumors .
classification of tumors by dog breed in the analysis of the 3,985 tumors in terms of the location of tumor development , tumors
were found most often in the skin and surrounding tissues , with 1,233 cases accounting for
30.9% . in particular , the pug ( pg ) and golden retriever ( gr ) breeds had the highest
incidence of tumors in the skin and surrounding tissues with an incidence of 58.3% and
41.2% , respectively , while yt and pomeranian ( pom ) had a lower incidence of 15.2% and 12.1% ,
respectively .
gastrointestinal tumors were the second most common tumors and were found in
733 cases accounting for 18.4% .
gastrointestinal tumors included the areas from the oral
cavity to the anus , and intraoral melanoma was particularly common , accounting for 55% of
all gastrointestinal tumors as an intraoral tumor , followed by perianal tumors that
accounted for 21% .
breast tumors were the third most common tumors and were found in 716
cases that accounted for 18.0% .
smaller dog breeds had greater proportion of breast tumors ,
which accounted for 41.5% in dax , 41.2% in cavalier king charles spaniel ( ck ) , 38.0% in
papillon ( pap ) , 36.4% in pom , 33.9% in yt and 33.7% in mar , while medium to large dog breeds
had fewer breast tumors , which accounted for 0% in bmd , 7.1% in pug ( pg ) , 6.4% in gr , 7.0%
in ssd , 10.8% in sib and 12.8% in lr .
with regard to mast cell tumors , they were found more
often in the two breeds , pg and bmd , accounting for 46.4% and 23.3% , respectively .
analysis of the number of domestic dogs by breed and crude incidence of tumors in dogs
in gifu prefecture 21 . the number of domestic dogs in gifu prefecture by breed based on the number of dogs
receiving rv in 2011 we conducted a questionnaire survey in 42 municipalities in gifu prefecture , and 29 of the
42 ( approximately 69% ) responded . with regard to the number of domestic dogs , the number of
dogs receiving rv during the period from april 2011 to march 2012 was 93,234 according to
the gifu veterinary medical association , and information
about 76,316 dogs or approximately
82% of the total number of rv dogs was collected through the questionnaire survey .
the
numbers of domestic dogs in gifu prefecture revealed by this questionnaire survey included
18,357 mixed breeds ( mix ) ( 24.1% ) , 9,609 dax ( 12.6% ) , 8,609 sib ( 11.3% ) , 5,017 pd ( 6.6% ) and
4,873 cw ( 6.4% ) ; this demonstrated the high popularity of small dog breeds except for mix
and sib , while large dog breeds were fewer , namely , 2,312 lr ( 3.0% ) and 1,213 gr ( 1.6% ) .
the
top 5 dog breeds including mix accounted for 60% of all the dogs ( table 3table 3.crude tumor incidence and crude malignant tumor incidence by dog breeddog breedregistration volumebreeding ratiosample volumecrude incidence ratemalignant sample volumemalignant crude incidence rate ( % ) dax9,60912.6710.7*430.4sib8,60911.3410.5*280.3*pd5,0176.680.2*10.0*cw4,8736.4130.3*90.2*lr2,3123.0612.6*431.9*sz2,0212.6301.5*150.7cg1,9272.5573.0*402.1*pap1,8092.4241.3*130.7bg1,6362.1382.3*301.8*yt1,5542.0231.5*60.4pom1,4321.910.1*10.1*gr1,2131.6524.3*342.8*sch1,0611.4161.5*80.8ssd8771.1222.5*151.7*mar8311.1172.0*50.6ck7541.091.260.8pg6520.9142.1*60.9fb5340.740.740.7bmd1400.2117.9*96.4*mix18,35724.11160.6*660.4*other11,09814.5860.8*470.4*total 76,316100.07140.94290.6by calculating the number of domestic dogs and the ratio of each dog breed , crude
tumor incidence and crude malignant tumor incidence were analyzed based on the number
of samples for each dog breed obtained over a one - year period of time .
tumor crude
incidence by dog breed was statistically calculated by the chi - square test .
the result
was " chi - squared=476.01 , p - value < 2.2e-16 " .
these results indicate
that between each dog species and whole dog species has a significant difference in
table 3 ( p<0.05 ) .
additionally , we performed residual analysis to clarify and confirm this further .
significantly high incidences are indicated by p<0.05 * , and
significantly low incidences are indicated by p<0.05 *. the crude
tumor incidence was found to be low in dax , sib , pd , cw , pom , mix and other breeds
( p<0.05 ) , while it was high in lr , sz , cg , pap , bg , yt , gr , sch ,
ssd , mar , pg and bmd ( p<0.05 ) . the crude incidence of malignant
tumors was also calculated in the same manner ; it was found to be low in sib , pd , cw ,
pom , mix and other breeds ( p<0.05 ) , but high in lr , cg , bg , gr ,
ssd and bmd ( p<0.05 ) . ) . by calculating the number of domestic dogs and
the ratio of each dog breed , crude
tumor incidence and crude malignant tumor incidence were analyzed based on the number
of samples for each dog breed obtained over a one - year period of time .
tumor crude
incidence by dog breed was statistically calculated by the chi - square test .
the result
was " chi - squared=476.01 , p - value < 2.2e-16 " .
these results indicate
that between each dog species and whole dog species has a significant difference in
table 3 ( p<0.05 ) .
additionally , we performed residual analysis to clarify and confirm this further .
significantly high incidences are indicated by p<0.05 * , and
significantly low incidences are indicated by p<0.05 *. the crude
tumor incidence was found to be low in dax , sib , pd , cw , pom , mix and other breeds
( p<0.05 ) , while it was high in lr , sz , cg , pap , bg , yt , gr , sch ,
ssd , mar , pg and bmd ( p<0.05 ) . the crude incidence of malignant
tumors was also calculated in the same manner ; it was found to be low in sib , pd , cw ,
pom , mix and other breeds ( p<0.05 ) , but high in lr , cg , bg , gr ,
ssd and bmd ( p<0.05 ) .
the crude incidence of tumors in dogs and the crude incidence of malignant tumors in
dogs in 2011 in gifu prefecture with regard to the number of samples for which examination was requested from the
university during the one - year period ( 2011 ) , most requests were for mix , with 116 samples ,
followed by dax with 71 , lr with 61 , cg with 57 , gr with 52 and sib with 41 samples ( table 3 ) .
using the samples collected for
pathological examination , the crude incidences of tumors by dog breed were calculated for
reference .
our results showed that the crude incidence of tumors was significantly low in
pom at 0.1% , pd at 0.2% , cw at 0.3% , sib at 0.5% , dax at 0.7% , and mix at 0.6%
( p<0.05 ) , while it was significantly high in pap at 1.3% , sz at 1.5% ,
yt at 1.5% , sch at 1.5% , mar at 2.0% , pg at 2.1% , bg at 2.3% , ssd at 2.5% , l r at 2.6% , cg
at 3.0% , gr at 4.3% , and bmd at 7.9% ( p<0.05 ) .
in addition , the crude
incidence of malignant tumors was calculated in the same manner , and it was significantly
low in sib at 0.3% , pd at 0.0% , cw at 0.2% , pom at 0.1% , and mix at 0.4%
( p<0.05 ) , and it was significantly high in lr at 1.9% , cg at 2.1% , bg at
1.8% , gr at 2.8% , ssd at 1.7% , and bmd at 6.4% ( p<0.05 ) .
the analysis of tumor development in dogs by breed in gifu prefecture revealed the
following characteristics : common breeds of dogs , such as mix and dax , showed a
high number of tumor cases , and uncommon breeds of dogs , such as gr and lr , also showed a
high number of tumor cases ; in contrast , common breeds of dogs , such as sib , showed a low
number of tumor cases , suggesting the possibility that the crude tumor incidence in dogs
varied depending on the dog breed .
the analysis of the ratio between benign and malignant
tumors by dog breed showed that small dog breeds tended to have a greater proportion of
benign tumors .
although the ratio of malignant tumors in this study was 57.5% , there was a
swiss report in which malignant tumors accounted for 47.07% of all investigated tumors in
the survey .
this difference was considered to be
caused by the differences in the types of dog breeds and breeding environment ; however ,
further investigation is necessary to clarify this point . with regard to the samples
submitted for pathological examination
, there is a possibility of potential bias with regard
to the collection of the samples , since the primary veterinary hospital or clinic may have
sent fewer samples of benign tumors or more samples , of malignant tumors , keeping in mind
that the university
with regard to analysis of the most commonly developed organ systems , tumors were found
most frequently in the skin and surrounding tissues , similar to reports from other countries
[ 7 , 10 , 14 ] , but the organ systems showing a high frequency of
tumors after the skin and surrounding tissues , differed slightly from reports from other
countries .
this is considered to be due to the differences in the types and incidence of dog
breeds , e.g. , reports from other countries included higher number of large dog breeds .
with regard to breast tumors , dogs were divided into the high incidence group , including
ck , dax , mar , pap , pd , pom and yt , and the low incidence group , including bmd , gr , lr , mix ,
pg and ssd .
itoh et al . have also reported that small dog breeds have a
lower risk of malignant breast tumors compared to another types of dogs . in some of the reports from other countries
concerning breast tumors in dogs , dogs , such as boxer , cocker spaniel , english springer
spaniel , dax , pointer , pd and boston terrier , had a higher incidence of breast tumors [ 14 , 16 ] ; further ,
contrary to the results of our study , there was a report that breast tumors developed more
frequently in large dog breeds , such as leonberger , irish wolfhound and bmd .
it has been known for some time now that mast cell
tumors develop more frequently in the mastiff - type boxer dog breeds .
mast cell tumors have been found with a high frequency in pg , bmd and
fb , which are related to mastiff - type breeds in the same manner as boxer breeds [ 21 , 23 ] , and
breeds with a lower frequency for such tumors were also revealed to be ck , pom , ssd and
yt .
frequently , data registered at municipalities do not reflect the deaths of domestic dogs
accurately .
therefore , there is a possibility that many dogs as old as 25 years and even
older exist in the database , and the research of hayashidani , et al
. also showed that there is a possibility that the data
of elderly dogs that are not alive have not been removed from the records . in this study ,
there were not many domestic dogs older than 20 years ; therefore , the reliability of the
municipal data collected in this study was considered to be high . with regard to the fewer
domestic dogs younger than 3 years noted in the age distribution , it was probably caused by
unregistered younger dogs ( rv
the
performance rate of rv in gifu prefecture has been 79.580.9% every year ( 2008 to 2011 ) ,
which was higher than the national mean of 72.8% ( 2011 ) .
this shows the regional
characteristics of gifu prefecture , and it was considered that the basic data were thus
reliable .
the decreasing number of domestic dogs leads to a bias in the age distribution .
when more elderly dogs are present than younger dogs , the tumor incidence should be
calculated after adjustment for age to be accurate , because higher figures would be noted
otherwise .
however , at present , it is difficult to obtain information regarding age for each
breed from the municipal data , and we therefore decided to investigate the crude tumor
incidence .
the crude incidence of 0.9% seems to be slightly lower than the tumor incidence reported
overseas , ranging from 0.96% to 4.82% [ 14 , 17 , 20 ] , which may
be the influence of basic data .
it was considered that the tumor incidence calculated in
this study may be lower than the actual incidence , because the performance rate of rv was
not 100% of the population , and there is a possibility that the primary institutions may
only have sent approximately 24% of the tumor samples for examination .
in addition , since
the number of dogs with tumors that visit a veterinary hospital ( some dogs may not visit a
hospital ) , the percentage of dogs diagnosed with a tumor at veterinary hospitals or clinics
( some dog owners do not want to have examinations ) and the percentage of cases for which a
sample is sent to the university for pathological examination ( some samples may be sent to
another pathology laboratory ) influenced the tumor incidence , it was considered that there
is a possibility that the calculation of the crude tumor incidence and crude malignant tumor
incidence in this study may have underestimated the reality . to control such bias ,
measures
should be adopted to select target animals randomly in future studies . although the crude tumor incidence calculated by breed may be lower than it should be due
to the problems with the size of the population and the number of samples collected ,
it is
considered that the incidence by breed and by organ would not be easily affected by the
changes in the number of samples or age distribution .
most domestic dogs in japan are of small breeds , such as those kept mainly inside the
house ; in our study , only three large dog breeds ( lr , gr and bmd ) were present among all the
20 selected breeds , which differed largely from the reports from other countries [ 6 , 9 , 20 ] .
since the crude tumor incidence was affected by the
type of breed and the body size , it is considered that the data obtained in this study are
unique to japan , where most domestic dogs are small- and medium - sized , differing from data
from other countries .
it is necessary to investigate the relationship between the breeding
environment and the crude tumor incidence in future studies .
we consider that , in addition to improving the accuracy of the survey data , it is necessary
to promote antirabic vaccination , to utilize the municipal database , and to obtain an
accurate number of bred animals by adding an item in the surveys , such as a census , to
investigate the status of bred animals . in addition , it is important to use domestic
japanese data to manage cancers in dogs in japan , instead of using data obtained from other
countries , where the size of the dogs is mostly large , considering the differences in dog
size in japan and other countries . | pubmed |
Local oxidation nanolithography LON is a tip-based nanofabrication method. It is based on the spatial confinement on an oxidation reaction under the sharp tip of an atomic force microscope.
The first materials on which LON was demonstrated were Si111 and polycrystalline tantalum. Subsequently, the technique has been extended to IIIV semiconductors, silicon carbide, metals such as titanium, tantalum, aluminium, molybdenum, nickel and niobium; thin films of manganite in the perovskite form; dielectrics like silicon nitride, organosilane self-assembled monolayers, dendritic macromolecules and carbonaceous films.
History
The local oxidation of a surface by means of a scanning probe technique was first observed by Dagata and co-workers in 1990 who locally modified a hydrogen-terminated silicon surface into silicon dioxide by applying a bias voltage between the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope and the surface itself. In 1993 Day and Allee demonstrated the possibility of performing local oxidation experiments with an atomic force microscope, which opened the way to applying the technique to a large variety of materials.
Basic principle
Currently, local oxidation experiments are performed with an atomic force microscope operated in contact or noncontact mode with additional circuits to apply voltage pulses between tip and sample. The local oxidation process is mediated by the formation of a water meniscus.
In order to perform Local Oxidation Nanolithography, the relative humidity in the AFM chamber is kept between 30 and 60. A voltage pulse is applied between a conductive AFM tip and the sample. The applied voltage induces the formation of a water bridge between tip and sample whenever the amplitude of the voltage pulse is above a certain threshold voltage. When the liquid meniscus is created the applied voltage pulse causes an oxidation reaction by breaking the covalent bonds in the water molecules. The liquid bridge provides the oxyanions OH−,O− needed to form the oxide and confines the lateral extension of the region to be oxidized.
The chemical reactions that govern the Local Oxidation in a metallic substrate M are the following:
while hydrogen gas is liberated at the AFM tip through the reduction reaction:
2H+ + 2e- -> H2
When the voltage pulse is off the AFM feedback forces the cantilever to recover its original oscillation amplitude withdrawing the tip from the sample and breaking the liquid meniscus. Finally the AFM continues to scan the sample thus allowing to image MOn nanostructure fabricated during the Local Oxidation process with the very same tip used for its fabrication.
The method to form liquid bridges is so precise that water meniscus diameters of 20 nm or below are easily obtained. This has led to the reproducible fabrication of sub-10 nm structures in silicon and other metallic surfaces.
Experimental setup
Local oxidation experiments can be performed with almost any kind of atomic force microscope. The key requirement is the possibility to apply voltage pulses between the tip and the sample. It is recommendable to enclose the microscope in a chamber where the atmosphere is controlled. In the simplest case, the oxidant is water vapor, which is naturally present in the air. Controlling the relative humidity generally helps to obtain more reproducible results. The size of the fabricated features depends on a number of parameters, such as the distance between the sample and the tip, the amplitude and the duration of the voltage pulse, and the relative humidity of the atmosphere.
Applications
The development of nanometer-scale lithographies is the focus of an intense research activity because progress on nanotechnology depends on the capability to fabricate, position and interconnect nanometer-scale structures.
Patterning
Local Oxidation Nanolithography allows to create a large variety of motives like dots, lines and letters with nanometer accuracy. In 2005, researchers at the Spanish National Research Council in Madrid wrote the first ten lines of Cervantes' Don Quixote on a few square micrometres of silicon. This pattern versatility can be used for information storage or to design etch-resistant nanomasks in order to fabricate nanodevices as well as many other applications.
Data storage
It is possible to store information using dot-like nanostructures created by the local oxidation of a surface. This storage uses the binary code considering the presence of a nanostructure as a 1 and its lack as a 0. In this way information can be stored in a small surface with a single SiO2 dot constituting a bit. In 1999 Cooper et al. demonstrated that this methods allows to obtain an information density of 1.6 Tbit/in2. However, only read-only memories can be fabricated with this technique.
Molecular template growth and preferential deposition
Local oxidation of silicon surfaces by noncontact atomic-force microscopy is an emerging and promising method for patterning surfaces at the nanometer scale due to its very precise control of the feature size. The features created with this technique can be used for the template growth and preferential deposition of different molecules like single molecule magnets, biomolecules and conjugated organic molecules.
This method of nanopositioning is an important tool for the fabrication of new nanodevices based on the novel properties exhibited by some nanoparticles and molecules. Potential applications of single-molecule magnets SMMs such as Mn12 as bits for information storage or qubits for quantum computation require methods for nanoscale-controlled positioning and/or manipulation of those molecules. The patterning of the Mn12 molecules on a silicon surface is achieved by first derivatizing this surface with a self-assembled monolayer of APTES, which leaves it terminated by amino groups -NH2. Such termination electrostatically repels the Mn12 molecules. Subsequently, a pattern of silicon dioxide is defined by LON. The SMM molecules are predominantly deposited on the oxide motives because of electrostatic attraction. The electrostatic attraction between the silicon oxide fabricated by LON and the Mn12 molecules achieves the preferential deposition of this molecules with a nanoscale accuracy.
Fabrication of nanodevices
By using local oxidation nanolithography as tool for the fabrication of etch-resistant nanomasks, it is possible to fabricate nanoscale electronic devices, such as field effect transistors, single electron transistors, Josephson junctions, quantum rings or SQUIDs. LON also allows to fabricate Silicon Nanowires SiNWs in a top-down fashion starting from silicon on insulator SOI wafers. Local oxidation nanolithography contributes to the nanometric precision of the device fabrication. This top-down fabrication technique allows the fabrication of a large variety of SiNWs with different shapes, from angular to circular. It also allows the precise positioning of the silicon nanowires in ant desired position, making easier its integration; indeed, this technique is compatible with the standard silicon CMOS processing technology. Single crystalline silicon nanowires have already shown a great potential as ultrasensitive sensors by detecting changes in the nanowire conductivity when a specific analyte is present. Local oxidation nanolithography, therefore, is a promising technique to allow the realisation of array of biosensors.
References
External links
Local oxidation nanolithography page in García's research group at CSIC
Miles' research group at the University of Bristol
Quate's group at Stanford University
Category:Scanning probe microscopy
Category:Lithography microfabrication | wikipedia |
Weald Clay or the Weald Clay Formation is a Lower Cretaceous sedimentary rock underlying areas of South East England, between the North and South Downs, in an area called the Weald Basin It is the uppermost unit of the Wealden Group of rocks within the Weald Basin, and the upper portion of the unit is equivalent in age to the exposed portion of the Wessex Formation on the Isle of Wight. It predominantly consists of thinly bedded mudstone. The un-weathered form is blue/grey, and the yellow/orange is the weathered form, it is used in brickmaking.The formation was deposited in lagoonal, lacustrine and alluvial conditions that varied from freshwater to brackish. The clay alternates with other subordinate lithologies, notably hard red-weathering beds of ironstone, limestone Sussex Marble and sandstones, notably including the calcareous sandstone unit referred to as the Horsham Stone. It has a gradual, conformable contact with the underlying Tunbridge Wells Sand Formation, and has a sharp, unconformable contact with the overlying Atherfield Clay Formation, a shallow marine unit deposited after marine transgression during the Aptian.
Physical properties
The weathered and unweathered forms of the Weald Clay have different physical properties. Blue looks superficially like a soft slate, is quite dry and hard and will support the weight of buildings quite easily. Because it is quite impermeable, and so dry, it does not get broken by tree roots. It is typically found at 750mm down below a layer of yellow clay. Yellow, found on the surface, absorbs water quite readily so becomes very soft in the winter. The two different types make quite different bricks.
Paleofauna
Vertebrates
Invertebrates
Numerous insect species are known from several localities in the Weald Clay, including Rudgwick Brickworks, Auclaye Brickworks, Smokejacks and Clockhouse Brickworks
See also
Wealden District
London Clay
Oxford Clay
List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
Footnotes
References
Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka eds.: The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. 861 pp. .
Category:Geology of England
Category:Geologic formations of the United Kingdom
Category:Claystone
Category:Lower Cretaceous Series of Europe
Category:Hauterivian Stage
Category:Barremian Stage | wikipedia |
1. Chapter 1
Falling to Pieces
…
The Fight Begins.
…
_A trainwreck, from one broken heart to one shaken soul. Danny makes the greatest of gestures. Now all she has to do is make the greatest leap of faith._
…
_Spoilers for "Silent Night"_
…
Lindsay Monroe seeped the tea bag into a mug of hot water, biting her lip and desperately trying to reign in her composure. Not that it really mattered. She was home. She sighed at the news, reaching over to flick the image off her screen just as she saw the friendly scene in the Bronx that she had run away from come on, the headline flashing a phrase of insensitivity, "Desperate Father Seeks Time with his Daughter for Christmas." She frowned at the blank set, settling back into the softness of her couch, pulling her feet beneath her. She'd worked so hard at trying to forget, and today, it had just been too much. Too similar. Déjà vu.
She'd just taken her first sip when there was a harsh banging on the door of her apartment, startling her. Ignoring it simply would not work, as the rapping came again, a moment later. Groaning, she untangled herself from the cushions, and stood, setting her steaming mug on her coffee table and making her way to the door. She stood up on her tip toes, peering through the peephole, wincing at the familiar head of hair she saw. Danny was shifting his weight uneasily on the other side of her door, chewing his lip, like he was going to implode.
Fantastic.
She unlatched the lock, and opened the door slowly, shooting him a quizzical expression.
"Look, I got somethin' to say." She'd stepped aside to let him in before she realized it, taking in a deep breath as he turned on his heel, watching her close the door.
"Don't you have a hot case?"
"Wrapped it." He waved dismissively, momentarily distracted as she ran her hand through her hair, taking in, for the first time, her worn in jeans and a weathered sweatshirt, faded lettering across the front, claiming state championship in some mountain something that he was sure he should know about. Focus, Messer. "Don't change the subject. I got somethin' I gotta lay out." She shifted her weight, almost nervously, and he felt a burn of panic.
Maybe this was what his brother-in-law had droned on about when he'd proposed.
"Danny, I don't want to talk about it-"
"No, wait, I don't want to talk about it either. I don't want you to talk. I'll talk. You listen, okay?" He put his hands up before him easily, his expression compassionate, his words soft. There was a moment where the silence hung between them, and he sensed her hesitancy sharply. "Ok, I'm going to talk." She broke into an amused smile, and crossed her arms over her chest.
"So talk."
"This is all I am, Linds. This is all I've got." He held his hands out before him, palms up, extending them toward her only just. She glanced at the rough of his skin before returning her eyes to his, frowning, confused.
"Dan-"
"Lemme get this out, Montana." He dropped his gaze to his hands, balling his fingers into gentle fists, running his thumbs over his knuckles, exhaling a heavy breath before opening his hands again, and fixing her with a desperate stare, his eyes shining dully behind his elegant frames with tears he wasn't afraid to let fall. "I'm not askin' anything, you won't answer me anyway. All I wanted to say was that I'm here, now, and I got more than a little experience with fighting the past. Take it, leave it, lemme say, without agenda, all I can offer is a place to fit your hand in mine. When everything falls to pieces, you can hold on to me."
………
A/N: I'm remedying the lack of DannyLindsay interaction. This is a WIP, but a WIP that I will faithfully update each week, in response to whatever train wreck Jerry throws us. If there's one thing both Danny and I know for absolute certain, it's that sometimes you just can't physically give up. It never occurred to me to give up on the Red Sox. The thought of giving up on Lindsay won't even cross his mind.
2. Chapter 2
The Battle Rages
…
Spoilers for Obsession
…
The determined click of heels on tile of the precinct usually turned heads, and today was no exception, and thirty pairs of eyes abandoned the case reports and interview transcripts, following the luring sway of curvy hips snuggly accentuated by a black wrap around dress, the flared hem skirting around a set of slender calves. Danny Messer had passed by reception only moments before, all his concentration devoted to the case file in his hands, ignorant to the sound of stilettos on the worn floor.
Thirty pairs of eyes watched Melinda DiMontazzoli purse her lips and adjust her dress, revealing the swell of her chest just a bit before calling out to the CSI before her. She'd only been the receptionist at the precinct for a week and a half, but she'd made up her mind about Danny Messer the minute she saw the absence of a wedding band on his left hand.
"Hey, Detective." Lindsay looked up from her desk to watch Danny cringe as the new receptionist caught up to him, throwing him a suggestive smile as she handed him a pile of messages. She flicked a lock of curly, espresso hair over her shoulders, arching her eyebrow at him seductively, her fingers lingering over his for a moment longer than necessary.
"Oh, hey, thanks, Melissa." Danny read through the slips of paper as he continued to make his way through the precinct, turning away from her easily, his attention already caught by the message from his mother. He closed the case file, making his way to his desk, tossing the case file and message slips on the desktop before sliding into his chair and sifting through the paperwork that had accumulated, cluttering his space.
It had been a slow shift. Only one new case had come in, and Mac had assigned Hawkes and Stella, leaving Danny and Lindsay with mounds of paperwork and lots of time to wade their way out of it. She'd never admit it, but Lindsay couldn't help but smile at the thought of spending the entire shift with Danny in her line of sight.
"Cell phone not working, Mr. Congeniality?" he grinned, snorting a laugh as he rolled his eyes.
"Landed on it when Flack and I apprehended the suspect in the Nelson case. Adam said it'd be fine as soon as it dries out."
She listened to the soothing sound of muffled broken Italian as he called his mother back with their desk phone. She should have been startled at how effortlessly the rounded, curvy sounds formed words, tumbling off his lip, salted in his thickened accent.
"…Suona buon. Okay. Sarò sopra intorno cinque, allora. Yeah, yeah. Ti amo, anche."
It made him seem domestic, almost, or worldly, despite the fact that he had lived his entire life inside the borders of the city. She'd only heard him speak in Italian a handful of times, and it continued to fascinate her, disarming him of his rough exterior right before her eyes. She'd be lying if she said it didn't cause a welcome heat below her waist, but she'd never have to own up to it. He frowned at another phone message, crinkling it up and tossing it in the wastebasket by his feet without a second thought.
"Not polite to not return phone calls, Detective." Lindsay ran a hand through her hair, flicking her gaze to the man seated across from her, arching an eyebrow at his smirk.
"I'll take my chances, thanks." He sat back, pushing his delicate frames up the bridge of his nose. "Besides, it's not like Melissa has anything else to do." He nodded toward the reception area, where Melinda was picking at a hangnail.
"Melinda." Lindsay corrected as she turned back to her paperwork, listening to him rummage through the contents of his desk, opening a case file. "Who are you avoiding?"
"Some girl from the Idiot Run. The, ah, dominatrix. Carla." The pink rose in Danny's cheeks faster than Lindsay could smile, and he cleared his throat, turning back to his work. He'd wrapped the Idiot Run case yesterday, while she had been helping Adam with the copious amount of Trace. She hadn't even seen him all shift.
"Dominatrix, huh? That sounds like fun." She was teasing him, but he was glad to see her smile, even if it was at the cost of his dignity.
"I'm not into fun." He signed off on the case report, folding it shut and sifting through another. "Least not the brand she's selling."
The retort was lying in wait on her tongue, but her cell phone rang shrilly, demanding her attention. She frowned, recognizing the Bozeman number on the screen, her amused smile instantly fading as she flipped open the phone.
"Monroe."
_"Detective Monroe, we're going to need you out here earlier than we had originally planned."_ The soft western twang of Bozeman ADA Kevin Donaldson hit her ears, and she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. _"I'm sorry, Lindsay, the defense is makin' a stink about our only witness bein' two thousand miles away. They made a case to the judge about you bein' made-up."_
"How soon?" Danny's eyes snapped up at the waver in her voice, but her hardened expression remained unreadable as she avoided his gentle gaze.
_"Next week at the latest. We thought it'd work for you to just come in for the proceedings, but if we're gonna get the verdict we need you here for the preliminaries."_ There was a tense pause as Lindsay inwardly groaned. She didn't know if she would be able to make it through the trial, and now the possibility of an 'in and out' visit to her home state. Feeling Danny's eyes on her, she looked up, shaking her head to dismiss the concern in the blue of his eyes.
_"Lindsay?"_ Kevin Donaldson pried gently; worried their call had been dropped.
She closed her eyes, gathering her wits about her as quickly as she could, clinging to the unraveled threads of her professionalism. She opened them again, rubbing her temple and resting her elbow on her desk, her gaze falling on the quiet muscle of Danny's arm, peeking out from under his tee shirt. She followed the muscle down his forearm, flexing casually as he scribbled notes in the margin of the file, her eyes falling on his slender hands, working mechanically, moving across the page stiffly. That was all he was. All he had.
It was all she needed.
"Okay."
_"Alright. Preliminary hearings start next Friday, after jury selection. We need you here Thursday at the latest."_
"Sounds good."
_"See you Thursday? We'll have to brief you on your role, bring you up to speed with."_
"Okay. I'll do what I can, thank you."
_"Call when you know flight details, I'll arrange to have someone pick you up."_
"Not necessary, I can handle it."
_"Are you sure?"_
"I hope so." Lindsay hung up, avoiding Danny's curious stare, shuffling through a report she had already finished.
"Everything okay?" His voice was soft, concerned, private, in the bustling, animated precinct. She threw him a forced smile, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear and feigning the ease that she had felt before her phone rang.
"Yeah." It wasn't convincing, and he wasn't buying her act.
"Lindsay?"
"Somedays the battle sucks." The finality in her response told him to drop it. She wasn't ready to explain, and he could understand. He hadn't said anything when she had come to him with the DNA results last spring. But, in due time, he had told her the whole story.
In time, she'd do the same.
…
A/N: I'm sorry, I'm a horrible person with the worst case of writer's block…and this episode was NO help.
3. Chapter 3
On and On
…
Spoilers for _The Lying Game_
…
Three.
There were three new messages in her voicemail when Lindsay Monroe turned on her cell phone in the middle of Gallatin Field Airport. Punching in her password, she cradled her cell phone against her ear, making her way to baggage claim.
Baggage claim. She couldn't help but smirk. This whole town was baggage for her. The automated woman on the other end recited that she had three new voice messages. The first was ADA Donaldson, with instructions to meet him in his office at the courthouse on South 16th, with a mechanical recitation of directions from the airport. She erased the message halfway through, remembering where to go.
The second message was from Danny, his accent sounded thick in her ear, making her smile as she picked her suitcase off of the conveyer belt.
"_Hey, Montana, I, ah, I wanted to wish you luck, Mac filled me in a bit on the generalities. Listen, we've all been on the stand before, but testifying for people is a lot harder than testifying for evidence. People are unpredictable, unstable. Change their story, cover stuff up. Science never lies. Doesn't have a hidden agenda. No bias. Getcha hands on the forensics reports, look 'em over. Don't worry about the mothers, Lindsay. You're on their side."_ Her eyes watered, blurring her vision only just, and she stopped, setting down her suitcase to wipe at her eyes as Danny's message paused, and she heard the sound of him clearing his throat, and coughing once. He must have been outside. _"Flack's draggin' me to a suspicious circs, I'll call you later."_ She grinned, accepting the comfort that Danny had offered in the brief message he'd left. Her smile dissolved, however, as the voice of her mother invaded her ear.
"_Linds, gimme a call. Me and Dad're lookin' forward to seein' you."_ She rolled her eyes, knowing that her stay at the Watts Lane Farm was going to hopefully be short lived. They hadn't been overly supportive of her move to the East Coast, and she wasn't sure she was ready to handle the inquiries about New York, or the leading questions into the case-sensitive material of the trial ahead of her.
Mostly, though, she didn't want to see the picture hanging in the hall.
Sighing, she glanced at her watch. It was only four in the afternoon in New York, and Danny was probably knee-deep in the 419 with Flack. She'd call him back in a few hours, when her mind had been put to ease by the trial notes, or when her mother glanced at her left hand disapprovingly for the fourteenth time.
The drive down the 209 was neither horrible, nor long, as the airport is only a handful of miles away from the courthouse, and the scenery was a welcome sight after a year and a half of asphalt and high-rises. The winter had been fickle this year, but despite the fact that the ambient temperature was similar to that of the temperature on the streets of New York, the air was thinner, and Lindsay shivered, enjoying the view of snow that managed to remain white once in hit the ground.
Lindsay remembered the Gallatin County Courthouse as a large, cement block, four stories tall, one whole block wide. A daunting, intimidating building with severe angles and darkened, miserable windows in contrast with the drab, colorless cement. It had scared her, years ago when she hadn't started to unravel the secrets and tricks associated with law enforcement.
She entered the building with a passing glance, her heart cracking as the structure seemed to sigh wearily under the weight of her conscious. She smirked, the realization dawning on her that the Spartan brick of a courthouse in her hometown was easily dwarfed by the looming presence of precinct that was home to the lab on back East. She tried to smile, being back in the big sky country was a reminder of how much she had become a New Yorker, how much she belonged in the city.
How much this wasn't her home anymore.
She fingered her cell phone, rotting a hole in her jacket pocket, her jaw set determinedly. She would not unravel within an hour of landing. It was her connection to New York, to her life. The job was real, the lab was real, and this was all just a bad dream that she couldn't shake. Lindsay took a deep breath, knocking softly on Kevin Donaldson's door and swinging it open when she heard him call out a welcome.
Danny Messer groaned as he checked his watch for the third time inside an hour. He had been staring at the same sample of roofing tar for twenty minutes; unable to remember what he was looking for long enough to locate it. He was dangerously close to killing off an entire shift without Lindsay. He was also dangerously close to losing his mind. He straightened, pulling his frames back down to the bridge of his nose, and frowned at the spread of evidence before him. Lindsay's flight would have landed a few hours ago. If she had turned on her phone, she would have already listened to his message.
No.
He was not going to be the long distance stalker. The last thing she needed was his New Yorker mouth distracting her from preparations for testimony. He ran a hand through his hair, fighting off the burning in his chest, the heavy feeling of hurt that she hadn't trusted him with her demons. That she had insisted on shouldering her dark past on her own. Danny took a deep breath, shedding his lab coat and abandoning his evidence in search of a cup of the strong coffee that had been burning in the decanter in the break room for the last few hours.
Silently he prayed for a swift trial, for her sanity, and his.
Danny had almost made it to the break room when his cell phone began to ring. He didn't bother to look at the screen as his flipped it open, cradling the phone against his ear as he made his way to the cabinet.
"Messer." He swung open one of the cabinet doors, his fingers gently pushing aside a few mugs to find his own.
"_Hey."_ Lindsay sat in her rental car in the parking lots of the courthouse, unable to keep her tears at bay.
"Lindsay?" Danny all but dropped the mug in his hand, frowning at her brokenhearted tone. "Hey, how was your flight?"
"_Um, good. I just, I just needed to hear your voice."_ She cringed, knowing he would pick up on her free admission of vulnerability. Danny's hoarse chuckle hit her ear softly, and she smiled, leaning back against the headrest, staring absently at the steering wheel.
"You wanna talk about it?" Danny moved around the kitchen area of the break room, wedging his phone between his shoulder and his cheek, pouring thick blackened coffee into his mug.
"_It, ah, it's just a lot, you know? All at once."_
"Catches up with you, then knocks you out."
"_Yeah." _Her voice continued to shake, and he frowned, wanting nothing more than pull her into a hug until everything was over.
"Country boys at the court house treatin' you alright?" His timbre was lighter, and she smiled, rubbing away her tears.
"_Like I'm some big-shot New Yorker."_ She could hear him laugh, and take a sip of what she assumed was coffee.
"That's m'girl." He mumbled, grinning into the phone. "Bring a little city to the game, this guy'll rot in a nine by nine for the rest of his life."
"_I just, I wish I wasn't so far from home."_ Danny cocked an eyebrow, fighting off a mixture of a pleased smile and the shattering of his heart. He listened to her try to hide a sniffle, and inhale a shaky breath. He rubbed at his eyes wearily, groaning softly.
"Don't let them make you forget that you're a cop, Linds."
"_Because I bear such a resemblance to Dennis Franz."_ He relaxed against the counter, hearing her sarcastic jibe.
"But the badge you got is real. It says New York on it, Montana. Don't let them run you around." There was a streak of vindication in his voice, and she nodded, knowing he was giving her sound advice.
"_I just feel like I'm a kid all over. Like I'm tripping over the forensics, I can't get their faces out of my head. I just never thought I'd be sifting through this stuff ever again. I'm not ready, I can't do it."_
"These victims, Linds, they need you. This guys been runnin' around for ten years, yeah, but you're ten years older now, and ten years smarter, and instead'a cookin' dinners you've been cookin' theories, and I've seen you take down suspects. Seen you not so much as flinch in the courtroom with the scumbags we round up back here." Danny took a deep breath, blinking away the evidence of tears in his eyes as he continued, speaking softly into the phone. "Listen, to everyone else, it's just another case. Another witness, another day at the office. You care about these people, Lindsay, but you're still seeking justice. Fight for it. You were the only one there. You're the only one who can."
"_Thanks, Dan."_ She sounded small, quiet, and Danny cringed, hearing her self confidence crumble. After a moment, she changed the subject. _"What're you working on?" _
"Well, I got a piece a' roofin' tar that's been givin' me a run for my money. Could use a second opinion." Danny grabbed his mug, taking a sip of his coffee as he made his way through the lab, filling her in as he went.
4. Chapter 4
The Soldier's Wife
…
Spoilers for _Some Buried Bones_
…
He couldn't help but think it.
Lying dejectedly on his couch, the Rangers game on mute, Danny frowned, almost sorry his case had wrapped as quickly as it did. He could definitely use the distraction. Instead, he had had one of those rare shifts that ended on time, with nowhere to go but home. He rolled over onto his stomach, pulling his glasses from his nose and tossing them onto the coffee table, rubbing at his eyes before abandoning the façade of relaxation and climbing to his feet.
His gaze shifted from the display of Madison Square Garden on the television to the cell phone sitting silently beside his glasses. He made his way to the kitchen, rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his palm, a fleeting attempt to scratch his thoughts from his consciousness. That path was neither constructive nor healthy. Snatching a bottle of water from the refrigerator, he slammed the door shut, causing the jar of mustard to topple over from the jolt. Moving back into his living room, he stood with his shins against his coffee table, peering down at his phone before taking a long swig, letting ice-cold water chill through him.
For a moment, he wondered if this was some sort of divine retribution, courtesy of his favorite Brooklynite. God, he was such a girl. He could almost hear her laughing at him. Tears came at him from nowhere, hitting him square in the chest with a heavy pressure that knocked the wind from his lungs, and he crumpled into the couch, forcing himself to find control. No matter how badly he needed Aidan's advice, he was on his own.
Danny leaned forward, retrieving his glasses and shoving them back on his face, pocketing his cell phone and grabbing his keys. There was no way he'd clear his head in his tiny storage closet of an apartment. It was going to be one of those days where the closest to sleep he'd get would be tossing and turning if he was lucky.
Two and a half hours later, Danny trudged along the far end of the Brooklyn Bridge. He never liked the East River. It smelt like the shower drain at the lab, and he'd recovered one too many bodies from the black of it to appreciate it as anything more than a perpetual dumpsite.
He cleared his throat, coughing once against his fist as he moved easily in the sparse crowds of New Yorkers and tourists enjoying the view of Manhattan, sparkling majestically against the black of the wee hours. He ignored the tense, dull ache of his muscles, refusing to admit to himself that he'd walked clear into another borough. He was nowhere closer to chasing the image from his mind now than he was hours before. He only hoped Stella had missed it. When they'd caught their thief, for a split second, he didn't see Ava Brandt. He'd seen a pregnant brunette.
Well, no. He'd seen a _particular_ brunette. Pregnant.
Oh God, there it was again.
He closed his eyes, willing it away, but it only came in clearer. Lindsay Monroe standing on a street corner, running a hand over a very pregnant bump, telling Stella that they decided to keep the sex of the baby a surprise.
Men from Staten Island did not daydream of having babies. Men from anywhere did not daydream of having babies. It had snuck up on him, really. The shoplifting disguise had caught him off guard. Suddenly he was angry at the state of Montana for being so far away.
He was losing it without her.
Danny frowned at the spot where they'd laid out the mermaid, almost a year ago, making his way noncommittally to the railing, running a hand through his hair tiredly. Calling her was out of the question. She needed space. She had asked for space. It was four in the morning in Bozeman.
It was too late, he already had his phone out, his thumb posed precariously over the six, threatening to activate speed dial. Quickly, he snapped it shut, groaning with frustration. His gaze drifted, leaving him with his thoughts, settling on the young couple a few yards away. A blonde snuggled into a NYU sweatshirt, and her companion, kneeling, wearing a beat up old baseball hat bearing the insignia of Hudson University.
Kids.
And the glittering lights of the city made the diamond he held out to her sparkle almost as much as her smile.
He had at least ten years on them, and the only diamond he had ever bought was for his mother when he signed with the Cubs. Danny opened his phone again, pressing his thumb to the camera option instead, avoiding speed dial. Shaking off the creeping sensation he got from giving off the air of a tourist, he raised the piece of technology to eye level, squinting as he held it out at arm's length, framing the Manhattan skyline, and pressing down, capturing the image. He leaned back over the railing, shifting his weight and damning his pride as he typed in his message, hitting the six, and send before he could stop himself. It was a moment of weakness, but he had a feeling they both needed it.
Two thousand miles away, Lindsay Monroe was about ready to give up the battle for any sort of rest. She hadn't been sleeping well, and she hadn't been sleeping just then, worried about the preliminaries, the forensic evidence she'd be listening to in a few hours. When the crime was fresh, the science had meant nothing to her. Now, however, it was everything. Lindsay rolled over in her covers, reacting to the soft beep of her phone, indicating a text. She flipped open her phone, hitting 'yes.' She couldn't help but grin as she recognized the Manhattan skyline on her tiny screen, and she couldn't help the tears as she read Danny's message that followed.
_miss you_
5. Chapter 5
Cries in the Night
…
Spoilers for _Heart of Glass_
…
Danny Messer needed a cigarette.
He'd been in denial for three days, but he wasn't stupid. He hadn't been able to shake the telltale jittery sensation, the sting of a headache that should have waned three aspirins ago. He'd snapped at more uniforms today than he had pictures, and he'd processed three scenes since clocking in. As he leaned over the side of the tub, scraping a gloved hand along the bottom, sifting through the bloody water, he set his jaw in a hard grimace, fighting off a wave of nausea. He wasn't sure if it was the coppery stench or his body remembering it had been without nicotine for almost ten years.
Or it might have been the dawning realization that his boss was shacking up with the M.E. Not that he wasn't happy for Mac. Recovering from Claire's death had been an elongated, ongoing process, for everyone. The city was still recovering, years later. The Mac he had been hired under would have frowned upon an interoffice romance, but then again, women had a tendency to change men, even if they didn't mean to.
Soften their hearts, or their heads, or something. Or get under their skin and plague their thoughts and distract them from everything and break down their defenses and pummel their hearts. Danny cringed, closing his eyes and visibly pushing straying thoughts of Lindsay out of his mind. God, he wanted a smoke.
He glanced at the lipstick message on the mirror against the wall, the letters daring him to give in to distraction, and his thoughts strayed to Lindsay until his fingers hit pay dirt in the form of an expended round. Plucking the bullet fragment out, Danny cringed, remembering there was no indication that the victim died of a gunshot wound. He frowned, taking in the obvious overtones the victim had set.
Fucking Valentine's Day.
"If you're going to stand there, you might as well gimme a hand, Sparky." Jeb Monroe didn't have to look at his daughter to know she was lingering in the doorway of the barn, already dressed to appear in court. "Hold the board steady, will yah? Mind the grease, there." Jeb paused from his work, dipping his hand into a tub of oily goo on the table beside him and greasing the rawhide. At his delegation of a task, she accepted the excuse for entering the barn, flopping down on the bench, gripping the board, countering her father's pull as he twisted and weaved the thin strips of hide.
Lindsay's father continued to work in silence, paying his only daughter no outward sign of attention, instead listening to her troubled sigh. It broke his heart to see her struggle to uphold her calm, collected front. Even broken, weary, and troubled as she was, she looked stunning, dressed in black slacks and a gray sweater that slimmed her already tiny figure, her curly, wild hair carefully straightened, hanging long below her shoulders, her dark coat making Montana winters look pleasant.
The city looked good on her, though he'd take that particular opinion to his grave. He hadn't wanted her to go, but the haunted expression in her eyes had become so heavy that it had clouded the laughter, dulling the sparkle, breaking her soul. Every crime she had worked on in town she had pulled to shreds, searching for answers with the fervor of a guilty conscious.
He knew she had been searching for the man they had on trial. Not finding him, she'd settled for finding other people's villains instead. It was an honest living, and she was good at it. A drifter, the man who'd almost slaughtered his daughter had only stayed in Bozeman for a few weeks, but it had been more than enough to terrorize the community for years. He glanced up at her from the braid, noting the tired, troubled expression she was trying to hide from him. Several minutes of silence passed between them, save for the creaking of the strips of hide in his hands. When Jeb Monroe finally spoke, his words were quiet, simple.
"Got a lot on your mind?" He continued to work the hide, pulling at the braid with considerable force, which she countered with an instinctive ease.
"Yeah." She wasn't in a talking mood. She rarely was with him; they had been at odds with each other since she moved out east. He braided another inch or so, rubbing on his homemade grease expertly before trying again.
"Your mother's worried."
"I know." Lindsay frowned, holding the board with her knees and leaning over the top, watching him work.
"I don't have to tell her anything." Lindsay's father leaned over to the table, reaching for his awl, squinting as he picked out an imperfection with the sharp end, adjusting the rawhide before yanking the strips tightly.
"But I should."
"I didn't say that." Jeb Monroe threw his daughter a rough, weatherworn smirk. "What do those New Yorkers say? _We're just talkin' here."_ He set down the awl, and picked up his pliers, twisting the rawhide. "You look bushed is all, and I can't figure if it's from the court room or the fresh air."
"Haven't been sleeping."
She didn't want to talk about it. Didn't want to tell him about the forensic testimony she had to listen to, it was difficult enough to learn the gruesome, intricate details of each of her dear friends' injuries, never mind the slideshows of their brain matter splattered across the vibrant, cheery colors of the tile floor.
Kellie Kennedy's deadened eyes staring up at her from the floor had rotted a hole in her conscious, and now, having seen it displayed in the context of forensic analysis. Sarah Graham's body slumped over by the register in a pool of darkened blood. She had always had the stench of copper in her memory, fighting off the after effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder even at crime scenes back East. She could still hear Rachel Foley's body slide off the slick vinyl of the booth and fall with a dead thud as she dialed 911.
Mostly, though, she didn't want him to know that she was homesick for New York.
"Gonna kick off early if you keep runnin' yourself like that." Jeb frowned, pulling against the board again, his fingers working the rawhide mechanically. He almost heard his baby daughter roll her eyes.
"You sound like Mom."
"Your mother's a smart woman, Sparky." He grunted softly, tightening the line and rubbing in more grease. "What time they starting down at the court house?"
"'Bout an hour." She sighed, resting her chin on her arms across the top of the board like she did when she was young. His heart broke, seeing her dressed up like an adult, teary like a child. He saw her falter only for a moment, regaining composure and willing away any outward sign of grief. "Mom was humming in the shower this morning." Lindsay tried her best attempt at a grin, causing her father to smile.
"We got a standing date down by the crick. Built a little patio out there 'bout a year ago. Your dumb-as-shit brother rigged up a space heater for the field, brought it down. Had a nice dinner." At Lindsay's raised eyebrow, he shrugged. "Your mother's got a thing about Valentine's Day, you know that. And-"
"And cowboys are the most romantic breed of man, yes, I know." She smiled faintly, pleasing her father. The delicate ring of her cell phone caught her attention, and she pulled it out of her coat pocket, her features softening as she read the name on the caller ID, offering an excuse to her father. "Sorry, he forgets that there are different time zones." Jeb cocked an eyebrow at his daughter as she flipped open the phone, answering with what he referred to as her 'big city scientist' voice.
"Monroe." She reached over on the table, plucking his grimy, well-loved, empty thermos off the table as she easily broke into an amused smile, telling the voice on the line to hold on as she spoke to him. "I'll getcha a refill." He nodded, mumbling his thanks as she stood, climbing off the bench and making her way to the house.
"_Mac and Peyton. Spill."_
"You didn't know?"
"_Even Flack knows. Why am I always last?"_
"I thought you were a CSI, Dan." She teased him, smiling. "You didn't notice?"
"_Well I did when they showed up to my crime scene halfway through a date."_ She laughed, cradling the phone in the crook of her shoulder as she swung open the back door to the house, moving around her parents' kitchen to the half empty coffee maker.
"Oh, Danny, I'm sorry." She clearly wasn't, however, as she continued to laugh. "I try to avoid the lab tech gossip."
"_But you knew."_
"There's no avoiding Stella." She smiled, hearing him chuckle into the phone before sobering only just.
"_When's court?"_
"An hour." She poured hot, black coffee into the thermos, biting her lip.
"_What's the testimony on?"_
"Ah, the forensic evidence." She spoke carefully, twisting the cap back on her father's thermos, making an attempt to hide the waver in her tone, but he was too well versed in her tells.
"_Ah'right."_ He gave a thoughtful sigh, making up his mind quickly. _"Ah'right, lemme distract you, for a few minutes, then. You sound like you could use a little New York." _She smiled at his thickened accent, and his straightforwardness. He must be tired. Must have pulled a double.
"You have no idea, cowboy."
6. Chapter 6
Our Lives on 'Pause'
…
Spoilers for _The Ride In_
…
"It smells like ass in there." Flack didn't hide the grimace as he stepped out into fresher air, coming to stand beside Mac Taylor as animal control officers boarded the ark, ironically, two by two. The older man cast a disinterested stare as one of the officers struggled, handling a stubborn llama. "The one time we have a case with copious amounts of livestock, and our resident country girl is out of state." Mac nodded as he sighed, taking in the scene.
"Definitely could have used Lindsay on this one."
"If only to settle down Mr. Brooding Intensity over there." Flack nodded in Danny's general direction where he was shifting his weight uncomfortably, rubbing at his eyes, then at the back of his neck in an agitated manner. "How long has he been fidgetin' like that?"
"Week, maybe two." Mac shrugged; frowning at his CSI, concern making a brief appearance across his features before shifting his weight and surveying the manhandling of the drawbridge door with a critical eye. "I called Hawkes, had him switch the coffee in the break room to decaf."
It was almost ten hours later when Danny leaned against the railing that encircled the roof of the crime lab, cupping his hand to shield himself from the crisp breeze as his thumb flicked the roll of the cheap lighter, creating a tiny flame. He couldn't believe it had come to this; lapsing back into self-destructive habits to ease the unrelenting anxiety. He shifted the cigarette between his teeth, touching the end to the flame, and inhaled, lighting the end.
He took a slow, even drag, closing his eyes and surrendering to the wave of relief that crested over him, pulling the cigarette away with his index finger and his thumb, turning it over in his hand as he exhaled, a stream of shadowy white lazily making it's way into the wind. He wasn't sure what he was thinking; he probably should have stolen a whole pack from Hawkes' experiment. One smoke was definitely not going to cut the edge. It had been hours since his case had hit a snag, and he had slipped out, in dire need of a few breaths of cold air in his lungs.
And maybe a little tar, as well.
He wedged the butt of the cigarette between his lips again, casting his gaze out along the glittery, sparkling lights that defined the Manhattan skyline after hours, willing the nicotine to work its charm on his nerves. It tasted like shit, just like he remembered, and he could almost feel the tar and ash adhere themselves to his teeth. He had only had three perfect smokes in his life, and after so many years of steering clear, he had hoped that this would make it four. No such luck.
He plucked the cigarette from his mouth again, exhaling mechanically as he tapped the end, jostling free the ashes in a practiced manner. Vaguely, he heard the door to the roof open, and shut again quietly, but he ignored it, bringing the butt up again for another hit. The nicotine did nothing to the tension in his shoulders, and he cringed, disappointed. This was not worth the three to five minutes of his natural lifespan it was costing him. He supposed it didn't really matter, though; odds were the job would kill him anyway, and if it wasn't the work, it was the girl two thousand miles away.
God, he was such a mess.
Danny didn't acknowledge Stella beside him, but he recognized the sound of her heels against the cement, and the earthy scent of her shampoo as she leaned against the railing. After a moment, she realized he wasn't going to speak, so carefully, she broke the silence.
"Are you _smoking_, Messer?"
"Nah. Osmosis." His deadpan made her start to laugh, and she stifled it quickly as he brought the butt of the cigarette up to his lips again, leaving it there as he ran a hand through his hair dejectedly, making it spike in a tousled manner.
"Haven't seen you with one of those in a long time." Her heart shattered at his defeated sigh.
"Haven't had one in years." He mumbled through the cigarette, taking slow, cautious drag. "Just tryin'a settle my nerves." She smiled slyly; having a vague understanding of what this was really all about.
"How's that working?" She turned, leaning back against the railing, turning her head to study his profile as he broke into a small smile.
"Not s'well. I think I got one'a your green smokes. There's definitely not enough nicotine in this thing." Stella smirked at his words, noting the weight of his accent and his weary, drained features. She turned toward him, rubbing a hand along his neck, attempting to alleviate the knot between his shoulders. He groaned appreciatively, watching the cigarette burn between his fingers for several minutes, willing the ache in his heart to subside.
"You wanna talk about it?" Her words were soft against the biting New York wind, but he shook his head, blowing out the end of his last drag in a sigh before rubbing the butt against the cement ledge and tossing it over the side of the building with a mechanical flick. She assumed the nicotine had made its way to his bloodstream, as his visible agitation waned slightly. He pursed his lips, taking in the skyline, battling with himself over what to hang on his sleeve. "C'mon, Danny. Let me help with the load." She wrapped an arm around his waist, splaying her fingers along the small of his back.
He smiled, pushing his glasses up the slope of his nose with his knuckle, leaning on his forearms against the railing, hanging his head for only a moment. He was running dangerously short on sanity and good judgment, a lethal combination in a town like this one. Danny shrugged, coughing out a laugh, embarrassed. In his years in the crime lab, he had never been able to lie to Stella, and he didn't have the strength to start now.
"High profile murder cases. They can drag on for months." He cringed, fighting back the break in his resolve. "I don't know if I can make it."
"This is about -"
"I know. I got it bad." He stood, leaning against the railing, turning to face her, but his eyes found the cement by their feet instead. "Don't tell Mac, alright? I already get the shit-eating grin from Flack."
As she pulled him into a companionable hug, Stella laughed.
7. Chapter 7
The Sailor and The Nurse
…
Spoilers for _Sleight Out of Hand_
…
"-And I ask that you find the defendant, Daniel Cadence, guilty of Murder in the First Degree. Take a good look at Sarah Graham's father. Emily Norton's mom and dad. Kellie Kennedy's parents. Rachel Foley's nieces and nephews. Look at Lindsay Monroe. They've suffered too long already. All I ask, we ask, is that you, the jury, put this man behind bars where he belongs. You alone have the power to end the nightmare Daniel Cadence has caused."
The formalities that are recited as the jury is excused to deliberation were white noise in Danny Messer's ear. As the jury filed out, Danny stood, placing his hand at the small of Lindsay's back, taking a step closer to her as the man in the gray suit turned in the officers' grasp, sneering in Lindsay's direction. Briefly he saw the panic flick through her, the fear Daniel Cadence had caused burning in her eyes.
Lindsay felt Danny move his hand from the small of her back to her shoulder, kneading her tense muscles for only a second, refocusing her attention to him, distracting her from the daunting hatred across the room. He was safe. Home. She'd been struggling, drowning in country. He was enough city to keep her grounded. The quiet worry in his eye kept her from losing herself.
"Let's get some air." His accent was thick against her ear, and she nodded, smiling faintly. He pushed open the door of the courtroom, shoving his hand in his pocket, flashing her a reassuring smile as her fingers curled around his bicep securely. They had almost made it out of the corridor when a man called out to Lindsay, stopping her in her tracks.
A lean man in his early forties waved, jogging a few steps to catch up to them. Danny saw the hesitant recognition smattered across her features, and she made a few careful steps back toward him, walking from Danny's grasp to the other man's embrace. Danny adjusted the frames of his glasses, crossing his arms over his chest, watching Lindsay untangle herself from the man before stepping up to him. She reached for him, offering him an apology in the form of a kindly smile.
"This is my partner, Danny Messer." Lindsay spoke politely to the other man before turning to him. "Dan, This is Rachel Foley's brother, Jeff." Danny stepped closer, offering the older man his hand.
"Nice t'meet you." Danny regarded Jeff Foley with a somber expression, feeling Lindsay's fingers along his side; intimate, but discreet. "I'm sorry about your sister." Lindsay watched as Jeff Foley regarded Danny with a steely, unsure expression.
"Thank you, Detective." Jeff Foley glanced at Lindsay, as he ran a hand through his blonde hair. "You're from New York." It was a statement more than anything, but Danny nodded.
"Staten Island."
"Here I was thinking Lindsay had an accent." There was the faintest hint of a smile grazing Jeff's features. "Being her partner, you've got her back out there, in the streets?" Lindsay started to protest, but Danny understood where Jeff was going.
"Mostly she's got mine."
"Thank you for keeping her safe. Without her testimony, there wouldn't have been a conviction. So Mr. Donaldson tells us." The tears flooded his eyes quickly, and he turned to Lindsay, hugging her again, fiercely before excusing himself, shaking Danny's hand again cordially before making his way back down the corridor. Danny slipped a hand along her shoulder, kneading the tension at the base of her neck gently, allowing for her to slide easily into his embrace, taking care to not to grip her too tightly, listening to her resolve break.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled into his shoulder, but he only pressed a kiss to her hair in response.
"S'okay. I got you." He waited for her to regain control over her feelings before pulling away to catch her eye, brushing a tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "This place got a back door, Monroe?" She smiled, rubbing her eyes and nodding.
" Yeah. Through there." She gestured to the door marked 'Maintenance' at the end of the hall. At his amused smirk, she rolled her eyes. "The CSOs like to mess with the Prosecutors. Long story."
Hours later, Lindsay felt Danny's concerned gaze on her as she slowed her father's archaic truck to a stop.
"This some country ritual?" Danny arched an eyebrow at Lindsay as she pushed the shifter of the beat up pick-up truck into first, yanking up the emergency break with a practiced ease and killing the engine. She smiled faintly at him, wrapping her hand securely around the thermos that had sat between them on the seat, swinging open the driver's side door and jumping out.
"Something like that." He chuckled as she shut the door, moving out of his line of sight towards the back of the truck. He followed, gathering the few thick, worn blankets she had pilfered from the hall closet in her parents' house, climbing out of the passenger side. He leaned over the siding of the truck bed, an amused grin hanging on his jaw as he watched her scale the other side, taking a moment to settle his concerns about the after burn of the trial.
She had thrown her wavy curls into a haphazard ponytail, had emerged from her childhood bedroom donning worn out jeans and a University of Montana hoodie only an hour before. He leaned against the side of the truck, watching her lay out the heavier of the blankets, arranging the contents of the old pick-up to be more conducive to two adults. Danny smiled softly, relieved to see her relaxing, of only a bit. When she had finished, Lindsay straightened, smirking at him.
"If you're gonna see a wheat field, Messer, you might as well do it like a local." She nodded her head toward the bed of the truck. "Dan?" For the first time, Danny glanced out past the far end of the truck bed, noticing the short cliff, and below it, what he assumed was about a dozen or so acres of what would have been wheat stalks, had they not been out in February. Fortunately, it had been a mild winter, and the sun was burning flat into the horizon, emanating a fiery pink and orange hue.
Whoa.
"Do I need to show you how to climb up on a wheel well?" There was a hint of teasing in her voice that he hadn't heard in months, causing him to grin.
"Nah, we got pick-ups out on the Island, Monroe." He climbed over the side easily, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he sat down beside her, relaxing against the soft, worn wool and the back of the cabin, casting his gaze out to the sunset. Lindsay watched as he kicked off his shoes, pushing them against the siding. He caught her confused gaze, breaking into a gentle grin.
"What're you doing?"
"When in Rome." He shrugged, resting the back of his head against the cool metal, letting her soft laugh ease his nerves. It was just the two of them. No city. No crime scenes. No reputations. They didn't have to be Detectives Messer and Monroe with the NYPD. For the first time in a handful of months, he was finally able to breathe.
He didn't bother stopping the lopsided grin that had spread across his features as she took a hold of his hand, gripping his fingers snugly with hers. He'd fallen in love with the feel of her hand in his, even after such a short time. They sat in the back of the truck in comfortable silence, taking in the view. After a few minutes, Danny spoke again, quietly.
"You alright?" Her fingers rubbed against his a few times, and he tightened his grip.
"Yeah." She sighed, pulling his hand to come to rest against her stomach, leaning against his arm. Danny's gaze didn't stray from the setting sun as he responded, moving his fingers to her thigh, touching idly along a few inches of the inseam of her jeans. She let go of his hand, curling each of hers around his bicep and his elbow, leaning in to him companionably. Finally, he tore his gaze away from the field, pressing a delicate kiss to her hair.
"I'm proud of you."
"I was terrified." She mumbled into the sleeve of his jacket, tugging at his heart.
"You did well."
"Thank you." The quiet, even tone of her voice wavered, and he shifted to catch her eye. "You know, for coming."
"I was losin' my mind, Linds. I didn't want to lose you, too." His accent thickened gently, making her smile, his words pulling at her heart. She began to retort, but he threw her an amused smirk, and leaned back again, turning his attention back to the wheat field, his fingers returning to her thigh. "You know, I've never actually been in the back of a pick-up before."
"Really." He bit back a chuckle at the amusement in her voice. "That I don't buy."
"God honest truth. We city folk tend to stick to backseats and dingy hotel rooms." She laughed, and he ran his thumb over the inseam of her jeans nonchalantly.
"No sunset in that."
"No wheat fields, either." The husky quality of his voice along with the even, slight heat of his hand made her shiver against his side. He sat up, leaning over her, reaching across her body and untangling one of the extra blankets, spreading the worn, faded fabric to cover both their bodies. He abandoned the blanket at the feel of her fingers at the base of his neck, twisting to give her his full attention. "I thought you were cold." His grin widened as she shook her head, curls escaping in stands and tendrils from her lazy ponytail.
He reached over, pushing a stray curl from her face and meeting her gaze for a split second before turning away, reaching over her body again, lacing his fingers in hers, and bringing their hands to rest in her lap, his knuckles against the waist band of her jeans. Danny leaned down, pressing a slow, delicate kiss to the back of her hand, his goatee scratching her skin lightly. He gripped her fingers tightly, succumbing to the feel of her hand in his hair, leaning his forehead against hers.
"I won't set the pace, Linds." He lowered his voice to a whisper, pulling away just enough to search her expression for hesitancy. She bit her lip, watching as the blue of his eyes darkened, a deep royal in the shadows of the cadenza of the sunset behind them.
"Okay." She curled her fingers around his neck, pulling him to her, touching her lips to his in a softened display of affection. He returned her pressure, shifting and running his tongue along her lips and parting them, waiting for her to give him permission. She shook her fingers free of his, cradling his unshaven jaw with both hands, deepening their kiss, sitting up to meet him. She felt him pull away, only to turn his kisses south, along the underside of her jaw for only a moment before pulling back again, kissing her sweetly before trying to speak against her.
"Linds-"
"We're in the business of discovering truths, Danny. Our secrets were bound to surface sometime." He gave a short laugh, her reasoning putting him at ease. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she frowned at him. "Does Mac know you're out here?"
"Kill the mood, Montana." He groaned, sitting up and adjusting his glasses on his nose. "I had the day off. He sent me home. I called out for tomorrow when I landed, but I didn't want to jinx anything."
"Superstitious."
"Baseball player."
"You look tired." She spoke quietly as she sifted a hand through his hair, smiling faintly as he reacted instantly, leaning into her touch.
"I've been on a steady diet'a double shifts, while you've been out."
"I'm sorry, I know I had to leave short notice-"
"Nah, we had shift covered. I just." He paused, finding he words as the last bits of sunlight disappearing behind the empty stubbles of last spring's crop of wheat. "Had to stay busy." He smiled sheepishly at her, the tinge of pink in his cheeks evident, despite the darkened sky. Danny sat back again, unable to stop the worried frown from gracing his features as he nodded his head to the side, silently asking for contact long overdue. He was surprised at how easily she fit into him.
Lindsay climbed dejectedly into his lap, melting into him, laying her head in the crook of his neck. He made it so easy to love him, without ever meaning to. She curled an arm around the small of his back, stifling a small smile as he shifted, leaning one knee along her back, the other resting over her thigh, shielding her from everything with a casual strength she'd become addicted to. She watched the gentle, rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, thankful that he had come. Her fingers idly traced the skin of his abdomen, feeling the muscles react beneath her touch.
Danny wrapped an arm around Lindsay's shoulders, content to carry out the rest of his life in the back of Jeb Monroe's dusty old pick-up truck. He reached over her small frame, pulling the faded woolen blanket tighter around her as even the faintest stars in the country sky started to become visible. He wanted nothing more than to flip her on her back, drench her in kisses, convince her that the affection he felt for her was real, that he'd never leave her.
That she could trust him.
"What do we do back home?" She mumbled, snuggling closer as the wind blew. There it was. He'd been wondering it himself. The city was a part of what they had, whether they wanted it to be or not. He chuckled, realizing it was the second time he'd heard her call his city home.
"I don't think Mac'll have a moral issue or anything." He smiled, feeling her soft laugh barrel through his body, causing a warm pressure in his chest. After a moment, he pried gently. "What did you have in mind?" He leaned his head away from hers, catching her eye.
"I don't know." She sounded strained, and he recognized the beginning stages of worry flake across her face.
"It's okay, Linds. We can say whatever we want, whenever we're ready." He cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses before covering her hand with his. "We don't hafta say anything at all."
"Let's go with that one." Lindsay's words were muffled against his chest, making him smile, tightening his grip on her fingers, nodding in agreement.
"I don't think it matters where we are. Your hand will always fit in mine."
End file.
| fanfiction |
Harry Potter 1. Time Scroll I
Chibiwriter: Erm… yes, this is Koei/Nokotsu. My new in fic name shall be Chibiwriter! Mwuahahah… anyways, if I get this story up I probably won't be posting anything for a while. Sowwy. T.T I'm going to the Grand Canyon with my friend next Wednesday. So I'll try updating on or two stories. Don't hurt me if I can't. But I'll be working on all of the stories I haven't got the Writer's Block Flu from. I wish I had a laptop…
**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Inuyasha, or any of the character written in. I'm just 'borrowing' them for my own demented stories**
My entire life I've been a black sheep, a kid acting to childish for my age, an oddball, the freak. Those are some of the names I've been called in my short life. And it's all because of magic.
But… Magic won't hurt you.
I don't think so anyways.
They may say it's nothing but a stupid toddler's idea, and I should grow up. They try covering it up, but they're afraid of me. Why? Is it because I can do the supernatural? Paranormal?
But... I'm not dangerous.
**Hourglass: Time Scroll I
* * *
**
Kagome Higurashi was swinging at the playground, feet kicking the air weakly as she stared up blankly.
"That's her." A group of kids were sitting on the grassy hillside, mumbling to themselves and pointing to the lone ebony haired girl.
"You mean the, freak who smiles too much? The one who acts like a six year old, the girl who has strange things happening around her?" Another whispered incredulously.
"Yes. She's always there, what do you think she's thinking about." The kids sniggered.
"Probably about how to take over the world. She's such a weirdo." Gasps were audible as the swing swayed without the rider, girl staring in their direction, blank brown eyes wide and emotionless.
"Shhh! She's looking at us." A boy whispered fearfully. Kagome smiled, pale pink lips widening as she started to speak.
"Come on guys, let's go play on the court." A girl commanded, starting in the exact opposite direction, away from the pale girl in blue.
She frowned, sitting down on the sand burning with summer's heat, tilting her to the side, shoulder length hair covering her confused expression. 'They always do that…' She sighed, staring at the sand. A hoot woke her out of her thoughts, and she turned her mesmerizing gaze onto the larger than normal barn owl on its branch, transfixing its beady gray eyes onto her dull emotionless ones.
"What do you want Mr. Owl sir?" Asking in a childish manner to young for a newly turned 11 year old, she pushed her hands into the dry sand, pushing herself to her feet. The owl hooted again, gliding down onto the vacant swing.
She just blinked in amazement, standing there in still silence. The bird held out its talons, an aged yellow envelope and a package bulging with items over the her, waiting to be untied so it could go back to sleep. She placed one small tentative hand on the envelope, and then quickly freed the burden as she learned the creature was not harmful.
"By Mr. Owl!" She smiled another vacant smile, hugging the large package to her blue sweater.
For the next few moment she held it in her grasp, gazing intently at the unopened parcel. 'What could be in it?' Carefully peeling away the stamp she placed it to the side, and slid a yellowed letter out. Unfolding it a long text of emerald appeared. (Japanese)
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
_Of _WITCHCRAFT _and _WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_
_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_
Dear Ms. Higurashi,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress
Her hands shook, a feat she did not often. There scrawled in a willowing black in was a P.S.
_P.S. – Ms. Higurashi. You are a special case as you are located in Japan and it is imperative you arrive to our humble school , but for another more important reason that I shall not describe until we can meet face to face. (I hope that is soon) You shall find entrusted to you a charm bracelet, a glass necklace, and a book. Though they are quiet amazing they hold another value, and you are needed (I apologize for any troubles this may cause you) to wear them throughout the day and of course, night. You shall find your transportation at your shrine well, 3:30 p.m. on Saturday._
_Lovely weather this week,_
_Dumbledore_
With that a list of supplies she didn't recognize came into view. Deciding to read that later she calmed her heart, smiling here vacant smile one could see a tint of happiness. 'I knew it.'
* * *
A/N: There! An actual crossover of HPxIY. It's also an AU. R&R! The pairing's already decided… sort of.
2. Time Scroll II
Chibiwriter: Yay! Another chappie of Hourglass!
**Animegurl5**: Are you just saying that because we know each other?
**Thunderstone**: Thank you!
**Kage Otome**: Thanks, the first chapter's a bit boring, I already have a plot, though not really a pairing… well I sort of do, Inu/Kag, Sess/Kag, Draco/Kag, Harry/Kag or something else… Don't really know…
**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or Inuyasha**
_I don't know why I chose to jump, maybe it was because I was excited to finally have something to do other than try to make friends who would never even talk to me? Or maybe it was because I wanted an adventure. What I got was a bit more exciting than I like._
**Hourglass: Time Scroll II
* * *
**
She had sneaked out at the sliver of dawn overtaking her room in its small glow, and grabbed her small bag of belongings, all of which she could carry with her unusually small size. Strapping the stuffed blue backpack over her shoulders she heaved it all up with a groan, and stumbled onto her bed. She sighed, and placed it onto the ground with a squeak to drag.
A small glass sphere hung on her neck, glowing eerily through the darkness as a charm bracelet clacked its beads together on her pack's zipper. These items were found in the large package, and a heavy spell book was stuffed into her pack. Her overly large blue sweater and baggy jeans were donned hastily as she pulled her bag out onto the stairs.
A sigh was heard and she stopped for a second, frozen, before breathing out in relief and starting all the way to the well with only a glance back. The lights were off, as day approached at an alarming speed. 'Sorry mom, gramps, baby brother.' She sighed almost sadly. 'But you wouldn't have let me go. I'll send you letters though.' With that she opened the rotting well door.
A yellowed letter was hanging from the decaying boards blocking the entrance of the ancient well.
"I wonder what it says?" She muttered, staring curiously with her large brown eyes.
The letter was yet again addressed to her in a thin, willowy yet graceful emerald writing.
_Dear Ms. Higurashi,_
_I apologize terribly for my absence as you take your first step into the unknown, but Hogwarts is always busy at the start of the start of the year. I do hope you are wearing your necklace? And your bracelet shall be needed shortly after your arrival. Ah yes, your transportation is quiet surprising too. The bone-eaters well is actually the very thing to bring you to London. I suppose you have not told your parent, so I shall be sending a message after your arrival, which will too be early I presume? _
_First meetings are always unexpected,_
_Dumbledore_
_P.S. - Do not be fear this sudden change in your life; this is the first road bump to a whole new adventure._
Kagome for once in her life shook slightly with fear, as she approached the well slowly. 'This'll be fun. This'll be fun!' Her mind repeated.
OoOoOoOoOoO
A blue light had swallowed her into darkness as she took the jump, and she had ended up on her feet in a cramped quarter, damp and wet with nothing but the drip of rain and the snores of others. Shivering slightly at the surroundings she cautiously stepped over a snoring baby whale, or was it a boy? Her yellow backpack had landed on a very bewildered; coughing boy after it compressed his lungs. He was about her age, at least four inches taller, with messy black hair and green eyes covered by glasses, pieced together by tape. He had overly large pajamas, and was staring with shock at her.
Collecting himself he started before she even had enough time to take a deep breath to calm her racking nerves.
"Who are you?" He whispered, standing up from the floor and pushing her yellow backpack to the side before leveling his lopsided glasses.
The words were gibberish to her, and she glanced over to the jewelry strapped to her pack. 'Your bracelet shall be needed shortly after your arrival…' Timidly starting toward him she smiled vacant yet nervously. Raising one small hand she tugged the bracelet off, strapping it on. A warm tingle, just about the exact opposite to the necklace overcame her, and she felt somehow different.
"Hello?" The boy asked again, raising an eyebrow at her seeming shyness.
"I-I'm Kagome Higurashi." The pale girl stated suddenly, amazed yet perplexed by the sudden change of her current language. Feeling a bit giddy she did what no other person would if they had been in a companion's contact for a short matter of time, but Kagome wasn't an average preteen and had never had a real friend since age seven. "Wow! I'm speaking another language! This is so cool!" Squealing out she spun around, slipping slightly on the damp ground. (Can we say mood swing? She'll be having them a lot… because I just picture her as the type who can't stay sad or terrified for long.)
The bemused boy just gawked, standing in awkward silence as he saw the one person play in front of him. She stopped abruptly, and turned to him with her vacant yet happy smile.
"Oh, and who are you?" But he did not get to answer as the door started shaking, trembling the ground and waking the already half-awake Durselys. BOOM. The frame of the house shook, and dust spattered onto them. BOOM.
Dudley, the supposed whale jerked to sudden wake. "What's it?" Another man, this one plump and purple, which Kagome almost mistook as a live plum crashed through to the living room, holding a rifle in his hands. The girl backed away, eyes wide as she ran behind the only person she even remotely just met, and felt even the slightest safety with, because a whale and a plum with a rifle weren't very inviting…
The wood flew off its hinges with a splintering noise as a giant of a man stood where it used to hang, The fearsome look was emphasized by a wild unruly beard and shaggy head, with thunder and lightning flashing through the storm.
"Must be o' bit late, seems tha' Ms. Higurashi is already here! Now cup o' tea would be o' good touch." His terrifying look dissipated from Kagome's mind completely at this. 'I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover…'
OoOoOoOoOoO
It had been a relatively smooth talk, after the cake had been given and greetings were shakily exchanged, plus a loud arguement. There had been a dramatic touch at a parent thing Kagome did not understand, and a lot of revelations for the boy sitting next to her, and a good laugh as the whale as she had dubbed the now pigtailed Dudley.
She had also found out that she was a witch and he a wizard, but for now the giant named Hagrid said she'd learn why she had to come later with Dumbledore.
The boy seemed to not mind her at all, which was a start to becoming a friend, in her thoughts actually. Now the giant glanced at her with his black eyes, conversation finished with the boy now known as Harry Potter. She had heard snippets of their conversation, a _Volde _something and other incoherent words.
"So yeh've decided ter come after all!" He grinned, and she grinned back after such an amazing night. To her at least.
"Yep. So what am I supposed to do now?" Her voice was still a vacant sort, but held a tint of excitement.
"Why yeh're comin' with me an' Harry of course. Dumbledore trusted me after all with yeh both ter get to Hogwarts. Sends his apologies fer not bein' able ter greet you 'imself." She blinked in confusion.
"So Harry," She pointed at the him sitting next to her on the couch, squished between her and a giant, "And me are going to _Hogwarts_? What's that? I think it's a magic school, but I'm not sure…"
"Yer right about a magic school, but we need ter stop at Diagon Alley first."
_That was the beginning of my first magical adventure. I don't know why I was the one to go to a magic school, or why I accepted. Any other person would have just laughed and said Hagrid was crazy, or Dumbledore if they didn't even choose to see the well. All I know is that I wanted to see something just like magic. As I've said I got a little more than I bargained for…But I first have to wait a week for my birthday.
* * *
_
A/N: Gaahhh! I'm so frustrated, I've killed grammar, am about to kill the Harry Potter book plot, kill my time to sleep, kill my fic, and murder my writing! T.T I wish I had talent… I'm going to spend a week trying to make the next chapter of this, and the next will be well written, _realistic_, I think at least, longer, and exciting! Sort of…
**Note to self: I need to be realistic! I need to be realistic! Realistic ness is my friend… More descriptions, more emotions, more everything! And also make Harry in character, in character, in CHARACTER! I'm done flaming myself about my worst chap ever, and,** now I'm done with my frustration of a bad chapter. R&R!
End file.
| fanfiction |
Motorcycle armour: soft vs hard, which best absorbs impacts and why?
I am a motorcyclist who knows very little about physics :(
Motorcycle jackets and trousers have impact protectors: padded thingies in the impact areas (back, elbows, shoulders, knees, hips) which are meant to protect us in case of an impact, absorbing part of the impact and transferring less force to our fragile bodies; see <https://www.d3o.com/products/t5-evo-pro-x/>
This British company makes armour which is softish, but hardens on impact:
<https://www.d3o.com/what-is-d3o/>
My question is: is this a good thing, and why? Wouldn't I want the armour to stay soft, rather than hardening on impact? How does impact absorption differ with hard vs soft materials? Which transfers more force to the body and why?
After all, if I hit a wall, I'd much rather have a soft mattress, not a hard steel plate, softening my impact. Am I missing something?
On motorcycle forums there are mixed opinions on this, but I'd like to understand the physics behind it - single experiences (I came off with this type of armour and I did/didn't hurt myself) mean very little.
Thanks!
PS The site warns me the question appears subjective, but it is not: I am asking how force absorption differs, not who prefers one kind over the other
The ideal case for a motorcycle would be a hard shell with either energy absorbing restraints and harnesses or soft padding. This is the tested paradigm in modern race cars.
A hard shell albeit one designed to absorb huge energies in a crash where calculated sacrifice members of shell will crumple and will act as a safety cage and the harness or padding will reduce the deceleration to a level that delivers a manageable blow to vital organs.
The breaking of a crash into several softer stages is to go through most crashes with no damage and a potential really bad one with less damage.
Another factor is the rider. A good fall even in a fast crash and anticipation of trajectory of body and protecting the head could be the difference. I do powder ski and try to roll into a crash once it is past point of no return. I have practice my portfolio of moves and do not waste time thinking what to do!
| stackexchange/physics |
Fernando Albert Derveld born 22 October 1976 in Vlissingen is a retired Dutch footballer. He played as left back.
Club career
Derveld began his career in his home country the Netherlands, playing for the youth teams of Walcheren and PSV Eindhoven, before he made his senior debut with Willem II in the 1995-96 season. After three seasons at Willem II, he moved on to HFC Haarlem, where he stayed for one and a half years. He had a trial with English club Norwich City F.C. in early 2000, though the then City manager Bruce Rioch declined to offer him a contract. Rioch's successor at Norwich - Bryan Hamilton - did give him a contract when he took over towards the end of the 1999-00 season.
In total, Derveld played 25 games for Norwich, scoring one goal in a 3-2 win at West Bromwich Albion. He struggled to find form and was not held in high esteem by City supporters. When Hamilton left the club in late 2000, his successor - Nigel Worthington - made it clear that Derveld did not figure in his plans, and after a loan spell at West Bromwich Albion, his contract with Norwich was terminated in the summer of 2001.
He moved on to play for Odense BK in the Danish Superliga, under head coach Troels Bech. While playing in a UEFA Cup match for Odense BK against Celta Vigo in 2002, Derveld scored from a free-kick and was then sent off moments later. Derveld was ever-present in the Odense starting formation, and in the summer 2005, he moved back to the Netherlands to play for SC Heerenveen. Following a mediocre season at Heerenveen, he returned to Denmark where he re-united with Bech at Esbjerg fB. Summer 2008 Derveld and Esbjerg fB agreed to cancel the player contract.
In summer 2008 he moved to FC Dordrecht, but he was already released by the club in November that year.
Derveld as a painter
Fernando has painted a few paintings. A couple of paintings were painted for a charity auction in Esbjerg in 2006.
References
External links
Esbjerg fB profile
Career stats at Danmarks Radio
Career information at Flown from the Nest
Category:1976 births
Category:Living people
Category:Sportspeople from Vlissingen
Category:Association football fullbacks
Category:Dutch footballers
Category:PSV Eindhoven players
Category:Willem II football club players
Category:HFC Haarlem players
Category:Norwich City F.C. players
Category:West Bromwich Albion F.C. players
Category:Odense Boldklub players
Category:SC Heerenveen players
Category:Esbjerg fB players
Category:FC Dordrecht players
Category:Eredivisie players
Category:Eerste Divisie players
Category:English Football League players
Category:Danish Superliga players
Category:Dutch expatriate footballers
Category:Expatriate footballers in England
Category:Expatriate footballers in Denmark
Category:Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England
Category:Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Denmark | wikipedia |
Mili Ghosh: The Big Fat Vegas Wedding
Photo courtesy: Mili Ghosh
When it comes to wedding photography, Mili Ghosh is a bit of a rock star. Brought up in Tanzania and having lived in the US and Canada, she began her filmmaking career with short films and documentaries, moving on to launch her own wedding-photography firm, Memories in Motion, about 10 years ago. Now a specialist in high-profile NRI weddings across the world from US to the Philippines—including that of Tarini Jindal, daughter of steen tycoon Sajjan Jindal—Ghosh understands completely what goes into the making of multi-million dollar celebrations.
Ghosh found herself once again behind the lens at the much-talked-about US$ 9 million wedding of Houston-based industrialist Pankaj Malani, 34, and Avnie Patel, 29, in Las Vegas a few months ago. "My cousin Raj is actually Pankaj's best friend and he introduced us a few months before the wedding," says Ghosh. "Pankaj, Avnie, and their families reviewed our previous work and liked our portfolio and decided to retain us for photography." Malani, who is an avid poker player and frequents Vegas very often, always wanted to have his wedding at the iconic Bellagio there.
"Pankaj and Avnie were eager to document their wedding in a manner that would depict the effort and hard work put in by both of them in planning the finer details of the various events. They wanted the photos to reflect their personalities and their love story," says Ghosh, adding that their respective parents were not involved in the creative aspects of the shoot, the planning for which began four months before D-day. "Wedding planner Tory Cooper had the events itinerary well planned out—this helped us tremendously in planning the shoot and having a smooth workflow."
On day one of the wedding festivities, Malani's baraat arrived in Las Vegas on a chartered aircraft with 165 guests on board, dancing their way down the steps after landing. A high-powered sangeet was held at the pool deck of the Cosmopolitan hotel the same evening. The wedding itself—complete with an elephant for the groom—was held the next afternoon at the Bellagio; according to some reports, a crowd of 5,000 passers-by gathered to watch the flamboyant festivities. This was followed by a grand reception the same evening. On the last morning, a farewell brunch was held at the Bellagio for the 570 guests who had attended the wedding from all over the world.
"The sangeet was the toughest to shoot due to the venue being outdoors," recalls Ghosh. "It was tough to maintain the correct exposure for the camera at all times. Also, the darker backdrops at night make it more difficult to shoot with good depth of field," she says, adding that she worked with a team of four photographers and two assistants, flown in from London and Seattle for the wedding. In all, about 16,500 photographs were taken at the wedding events.
Ghosh's advises soon-to-be married couples to find a "personality match and creative agreement" with their photographer. "Every photographer has their own voice and the bride and groom have to evaluate with whom they see a good fit. Apart from standard questions about the collections, pricing, albums, and so on, the bride and the groom should also ask questions about the creative process and the photographer's vision for the wedding photos and the album. Most of the conflicts I see happen during the creative process. It's important to have a good match in that aspect," she says.
Further, personal comfort is extremely important. "On the wedding day, the photographer will be in a close space around the bride and the working chemistry between the bride and photographer is critical for good photographs. The best and most popular photographer may not always be the best match for a particular couple," she advises. In Ghosh's experience, the most important aspect of wedding photography is to be able to extract true moments and emotions "in a controlled fashion". "I use props, funny or sad stories, and give situations to my brides and grooms to be able to have them feel the emotion I want to extract. Lighting, frame, composition, and expressions from the bride and groom are all critical in making these moments look natural."
A "perfect" photograph, if it does exist, would be something timeless, avers Ghosh. As she sees it, "An Indian wedding, with its emotional setting, always gives us photographers opportunities to capture such moments and freeze them in time."
THE COUPLE'S CHECKLIST:
Ensembles: Sabyasachi Mukherjee (for Avnie) and Shantanu & Nikhil (for Pankaj)
Wedding planner: Tory L Cooper
Cake: Jeanette Droegmoeller and Sylvain Bortolini at the Bellagio, Las Vegas
Photography: Memories in Motion / Mili Ghosh Photography
Floral arrangements: MGM Resort events
Wedding décor: Prashe Décor
First published in the May 2014 issue of Harper's Bazaar Bride
avnie patel, big fat indian wedding, destination weddings, Las Vegas, Mili Ghosh, pankaj malani, Photography, wedding, Wedding photographer
Here Comes the Bride… Again: The Politics of a Second Wedding
The Wellness Principle: The Most Exquisite Spa Resorts in the World
One thought on "Mili Ghosh: The Big Fat Vegas Wedding"
samasti says:
On day one of the wedding festivities, Malani's baraat arrived in Las Vegas on a chartered aircraft with 165 guests on board, dancing their way down the steps after landing.- oh how my imagination flew! A lovely write! | slim_pajama |
Space Ghost Coast to Coast abbreviated as SGC2C is an American adult animated parody talk show, created by Mike Lazzo and hosted by the 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. Though the original 1960s series aired as a standard Hanna-Barbera Saturday-morning superhero cartoon, Space Ghost Coast to Coast was a reboot of the series intended for adults, reinterpreted as a surreal spoof talk show and produced using the original artwork. The first two seasons were presented as a serious talk show with subdued jokes, while the later seasons relied more on surrealism, non-sequitur, and tabloid.
Space Ghost Coast to Coast is considered to be the first fully produced Cartoon Network original series. It premiered on April 15, 1994, and originally ended on December 17, 1999. The series was revived on May 7, 2001, and was moved to the new Adult Swim late programming block on September 2 of that year, where new episodes premiered until April 12, 2004. Two final seasons were released on GameTap from 2006 to 2008. Over 11 seasons, 108 episodes aired. The series is notable for helping launch the careers of animators Adam Reed, Matt Thompson, Andy Merrill, Jim Fortier, Pete Smith, Michael Ouweleen, Eric Richter, Dave Willis, and Matt Maiellaro.
Space Ghost Coast to Coast had two spinoff series in the form of Cartoon Planet and The Brak Show, and inspired or influenced other series including Sealab 2021; Aqua Teen Hunger Force; Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law; Perfect Hair Forever; and The Eric Andre Show.
Format
Space Ghost Coast to Coast used the talk show format as its template, but subverted it regularly. Various celebrities appeared on the show as guests. They were shown on a TV screen next to Space Ghost's desk, and unlike the characters, they were not animated. In early episodes of the show, Space Ghost apparently believed his guests were other superheroes and usually opened the interview by asking them about their superpowers. His interactions with guests were almost always painfully awkward, and sometimes hostile. It was sometimes hard to tell if guests were aware of the nature of the program on which they were appearing. Their answers often did not match the questions coming from Space Ghost, because the questions were changed after the interview. This method was dropped in later episodes, and the guests were allowed to directly interact with the characters.
Space Ghost's relationship with his co-workers was even worse. His bandleader, an evil talking mantis named Zorak, and his director/producer, a red-helmeted lava man named Moltar, worked for Space Ghost as punishment for their crimes. They frequently disrupt the show and make no secret of the fact that they hate him.
Most episodes of Space Ghost Coast to Coast were about 15 minutes in length, although there were a few 30-minute episodes. Cartoon Network often aired two episodes back-to-back to make a 30-minute programming block. In the first few years of the show, Cartoon Network would show episodes of the original 1960s and 1980s Space Ghost cartoons sometimes with an unusual added laugh track after the 11-minute episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
Music
In early seasons of the show, music was played by Zorak and his band The Original Way-Outs. The original theme song, Hit Single, was composed by free jazz guitarist Sonny Sharrock, performed by Sharrock on guitar, Lance Carter on drums, Eddie Horst on bass and Alfreda Gerald on vocals. Sharrock and Carter recorded a number of songs for the show, several of which were later compiled on the album Space Ghost Coast to Coast. As a tribute to Sharrock, who died in May 1994 shortly after the show first aired, the episode Sharrock featured nearly fifteen minutes of unedited takes of music recorded for the show.
Seasons 46 featured a new closing theme by Man or Astro-man? and in later seasons the opening theme and titles were almost completely abandoned. Various other music was sometimes used as the theme song, including the CHiPs theme song for the episode titled CHiPs. An hour-long musical season finale for the 1998 season was planned, featuring the bands Yo La Tengo and Cornershop, but was never produced.
Production
Space Ghost Coast to Coast was created by Mike Lazzo after he was asked to create a cartoon to appeal to adults. The original name of the show stemmed from early 1993, while Andy Merrill and Jay Edwards were coming up with names for a marathon of the original Space Ghost TV show to air on Cartoon Network, trying to find things that rhyme with Ghost. Limited budgets required creative animation, so Edwards and Ned Hastings recycled clips from the original series and reorganized them on the Avid non-linear editor for a talk show style program. The editors animated lips and made the cheap looking motion of paper dolls glued to Popsicle sticks and continuity errors part of the joke.
The series premiered on April 15, 1994, having aired initially at 11:00 p.m. ET on Friday nights, with an encore showing of the episode on Saturday night. Later, the program was moved to various late-night time slots, having usually been on weekends.
In February 1995, an episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast was simulcast on Cartoon Network, TBS, and TNT for the World Premiere Toon-In special debut of Cartoon Network's World Premiere Toons series. In the special, Space Ghost interviewed a few of the new directors, while the Council of Doom were the judges of the cartoon clips. The first run ended on December 17, 1999, ending with the episode King Dead. But in 2000, Cartoon Network premiered stealth pilots for the show's spin-off The Brak Show as well as Sealab 2021, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force all of which were created by the people who worked on Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
On September 2, 2001, new episodes of the series, along with re-runs of the existing episodes, moved to Adult Swim, a late night programming block, launched by Cartoon Network that night. The series ended its television run in 2004 with its 93rd episode, Live at the Fillmore.
In 2006, the series returned as a five-minute web series on Turner Broadcasting's GameTap online pay service in which Space Ghost interviewed celebrities from the video game industry and GameTap's artist of the month. The series officially ended with the final webisode on May 31, 2008.
On April Fools' Day 2014, Adult Swim had an unannounced Space Ghost Coast to Coast marathon with new material in the form of commercials featuring Space Ghost, Zorak and Moltar in a voice-recording booth ad-libbing lines from episodes.
Space Ghost Coast to Coast will also be available for streaming on HBO Max beginning in 2020.
Cast
George Lowe Space Ghost, Announcer, Salesman, and various other characters
C. Martin Croker Zorak, Moltar, and various other characters
Andy Merrill Brak, Lokar, and various other characters
Don Kennedy Tansit and Announcer
Judy Tenuta Black Widow also appeared as herself, as a guest
Scott Finnel Harvey Birdman
Dave Willis various characters
Brad Abrell Chad Ghostal
Episodes
Home media
The fourth and fifth volumes were only available for purchase through the now-defunct Adult Swim online store. The final six episodes of the television run have never had an official release on DVD. Nearly every episode was available to buy through a build your own DVD feature Adult Swim had on its website, thus the final season, early episodes that were left off the first volume and unedited shows that had been altered on the official releases were now available to own, but only in DVD-Rom form. The shop was taken down in 2012 for unknown reasons.
In 2006, episodes were made available on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
the series, along with other Adult Swim shows such as Robot Chicken , Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Samurai Jack, and Rick and Morty will be on HBO Max on its May 2020 launch.
Legacy
Alex Toth, the original creator of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon was rumored to have not been pleased with the parodical usage of his characters, but through written letters, this rumor was disproven with Toth admitting he appreciated all adaptations of his work.
In 1995, a spin-off show called Cartoon Planet premiered on Cartoon Network as well as one of Cartoon Network's sister networks, TBS. This show featured Space Ghost, Zorak, and Brak hosting a variety show on the Cartoon Planet.
In 2000, the show either spun off or directly inspired the four original cartoons that constituted Adult Swim's comedy blockSealab 2021, The Brak Show, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force also known by various alternative titles. Although Harvey Birdman used traditional animation to flash animation, the rest used the same limited animation style as Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and all four shows were created by the original writers and staff for the series. The Brak Show included the characters Brak and Zorak, recurring characters on Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
Various Space Ghost Coast to Coast clips and shorts have been made after the series.
December 13, 2009: interview with Zoe Saldana to promote James Cameron's Avatar
2010: interview with Jack Black to promote Gulliver's Travels.
A short interviewing NBA star Steve Nash and promoting Vitamin Water was made available online.
2011: on April Fools' Day, Adult Swim aired The Room again. Space Ghost interviewed Tommy Wiseau during commercial breaks.
2012: interview with Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis to promote The Campaign.
In a 2012 interview, Eric André mentioned being a big fan of the show, stating it was a major influence on him while developing his own series for Adult Swim, The Eric Andre Show. Before shooting André would re-watch several episodes of Space Ghost Coast to Coast in a row in order to absorb as much Space Ghost as he could. André would also ask executive producer and Adult Swim president Mike Lazzo several questions about the series, as he was an executive during its production run. To André's surprise Lazzo had no interest in Space Ghost Coast to Coast, saying Space Ghost is dead to me.
Space Ghost is mentioned in the opening lyrics of cello rock band Rasputina's song The Olde Headboard, which was featured on their 1998 sophomore album How We Quit the Forest.
Four rocks found on the planet Mars were named after Space Ghost, Zorak, Moltar, and Brak. In January 2009, IGN named Space Ghost Coast to Coast as their 37th favorite animated TV show in their Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows article.
In 2013 IGN placed Space Ghost Coast to Coast as number 18 on their list of Top 25 animated series for adults.
Rapper SpaceGhostPurrp is named after the titular character, as well as lending his image for the cover of his NASA mixtape.
On November 15, 1998, Space Ghost appeared on Donny & Marie promoting the CD Space Ghost's Surf & Turf.
On July 3, 2002, Space Ghost can be seen in the beginning of The Powerpuff Girls Movie, in the movie theater next to other Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network characters, such as Zorak and Brak. He was also in a promo advertising the movie.
On November 17, 2002, Space Ghost was on The Brak Show, in episode Runaway and again on November 2, 2003 in the episode Enter the Hump.
On December 14, 2003, in the cold opening for the episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force The Dressing, Space Ghost's body is seen on the floor dripping with blood and Dr. Weird is seen putting Space Ghost's head over his own. Seth Green makes an appearance as well, from footage of an unaired Space Ghost Coast to Coast episode entitled One Way Out.
In 2004 Space Ghost was in a promo for the show Tom Goes to the Mayor where he interviewed Tom and the Mayor.
On November 4, 2004, Space Ghost appeared in the Adult Swim special Anime Talk Show.
On April 2, 2006, Space Ghost made a cameo on the Robot Chicken episode Suck it
On April 13, 2007, Space Ghost made a cameo in Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters. Space Ghost has been in commercials for Coca-Cola, Dr.Pepper, AT&T, Nestea, Esurance, and Vitamin Water, and appeared in many bumps and promos for Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.
In 2002, Space Ghost, Moltar, Zorak, Brak and Mojo Jojo from The Powerpuff Girls interviewed professional soccer player Hugo Sánchez on the Latin America Cartoon Network channel, and again in 2003 interviewing Óscar Pérez Rojas which also featured Eustace from Courage the Cowardly Dog.
On October 14, 2011, Space Ghost was in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode Bold Beginnings.
In issue 40 of the comic book Scooby-Doo Team-Up this version of Space Ghost was hinted at. It featured a non-satirical Space Ghost in his traditional role as a space traveling superhero, albeit one who captures Moltar and Zorak with the help of Scooby-Doo. Sidekicks Jan and Jace say that the two villains are clever and that once, to keep him from interfering in their plans,they even hypnotized him into thinking he was a talk show host! Fortunately, he snapped out of it after eight seasons. On hearing that, Space Ghost frowns and says I don't want to talk about it.
In the late 1990s, Cartoon Network.com had a flash game called How Zorak Stole X-mas. The player controlled Space Ghost and you had to zap Zorak with his power bands and not let him escape with Christmas presents, you also had to dodge eggs Zorak was throwing at you. Another game was Blast Zorak where the player would use Space Ghost to blast Zorak as many times as possible before the time ran out.
See also
List of Space Ghost Coast to Coast characters
List of Space Ghost Coast to Coast episodes
Take Two with Phineas and Ferb, animated series with a similar premise
References
External links
[//web.archive.org/web/*/cartoonnetwork.com/spaceghost/index.html Space Ghost Coast to Coast] at Cartoon Network Archive
Space Ghost Reunion Panel Audio on December 5, 2011 by Cinefamily
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fifteen years ago this year , the superkamiokande collaboration presented a talk titled `` evidence for @xmath0 oscillations '' at the neutrino 1998 conference @xcite .
this set the particle physics world `` abuzz '' since , if neutrinos change flavor , it implies that their clocks are ticking and therefore they can not be traveling at the speed of light .
hence neutrinos have mass .
fast forward fifteen years and the evidence for neutrino flavor conversion is overwhelming . the simplest and only satisfactory description of all the data is that neutrinos have distinct masses and mix . two distinct baseline ( l ) divided by neutrino energy ( e ) scales
have been identified corresponding to two distinct @xmath1 for the neutrino mass eigenstates : @xmath2 these are known as the atmospheric and solar scales , respectively . since it is most likely that the higgs boson has been discovered at the lhc , it is natural to ask how the neutrinos couple to the higgs boson .
first , what is `` mass '' for a fermion ? it is a coupling of the right and left components of the field , and for the neutrino this coupling depends on whether the neutrino is a dirac particle , like all the other fermions in the standard model or a majorana fermion , which would make the neutrino unique amongst the particles of the standard model .
the couplings for both dirac and majorana @xcite neutrinos are given in the following table : + [ cols=">,^,^,^ , < " , ] processes across the diagonal are related by cpt .
the first row will be explored in very powerful conventional beams , t2k @xcite , no@xmath3a @xcite , superbeams , hyperk @xcite , lbne @xcite , essnusb @xcite , whereas the second row could be explored in nu - factories @xcite or beta beams @xcite . in vacuum ,
the probability for @xmath4 is derived as follows , @xcite , @xmath5 \label{eq : pme } \noindent { \rm where } ~~\sqrt{p_{atm } } & = & 2|u_{\mu 3}||u_{e3}| \sin \delta_{31 } = \sin \theta_{23 } \sin 2 \theta_{13 } \sin \delta_{31 } \nonumber \\ { \rm and } ~~ \sqrt{p_{sol } } & \approx & \cos \theta_{23 } \sin 2 \theta_{12 } \sin \delta_{21}. \nonumber \end{aligned}\ ] ] note , @xmath6 and @xmath7 are just the two flavor oscillation amplitudes at the atmospheric and solar scales , respectively . and
@xmath8 in matter for the normal and inverted hierarchies for @xmath9 and a baseline of 1200 km .
the right panel shows the total probability including the interference term between the two components for various values of the cp phase @xmath10 for the neutrino .
notice that the coherent sum of two amplitudes shows a rich structure depending on the hierarchy and value of cp phase .
these curves can also be interpreted as anti - neutrino probabilities if one interchanges the hierarchy and the values of the cp phase.,title="fig:",scaledwidth=35.0% ] and @xmath8 in matter for the normal and inverted hierarchies for @xmath9 and a baseline of 1200 km .
the right panel shows the total probability including the interference term between the two components for various values of the cp phase @xmath10 for the neutrino .
notice that the coherent sum of two amplitudes shows a rich structure depending on the hierarchy and value of cp phase .
these curves can also be interpreted as anti - neutrino probabilities if one interchanges the hierarchy and the values of the cp phase.,title="fig:",scaledwidth=35.0% ] for anti - neutrinos @xmath10 must be replaced with @xmath11 and the interference term changes @xmath12 expanding @xmath13 , one has a cp conserving part @xmath14 and the cp violating part , where - ( + ) sign is for the neutrino ( anti - neutrino ) channel , @xmath15 where @xmath16 is the jarlskog invariant @xcite .
this allows for the possibility that cp violation maybe able to be observed in the neutrino sector , since it allows for @xmath17 in vacuum . in matter
, the two flavor amplitudes , @xmath6 and @xmath18 , are modified as follows @xmath19 where @xmath20 and the sign is positive for neutrinos and negative for anti - neutrinos .
this change follows since in both the ( 31 ) and ( 21 ) sectors the product @xmath21 is approximately independent of matter effects .
[ fig : pmutoe ] shows the @xmath22 appearance probability as a function of the energy for a distance of 1200 km . in fig .
[ fig : biprob1 ] is the bi - probability plots for both t2k @xcite ( as well as the future possible hyperk @xcite ) , and no@xmath3a @xcite experiments .
it is possible that these two experiments will determine the mass ordering , and give a hint of cp violation in the neutrino sector with sufficient statistics
. probabilities .
the matter effect is small but non - negligible for t2k / hyperk . whereas the left panel is for the no@xmath3a experiment where the matter effect is 3 times larger.,title="fig : " ] probabilities .
the matter effect is small but non - negligible for t2k / hyperk .
whereas the left panel is for the no@xmath3a experiment where the matter effect is 3 times larger.,title="fig : " ] the critical value of @xmath23 at which the bi - probability ellipses for the normal hierarchy and the inverted hierarchy separate is given by @xcite @xmath24 for the no@xmath3a experiment , this corresponds to @xmath25 for the measured value of @xmath26 , the ellipse separate when @xmath27 . in the overlap region ,
the value of @xmath28 for the two hierarchies satisfies the following relationship @xmath29 it is also worth noting the following , that sum of the neutrino and anti - neutrino probabilities at oscillation maximum can be directly compared to the value of @xmath30 measured by the reactor disappearance experiments : @xmath31 thus determining the quadrant of @xmath32 .
the difference of these probabilities can be used to determine the cp violation phase @xmath10 and the mass hierarchy .
the lbne experiment @xcite has a baseline of 1300 km , fermilab to homestake , sd which will test the current massive neutrino paradigm in interesting new ways because of its broad band @xmath0 neutrino beam . here
the matter effects are larger and the bi - probability ellipses separate at the same l / e as the no@xmath3a experiment , see fig .
[ fig : lbne ] . a experiment @xcite .
notice how widely the normal ( blue ) and the inverted ( red ) hierarchies are separated here .
@xmath33 was used for this figure.,scaledwidth=45.0% ] the asymmetry between the neutrino and anti - neutrino appearance probability is defined as @xcite @xmath34 } , \\ & \approx & \frac{2\sqrt{p_{atm}}\sqrt{p_{sol}}\sin \delta_{32 } \sin \delta}{(p_{atm}+2\sqrt{p_{atm}}\sqrt{p_{sol}}\cos \delta_{32 } \cos \delta+p_{sol } ) } \nonumber \label{eqn : asymmetry}\end{aligned}\ ] ] in vacuum , the larger this asymmetry the easier it will be to see cp violation . ) as a function of @xmath35 , at the first oscillation maximum @xcite ( left panel ) and at the second oscillation maximum ( right panel ) in vacuum . at current measured value of @xmath36 ,
the asymmetries are @xmath37 for the first om and @xmath38 for the 2nd oscillation maximum.,title="fig:",scaledwidth=30.0% ] ) as a function of @xmath35 , at the first oscillation maximum @xcite ( left panel ) and at the second oscillation maximum ( right panel ) in vacuum . at current measured value of @xmath36 ,
the asymmetries are @xmath37 for the first om and @xmath38 for the 2nd oscillation maximum.,title="fig:",scaledwidth=30.0% ] at the first oscillation maximum ( om ) , as is in the running experiments , t2k and no@xmath3a and possible future experiments hyperk and lbne experiments , the vacuum asymmetry is given by @xmath39 which implies that @xmath40 is between @xmath41 and 2 times @xmath42 .
whereas at the second oscillation maximum , the vacuum asymmetry is @xmath43 which implies that @xmath40 is between @xmath44 and 7 times @xmath42 . so that experiments at the second oscillation maximum , like essnusb @xcite , have a significantly larger difference between the neutrino and anti - neutrino channels .
let us assume for the moment we known all the parameters governing neutrino oscillation except for @xmath45 , @xmath46 and @xmath10 and we will use three different neutrino experiments to determine these parameters @xcite : * @xmath4 appearance experiments in both the neutrino and antineutrino channels : i.e. @xmath42 and @xmath40 . in the @xmath47 plane ,
these measurements constrain you to a line labelled by the values of @xmath10 .
see red line in the left panel of fig .
[ fig : intrinsic ] * @xmath48 disappearance experiments : @xmath49 , this measurement determines @xmath46 independently of the other variables .
middle panel of fig .
[ fig : intrinsic ] .
* @xmath50 disappearance experiments : @xmath51 this measurement determines the combination of parameters @xmath52 .
right panel of fig .
[ fig : intrinsic ] . also shown in fig .
[ fig : intrinsic ] is the allowed region for pseudo - experiments which illustrates the allowed region in the @xmath47 for each of these different types of experiment . plane for the three different types of experiment .
the red line is the exact solution assuming that the input values are @xmath53 , @xmath54 and @xmath55 . the marks on this red line indicate values of @xmath10 that are @xmath56 apart and
the corner is @xmath57 .
the blue lines are the 1 , 2 , 3 @xmath58 allowed regions assuming reasonable uncertainties on the measurements.,scaledwidth=103.0% ] notice the difficult in determining @xmath59 and the value of @xmath60 .
these degeneracies can be solved by information from a sufficient broad neutrino energy spectrum .
there are tensions in the @xmath3sm as follows : * lsnd : 3.8@xmath58 evidence for anti-@xmath22 appearance * miniboone : 3.8@xmath58 combined evidence for @xmath22 and anti-@xmath22 appearance * reactor : 3.0@xmath58 evidence for anti-@xmath22 disappearance * gallium : 2.7@xmath58 evidence for @xmath22 disappearance this data can be interpreted as the effects of one or more additional sterile neutrinos with a @xmath61 . however , there is also tensions with in this extended model between the appearance and disappearance data @xcite .
there are a number of experiments that are taking data or are planned to address these anomalies .
these include * reactor and source experiments looking at the l / e depends for @xmath48 and @xmath62 . * @xmath50 disappearance experiments with both near and far detectors . * @xmath63 or @xmath64 appearance experiments .
one of the more ambitious experiments is nustorm @xcite , which stores muons in a racetrack shaped ring providing a source of @xmath22 with essentially no contamination from other neutrino flavors .
such an experiment could exclude the lsnd allowed region at about 10@xmath58 and would also be a useful source for measuring neutrino cross sections as the neutrino flux can be calculated from the decaying muon flux with high precision .
such an experiment is a first step on the way to a neutrino factory @xcite and maybe a muon collider @xcite in the future .
if neutrinos are majorana in nature and cp violation is observed in neutrino oscillation then the credibility of leptogenesis will be greatly enhanced .
neutrino oscillation experiments can not only measure cp violation but can also determine whether the atmospheric mass hierarchy is normal or inverted and can determine whether the @xmath0 flavor content is more or less than the @xmath65 content for the neutrino mass eignestate with the smallest amount of @xmath22 .
the precise measurement of the neutrino mixing and mass parameters will allow us to test the various models predicting these parameters and may lead to a more complete understanding of this notoriously difficult physics problem .
if the mass of the lightest neutrino , is significantly smaller than the square root of the solar @xmath66 then there is a new scale in particle physics that needs to be explained .
finally , neutrinos have surprised us in the past and are expected to do so in the future . where are these surprises ? are there light sterile neutrinos ?
do neutrinos decay ? what is the size of non - standard interactions ?
will lhc find new physics related to neutrino mass ?
only the results from further experiments will provide us the answer to these most important questions !
i wish to thank the organizers and especially prof .
tord ekelf for this wonderful symposium and the nobel symposia fund for making this symposium possible .
i also thank all of my collaborators in neutrino physics who through our discussion and paper writing have helped me better understand the nature of the neutrino .
the author acknowledges partial support from the european union fp7 itn invisibles ( marie curie actions , pitn- ga-2011- 289442 ) .
fermilab is operated by the fermi research alliance under contract no .
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arxiv:1305.1419 [ physics.acc-ph ] . | arxiv |
the analysis of nonlinear models on regular lattices @xcite , as well as the investigation of linear models on inhomogeneous and fractal networks @xcite has attracted a great deal of attention in the last decades : while nonlinearity dramatically modifies the dynamics , allowing for soliton propagation , energy localization , and the existence of discrete breathers @xcite , topology mainly affects the energy spectrum giving rise to interesting phenomena such as anomalous diffusion , localized states , and fracton dynamics @xcite .
it is now both timely and highly desirable to begin a thorough investigation of nonlinear models on general inhomogeneous networks , since one expects not only interesting new phenomena arising from the interplay between nonlinearity and topology , but also an high potential impact for applications to biology @xcite and to signal propagation in optical waveguides @xcite .
recently , the effects of uniformity break on soliton propagation @xcite and localized modes @xcite has been investigated by considering @xmath0-junctions @xcite ( consisting of a long chain inserted on a site of a chain yielding a star - like geometry ) or geometries like junctions of two infinite waveguides or the waveguide coupler @xcite . here , we consider general finite networks inserted on a chain .
the discrete nonlinear schrdinger equation ( dnlse ) is a paradigmatic example of a nonlinear equation on a lattice which has been successfully applied to several contexts @xcite : in particular , it has been used to describe the physics of arrays of coupled optical waveguides @xcite and arrays of bose - einstein condensates @xcite .
it is well known that , on a homogeneous chain , the dnlse is not integrable @xcite ; nevertheless , soliton - like wavepackets can propagate for a long time and the stability conditions of soliton - like solutions can be derived within variational approaches @xcite .
furthermore , the dynamics of traveling pulses has been investigated in detail in literature @xcite ( more references are in @xcite ) .
the simplest example of an inhomogeneous chain is provided by an external potential localized on a site of the chain @xcite : an experimental set up with a single defect has been recently realized with coupled optical waveguides @xcite .
another relevant example of an inhomogeneous chain is obtained adding an additional fano degree of freedom coupled to the a site of the chain , which gives the so - called fano - anderson model ( see @xcite and references therein ) . as a first step in the investigation of the properties of nonlinear models on general inhomogeneous networks
, we shall analyze the propagation of dnlse solitons on a class of inhomogeneous networks built by suitably adding a finite topological inhomogeneity to an unbranched chain . the general framework where this analysis can be carried out
is provided by graph theory @xcite ; in particular , we shall consider networks where a finite discrete graph @xmath1 is attached by a link to a site of the homogeneous , unbranched chain ( see fig.1 ) while all the sites potentials @xmath2 are set to a constant .
such systems may be experimentally realized by placing the nonlinear waveguides in a suitable inhomogeneous arrangement , like the one depicted in fig.1 .
we mention that in arrays of bose - einstein condensates one can build up geometries , which differ from the unbranched chain , by properly superimposing the laser beams creating the optical lattices @xcite . in superconducting josephson arrays @xcite ,
present - day technologies allow for to prepare the insulating support for the junctions in order to create structures of the form `` chain + a topological defect '' . in the context of coupled nonlinear waveguides
@xcite , one should couple the waveguides according the geometry of the graph @xmath1 , and couple this network of waveguides to a single waveguide of the unbranched chain ; a similar engineering should be requested to realize photonic crystal circuits @xcite obtained merging the circuit @xmath1 to the unbranched chain .
as we shall discuss in section iv , the shape of the attached graph @xmath1 affects the transmission and reflection coefficients as a function of the soliton momentum : as an example of this general phenomenon , we consider unbranched chains to which simple graphs , like finite chains and cayley trees , are added .
our analysis points to the fact that the topology of the network ( i.e. , how its sites are connected ) controls the transmission properties , and that one can modify soliton propagation by varying the topology of the inserted network . in particular , we shall show that the momenta of perfect transmission are determined by the energy levels of the inserted graph , i.e. , by the eigenfrequencies of the @xmath1 s oscillation modes in the linear case ( see section iv ) . on a chain
, stable solitonic wavepackets can propagate for long times @xcite .
when a graph @xmath1 is inserted , one can study how the presence of this topological inhomogeneity modifies the soliton propagation .
we numerically evaluate the transmission coefficients and we compare the numerical results with analytical findings obtained for a relevant soliton class , to which we refer as _ large - fast solitons_. for large fast solitons the transmission coefficients can be evaluated within a linear approximation @xcite .
indeed the characteristic time for the soliton - topological defect collision are very small with respect to the soliton dispersion time ; therefore , the soliton scattering can be approximated by the scattering of a plane - wave . however , as we numerically checked in the figs.2 - 6 , the nonlinearity still plays a role , giving long - lived solitons , especially near the momenta of perfect reflection or perfect transmission : it keeps the soliton shape during its propagation .
since in many experimental settings one can easily check if the reflected wavepacket is vanishing , this work could provide a basis for a topological engineering of solitonic propagation on inhomogeneous networks .
the plan of the paper is the following . in section
ii we review the properties of the dnlse on a chain and we introduce the variational approach to investigate the soliton dynamics . in section iii , by using graph theory @xcite , we define the dnlse on inhomogeneous networks built by adding a topological perturbation to an unbranched chain ; furthermore , we explain the numerical techniques used in the paper for the study of the soliton scattering , and we discuss the range of validity of the linear approximation used in the analytical computations . in section iv we present our analysis yielding the conditions on the spectrum of the finite graph @xmath1 in order to obtain total reflection and transmission of solitons . in section
v we study the relevant case when @xmath1 is a finite , linear chain and we show that the fano - anderson model @xcite can be realized within our approach by considering a single link attached to the unbranched chain . in section
vi we show that , for self - similar graphs @xmath1 , the values of momenta for which perfect reflection occurs becomes perfect transmission momenta when the next generation of the graph is considered and we study in detail the case of cayley trees as an example of self - similar structures . in section vii
we study the transmission coefficients for three different inserted finite graphs : loops , stars and complete graphs .
finally , section viii is devoted to our concluding remarks .
besides its theoretical interest , the dnlse describes the properties of interesting systems , such as arrays of coupled optical waveguides and arrays of bose - einstein condensates . on a chain
the dnlse reads @xmath3 where @xmath4 is an integer index denoting the site position and the normalization condition is @xmath5 . in eq.([dnls - retta ] ) one has a kinetic coupling term only between nearest - neighbour sites , but the effect of next- nearest - neighbour coupling and long - term coupling has been also often considered ( see the reviews @xcite for more references ) : in the present paper we consider only a constant nearest - neighbour interaction , but from the next section we allow for that the number of nearest - neighbours of a site is not constant across the network ( like for the simple chain ) , but it can vary according the topology of the graph . in condensate arrays , @xmath6 is the wavefunction of the condensate in the @xmath4th well .
time @xmath7 is in units of @xmath8 , where @xmath9 is the tunneling rate between neighbouring condensates ; @xmath10 where @xmath11 is an external on - site field superimposed to the optical lattice and the nonlinear coefficient is @xmath12 , where @xmath13 is due to the interatomic interaction and it is proportional to the scattering length ( @xmath13 is positive for @xmath14 atoms and is negative for @xmath15 atoms ) . in arrays of one - dimensional coupled optical waveguides
@xcite @xmath6 is the electric field in the @xmath4th - waveguide at the position @xmath7 and the dnlse describes the spatial evolution of the field .
the parameter @xmath16 is proportional to the kerr nonlinearity and the on - site potentials @xmath17 are the effective refraction indices of the individual waveguides .
as the light propagates along the array , the coupling induces an exchange of power among the single waveguides . in the low power limit ( i.e. when the nonlinearity is negligible ) , the optical field spreads over the whole array . upon increasing the power ,
the output field narrows until it is localized in a few waveguides , and discrete solitons can finally be observed @xcite .
experiments with defects ( i.e. , with particular waveguides different from the others ) have been already reported @xcite . on a chain
dnlse soliton - like wavepackets can propagate for a long time even if the equation is not integrable @xcite . let us consider , at @xmath18 , a gaussian wavepacket centered in @xmath19 , with initial momentum @xmath20 and width @xmath21 : its time dynamics are studied resorting to the dirac time - dependent variational approach @xcite which well reproduces the exact results in the continuum theory @xcite . in its discrete version
the wavefunction can be written as a generalized gaussian @xmath22 where @xmath23 and @xmath24 are , respectively , the center and the width of the density @xmath25 , and @xmath26 and @xmath27 are the momenta conjugate to @xmath23 and @xmath24 respectively ; @xmath28 is just a normalization factor .
the wave packet dynamical evolution is obtained from the lagrangian @xmath29 , with the equations of motion for the variational parameters @xmath30 . in the absence of external potential ( @xmath31 ) , one obtains the lagrangian @xcite @xmath32 } - \frac{\lambda { \cal k}^2}{2 } \sum\limits_{n=-\infty}^{\infty } e^ { - 4 ( n-\xi)^2 / \gamma^2}\ ] ] @xmath33 with @xmath34 not too small ( @xmath35 ) , we can replace the sums over @xmath4 with integrals : to evaluate the error committed , we recall that @xcite @xmath36 in this limit the normalization factor becomes @xmath37 .
we finally get @xcite @xmath38 where @xmath39 .
the equations of motion are @xmath40 @xmath41 is conserved .
notice that , due to the discreteness , the group velocity can not be arbitrarily large ( @xmath42 ) .
as eq.([knuth ] ) clearly shows , the variational equations of motions ( [ var4 ] ) are meaningful only for large solitons : the peierls - nabarro potential does not appear in ( [ var4 ] ) , and the equations feature momentum conservation .
we mention that in uniform dnlse chains a threshold condition for the soliton propagation appears : only if the soliton is sufficiently broad solitons may freely move @xcite . in the following
we shall consider only large - fast solitons , so that the variational equations of motions ( [ var4 ] ) are appropriate ; however , to study the propagation of localized discrete breathers in inhomogeneous networks one should study the lagrangian ( [ lag - n - finito ] ) .
when @xmath43 and @xmath44 , the shape of the wavefunction does not vary and one has a variational soliton - like solution where the center of mass move with a constant velocity @xmath45 . if @xmath46 the conditions @xmath43 and @xmath44 can be satisfied only if @xmath47 ( i.e. , only when the effective mass is negative ) : for this reason in the following we take only momenta @xmath48 ( positive velocities ) or @xmath49 ( negative velocities ) .
in particular , for @xmath50 and large enough solitons ( @xmath51 ) , the condition on @xmath16 allowing for a soliton solution is @xcite @xmath52 the stability of variational solutions has been numerically checked showing that the shape of the solitons is preserved for long times . in the following ,
we use the term `` solitons '' to name the solutions of the variational equations ( [ var1])-([var4 ] ) .
one can have a similar criterion using other variational approaches @xcite .
one also expects that the integrable version of the dnlse , the so - called ablowitz - ladik equation @xcite , provides results very similar to those obtained in this paper .
the dnlse ( [ dnls - retta ] ) can be generalized to a general discrete network by means of graph theory .
a graph @xmath53 is given by a set of sites @xmath54 connected pairwise by set of unoriented links @xmath55 defining a neighbouring relation between the sites .
the topology of a graph is described by its adjacency matrix @xmath56 which is defined to be @xmath57 if @xmath54 and @xmath58 are nearest - neighbours , and @xmath59 otherwise .
the dnlse on a graph reads as @xmath60 equation ( [ dnls - gen ] ) describes the wavefunction dynamics in a wide range of discrete physical systems , and it can be applied to regular lattices as well as to inhomogeneous networks such as fractals , complex biological structures and glasses .
the properties of eq.([dnls - gen ] ) on small graphs has been investigated in @xcite . the first term in the right - hand side of eq.([dnls - gen ] )
represents the hopping between nearest - neighbours ( with tunneling rate proportional to @xmath56 ) , the second is the nonlinear term , and the third one describes superimposed external potentials .
we remark that in eq.([dnls - gen ] ) the numbers of nearest neighbours is site - dependent .
furthermore , since @xmath61 if @xmath54 and @xmath58 are nearest - neighbours , one is assuming that the tunneling rate between neighbouring sites entering eq.([dnls - gen ] ) is constant across the array and it is ( in the chosen units ) equal to @xmath57 .
below , we shall consider also the case of a tunneling rate which is not constant across the array .
we shall focus on the situation where the graph @xmath53 is obtained by attaching a finite graph @xmath1 to a single site of the unbranched chain ( see fig.1 ) and setting @xmath62 for all the sites .
we denote the sites of the unbranched chain and of the graph @xmath1 with latin indices @xmath63 and greek indices @xmath64 respectively .
a single link connects the site @xmath65 of the chain with the site @xmath66 of the graph @xmath1 .
the scattering of a soliton through the topological perturbation can be numerically studied as follows . at @xmath18 ( hereafter , we refer to @xmath7 as a time even if for the optical waveguides it represents a spatial variable ) one prepares a gaussian soliton ( [ gaussol ] ) centered well to the left of @xmath59 ( i.e. , @xmath67 ) moving towards @xmath65 ( @xmath68 ) with a width related to the nonlinear coefficient according to eq.([lambda_sol ] ) . from eq.([dnls - gen ] ) the time evolution of the wavefunction may be numerically evaluated : when @xmath69 the soliton scatters through the finite graph @xmath1 ( @xmath70 being the group velocity of the soliton ) . at a time
@xmath7 well after the soliton scattering ( i.e. @xmath71 ) , the reflection and transmission coefficients @xmath72 and @xmath73 are given by @xmath74 @xmath75 note that , while in the linear case ( @xmath76 ) one has @xmath77 , in general , nonlinearity violates unitarity by allowing for phenomena such as soliton trapping ; nevertheless , there are regimes where soliton trapping is negligible and @xmath78 .
we numerically checked that in the time dynamics reported in the paper this condition is well satisfied .
situations corresponding to resonant scattering ( i.e. @xmath79 or @xmath80 ) have a particular relevance : in fact , these situations can be easily experimentally detected , and the soliton - like solution is stable also well after the scattering , as it is numerically verified in different examples of resonant reflection and transmission . for an important class of soliton solutions ( to which we refer as large - fast solitons ) the scattering through a topological inhomogeneity can be analytically studied using a linear approximation .
the interaction between the soliton and the topological inhomogeneity is characterized by two time - scales : the time of the soliton - defect interaction @xmath81 and the soliton dispersion time ( i.e. the time scale in which the wavepacket will spread in absence of interaction ) @xmath82 @xcite .
for _ large _
( @xmath35 , as in many relevant experimental settings ) and _ fast _ solitons , i.e. @xmath83 one has that the soliton may be considered as a set of non interacting plane waves while experiencing scattering on the graph ; thus the soliton transmission may be studied by considering , in the linear regime ( i.e. , @xmath76 ) , the transport coefficients of a plane wave across the topological defect .
the use of the linear approximation for the analysis of the interaction of a fast soliton with a local defect in the continuous nonlinear schrdinger equation is reported in @xcite .
later , we shall compare the analytical findings with a numerical solution of eq.([dnls - gen ] ) , namely with the reflection and transmission coefficients @xmath72 and @xmath73 given by eqs.([r])-([t ] ) .
in this section we show that , if a large - fast soliton scatters through a topological perturbation of an unbranched chain , the soliton momenta for perfect reflection and transmission are completely determined by the spectral properties of the attached graph @xmath1 : in particular one has @xmath84 if @xmath85 coincides with an energy level of @xmath1 , while @xmath86 if @xmath85 is an energy level of the reduced graph @xmath87 , i.e. , of the graph obtained from @xmath1 by cutting the site @xmath66 from @xmath1 ( see fig.1 ) . in algebraic graph theory ( see e.g. @xcite ) the energy level of a graph is simply defined as an eigenvalue of its adjacency matrix .
we will call @xmath88 and @xmath89 the adjacency matrices of @xmath1 and @xmath87 , respectively . for large - fast solitons ,
the pertinent eigenvalue equation to investigate is @xmath90 ( here @xmath54 is a generic site of the network ) .
the solution corresponding to a plane wave coming from the left of the chain is @xmath91 for @xmath92 and @xmath93 for @xmath94 , so that @xmath95 .
the reflection coefficient is given by @xmath96 and the transmission coefficient by @xmath97 .
the continuity at @xmath59 requires @xmath98 .
the equation in @xmath59 is @xmath99 while in @xmath66 one has @xmath100 at the sites @xmath101 of @xmath87 one obtains @xmath102 for perfect reflection , i.e. for the momenta @xmath20 s such that @xmath103 , one has @xmath104 , @xmath105 and from eq.([eq_0 ] ) @xmath106 .
therefore eqs.([eq_alpha ] ) and ( [ eq_altri ] ) reduce to the eigenvalue equation for the adjacency matrix @xmath88 and , apart from the trivial case @xmath107 , they are satisfied only if @xmath108 coincides with an eigenvalue of @xmath109 . at variance , in order to find the momenta @xmath20 s such that @xmath110 ( perfect transmission ) , one has @xmath111 , @xmath112 and from eq.([eq_0 ] ) @xmath113 .
therefore , eqs.([eq_altri ] ) reduces to the eigenvalue equation for @xmath89 and it is satisfied only if @xmath108 coincides with an eigenvalue of @xmath89 .
this general argument can be easily extended to the situation where @xmath114 identical graphs @xmath1 are attached to @xmath65 : indeed , now one has only to replace in eq .
( [ eq_0 ] ) @xmath115 with @xmath116 and the conditions for @xmath110 and @xmath103 do not change .
the stated result holds for the case where the tunneling rates between the neighbour sites of @xmath1 are constant ( and equal to 1 in the chosen units ) : however one can also consider in @xmath1 non - uniform tunneling rates @xmath117 , where @xmath101 and @xmath118 are nearest - neighbour sites belonging to @xmath1 ( @xmath119 if @xmath120 ) .
the dnlse at a site @xmath101 of @xmath1 becomes @xmath121 while the dnlse at the sites @xmath4 of the of the chain remain unchanged .
now , the criterion states that @xmath84 if @xmath108 coincides with an eigenvalue of the matrix @xmath122 , while @xmath86 if @xmath108 is an eigenvalue of the matrix @xmath123 defined as @xmath124 if @xmath101 and @xmath118 belong to the reduced graph @xmath87 .
as a first simple application of the argument given in section iv , we consider a single site @xmath66 attached via a single link to the site @xmath59 of the unbranched chain . for bose - einstein condensates in optical lattices
@xcite the setup `` infinite chain + single link '' or `` infinite chain + finite chain '' may be realized by using two pairs of counterpropagating laser beams to create a star - shaped geometry in the @xmath125-@xmath126 plan @xcite and manipulating the frequencies of the superimposed harmonic magnetic potential so that in the @xmath126 direction only few sites can be occupied . in an optic context , chains of coupled waveguides are routinely built and studied @xcite : one can obtain the configuration `` infinite chain + single link '' by coupling a further waveguide to a waveguide of the chain .
the dnlse in the sites @xmath59 and @xmath66 reads @xmath127 and @xmath128 it is transparent from eqs.([singolo_link_0])-([singolo_link_alpha ] ) that the wavefunction @xmath129 may be interpreted as an additional local fano degree of freedom , yielding the so - called fano - anderson model @xcite . in our approach , such degree of freedom is interpreted as a single link attached to the unbranched chain .
as it is well known , the fano - anderson model describes interesting scattering properties : adding a generic finite graph ( instead of a single link ) gives rise to a yet richer variety of behaviors .
we mention that in @xcite the fano degree of freedom is coupled to several sites of the unbranched chain : this would correspond in our description to a site linked to several sites of the chain , and , in general , to graphs attached to several sites of the chain . for simplicity , in the following we limit ourself to graphs inserted in a single site of the unbranched chain . for large - fast solitons , when a single link is added to the unbranched chain , the reflection coefficient @xmath72 from eqs.([singolo_link_0])-([singolo_link_alpha ] ) is found to be @xcite @xmath130 in the regime where @xmath131 , we verified that the numerical results of the soliton scattering against the link are in agreement with eq.([r_singolo_link ] ) ( see fig.2 ) .
one sees that , when @xmath20 is approaching @xmath132 ( solitons becoming slower ) , the agreement becomes worse . from the general results ,
there are no fully transmitted momenta and @xmath84 only for @xmath133 and @xmath134 , as one can also see by a direct inspection of ( [ r_singolo_link ] ) .
one can also attach a finite chain of length @xmath135 at the site @xmath59 . in the linear approximation for large - fast solitons ( i.e. , eq.([dls ] ) ) , the solution corresponding to a plane wave coming from the left of the unbranched chain is @xmath91 for @xmath92 and @xmath93 for @xmath94 , while in the attached chain @xmath136 ( @xmath137 denotes the sites of the attached chain , and @xmath138 is the site linked to @xmath65 ) .
eq.([dls ] ) for @xmath65 , @xmath138 , and @xmath139 yields respectively @xmath140 @xmath141 and @xmath142 where @xmath95 .
we have five unknowns ( @xmath143 , @xmath144 , @xmath145 , @xmath146 , and @xmath147 ) and four equations ( [ links_1])-([links_2 ] ) ( the remaining condition being provided by the normalization ) .
one may easily determine @xmath148 , @xmath149 , @xmath150 , and @xmath151 , getting @xmath152 which leads to @xmath153 ^ 2+\sin^2{(kl)}}. \label{r_l_links}\ ] ] and @xmath154 .
for @xmath155 , eq.([r_l_links ] ) reduces to eq.([r_singolo_link ] ) . in agreement with the general argument of section iv , the number of minima and maxima increases with @xmath135 .
eq.([r_l_links ] ) for @xmath156 is compared in fig.2 with the numerical results .
we notice that in the limit @xmath157 the considered problem corresponds to the propagation of a soliton in a the so - called _ star graph _ , which has been recently investigated in the context of two - dimensional networks of nonlinear waveguide arrays @xcite and @xmath0-junctions for matter waves @xcite .
eq.([r_l_links ] ) yields that the values of @xmath20 allowing for perfect reflection ( @xmath84 ) for the length @xmath135 coincide with the momenta of full transmission ( @xmath86 ) when @xmath1 is a chain of length @xmath158 .
this property is readily understood : in fact , if @xmath1 is a chain of length @xmath135 the @xmath20 s for which @xmath84 correspond to the energy levels of @xmath1 . if @xmath1 is a chain of length @xmath158 , the values of @xmath20 s for which @xmath86 correspond to energy levels of the reduced graph @xmath87 , which , in this case , is again given by a chain of length @xmath135 .
this is clearly a general property of any self - similar graph . as an example
, we study in this section the situation in which @xmath1 is a cayley tree of branching rate @xmath114 and generation @xmath135 ( see fig.3 ) .
let us consider the linear approximation for large - fast solitons eq.([dls ] ) .
the plane wave coming from the left of the unbranched chain is @xmath91 for @xmath92 and @xmath93 for @xmath94 .
this fixes @xmath95 .
furthermore , from the continuity in @xmath59 it follows @xmath98 . for a cayley tree ,
the eigenfunction must have , by symmetry , the same value at all the sites belonging to the same generation .
if we denote by @xmath159 the eigenfunction at the sites at distance @xmath160 from @xmath65 , the eigenvalue equation ( [ dls ] ) at the site @xmath161 reads @xmath162 the plane wave solutions of eq.([eig_eq_cayley ] ) can be written as @xmath163 where @xmath137 : in this way one gets from eq.([eig_eq_cayley ] ) @xmath164 , so that @xmath165 .
eq.([dls ] ) for @xmath65 , @xmath138 , and @xmath139 gives respectively @xmath166 @xmath167 and @xmath168 using eqs.([cayley_1])-([cayley_3 ] ) and the condition @xmath98 , one can determine @xmath148 , @xmath149 , @xmath150 , and @xmath151 : the resulting expressions is rather involved and here we will not explicitly write them . in fig.3 we plot the numerical and analytical results for the reflection coefficient @xmath72 when two cayley trees , respectively with @xmath169 and @xmath170 , are attached to the unbranched chain .
one sees that when one pass to the next generation , the momenta for which full reflection occurs becomes momenta of full transmission .
in general , it is possible to consider the scattering of a large - fast soliton through a large variety of inhomogeneous networks . here , we analyze three further examples of network topologies : stars , loops and complete graphs . in each case , the reflection coefficients for large - fast solitons are derived with a procedure analogous to the one adopted in the previous section for cayley trees .
the analytical findings are compared with numerical results .
_ loops : _ let us consider a loop graph , i.e. , a finite chain of @xmath135 sites @xmath171 such that the sites @xmath172 and @xmath173 are linked to the site @xmath65 of the unbranched chain . for large - fast solitons ,
the reflection coefficient @xmath72 in the linear approximated regime is @xmath174 ^ 2 + \sin^2{(k(l-1))}}{6 - 2 \cos{(2k)}+5 \cos{k } \cos{(kl)}-\cos{(k(l+3 ) ) } + \sin{k } \sin{(kl)}}. \label{r_l_loop}\ ] ] we note that the number of momenta of perfect reflection and perfect transmission increases with @xmath135 .
furthermore , at large @xmath135 , the transmission properties of the loops become similar to those of a finite ( not closed ) chain [ see eq.([r_l_links ] ) ] . in
fig.4 the numerical and analytical results are compared and a figure of the loop graph with @xmath175 is provided . _ stars : _ the @xmath114-star is the graph composed by a central site linked to @xmath114 sites , which are in turn connected only to the central site .
let us consider the case where @xmath1 is a @xmath114-star graph and @xmath66 is the center , linked to @xmath65 . in the linear approximation
we have @xmath176 in fig.5 the numerical and analytical results are compared .
eq.([r_l_star ] ) shows that perfect transmission ( @xmath79 ) is obtained only for for the momentum @xmath133 .
this can be directly proved applying the criterion of section iv : indeed @xmath1 is a @xmath114-star , while @xmath87 consists of @xmath114 disconnected sites .
therefore , all the eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix @xmath89 equal zero , and the only momentum of perfect transmission is @xmath177 .
complete graphs : _ the complete graph @xmath178 of @xmath179 sites is the graph where every pair of sites in linked @xcite : e.g , @xmath180 is a triangle . inserting @xmath181 at the site @xmath65 of the unbranched chain (
so that @xmath65 is one of the sites of @xmath181 ) , one gets : @xmath182 for @xmath183 , @xmath184 , therefore the complete graph behaves as a single effective defect [ compare with eq.([r_singolo_link ] ) ] .
the comparison between the numerical and analytical results is presented in fig.6 .
as a first step in addressing the issue of the interplay between nonlinearity and topology , we studied the discrete nonlinear schrdinger equation on a network built by attaching to a site of an unbranched chain a topological perturbation @xmath1 .
the relevant situation corresponding to the fano - anderson model is obtained when one considers a single link attached to the linear chain .
we showed that , by properly selecting the attached graph , one is able to control the perfect reflection and transmission of traveling solitons .
we derived a general criterion yielding - once the energy levels of the graph @xmath1 is known - the momenta at which the soliton is fully reflected or fully transmitted . for self - similar graphs
@xmath1 , we found that the values of momenta for which perfect reflection occurs become perfect transmission momenta when the next generation of the graph is considered . for finite linear chains , loops , stars and complete graphs , we studied the transmission coefficients and we compared numerical results form the discrete nonlinear schrdinger equation with analytical estimates .
our results evidence the remarkable influence of topology on nonlinear dynamics and are amenable to interesting applications in optics since one may think of engineering inhomogeneous chains acting as a filter for the motion of soliton @xcite . | arxiv |
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Is irreversible work a path function? [closed]
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In $P/V$ plots of irreversible processes only initial and final state is defined due to sudden compression or rarefaction then how is work done a path function in irreversible processes.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VIXkt.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DT8pu.png)
Why won't work done by the process here be only dependent on initial and final states?
For any process, the work done by the gas on the surroundings is $\int{P\_\mathrm{ext}\,\mathrm dV},$ where $P\_\mathrm{ext}$ is the force per unit area the piston exerts on the gas at the piston face, and also the force per unit area the gas exerts on the piston at the piston face. For a reversible process, $P\_\mathrm{ext}$ is also equal to $P,$ the pressure calculated from the equation of state for the gas (such as the ideal gas law). But, for an irreversible process it is not determined by the equation of state, due mainly to viscous stresses within the gas.
So, if you can plot $P\_\mathrm{ext}$ vs $V$ on the graph, you can correctly calculate the work, but, for an arbitrary irreversible process where $P\_\mathrm{ext}$ is not adequately controlled externally, this is not always possible.
From *Fundamentals of Thermodynamics* by Borgnakke and Sonntag [1, p. 94]:
>
> Further consideration of a $P-V$ diagram, such as Fig. 4.6, leads to another important conclusion.
> It is possible to go from state 1 to state 2 along many different quasi-equilibrium paths, such as *A*, *B*, or *C*. Since the area under each curve represents the work for each process, the amount of work done during each process not only is a function of the end states of the process but also depends on the path followed in going from one state to another.
> For this reason, work is called a path function or, in mathematical parlance, $\delta W$ is an inexact differential.
>
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/EL594.png)
>
>
> **FIGURE 4.6** Various quasi-equilibrium processes between two given states, indicating that work is a path function.
>
>
>
Because work is a path function. It doesn't matter your process is reversible or irreversible. If you just consider the initial and final state, but go from two different paths, you'll have two different answers. For example, in the picture I uploaded, the areas under curve *A* and *B* are different. Therefore, work is different. But, as you can see, the final and initial states are the same.
### References
1. Borgnakke, C.; Sonntag, R. E. *Fundamentals of Thermodynamics*, 7th ed.; Wiley: Hoboken, NJ, **2009**. ISBN 978-0-470-04192-5.
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Gilmore Girls, Supernatural From Sam to Dean with Love
p style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"There was nothing left for him and it had been years since he's been back. Seeing that sign painted Stars Hollow opened a flood of painful memories he wish he could forget. He can remember her name and the way she looked under the moon light. "Oh, Rory Gilmore," Sam whispers to himself as he gets out of his car./p
p style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Sam Winchester couldn't believe it has taken him so long to end up in his old hometown again, after all these years. It was bound to happen. The perfect little town of Stars Hollow that Sam had always dreamed about, where he felt he had some semblance of a normal life. Sure there's no "normal" life for the Winchester family but this little corner of the world made it seem not so far out of reach. Of course with the family business being the way that it was, Sam's dad and brother were always off in other parts of the country hunting down demons and saving lives. This left Sam, who was not ready to hunt, in this tiny town. Sam also had this itch to keep going to school, unlike his brother Dean who just went to check out the babes and get car tips from the shop boys. Sam found a decent enough High School to finish his degree and found a normal part-time job at a small grocery store, with some advice he got from a charmingly awkward girl, Rory. He couldn't help but fall instantly in love with her the moment they bumped into each other at school. Sam had never really talked to too many girls, so he went into the interaction the way his brother would handle it, cool, calm, and collective. Though, there was one little problem. The moment Rory asked him his name instead of saying his "god given" birth name he sputtered out Dean. He couldn't believe what just came out of his mouth but for some reason he just went with it. The name gave him a bit of confidence, making him feel like a different person. He's always looked up to his brother, so why not borrow his name for a while. What's the worst that could happen?/p
p style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"Five years later the Winchester's, for some odd reason, were still in Stars Hollow. Sam's family has never stayed in a place this long since, well, ever. Sam or "Dean" sure was ready to leave, not only because he secretly got into Stanford but he had a case of a broken heart. He never expected her to leave him. He thought he did everything right. He tried to take on the Dean "bad boy" vibe but deep down he's still Sam. Sweet, puppy dog eyed, the guy you take home to mom, Sam. Not Dean. And of course Rory left him for a "bad boy" named Jess. It's always the bad boys. Sam thought he had studied his brothers ways to woe ladies to the nth degree by having witty comebacks and building her a car for 16th birthday but he missed something. He was just missing being /Sam was happy the day his acceptance letter arrived in the mail because he was not only ready to get out-of-town but he was ready to start over again. A clean slate. He was ready to be Sam Winchester again and not Dean Forester. He's ready to free himself from this heartache and pain and to start over. Little did he know that this was, actually, just the beginning of his life and what he was meant to do. The moment he stepped on campus and met Jessica Moore or Jess for short, everything would change. He would rise like a Phoenix from the ashes to do what he was meant to do with his brother. The only person he cared about./p
p style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"As he walked around the Stars Hollow one last time he saw how the town had aged like him, a little rundown and broken. He knew that all of this happened for a reason and accepted the path that had been paved for him. Sure it was hard but he was happy where he was. Right as he turned around to get back in the car he heard someone call his name, "Is that you, Dean?" Sam lowered his guarded stance when he saw it was only Lorelai Gilmore, Rory's mom. "Wow, it's been years since I've seen you. How was Stanford and, like, everything in between? I heard you were becoming a lawyer." Sam looked for a way out but knew it would be the best, and easiest, just to keep up with the lie. Lorelai had a hard enough life that he didn't need to tack on monsters and ghosts to her lists of things to worry about. Sam breathed in and responded, "Things have been good but a lot has changed. I'm not the Dean you used to know,"as he moved back to the car. "I know. None of us are the same," Lorelai said looking down at the ground, " you know I always liked you and thought Rory made a huge mistake leaving you." Sam boyishly smirked as his face became flushed. "Thanks. That means a lot," Sam said. Right as he went to the door of his car he turned around, "You know I will always love her." Lorelai with no surprise said, "I know you do." There was a long pause and Lorelai asked, "Want to get a cup of coffee at Luke's? Rory will be home in a few hours and just for you information she's single." Lorelai had a sly look in her eye. Sam hesitated but thought he deserved this with all the loss and pain that's happened in his life. "Sure. Why not," he said as they both walked to Luke's, "what's the worst that could happen?"/p
End file.
| fanfiction |
bilateral distal extension removable partial denture ( rpds ) ( kennedy class i ) and implant - retained overdentures have some similarities , such as force direction and distribution.1 the occlusal forces on rpds must be distributed uniformly to the supporting teeth and residual ridges .
similarly , in implant overdentures , equitable load sharing between the implants and mucosa might be related to the selected impression technique because of the difference in resilience.2,3 a range of functional impression techniques have been attempted to record the functional form of the edentulous ridge.2,4,5 the functional impression techniques can be divided into two categories : ( a ) physiological techniques and ( b ) selective pressure technique .
physiological impression techniques record the edentulous ridge in its functional form by placing a load on the impression tray during the impression procedure ( mclean - hindels method , functional reline impression technique , and fluid wax method ) .
the selective pressure impression attempts to direct more force to those portions of the ridge able to absorb stress and to protect the areas of the ridge least able to absorb stress .
this is accomplished by relieving the tray in some areas with wax while allowing the impression tray to contact the ridge in other areas .
greater soft tissue displacement will occur in areas where relief is not provided.6 one of the functional impression methods is a dynamic impression with a tissue conditioner .
these have been used principally for the conditioning of abused soft tissues underlying ill - fitting full dentures because of the introduction of tissue conditioners .
in addition , these tissue conditioners have been reported to be suitable as functional impression materials.7 their efficacy as reconditioners of abused tissues has been well established.8 the dynamic impression is a method that determines the size and form of movable oral tissue using a plastic impression material.9 the difference between dynamic impression and other impression methods are as follows .
the other methods impress to record the oral tissues in the static , partial active , and pressed states according to impression concepts ( e.g. mucostatic , definitive pressure , selective pressure impression technique ) and are one - step pick - up impression technique that uses border molding and tray holes .
in contrast , a dynamic impression is a functional impression that records the functional movement of the patient 's own muscle and muscle attachment .
this article describes a method for making a special tray using a dynamic impression concept that was made from provisional dentures used for implant healing .
the individual tray is used to make a wash - impression to record the features of the mucosa in detail .
a male patient aged 57 years visited a clinic with the chief complaint of a common consultation on dentures .
he showed a combination syndrome - like appearance with overall caries and a serious periodontal status of the remaining teeth at initial examination ( fig .
the panoramic view revealed severe bone resorption on the mandibular molar area and a combination syndrome - like appearance on the mandibular anterior area ( fig .
, the teeth with a poor prognosis ( # 11 , 14 , 24 , 31 , 32 , 41 , 42 ) were extracted while a periodontal flap surgery was conducted on the maxilla .
subsequently , the kennedy class ii rpd was planned for the maxilla , and a four - implant - tissue supported bar overdenture was planned for the mandible .
four implants ( osstem , seoul , korea ) were placed in the interforamenal area ( fig .
a non - submerged , single - stage placement technique was performed according to the standard surgical procedure . three temporary implants
( osstem , seoul , korea ) were placed between the primary implants and the areas onto which the temporary fixed partial prosthesis was placed for aesthetic problems and no loading on the primary implants ( fig .
three months later , a tissue conditioner ( coe - comfort ; coe laboratories inc . ,
chicago , usa ) was used to take a dynamic impression with the provisional denture on the mandible ( fig .
the following day , the tissue surface of the provisional denture was poured with yellow stone ( hi - koseton , maruishi , japan ) and the stone cast was removed .
the stone cast was in accordance with the dynamic impression surface of the provisional denture ( fig .
multiple layers of baseplate wax ( modeling wax ; kim 's international inc , seoul , korea ) were adapted on the abutments to maintain space for the elastomeric impression material ( fig .
the individual tray ( ostron 100 ; gc corporation , tokyo , japan ) was manufactured based on the cast to the full length of the border and trimmed with a denture bur to make the denture border 0.5 mm shorter and smooth the border .
an individual tray adhesive was pasted with tray adhesive ( adhesive ; gc corporation , tokyo , japan ) ( fig .
an implant impression was taken without border molding - wash impressions with polyvinyl siloxane impression material ( aquasil ultra lf ; dentsply caulk , milford , usa ) ( fig . 6 ) .
the bar overdenture was fabricated with a haderbar ( sterngold , attleboro , usa ) and era attachment system ( sterngold , attleboro , usa ) ( fig .
reported that a definite pressure impression technique for an implant - retained mandibular overdenture is associated with minimal denture deformation during function when compared with the mucostatic and selective pressure techniques.10 another form of functional impression is a dynamic impression technique .
the advantages of dynamic impressions are : ( 1 ) avoidance of the dislocating effect of the muscles on improperly - formed denture borders , and ( 2 ) complete utilization of the potential active and passive tissue fixation of the denture . to take a dynamic impression , the patient is asked to perform swallowing , sucking and protruding the lips while the impression material has plasticity . at this time , the qualifications that the impression material must have are follows : ( 1 ) dimensional stability after removing from the mouth , ( 2 ) reproduction in detail , and ( 3 ) harmony with gypsum products .
otherwise , the micro surface roughness of tissue conditioner can be the disadvantage of dynamic impression with tissue conditioner . when the existing provisional denture and tissue conditioner are used to take a dynamic impression and the dynamic impression surface of denture
after that , pick - up impression ( wash impression concept in edentulous ridge ) is taken by without border molding that removes micro surface roughness .
this impression method is not technique sensitive for providing a perfect border without border molding , only using polyvinyl siloxane impression materials for wash impression .
in addition , when border molding is performed , it takes a long time to record a precise border extension because the patients who are planned to receive an implant overdenture on the mandible often show severe alveolar bone loss . nevertheless , the use of such a dynamic impression will enable making an impression that is extended precisely .
consequently , such a method will allow decreased chair time in border molding procedure and impression taking procedure without overextension .
a method for making a special tray using a dynamic impression concept that was made from provisional dentures used for implant healing was useful method because there was no need for border molding and it was also time - saving in impression taking procedure without overextension . | pubmed |
a charged human body , a charged human object , and an electrostatic induced voltage generated by the electrostatic induction from the body cause a malfunction and failure of electronic equipment1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 .
this type of the accident can not be ignored for microelectronics21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 . a discrimination of whether a human body is electrified is also important for determining the probability of an accident but also a confirmation of the existence of the body .
the electrification of the human body occurs occasionally even if a human body wears antistatic clothes and shoes and light clothes and slippers in a room with an air conditioner .
thus , some electric accidents occasionally occur even the antistatic clothes and shoes are used in a room .
this type of accident is caused by a lack of preventive measures for electrostatic accidents .
for example , when a human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on a floor , the voltage of the body increases and its voltage is changed by each motion .
this topic of study has not been discussed when using a non - contact measuring system as far as the authors know . in general
therefore , considerations of how high voltages are generated for an antistatic human body and a human body wearing light clothes and slippers are important .
if the discrimination of the charged object is sufficient , we can determine the motion of the charged object in the room .
this information can be used to determine whether a charged object exists and moves and whether accidents occur . however , finding the charged object is not easy when the object does not approach a sensor because the voltage of a charged human body changes and the body moves all over the room .
if a voltage measurement of the charged human body is performed directly , then the motion of the charged body also becomes available .
this direct measurement of the charged body can not be performed when the wire of an electrostatic voltmeter is not connected to the charged body .
for example , there are several discrimination methods for a charged body with a metal mesh electrode near the ceiling30 , an electrode placed on the floor , and a wire electrode placed along the direction of human walking31 . on the other hand , the non - contact measuring system of this study is different from these methods .
the difference is that an induced voltage generated by the motion of a charged human body is measured by an ungrounded metal plate that is placed under the flooring32 .
when a human body wears antistatic clothes and shoes and light clothes and slippers and then moves on some floors , which are generally used with different surface resistances on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor , the relation between the voltage of a charged human body and the induced voltage generated on the ungrounded metal plate is studied experimentally by using the non - contact measuring system .
the results show that the charged human body in this situation can be determined by the system , and the body voltage exceeds the voltage for malfunction and failure of electronic equipment .
the results of this study will be useful for considering the error and malfunction of a microelectronic device .
the experimental setup consists of an experimental floor , a direct measuring part for the voltage of a human body , and measuring instruments.fig .
the experimental floor consists of a grounded metal ( copper ) plate , styrene foam , an ungrounded metal ( copper ) plate , and a floor .
a sensor for the surface voltmeter ( model 347 , trek co. ) is arranged on the ungrounded metal plate .
four floors are used with a pmma acrylic plate , a multi - layer vinyl floor sheet , carpet , and a polyvinyl chloride sheet .
thus , a human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes or a t - shirt , knee trousers ( made of 100% cotton ) , and slippers is modeled on the general floor .
the slippers of the polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ) are used because a human body often wears this type of slippers in the room .
the value of the surface resistance in the table represents the average surface resistance of five measurements .
the surface resistances are measured by model 152 - 1 and model 152p - cr-1 instruments from trek co. the measurements of the surface resistance of four floors are performed on an insulated plate .
the dimensions of the grounded metal plate and the ungrounded metal plate are 2 m in length , 1 m in width , and 1 mm in thickness .
the dimensions of the styrene foam are 2 m in length , 1 m in width , and 19.6 cm in thickness .
surface resistance of flooring used in experimentstype of flooringsurface resistance ( )pmma plate1.1810multi - layer vinyl floor sheet5.2410carpet3.3010polyvinyl chloride sheet1.5310 the direct measuring part for the voltage of a human body consists of a fine wire , which is supported by two pvc pillars , with a small copper plate and a sensor for the surface voltmeter ( see fig . 1 ( b ) ) .
a wire is connected to the center of the horizontal wire between the two pillars .
the total length of the horizontal wire between the pillars is 3.6 m , and the distance between the two pillars is 2.6 m32 .
the measuring instruments consist of two surface voltmeters , an oscilloscope , and a notebook computer with the pc link software installed . the induced voltage generated on the ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor and the human body s voltage
thus , the induced voltage on the ungrounded metal plate generated by the walking motion and the human body s voltage are measured automatically .
when the walking motion of stepping is performed , the induced voltage generated on the ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor and the human body s voltage are measured .
the walking motion can be explained as follows . when a human body moves by marching in place on the experimental floor , the time interval of each step is approximately 1 second .
first , the right foot rises from the experimental floor and then the left foot rises .
the initial voltage of the human body is approximately zero before the walking motion starts .
the height between the shoe sole and the experimental floor is nearly constant and is 30 cm for each step .
the experiments are conducted in a room of 28c to 29c and 50% to 58% r.h .
three measurements for each condition are performed because we need to consider whether the results are correct or not .
a representative result of three measurements is used since the similar results are obtained repeatedly under same condition .
figure 2 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when a human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on a pmma plate on the experimental floor . the results in figs .
2 ( a ) and ( b ) are measured simultaneously . in these figures , the symbol of r implies that the human body raises a right foot ,
2 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on pmma plate .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on pmma plate .
figure 2 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when a human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on the floor of a pmma plate on the experimental floor .
the induced voltage increases when the right foot rises , and the first peak value is 4 v. the induced voltage is 0.5 times the human body s voltage in fig .
2 ( a ) . when the right foot is lowered , the induced voltage changes . the induced voltage changes when the walking motion repeats .
figure 3 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when an antistatic human body walks on the multi - layer vinyl floor sheet on the experimental floor .
the human body s voltage increases when the right foot rises , and its peak value is 13 v. the human body s voltage decreases and increases immediately to 7 v when the right foot is lowered .
3 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on multi - layer vinyl floor sheet .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on multi - layer vinyl floor sheet .
figure 3 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when an antistatic human body walks on the multi - layer vinyl floor sheet .
the induced voltage increases up to 7 v when height of the right foot increases .
the induced voltage becomes the inverse polarity of the human body s voltage in fig .
3 ( a ) . figure 4 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when an antistatic human body walks on carpet .
the human body s voltage changes when the right foot rises , and its negative peak value is 5 v. the human body s voltage decreases to 1 v when the right foot is lowered .
the human body s voltage decreases rapidly even though the voltage increases positively when the height of the left foot increases.fig .
4 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on carpet .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on carpet .
figure 4 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on the ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when an antistatic human body walks on carpet .
the peak value of the induced voltage is similar to that of the human body s voltage in fig .
4 ( a ) . figure 5 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when an antistatic human body walks on a polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ) sheet .
the human body s voltage is 3 v when the right foot of the body rises .
the human body s voltage decreases to approximately zero when the right foot is lowered .
5 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on polyvinyl chloride sheet .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on polyvinyl chloride sheet .
figure 5 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on the ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when an antistatic human body walks on a pvc sheet .
the induced voltage is similar to the human body s voltage in fig . 5 ( a ) .
the largest induced voltage is 7 v. figure 6 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when wearing a t - shirt , knee trousers and slippers walks on a pmma plate on the experimental floor .
the human body s voltage increases up to 25 v when the right foot rises .
the human body s voltage decreases to approximately zero when the right foot is lowered .
6 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on pmma plate .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on pmma plate .
figure 6 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on the pmma plate .
the induced voltage increases when the right foot rises , and its peak value is 9 v. the induced voltage is 0.4 times the human body s voltage in fig . 6 ( a ) .
the largest induced voltage is 16 v. figure 7 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on the multi - layer vinyl floor sheet of the experimental floor
. the human body s voltage increases up to 58 v when the right foot rises .
the human body s voltage decreases to approximately zero when the right foot is lowered .
7 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on multi - layer vinyl floor sheet .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on multi - layer vinyl floor sheet .
figure 7 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on the multi - layer vinyl floor sheet .
the largest induced voltage is 23 v. figure 8 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on carpet on the experimental floor .
the human body s voltage increases up to 47 v when the right foot rises .
the human body s voltage indicates a value near zero volts when the right foot is lowered .
8 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on carpet .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on carpet .
figure 8 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on carpet .
the largest induced voltage is 15 v. figure 9 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on a pvc sheet on the experimental floor
. the human body s voltage increases up to 26 v when the right foot rises .
the reason is that the human body is electrified negatively by the repetition of the walking motion.fig .
9 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on polyvinyl chloride sheet .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on polyvinyl chloride sheet .
figure 9 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on the pvc sheet .
three measurements for each condition are performed because we need to consider whether the results are correct or not .
a representative result of three measurements is used since the similar results are obtained repeatedly under same condition .
figure 2 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when a human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on a pmma plate on the experimental floor . the results in figs .
2 ( a ) and ( b ) are measured simultaneously . in these figures , the symbol of r implies that the human body raises a right foot ,
2 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on pmma plate .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on pmma plate .
figure 2 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when a human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on the floor of a pmma plate on the experimental floor .
the induced voltage increases when the right foot rises , and the first peak value is 4 v. the induced voltage is 0.5 times the human body s voltage in fig .
2 ( a ) . when the right foot is lowered , the induced voltage changes . the induced voltage changes when the walking motion repeats .
figure 3 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when an antistatic human body walks on the multi - layer vinyl floor sheet on the experimental floor .
the human body s voltage increases when the right foot rises , and its peak value is 13 v. the human body s voltage decreases and increases immediately to 7 v when the right foot is lowered .
3 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on multi - layer vinyl floor sheet .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on multi - layer vinyl floor sheet .
figure 3 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when an antistatic human body walks on the multi - layer vinyl floor sheet .
the induced voltage increases up to 7 v when height of the right foot increases .
the induced voltage becomes the inverse polarity of the human body s voltage in fig .
3 ( a ) . figure 4 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when an antistatic human body walks on carpet .
the human body s voltage changes when the right foot rises , and its negative peak value is 5 v. the human body s voltage decreases to 1 v when the right foot is lowered .
the human body s voltage decreases rapidly even though the voltage increases positively when the height of the left foot increases.fig .
4 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on carpet .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on carpet .
figure 4 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on the ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when an antistatic human body walks on carpet .
the peak value of the induced voltage is similar to that of the human body s voltage in fig .
4 ( a ) . figure 5 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when an antistatic human body walks on a polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ) sheet .
the human body s voltage is 3 v when the right foot of the body rises .
the human body s voltage decreases to approximately zero when the right foot is lowered .
5 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on polyvinyl chloride sheet .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on polyvinyl chloride sheet .
figure 5 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on the ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when an antistatic human body walks on a pvc sheet .
the induced voltage is similar to the human body s voltage in fig . 5 ( a ) .
figure 6 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when wearing a t - shirt , knee trousers and slippers walks on a pmma plate on the experimental floor
. the human body s voltage increases up to 25 v when the right foot rises .
the human body s voltage decreases to approximately zero when the right foot is lowered .
6 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on pmma plate .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on pmma plate .
figure 6 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on the pmma plate .
the induced voltage increases when the right foot rises , and its peak value is 9 v. the induced voltage is 0.4 times the human body s voltage in fig .
the largest induced voltage is 16 v. figure 7 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on the multi - layer vinyl floor sheet of the experimental floor
. the human body s voltage increases up to 58 v when the right foot rises .
the human body s voltage decreases to approximately zero when the right foot is lowered .
7 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on multi - layer vinyl floor sheet .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on multi - layer vinyl floor sheet .
figure 7 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on the multi - layer vinyl floor sheet .
the largest induced voltage is 23 v. figure 8 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on carpet on the experimental floor .
the human body s voltage increases up to 47 v when the right foot rises .
the human body s voltage indicates a value near zero volts when the right foot is lowered .
8 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on carpet .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on carpet .
figure 8 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on carpet .
the largest induced voltage is 15 v. figure 9 ( a ) shows the human body s voltage ( hbv ) when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on a pvc sheet on the experimental floor .
the human body s voltage increases up to 26 v when the right foot rises .
the reason is that the human body is electrified negatively by the repetition of the walking motion.fig .
9 . hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on polyvinyl chloride sheet .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on polyvinyl chloride sheet .
figure 9 ( b ) shows the induced voltage generated on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on the pvc sheet .
when an antistatic human body walks on a pmma plate or a multi - layer vinyl floor sheet on the experimental floor , the antistatic human body is electrified in a range from 30 v to 22 v for the pmma plate or from 0 v to 17 v for the multi - layer vinyl floor sheet .
thus , the electrification of an antistatic human body occurs with a contact and a separation between an antistatic shoe sole and the flooring .
on the other hand , the induced voltage generated on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor indicates a voltage of opposite polarity against the human body s voltage .
the reason is that the voltage induced by the polarization of the flooring and generated by the surface charge on the flooring appears32 .
when the antistatic human body walks on carpet or a polyvinyl chloride sheet , the voltage of the antistatic human body is similar to the induced voltage generated on the experimental floor .
similar voltages are generated between the human body s voltage and the induced voltage of the experimental floor because an antistatic human body is connected electrostatically to the ungrounded metal plate similar to the results of fig .
figures 10 ( a ) and ( b ) show the human body s voltage and the induced voltage generated on the ungrounded metal plate when an antistatic human body walks on the ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor without a floor.fig .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on ungrounded metal plate .
hbv and induced voltage of ungrounded metal plate when human body wearing antistatic clothes and shoes walks on ungrounded metal plate .
when a human body wearing light clothes and slippers walks on each type of floor on the experimental floor , the voltage polarities of the human body have a negative polarity for the pmma plate and the multi - layer vinyl floor sheet and a positive polarity for carpet .
we can consider that the difference in voltage occurs because of the combination between the flooring on the experimental floor and the slippers .
the induced voltage of the experimental floor becomes the opposite polarity against the human body s voltage because the induced voltage is generated by induction when the right foot or left foot rises .
the change in the human body s voltage occurs from q = cv , and the capacitances between the human body and the ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor change as shown table 2 .
we can understand the change of the human body s voltage from the measured results of table 2 .
the human body s voltage increases positively or negatively if the electric charges of the human body are almost constant as the capacitance between the human body and the ungrounded metal plate decreases .
the induced voltage of an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor changes by the change of the human body s voltage.table 2 .
capacitances between human body and ungrounded metal plate of experimental floorflooringcapacitances ( pf)antistatic clothes and shoeslight clothes and slippersstopright foot risesleft foot risesstopright foot risesleft foot risespmma plate865454905853multi - layer vinyl floor sheet936058905954carpet915957875853polyvinyl chloride sheet935957885853
a human body is occasionally electrified , and this charged object causes a malfunction and failure of electronic equipment .
the malfunction and failure are caused by the occurrence of approximately 5 v or less for the microelectronic device .
these accidents occur when the human body wears antistatic clothing and shoes or light clothes and slippers in a room with an air conditioner . in this study ,
the motion of a charged human body is determined by the non - contact measuring system .
the human body s voltage is measured directly to determine how high the human body s voltage is and whether the human body s voltage exceeds the malfunctioning voltage of the electronic equipment .
the results show that the human body s voltage exceeds the malfunctioning voltage of the electronic equipment even if the human body wears antistatic clothes and shoes and walks on a pmma plate , a multi - layer vinyl floor sheet , carpet , and a polyvinyl chloride sheet on the experimental floor .
the induced voltage generated on an ungrounded metal plate of the experimental floor is measured simultaneously .
the fruits of this study will be useful in determining whether the malfunction and failure of electronic equipment occurs in a room . | pubmed |
What is $\Delta t$ in the time-energy uncertainty principle?
In non-relativistic QM, the $\Delta E$ in the time-energy uncertainty principle is the limiting standard deviation of the set of energy measurements of $n$ identically prepared systems as $n$ goes to infinity. What does the $\Delta t$ mean, since $t$ is not even an observable?
Let a quantum system with Hamiltonian $H$ be given. Suppose the system occupies a pure state $|\psi(t)\rangle$ determined by the Hamiltonian evolution. For any observable $\Omega$ we use the shorthand
$$
\langle \Omega \rangle = \langle \psi(t)|\Omega|\psi(t)\rangle.
$$
One can show that (see eq. 3.72 in Griffiths QM)
$$
\sigma\_H\sigma\_\Omega\geq\frac{\hbar}{2}\left|\frac{d\langle \Omega\rangle}{dt}\right|
$$
where $\sigma\_H$ and $\sigma\_\Omega$ are standard deviations
$$
\sigma\_H^2 = \langle H^2\rangle-\langle H\rangle^2, \qquad \sigma\_\Omega^2 = \langle \Omega^2\rangle-\langle \Omega\rangle^2
$$
and angled brackets mean expectation in $|\psi(t)\rangle$. It follows that if we define
$$
\Delta E = \sigma\_H, \qquad \Delta t = \frac{\sigma\_\Omega}{|d\langle\Omega\rangle/dt|}
$$
then we obtain the desired uncertainty relation
$$
\Delta E \Delta t \geq \frac{\hbar}{2}
$$
It remains to interpret the quantity $\Delta t$. It tells you the approximate amount of time it takes for the expectation value of an observable to change by a standard deviation provided the system is in a pure state. To see this, note that if $\Delta t$ is small, then in a time $\Delta t$ we have
$$
|\Delta\langle\Omega\rangle| =\left|\int\_t^{t+\Delta t} \frac{d\langle \Omega\rangle}{dt}\,dt\right| \approx \left|\frac{d\langle \Omega\rangle}{dt}\Delta t\right| = \left|\frac{d\langle \Omega\rangle}{dt}\right|\Delta t = \sigma\_\Omega
$$
The **time-energy uncertainty relation** (and other time-"observable" uncertainty relations that can be constructed) is (considered) not to have same meaning as **canonical uncertainty relations**. Meaning uncertainty relations costructed from canonical dynamical variables/observables (in the Hamiltonian sense), like position and momentum, since **time parameter** is **not an observable** and also **not an operator** in QM/QFT formalisms.
In fact, there are various approaches and interpretations of time-energy uncertainty. For example:
1. Energy-dispersion ($\Delta E$) of a state and lifetime ($\Delta t$ or $\tau\_s$) of the state itself.
2. Energy exchange ($\Delta E$) and time-frame ($\Delta t$) during which this can happen.
3. Energy measurement ($\Delta E$) and time ($\Delta t$) it needs for accuracy (although this is rigorously disputed, see below )
4. ..other similar or specialised formulations of the above
In L. Mandelstam and I. Tamm, "The uncertainty relation between energy and time in nonrelativistic quantum mechanics", J Phys (USSR) 1945, they show how one can derive time-observable uncertainty relations for any observable $A$ with
$$\Delta t = \tau\_A = \frac{\Delta A}{d\left<A\right> /dt}$$
Time and time-energy uncertainty is used heavily in (quantum/mixed) statistical mechanics of systems since it relates half-times and life-times of states and transitions (will have to find some references)
An analysis of various formulations of time-energy uncertainty relations can be found in:
[Jan Hilgevoord, The uncertainty principle for energy and time I](http://www.phy.pku.edu.cn/~qhcao/resources/class/QM_panel_13/ajp_uncert_energy_time1.pdf)
and
[Jan Hilgevoord, The uncertainty principle for energy and time II](http://www.phy.pku.edu.cn/~qhcao/resources/class/QM_panel_13/ajp_uncert_energy_time2.pdf)
Summary:
>
> The uncertainty principle for energy and time is not a canonical
> uncertainty relation because it is not based/produced by canonical
> hamiltonian variables, instead it expresses dispersion and lifetime of
> a state. There is a confusion of a cartesian space-time $x, t$ (used
> as parameters) and canonical position and momenta ($q, p$) which are
> functions of these parameters (however simple in some cases, like
> $q=x$)
>
>
>
The time-energy uncertaintly relation has a different interpration and derivation than the uncertaintly relation for non-commuting operators. Try [John Baez](http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/uncertainty.html) for an explanation, but, roughly speaking $\delta t$ measures the time it takes for the expectation value of some operator to change noticeably.
In addition to Joshphysics' precise answer, let's mention another interpretation (the one I think Ben Crowell is referring to in his comment to the same answer).
There's a formula from time dependent perturbation theory which gives the probability of an induced transition from an initial state $\lvert i \rangle$ to a final state $\lvert f \rangle$ with energy difference $\hbar \omega\_{if}$. The transition is supposed to be induced from an harmonic perturbation: $$V=\cal Ve^{i\omega t}+\cal V ^\dagger e^{-i\omega t},$$ and the formula reads, for absorption i.e. transition to an higher energy level:$$P\_{i\to f}(t;\omega)=\dfrac{\lvert \cal V \_{fi} \rvert ^2}{\hbar ^2}\dfrac{\sin ^2(\frac{\omega \_{fi}-\omega}{2}t)}{(\frac{\omega \_{fi}-\omega}{2})^2}.$$
As a function of $t$ for fixed $\omega$, the probability grows quadratically for small $t$, reaches its maximum at $t$ given by:$$\frac{\lvert \omega \_{fi}-\omega \rvert}{2}t=\frac {\pi} {2},$$
that is: $$t\Delta E =\frac {h}{2},$$where $$\Delta E = \lvert E\_f -E\_i -\hbar \omega \rvert.$$
Suppose that I am trying to cause a transition beetween two energy levels $i,f$ of an atom by sending on it some radiation at frequency $\omega$. Then $\Delta t$ is the order of the required lenght of the interaction to have a consistent probability of a transition (note that the above formula for $P\_{i\to f}$ makes sense at $t=t\_{\text{max}}$ only if $|V \_{fi}|\ll \Delta E$).
Instead of fixing $\omega$, we could imagine to fix the time of interaction $\Delta t$. Again, the above formula for $P\_{i\to f}$ says that we have a consistent probability for the transition to occur if $\Delta E \ll \frac{h} {\Delta t}$. Therefore, if we wish to determine $E\_f -E\_i$ precisely enough by varying $\omega$ and seeing if the transition does or does not occur, we must have a big $\Delta t$.
Here I'm considering transition beetween two distinct levels and I'm assuming that the spectrum is discrete, in the physical sense, that is, $|E\_f'-E\_i-(E\_f-E\_i)|$ for every other level $f'$ is much bigger than the experimental uncertainty on $\hbar \omega$. If this was not the case, we should consider transition not to a single final state but to a group $[f]$ of final states. The correct way to do this is by Fermi's golden rule, which is discussed in every good book of quantum mechanics (see e.g. [Sakurai](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0201539292) or [Griffiths](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0131118927), also for the derivation of the above formula).
Good answers have been given so far. Let us see it from a different perspective:
Think of two eletrons interacting with each other very briefly. This interaction takes place by means of energy exchage, and let us say this is an amount $\Delta E$. The time $\Delta T$ within which this energy must be exchanged between the two electrons has a limit, and is dictated by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. The higher the amount of energy exchanged, the shorter the time it should take to exchange it. This is taken care by nature, the electrons just do what they have to do; they exchange energy 'folowing the rules.'
Similarly, a free photon carries an amount of energy $E=hf$. This also has the meaning of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle if you write it in the form $E\times T=h$, since $f=1/T$. This amount of energy, will be carried by the photon a distance of one wavelength, $\lambda =c/f$, in no longer or shorter time than the period of its probability wave. This also applies when we interact with nature durng a measurement, as has been mentioned by other respondens. Nature is very keen in optimising her action, she is not wasteful. A good question is: Why is $h$ as small as it is? What determines its value? I am not aware of any facility that will produce this number, other than measured experimentally.
The meaning is pretty much the same as for coordinate-momentum uncertainty. In addition to what joshphysics wrote, I'd like to stress that stationary solution of time-dependent Schroedinger equation is $\vert \psi \rangle \sim e^{i \frac{E}{\hbar}t}$. If you want to measure energy, you should somehow follow this wavefunction evolution in time. To measure energy definitely, you should measure it during infinite time. If the time of measurement is limited, the energy is not definite.
Technically it is more complicated as normally $\Delta t$ is not the measurement time, but the time of some process results of which you measure. However, the main idea is that simple.
Here's another interpretation of the relation $\Delta t \, \Delta E \ge \frac{\hbar}{2}$.
You have a classical system described by a lagrangian $L = \dot{q} \, p - H$, where $H$ is the hamiltonian which is supposed to be time independant. The system's action is
\begin{equation}\tag{1}
S = \int\_{t\_1}^{t\_2} L \, dt = \int\_{q\_1}^{q\_2} p \, dq - E \, \Delta t = S\_p + S\_E.
\end{equation}
Now consider an arbitrary variation of the classical path. The action would then be changed by the following amount (I'm now sure what to do with the first part, which should give the other Heisenberg relation : $\Delta q \; \Delta p \ge \frac{\hbar}{2}$) :
\begin{equation}\tag{2}
\delta S\_E = -\: \delta E \, \Delta t.
\end{equation}
***It is postulated that any variation that change the action by an amount less than $\frac{\hbar}{2}$ cannot be observable***. This is similar to the minimal cell of phase space in statistical mechanics, for which $\Delta q\_{\text{min}} \, \Delta p\_{\text{min}} \sim h \equiv 2 \pi \hbar$. Thus, for *observable processes* we have $|\, \delta S\_E | \ge \frac{\hbar}{2}$, which implies the relation
\begin{equation}\tag{3}
\Delta t \; \delta E \ge \frac{\hbar}{2}.
\end{equation}
Here, $\Delta t \equiv t\_2 - t\_1$ is just the time interval that defines the boundary of the action (1) above. This is a classical "ordinary" interval of time. $\delta E$ is the amount of energy variation that you could get relative to the classical value, during that time interval. If $\Delta t$ is large, then $\delta E$ must be low (only small variations from the classical motion are allowed).
This "derivation" is very rough and is certainly not rigorous.
In addition to what mentioned in @Michael's link, one of the best ways to think about is as follows:
The more time you spending in measuring your experiment (thus standard deviation will become smaller) the more precisely you will measure energy of this system.
P.S
This interpretation widely used in Russian text books.
| stackexchange/physics |
Robin Farmanfarmain wrote the book The Patient as CEO, and since then has been booked on 50 conferences to talk about the future of medical technology. She was hospitalized for most of her childhood as well as having 3 organs removed. Since then she was determined to get medical breakthroughs, such as the one that eventually let her have a normal life. | slim_pajama |
Victor Omar Antoine NDiaye born June 1, 1992 is a Canadian soccer player who currently plays for Toulouse Rodéo.
Career
Collegial Scholar League RSEQ
N'Diaye played with the Cegep de Sainte-Foy Dynamiques in 2009 and for the Cégep Garneau Élans in 2010
Montreal Impact
N'Diaye played with the Montreal Impact Academy in the Canadian Soccer League. He also played for Montreal Impact U23 in the Premier Development League.
N'Diaye joined FC Montreal, a USL affiliate club of the Montreal Impact for the 2015 season. On March 28, 2015, he made his professional debut for the club in a 20 defeat to Toronto FC II.
Mont-Royal Outremont
In 2016 N'Diaye joined PLSQ side CS Mont-Royal Outremont and made five appearances for the Montreal club, scoring one goal.
Toulouse Rodéo
On 30 January 2017, N'Diaye moved abroad, signing with French CFA2 club Toulouse Rodéo. In the final half of the 201617 season N'Diaye made 13 appearances, scoring three goals.
References
External links
Category:1992 births
Category:Living people
Category:Association football forwards
Category:Canadian expatriate soccer players
Category:Canadian Soccer League 2006present players
Category:Canadian soccer players
Category:FC Montreal players
Category:Montreal Impact U23 players
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Category:Sportspeople from Quebec City
Category:USL Championship players | wikipedia |
Sweet Smell of Sucess
SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
by
Clifford Odets
Ernest Lehman
Working Script For
THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
FADE IN:
EXT. INT. GLOBE NEWSPAPER BUILDING - DUSK - N.Y.
A row of newspaper delivery trucks is lined up against the
long loading bay, waiting for the edition. In the foreground
a large clock establishes the time as 8:10 PM. A rumbling
noise warns the men to take their positions; a few seconds
later the bales of newspapers come sliding the spiral chutes
onto the moving belts from which they are manhandled onto
the trucks. Much noise and shouting.
The front truck moves out to the city street. As it does
CAMERA EMPHASIZES the big poster on its side. The design
features a large pair of spectacles with heavy rims - a
trademark of Hunsecker's. (It will later be seen as the
masthead of the gossip column.)
"GO WITH THE GLOBE"
Read
J.J. HUNSECKER
"They eyes of Broadway"
EXT. BROADWAY - DUSK - N.Y.
The truck starts on its journey along Broadway. Some shots
are of the vehicle moving through very heavy traffic (taken
from a camera car). Others are from the inside of the
truck; as it slows down, the delivery man tosses the heavy
bundle of papers onto the sidewalk. CAMERA following the
truck, holds it in foreground against the blazing electric
signs of Broadway and Times Square.
EXT. BROADWAY - NIGHT
The southeast corner of the intersection of Broadway and
46th Street, CAMERA, fairly high, shoots north towards the
impressive vista of electric signs, silhouetted against the
darkening sky. Very heavy traffic and crowded sidewalks.
CAMERA descends towards the Orange Juice stand on the
corner, passing the booth which sells souvenir hats. It
moves through the congestion of chattering passersby,
steadily approaching a smartly dressed young man, who stands
at the counter of the Orange Juice stand. Oblivious of the
hub-bub around him, SIDNEY FALCO is concerned only with his
private problems.
He turns sharply as a newspaper truck pulls up at the curb
behind him; this is what he has been waiting for...
CLOSER ANGLE - NIGHT
The news truck delivery man tosses a bundle out onto the
sidewalk besides a newsstand.
DETAIL
The bundle of newspapers. It hits the sidewalk with a smack.
CAMERA PULLS BACK as Sidney Falco crosses the sidewalk. The
owner of the newsstand, IGGY, comes to pick up the bundle;
he is a grizzled gnome with a philosophical sense of humor;
Sidney snaps his fingers with impatience. Iggy wears
spectacles and is clearly more or less blind, he has to
grope for the cord that binds the papers.
IGGY
Aw Lady, if I looked like you, I'd--
SIDNEY
C'mon...C'mon...
IGGY
(recognizing Sidney's voice)
Keep ya sweatshirt on, Sidney.
Majestically taking his time, Iggy lifts the bundle to his
stand and cuts the cord.
IGGY
Hey, Fresh, the Globe just came
in -- Hey, Sidney, want an item for
Hunsecker's column? Two rolls get
fresh with a baker! Hey, hot, hot,
hot -- etc.
Annoyed, Sidney throws him a dime, seizes a paper and
returns briskly to the orange juice stand.
ORANGE JUICE STAND - NIGHT
Sidney's place at the crowded counter has been taken by
newcomers. Rudely, he recovers his half-consumed glass of
orange juice and sandwich. He takes them further down the
counter to a quieter corner at which he can examine the
paper. CAMERA MOVING WITH HIM, picks up further snatches of
overheard dialogue. (See dialogue attached at the end of the
scene) We move close enough to see Sidney's hands open the
paper expertly at HUNSECKER'S column - identifiable by the
picture of the spectacled eyes. Over scene there is a
babble of offstage dialogue.
CLOSE UP OF SIDNEY
His face is sullen as his eyes run rapidly down the column.
He is reacting to a not unexpected disappointment.
EXT. SIDNEY'S APARTMENT - BROADWAY - NIGHT
CAMERA SHOOTS WEST on 46th Street, as Sidney comes down the
side street from the newsstand in background. Irritably, he
jerks open the door of a shabby entrance. As the glass door
closes, Sidney is seen striding up the stairs.
FIRST FLOOR - OUTSIDE SIDNEY'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Beside the top of the stairs is the door to Sidney's office.
On it there is a cheaply printed cardboard sign which reads:
SIDNEY FALCO
Publicity
From inside comes the sound of desultory typing. Sidney
comes up the stairs two at a time and turns into the door.
INT. SIDNEY'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
SALLY is on the phone as Sidney strides in.
SALLY
Just a minute, Mr. Weldon. I
think...
Sidney vigorously indicates that he doesn't want to take the
call.
SALLY
(to phone)
I'm sorry. I thought that was Mr.
Falco returning. Yes, I'll tell
him when he comes in. I know he's
been trying to reach you.
She hangs up.
SALLY
That's the third time he's called
today.
SIDNEY
He wants me to break a leg?
SALLY
(literally)
No, an arm, he said.
(then)
I told him you were sure the item
would be in Mr. Hunsecker's column
in tomorrow's...
SIDNEY
(interrupting, sharply)
It isn't. I've just seen the early
edition.
SALLY
But...
SIDNEY
But what?
SALLY
That makes five days in a row that
Mr. Hunsecker's cut you out of his
column.
SIDNEY
May I rent you out as an adding
machine.
He has begun to change his clothes.
SIDNEY
Get me Joe Robard.
Sally goes back into the outer room.
SIDNEY
Who else phoned?
SALLY
The renting agent and the tailor.
SIDNEY
Pay the rent. Let the tailor wait.
SALLY
It won't leave much of a balance in
the bank...
(to phone)
Mr. Robard? Could you locate him?
Sidney, in a state of semi-undress, comes to take the phone
from her.
SIDNEY
(gloomily)
Watch me run a fifty yard dash with
my legs cut off!
Very abruptly, he comes alive on the phone. A real laughing
boy.
SIDNEY
(effusively)
Sidney, Joe. How do you like it?
I'm running out of alibis! No, I
asked Hunsecker to withhold the
item, until he could give it a
fine, fat paragraph. The column
was running over and I didn't want
you kissed off with just a line...
INT. ROBARD'S CLUB - NIGHT
Robard is a stolid, secure man, balding and with a moustache.
He has a morose sense of humor. He is speaking from a
telephone on a little desk at the end of the bar. In
background, the Club is open, but there are few customers as
yet. Some recorded jazz is being played while the musicians
are still arriving, strolling past in background, depositing
their overcoats and music cases in the little closet assigned
to them.
ROBARD
(in answer to Sidney)
Of course.
(he listens to
protest from Sidney)
What is this, Sidney, a kissing
game? You're a liar - that's a
publicity man's nature. I wouldn't
hire you if you wasn't a liar. I
pay you a C-and-a-half a week
wherein you plant big lies about me
and the Club all over the map.
(a pause)
Yeah, I mean in that sense. But
also in the sense that you are a
personal liar, too, because you
don't do the work I pay you for.
(new protests on the
other end of the line)
Oh, stop it, Sidney. You're from
the country, not me.
RESUME SIDNEY
Sally is watching him, unhappy on his behalf.
SIDNEY
(to phone)
Now, wait a minute, Joe. When I
saw J.J. last night he said...
But Robard has cut off. Sidney hangs up. A silence. Sally
tries to be comforting.
SALLY
I wish I could help in some way,
Sidney.
SIDNEY
(aggressively)
Help me with two minutes of silence!
Sally, hurt, says nothing. Presently, he adds:
SIDNEY
Go home, Sally. It's late...
SALLY
I hate to see you like this --
Sidney, with another mercurial change of manner, begins some
sarcastic clowning.
SIDNEY
(horsing around)
Yes, but as a new subscriber you're
under no obligation to take more
than three books. And if you mail
the enclosed card within ten days --
SALLY
(pleadingly)
Sidney, I know you by now. Don't
do a dance with me...
SIDNEY
(still clowning)
You mean you don't want the extra
free gift of a colorful giant map
of the world???
SALLY
(distressed)
Sidney, please, dear, if you feel
nervous...
Sidney is abruptly savage.
SIDNEY
(with cruelty)
So what'll you do if I feel nervous?
You'll open your meaty, sympathetic
arms...?
SALLY
(breaking down)
Sid...you got me so...I don't know
what...
She is crying. Sidney feels uncomfortable. Not too
generously, he relents:
SIDNEY
You ought to be used to me by now.
SALLY
(pathetically)
I'm used to you...
SIDNEY
(with a touch of bitterness)
No. You think I'm a hero. I'm no
hero. I'm nice to people where it
pays me to be. I gotta do it too
much on the outside, so don't
expect me to kow-tow in my own
office. I'm in a bind right now
with Hunsecker so --
(grimly)
Every dog has his day!
(going)
Lock up and leave the key.
The phone rings. Sidney is dressed by now. As Sally goes
for it, he makes for the outer door.
SIDNEY
If that's for me, tear it up!
SALLY
Take a top coat.
SIDNEY
And leave a tip in every hat-check
room in town?
He is already gone as she picks up the phone.
SALLY
Sidney Falco office... Oh, Miss
Kay, he tried to reach you. No,
he's at the barbers now. No,
that's held over till the Tuesday
column...
LAP DISSOLVE TO:
INT. ELYSIAN ROOM - NIGHT
The quintet. As the dissolve clears, a clatter of polite
applause greets the end of a previous number. CAMERA is on
the bandstand, moving smoothly through the group of five
musicians as the rhythm of a new number is set up: first the
leader (a guitarist) snaps his fingers, giving the tempo
to...the bass, who "walks" with the beat, bringing in...the
drums, which start a quiet, insistent wire-brush background
for...the cello and the flute, whose introductory phrases,
set the stage for...
STEVE DALLAS
...the guitar, the leader again. It comes in after this
short preamble with the first statement of melody. (The tune
has a faint echo of significance because it is one of the
themes of the film, already heard as a phrase in the
background score of the title music.) CAMERA lingers a
moment on the guitarist, STEVE DALLAS. He is a youth of
pleasant, intelligent appearance. He plays with the intent
air of the contemporary jazz musician who takes his work
very seriously indeed and affects a much greater interest in
the music and his fellow musicians than in the listening
audience.
SIDNEY
A close shot. Sidney has just entered the club, strolling
into the vestibule near the entrance. He wears an expression
of oddly unsuitable antagonism, as he looks forward...
DALLAS
Seen in long shot from Sidney's viewpoint. CAMERA moves to
include Sidney in foreground again. He turns as he is
accosted by RITA, the cigarette girl of the club. She is a
pert creature, attractive and not unaware of the fact.
RITA
Don't you ever get messages,
Eyelashes? I called you twice.
SIDNEY
(irked)
I've been up to here. Listen,
honey, tell me something. You know
Susan Hunsecker...?
(Rita nods)
Has she been in? I mean lately, in
the last coupla days...?
RITA
I don't think so.
SIDNEY
You're sure. Find out for me.
RITA
(with a nod)
Sidney, can I talk to you a minute?
Rita wears an injured air. Sidney, preoccupied with other
worries, callously ignores it.
SIDNEY
Is Frank D'Angelo around?
RITA
At the bar - Sidney...
But Sidney has moved away from her.
D'ANGELO
He is at the bar, listening with satisfaction to the music,
watching the performers and studying the audience. Sidney
comes up behind him. We see Sidney's eyes flick from
D'Angelo towards the bandstand and back again. Then, as he
takes the stool next to D'Angelo, he assumes a different
manner, a sulky resentment. D'Angelo sees Sidney.
D'ANGELO
(to the bartender)
Joe, give my nephew a drink.
SIDNEY
(sullen)
Your nephew doesn't want a drink.
D'Angelo is still watching the quintet. The guitar can be
heard again.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Shooting past D'Angelo and Sidney towards the bandstand.
D'ANGELO
That's a lollipop that, boy. The
kid is only great.
SIDNEY
And with ten percent of his future,
you're great, too, Frank.
D'Angelo looks quickly at Sidney, sensing the undercurrent.
Then he turns his back on the musicians, remarking in a
quiet tone.
D'ANGELO
Went over to Philly yesterday an'
seen the folks...it's nice you send
them the fifty a month...
SIDNEY
(after a pause)
See my mother?
D'ANGELO
(shaking his head)
I only had a few hours.
A glum moment. Frank sips his highball: Sidney lights a
cigarette, animosity on his face.
D'ANGELO
Thanks for the publicity spread you
got the boys for the benefit
tomorrow.
SIDNEY
(begrudgingly)
Robard's my client. I did it for
him and his club, not your boys.
Frank again notes Sidney's resentful manner. Sidney looks
towards the musicians.
SIDNEY
(quietly)
Frank, I think maybe you lied to me.
D'ANGELO
(quietly)
Looka, Sidney, you're my own
sister's son, but where does that
give you the right to call me a liar?
SIDNEY
(looking towards Steve)
You told me that your boy was
washed up with Susie Hunsecker,
didn't you?
D'ANGELO
Yeah, and it's the truth, to the
best of my knowledge. And, frankly,
I'm glad. For Steve's sake, I'm
glad, not yours. I manage these
boys and I got their best interests
at heart. Steve shouldn't get
mixed up with no bimbo at his age.
SIDNEY
(narrowly)
You told him that?
D'ANGELO
Not in those exact words - you know
what a temper he's got.
A pause. Sidney is thinking.
SIDNEY
When do these hot-headed boys of
yours go on the road?
D'ANGELO
Coupla weeks. For eight weeks.
SIDNEY
That's a nice tour. All booked?
(Frank nodding)
When was Susie around here last?
D'ANGELO
Four five nights ago. That's how I
know the romance is off. Also
Steve's in a very bad mood.
SIDNEY
(abruptly)
Listen, Frank, you'd better make
sure you're telling me the truth.
D'ANGELO
(annoyed)
I don't like this threatening
attitude. When it comes to it,
what the heck is it your business
what they do, this boy and girl...
RITA
Locating Sidney, she comes up behind him. He turns away
from D'Angelo as she whispers to him. As she departs,
Sidney turns back.
SIDNEY
If you knew Hunsecker as well as I
did, you might understand why it's
my business. Maybe you're walking
around blind, Frank, without a cane.
Sidney gets off his stool. Casually, but to effect, he adds:
SIDNEY
...and in case you didn't know it,
Susie Hunsecker's out there on the
back step right now.
He turns away, glancing towards Steve on the bandstand
behind him.
D'ANGELO
He looks disturbed.
INT./EXT. BACKSTAGE AND COURTYARD
From D'Angelo's point of view. CAMERA LOOKS UP at Steve.
The Quintet is now reaching the end of the number, a driving
rhythm of considerable excitement. A waiter passes in f.g.
and the CAMERA CRANES BACK through the curtained doorway to
the backstage part of the club. This movement is continued
as we see some other employees, including Jerry Wiggins, the
intermission pianist, who is waiting in the corridor near
the fire-exit. As he steps out of the door to discard a
cigarette, CAMERA AGAIN CONTINUES ITS MOVEMENT, CRANING BACK
AND DOWNWARD into the little courtyard. Here, it discovers
the figure of a young woman who is waiting in the shadow
near the steps of the fire-escape, listening to the music.
CLOSER ANGLE
This is SUSAN HUNSECKER. She wears an expensive mink coat.
It is oddly in contrast with her personality; the face is
sensitive and intelligent, but childlike and tragic. A girl
in adolescence already burdened with problems beyond her
capacity. Over scene, the music continues. Susan shifts
her position, knowing that the session will soon be at an
end and that the musicians will be coming backstage.
INT. ELYSIAN ROOM
Steve is playing the last bars of the number; the whole
group now in unison.
QUINTET
The music comes sharply, dramatically to its finish. There
is some applause. The boys relax. Steve reaches for the
microphone and in the characteristically casual manner of
the "cool" musician, announces the end of the set, thanking
the audience, identifying the quintet by name and introducing
the intermission pianist. During this, Carson, Chico and
Paul wander off the bandstand behind him.
EXT. BACKSTAGE AND COURTYARD
Chico, Paul and Carson come through to the corridor backstage.
As they do so, Chico, glancing out of the open door sees
Susan in the courtyard. He goes out onto the fire-escape;
Paul following behind.
CHICO
Hi! Susie...
SUSAN
Hello, Chico. Paul.
CHICO
(to Paul)
Throw a rope round this chick while
I go get Steve.
Chico goes swiftly back into the club. Paul remains with
Susan. There is a momentary silence; Paul is embarrassed
because Susan is. Susan makes an effort at conversation,
she nods towards the club.
SUSAN
Full house...?
PAUL
Packin' 'em in.
INT. CLUB
Steve has been trapped by a young woman in spectacles, a
much-too-earnest devotee of progressive jazz.
DEVOTEE
I'm terribly interested in jazz --
serious jazz. You studied with
Milhaud, didn't you? This is such
an interesting fusion of the
traditional, classical form with
the new progressive style, I just
wanted to ask you how you came to
form the group...-
CHICO
He comes through the curtains of the doorway, pausing as he
sees that Steve is involved with the Intellectual Young Woman.
REVERSE ANGLE
Steve glancing at Chico over the shoulder of the Intellectual
Young Woman. Seeing that Chico has something to say to him,
he wriggles out of the young woman's clutches by passing the
buck to the unfortunate to Fred Katz, who is descending from
the bandstand behind him.
STEVE
Well, we just sort of got together.
(turning to introduce Fred)
Maybe if you ask Mr. Katz...He
writes the stuff, you know.
FRED
(blankly)
Huh?
RESUME CHICO
Steve joins Chico and they go through the curtains into the
corridor outside.
CORRIDOR
Chico, smiling, explains:
CHICO
Don't waste your time there, man.
You've got something better waiting
outside...
(as Steve looks at him)
Susie's out there.
STEVE
His reaction betrays some emotion. (Over scene the
intermission pianist has begun to play a Blues number.)
Steve moves a quick step towards the door to the courtyard,
then hesitates - almost as if he was afraid to go out. He
meets Chico's eye again.
STEVE
What did she say...?
CHICO
He is amused, but sympathetic.
CHICO
You proposed to her, not me.
(slapping him on the back)
Go get your answer...
COURTYARD
Susan, waiting at the foot of the iron steps, turns as Steve
comes out on the fire escape above. Steve comes quickly
down the steps towards her, slowing down when he gets a few
paces away from her.
SUSAN
She looks up at Steve.
STEVE
A CLOSE SHOT. In his expression we read his mute inquiry...
RESUME SUSAN
Quite deliberately, with her eyes moistened by love and
affection...she nods.
REVERSE ANGLE
Great relief and happiness can be seen in the boy's face.
After a moment, he moves to her and she to him. They
embrace swiftly, hold each other close and then kiss with
passion. Presently, when the kiss is over, Susan speaks
softly.
SUSAN
(in a whisper)
Steve...I'll...I'll try to make a
good wife.
Steve is still too choked with relief to speak. For answer,
he clasps her more tightly to him. The beam of light which
falls on the iron stairs behind them, narrows and then is
extinguished...
CORRIDOR
Paul has closed the door. Turning, he shares a look with
the grinning Chico and Fred Katz who has managed to escape
from the young woman. Before there is time for either of
them to make a remark, Sidney comes through the curtains
from the Club.
SIDNEY
Hi, Fellows. Where's the Chief?
Sidney's manner is very friendly. But it is immediately
apparent from the reaction of the other three boys that none
of them likes Sidney. Fred is deliberately uncomprehending.
FRED
Who?
SIDNEY
(who gets the point)
Dallas. Is he around?
Chico's back is to the closed door which opens onto the
courtyard. Chico nods in the opposite direction towards the
stairs.
CHICO
(unhelpfully)
Yeah, he's around somewhere.
Upstairs, maybe.
SIDNEY
(coldly, as he goes)
Thanks.
COURTYARD
Steve and Susan are still embracing. Steve is exultantly
proud and happy.
STEVE
(incoherent)
This is big, you know. Very big!
Let's go out later, drink some
firewater. With the boys. Fred
can call Millie and -
SUSAN
Steve, I'd rather you didn't say
anything for a day or two...until I
tell my brother...
STEVE
His sobering reaction shows this is something important.
STEVE
(gently)
You haven't told him yet...
SUSAN
SUSAN
I'm telling him in the morning
after breakfast.
STEVE AND SUSAN
Turning her head, she makes a little gesture, an unconscious
movement, putting her fingers to her brow as if feeling a
headache.
STEVE
He isn't going to like it.
Susan says nothing. She looks to Steve, smiling, but the
smile is not too confident.
STEVE
You sure you don't want me to be
with you...?
Susan stoutly shakes her head. Defensively she reassures
Steve:
SUSAN
Steve, my brother isn't as bad as
he's painted. He isn't perfect,
but -
STEVE
But he isn't going to like this,
Susie. And he makes you nervous,
not me. No, I take that back - he
makes me nervous, too. But I
wouldn't give him a second thought
if not for you.
The topic evidently makes Susan uneasy. In an effort to
dismiss something that she does not want to think about,
Susan puts her arms around Steve's neck again.
SUSAN
Let's forget him and -
But Steve is not so ready to change the subject.
STEVE
His stooge, Falco, is around - I
saw him walk in.
(soberly)
He's been spying on me for weeks,
Susie.
SUSAN
(quickly, perhaps too quickly)
Darling, I don't care - really I
don't. Sidney'd had a secret crush
on me for years, but nothing we do
is his business -
STEVE
(gently insisting)
But he could be reporting back to
your brother, couldn't he?
SUSAN
(pleading)
Steve, dear, please forget all of
this. What can it matter after
tomorrow?
Now Steve responds. He grins, holds her closer.
STEVE
(softly)
I have a message for you; I love
you.
(kissing her lightly)
May I dedicate the next number to
you?...And the next, and the next.
Every Sunday I'll buy you a new
bonnet -
SUSAN
(amused, but moved)
If the stores are open -
STEVE
And on Monday, I'll take it off and
stroke your light brown hair and -
SUSAN
And on Tuesday - Hasenpfeffer.
STEVE
(abruptly grinning)
How do you think I realized I love
you?
SUSAN
I made you write a beautiful song...
STEVE
No, you had me eating that Chinese
food!...
They laugh and enjoyably; but then, as the CAMERA MOVES, we
realize that Sidney is there on the fire escape above them;
his manner is affable.
SIDNEY
Can more than two enjoy this joke...
(to Susan)
Hello, Susie, I didn't expect to
find you here.
Steve says nothing. But he obviously resents the intrusion
and finds it difficult to conceal the fact. Sidney comes
down the fire escape towards them.
SIDNEY
Where's those glossy prints you
promised? Tonight's the latest I
can place them -
STEVE
(barely polite)
Well, thanks, anyway - let's forget
it.
(to Susan)
It's cold out here, Susie.
Steve makes a move to lead Susan back inside. It is a
gesture which appears to dismiss Sidney. Sidney chooses to
take umbrage:
SIDNEY
(lightly sarcastic)
Let me apologize for getting you
that press spread. It's been an
honor to serve you gratis.
Steve turns to Sidney; his manner is quiet but challenging:
STEVE
(levelly)
I get the feeling, Falco, that
you're always snooping around...
SUSAN
(quickly intervening)
Steve, stop it please...
ANOTHER ANGLE
Frank D'Angelo has followed Sidney out onto the fire escape;
other members of the Quintet have also appeared.
D'ANGELO
What are you boys fighting about?
Aggressively indignant, Sidney throws up his hands; he
knocks on the metal of the fire escape.
SIDNEY
(sarcastic)
Kill me! Find me a door somewhere -
I walked in without knocking!
Sidney is trying to needle Steve; Steve's temper would
normally have exploded; but now he controls it.
STEVE
I'm feeling too good to fight with
you, but that isn't what I said - I
said you snoop. For instance, what
were you doing around my hotel the
other night?
SIDNEY
(needling)
Begging your pardon, I haven't been
down the bowery in years!
D'ANGELO
(soothingly)
Come on boys, break it up...
STEVE
(overriding D'Angelo)
The next time you want information,
Falco, don't scratch for it like a
dog - ask for it like a man!
SIDNEY
His face tightens; he appears to be mortally insulted and
controlling himself with difficulty. He turns his back
swiftly on Steve, addressing Susan in a voice that has a
sharp edge.
SIDNEY
If you're going home, Susie, I'll
drop you off...
Sidney starts quickly up the fire escape. This makes Steve
angry and he steps forward to follow him. But Chico
contrives, without seeming to interfere to obstruct Steve.
CHICO
(easily)
Time for the next set, Chief...
STEVE
Just a minute, Chico.
CORRIDOR
Sidney comes inside. When he is out of sight or the group
in the courtyard, his manner swiftly changes. It's obvious
now that his indignation was assumed; now he looks back
towards the courtyard and there is shrewdness in his eyes;
he is assessing Steve's temper. But, presently, seeing
D'Angelo and the boys returning, he moves back to the
curtains into the Club.
COURTYARD
As D'Angelo and the other boys go inside, Steve turns back
to Susan.
STEVE
(fondly)
Just so you don't leave me in a
minor key.
INT. CLUB
Rita has succeeded in recapturing Sidney near the entrance
to the club. Sidney, alert and interested, listens to her
while keeping his eye on the bandstand in b.g. where the
intermission pianist is finishing his performance and the
quintet are returning, ready to mount the bandstand again.
SIDNEY
Don't tell me you started a polka
with Leo Bartha?
RITA
(shaking her head)
No. That's what I mean - I'm being
fired for what I didn't do.
Sidney is amused. Rita continues in a confidential manner
which is heavily loaded with sex appeal and not-very-
convincing air of injury.
RITA
(soto voce)
He came in last week on a very dull
rainy night. I know who he was,
but I didn't let on.
(emphatically)
He didn't take his eyes off me all
night. Listening...?
Rita has mistaken Sidney's shrewdly calculating expression
for inattention.
SIDNEY
Avidly. He was staring.
RITA
(continuing)
Staring. Consequently, when he
approached me on his way out I
wasn't surprised, but I didn't let
on.
SIDNEY
(prompting)
He was writing a special Sunday
piece on...?
RITA
(nodding)
...cigarette girls... And naturally -
SIDNEY
You were thrilled to be interviewed.
(she nods)
Were you "interviewed"?
RITA
In his apartment -
SIDNEY
And where was his wife?
RITA
I don't know - it's a big apartment.
But I wasn't interviewed. In fact,
I was totally unprepared for what
happened.
SIDNEY
(grimacing)
We're old friends, Chickie - quit
it! A big columnist comes in this
room, without his ball-and-chain
and you make like a delicatessen
counter! What did you think would
happen in his house?
RITA
(with a nod)
But, Sidney darling, the man must
be out of his mind - it was only
eleven o'clock in the morning!
Despite himself, Sidney chuckles; but she is distressed.
RITA
For a moment I was so taken aback
that I said anything that popped
into my sleepy head. If I'm not
mistaken, I even ordered the man
out of his own house.
Sidney's eyes have been caught by something at the other end
of the big room.
STEVE AND SUSAN
From Sidney's viewpoint. Susan has come back into the club
with Steve and seems to be taking leave of him. She starts
to walk through the club on her way out.
RESUME SIDNEY AND RITA
Sidney, with half his attention on Susan and Steve, listens
to Rita's rueful protest.
RITA
(rapidly)
He was furious and, by the time I
could have put on a Tropical Island
mood, I was out on the street!...
(dolefully)
That night Mr. Van Cleve calls me
into his office here. He's got
nothing against me, he says but he
can't afford to antagonize
columnists. I told him I still
have Sonny at military academy, but
Van Cleve's made of ice...
Aware that Sidney is moving to leave her so that he can
catch Susan, Rita detains him with an appeal:
RITA
(tentative)
Do you think you could do something,
Sidney?
SIDNEY
(a quick nod)
That's what I'm thinking, Rita.
Maybe...
Rita is anxious to cement the offer. Delicately, she asks:
RITA
Do you still keep your key under
the mat?
SIDNEY
(eyeing her)
Can you be there by two-thirty?
She drops her eyes, nods. Sidney pats her arm and is gone.
She looks after him.
SIDNEY AND SUSAN
Sidney overtakes Susan at the front entrance in time to open
the door for her. He has now reverted to another mood in
which he appears to be sulking over the insult delivered to
him by Steve. He goes out ahead of her.
BANDSTAND
The quintet are resuming their positions on the stand.
Steve lingers a moment, his guitar already in his hand while
he talks to D'Angelo.
STEVE
Frank, I don't want any secrets
from you. I proposed to Susie
tonight.
D'Angelo hides his feelings, asks:
D'ANGELO
Did she accept?
STEVE
You don't like it, do you. I think
she will accept, but I'm not sure.
She may be too dependent on her
brother.
He mounts the bandstand.
D'ANGELO
(solemnly)
Lots of good people in this town
are dependent on her brother...
Steve sits on the stool, quietly gives the beat to his group
and begins at once the guitar opening of a very simple and
lonely melody. (The Sage.)
ANOTHER ANGLE
While D'Angelo watches him, the boy continues. CAMERA
tracks slowly back through the club as the chatter and
babble of the customers begins to diminish in appreciation
of the quiet melancholy of the music.
OUTSIDE THE ELYSIAN ROOM
Susan is standing beside the poster which features Steve,
listening to the music from inside the club. Sidney comes
to join her. He is now pretending to be hurt.
SUSAN
You're touchy, Sidney - don't be so
touchy...
SIDNEY
(gruffly)
I wasn't looking for a brawl. I
came to bring him a present.
(then)
Wanna bite to eat?
Susan shakes her head. She looks up as she hears the
doorman's whistle off screen. Sidney moves forward to
escort her to the taxi.
LONGER SHOT
They cross the sidewalk and get into the cab. It starts off
and CAMERA PANS with it.
INSIDE CAB
Susan is relaxed, content but thoughtful. Sidney flicks her
a quick, anxious look. Finally, gloomily:
SIDNEY
Feels like a Monday night, don't
it...?
SUSAN
(softly)
Not to me. Sometimes, the world
feels like a cage. Then someone
comes along and opens the door...and
it's never Monday night again...
(turning to Sidney)
I wish you and Steve could like
each other.
SIDNEY
(grimacing)
We stick in each others craw.
SUSAN
Yes, but why?
SIDNEY
Well, for one thing, he thinks J.J.
is some kind of monster.
SUSAN
Quizzically, she studies Sidney.
SUSAN
Don't you?
SIDNEY
He looks up sharply, (he is momentarily startled at Susan's
insight.) Swiftly, he assumes a protesting air.
SIDNEY
Susie, your brother's one of my
best friends, and -
RESUME SUSAN
She is not totally convinced by this performance. She
smiles skeptically.
SUSAN
I know. But someday I'd like to
look into your clever mind and see
what you REALLY think of him -
RESUME SIDNEY AND SUSAN
Sidney makes a show of indignation.
SIDNEY
Where do you come off to make a
remark like that?
SUSAN
(quietly)
Who could love a man who keeps
jumping through burning hoops, like
a trained poodle?
Sidney doesn't immediately answer. Susan drops her eyes,
becoming absorbed in her own problems. Cautiously, Sidney
lets the momentary silence continue. Then:
SUSAN
(thoughtfully)
Do you think J.J. likes Steve...?
SIDNEY
(glibly)
Frankly, yes, to my surprise. He
thinks he's very gifted - those
boys'll go a big mile, he thinks.
Susan says nothing. Sidney, watching her closely, probes
further:
SIDNEY
(gently)
You feel pretty strong about this
boy?
A pause. Then Susan nods. She is not looking at Sidney and
cannot see the watchfulness in his face. Sidney prompts
again:
SIDNEY
Wedding bells, you mean?
Again Susan nods.
SUSAN
He wants me to go on the road with
them. It's an eight month tour,
all the way to Oregon...
SIDNEY
The news has considerable impact on him. But he hides it,
saying lightly:
SIDNEY
Well, congratulations. But don't
go just for the ride! Or didn't
you accept the proposal?
RESUME SUSAN AND SIDNEY
Susan continues.
SUSAN
I'm going to discuss it with J.J.
in the morning.
A pause. Each is concerned with private thoughts. Susan,
relaxed, adds quietly:
SUSAN
(softly)
It's given me a big lift to know
that some people want me for
myself, not just because I'm my
brother's sister.
SIDNEY
Chickie, I'll have to laugh at
that - an attractive girl like
you...!
Susan ignores his remark, continuing thoughtfully:
SUSAN
I hope that J.J. really likes
Steve, that it isn't an act.
SIDNEY
(with an indignant edge)
Why should he put on an act? Your
brother has told PRESIDENTS where
to go and what to do!
The taxi has pulled to a stop. Susan sits for a moment
before she remarks.
SUSAN
The act would be for my sake, not
Steve's...
Realizing that they have come to their destination, Susan
gets up, moving out of CAMERA as she disembarks from the
taxi. CAMERA catches a glimpse of apprehension in Sidney's
eyes. Quickly, he decides to follow her.
EXT. BROADWAY
Susan, getting out of the taxi, moves past CAMERA. Sidney,
following her, instructs the driver.
SIDNEY
(to cabbie)
Wait for me. I'll be right back.
LONGER SHOT
Sidney moves after the girl, calling: "Susie!"
SUSAN
Hearing him, Susan turns back. Sidney walks into shot to
join her.
SIDNEY
(lightly)
It's not my nature, Susie, but I'll
talk to you like an uncle...
SUSAN
(smiling)
But I don't need an uncle, Sidney.
They move through the doors.
REVERSE ANGLE
Sidney quickly corrects himself, saying earnestly:
SIDNEY
No, I mean because I admire you -
in fact, more than admire you -
although that's neither here nor
there.
(quickly skipping to
the important point)
Susie, don't sell your brother
short. Talk this over with him, I
mean - you'll find him a real friend.
SUSAN
Susan looks thoughtful, making no comment.
RESUME SIDNEY AND SUSAN
Carefully (again probing) he prompts her:
SIDNEY
Any message, in case I see J.J.
later?
Susan turns away and walks out past CAMERA. Sidney watches
her.
SUSAN
She looks back at Sidney, quietly firm.
SUSAN
Yes. Tell him for me that Steve
Dallas is the first real man I've
ever been in love with...
She turns away and walks through the inner door, going down
the corridor towards the elevators in background.
RESUME SIDNEY
The sincerity of the girl's manner strikes home to Sidney.
Now that her back is turned we see the sharp twinge of pain
with which he hears the statement of her feelings for
another man. Angered, he wheels, striding out of the door
onto Broadway.
EXT. BROADWAY
Sidney returns to the cab, instructing the driver:
SIDNEY
The Twenty One Club.
He climbs in and the taxi drives off down Broadway.
LAP DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. TWENTY ONE CLUB - NIGHT
CAMERA HIGH, SHOOTING WEST down 52nd Street, as Sidney's cab
pulls up, double parking in front of the 21 Club. Sidney
maneuvers his way between the parked cars towards the
entrance and the CAMERA DESCENDS to SHOOT ALONG the courtyard
towards the entrance. We see the figure of Jimmy Weldon and
his girl friend coming out of the Club.
CLOSER ANGLE - NIGHT
Jimmy Weldon is coming out of the Club accompanied by a
girl; he is slightly tight. As he steps through the outer
doors, Weldon again spies Sidney on the sidewalk; he steps
to one side of the entrance way.
Sidney slips through the congestion, but just as he tries to
enter the Club, Weldon's hand shoots out, neatly ambushing
him, pulling him aside into the narrow courtyard. Sidney is
instantly resentful of this manhandling, but has to adjust
himself, assuming a quick smile for the benefit of Weldon.
SIDNEY
Jimmy! This is a coincidence. I
am just going -
WELDON
(overlapping)
Yeah. A coincidence you should run
into the very man you've been
ducking all week!
(to the girl)
This is my press agent, Joan.
Weldon, jibing at Sidney, plays his remarks off the girl,
who is amused; Sidney, of course, is not.
SIDNEY
(quickly)
I tried to reach you twice -
WELDON
(overlapping)
What do you do for that hundred a
week. Fall out of bed?
SIDNEY
Jimmy, I'm on my way inside right
now to talk to Hunsecker. I can
promise you -
WELDON
(horsing)
Joan, call a cop! We'll arrest
this kid for larceny!
Sidney flinches, his pride touched.
SIDNEY
Listen, when your band was playing
at Roseland -
WELDON
(cutting in)
That was two months ago. Take your
hand out of my pocket, thief!
The girl tries to quiet Weldon, who has gone from horsing to
loud contempt.
THE GIRL
Take it easy, Jimmy dear...
WELDON
(indignantly)
Why? It's a dirty job, but I pay
clean money for it, don't I?
Abruptly Sidney bursts out, giving as good as he has taken:
SIDNEY
No more you don't! What is this -
You're showing off for her? They're
supposed to hear you in Korea?
WELDON
(smirking to the girl)
He's intuitive - he knows he's
getting fired!
SIDNEY
If you're funny, James, I'm a
pretzel! Drop dead!
Weldon, shepherded by the girl, is already on his way across
the sidewalk.
WELDON
It was nice knowing you, Sidney.
Not cheap - but nice. Happy
unemployment insurance.
INT. TWENTY ONE CLUB - NIGHT
Sidney, entering the Club, threads his way through the
crowded foyer, coming up to CAMERA near the foot of the
staircase. There he meets a Captain who turns to him.
CAPTAIN
How are you tonight, Mr. Falco?
SIDNEY
(nodding towards the restaurant)
Is "he" inside?
CAPTAIN
But of course...
SIDNEY
Alone or surrounded?
CAPTAIN
A Senator, an Agent and Something -
With - Long - Red - Hair.
Sidney moves past CAMERA, coming a couple of paces towards
the door to the restaurant. He pauses.
REVERSE ANGLE
From Sidney's viewpoint. Shooting through the doorway into
the restaurant, we can see the group at the table.
(Hunsecker's back is turned to us.) CAMERA PULLS BACK to
include Sidney in foreground. He decides not to go into
restaurant and turns away out of shot.
INT. LOUNGE
Sidney comes round the corner from the foyer and walks
through the lounge to the door into the alcove where the
phone booths are, CAMERA PANNING.
PHONE BOOTHS
Sidney moves briskly past the girl at the switchboard,
instructing her:
SIDNEY
Honey, get me Mr. Hunsecker.
The girl reaches for a book of phone numbers, then remembers:
OPERATOR
He's right inside, Mr. Falco.
SIDNEY
(from inside the booth)
So it isn't Long Distance.
As the girl, shrugging, puts through the call, CAMERA moves
closer to Sidney in the booth. He hears the connection
made, speaks at once.
SIDNEY
(to phone)
J.J.? It's me --
We are close enough to the instrument to hear the sound of a
voice on the other end. Though the words are not
distinguishable, it is quite clear that the speaker is not
talking to the phone. Sidney seems to relax, as if this is
something that happens often. He waits, studying his
manicured fingertips...
Presently Sidney hears the voice on the other end become
clearer. It asks: "Yes?" CAMERA moves closer as Sidney says:
SIDNEY
J.J., it's Sidney. Can you come
outside for one minute?
Hunsecker's voice, filtered through the sound of the
telephone, is sharp and tiny; but the words are now very
clear.
HUNSECKER (O.S.)
Can I come out? No.
SIDNEY
(tensely)
I have to talk to you, alone, J.J.,
that's why.
HUNSECKER (O.S.)
You had something to do for me -
you didn't do it.
SIDNEY
Can I come in for a minute?
HUNSECKER (O.S.)
No. You're dead, son - get yourself
buried!
There is a click as Hunsecker hangs up. Sidney, more
slowly, also hangs up. Brooding, he comes out of the booth.
INT. TWENTY ONE CLUB - LOUNGE
Sidney comes out of the door to the phone booths, walks
through the lounge to the hallway. He turns towards the
dining room.
INT. HALLWAY
Sidney comes to the door into the dining room, CAMERA
tracking with him. Here he pauses, looking towards...
HUNSECKER
From Sidney's viewpoint. Hunsecker is seated at a table
which is cleverly his habitual position. We see him only in
semi-back view, a broad and powerful back. He is listening
to a man who has paused at his table, stooping over Hunsecker
to whisper in his ear. As the columnist listens, his hands
play with an omni-present pad and pencil which lie on the
dinner table amongst an assortment of envelopes, mimeographed
sheets and a telephone. Beyond Hunsecker and the man
talking to him are the SENATOR, the AGENT, and an attractive,
if fatuous GIRL.
HUNSECKER
I'll check it in the morning, Low -
thanks.
The man leaves; Hunsecker is scribbling a note on the pad.
Meanwhile the Senator whispers something to the girl, who
giggles softly.
REVERSE ANGLE
Sidney comes across to the table, nervous but deliberate.
CAMERA PULLS BACK to include Hunsecker in foreground.
Sidney, without accosting him, stands a few feet from the
columnist's elbow and deliberately lights a cigarette.
Hunsecker, barely turning his head, sees him. We have heard
of Hunsecker as a monster, but he is evidently in a mild
phase of his metabolism, for he seems gentle, sad and quiet,
as he turns his gaze casually to the Senator, totally
ignoring the young man who stands behind him.
HUNSECKER
(softly)
Harvey, I often wish I were dead
and wore a hearing aid...with a
simple flick of a switch I could
shut out the greedy murmur of
little men...
SIDNEY
A close shot. Sidney shows no reaction to this insult. He
steps in closer, an Indian fixity in his face.
SIDNEY
J.J., I need your ear for two
minutes...
REVERSE ANGLE
Shooting across Sidney, onto Hunsecker. J.J. turns - but
not to Sidney. He raises his hand in a small gesture which
summons a passing Captain, who steps into picture at Sidney's
elbow.
HUNSECKER
Mac! I don't want this man at my
table...
SIDNEY
(quickly but quietly interrupting)
I have a message from your sister.
The Captain is already there. But now Hunsecker's eyes have
switched to Sidney's face. For the briefest of moments,
nothing happens. Then Hunsecker, seeming to relax and
ignoring the Captain whom he has summoned, turns back to
casual conversation with the Senator as if nothing had
happened.
HUNSECKER
Forgive me, Harvey. We were
interrupted before -
In foreground, Sidney turns to the Captain with a carved
smile, indicating that Hunsecker's change of topic is to be
interpreted as sanction for Sidney to remain. The Captain,
not entirely convinced, retreats. Sidney finds himself a
chair, places it and takes a seat which is near enough to
the table to establish his presence. During this:
SENATOR
(who is mildly
surprised and faintly embarrassed)
Err...the Supreme Court story, I
was telling you - Justice Black.
HUNSECKER
(nodding)
Yes, the Justice, that's right.
But I think you had it in the column.
SIDNEY
(smoothly, casually)
Last July, the lead item...
Sidney's interjection is quietly well-mannered. Hunsecker
totally ignores it. The other members of the party are a
little astonished at the interplay. The girl, in particular,
is fascinated; she clearly admires Sidney's looks. The
Senator, noting this, glances at Sidney, accepting the point:
SENATOR
(laughing)
And I believe that's precisely
where I read it, too. You see,
J.J., where I get my reputation for
being the best-informed man in
Washington.
HUNSECKER
Now don't kid a kidder.
THE SENATOR, THE GIRL, AND THE AGENT
The girl looks again towards Sidney. The Senator again sees
this, addresses Sidney pleasantly.
SENATOR
I don't think we caught your name,
young man.
REVERSE ANGLE
Group shot. The Senator in foreground, Sidney beyond
Hunsecker in background, and the others on edge of shot.
SIDNEY
Sidney Falco, sir. And, of course,
everyone knows and admires you,
Senator Walker.
SENATOR
(humorously)
Every four years I get less
convinced of that. This young lady
is Miss Linda James.
(indicates the Girl)
She's managed by Manny Davis.
(he indicates the Agent)
SIDNEY AND HUNSECKER
Sidney nods pleasantly to the Girl and the Agent.
SIDNEY
I know Manny Davis.
HUNSECKER
(quietly)
Everyone knows Manny Davis...
(as the phone rings
on the table)
...except MRS. Manny Davis.
Hunsecker is picking up the phone, continuing:
HUNSECKER
Yes? Go ahead, Billy - shoot...
REVERSE ANGLE
To intercut with the above. The Senator, the Agent and the
Girl watching Hunsecker. The Agent's reaction to Hunsecker's
remark is a sickly smile.
RESUME HUNSECKER
He repeats aloud a story which is told him over the telephone.
HUNSECKER
Uh huh. Sports cars in California
are getting smaller and
smaller...the other day you were
crossing Hollywood Boulevard and
you were hit by one...you had to go
to the hospital and have it
removed...
(coolly)
You're not following the column: I
had it last week.
During the speech, CAMERA eases back to include Sidney again.
At the end, Sidney looks up in the direction of the Senator.
SIDNEY
Do you believe in capital
punishment, Senator?
RESUME REVERSE ANGLE
The Senator, amused, asks:
SENATOR
Why?
RESUME HUNSECKER AND SIDNEY
Sidney glances sidelong at Hunsecker.
SIDNEY
(pointing to the phone)
A man has just been sentenced to
death...
Hunsecker's face hardens; aware of Sidney's impertinence, he
does not design to react directly; he turns towards the Agent.
HUNSECKER
Manny, what exactly are the UNSEEN
gifts of this lovely young thing
that you manage...?
THE AGENT AND THE GIRL
The Agent glances uneasily at the Girl beside him.
AGENT
Well, she sings a little...you
know, sings...
GIRL
(by rote)
Manny's faith in me is simply awe-
inspiring, Mr. Hunsecker. Actually,
I'm still studying, but -
RESUME HUNSECKER
He studies the Girl intently.
HUNSECKER
What subject?
RESUME THE AGENT AND THE GIRL
GIRL
Singing, of course...straight
concert and -
RESUME HUNSECKER
Hunsecker's glance flicks between the Girl and the Senator.
HUNSECKER
Why "of course"? It might, for
instance, be politics...
As the Girl betrays herself with a nervous glance at the
Senator beside her, CAMERA eases back to include him. The
Senator is unruffled; gravely, he lights a cigar. The Girl
laughs.
GIRL
Me? I mean "I"? Are you kidding,
Mr. Hunsecker? With my Jersey City
brains?
RESUME HUNSECKER
Again his glance links the Girl and the Senator.
HUNSECKER
The brains may be Jersey City, but
the clothes are Trainor-Norell.
THE SENATOR, THE AGENT AND THE GIRL
The Girl and the Agent are both nervously uneasy. The
Senator closely examines the tip of his cigar and, with
deliberation, turns towards Sidney.
SENATOR
Are you an actor, Mr. Falco?
GIRL
(supporting the
change of subject)
That's what I was thinking. Are
you, Mr. Falco?
SIDNEY AND HUNSECKER
Hunsecker, for the first time, half-turns in Sidney's
direction, amused.
HUNSECKER
How did you guess it, Miss James?
RESUME THE AGENT, THE GIRL AND THE SENATOR
They all look at Sidney.
GIRL
He's so pretty, that's how.
RESUME SIDNEY AND HUNSECKER
Sidney bitterly resents the adjective, but contrives to hide
the fact; he smiles, gracefully accepting the compliment.
Hunsecker (who knows what Sidney feels) is pleased; he turns
towards Sidney expansively.
HUNSECKER
Mr. Falco, let it be said at once,
is a man of FORTY faces, not one,
none too pretty and ALL deceptive.
See that grin? It's the charming
street urchin's face. It's part of
his "helpless" act - he throws
himself on your mercy. I skip the
pleading nervous bit that sometimes
blends over into bluster. The
moist grateful eye is a favorite
face with him - it frequently ties
in with the act of boyish candor:
he's talking straight from the
heart, get it? He's got about
half-a-dozen faces for the ladies,
but the real cut one to me is the
quick dependable chap - nothing he
won't do for you in a pinch. At
least, so he says! Tonight Mr.
Falco, whom I did not invite to sit
at this table, is about to show in
his last and most pitiful role:
pale face with tongue hanging out.
In brief, gentlemen and Jersey
Lilly, the boy sitting with us is a
hungry press agent and fully up to
all the tricks of his very slimy
trade!
Hunsecker has started his speech lightly, but it has built
up to enough cold contempt and feeling to embarrass and
intimidate the others at the table. In conclusion,
Hunsecker, his eyes on Sidney, picks up a cigarette and
waits expectantly...
HUNSECKER
(quietly)
Match me, Sidney...
SIDNEY
(coolly)
Not just this minute, J.J....
Amused, Hunsecker lights his own cigarette, turns towards a
man who comes up to the table.
HUNSECKER
A single close up, to intercut with the above.
SIDNEY
A matching single; Sidney's reaction to Hunsecker and to the
others at the table.
THE AGENT, THE GIRL AND THE SENATOR
To intercut with the above; their reactions of embarrassment.
GROUP SHOT
A florid MAN comes up to the table, obviously anxious to
catch Hunsecker's attention. Hunsecker, in the act of
lighting, his own cigarette, scarcely looks at the man as he
dismisses him:
HUNSECKER
I know - that loafer of yours opens
at the Latin Quarter next week.
(more sharply)
Say goodbye, Lester!
The florid man retreats. To cover the embarrassment, the
Senator makes a sally in Sidney's direction.
SENATOR
May I ask a naive question, Mr.
Falco? Exactly how does a press
agent work...?
SIDNEY AND HUNSECKER
Sidney doesn't answer.
HUNSECKER
Why don't you answer the man,
Sidalee? He's trying to take you
off the hook.
SIDNEY
(to the Senator)
You just had a good example of it.
A press agent eats a columnists
dirt and is expected to call it
manna.
RESUME THE AGENT, THE GIRL AND THE SENATOR
GIRL
What's manna?
RESUME HUNSECKER AND SIDNEY
Hunsecker glances spitefully at the Girl.
HUNSECKER
Heaven dust.
RESUME THE AGENT, THE GIRL AND THE SENATOR
The Senator continues to Sidney:
SENATOR
But don't you help columnists by
furnishing them with items?
RESUME SIDNEY AND HUNSECKER
Sidney leans forward, indicating to the Senator some of the
items of paper that litter the table in front of Hunsecker;
these are both handwritten notes and mimeograph sheets,
scraps of assorted items from professional and amateur
agents who supply the columnist. Sidney fingers some of them.
SIDNEY
Sure, columnists can't get along
without us. Only our good and
great friend, J.J., forgets to
mention that. We furnish him with
items -
Sidney lifts a mimeographed sheet, as an example.
HUNSECKER
What, some cheap, gruesome gags?
SIDNEY
(to Hunsecker now)
You print them, don't you?
HUNSECKER
Yes, with your clients' names
attached. That's the only reason
those poor slobs pay you - to see
their names in my column all over
the world! Now, as I make it out,
you're doing ME a favor!
SIDNEY
I didn't say that, J.J.
HUNSECKER
The day that I can't get along
without press agents' handouts,
I'll close up shop, lock, stock and
barrel and move to Alaska.
THE AGENT, THE GIRL AND THE SENATOR
The Agent makes the mistake of trying to agree with Hunsecker.
AGENT
(nodding)
Sweep out my igloo, here I come.
CAMERA pulls back as Hunsecker leans forward across the
table. He vents upon the unfortunate Agent some of the
annoyance prompted by Sidney's impertinence.
HUNSECKER
(to the Agent)
Look, Manny, you rode in here on
the Senator's shirt tails, so shut
your mouth!
The Senator doesn't like this treatment of others and his
manner and face show it.
SENATOR
(slowly)
Now, come, J.J., that's a little
too harsh. Anyone seems fair game
for you tonight.
HUNSECKER
(not as harsh, but -)
This man is not for you, Harvey,
and you shouldn't be seen with him
in public. Because that's another
part of a press agents life - he
digs up scandal among prominent men
and shovels it thin among the
columnists who give him space.
SENATOR
He finds Hunsecker's manner disturbing, but addresses him
frontally.
SENATOR
There is some allusion here that
escapes me...
HUNSECKER
HUNSECKER
(an edge of threat)
We're friends, Harvey - we go as
far back as when you were a fresh
kid Congressman, don't we?
RESUME SENATOR
SENATOR
Why does everything you say sound
like a threat?
RESUME HUNSECKER
He leans back, speaking more quietly, enjoying himself.
HUNSECKER
Maybe it's a mannerism - because I
don't threaten friends, Harvey.
But why furnish your enemies with
ammunition? You're a family man.
Someday, with God willing, you may
wanna be President. Now here you
are, Harvey, out in the open where
any hep person knows that this one...
AGENT
Hunsecker leans into shot pointing directly at the Agent.
HUNSECKER
(continuing)
...is toting THAT one...
Hunsecker points to the Girl and the CAMERA makes a slight
crab movement to include the Girl as Hunsecker points in
turn to her.
HUNSECKER
(continuing)
...around for you...
Another CAMERA movement. Now Hunsecker is directly
challenging the Senator.
RESUME HUNSECKER
He smiles disarmingly.
HUNSECKER
(continuing)
...Are we kids or what?...
Hunsecker rises.
GROUP SHOT
As Hunsecker stands up, Sidney follows suit. The Agent,
very nervous, gets to his feet and the Girl does likewise.
The Senator, whose face is sober, also rises from the table.
HUNSECKER
(to the Senator, affably)
Next time you come up, you might
join me at my TV show.
With Sidney making way for him, Hunsecker walks round the
end of the table to the Senator. The Senator faces Hunsecker
solemnly.
SENATOR
(quietly and cautiously)
Thank you, J.J., for what I consider
sound advice.
Hunsecker matches the Senator's solemnity.
HUNSECKER
(deadpan)
Go, Thou, and sin no more.
Hunsecker moves out of shot. Sidney murmurs a "pleased to
meet you" to the Senator; then he follows Hunsecker. The
Senator remains looking after Hunsecker. Behind him, the
Agent and the Girl, watch him apprehensively. The Senator,
his face now showing the traces of guilt which he did not
reveal to Hunsecker, seems unwilling to turn back to face
them.
ON THE WAY TO THE FOYER
Hunsecker and Sidney. Hunsecker addresses the Captain on
his way out of the restaurant.
HUNSECKER
Mac, don't let the Senator pay that
check...
CAPTAIN
I'll take care of it, Mr. Hunsecker.
CAMERA tracks with Hunsecker and Sidney as they move out
towards the hat check stand.
HUNSECKER
(murmuring)
President! My big toe would make a
better President!
By now they are at the coatroom, Hunsecker smiling.
ATTENDANT
Mr. Hunsecker's coat, Joe.
HUNSECKER
Find me a good one, Joe.
He accepts the proferred coat as he moves past CAMERA.
LONGER SHOT - NIGHT
The Doorman on the sidewalk has noticed Hunsecker, almost
before the columnist has appeared. The Doorman wheels,
snapping his fingers and signaling towards the car park
attendant, who can be seen at some distance in the background
under the lights of the Kinney Car Park. The attendant is
seen to react with alacrity, running into the Park.
HUNSECKER
Putting on his overcoat, he addresses another of the Captains
who has escorted him out of the Club.
HUNSECKER
Dan, anyone calls, tell 'em I'll be
at the Morocco, maybe the Embers.
DAN
Very good, Mr. Hunsecker.
Sidney catches up with Hunsecker as he moves out onto the
sidewalk.
HUNSECKER
Where's your coat, Sidalee? Saving
tips?
Sidney thinks of an impertinent reply, decides not to be
drawn and says nothing.
HUNSECKER
(to Sidney)
My curiosity is killing me; what
are you so rambunctious about
tonight?
Sidney again does not answer; this time he points across the
street...
SIDNEY
There's your fat friend.
LONGER SHOT - POLICE CAR - NIGHT
The car is framed in foreground; We can read the sign POLICE
attached to the visor. Two men in plain-clothes, detectives,
are in the front seats. The man nearest is HARRY KELLO.
Wanting to look like a prosperous business man, Kello looks
soft, fat, mild and well-barbered; but he is dangerous; he
knows it and enjoys it. With "big shots" he is playful and
kidding, always says just enough, not too much. He is very
relaxed, and mild in manner, but underneath there is not
only an animal energy, but a feral pressing at you. His
voice is on the hoarse side. He measures situations
automatically and instantly.
The police radio is chattering. Also in evidence is the
telephone, the radio link with headquarters. The detective
at the wheel nudges Kello, pointing across the street.
Kello gets out of the car and moves to meet the columnist.
HUNSECKER
(as he approaches)
Hello, Harry.
KELLO
(cheerfully)
Bonna sera, commendatore. Come sta?
Sidney follows a couple of paces behind Hunsecker; he is in
no hurry to meet the detective, whom he clearly dislikes.
HUNSECKER
(turning to Sidney)
You see, Sidalee, that shows that
Lt. Kello likes your people.
REVERSE ON KELLO
Kello offers his hand to Hunsecker.
KELLO
It's my Brooklyn background, J.J.
I'm good on Yiddish, too.
Hunsecker accepting the handshake, winces with pretended
pain at what is clearly an over-enthusiastic grip.
HUNSECKER
Harry, am I supposed to say "uncle"?
Kello laughs, releases the grip; Hunsecker strolls past him
stoops to lean into the car listening to the police calls on
the radio.
HUNSECKER
Anything fit to print, tonight?
(to the policeman in
the car)
Hello, Phil. How're the kids.
The detective inside the car answers, respectfully.
PHIL
Fine, Mr. Hunsecker.
HUNSECKER
Any news fit to print tonight?
KELLO
(joining Hunsecker)
I just checked "downtown". Quiet
everywhere tonight.
HUNSECKER
Incidentally, what happened to that
doll? - You gave me the item last
night. Still alive?
KELLO
Yeah. At Bellevue. Still hanging
on. But they still don't know if
she was pushed.
HUNSECKER
She mighta jumped. Love suicide?
(to the policeman in
the car)
Check it for me, Phil...it's a real
heart throb.
While Phil lifts the radio phone, calling headquarters,
Hunsecker turns back to Kello and Sidney.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Mischievously, Hunsecker nods at Sidney.
HUNSECKER
(to Kello)
Say hello to Sidney Falco. Tickle
him - he's been a bad boy tonight.
He called you my fat friend.
KELLO
(mildly)
I don't believe it.
Instantly aware that J.J. is toying with Sidney, Kello
offers his large hand to Sidney, who refuses it.
SIDNEY
I know...I know you're the strongest
cop in town.
KELLO
(with a laugh)
I call him the boy with the ice
cream face!
HUNSECKER
(laughing)
Say, that's good - it's nice - in
fact, it's APT, Harry!
KELLO
(modestly)
Yeah, I got eyes. I put things
together.
HUNSECKER
I remember ONCE when you didn't
quite "put things together". Boy!
Was the Mayor mad!
The memory of something unpleasant clouds Kello's face.
KELLO
Citizens committees! I didn't mean
to hit the boy that hard. Yeah,
that's when a feller needed a
friend and I won't forget his
initials, J.J.
The policeman in the car sticks his head out of the window.
PHIL
(to Hunsecker)
She died twenty minutes ago, Mr.
Hunsecker. They're still
investigating.
HUNSECKER
(shaking his head
with total dismissal)
That's show business. Thanks, Phil.
(to Kello)
See you.
ANOTHER ANGLE - 52ND STREET - NIGHT
Kello gets into the police car.
KELLO
(as he does so)
Hasta La Vista, J.J. Hasta Luego.
ANOTHER ANGLE - 52ND ST. - NIGHT
The car moves off eastward. Sidney and Hunsecker walk
westward. Sidney, falling into step with Hunsecker, glances
back at the departing police car.
SIDNEY
Spahish...that must show he likes
"spigs", too.
HUNSECKER
I like Harry, but I can't deny he
sweats a little.
CAMERA now SHOOTS down 52nd Street. Hunsecker, back to
CAMERA, studies the evening, hearing the sound of a screech
of female laughter from one of the groups in the distance.
A drunk is being thrown out of one of the strip tease joints.
HUNSECKER
I love this dirty town.
Amused, Hunsecker turns back; he signals across the street
to the car park, indicating that the big black Lincoln
Continental should follow as he strolls with Sidney.
HUNSECKER. SIDNEY FOLLOWING.
HUNSECKER
(after a pause)
Conjugate me a verb, Sidney. For
instance, TO PROMISE!
CAMERA TRACKS with them in a CLOSE TWO SHOT. Sidney is
alert now.
HUNSECKER
(continuing)
You told me you'd break up that
romance - when?
SIDNEY
(hesitantly)
You want something done, J.J., but
I doubt if you yourself know what's
involved.
HUNSECKER
(soft and sardonic)
I'm a schoolboy - teach me, teach me.
SIDNEY
(carefully)
Why not break it up yourself? You
could do it in two minutes flat.
Hunsecker pauses, halts.
HUNSECKER
(harshly)
At this late date you need
explanations...? Susie's all I
got - now that she's growing up, I
want my relationship with her to
stay at least at par! I don't
intend to antagonize her if I don't
have to.
(starting to walk again)
Now, be warned, son - I'll have to
blitz you...
Sidney follows quickly.
SIDNEY
Frankly, J.J., I don't think you
got the cards to blitz me.
HUNSECKER
I don't?
SIDNEY
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I
don't think so...
HUNSECKER
(turning to eye him)
I'll listen one more minute.
Sidney steps in front of Hunsecker, blocking his way for a
moment.
SIDNEY
(very rapidly)
About a year ago, you asked me to
do a favor. It was a thing - well,
I never did a thing that dirty in
all my life.
Hunsecker, totally disinterested in Sidney's problems of
conscience, signals to his car again, walks past Sidney, who
continues rapidly:
SIDNEY
Awright, that brings us up to five
weeks ago. "Sidney, I got a nasty
little problem here." Did I say no?
I'm frank to admit - it don't jell
as fast as we like... But all of a
sudden I CAN'T GET YOU ON THE PHONE
NO MORE! WHY?... And why, as of
this date, am I frozen out of the
column...
HUNSECKER
(scornfully)
Are you finished?
SIDNEY
(quickly)
No, lemme finish. I DON'T LIKE
THIS JOB! That boy is dumb only on
matinee days - otherwise he's got a
head. And Susan, like you said,
she's growing up. Two heads.
What I mean, we got a slippery,
dangerous problem here!
HUNSECKER
(incisively)
Not "we", Sidney, you!
SIDNEY
(gamely)
Correct me if I'm wrong - WE!
Because when I'm out on this very
slippery limb for you, you have to
know what's involved.
HUNSECKER
(sardonically)
Ha! My right hand hasn't seen my
left hand for thirty years!
Sidney quickly moves into J.J.'s path, desperate to hold his
attention.
SIDNEY
I'll do it, J.J. - don't get me
wrong - in for a penny, in for a
pound. I'll see it through, but
stop beating me around the head.
Let me make a living!
HUNSECKER
(his mouth tight and mean)
What you promised - do it! Don't
finagle around. It's later than
you think.
Hunsecker walks past Sidney, now making for the car at which
the attendant still waits.
SIDNEY
(as Hunsecker passes him)
Excuse it, but it's later than you
think. That boy proposed tonight.
HUNSECKER
Hunsecker is HIT: he stops in his stride; he pauses and he
turns slowly to look at Sidney. Lowering, he hesitates,
mind clicking...
HUNSECKER
Susie told you that...?
REVERSE ANGLE - FAVORING SIDNEY
Sidney, his eyes bright, nods. Hunsecker studies Sidney,
then:
HUNSECKER
No wonder you've been so 'feisty'
tonight.
A pause.
HUNSECKER
(quietly)
Can you deliver?
Sidney nods.
SIDNEY
Uh huh.
HUNSECKER
When?
SIDNEY
Tonight. Before you go to bed.
The cat is in the bag and the bag
is in the river.
HUNSECKER
Expressionless, he examines Sidney. Then he walks off
toward the car. He tips the attendant, who thanks him, but
instead of getting into the back of the car, he makes a
small authoritative gesture to Nikko (double) to move over
so that Hunsecker himself may drive. While Nikko does so,
Hunsecker turns back to Sidney, whom the CAMERA now includes.
HUNSECKER
(quietly)
Don't be a two time loser, Sidalee.
The sentence could be severe...
SIDNEY
He is satisfied.
HUNSECKER
Hunsecker gets into the driver's seat beside Nikko, the
Japanese houseboy. CAMERA is CLOSE on Hunsecker who does
not look back but is clearly aware of the position of Sidney
as he puts the car into gear, revving the engine...
SIDNEY - NIGHT
The big car accelerates with impressive power. In doing so,
it sends a cloud of fumes and a swirl of dust in Sidney's
direction. He leaps out of the way, too late. CAMERA MOVES
closer to him as, with anger and ignominy he inspects his
precious clothing for damage. But, as he looks after the
car, his face hardens into grim humor; he senses that this
petty gesture from Hunsecker is an indication of his
vulnerability, not his strength. As, dusting his coat,
Sidney walks away, CAMERA RISES, watching his jaunty figure
cross the street in the direction of 51st Street.
QUICK LAP DISSOLVE TO:
INT. TOOTS SHOR'S RESTAURANT
A LONG SHOT looking over the round bar towards the entrance.
Sidney comes in through the revolving doors and comes toward
CAMERA. His eyes search among the crowd.
CLOSER ANGLE
REVERSE ANGLE. A CAPTAIN approaches Sidney.
CAPTAIN
Hello, Sidney. Wanna table?
SIDNEY
(shaking his head)
Just hopping tonight. Leo Bartha
been in?
CAPTAIN
Yeah, having supper with the Mrs.
She's over there.
The Captain nods towards a booth on the other side of the
bar where Mrs. Bartha is sitting alone. Seeing that Bartha
is not with her, the Captain looks around the bar...
CAPTAIN
He's somewhere...
SIDNEY
(interrupting)
Thanks, I see him...
Sidney is looking back towards the entrance hall, where...
BARTHA
Bartha comes forward (from the Men's Room) passing the
Captain and Sidney. Sidney moves to intercept him.
SIDNEY
Hello, Leo. How goes that Sunday
piece on cigarette girls?
ANOTHER ANGLE
A CLOSE SHOT on Bartha as he turns towards Sidney, stopping.
BARTHA
(cautiously)
Who told you about it?
SIDNEY
Sidney smiles at Bartha, but the threat is clear.
SIDNEY
The cigarettes girl...Rita. And
she took out all her hairpins, too.
RESUME BARTHA
He throws a quick glance at his wife in the booth in
background. CAMERA PULLS BACK as Sidney, who has noted the
look, moves closer to Bartha.
SIDNEY
I never had the pleasure of meeting
your wife. You know what I wonder,
Leo? Could you use a hot little
item for tomorrow's column?
Sidney is pulling out of his pocket a pad on which to
scribble the item. But Bartha faces him squarely, speaking
sotto voce but with emphasis:
BARTHA
What is this, blackmail? Beat it!
Bartha turns on his heel and turns to walk towards his wife
beyond.
SIDNEY
Sidney's face tightens. After a pause, he makes a decision
and walks towards the booth.
BARTHA AND HIS WIFE
Bartha's wife is reading a tabloid and sipping champagne
while her husband resumes eating a sandwich. These two are
antagonists in a long war. Sidney comes up to the table,
repeats:
SIDNEY
Leo, I've never had the pleasure of
meeting your wife...
Bartha looks up. What can he do? Begrudgingly:
BARTHA
Loretta...Sidney Falco...
WIFE
(chatty)
How do you do, Mr. Falco. If you
know anything about horses, sit a
minute. Help yourself to a glass
of this N.Y. State champagne -
that's what my husband buys me.
Mrs. Bartha pushes the champagne bottle in Sidney's direction
as Sidney sits pleasantly; Bartha concentrates on his
sandwich.
SIDNEY
All the imported wines aren't what
they're cracked up to be.
WIFE
Whose side are you on, Mr. Falco,
his or mine?
SIDNEY
Frankly, Mrs. Bartha, I'm a neutral
observer for the United Nations.
WIFE
Mrs. Bartha laughs, enjoying his deftness; then:
WIFE
What's your first name?
SIDNEY
(over scene)
Sidney.
Mrs. Bartha turns to concentrate on the names in the racing
column of the tabloid.
WIFE
(searching the column)
No horse running tomorrow by that
name...
BARTHA, WIFE AND SIDNEY
An ANGLE favoring Bartha and Sidney. Bartha glowers at his
wife, resenting the fact that she has permitted Sidney to
join them.
BARTHA
You ought to stop this nonsense,
Loretta, these two dollar bets.
WIFE
(cheerfully)
It's compensation, Leo, for the
marginal life we lead.
(to Sidney)
Sidney, did you hear the story
about the cloak-and-suitor who -- ?
BARTHA
(sharply interrupting)
That's right! Tell him, so I can
read it in Hunsecker's column first!
WIFE
(to Sidney, brightly)
Oh, are you a spy for the other side?
SIDNEY
No, I actually sat down to give Leo
an item.
produces his pad again, begins to write on it.
WIFE
Leo, he wants to give you an item -
don't be sullen.
Bartha notes Sidney's writing.
BARTHA
(to his wife)
Will you mind your own business!
WIFE
(calmly)
Hitler!
She returns to her paper, ignoring them, Sidney finishes
scribbling the item.
SIDNEY
Just in case you'd like to print
it, Leo. It's a blind - no names
mentioned. But for your private
information, the guy's name is
Dallas.
He pushes the item to Bartha, who reads it, briefly.
Meanwhile:
WIFE
(concentrating on the tabloid)
There isn't a single name here that
gives off vibrations...
Bartha pushes the item back towards Sidney. Sidney glances
quickly at Bartha's stony face then, significantly, turns
towards his wife.
SIDNEY
Anything there with a name like
"cigarette girl"?
Bartha raises his head, looks squarely at Sidney with
contempt and anger. His wife is unaware of this reaction.
Still looking at the paper, she murmurs:
WIFE
MMmmmm..."cigarette girl"... No, no
horse with a name like that...
Sidney pushes the item back towards Bartha.
WIFE
Mrs. Bartha's attention is attracted by Sidney's gesture.
She looks up, made aware of this strange by-play.
BARTHA AND SIDNEY
A CLOSE TWO SHOT. Sidney waits; Bartha is white-lipped, but
pushes the item back again:
BARTHA
I don't print blind items.
RESUME WIFE
She looks from Sidney to her husband and back.
WIFE
What is this, chess or checkers...?
RESUME BARTHA, MRS. BARTHA AND SIDNEY
The THREE SHOT favoring Bartha and Sidney. Both Sidney and
Bartha are now aware of Mrs. Bartha's curiosity.
SIDNEY
(pointedly)
Neither does Hunsecker.
(fractional pause)
He likes to use the real names...
A moment of chill silence. Then Bartha gets to his feet,
signals for a waiter. As Sidney rises also:
WIFE
Where are we running? What am I
missing here?
BARTHA
Waiter, the check.
(to wife)
This man is trying to hold a gun to
my head!
WIFE
(abruptly)
That's the horse! Shotgun -
Shotgun in the fifth!
She quickly studies her newspaper again. As quickly, Bartha
leans across the table and snatches it out of her hands. In
doing so, he upsets the glass of champagne, which contains
only a few drops.
SIDNEY AND BARTHA
Bartha turns challengingly to Sidney.
BARTHA
(sternly)
What do you want to tell my wife,
Sidney...?
WIFE
She is brushing her lap with her napkin.
WIFE
(indignantly)
He wants to tell me that you poured
champagne all over my lap.
RESUME BARTHA AND SIDNEY
Bartha ignores her, again challenges Sidney.
BARTHA
Go on, tell her, I'm waiting!
SIDNEY
(flustered)
What are you talking about? Are
you nuts or what?
The Waiter arrives in picture beside them, puts the check on
the table and goes. Bartha picks it up.
RESUME WIFE
Still mopping her dress with her napkin, she waits for her
husband to speak.
BARTHA
He glances unhappily at his wife.
BARTHA
Lorry, I can't let this man
blackmail me...
MRS. BARTHA, BARTHA AND SIDNEY
A THREE SHOT favoring Mrs. Bartha, her husband and Sidney in
foreground.
WIFE
Blackmail...?
Sidney decides to retreat. He turns, starts to go. But
Bartha blocks his way, holding Sidney and explaining to the
Wife.
BARTHA
He wants me to print a dirty smear
item for keeping his mouth shut
A momentarily pause. Then:
WIFE
About what?
RESUME BARTHA
He is uneasy, ashamed of himself.
BARTHA
Foolishly, Lorry, and I hope you'll
understand... this cigarette
girl...I was kidding around with
her...this girl, I mean...I was
kidding around and she took it
seriously. It was a case of bad
judgment, Lorry, bad taste...and
I'm just sorry, Lorry, that's all...
RESUME WIFE
She says nothing.
RESUME BARTHA, SIDNEY AND MRS. BARTHA
The ANGLE favoring Bartha and Sidney, Mrs. Bartha in
foreground. Bartha now turns on Sidney.
BARTHA
Your friend Hunsecker - you can
tell him for me - he's a disgrace
to his profession. Never mind my
bilious private life - I print a
decent, responsible column - that's
the way it stays! Your man -
there's nothing he won't print if
it satisfies his vanity or his
spite! He'll use any spice to
pepper up his daily garbage! Tell
him I said so and that, like
yourself, he's got the morals of a
guinea pig and the scruples of a
gangster!
Sidney tries to brazen it out, sneering:
SIDNEY
What do I do now? Whistle "The
Stars and Stripes Forever?"
Mrs. Bartha slides along the seat, reaching for her fur.
MRS. BARTHA
CAMERA PULLS BACK with her as she collects her belongings,
slides out between the tables and comes forward, passing
Sidney to her husband.
WIFE
(lightly)
What you do now, Mr. Falco, is crow
like a hen - you have just laid an
egg.
She presents her fur to her husband, and turns her back,
inviting him to put it around her shoulders.
BARTHA AND WIFE
ANOTHER ANGLE, favoring Bartha. He has not fully understood
the significance of his wife's gesture. He studies her.
She confirms his hopes as she adds:
WIFE
Leo, this is one of the cleanest
things I've seen you do in years...
With the fur around her shoulders, she turns and takes her
husband's arm with some pride. They walk away. CAMERA
ERASES BACK to include Sidney. He is angry at himself -
more for the failure of his efforts at blackmail than any
sense of shame at the attempt.
OTIS ELWELL
A MEDIUM LONG SHOT. At a booth on the other side of the bar
sits a dapper gentleman with a twinkle of malice in his eyes.
He has been watching the altercation with keen interest and
satisfaction. Elwell gives some instructions to a waiter
who is serving him with drinks, pointing towards Sidney.
SIDNEY
Sidney's face shows a burning resentment. He glances about
him to see how much of the embarrassing scene has been
observed. As he moves away, the waiter walks into shot,
addressing him.
WAITER
A waiter approaches Sidney. He has a message.
WAITER
Otis Elwell wants to see you, Sidney.
The waiter nods towards the other side of the circular bar.
Sidney, his humiliation and rage still burning, looks off
towards...
OTIS ELWELL
From Sidney's viewpoint. Elwell beckons.
SIDNEY
He comes round the circular bar. He shows no eagerness to
join Elwell, but approaches the table. Elwell makes a
gesture, inviting Sidney to sit. Sidney doesn't accept it.
ELWELL
(pleasantly)
I see Bartha gave you cold tongue
for supper.
(as Sidney starts to leave)
Hey, wait a minute!
SIDNEY
(hesitating)
I'm late for a date with a dame.
Then, returning, he leans over the table addressing Elwell
with quiet anger.
SIDNEY
Otis, if you're trying to blow this
brawl into an item for your column -
forget it!
REVERSE ANGLE
Across Sidney and Elwell. Elwell is quietly enjoying
Sidney's display of hurt dignity.
ELWELL
(affably)
How is dear old J.J. by the way?
SIDNEY
(his anger relapsing)
Call him up and ask - he might drop
dead with shock.
ELWELL
(lightly)
If it were that easy, you wouldn't
find an empty phone booth for the
next two hours...
SIDNEY
A CLOSE SHOT. While Elwell continues, he is not looking at
Sidney. Elwell's expression of dislike of Hunsecker is not
overemphatic; but Sidney senses, nevertheless, that it is
very real - and this gives him a new idea.
ELWELL
(continuing over scene)
...Talk of a wake! - they'd club
each other to cater the affair for
free!
RESUME ELWELL AND SIDNEY
Elwell looks up at Sidney as he continues.
ELWELL
(happily)
By the way, did I hear something
about J.J. giving you the flit gun
treatment - he shut you out of the
column.
(amused)
Why?
REVERSE ANGLE
Sidney has rapidly resumed his manner of resentment (in
order to exploit Elwell's dislike of Hunsecker).
SIDNEY
You don't know that lunatic yet?
Whims - egotistic whims! Like the
gag - when you got him for a
friend, you don't need an enemy!
(a pause, then:)
That's what the fight with Bartha
was about. "Leo", I says, "Hunsecker
froze me out. So I'm eating humble
pie this month - please print me an
item."
ELWELL
(pleased)
And, instead, he printed his heel
in your face?
SIDNEY
(morose)
I see you're full of human
feelings...
ELWELL
He has lost interest in Sidney.
ELWELL
(with a shrug)
Like most of the human race,
Sidney, I'm bored. I'd go a mile
for a chuckle...
Elwell's voice fades: his attention has been caught by...
REVERSE ANGLE
...three people are passing the table, squeezing their way
past; a man with two very fetching young women. Elwell's
eyes are riveted to the anatomy that is temptingly displayed.
SIDNEY
(noting Elwell's preoccupation)
...and two miles for a pretty
girl...?
ELWELL
He is unembarrassed at Sidney's all-too-accurate estimate.
ELWELL
(lightly)
Three...even four...
Elwell turns back towards the papers on his table, a zippered
document case and some publications among which a columnist
might search for scandal; among these is a magazine of
semipornographic nature.
ELWELL
(continuing, casually)
Then you're really washed up with
Hunsecker...?
REVERSE ANGLE
The nature of Elwell's reading tastes is also not lost on
Sidney. With his eyes glancing at the magazine, Sidney now
accepts the original offer to sit down. He produces the
slip of paper that Bartha rejected, offering it as
illustration.
SIDNEY
This is how much I'm washed with
J.J....
As Elwell reads, Sidney continues giving a passing scrutiny -
apparently casual - to a picture of a girl on the magazine
cover.
SIDNEY
Look, Otis, I make no brief for my
bilious private life, but he's got
the morals of a guinea pig and the
scruples of a gangster.
Elwell shows no undue enthusiasm for the item.
ELWELL
(dryly)
A fine, fat dirty item.
(offering it back to Sidney)
Who's it about?
But Sidney doesn't take the paper back; he explains:
SIDNEY
A kid named Dallas, who runs a
dinky jazz quintet.
(he leans closer)
He keeps company with J.J.'s
screwball sister...
ELWELL
This does get a reaction, a flicker of genuine interest.
Elwell reads the item for a second time.
SIDNEY AND ELWELL
Watching Elwell read, Sidney encourages:
SIDNEY
It's a real goody if, like me, you
wanna clobber J.J.!
Now Elwell lays the item down in front of him. Clearly, he
is considering it. Sidney prompts again.
SIDNEY
He's got his TV tomorrow. He'd
read it just before rehearsals.
Elwell nods. But he is still reluctant.
ELWELL
(cautiously)
Mmm. Trouble is I can't think of
any good reason why I should print
anything you give me. I can't even
think of a bad reason.
SIDNEY
Sidney drops his eyes to the magazine once more. He fingers
it in a preoccupied but significant way.
SIDNEY
(gently)
Suppose I introduce you to a lovely
reason, Otis. One that's good and
bad...and available?
ELWELL
His eyes go from the magazine to Sidney; he gets the point
alright.
ELWELL
I'm not an unreasonable man...
Elwell reaches for the slip of paper once more.
SIDNEY AND ELWELL
In picking it up, Elwell clearly implies his readiness to
accept the item - on conditions. Sidney, in his turn, gets
this point. He turns towards the passing waiter.
SIDNEY
Waiter! The check.
LAP DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SIDNEY'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Rita is in the bedroom. She appears to have some familiarity
to the premises... She hears the doorbell. She makes swift
adjustment to her appearance and takes a swift gulp of a
drink as she carries it through to answer the door.
SIDNEY'S OFFICE
The outer room is lit only by one of the lamps on the desk.
Rita crosses and goes to the door. Sidney's shadow can be
seen through the frosted glass. At the door, Rita opens it
slowly and with a seductive manner.
RITA
(coyly)
Hi!
Sidney steps into the room. Rita begins to close the door
prior to stepping into his embrace. Sidney puts one arm
about her. But now she reacts to...
ANOTHER ANGLE
Otis Elwell stands on the landing outside. In most
gentlemanly fashion, he takes off his hat.
RITA
This new arrival gets a dismal reaction from the girl.
SIDNEY
(unembarrassed)
Rita, say hello to Otis Elwell.
RITA
(with no welcome whatsoever)
Hello.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Elwell is not unaware of his cool reception. He glances at
Sidney as he comes into the room. But his manner is suave.
ELWELL
Friends call me Otis - sometimes
Tricky Otis.
SIDNEY
Otis was outraged when I told him
Van Cleve was going to fire you.
Tell him not to pay any attention
to anything you-know-who says about
you-know-what.
(to Otis)
Right, Otis?
ELWELL
Right!
Elwell sits down on the sette, stretches his limbs, smiles
at the girl. Rita still says nothing. Sidney mistakes her
attitude for acquiescence. He swallows his drink, sets it
down.
SIDNEY
I thought you two could talk the
whole thing over till I got back.
Rita looks at him sharply.
RITA
Back?
SIDNEY
One of those business meetings,
honey - always coming up in the
middle of the night.
He grins at Rita. She doesn't respond. Turning, she goes
swiftly through the door into the bedroom.
RITA
(sharply)
Hold on. You can drop me off on
your way...
Emphasizing the asperity in her voice, she closes the door
behind her.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Elwell looks at Sidney; Sidney looks at Elwell. Elwell gets
up slowly from the settee.
ELWELL
(amused by acid)
Consternation reigns...
Sidney is uncomfortable, not sure how Elwell is taking the
rejection. Elwell glances at his wristwatch, lays down his
drink.
SIDNEY
(quickly)
Now, Otis...
Elwell shrugs, remarks pleasantly but with significance:
ELWELL
I hate J.J. -- but not that much at
this moment...
SIDNEY
Give me a chance --
He goes into the bedroom, closing the door after him.
INT. BEDROOM
Rita is in a flurry of indignation. Sitting on the bed, she
is fastening one high-heeled shoe. Sidney stands glaring at
her.
SIDNEY
Don't you know who that man is?
RITA
(bitingly)
Yeah. Otis Elwell. The columnist.
SIDNEY
(nodding with emphasis)
Yeah!
RITA
(aggressively)
And he's a perfect stranger to me.
SIDNEY
(explosively)
So take five minutes! Get
acquainted! He's an important
man - he's lonely - don't be dumb!
Rita, who one shoe on, has begun to search for the other.
RITA
What do you want all of a sudden -
Lady Godiva...? Where's my other
shoe?
SIDNEY
What kind of an act is this?
Rita jumps to her feet. Her righteous indignation is
handicapped by the lop-sided stance caused by the lack of
one shoe.
RITA
Don't you think I have any feelings?
What am I? A bowl of fruit? A
tangerine that peels in a minute?
SIDNEY
(caustic)
I beg your pardon! I turn myself
inside out to help you and now I'm
a heavy.
(stooping swiftly as
he discovers her shoe)
Here's your shoe, there's your
coat, that's the door!
Contemptuously he thrusts the coat and the shoe into her
arms. The positive force of his manner gives the girl pause.
There is a silence. Rita searches for words to explain the
offense to her sensibilities.
RITA
Sidney...I...I don't do this sort
of thing...
SIDNEY
What sort of thing?
RITA
(emphatic)
This sort of thing!
SIDNEY
(as emphatic)
Listen, you need him for a favor,
don't you! And so do I! I need
his column--tonight.
(then)
Didn't you ask me to do something
about your job? Don't you have a
kid in Military School?
A pause. Sidney has struck brutally home. Rita's lower lip
trembles.
RITA
You're a snake, Falco. You're a
louse, a real louse.
Sidney's manner becomes swiftly sympathetic - but still
urgent.
SIDNEY
(persuasively)
Honey - he's going to help you!
You want to lose your job?
Rita begins to waver, her moral indignation losing ground
before Sidney's reminders of her dire necessity.
RITA
(remonstrating)
A girl needs a little romancing
before she -
SIDNEY
(cutting in)
Next time I'll call in a guy to
paint silver stars on the ceiling!
RITA
(in a small voice)
What would you think of me if -
SIDNEY
(cutting in to
reassure her)
Nothing I didn't think of you before.
RITA
(dryly, with significance)
- that's what I mean!
This attempt at humor signals to Sidney that he has brought
her round. He comes to her, pats her in an encouraging
manner - to which she does not respond.
He turns to the door, and picks up the glasses she has set
down on the table behind it.
SIDNEY
(as he opens the door)
How many snorts does it take to put
you in that Tropical Island Mood?
Sidney goes out.
SIDNEY'S OFFICE
Elwell overhears the last remark and as Sidney passes him,
he winks. While Sidney pours another drink, Elwell faces
the doorway. Rita comes into it, stands on the threshold.
She is still far from enthusiastic.
ELWELL
(an inspiration)
Havana! That's where we met!
Rita shakes her head morosely. Sidney comes and puts a
stiff drink into her hand. Elwell raises the glass toasting
the girl, encouraging her to drink. Rita responds dimly.
RITA
(to Otis)
Here's mud in your column!
Sidney laughs, more from relief than from the joke.
SIDNEY
Blessings on thee, the both...well...
Gotta run now. See you two kids
later!
ELWELL
(lightly)
Hurry back.
At the door Sidney takes cheerful leave of them.
SIDNEY
Don't do anything I wouldn't do.
That gives you lots of leeway.
HALLWAY OUTSIDE SIDNEY'S APARTMENT
Closing the door, Sidney seems pleased with himself. He
goes swiftly down the stairs.
INT. SIDNEY'S OFFICE
Rita remains on the threshold of the doorway between the two
rooms. There is an uncomfortable silence. Elwell carries
it off by coming to the girl, offering her a cigarette. She
accepts it. Elwell studies her, smiling affectionately.
Rita meets his eyes, avoids them again, then quietly offers
the information:
RITA
Palm Springs. Two years ago.
Elwell begins to laugh. Whatever the memory, it seems to
amuse him vastly because he continues to laugh.
ELWELL
(delighted)
That's right!
Rita drinks. She adds glumly:
RITA
Don't tell Sidney.
Elwell continues to laugh as we...
CUT TO:
ORANGE JUICE STAND - NIGHT
Shooting east on 46th Street walks Sidney, coming out of the
entrance of his apartment, towards CAMERA. He is pleased
with himself, satisfied with his ingenuity in dealing with
Rita and Bartha.
The streets behind him are dark and empty (it is about 3:00
in the morning). CAMERA moves with Sidney as he steps
briskly into the orange juice stand and lifts the receiver
from the pay telephone. There are no other customers at the
counter, but the man behind is squeezing orange halves for
the day ahead, piling up a mountain of empties some of which
fall at Sidney's feet.
EXT. HUNSECKER'S PENTHOUSE - NIGHT
CAMERA shoots up at the penthouse on the roof of the Brill
Bldg. The Budweiser sign is extinguished, a black silhouette
against the sky. A light burns in the window of Hunsecker's
apartment.
INT. HUNSECKER'S PENTHOUSE - NIGHT
The ringing of the telephone is heard in the big room - an
impressively furnished apartment which has a decor indicating
that the owner thinks of himself in epic terms.
CAMERA moves to discover Hunsecker in robe and pajamas,
tapping at his typewriter. Taking his leisurely time, he
picks up the phone and eventually answers it.
HUNSECKER
(to phone)
Yes...? You sound happy, Sidney.
Why should you be happy when I'm
not?
(then)
I'll see the papers when I get up.
How do you spell Picasso, the
French painter?
(languidly writes
down Picasso on his
scratch pad, answering
a query, dryly)
It's an item - I hear he goes out
with three-eyed girls.
ORANGE JUICE STAND - NIGHT
CAMERA shoots past Sidney at the phone toward Broadway,
which is now deserted. A street-flushing truck goes by,
moving through the dead city.
SIDNEY
(to phone)
It would be nice if you mentioned
R-O-B-A-R-D - Robard's jazz joint --
it's his 20th anniversary. Don't
begrudge it to me, J.J. - I owe him
lots of favors.
(glancing toward the
attendant to see that
he has not overheard)
I think you understand, don't you,
that the Dallas skull is badly
dented? Oh, real bad... starting
today, you can play marbles with
his eyeballs.
(even coquetting)
Don't hold out on me, J.J., mention
Robard. R.O. -
(hangs up and walks
to street)
HUNSECKER'S PENTHOUSE - NIGHT
Hunsecker is writing Robard's name on his pad, but he says
into the phone:
HUNSECKER
We shall see what we shall see...
(lazily)
And don't ever use this apartment
phone again; I have a nervous sister.
He cradles the phone, looks at it for a moment, switches his
eyes and then physically follows them, rising to stroll
towards the glass doors onto the terrace. He moves out and
turns aside to look in at the adjoining window, which
belongs to Susan's bedroom.
INT. SUSAN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
CAMERA shoots across Susan in foreground; she is asleep, a
tired, helpless, sweet kid. The figure of her brother is
seen - a dark shape on the terrace outside. He moves away
across the terrace.
EXT. TERRACE - NIGHT
Hunsecker turns from the window. CAMERA is close on his
brooding face. CAMERA tracks with him as he crosses towards
the parapet. At this height there is a wind which blows his
hair and the movement of the camera emphasizes a remarkable
vista of the New York skyline. The buildings are now dark,
only a few of the electric signs are left on all night.
CAMERA comes to rest looking over Hunsecker's shoulder; it
tilts downward to a view of Broadway below, Duffy Square in
the distance.
HUNSECKER - NIGHT
A close-up; Hunsecker is looking down on his "kingdom". But
there is little love in the man's face, only authoritarian
power.
EXT. FROM THE TERRACE - NIGHT
From Hunsecker's viewpoint. The streets empty, except for
an occasional passing taxi. The street flushing truck comes
up Broadway from Duffy Square...
LAP DISSOLVE THROUGH TO:
EXT. FROM THE TERRACE - DAY
The identical camera set-up. Through the dissolve the light
changes from night to day; Broadway magically becomes a
roaring stream of traffic.
EXT. GLOBE BUILDING - DAY
In foreground a NEWS VENDOR. Sidney comes out of the exit
of a subway, reaching for his pocket as he approaches the
news vendor who offers him a paper.
NEWS VENDOR
The Globe?
SIDNEY
(shaking his head)
Gimme The Record.
Sidney buys and opens the paper. CAMERA MOVES closer to
shoot over his shoulder. We see the gossip column which
bears a photograph of Otis Elwell at the top. Smirking with
satisfaction, Sidney turns away from the CAMERA and throws
the paper into a trash basket before he disappears into the
impressive entrance of a large office building. The sign
above the doorway reads: THE NEW YORK GLOBE.
QUICK DISSOLVE TO:
INT. GLOBE BUILDING
Mary, Hunsecker's secretary, occupies a cubicle which is
separated form the rest of the newsroom by a partition.
From the big room beyond, comes the hum and chatter of a big
newspaper. The walls of the urgent murmur of the staff of a
big newspaper. The walls of Mary's cubicle are covered with
photographs; filing cabinets are piled high with unopened
mail; two wire service teletype machines click desultorily.
Mary is plain but attractive, past 30, a level-headed woman
with a sense of integrity. She is on the phone just now,
bored with the insistent voice on the other end. Beside her
an earnest young LAWYER waits with several papers in hand.
MARY
(to phone)
I have no power to retract, Mr.
Cummings... I'm only Mr. Hunsecker's
secretary. No. Nor can I agree
that can retraction is necessary.
Thank you for calling.
Sidney has come through the newsroom in background. He
pauses tactfully, seeing Mary occupied with the lawyer.
LAWYER
(huffily)
I fail to see what's amusing about
these papers.
MARY
I'll get the boss to sign them.
LAWYER
(giving her the papers)
They're important.
MARY
You've said that six times - that's
why I'm smiling.
As the disgruntled lawyer leaves, Sidney comes in, wearing
his most winning smile. With a glance after the lawyer,
making sure that he is not observed, Sidney greets Mary,
assuming a brogue:
SIDNEY
Hello, Mary, me darlin' and phwat
are ye up to today?
Sidney's hand caresses her shoulder with a gesture which
indicates a certain intimacy between them.
MARY
That's a question I usually like to
ask YOU. Your secretary phoned.
SIDNEY
What about?
MARY
(shrugging)
Something about a Frank D'Angelo
trying to reach you...
Sidney reaches for the phone. As he does so, Mary hesitates
and glances at a copy of The Record which lies on the desk
open at Otis Elwell's column. She picks it up.
MARY
(continuing)
Is that the man who manages Susie's
boyfriend?
Sidney murmurs casually, "Yeah. Why?" as he dials. Mary
holds up the paper, indicating the item.
MARY
Have you seen this? In Otis
Elwell's column.
(reads)
"The dreamy marijuana smoke of a
lad who heads a highbrow jazz
quintet is giving an inelegant odor
to that elegant East Side Club
where he works. That's no way for
a card-holding Party Member to act.
Moscow won't like, you naughty boy!"
Sidney accepts the paper from Mary, examines the item while
he talks to Sally on the phone.
SIDNEY
(into phone)
Sally? I got the message. If
D'Angelo calls again, tell him I'll
be at the office around noon.
He hangs up, continuing to read.
MARY
Could this be that boy?
SIDNEY
(casually)
Dallas? Could be. He doesn't look
like a reefer smoker...
He discards the paper with a show of disinterest. Mary
picks it up again.
MARY
(looking at The
Record again)
If this is true, J.J.'s going to
hit the ceiling...
Sidney moves around behind Mary. His eyes are fixed on a
spike which sits on Mary's desk. On it is impaled a proof
of Hunsecker's column. Meanwhile, he remarks:
SIDNEY
Can it be news to you that J.J.'s
ceiling needs a plaster job every
six weeks?
INSERT
From Sidney's viewpoint, Hunsecker's column. The shot is
just too distant for us to be able to read the print.
SIDNEY AND MARY
Sidney is looking at the column. Mary is concentrated on
papers before her. Without looking up, she is clearly aware
of Sidney's efforts to read the proof.
MARY
(quietly)
Sidney, you know that J.J. doesn't
like people to look at the column
proof in advance...
Sidney, caught "in flagrante", laughs.
SIDNEY
Mary, I'm not "people" - there's
Falco blood, sweat and tears in
that column.
He turns away, changing the subject (apparently).
SIDNEY
How about dinner tonight?
Mary turns to study him.
MARY
Bribing me again?
SIDNEY
(uncomfortable under
her scrutiny)
And why should I bribe the woman
who holds most of my heart?
Mary is thoughtful. Without malice, in a detached sort of
way, she examines Sidney.
MARY
You're a real rascal, Sidney. I'd
certainly dislike you if I didn't
like you. You're an amusing boy,
but there isn't a drop of respect
in you for anything alive - you're
too immersed in the theology of
making a fast buck. Not that I
don't sometimes feel that you yearn
for something better...
Sidney finds this analysis hard to take. Again he tries to
laugh his way out of it.
SIDNEY
(cynical)
Mary, don't try to sell me the
Brooklyn Bridge. I happen to know
it belongs to the Dodgers.
Mary, smiling, decides "to let him off the hook". She takes
the spike and the column and passes it across to Sidney's
side of the desk, as she returns briskly to her business.
MARY
(affably)
I don't mind you looking at the
proof of the column in advance, as
long as J.J. doesn't know. But
don't do it like a boy stealing gum
from a slot machine.
Sidney doesn't like this; but, on the other hand, he does
want to look at the column. After only a momentary struggle,
he picks the column off the spike and reads.
SIDNEY
Who put this item in about the
comic?
(reading)
"If there's a more hilarious funny
man around than Herbie Temple at
the Palace, you'll have to pardon
us for not catching the name. We
were too busy screaming." Does this
Temple have a press agent?
MARY
No. It's one of J.J.'s occasional
beau gestes. Evidently the fellow's
funny, so he gave him a plug.
He goes to the door, grinning.
SIDNEY
What's your favorite ribbon to go
around your favorite chocolates?
MARY
Let's wait till Christmas - it's
more legitimate then.
She looks after Sidney, thinks about him for a moment. Then
she types.
EXT. PALACE THEATRE - DAY
Sidney comes down 47th Street from Broadway, making for the
stage door entrance of the Palace theatre. He walks
confidently into the alleyway, paying no attention to the
old doorman gossiping with the shoeshine boy at the chairs
next to the entrance. The doorman turns, protesting:
DOORMAN
(calling out)
Hey!
LAP DISSOLVE TO:
Sidney, without halting, looks back towards the Doorman,
addressing him with the patronizing manner of a superior.
SIDNEY
Herbit Temple here yet?
DOORMAN
Yeah, but you can't come in now!
SIDNEY
I'm in, Sonny Boy!
He is already on his way into doorway.
INT. BACKSTAGE OF PALACE THEATRE
The movie will soon by finished and the comedian who opens
the stage show is ready and made-up in the wings. He sits
with his agent, (AL EVANS) a small, worried, bespectacled
man, who waves an unlighted cigar as big as himself. They
converse in loud whispers, talking against the muffled and
echoing sound of the film sound track, silhouetted against
the ghostly, distorted images on the big screen seen at a
weird angle behind them.
EVANS
I didn't waste words, Herbie, take
my word. I says, "look, Figo, I'm
not selling you a dozen eggs, I'm
selling you HERBIE TEMPLE", I says,
so don't gimme your lip!
The comedian, Herbie Temple, looks up. Sidney comes through
a fire-proof door which separates the stage from the
corridors to dressing room. In background two chorus girls
in costume are squeezed into a telephone booth. Sidney
joins the comedian and the agent; he smiles to the comedian,
while he addresses the agent.
SIDNEY
Hiya, Al!
The agent looks from Sidney to Temple, surprised and
displeased.
EVANS
Since when did you two get
acquainted?
Sidney has clearly never met Evans; blandly he chooses to
regard the agent's remark as an introduction; he offers his
hand with generous amiability.
SIDNEY
How do you do, Mr. Temple...
The comic accepts the hand doubtfully.
EVANS
(uncertain)
Delighted.
SIDNEY
I'm Sidney Falco.
TEMPLE
(still dubious)
Yeah, delighted...
Evans stands up, warns the comic.
EVANS
Watch this guy, Herbie, he's a
press agent.
Temple's smile congeals.
TEMPLE
You watch him, Al, I s...s...stutter!
SIDNEY
(in no way discouraged)
Temple, I caught your act the other
night and -
TEMPLE
Did you now? On which bounce?
SIDNEY
- and I just had to drop by and
tell you how great I thought you
were.
TEMPLE
(dryly)
Cheers. What time is it, Al?
EVANS
You got ten minutes.
(to Sidney)
Hope you don't mind, Falco: we're
busy and if -
Sidney stands up.
SIDNEY
No, I don't mind. I'm busy too.
TEMPLE
(scowling)
Good! We're all off to Utica, so
excuse me, Mr. Frannis-on-the-
Portisan.
Sidney moves toward the doorway onto the corridor. The
chorus girls have now vacated the phone booth.
SIDNEY
But can I ask one impertinent
question here? With no criticism
intended, because I know, Al, you
earn your ten percent, how come you
let a sock act like Herbie Temple
tip-toe through town without a
publicity build...?
Smiling wise, Evans shakes his head.
EVANS
We're not buying it, Falco - no
fish today.
Sidney presses, as if annoyed.
SIDNEY
I'm not selling. I'm just curious,
that's all.
Temple turns away from Sidney, leaving him to Evans.
TEMPLE
Answer the man, Al, if he asks you
a question. Quick, before he
thinks up another!
Evans moves to Sidney, trying to shepherd him out the way he
came.
EVANS
Mr. Temple doesn't believe in press
agents - does that answer you
something?
ANOTHER ANGLE
Evans makes the mistake of laying a hand on Sidney's elbow.
Sidney doesn't like people touching him. He reacts in
anger, as we have seen before - fixes a burning eye on Evans.
SIDNEY
Take your hand off, lump!
(more politely, to Temple)
No one believes in press agents,
Temple, when they make claims they
can't perform. I got nothing to
sell - I didn't come here to
peddle - but if I tell a client
that Hunsecker will give him space,
it's not just talk!
Sidney stops briskly up the stairs into the corridor.
Evans, angry, is stalled for a moment of delay action by
mention of the magic name of Hunsecker.
EVANS
(after hesitation)
Listen, you bull artist - !
TEMPLE
Let him go, Al...
SIDNEY
But Sidney has already stepped to the phone booth and is
dialing.
SIDNEY
(to phone)
Hello? Mary, let me speak to J.J.,
please...it's Sidney Falco...
REVERSE ANGLE
Shooting past Sidney in foreground onto Temple and Evans
beyond, they watch him, open-mouthed. Sidney notes their
reaction.
SIDNEY
(to phone)
Tell him it's important...
INT. SIDNEY'S APARTMENT - DAY
Gloria is at her desk, bewildered as she speaks into the
phone.
GLORIA
What? Is this Sidney?...
RESUME BACKSTAGE OF PALACE THEATRE
SIDNEY
(to phone)
Sure, I'll wait...
While doing so, he glances back with disinterest at Evans
and Temple. The comedian and the agent exchange looks.
Evans is uneasy; he comes up the steps into the corridor to
address Sidney with a deflated manner.
EVANS
(hesitant)
Look, nobody hired you! We didn't
talk any deal, and -
With his hand over the mouthpiece, Sidney addresses Evans
with contempt.
SIDNEY
Relax, lump! I told you I'm not
selling fish...
(abruptly reverting
to the phone)
J.J...Sidney!...How are you,
sweetheart?
(laughing)
Yeah...
(then seriously)
Listen, I know it's late, J.J., but
is it too late to add something
important to the column?
(grinning)
No, not a relative, but important...
RESUME - GLORIA IN INT. OF SIDNEY'S APARTMENT
Shaking her head, Gloria places the phone down on the desk,
looks at it as it chatters away. She considers returning to
her typing, but, worried, picks the phone up again. Sidney's
chattering voice is barely audible: "You know Herbie Temple,
the comic...? What about him? He's at the Palace and he's
great. That's what about him. And you'd do me a big bunny
basket of a favor if you would say it in tomorrow's column.
RESUME BACKSTAGE PALACE THEATRE
Temple and Evans are now staring at Sidney with considerable
respect.
REVERSE ANGLE
The comedian and the agent in foreground, Sidney still on
the phone beyond.
SIDNEY
Yeah, if you got a pencil there
I'll suggest a word or two.
Uh...uh...
The comedian and the agent in foreground, Sidney still on
the phone beyond.
SIDNEY
(to phone, continuing)
If there's a funnier man in the
world than Herbie Temple at the
Palace...uh...pardon us for not
catching the name, we were too busy
laughing. No, make that 'screaming'.
(then)
It's sweet of you, J.J., thanks.
Probably see you at Twenty One
tonight. No, for supper, late.
Right. 'Bye...
TEMPLE
Speak to this lad, Al, ... to Mr.
Falco.
SIDNEY
See me in my office.
He turns and walks away down the corridor. As he vanishes,
Temple starts after him.
CORRIDOR
Sidney walks off in the direction of the exit -- (not so
fast that he can't be overtaken). Temple hurries into the
corridor and comes after him. Evans also follows, though
not so eagerly.
TEMPLE
Wait a minute.
(turning back to
encourage Evans)
Speak to him, Al.
(to Sidney, apologetically)
Al makes all my deals.
Sidney permits himself to be detained.
SIDNEY
(coolly, looking
toward Evans)
I don't like a guy that's quick
with the hands.
(to Temple)
Temple, you've been three passes
behind for twenty years. This
could start you off big - T.V. and
anywhere.
Evans, not as wholly convinced as the comedian, comes up to
join them. Temple looks at the agent.
TEMPLE
And it would cost a pretty penny,
huh?
SIDNEY
(to Evans)
You tell him, I stutter!
EVANS
(shrewdly)
Uh...Why don't we wait till tomorrow?
Sidney, shrugging, makes a negligent exit.
SIDNEY
(as he goes)
Wait as long as you like - you know
where my office is.
They look after him. Evans face is cold and suspecting, but
Temple's face contains fresh warmth.
DISSOLVE TO:
STAIRS OUTSIDE SIDNEY'S OFFICE - DAY
Sidney comes briskly up the stairs. Outside his door he
pauses, listens, hearing the murmur of voices inside. Then
he walks in casually.
INT. SIDNEY'S OFFICE - DAY
Sidney steps in, closing the door. He pretends surprise as
he sees...
ANOTHER ANGLE
...Steve and D'Angelo waiting for him. Sidney comes into
SHOT. Sally remains at her desk while Steve and D'Angelo
are silent, looking at Sidney.
SIDNEY
(perkily)
What is here, a wake?
D'Angelo rises from the couch, crossing to Sidney to hand
him a copy of the tabloid, The Record. It is folded open at
Elwell's column. As he passes it to Sidney, D'Angelo marks
with his thumbnail an item near the bottom of the column.
Sidney takes the paper and reads. (He reads a little too
quickly.) Then he hands it back to D'Angelo.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Steve notes Sidney's too-perfunctory reading.
STEVE
You read as you run, don't you?
Sidney turns on Steve, coldly:
SIDNEY
It's a habit with me. So now I'm
briefed. So what?
STEVE
(glancing at D'Angelo)
Frank thinks I shouldn't have come
here -
D'ANGELO
(a quick correction)
Excuse me, Steve. I said namely
you shouldn't go around wild,
blaming people without justification.
STEVE
(watchfully, to Sidney)
I thought you might have a faint
idea of how this item originated.
REVERSE ANGLE
Favoring Sidney. He pauses.
SIDNEY
Why me...?
STEVE
Why not you?
SIDNEY
That's your idea of logic? I tell
the Judge I didn't murder the man -
the Judge says, "Why not you?"
STEVE
Only two men in this town could be
responsible for that smear - you or
Hunsecker or both.
SIDNEY
(explosively)
Dallas, ask your own manager - he's
standing here like a pained
wolfhound - Hunsecker and Elwell
are enemies to the knife. So how
do you get him doing J.J. a favor?
STEVE
(quickly)
It is a favor, isn't it?
SIDNEY
(as quickly)
According to you, yeah.
(continuing rapidly
and with heat)
Dallas, your mouth is as big as a
basket and twice as empty! I don't
like you, comma, but neither do I
go along with this column saying
you smoke marijuana and belong with
the Reds. Also, since we're
talking repulsive, J.J. won't like
this for two cents! Don't give me
that look, Dallas - J.J. believes
in fair play. And secondly, this
could splatter his sister with
rotten egg by implication - your
her boyfriend!
RESUME REVERSE ANGLE
Sidney's manner is a little too vigorous. (In adopting an
aggressive tone, he is really trying to needle Steve.)
Steve, though on the verge of losing his temper, is sharp
enough to notice the point:
STEVE
You're talking very fast.
SIDNEY
(expostulating)
Well, I'll tell you what - excuse
me for breathing, will ya?
(wheeling to Sally)
How do you like it? He comes to my
office and -
D'ANGELO
Sensing the danger, D'Angelo moves forward soothingly
between them.
D'ANGELO
Boys, this gets nobody nowhere -
you're over excited, Steve and -
STEVE
(sharply)
Don't apologize for me, Frank!
D'ANGELO
...excited with good reason, I
wanted to say.
(to Sidney)
Because this endangers the future
of the whole quintet...
SIDNEY
(lightly)
Should I cry...?
Steve, with a glare at both men, goes to the phone on
Sally's desk. He dials.
D'ANGELO
(continuing)
...People catch on quick to such an
item. Van Cleve already called
me - he's firing the quintet.
SIDNEY
Then what are you doing here? Go
over there and fight! If Van Cleve
fires your boy, it gives a lie the
ring of truth!
In background Steve speaks quietly into the phone:
STEVE
I want to speak to Miss Hunsecker,
please.
D'ANGELO
(replying to Sidney's question)
We're on our way there now...
SIDNEY
(who has wheeled on Steve)
What are you calling her for...?
STEVE
Sidney's reaction to the mention of Susan's name gives Steve
food for thought. While he waits for Susan to be summoned
to the phone, he studies Sidney.
STEVE
(to Sidney)
I'm the boyfriend, remember? I
hope one day she'll be my wife...
(into the phone, gently)
This is Steve, Susie. Don't be
alarmed, Susie, but I want you to
look at Elwell's column in The
Record...today...No, about me...
INT. HUNSECKER'S PENTHOUSE - SUSAN'S BEDROOM - DAY
Susan is on the phone. Listening to what Steve says, she is
frightened - almost too frightened; it is as if, in some
curious sense, she had been expecting this blow. It brings
an echo of an earlier tragedy.
SUSAN
A smear?...What...What kind of
smear...? Where are you?
INT. SIDNEY'S APARTMENT
Steve is on the phone in foreground, the others watching him.
In particular, Sally, who stands near Steve, is studying him
with obvious sympathy. She looks slowly towards Sidney.
STEVE
(to the phone)
We're on our way to the Elysian
Room to dicker with Van Cleve -
he's fired us already. I'll call
you later, dear... 'Bye!...
He hangs up quietly, looks at Sidney and walks towards the
door.
STEVE
Come on, Frank.
ANOTHER ANGLE
As the door closes behind Steve, Frank follows, more slowly.
As D'Angelo reaches the door, he pauses with his hand on the
doorknob and turns back to study Sidney.
SIDNEY
He feels uneasy under D'Angelo's scrutiny. Sally, in
background, is also watching Sidney.
SIDNEY
(to D'Angelo)
What are you looking at...?
D'ANGELO
He does not answer for a moment. The unspoken accusation in
his look is very clear. Then:
D'ANGELO
(quietly)
The ugly world, Sidney...
(a pause)
If I told Steve what I really
think, he'd tear your head off...
RESUME SIDNEY
He brazens it out.
SIDNEY
(sneering)
Tell him.
RESUME D'ANGELO
D'Angelo shakes his head.
D'ANGELO
No. I'm interested in his future.
D'Angelo goes slowly out.
RESUME SIDNEY
He hesitates before turning towards Sally (because he
realizes that this exchange with D'Angelo must have confirmed
Sally in her suspicions).
SALLY
Her face shows that Sidney is right. Sally is deeply hurt,
disillusioned.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Sidney turns to her, challenging.
SIDNEY
What's the matter?
SALLY
(not looking at him)
Nothing...
Resentfully, Sidney moves about the room. Sensing the
silent accusation against him, he is aggressive.
SIDNEY
You know, Sally, sometimes I get
the impression you think you live
in Star-Bright Park. This is life,
kid - get used to it!
Sidney comes to the phone on her desk. He dials. Then he
glances swiftly at Sally and, carrying the phone, walks into
the bedroom, dragging the long cord behind him.
INT. BEDROOM
When the phone comes alive, Sidney pushes the bedroom door
shut. The gesture is as casual as he can contrive to make
it. Keeping his voice fairly low so that it cannot be heard
in the other room, he says:
SIDNEY
(to phone)
Nikko, is Mr. Hunsecker there?
This is Mr. Falco. Well, have him
call me as soon as he can. It's
important.
He sets the phone down on the bedside table, looks at it
thoughtfully before he goes back to the bedroom door, opens
it and goes back into the office.
INT. OFFICE
Sidney stands on the threshold, studying Sally. His manner
is now more sympathetic as he asks:
SIDNEY
Did you send my folks in Philly the
check...?
SALLY
Yes.
Leaving the bedroom door open, Sidney comes up to her,
watches her shrewdly, cautiously.
SIDNEY
(softly)
I put a lotta trust in you,
Chickie...
SALLY
(low-voiced)
I know you do, Sidney.
SIDNEY
Don't judge a situation where you
don't know what's involved...
Sally is putting paper in the typewriter, trying to hold her
head up.
SALLY
I'm not judging...
Sidney comes closer to her. He puts his hand on the nape of
her neck, carrassing her. Under his touch, the girl is
unhappy, and yet at the same time, responsive. Sidney still
has power over her but she is disturbed by feelings of shame.
Feeling her relaxed, Sidney bends and kisses her on the side
of the throat with more than negligence, for something about
her always excites him; his aggression tune in with her
submissiveness.
SALLY
(pathetically)
I swear, Sidney, I can't help it -
sometimes I wonder what I see in
you...
SIDNEY
(murmuring)
That's no way to talk...
SALLY
Or what you see in me, for that
matter...
SIDNEY
Stay down town tonight. Maybe
we'll take in a show, etc.
SALLY
If you want me to -
The phone in the bedroom rings. Sidney, reacting sharply,
forgets his advances to Sally as he turns towards the bedroom.
SIDNEY
(exhilarated)
You see? Hunsecker's gotta phone ME!
He goes into the bedroom, closing the door as he goes.
Sally looks at the closed door.
INT. BEDROOM
Sidney has picked up the phone.
SIDNEY
(calmly)
Hello, J.J....I presume you saw the
Elwell smear.
(smiling)
No, no medals - not yet. Oh, it's
worse than that - Aunty Van Cleve
is firing them...from the horse's
mouth... They were just here - in a
panic...
INT. HUNSECKER'S PENTHOUSE - THE STUDY - DAY
Hunsecker wears a dressing gown as he sits at his breakfast
table. Behind him are the big glass windows to the terrace
overlooking the Manhattan skyline. The papers are at
Hunsecker's elbow; his manner is crisp and cold:
HUNSECKER
Who was just there?
(then)
You'll be the death of me. Sidalee!
Why? Didn't you just tell me that
they've already traced this smear
to you? All they have to do now is
to put two and two together and I'm
a chicken in a pot!
RESUME SIDNEY'S APARTMENT
Sidney smiles confidently, answers calmly:
SIDNEY
J.J., peace on earth, good will to
men - it's working out just the way
I planned. Yeah, I guarantee this
bomb will pop right on schedule,
but you have to play your part -
you be a Saint and let me be the
Devil. But I wanna talk to you
first...
RESUME HUNSECKER'S PENTHOUSE
Hunsecker pauses, eyes full of cold voltage.
HUNSECKER
Don't come here. Susie is up and
about.
(listening)
He called her? You'd better see me
at the TV - three o'clock.
He bangs down the phone, tense thought in his manner.
INT. SIDNEY'S APARTMENT
Sally is busy with her typing again, but in a depressed mood
when Sidney comes out of the bedroom to put the phone down
on her desk again. He seems satisfied with himself, smug.
Sally watches him for a moment. Then:
SALLY
What are you going to do?
Sidney prepares to leave the apartment. His tone is full of
confidence, self-assertive. (For once Sidney is certain
that he is smarter, more cunning than even Hunsecker).
SIDNEY
(the wise one)
Chickie, a lotta people think
they're smart. You watch. They're
dumb: they'll do the work for me!
Just watch.
Sidney makes for the door, goes out.
INT. CIGAR STAND - LOBBY
Susan buys paper - DOLLY with her - toward elevator - she
gets in.
INT. HUNSECKER'S LIVING ROOM
J.J. has not moved; he is thoughtful and morose. Nikko, the
Japanese butler, comes in to remove the breakfast table.
HUNSECKER
The table can wait. No calls. I
have to think about my TV show.
NIKKO
Pleased to do. I will come back
later.
HUNSECKER
(abruptly)
Did you put the bread out on the
terrace for the birds?
NIKKO
Yes, but they don't come no more
this time of year.
Smiling, Nikko leaves. Hunsecker picks up a pencil and
makes a note on a pad, about birds no doubt. Abruptly he
looks up, calling:
HUNSECKER
Susie! Come in a minute, dear...
She has been trying to pass unnoticed to her room. She
comes forward to him; her manner is serious and wary. His
act is one of a tasteful Mammy singer, but he is watchful,
too.
HUNSECKER
Susie, you're very much in my
thoughts today.
SUSAN
Why?
HUNSECKER
What a question, dear, with that
newspaper in your hand...
SUSAN
(pausing)
Did Sidney tell you about it?
HUNSECKER
Yes, he phoned. I don't know this
boy too well. Anything in these
charges?
She shakes her head.
HUNSECKER
Not being partial, are you?
SUSAN
(with quiet certainty)
No, I'm not. I'm not!
He soothes, smiles indulgent, but watchful:
HUNSECKER
Susie, take it easy. I'll trust
your judgment - you don't have to
protest with me.
With a paternal gesture of affection, he holds out his arms,
inviting her into his comforting embrace. Not wanting to,
she walks into his open waiting arms.
HUNSECKER
Why are you trembling, dear...?
SUSAN
History repeats itself. Everything
that happened to Alan Leslie...began
with a smear like this...
Hunsecker considers this gravely, as if it was a new and
troubling thought.
HUNSECKER
Yes...
She leaves his arms; he watches keenly.
SUSAN
(incoherent)
It's just as if I've seen a ghost
today...
HUNSECKER
(quickly)
But that wasn't your fault, dear,
what happened to Leslie. I've told
you that a million times...
He goes to her gently; she appraises both him and her
wrenched life with brooding, frightened eyes.
SUSAN
Then whose fault was it, J.J.? It
was someone's fault, wasn't it?
HUNSECKER
(gravely)
I wouldn't have called the boy
exactly balanced...
SUSAN
(stronger)
Alan was not...unbalanced when I
married him. And he was
not...'indifferent to women' no
matter what they said!
HUNSECKER
(simply)
I'm not fighting with you, puss...
She gets up and walks around in considerable agitation.
SUSAN
He never would have killed himself
if I hadn't gone through with the
annulment. Don't you see that made
all the rumors seem true? I should
have stood up for him...not run out.
She turns to Hunsecker, her manner firmer.
SIDNEY
J.J., I want you to get them back
their job, Steve and the Quintet.
HUNSECKER
("incredulously")
You mean they've been fired already,
on the basis of this crude smear?
He walks away with a wag of indignation, but turns, asking:
HUNSECKER
Susie, you're sure there isn't some
fire where there's this much smoke?
Susan shakes her head emphatically.
SIDNEY
(earnestly)
I know Steve. No.
HUNSECKER
Then maybe you can tell me if he's
as solid as you say, why does he
rap me every chance he gets?
SUSAN
(involuntarily)
Sidney is a liar!
HUNSECKER
Who said Sidney?
SUSAN
(defiantly)
I said Sidney!...
Staring, he pauses; then he deftly changes the subject.
HUNSECKER
You know, dear, we're drifting
apart, you and I, and I don't like
that.
SUSAN
I thought we were talking about
Sidney?
HUNSECKER
(with rasp)
Let me finish, dear. You had your
say, now let me have mine...
SUSAN
(interrupting)
I haven't said anything yet, J.J.,
but if -
Susan hesitates. Hunsecker waits for her to continue. But
she isn't yet sure enough of herself or of the point she
means to make. She turns away.
HUNSECKER
(gently)
I started to say we're drifting
apart. A year ago, in your wildest
dreams, would you have walked by
that door without taking up this
situation with me? Today I had to
call you in!
SUSAN
I'm taking up the situation with
you now...
HUNSECKER
(interrupting)
Susie, I want to help you--,
there's nothing I won't do for you.
You're all I've got in the whole,
wide world.
Hunsecker strides about, elaborately playing on a note of
disillusion and pain.
HUNSECKER
(continuing)
Well, what have I got? Alimony to
a pair of tramps? They're of no
concern to me. It's you who count,
but don't get me wrong - I don't
intend to let you break your neck
again!
SIDNEY
J.J., you said you want to help
me - prove it!
HUNSECKER
(quietly)
How?
SIDNEY
Get Steve back his job...please...
HUNSECKER
(pausing)
He means that much to you...?
SIDNEY
(simply)
Yes.
(then)
With your "prestige" it only takes
a minute - ten cents worth of
American Tel and Tel.
HUNSECKER
You're picking up my lingo, hon.
SIDNEY
(levelly)
I read your column every day...
He looks at her with pursed lips and, for a change, some
real interest. Her level, straightforward manner has pinned
him down completely; he shows a slow, charming grin, as he
goes for a private phone book:
HUNSECKER
Susie, I like this new attitude of
yours. You're growing up and I
like it! I don't like it when
you're limp and dependent, when
you're odd and wayward. This gives
you a chance for real survival in a
very lousy world. Because, don't
forget, dear, you won't always have
me with you, will you...?
SIDNEY
No, I won't...
He crosses to the white desk phone, delaying dialing for a
moment:
HUNSECKER
This Dallas boy must be good for
you. Why not bring him around
today, before the show? This time
I'll clean my glasses for a better
look.
Susan doesn't like this idea, is evasive:
SIDNEY
I'm not sure I can reach him in time.
HUNSECKER
(easily)
Sure you can if you want to, and I
know you'll want to...
(then)
By the way, what's your beef
against little Sidney?
SUSAN
(steadily)
When I'm certain, I'll let you
know...
HUNSECKER
A man couldn't ask for a squarer
shake.
(into phone)
Let me have Billy Van Cleve...
(then)
Don't ever tell anyone, Susie, how
I'm tied to your apron strings...
(to phone)
Billy! J.J.! What's this about
that boy? What boy? Where are we,
lug, in a drawing room comedy?
You're brain is warming up,
sweetheart - yeah, Dallas!...
(then)
No, don't explain your point of
view, but...
EXT. TV THEATRE - DAY
CAMERA SHOOTS TOWARDS the entrance to the TV theatre. A
line of people are queuing for Hunsecker's TV Broadcast
which is advertised by large posters beside the entrance. A
taxi drives up in foreground; Susan Hunsecker gets out.
SIDNEY
Sidney comes up Sixth Avenue towards the theatre. As he
reaches the corner of the building, he halts, having seen...
SUSAN
Susan is seen in the act of paying the driver. As the taxi
pulls away, Susan walks CAMERA left.
TV THEATRE
Susan pauses, deciding not to enter the theatre; turning she
looks about her and waits on the sidewalk outside.
SIDNEY
Sidney decides that this is not the moment to approach Susan.
He glances down the sidestreet then moves off in that
direction.
SIDESTREET
Sidney moves down the sidestreet towards a stage entrance,
through which are emerging some TV technicians. He slips
inside.
INT. TV STATION
Hunsecker is standing at a table, stop watch in hand,
reading aloud from a script which he is rehearsing and
timing. Beside him sits Mary busy typing more of the
material from Hunsecker's handwritten note. Mary is calm,
but he is irritable, trying to concentrate despite the
bustle around him.
An old movie star, MILDRED TAM, sits waiting in one of the
canvas-backed chairs supplied for the guests on the show.
BURTON, a manager, also waits, deadpan, at Hunsecker's elbow.
Hunsecker clicks his stop watch as he reads:
HUNSECKER
"I was reminded of it this morning,
when I noticed that the birds had
gone South. We want the same kind
of freedom for ourselves - that's
what the man said!
(he clicks the watch,
pauses to underline
the phrase, continues:)
A man has the right to face his
accusers! That's the American Way!
Who said? The man said! From..."
He turns in exasperation to Burton.
HUNSECKER
Burton, don't stand around. If I
go over I'll cut some items off the
tail...
Burton departs. Mary whips a second sheet out of the
typewriter, hands it to Hunsecker. As he accepts it,
Hunsecker looks off towards the auditorium.
SIDNEY
SHOOTING towards the auditorium, from Hunsecker's viewpoint.
Sidney mounts the steps onto the stage. Seeing that the
columnist is surrounded but knowing that J.J. wants to talk
to him privately, Sidney loiters so that J.J. can join him
as soon as he chooses to. CAMERA PULLS BACK to include
Hunsecker. Only momentarily distracted by private
considerations connected with Sidney's arrival, Hunsecker
returns to the business of timing the script. He clicks the
watch again...
HUNSECKER
"From Washington through to
Jefferson, from Lincoln and F.D.R.
right up to today - the Democratic
Way of Life! That's what the man
said! Nowadays it doesn't export
to well...
(then, concluding)
But you know...and I know...that
our best secret weapon is D-E-M-O-
C-R-A-C-Y.
(dropping to a modest tone)
Let's never forget it, ladies and
gentlemen."
ANOTHER ANGLE
Sidney lingers beside the old movie star who is listening,
rapt, to Hunsecker's words. Sidney is less impressed with
J.J.'s eloquence. At the conclusion, Mildred applauds
lightly. She stands up and moves towards J.J. J.J. wants
to talk to Sidney but is frustrated by the old movie star.
MILDRED TAM
That's grand, just grand, J.J.!
(then, anxiously)
Is my makeup all right? You know,
despite the scads of movies I've
made, I've never appeared on TV
yet...
HUNSECKER
(cutting her short)
Of course, Mildred. Of course.
You look fine.
(swiftly summoning Mary)
Mary, help Miss Tam - anything she
wants; she's our star today.
Under the pretense of studying the typed script, J.J. walks
away across the stage. Sidney strolls after him.
ANOTHER ANGLE
A TRACKING SHOT. Sidney comes up beside Hunsecker, falls
into step beside him. As they cross towards a water cooler
at the back of the stage, they talk in rapid undertone.
HUNSECKER
I got that boy coming over here.
(a glance at Sidney)
What's so funny?
SIDNEY
(who is smiling faintly)
With a pocket fulla firecrackers -
good.
HUNSECKER
(narrowly)
I think you loused this up but good.
If I can trust my eyes, and I think
I can, Susie knows all about your
dirty work.
SIDNEY
(shrugging)
Can't hurt...
HUNSECKER
(incredulously)
Can't hurt? I had to get him back
his job.
SIDNEY
(smugly)
I like that, too.
(closer, faster)
Look, J.J., we can wrap this up in
one neat bundle, addressed to the
dumps - to oblivion. We're going
great, but please play it my way.
I cased this kid.
Know his ins and outs...He's fulla
juice and vinegar, just begging for
some big shot like you to give him
a squeeze. Do little Sidney a
favor: squeeze! - You know, J.J. -
the porcupine bit - needles.
HUNSECKER
But it's too late. I got him back
the job...
SIDNEY
(impatiently)
No, that's the point - he won't
accept your favor! The manager
yes, but not the boy.
A pause. Hunsecker renumerates.
HUNSECKER
Well he's got her in a tizzy, I'll
tell you that!
SIDNEY
Sure, he steams her up - wants her
to stand on her own two feet and
all that jazz!
HUNSECKER
And who's feet is she on now?
SIDNEY
Presumably yours...
(a hasty addition)
That's according to St. Dallas.
HUNSECKER
What's this boy got that Susie likes?
SIDNEY
Integrity - acute, like indigestion.
HUNSECKER
What does that mean - integrity?
SIDNEY
(repeating as before)
A pocket fulla firecrackers -
looking for a match!
(grinning)
It's a new wrinkle to tell the
truth... I never thought I'd make a
killing on some guy's "integrity".
Hunsecker gives him certain slow begrudging admiration:
HUNSECKER
Full of beans, ain't you? But you
know that you'll stand or fall by
what you're doing now...
SIDNEY
(grins; confidently)
Calculated risk. Only we happen to
know, J.J., that you like me. I'm
your star pupil -- I reflect back
to you your own talent.
Hunsecker permits himself a faint smile. Burton is
approaching with script in hand.
HUNSECKER
I wouldn't like to take a bite of
you; you're a cookie full of arsenic.
Sidney smirks. He turns away and goes off towards the
auditorium in the background.
EXT. TV STATION - DAY
Frank D'Angelo pays a taxi out of which he and Steve have
just emerged. Frank turns towards the boy, resuming a
conversation as they stroll across the sidewalk towards the
entrance of the theatre.
STEVE
(depressed)
I still think he's responsible for
the smear.
D'ANGELO
Not that I'm convinced, but you'll
never prove it in a million years.
(gently)
Steve, you'll do what you want, but
it can't hurt; he offers you an
olive branch - so today like olives!
STEVE
I guess you're right, but -
Steve completes the sentence with a slow shake of the head;
compromise is a gesture which he finds very difficult.
D'ANGELO
D'Angelo studies the boy with a paternal affection.
D'ANGELO
Steve, sometimes it's better not to
look at your own honesty; but to
look the other man in the face.
Not because you're my meal ticket -
which you are - but because I like
you and the boys, please take my
advice: we -
D'Angelo stops, halted by an expression which he sees in
Steve's face.
STEVE
He is looking through the glass doors of the TV Theatre, no
longer listening to D'Angelo's words; his face has hardened
in anger.
INT. TV THEATRE FOYER
From Steve's viewpoint. Sidney has come out of the curtained
entrance to the auditorium. CAMERA PULLS BACK to include
Steve in foreground. With a movement that suggests his
annoyance at discovering Sidney present, Steve jerks open
the glass door and moves in.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Susan is waiting in the foyer. She is standing in a position
where she has not been able to see Steve until he enters;
now she moves forward to greet him. As soon as she is near
him, she speaks in a quiet, urgent manner:
SUSAN
(in an undertone)
Steve, before we go in - I'd like
to...
But she, too, is halted as Steve lays a hand on her arm.
Seeing his look over her shoulder, she turns...
SIDNEY
He is already strolling forward to join them. CAMERA PANS
with him to include Susie, Steve and D'Angelo.
SIDNEY
Hey, Susie - This is a real
surprise -- not one but three.
J.J.'s just finishing up his
rehearsal.
STAGE
Hunsecker comes forward to the front of the stage looking
towards...
STEVE, SUSAN, D'ANGELO AND SIDNEY
In the group that comes down the aisle of the empty theatre.
RESUME HUNSECKER
He studies them, then calls out:
HUNSECKER
Looks like a wedding.
REVERSE ANGLE
Hunsecker back to CAMERA in foreground; he begins to whistle
The Wedding March to the rhythm of Steve and Susan's walk.
STEVE
He breaks the rhythm of his stride, his face rigid.
RESUME HUNSECKER
He descends to meet them; his manner is full of welcome.
REVERSE ANGLE
Susan nervously makes the introduction - Steve is nervous;
D'Angelo hangs behind warily; Sidney is in background.
SUSAN
Steve, you remember my brother...
STEVE & HUNSECKER
(together)
Of course.
Steve shakes the hand that the smiling Hunsecker gives.
HUNSECKER
Well, son, looks like you went out
and bought yourself a packet of
trouble...
STEVE
You've been very kind about it, Mr.
Hunsecker.
HUNSECKER
Give Susie credit for that. I took
her word that there was nothing to
the smear. Matter of fact, I'll
have my say about smears on the
show today. That's why I'd like
YOUR personal assurance, too.
STEVE
(quietly)
Mr. Hunsecker, there's nothing to
that smear. You have my sincere
word...
HUNSECKER
(nodding judicially)
I'll by that, son. Now, you owe ME
a favor.
(pausing; to Susan)
Be good to my kid sister...
SIDNEY
(solemnly)
Yeah, she's had a peck of trouble
for a kid...
Hunsecker flicks a look at Sidney. No one else, warier by
the minute, knows what to say. Hunsecker purrs onward:
HUNSECKER
Susie likes to keep her girlish
secrets. But in her heart of
hearts I imagine, Dallas, that she
fancies you in an uncommon way.
Now, what about YOU, son? Not just
tom-catting around...I hope?
SUSAN
(quickly)
J.J., Steve isn't...
Hunsecker cuts her off with lazy good nature:
HUNSECKER
Take it easy, Susie. He wouldn't
be much of a man if he didn't
understand my concern. Would you,
son?
STEVE
(pausing, quietly)
No, I wouldn't...
HUNSECKER
(nodding)
Serious as a deacon...I like it. I
like your style, son! In a world
of old rags and bones, I like it!
For instance, take Sidney.
Hunsecker crosses toward Sidney.
HUNSECKER (CONT'D)
If Sidney got anywhere near Susie
I'd break a bat over Sidney's head!
(smiling faintly)
Sidney lives so much in a moral
twilight that, when I said you were
coming here, he predicted disaster.
You wouldn't take my favor -- you'd
chew up the job, he said, and spit
it right back in my face!
(sniffing)
Any truth in that...?
D'ANGELO, STEVE AND SUSAN
Steve is thrown for a loss momentarily; Frank steps in.
D'ANGELO
No, Mr. Hunsecker, and if I can
amplify --
HUNSECKER AND SIDNEY
HUNSECKER
(motionless)
Don't amplify.
RESUME D'ANGELO, STEVE AND SUSAN
D'ANGELO
Steve wantsa thank you for this
favor. He --
GROUP SHOT
SIDNEY
(provocatively)
Frank, you don't listen! J.J. just
told you to shut your mouth!
STEVE
(hotly)
Don't you think it's about time you
shut yours? Who are you to tell a
man like Frank D'Angelo to shut up?!
D'ANGELO
(warningly)
Steve, that isn't important --
But Steve, on a heated rip, has turned to Hunsecker:
STEVE
Does he have to be here in our hair?
HUNSECKER
HUNSECKER
Why, has he bothered you before?
STEVE, D'ANGELO AND SUSAN
STEVE
Is it news to you?
HUNSECKER
HUNSECKER
Son, lots of people tell me I'm a
gifted man, but I still can't see
around corners.
GROUP SHOT
HUNSECKER
(tolerantly)
Just exactly what are you so hot
about?
(waiting)
I mean, I know it's a difficult
thing to be an artist in this
crudest of possible worlds, but --
STEVE
(impatiently)
Nuts! I'm not here as an artist!
I'm here as an average Joe, who
happens to love your sister Susie!
HUNSECKER
(with ironic smirk)
Well, just be careful you don't
knock her down, huh?
Steve stops dead. Then, strangely and dangerously, he picks
up Hunsecker's smile. On each man's face the smile broadens
and grows up into a chuckle from each; but the meanness
still flickers around Hunsecker's mouth. Steve is out of
the net!
HUNSECKER
(affably)
Frankly, son, you lost me on that
last hill. Just give us the punch
line...
STEVE
(agreeably)
No punch line. Maybe I was just
admiring your know-how---yours and
Falco's.
HUNSECKER AND SIDNEY
HUNSECKER
Why do you keep coupling me with
Falco?
STEVE, D'ANGELO AND SUSAN
STEVE
(innocently)
He's here, isn't he? Do you think,
sir, when he dies he'll go to the
dog and cat heaven?
HUNSECKER AND SIDNEY
Even Hunsecker smiles. Sidney likes neither the ridicule or
the turn of events. He moves quickly past CAMERA.
SIDNEY, STEVE, D'ANGELO AND SUSAN
Sidney comes round the row of theatre seats to attack Steve.
SIDNEY
Let's forget cats and dogs and
other pseudo-literary remarks---
I'll just lay it on the line! What
about that big rumpus in my office
today? You were there, Frank!
Where, according to St. Dallas, J.J.
was responsible for the Elwell smear!
HUNSECKER
HUNSECKER
Don't go wild, Sidney.
GROUP SHOT
SIDNEY
Wild? Take a look at them and see
who's wild...
Playing along nicely, Hunsecker looks at Steve and Frank and
slowly removes his arm from Susan; he pauses before asking
Dallas:
HUNSECKER
What about that...?
D'ANGELO
(uneasily)
Steve was excited...he didn't mean
it exactly the way it's stated
here...
HUNSECKER
(to Steve)
How did you mean it...?
SIDNEY SUSAN
What he likes to--- J.J., I don't want to say---
With a roar Hunsecker takes them both out of play; he stands
up.
SIDNEY, STEVE, D'ANGELO
Hunsecker enters from behind CAMERA.
HUNSECKER
Both of you keep quiet!
(to Sidney)
You've made more damage here in one
minute than a plague of locusts!
If you're tired, Susie, sit down---
this needs investigation!
(to Steve, quieter)
How did you mean it...?
(waiting)
Come on, let's go! Let's go!...
Steve is cornered, the other completely out of play. He
pauses:
STEVE
I don't take kindly to you and
Falco selling me ethics. Who's the
injured party here, you?
HUNSECKER
(with contempt)
Right now you're in no position to
ask questions! And your snide
remarks---
STEVE
(stronger)
Wait a minute, I haven't handed
over punishing privileges to you
YET! Put the whip down and I might
respect what you're saying...
Switching his leonine tail, Hunsecker looks broodingly at
Susie. Frank says one beseeching word, "Steve...", but no
one hears him.
HUNSECKER
Susie, did you know about this
accusation...?
SUSAN
SUSAN
(mutely)
No...
HUNSECKER
HUNSECKER
(abruptly)
Before you leave, son, I'll answer
your question---Susan Hunsecker is
the injured party here!
(balefully)
Or will I be hearing next that I
don't even have my sister's welfare
at heart...
STEVE AND SUSAN
Steve hesitates defensively but can't resist a small smile;
he moves nearer to Susan.
STEVE
Mr. Hunsecker, you've got more
twists than a barrel of pretzels.
HUNSECKER
(unturning)
You hear that, Susie...
(to Steve)
Continue please...
STEVE
(shaking his head)
I'm afraid I can't cope with them.
REVERSE ANGLE
Susan in foreground, Steve, Hunsecker and Sidney beyond.
STEVE (CONT'D)
(simply)
You're too shrewd for me so I'll
just be honest. Susie and I love
each other, if I'm not mistaken,
and we want to get married.
Hunsecker pauses; Sidney throws in a stage whisper:
SIDNEY
Give him credit---the boy's gall is
gorgeous!
STEVE
Why don't we hear what Susie has to
say?
HUNSECKER
(sardonically)
That's stout of you, Dallas, but
Susie may not care to air her
dismal views in public...
Steve walks to Susie, trying to lift her with his hopes and
air of gentle urging and support.
STEVE
Susie...?
SUSAN
She stares at the floor.
RESUME REVERSE ANGLE
Hunsecker doesn't like the drift of things; his mouth
tightens and he speaks to Susan with veiled warning:
HUNSECKER
Susie, as always, is free to say
anything she thinks. Go on, dear,
say exactly what's on your mind,
dear.
STEVE
Those "dears" sound like daggers.
May I suggest that you stop DARING
her to speak?
HUNSECKER
May I lift my eyebrows? What is
this? What are you trying to do?
STEVE
(strongly)
I'm trying to get Susie to stand up
to you. But your manner is so
threatening that she's afraid to
speak!
HUNSECKER
Son, you raise your voice again and
you'll be outa here on your golden
pratt!
SUSAN
Suddenly Susan lets loose, with restrained nervous energy;
she is near to tears.
SUSAN
Steve, if only for my sake, I want
this stopped! And the same goes
for you, too, J.J.!
HUNSECKER
He interjects.
HUNSECKER
(contritely)
Susie, I'm sorry if---
RESUME SUSAN
SUSAN
(bitterly)
Sometimes I think ALL men are
fools!...
Restraining tears, she runs up the steps to the stage.
STEVE, HUNSECKER AND SIDNEY
Steve looks after her. Sidney watches intently. Hunsecker's
smile is frostily taunting:
HUNSECKER
You see, Dallas, a plague on both
our houses...
(then)
We may have to call this game on
account of darkness...
Steve turns a blank-eyed stare at him. Tension gone, a slow
mumbling fatigue has set in. Hunsecker plays it light:
HUNSECKER
If looks could kill, I'm dead...
STEVE
(slowly)
No, I don't care about you --
you're fantastic. My whole
interest, if it's not too late, is
in Susie...and how to undo what
you've done to her...
HUNSECKER
(smiling)
And what have I done to her,
besides not buy her a new fur coat
lately? Sidney, you were right --
the boy's a dilly.
STEVE
(stung)
Why? Because I don't like the way
you toy with human lives? - Your
contempt and malice? Because I
won't be the accomplice of your
sick ego - and the way it's crippled
Susie...? You think of yourself -
you and your column - you see
yourself as a national glory...but
to me, and thousands of others like
me, you and your slimy scandal,
your phony patriotics - to me, Mr.
Hunsecker, you are a national
disgrace!
HUNSECKER
(blandly)
Son, I don't fancy shooting
mosquitoes with elephant guns. So
suppose you just shuffle along and
call it a day...
He turns and stares away, but Steve stops him with---
STEVE
But my day with Susie isn't over
yet and--
HUNSECKER
(cold)
Ten'll get you fifty you're playing
hookey from a padded cell!
STAGE
Hunsecker comes up the steps from the auditorium, Sidney
following closely behind. In background, beyond, Steve and
D'Angelo are walking up the aisle to the exit. CAMERA
TRACKS CLOSE on Sidney and Hunsecker. Hunsecker's face is
rigid. Sidney, close at his elbow, whispers:
SIDNEY
(softly)
You did it, J.J., you did it good...
Sidney is full of confidence. But Hunsecker barely hears
him (Hunsecker has been hurt very deeply by the boy's
attack; in particular, by the appalling fear that what Steve
has said is the kind of thing which Susan may also secretly
believe.)
ANOTHER ANGLE
Susan is still standing in the wings. Mary is with her,
obviously sympathetic. The girl is drying her eyes with
Kleenex, and Mary glances at her employer with a look of
reproach. Hunsecker walks round the table, obviously trying
to approach Susan; seeing this, Susan turns away and moves
further from him. Hunsecker stops.
HUNSECKER
There is some emotion in his face as he looks towards the
girl. More gently, he moves forward past CAMERA...
SUSAN
Sensing the approach of Hunsecker behind her, she moves away
again; she is still crying, but is trying to recover.
Presently Hunsecker approaches her again. He speaks very
gently, soothingly, comforting...
HUNSECKER
(softly)
You in a mood, Susie, to run over
to Milgrim's later and buy a few
new frocks?
SUSAN
(a small voice)
No. I'm going home.
Hunsecker again tries to come nearer to her.
HUNSECKER
Want Sidney to drive you over?
Ignoring the shake of her head, he calls to Sidney.
HUNSECKER
Drive Susie home.
HUNSECKER
Again we see some emotion in his face as he studies the girl.
His eyes flick towards the stage behind him where Sidney
stands watching. He moves gently forward and then speaks in
a quiet voice which reveals how desperately he needs her
reassurance:
HUNSECKER
Susie...I...I'd have to take it
very much amiss if you ever saw
that boy again.
SUSAN
After a pause, she turns towards him; she looks him straight
in the face.
SUSAN
(levelly)
I'll never see him again.
RESUME HUNSECKER
He seems to take this as a gesture of forgiveness from her.
Now he touches her. His need for her is apparent; he tries
to reach her, tries to find an excuse to embrace her. She
submits to this very passively.
SUSAN
A VERY CLOSE SHOT. We see the effort with which she is
controlling herself.
RESUME TWO SHOT
Satisfied with this crumb of affection from his sister,
Hunsecker lets her go. Susan moves away, still avoiding his
eyes. Then she goes off towards the steps down into the
auditorium. Sidney looks at Hunsecker, then after Susan and
follows her.
RESUME HUNSECKER
He goes back to Mary and the script. He instructs her:
HUNSECKER
Call Van Cleve. Tell him he was
right. Tell him I said the Dallas
boys are not worthy of his club.
Poring over the typewritten pages, he senses Mary's eyes on
him. He speaks to her quietly without raising his head and
there is still an undertone of feeling in his voice:
HUNSECKER
(without looking up)
Mary...for Susie's own good...don't
give her misplaced sympathy...
Mary says nothing. Hunsecker gathers his papers and with a
visible effort to resume his public personality turns
towards the machinery of the television broadcast in
background.
INT. TV THEATRE FOYER
Susan crosses towards the doors out onto the street. Sidney
comes behind her, watchful as he overtakes her near the
doors. He goes past her to open the door for her.
SIDNEY
I'll get you a cab...
Susan stops dead.
SUSAN
(coldly)
Get away from me.
She goes out into the street. Beyond, we see a crushing cab.
Hesitating, Sidney adds:
SIDNEY
J.J. asked me to drive you over
and -
But Susan has already moved out of shot, hurrying across the
sidewalk to hail the taxi.
RESUME SIDNEY
Uncertain what to do, whether to follow her or not, he moves
after her.
SUSAN
She has already opened the door of the taxi. She turns to
see Sidney come up behind her. As he enters SHOT, she
repeats:
SUSAN
I told you to leave! I don't know
if Steve'll ever talk to me again
and I'm ready to blame it all on you!
She starts to get into the cab...
SIDNEY
Alert, he moves to detain her (anxious to know exactly the
extent of her suspicion.)
SIDNEY
Susie...!
ANOTHER ANGLE
As Sidney steps up, he grasps at the door of the taxi,
trying to hold it open, but Susan pulls it shut, catching
his fingers in the door. Sidney steps back in pain...
TAXI
It drives off down Sixth Avenue.
SIDNEY
Nursing the injury to his hand, he looks after the
disappearing taxi. As he recovers from the pain, his
expression slowly changes to one of thoughtful appraisal.
(Susan's suspicions maybe of less importance than some other
considerations.)
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. TWENTY ONE CLUB WASHROOM - NIGHT
Hunsecker and Sidney are washing in adjoining basins. Coat
off, the former is in one of his punitive moods of silence.
Sidney, despite his throbbing, bandaged finger, is feeling
satisfied and self-confident. He hums quietly. Hunsecker
throws him annoyed side-glances, but Sidney refuses to
"catch on". The following dialogue is spaced between the
washing, the drying and hair-combing.
HUNSECKER
So that's what "integrity" looks
like. Well, I'm always willing to
learn...
(later)
How is that slob, D'Angelo, your
uncle?
Sidney no longer hums; after a moment, he answers.
SIDNEY
My mother's side--her brother.
That reminds me, J.J., Susie looks
run down. She can stand a vacation
and so can you. People say, "Oh,
the great J.J., he's made of
iron!", but you can use a rest, guy.
Sidney's cheerfulness annoys Hunsecker.
HUNSECKER
What are you so chipper about? If
I put a cross on every one of your
mistakes, you'd look like a
graveyard!
SIDNEY
(smiling)
But not for anything I did today...
HUNSECKER
Sidney, I know human nature. Susie
lied to me - she'll see that boy
again.
Hunsecker moves out of shot.
SIDNEY
You're right, J.J. - she won't give
him up, but it doesn't matter.
Because the real "money ball" is
the boy, not Susan. And if --
Hearing the sound of the door, Sidney turns sharply. CAMERA
MOVES to discover that Hunsecker has gone out. Sidney,
quickly, finishing the brushing of his hair, follows...
INT. DINING ROOM - "21" CLUB
Two waiters are fussing over Hunsecker's table at which
places are already set for Sidney and Hunsecker. Matre d'
hands him an envelope as he passes.
MATRE D'
Mr. Hunsecker this was to be
delivered to you personally -
When the columnist comes up to the table, the waiters
quickly pull out the table for him. Sidney comes to join
him; Sidney gets some attention, but considerably less.
CAMERA MOVES CLOSER.
HUNSECKER
These drinks are warm.
WAITER
You said you like to have them on
your table.
HUNSECKER
What are you a critic?
WAITER
I'll change --
HUNSECKER
Forget it.
(to Sidney)
The real money ball is the boy...
SIDNEY
Yeah, the boy...we're on the verge
of a farce, a real farce. As I see
it, if Susie had stood behind him
today he might have proved a threat.
But since primarily he's wedded to
his work, he's not going to be able
to take it.
A waiter shifts the position of the salad dish at Hunsecker's
elbow.
HUNSECKER
(to waiter)
Stop tinkering, pal - that horse
radish won't jump a fence!
The waiter retreats rapidly.
SIDNEY
In brief, J.J., it's all over
because any hour now the boy will
give her up. Is it a farce or not?
Delicately salting his oysters, Hunsecker looks obliquely at
Sidney.
HUNSECKER
This syrup you're giving out,
Sidney, you pour over waffles, not
J.J. Hunsecker! What do you mean
that lousy kid will give up my
sister?
Hunsecker, with a casual gesture, tugs lightly at the end of
Sidney's tie.
Hunsecker's gesture is playful, but it inflicts great injury
to Sidney's dignity; Sidney cannot bear to be touched; he
finds this liberty on J.J.'s part as intolerable as anything
he has experienced, and only with great difficulty controls
himself. The SHOT FAVORS Sidney.
SIDNEY AND HUNSECKER
Hunsecker continues:
HUNSECKER
Are you listening?
SIDNEY
(warily)
How does it matter who's sister?
The main thing, they're through
and -
HUNSECKER
From Sidney's viewpoint. Without turning, Hunsecker
interrupts:
HUNSECKER
Am I supposed to forget how that
boy talked to me today?
RESUME SIDNEY AND HUNSECKER
Sidney senses a warning in Hunsecker's manner. He protests:
SIDNEY
J.J., is he worthy of a second
glance from a man like you? Is he,
I mean?...
HUNSECKER
From Sidney's viewpoint. Pausing during the process of
eating, Hunsecker reaches into an inside pocket.
HUNSECKER
Brief epitaph: "The boy was talking
when he should have been listening."
(then)
Bite on this.
CAMERA PULLS BACK to include Sidney as Hunsecker tosses in
front of him an envelope. Sidney opens it, extracts two
steamship tickets.
SIDNEY
Steamship tickets?
HUNSECKER
(as he eats)
For the next sailing of the Mary.
Susan's run down - she's never been
abroad and as you so cogently put
it, I'm not made of iron.
Sidney slowly pushes the envelope back to Hunsecker, who
leaves it lying on the table before him.
SIDNEY
That's good. Now that louse is
outa Susie's hair for good.
SIDNEY
He has an instinct to laugh; but something tells him not to.
HUNSECKER
As Sidney makes no response, Hunsecker slowly, carefully
continues in a voice which is dangerously soft:
HUNSECKER
I want that boy taken apart.
SIDNEY AND HUNSECKER
SHOOTING ACROSS Hunsecker onto Sidney. Sidney puts down his
fork. He sees now that the issue is serious and must be
faced.
SIDNEY
(seriously)
Why do something that would drive
them right back into each other's
arms? Not to mention that this
time Susie would know who shot the
arrow...
HUNSECKER
(interjecting quietly)
She knows now.
SIDNEY
(quickly)
Why give her real proof? You
nearly ruined her with her first
husband - and you were right,
J.J., - but she almost followed him
out the window. What do you want -
a chronic invalid?
HUNSECKER
He wants no advice from Sidney. He interrupts with quiet
savagery.
HUNSECKER
I know how to handle Susie. You
just handle the boy, Sidney...
(scribbles on scratch pad)
...preferably tonight.
(pushes pad across to Sidney)
SIDNEY AND HUNSECKER
SHOOTING ACROSS Hunsecker onto Sidney. Sidney feels sick.
SIDNEY
Why, what's tomorrow - a holiday?
CAMERA MOVES CLOSER as Sidney picks scratch pad up. We can
read two words: "Get Kello".
SIDNEY
I think I'll go home - maybe I left
my sense of humor in another suit.
HUNSECKER
Hunsecker finishes eating. During the ensuing speech, which
he begins quietly and sensibly, Hunsecker's venomous feelings
are unexpectedly betrayed.
HUNSECKER
You've got that God-given brain -
learn to use it! Do you think it's
a personal matter with me, this boy?
Are you telling me I see things in
terms of personal pique? Don't you
see that today that boy wiped his
feet on the choice, on the
predilections of sixty million men
and women of the greatest country
in the world! If you had any
morals yourself, you would
understand the immorality of that
boy's stand today! It was not me
he criticized - it was my readers!...
CAMERA PULLS BACK to include Sidney. Hunsecker manages to
control himself; he reaches with nervous fingers toward his
scribbling pad.
SIDNEY
Sidney's face has tightened. He has begun now to realize
the extent of this man's megalomania. After a moment he
says:
SIDNEY
I'm leaving, J.J....
HUNSECKER AND SIDNEY
SHOOTING ACROSS Sidney onto Hunsecker.
HUNSECKER
(a quiet warning)
Don't remove the gangplank, Sidney;
you may wanna get back on board.
SIDNEY
Sidney feels the chill of despair upon him.
HUNSECKER
This crab gumbo - terrific!
HUNSECKER AND SIDNEY
SHOOTING ACROSS Hunsecker onto Sidney. A waiter has come to
serve the next course. Hunsecker appears relaxed, but
Sidney is sightlessly staring at the piece of paper in his
hand. He speaks with a quaver in his voice, for he has
worked hard to make a life which is now ready to relinquish:
SIDNEY
J.J., it's one thing to wear your
dog collar...but when it gets to be
a noose...I'd rather have my freedom.
HUNSECKER
The man in jail is always for
freedom.
Sidney begins to get up from the table.
SIDNEY
(as he rises)
Except, if you'll excuse me, I'm
not in jail.
Hunsecker looks up at Sidney.
HUNSECKER
From Sidney's viewpoint.
HUNSECKER
(easily)
Sure you're in jail, Sidney.
You're a prisoner of your own
fears, of your own greed and
ambition; you're in jail.
SIDNEY
From Hunsecker's viewpoint.
SIDNEY
J.J. If you're trying to -
He leans over Hunsecker and the CAMERA PULLS BACK to include
Hunsecker in f.g.
HUNSECKER
(interrupting)
You, little boy, don't know who you
are! Talking around corners with
the big shots, ten dollar dinners -
fourteen suits and cashmere coats -
you tell yourself THAT'S who you
are! Later you won't know who you
are without a penthouse on upper
Park! But underneath it all,
ratting around from day to day, you
DO know who you are! You're a
fearful, ignorant nobody - a poor
wop kid from the slums of Philly -
hoping nobody else finds it out!
SIDNEY
A CLOSE UP. He knows the truth of what is said. But he
takes refuge in quiet retaliation:
SIDNEY
A little hunch occurs to me - you
have just painted a self-portrait.
You know who YOU are because you
scare people - that's what you've
got against this boy. He -
HUNSECKER
Hunsecker is prepared to give it out, but not take it.
HUNSECKER
(cutting in)
I told you what I want you to do
tonight!
SIDNEY
He looks down on Hunsecker, leans over the table.
SIDNEY
You're blind, Mr. Magoo. This is a
crossroads for me. I won't get
Kello. Not for a life-time pass to
the Polo Grounds. Not if you serve
me Ingrid Bergman on a plate.
CAMERA has PULLED BACK to include Hunsecker, whose attention
has returned to his food.
HUNSECKER
(over patient)
Sidney, I told you -
SIDNEY
(continuing)
J.J., I swear to you on my mother's
life, I won't do it.
(he leans even closer)
If you gave me your COLUMN I
wouldn't do a thing like that...
But as he speaks the last words, Sidney's voice falters
because he has glanced down at the table...
SIDNEY
We see that an idea has entered his head - an idea that
takes the wind out of his indignation. His eyes lift
rapidly to Hunsecker's face.
HUNSECKER
(delicately touching
the envelope)
And who do you think writes the
column while Susie and I are away
for three months?...
RESUME SIDNEY
He is quite speechless. Over scene Hunsecker's voice:
HUNSECKER (V.O.)
(continuing)
...The man in the moon?
HUNSECKER AND SIDNEY
CAMERA SHOOTS across Sidney again onto Hunsecker. Hunsecker
leans back, looks at Sidney.
Seeing that Sidney has accepted the proposition, he smiles.
HUNSECKER
(softly)
Thank you, Sidney.
In a pleasantly affable way, he leans across the table to
tap the hand with which Sidney is leaning on the table.
HUNSECKER
And, Sidney, I'll have that piece
of paper back...
Helplessly, Sidney unclenches a fist and reveals the slip of
paper which he had meant to keep. Hunsecker takes it. With
his eyes on Sidney, he slowly tears it up...
LAP DISSOLVE TO:
CIGAR STAND AND PHONE BOOTH - EVENING
D'Angelo is buying a cigar at the counter. He turns as
Steve opens the door of one of the booths and comes out.
Steve is in a gloomy, irksome mood; D'Angelo is sympathetic
and fatherly.
STEVE
She'll be down in a minute.
CAMERA TRACKS with them as they come out into the hallway.
They move towards the side entrance, away from the elevators.
D'ANGELO
What does she wanna see you about?
The boy shrugs impatiently.
STEVE
She didn't say.
Some passersby come down the hall and enter a waiting
elevator, barely glancing at D'Angelo and the boy. D'Angelo
feels uneasy.
D'ANGELO
I could think of better places to
meet her, instead of here. He
lives on the whole top floor.
STEVE
(carelessly)
I doubt that it matters any more.
D'ANGELO
He addresses Steve soberly.
D'ANGELO
Steve. You made a very dangerous
enemy of him today. Matter of
fact, I'm very glad we got the tour
ahead. If I'm any judge, you hurt
him today where he lives... He
won't forget it and he won't
forgive...
RESUME STEVE AND D'ANGELO
Steve is silent. He hears the sound of the elevator door
opening and turns.
Susan comes out of the elevator, the one farthest from them,
and looks around.
SUSAN
(as she comes forward
to join them)
Good evening, Mr. D'Angelo.
D'Angelo acknowledges her greeting, touches his hat and
retires tactfully. Susan faces Steve. It's an awkward
meeting. Each does not know where the other stands. She
has thrown her fur coat about her shoulders like a cloak; it
will keep slipping off. He is faintly embittered, a little
hurt and baffled, but he is sympathetic; he is involved and
concerned.
MED. CLOSE TWO SHOT OVER SHOULDER - SUSAN TO STEVE
SUSAN
Hello, Steve. I'm glad you could
come.
STEVE
Why did you call me?
SUSAN
Would you buy me a cup of coffee?
In there...
REVERSE ANGLE
Susan nods in the direction of the door into the little cafe.
STEVE
Sure.
As he walks with her towards the cafe:
STEVE
We're on our way to Robard's for a
benefit. I've only got five
minutes...
INT. CAFE
As they enter the cafe, the Counterman looks up from counting
the day's take at the far end.
COUNTERMAN
Too late for service.
STEVE
Just two cups of java.
COUNTERMAN
(with a twinkle)
We serve here only moka coffee.
STEVE
(smiling faintly)
Make it moke.
The Counterman goes to the urn for the coffee.
SUSAN AND STEVE
A closer angle. They talk in quiet undertones. Steve waits
for her to speak first; she starts slowly, hesitantly, with
difficulty:
SUSAN
Steve...what you tried to do
today...you tried to take me up on
a high mountain...I couldn't go all
the way...I failed you...
(a pause)
Will you forgive me?
(then)
Have I lost you, Steve? Have I...?
STEVE
Well, maybe I was wrong, too... But
there's no doubt, Susie, that we
have to face some serious things...
SUSAN
No one's ever stood up to my
brother the way you did.
STEVE
(quietly, to the point)
But you didn't do much about it,
Susie. You walked out, and there I
was...solo...and not too good at
that.
SUSAN
I just didn't think that I could
antagonize him, Steve -- for OUR
sake, I mean.
STEVE
STEVE
Susie, I was there for OUR sake,
too. But what a world it would be
if we were all afraid to learn to
walk and talk because it might
offend poppa! By the way, I think
your brother was completely
responsible for the smears...
SUSAN
This accusation is made lightly, in passing. But Susan
reacts to it, trying to interject:
SUSAN
Steve, I...
STEVE
(overriding her)
But I don't care about that now.
He knew what he was doing today.
He was laying down the conditions
under which he MIGHT consent to our
marriage - if I would bend to every
whim of his, like Sidney! I
couldn't do that, Susie...
SUSAN
After a pause, she says:
SUSAN
You're saying goodbye, aren't you?
SUSAN AND STEVE
Steve flares up.
STEVE
No! I'm saying that for your sake
you have to make a clean break with
your brother!
SUSAN
(wrenched)
But, please, Steve, please - one
step at a time! I was born only
yesterday!...
STEVE
(pausing, softer)
I told your brother I couldn't be
his accomplice. I can't be yours
either, Susie, and encourage him to
go on pulverizing you. I know what
type - he's my old man all over
again!
Susan, pathetically despairing, fingers the handle of her
coffee cup, which she has not touched. The coat slips from
her shoulders...
ANOTHER ANGLE
Steve stoops to pick it up, replaces it on her shoulders.
STEVE
This beautiful coat is more than
just a coat... I hate it! It's a
mink straight-jacket!
Susan turns to him. She is deflated, lacking all will power.
SUSAN
(drooping)
Steve, I feel exhausted...what do
you want me to do?
STEVE
(not sure of himself)
Not what you're doing now. At
least don't ask me - don't ask him.
You're fighting for your life!
What do YOU want to do?
SUSAN
(pausing, woodenly)
You are saying goodbye, aren't
you...?
STEVE
He reacts vigorously, protesting:
STEVE
(impatiently)
That's fish four days old...! I
can't buy it, Susie! Right out of
that mouth I love, like you're a
ventriloquist's dummy, your BROTHER
is saying goodbye! Gee!...you want
me to be honest, don't you?!
SUSAN
A despairing cry:
SUSAN
No, Steve, I don't. I don't. Not
if it KILLS me I don't!...
SUSAN AND STEVE
It takes her a moment to recover. When she does so, she
gets up, leaving the counter.
SUSAN
(without luster)
Let's not talk any more...you have
to go...
She moves towards the exit into the hallway; he follows.
HALLWAY
D'Angelo is waiting for them. Silently they come up to join
him, very depressed. Susan looks towards D'Angelo, speaks a
little pathetically:
SUSAN
Goodbye, Mr. D'Angelo. Take care
of Steve.
D'ANGELO
(softly)
I will, Miss Hunsecker.
He walks a little way down the corridor, again leaving them
alone.
SUSAN AND STEVE
She smiles at him, trying to smile, trying to make a joke.
SUSAN
Say something funny...Mr.
Hasenfeffer.
Steve steps to her quickly, kisses her. Then he turns and
swiftly walks off down the corridor without a backward
glance. He goes past D'Angelo, who walks quietly after him
towards the exit in background.
SUSAN
She remains just in the attitude in which he left her.
EXT. BRILL BUILDING - NIGHT
Steve comes out of the door, pauses without looking back.
D'Angelo comes up behind him.
STEVE
(after a moment)
Look back, Frank, see if she's
still standing there...
D'Angelo looks discreetly over his shoulder.
SUSAN
From D'Angelo's point of view. She is still standing where
Steve left her.
RESUME STEVE AND D'ANGELO
D'Angelo turns back to Steve.
D'ANGELO
Still there...
Steve, still without looking back, walks up the street;
CAMERA TRACKING WITH THEM.
D'ANGELO
(with sympathy)
Not that I don't like her - she's a
very lovely person, but who can
tell? A year from now you might
thank your stars that it turned out
this way.
(changing the subject)
By the way, Robard said that...
Steve, his manner full of pain, stops.
STEVE
Frank, I don't want to make the
benefit. They'll be jammin' all
night, and the way I feel -- I'd
like to be alone -- I'd like just
to walk and walk and never come back.
D'Angelo takes him firmly by the arm.
D'ANGELO
No. I don't leave you alone on a
night like this. And, anyway, you
promised...
Steve looks at him, knowing that he can never shake off the
devoted Frank; he shrugs. They walk past CAMERA.
INT. HUNSECKER'S PENTHOUSE - NIGHT
The heavy brass doors of the elevator slide open and the
Elevator Man pulls open the grille. Susan, still in the
mood in which Steve left her, stands in the elevator for a
moment before she realizes that she has reached the top
floor. As she walks out, the Elevator Man looks at her
anxiously. CAMERA PANS with Susan towards the door to the
apartment. Susan fumbles for her key.
INT. HUNSECKER'S PENTHOUSE
The apartment is dark as Susan enters. She does not switch
on the lights. She walks through the shadows of the big
room, which has a grim and menacing atmosphere. She kicks
off her shoes and, hugging the coat about her for warmth
walks to the glass windows of the terrace. After a moment
she opens them and steps out.
EXT. TERRACE - NIGHT
Susan walks across the terrace. At this height the wind is
very strong. CAMERA TRACKS with the girl, emphasizing the
dizzying panorama of New York at night. The girl's manner
is strange; she moves as if under compulsion, a sleepwalker.
When she reaches the stone parapet, she leans against it
with her body slumped, still hugging the fur coat as if it
were some protection against her misery.
EXT. FROM THE TERRACE - NIGHT
Vertically downward. From Susan's point of view. The stone
sidewalks of Broadway are a terrifying distance below.
SUSAN
An angle, shooting sharply upwards against the night sky.
Wind blows the girl's hair, as she looks fixedly downwards.
Her face is blank, expressionless. (For a moment we may fear
for her, afraid that she may have suicide in mind.) But
presently she lifts her head looking towards the horizon...
LAP DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. ROBARD'S CLUB - NIGHT
CAMERA SHOOTS PAST the entrance to Robard's Club, framing
the outline of the bridge in sky in background. From inside
comes the sound of music -- the Quintet.
The taxi drives up; Sidney gets out; he glances at his
wristwatch, looks around and then makes his way into the club.
INT. ROBARD'S CLUB - NIGHT
Steve Dallas' Quintet on the stand. CAMERA FRAMES the group
in foreground, SHOOTING towards the entrance way.
INT. ROBARD'S CLUB - NIGHT
Sidney has come in through the entrance. He is taking off
his overcoat. He moves forward past the hat check room on
the left, approaching the recess in which several music
cases are stacked beside a coat rack on which the musicians'
overcoats are hung.
DETAIL
As he hangs up his coat, Sidney identifies the other coat, a
black and white check raglan which he (and we) saw Steve
wearing when he visited Hunsecker at the TV Studio.
SIDNEY
A CLOSE SHOT. The coat appears to have some significance
for him; Sidney is under tension.
A waiter, carrying a carton of beer cans, comes out of the
doorway just behind Sidney, moving between him and the
overcoat. Thus interrupted, Sidney turns away.
INT. ROBARD'S CLUB - NIGHT
Robard is standing at the bar, surrounded by a group of his
cronies. Drink is flowing and there is a sentimental mood
of celebration.
As Sidney arrives at the bar, ordering a drink, FRANK
D'ANGELO is seen coming from the interior of the club where
Dallas and the Quintet can be seen playing; D'Angelo accosts
Robard:
D'ANGELO
Lew, Steve don't feel too good...
ROBARD
(interjecting)
I'm sorry to hear it.
REVERSE ANGLE
CAMERA shoots past D'Angelo and Robard in f.g. towards
Sidney, who overhears:
D'ANGELO
(continuing)
...So, if you don't mind, he'll
leave after this set.
In b.g., Sidney sets down his drink, reacting to this
information. Robard clamps D'Angelo on the shoulder,
reassuring him with warm emphasis:
ROBARD
I like that boy, Frank. Anything
he does is okay with me...
SIDNEY
Sidney, thinking rapidly, leaves the bar, moving
unobtrusively but purposefully towards a telephone booth.
He enters and closes the door.
PHONE BOOTH
A CLOSER ANGLE. Shooting through the glass panel we see
Sidney dialing. His manner is urgent.
QUICK LAP DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. ROBARD'S CLUB - NIGHT
A long shot of the club exterior. A different musical
number is now being played in the interior. (GOODBYE BABY).
A black car comes swiftly under the bridge, turns into the
little square opposite the club, braking sharply.
CLOSER ANGLE
As the car comes to a stop, CAMERA shoots across the hood
onto the windshield where we see the insignia: POLICE.
The occupants of the car are not visible.
INT/EXT. ROBARD'S CLUB
Sidney lingers near the doorway of the club. He is looking
across the square towards the car which can be seen in b.g.
Now he turns and walks towards the coat rack, CAMERA tracking
with him. He takes his own coat and, as he thrusts his arm
into the sleeve, contrives neatly to slip some unseen object
into the pocket of Steve's overcoat; CAMERA notes the
gesture, but only very briefly. Overscene a voice addresses
Sidney:
D'ANGELO (O.S.)
Hey!..........
SIDNEY
A CLOSE UP. As he turns in swift apprehension, we note the
moment of panic in his face.
REVERSE ANGLE
CAMERA shoots past Sidney in foreground towards D'Angelo who
advances on Sidney. D'Angelo's manner is unfriendly; for an
instant we feel, like Sidney, that D'Angelo may have seen
Sidney tampering with Steve's coat, but then we are reassured
as D'Angelo, deliberately using Sidney's surname, says:
D'ANGELO
(continuing)
Mr. Falco...I hate to give you this
satisfaction - they broke it off
tonight for good.
REVERSE ANGLE
Shooting across D'Angelo onto Sidney, who now relaxes, his
fears ungrounded.
D'ANGELO
(continuing)
Tell that to Hunsecker - tell him
we agree - he's a big man - he wins
all the marbles!
SIDNEY
As D'Angelo moves away again Sidney looks after him. Once
more his face goes tense. (He asks himself, does this
development - which he himself anticipated - change the
situation?) He turns away, moving out of shot.
ANOTHER ANGLE
CAMERA moves with Sidney as he walks towards the doorway.
There he hesitates again; he looks back into the club.
DALLAS
From Sidney's viewpoint. A LONG SHOT of Steve on the
bandstand. CAMERA PANS deliberately towards the coatrack in
f.g. A group of newly arrived musicians walk into the shot,
setting down their instrument cases and starting to hang up
their coats. (Clearly, Sidney could not now return to the
coat rack - even if he decided that he did want to undo his
handiwork.)
RESUME SIDNEY
CAMERA, shooting out across the square, frames Sidney in f.g.
Facing the inevitable, Sidney turns away, walks across the
sidewalk. On the other side of the square the headlamps of
the car blink twice. Sidney walks towards it.
POLICE CAR
A big man gets out of the seat next to the driver. As he
comes round the hood of the car, the headlamps of a passing
truck illuminate him, identifying HARRY KELLO. CAMERA PANS
as he walks to meet Sidney.
CLOSER ANGLE
Kello pauses as Sidney comes up to him, asks affably:
KELLO
What's all the rush? You said
three o'clock.
SIDNEY
(glancing back
towards club)
He's leaving early. After this
"set". He'll be out in a couple of
minutes...
They wait for a moment, listening to the sound of the music
in the distance. It is a blues number (GOODBYE BABY) Kello
hums nonchalantly; Sidney glances at him with irritation,
finding something gruesome in his relaxed manner.
INT. POLICE CAR
There are two plainclothes policemen inside, one at the
wheel, the other in the back seat. The latter leans forward
to ask the former:
1ST POLICEMAN
What's this deal tonight?
MURPH
(the 2nd policeman)
One of the lieutenant's "surprise
parties", I think.
Murph's tone shows obvious repugnance. The 1st Policeman
broods for a moment; he adds in a quiet, but viciously
resentful manner:
1ST POLICEMAN
One of these days I'd like to turn
in my badge and tangle with "POPSIE"
myself - he's no good.
RESUME KELLO AND SIDNEY
Sidney, increasingly uncomfortable, turns to Kello.
SIDNEY
Can't you wait up the block? It's
not going to look so good, right in
front of the club...
To Kello this is a great joke. He laughs, enjoying Sidney's
uneasiness. He begins to "cat and mouse" Sidney.
KELLO
(heavily humorous)
It's nice, Sidney, that you give me
this tip...
SIDNEY
(interjecting)
- He's got them on him.
KELLO
(solemnly nodding his approval)
...And he's got them on him. I
appreciate a thing like that - I
appreciate where you are looking
out for the virtue of the city.
Sidney, annoyed at this sarcasm, moves past Kello, not
deigning to respond. As he goes by, Kello grasps him
forcibly by the arm.
KELLO
What's your hurry, Snooks?
CAMERA HAS PANNED to SHOOT towards the car out of which
emerges a second detective.
SIDNEY
(revolted)
Take your hands off, Kello...
Kello, holding Sidney, turns towards the second detective in
background.
KELLO
Murph, how do you like this face?
Why, I'll be darned -- it's melting!
Something got you scared, Sidney...?
Listen, rectify me a certain thing.
Wasn't you kidding, Snooks, when
you told J.J. I was fat...?
Sidney jerks his arm away, rapidly retreats a few yards, a
safe distance from Kello. CAMERA PANS with him to the
bottom of the steps.
SIDNEY
Sleep in peace, Kello -- you're
skinny -- but J.J. says you sweat!
ANOTHER ANGLE
Sidney in foreground, Kello and Murph beyond. Kello laughs;
but obviously he would like to be nearer to Sidney. Perhaps
to detain Sidney, Kello drawls:
KELLO
Is that a fact? He's a dilly,
ain't he? By the by, what did he
have against this boy?
SIDNEY
He goes out with girls.
KELLO
Well, I'll be darned. And what
does J.J. think he SHOULD do?
SIDNEY
(impudently)
Go out with DIFFERENT girls!
KELLO
He moves forward a little.
KELLO
(softly now)
I get the peculiar impression,
Snooks, that you don't like me.
Could I be wrong?
SIDNEY
He turns swiftly and goes up the stairs out of Kello's reach.
SIDNEY
(as he goes)
You could be right, you fat slob?
ANOTHER ANGLE
From half-way up the stairs. Sidney comes up the steps two
at a time. Kello and Murphy are seen beyond.
KELLO
(with a guffaw)
Come back here, Sidney...I wanna
chastise you!...
FROM THE BRIDGE
Sidney reaches the top. He comes along the pedestrian walk
up to CAMERA, slowing down he turns across the rail and
looks down towards the square. CAMERA MOVES to take in the
scene in WIDE ANGLE: Sidney in foreground, the police car
and detectives below, the entrance to Robard's across the
square. Sidney waits. In the distance we can hear the
music of Dallas' last number coming to an end.
INT. ROBARD'S CLUB
The last bars of the number. Enthusiastic applause.
STEVE
He responds to the ovation, nicely but a little wearily. He
gets down off the stand. There is too much noise to hear
his parting words to his fellow musicians, but it is clear
that he is urging them to stay without him. He walks off
towards the entrance to the club.
D'ANGELO
D'Angelo leaves the bar, in search of Steve. He sees...
INT/EXT. ROBARD'S CLUB - NIGHT
Steve is putting his guitar away in the case, collecting his
overcoat. In this gesture he is arrested by the sound of
D'Angelo's voice over scene.
D'ANGELO (O.S.)
(urgently)
Steve!
Steve, mildly startled, looks up.
REVERSE ANGLE
Shooting into the club. D'Angelo comes forward from the bar.
He is a little drunk, a little emotional. He waddles toward
Steve, then takes the white carnation out of his buttonhole
and puts it in the buttonhole of Steve's coat, saying:
D'ANGELO
(fondly)
Press this in your friendship
book...Love is a crooked thing,
friendship not...
(then, sheepishly)
You see, it comes out in the wash
of a few drinks -- I'm a very
sentimental guy.
RESUME ROBARD'S CLUB
Steve is touched.
STEVE
I like it that way, Frank...don't
change.
He picks up his guitar case and makes for the door. D'Angelo
goes a few paces with him, CAMERA TRACKING. Then it moves
past D'Angelo, following Steve out onto the sidewalk, where
he stands under the light of the club framed against the
dark background of the square.
FROM THE BRIDGE
CAMERA PANS from the small figure of Steve to include Sidney
big in foreground. Below him Kello and Murph turn towards
the club.
KELLO
CLOSER ANGLE downward from Sidney's viewpoint. Kello turns
deliberately to look at the bridge above.
RESUME BRIDGE
Sidney sees Kello's look; he nods deliberately. Below him
we see Kello and Murphy move swiftly to get into the car.
Sidney, as if shrinking from a sight from which he doesn't
wish to witness, draws back from the balustrade. He turns
and begins to walk towards CAMERA.
POLICE CAR
A LOW ANGLE SHOOTING upwards at the car, the stairs to the
bridge in background. As the doors of the car slam, it
starts to move forward and, abruptly, its headlamps are
switched on, glaring into the lens.
EXT. ROBARD'S CLUB - NIGHT
Steve, concerned only with his only melancholy thoughts,
walks down the sidewalk under the bridge. The car headlamps
illuminate him in their glare as they move across him.
Steve, without undue, interest, glances back but continues
on his way.
CAMERA SHOOTS eastward towards the silhouette of the bridge.
The Police Car turns as it comes out of the square under the
bridge towards CAMERA. It moves slowly; again its headlamps
flare into the lens. CAMERA PULLING BACK includes Steve in
foreground. Behind him the Police Car slows down at the
curb; it barely stops as Kello slips out of the off-side
door; then the car moves forward along the curb leaving him
behind Steve. As the car goes out of picture past CAMERA,
Kello strolls across the sidewalk, following Steve. Steve,
looking past CAMERA, notices...
REVERSE ANGLE
CAMERA SHOOTS toward 2nd Avenue. The Police Car slows down
again at the curb and Murph gets out of it, turning to face
Steve.
RESUME
Steve, seeing the man ahead of him, notes something slightly
menacing in his manner and slows down in his walk. Then,
instinctively, he realizes that there is a second man behind
him, turns to look at Kello. Kello approaches.
KELLO
Hey, fella...!
CAMERA MOVES CLOSER and CLOSER on Steve. In his face we see
a growing sense of something wrong...
INT. ROBARD'S CLUB
A JUMP CUT. Loud noise, Chico Hamilton on the drums...
INT. BAR
Another jump cut in the sound track. Silence. It is an
empty saloon, occupied only by a solitary drinker at one end
of the long bar, nursing a beer, and by the bartender who is
making out a dope sheet. Sidney enters, strides to the bar
and throws down a jangling half dollar.
SIDNEY
A bunch of nickels, mister!
While the change is made, Sidney stands with cocked head,
listening in reality or imagination to what is happening
down the street. As the barman supplies the change, Sidney
goes to the juke box and loads it with nickels saying over
his shoulder:
SIDNEY
A double Johnny Walker Black. Or
whatever you got. Scotch.
Sidney puts both hands on the juke box as if leaning on it.
With a click, drop and whirl, the music box comes to life;
music blares out. Pausing a moment, Sidney turns back
toward the bar.
SIDNEY
He reaches for his drink, downs it. He is shivering.
INT. ROBARD'S CLUB - NIGHT
Once more, an abrupt sound transition: the jam session at
full blast. CAMERA FRAMES the musicians in foreground, but
moves away from them towards the entrance in background.
Near the doorway there is some activity; an attendant
beckons to Robard who is drinking with D'Angelo. Robard
moves toward the entrance.
INT/EXT. ROBARD'S CLUB - NIGHT
CAMERA STARTS on D'Angelo at the bar. He looks off after
Robard. There is little concern in his face, but as he
watches, curiosity grows. He strolls out after the
proprietor. CAMERA TRACKS with him as D'Angelo comes to
join the little mob of two or three people on the sidewalk.
PANNING, THE CAMERA now SHOOTS TOWARDS 2nd Avenue. Beyond
the bridge we can see the Police Car. Kello and Murphy are
beside one of the open doors (into which Steve has been
carried). Murphy turns back, walks a few paces across the
sidewalk and picks up Steve's music case, which he carries
back to the Squad Car. He gets in and the car drives off.
BOUNCER
Hey, Robard, somebody just picked
up one of your boys.
ROBARD
What sa -- Wha --
REVERSE ANGLE
D'Angelo's face shows a bewildered astonishment and dismay
as he turns back to the couple of people who are talking to
Robard. D'Angelo is a little befuddled with drink. He
pushes towards Robard.
D'ANGELO
(dazed)
Whatsa matter, Lou?
ROBARD
(turning to D'Angelo)
I'm trying to find out myself.
They just picked up Steve.
LOITERER
(blankly)
Some fat guy...
2ND LOITERER
A cop, a couple of cops.
LOITERER
They smeared him all over the lot.
D'ANGELO
He turns to look back towards the direction in which the
Police Car has departed. He seems unable to comprehend what
he has heard; but a slow and terrible fear is dawning on
him...
LAP DISSOLVE TO:
Susan opens the door to discover Frank D'Angelo in lobby.
He speaks at once:
D'ANGELO
I'm looking for your brother. Is
he home?
SUSAN
No.
(sensing the
seriousness of his manner)
Mr. D'Angelo - is something wrong?
D'Angelo has no wish to become involved with the girl; he
doesn't reply.
D'ANGELO
When does he usually gets in, your
night-owl brother?
SUSAN
Seldom before five.
(again)
What's the matter? Would you care
to come in a minute?
D'Angelo backs away, shaking his head.
D'ANGELO
No...no. Thanks.
He turns back to the elevator. Susan closes the door, but
slowly; she is watching D'Angelo. CAMERA MOVES WITH D'Angelo
as he goes to the bell of the elevator and rings it. He
remains in this position, waiting for the elevator, but now
(believing himself to be alone) he leans his head against
the wall and begins to weep, quietly. Surprisingly, Susan
is abruptly at his elbow, she seizes him forcibly by the
arm, demanding:
SUSAN
(taut)
Something's happened. To Steve.
D'Angelo, with his face contorted in grief and bitterness,
can no longer refuse to answer her.
D'ANGELO
(in a broken voice)
He's in the hospital...He's under
arrest, too... They planted reefer
cigarettes on him...in his overcoat
pocket.
Susan is becoming hysterical.
SUSAN
(wildly)
Where is he...I want to go to him...
D'Angelo recovers his self control. There is force and
authority in his voice as he insists:
D'ANGELO
Miss Hunsecker, if you see him
again they might...might kill him.
Susan is sobered by his seriousness.
SUSAN
(slowly)
Who is "they"?
D'ANGELO
Don't ask foolish questions.
(then)
Tell your brother I'm a sensible
man. He understands only two
things - power-politics and homage -
tell him I came tonight to pay
homage!
INT. HALLWAY - HUNSECKER'S PENTHOUSE
The elevator door opens and Sidney steps out: He crosses to
the door of the apartment, pushes the button. The bell is
heard ringing inside. While he waits, Sidney produces a
handkerchief, dabs his face, straightens his tie; clearly he
is trying to sober up. He goes to the bell push to ring
again. Now he notices something that had escaped him
before: the door is not quite shut. He pushes it open.
INT. HUNSECKER'S PENTHOUSE
From inside. Sidney hesitates, enters tentatively.
LONGER ANGLE
The apartment appears empty. Only one light is lit; the
place is eerie.
RESUME SIDNEY
Sidney closes the door, goes into the main living room,
CAMERA pans with him. Something chills him, he calls
softly, "J.J.?"
ANOTHER ANGLE
Sidney walks towards the study, there is nobody there either.
He goes back towards the stairs to the upper floor; in doing
so he repasses the door of Susan's bedroom, sees that it is
half open, goes to look in.
INT. BEDROOM
From Sidney's viewpoint. The bed has been slept in but is
unoccupied. The room is empty.
On the seat at the foot of the bed is a drawer that has been
pulled out of the wardrobe; it contains a collection of
miscellaneous objects, a snapshot album, letters, souvenirs,
disarranged as if someone had been looking at them.
SIDNEY
He looks at the empty room, disturbed.
RESUME BEDROOM
The curtains of the window onto the terrace are blowing: the
window is open. Sidney walks into shot form behind CAMERA.
He calls:
SIDNEY
Susan?
Susan steps into the room from the terrace, confronting
Sidney. She is dressed, wearing the fur coat over a skirt
and blouse. Her manner is very strange; the effect of the
drugs, no doubt.
RESUME SIDNEY
Sidney is very uncomfortable in her presence; Susan is the
last person he wants to have conversation with.
SIDNEY
Where's J.J.?
He retreats across the threshold of the bedroom, into the
outer room.
RESUME SUSAN AND SIDNEY
She walks forwards.
SUSAN
He isn't here...
INT. LIVING ROOM
Sidney stands back to let her pass.
SIDNEY
But he called and said...
Susan comes out of the bedroom, walks past CAMERA.
SUSAN
No, I called...
He studies the girl, says nothing.
LONGER ANGLE
She walks listlessly across the room, moving like a
somnambulist.
SUSAN
Mr. D'Angelo phoned about Steve...I
went down to the hospital, but they
wouldn't let me in. He promised to
keep in touch with me - Mr.
D'Angelo, I mean...
RESUME SIDNEY
He watches her cautiously, not sure of how to deal with her.
SIDNEY
(carefully)
It's all over town about Dallas...
(moving towards her)
How is he?
SUSAN
A CLOSE UP. Susan's expression is blank; her eyes are
unseeing.
SUSAN
He's...unconscious...
There is a tone of great despair in her voice. Presently,
she recovers, CAMERA eases back to include Sidney beyond.
She glances at him.
SUSAN
I...I gave Steve up...
(then)
Why did you and J.J. do it?
RESUME SIDNEY
Sidney looks at her, tensely. Her voice is so calm, so
certain that Sidney finds it difficult to play-act innocence.
He protests a little too loudly:
SIDNEY
Susie, if I get your meaning,
you're pitching very wild balls.
What -
RESUME SUSAN AND SIDNEY
Susan interrupts, with a simplicity which is damaging.
SUSAN
Don't bother to lie, Sidney.
(moving away)
I don't care anymore.
LONGER ANGLE
Sidney decides that it is wiser not to argue. He assumes a
tolerant sympathy. He moves towards her.
SIDNEY
Listen, get a good night's sleep -
tomorrow's another day. Feeling
sorry for yourself won't help.
SUSAN
(shaking her head)
I'm sorry about Steve, not myself.
I'm even sorry for my brother. To
be so lonely, without one real
friend in the world - to have to
hang on to a worthless rag of a
girl like me because she's his only
real family -
SIDNEY
(moving towards her again)
Come on now, chickie, why don't you
go to bed...?
Now she turns to him.
SUSAN
And I'm sorry for you, too, Sidney.
You're going down with the ship.
SIDNEY
What ship?
She walks past him, still aimlessly wandering about the
room; then she turns back, indicates herself.
SUSAN
THIS ship.
She studies Sidney.
SUSAN
Don't you know how my brother will
see you after tonight? You'll be
the man who drove his little
stainless sister to suicide...
REVERSE ANGLE
Shaken, Sidney decides to ridicule the implied threat.
SIDNEY
Honey, I'll just have to smile at
that.
He walks past CAMERA.
RESUME SUSAN
Sidney walks into shot, going past her on his way to the door.
SIDNEY
(as he goes)
It's late and I'm going home...
Susan, in foreground, remains quite still, says nothing. In
background, Sidney slows down, his confidence failing him;
he looks back at her.
SIDNEY
He can't go. Probably, she's bluffing. But he can't be
certain. He is suddenly angry.
RESUME SUSAN AND SIDNEY
He strides back towards her.
SIDNEY
Susie, whatever problems you have
with J.J. - I didn't invent them!
What're you blaming me for? If you
learned to let out your hatred you
would be better off!
SUSAN
Like you?
SIDNEY
Yeah! Like me! I don't choke on
my own gall - I fight back! Let
THEM choke, not me!
SUSAN
I'm not a man, Sidney, I'm -
SIDNEY
I know that bit - you're a girl;
you need a man to give you strength!
So what do you pick such weak
sisters for? Don't you know yet
that you fight fire with fire, not
with tear drops?
SUSAN
I could almost forgive you if what
you did to Steve came from jealousy
and love...
SIDNEY
(quickly)
I didn't do anything!
SUSAN
...but you did it for greed,
Sidney - and that's pathetic.
She moves past him. He grips her, turning her around.
SIDNEY
Don't run away - I was always the
man for you! I'm talking to you
out of two years of silence -
listen to what I say! Inside of
six months -
SUSAN
(helplessly)
Please, Sidney, I can't stand this -
CAMERA HOLDS Sidney and Susan in foreground. But it is now
shooting towards the door of the apartment. A PANNING
movement has included a figure at the other end of the big
room...
HUNSECKER
He is taking off his overcoat near the door of the apartment.
We don't know how long he has been there, how much he has
overheard. Without appearing to be consciously spying,
Hunsecker is listening to Sidney's voice over scene.
SIDNEY
(over scene)
Listen to me, lunatic! All your
life you've been doing penance for
crimes you never committed! I
could change that, I'd teach you,
I'd show you - !
CAMERA PANS round with Hunsecker who strolls across the
room, making his presence known. Sidney breaks off, drops
his hands, releasing the girl. Susan turns towards Hunsecker.
Hunsecker lays his briefcase and papers on the table. He
addresses Susan without looking at her.
HUNSECKER
Go to bed, Susie. It's late...
Susan makes no move. Hunsecker glances at her, sees Sidney
but treats Sidney as if he were invisible.
HUNSECKER
(to Susan)
What is he doing here?
Susan walks towards Hunsecker.
SUSAN
I called him.
Sidney moves forward also.
SIDNEY
(carefully)
She was depressed - she heard about
Dallas.
Hunsecker still ignores his existence, he walks past Susan
carrying his papers to the desk. Susan turns, watching him.
HUNSECKER
("controlling" his feelings)
That subject it might be better not
to start me on.
(angry)
He's made all the papers tonight.
Hunsecker studies the item in the paper.
SUSAN
She is staring at her brother. Suddenly, she is unable to
suffer his authoritative air; she goes to him; he ignores
her...
HUNSECKER AND SUSAN
Childishly, she snatches the paper from his hand, throws it
to the floor. He looks at her. Patiently, as with a
hysterical infant, he stoops, recovers the paper.
HUNSECKER
("mildly")
Is there something you wanted to
say...?
(as she does not
answer, continuing
with growing viciousness)
I've put up with a lot of your
guff, Susie, because you were a
child. But you're a woman now and
I suspect, despite my best
intentions, more than a bit of a
slut...
SUSAN
Her head comes up sharply at the insult.
HUNSECKER AND SUSAN AND SIDNEY
Hunsecker glances at Sidney, clearly reminding them of the
compromising situation in which they were found. Sidney
moves to answer.
SIDNEY
(quickly)
J.J., if you think -
SUSAN
(cutting in)
Don't explain, Sidney... It doesn't
matter now...
HUNSECKER
(continuing)
Whose arms will I have to pry you
out of next? Not that I don't
think you didn't invite it! I know
that look of yours, that pose of
being wronged - and how it arouses
the crusading instinct in even a
Sidney Falco -
Hunsecker's rising tide of brutality is having some effect
on Susan, and Sidney, fearing for her, tries to intervene.
SIDNEY
I was trying to build her up, not
tear her down -
HUNSECKER
(viciously)
Is that why you were romancing her,
you mutt!
(turning back to Susan)
Let's call it quits, my dear. I'd
like it fine if you found another
home. That means the front door is
open! Pack your things, rent a
moving van and GIT!
(pacing the room)
And as for marriage, let me hit you
with a few choice facts: you aren't
ready for marriage! You're
incompetent - a capricious and
shaky frail with a sick fatality
for frail and useless men!
Susan is staring sightlessly at the floor near Hunsecker's
feet. After a moment she turns and moves to the door of her
bedroom; her walk is a little unsteady; she goes inside,
closes the door in Hunsecker's face.
INT. BEDROOM
With the door closed, she leans against it as if afraid of
falling. She gropes for the door handle, finds the key and
turns it.
INT. LIVING ROOM - HUNSECKER AND SIDNEY
Hunsecker is studying the closed door.
HUNSECKER
(to himself)
Another crisis past.
(walking away)
She'll be fast asleep in five
minutes, loaded with those headache
pills...
SIDNEY
Sidney seems not to hear this remark. He is concentrated on
the door; he moves hesitantly towards it, apprehensive.
CAMERA includes Hunsecker in background.
HUNSECKER
Now we'll get to you, Sidney.
(turning to Sidney)
As far as the column is concerned -
tonight you have forfeited every
ethical consideration I ever felt
for you...
Much more concerned with his anxiety for Susan, Sidney
interrupts.
SIDNEY
(cutting in)
Look, J.J., I'll grant you anything
you want.
(as Hunsecker is
about to interrupt)
Susie's off her rocker tonight! Go
in and see what she's doing! Go in
and talk to her quietly - unless
you want a corpse!
Sidney's conviction is impressive. But Hunsecker is
unwilling to admit the danger, he continues.
HUNSECKER
(acid)
Let me finish what I started to
say -
Seeing that Hunsecker is not taking his advice, Sidney
strides swiftly to the door of Susan's bedroom. He knocks
on it.
INT. BEDROOM
SHOOTING TOWARDS the door. Susan is sitting on the bed in
foreground. In a methodical, hypnotic way, she is destroying
the contents of the drawer, tearing letters into small
fragments. Sidney's voice is heard outside: "Susie!" Susan
appears not to hear it; CAMERA TRACKS closer to her.
Sidney's voice is heard again, louder: "Susie!" Susan turns
sharply towards the door.
SUSAN
A CLOSE UP. Susan rises to her feet, staring at the door.
She begins to back away from it.
RESUME REVERSE ANGLE
CAMERA PULLS BACK as Susan glances down at the record player
beside her. She turns the knob. We hear the clatter of a
record dropping and music begins. The tune is "The Sage."
INT. LIVING ROOM
CLOSE SHOT of Sidney. He hears the music starting.
HUNSECKER
Hunsecker has come forward. But now, as he listens to the
gramaphone record playing in the bedroom, Hunsecker relaxes,
assuming that this is a sign that Sidney's suspicions are
unfounded.
HUNSECKER
(coming forward)
What a cornball you are, Sidney...
CAMERA TRACKS to include Sidney. He does not share
Hunsecker's confidence; he knocks again, calling:
SIDNEY
(anxiously)
Susie!
(in growing fear)
SUSIE!
CAMERA TRACKS closer to Sidney. As he tries the doorknob,
CAMERA TILTS DOWN. Sidney's hand tries the doorknob, finds
it locked, shakes it forcefully.
DETAIL
From inside the bedroom. We see the doorknob rattled.
RESUME SUSAN
A CLOSE UP. She realizes that Sidney means to insist. She
turns away towards the blowing curtains in background.
RESUME LIVING ROOM
A DETAIL SHOT. Sidney's hand is still shaking the doorknob.
He releases it. CAMERA PULLS BACK to a TWO SHOT of Sidney
and Hunsecker as Sidney retreats from the door in
apprehension. Now Hunsecker has begun to share Sidney's
anxiety. He moves to the door, knocks and then pounds on it.
HUNSECKER
(with authority)
Susie, this is J.J.! Open up!
SUSAN
A CLOSE UP. She comes forward past the blowing curtains.
The wind whips at her hair. Over scene we hear the rumble
of the traffic on Broadway far below.
RESUME HUNSECKER
He is pounding on the door again. CAMERA makes a quick pan
to Sidney who, in a split second, realizes that Susan may
have gone out on the balcony. He turns, dashes towards the
study to look out on the terrace.
RESUME SUSAN
She has now started to climb onto the parapet. Sidney leaps
into shot, dragging her bodily off the parapet and out of
shot. We hear Susan cry out, a hysterical gasp. CAMERA,
looking through the windows of Susan's bedroom, sees the
door fly open as Hunsecker bursts into the room. He looks
swiftly around, advances towards the open window.
Exasperated by the sound of the gramaphone, he switches it
off; he steps out onto the terrace. CAMERA PANS with him as
he turns to look back into the study where Susan's inanimate
figure is sprawled on the floor, half across the low
upholstered footstool. Sidney, white and shaking, is
standing over her.
REVERSE ANGLE
CAMERA at floor level. Susan is framed in foreground. The
lower half of Sidney can be seen beside her. Hunsecker is
on the terrace in background. Shocked, he moves quickly
into the room.
HUNSECKER
A CLOSE UP. He looks down at his sister. He is badly
shaken. The sharp bite of terror produces a reaction of
something akin to anger. But he swiftly controls it. He
moves past CAMERA.
REVERSE ANGLE
Hunsecker stoops into shot. Tenderly, he lifts the girl's
body to get it into the arm chair. Susan is quite lifeless,
limp with the dead weight of a creature that has lost any
instinct for self-preservation. But as she feels her
brother's arms, and as she recognizes who it is, she breaks
out in hysteria.
SUSAN
(wildly)
No! NO! Don't touch me!
HUNSECKER
(sharply)
Susan!...
But Susan strikes at him, a vicious gesture of revulsion.
Hunsecker lets her go. She falls into the arm chair, her
face hidden from him; she begins to sob.
SUSAN
(her body shaking)
Go away!...Go away!...
Hunsecker would like to comfort her, but he dare not touch
her again for fear of inviting another rebuff. He is deeply
hurt and wounded. Embarrassed that Sidney should watch this
moment, Hunsecker rises. To cover his emotion, he walks to
the tray of drinks in background; he pours a brandy and
comes back. Stooping, he offers it to Susan. Her only
reaction is again to wrench herself away from him, facing
the opposite direction.
SUSAN
(sobbing bitterly)
GO AWAY!
Hunsecker sets down the drink, stands up.
HUNSECKER
(in a choked voice)
Talk to her, Sidney...
SIDNEY
(hushed)
Talk to her yourself...
Over scene the telephone rings. It is ignored. While
Hunsecker looks down at the girl, helplessly, the telephone
continues to ring.
SUSAN
A CLOSE UP. It is she who first becomes aware of the
telephone. Her weeping has stopped now. Slowly, she raises
her head. CAMERA EASES BACK to include Sidney beyond her;
he notes this movement, seeing in it a revival of the girl's
will to live; he is moved.
ANOTHER ANGLE
The telephone is framed in foreground, Susan beyond. It
continues to ring. As Hunsecker crosses to his desk to pick
up the instrument, CAMERA PULLS BACK. Hunsecker speaks:
HUNSECKER
Yuh...Yuh...
(he listens)
Just a minute...
(turning back to Susan)
Susie, it's Mr. D'Angelo - from the
hospital...
RESUME SUSAN
A CLOSE SHOT. She raises her head higher, still weakly. We
see in her face a mixture of terror and hope.
REVERSE ANGLE
Hunsecker comes forward to set down the telephone in front
of her, on the footstool. Hunsecker and Sidney watch. She
reaches a hand, which is still trembling, picks up the
receiver. Her voice as she speaks to the instrument is
barely audible.
SUSAN
Yes...yes...yes...
Presently, she hangs up. When she becomes aware that
Hunsecker and Sidney are waiting for an explanation, she
tells them:
SUSAN
(speaking with difficulty)
Steve...is out of danger...
HUNSECKER
Hunsecker nods. He already knows this. Then:
HUNSECKER
(soberly)
That means a lot to you?
SUSAN
She does not look at him, she lowers her eyes but answers
with a nod. And then, more positively:
SUSAN
Yes.
RESUME HUNSECKER
He studies the girl. His face has hardened. He moves,
beginning to pace. (And also beginning his 'manipulations'.)
HUNSECKER
But I have to warn you, Susie - for
your own sake - he'll still do
time...
CAMERA FOLLOWS Hunsecker. It now takes in Sidney who is
standing beside him. Sidney has begun to stare fixedly at
Hunsecker. (He is now realizing that Hunsecker, although he
has been faced with this demonstration of the girl's
willingness to kill herself, has still learned nothing, is
still continuing in the old pattern.)
HUNSECKER
(continuing, warming
to his theme)
He's a hop-head - that's a felony
in New York. I can try, of course,
to...
SIDNEY
A CLOSE UP. Revolted, Sidney breaks in:
SIDNEY
You're unholy, J.J.! You'd rather
kill this girl than let her go!
GROUP SHOT
Hunsecker wheels on Sidney, bellowing:
HUNSECKER
(in blind rage)
GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE!
Sidney, with equal heat, spins round to Susan, crying out
before he has time to check himself:
SIDNEY
(impulsively)
Susie, YOU get out of this house! -
Get out before it's too late!
SIDNEY
Sidney has gone too far now to pull back. Inevitably, he
continues. During the speech, CAMERA PULLS BACK to include
Susan and then Hunsecker.
SIDNEY
(with sincerity)
Listen with care - this will cost
me everything, so you know I'm
telling you the truth!
HUNSECKER
(trying to stop him)
You're incapable of the truth...
SIDNEY
(who will not by stopped)
Susie, there's nothing wrong with
Dallas!
(turning toward Hunsecker)
Your brother and I arranged it all.
And if the Leslie boy is still a
squooshy item in your life, forget
it! - your brother arranged that
one, too! I don't usually give
away presents; but this is my gift
to you: Get out of here! Leave
this man!
During the latter part of the speech, Susan rises slowly to
her feet, staring first at Sidney and then, with fearful
significance, at her brother. Hunsecker does not look at
her; he is concentrated on Sidney. Twice he has been about
to demolish Sidney, but he now stops, A THOUGHT IN HIS HEAD.
HUNSECKER
He is perfectly controlled, smiling.
HUNSECKER
Like most Italians, Sidney's got a
big gift for dramatics. I, however,
prefer the cool and stubborn facts.
Sidney has not appeared in my
column in weeks - check that fact
with Mary. That leads right to
another fact: Sidney had nothing to
lose tonight! To the contrary,
dear - ONLY HIS OBVIOUS GREED TO
BEAT HIS WAY BACK INTO THE COLUMN
EXPLAINS HIS ACCUSATIONS AGAINST ME!
In brief, BLACKMAIL!
Hunsecker pauses impressively.
GROUP SHOT
Framing Hunsecker in foreground, Susan and Sidney beyond.
Susan listens to Hunsecker objectively, with a mounting
sense of his diseased reasoning.
HUNSECKER
(continuing)
Mind you, not that one true fact
didn't come out of Sidney's mouth
tonight: self-admittedly, he
committed a vicious crime of
jealousy against Steve Dallas!
(pausing)
Now we have to clear Dallas, don't
we?...But I'll have to sacrifice
him...
(he indicates Sidney)
...to do it.
(turning to Susan)
Am I doing right?
SUSAN
She is looking at Hunsecker.
HUNSECKER (O.S.)
(over scene)
Yes or no, Susie...?
Slowly, Susan nods.
REVERSE ANGLE
SHOOTING ACROSS Susan onto Hunsecker. Hunsecker turns away
from her and walks to the telephone. He picks it up and
begins to speak. While the scene continues, we hear his
voice off screen, speaking to the phone, saying: "This is
J.J. Hunsecker. I want you to get a message through to
Lieutenant Kello. Ask him to ring me back. It's urgent."
Susan backs slowly away from Hunsecker. Then she turns into
CAMERA, which TRACKS with her and includes Sidney. Susan
looks at Sidney and then, ashamed, avoids his eye. But
Sidney comes nearer to her. Susan is deeply distressed.
SUSAN
(very quietly)
He's sick.
She looks again at Sidney. Deliberately, Sidney nods.
Susan walks toward her bedroom.
INT. BEDROOM
Susan comes into the room, finding shelter from the
revelation which has so appalled her. Inexorably Sidney
follows her. He comes across the threshold, closes the door.
SIDNEY
(quietly)
Yes, he's sick and you're the only
idiot alive who didn't know it.
A pause. Sidney moves closer to her.
SIDNEY
But what are you going to do?
There are some tears of pity in Susan's eyes. Once more she
moves away from Sidney. Sidney senses that her compassion
for Hunsecker might easily lead her once again to slip back
into the trap. He insists:
SIDNEY
(with emphasis)
You don't owe your brother a cup of
water!
Another pause. Sidney again repeats:
SIDNEY
What are you going to do?
She moves away from Sidney, CAMERA following her. After a
moment, she answers:
SUSAN
Go to Steve.
SIDNEY
Sidney is moved, having done his solitary act of chivalry.
To hide his feelings, he is harsh:
SIDNEY
(sharply)
For Pete's sake, straighten out the
seams of your stockings - comb your
hair - don't be so helpless all the
time!
CAMERA PULLS BACK to include Susan. From the other room, we
hear the telephone ring. Sidney turns and goes quickly out.
After a moment, Susan looks back at the door through which
Sidney has disappeared.
INT. LIVING ROOM
Hunsecker is framed in foreground, speaking into the
telephone. Sidney is in background, outside the door of
Susan's bedroom. Hunsecker is fully aware of Sidney's
presence, as he says:
HUNSECKER
(to phone)
No, he's admitted that, Harry. My
kid sister's a witness.
SIDNEY
A CLOSE SHOT. He watches Hunsecker with a curious detachment.
Producing a cigarette, he lights it and then looks up
towards Hunsecker.
HUNSECKER (O.S.)
(over scene)
No, he admits he planted the stuff
on the Dallas boy...
RESUME HUNSECKER AND SIDNEY
Hunsecker framed in foreground, Sidney beyond. Hunsecker
has at the same time been tapping a cigarette on the desk.
Sidney walks across to Hunsecker, offers the lighted match.
HUNSECKER - REVERSE ANGLE
As he accepts the light he continues speaking to the phone:
HUNSECKER
Yeah...jealousy.
RESUME HUNSECKER AND SIDNEY
Sidney turns on his heel, walking out of the apartment.
HUNSECKER
(continuing)
...He's been trying to make my
sister behind my back.
CAFE ON BROADWAY
Kello is in a phone booth.
KELLO
(to phone)
Oh, that's serious, J.J. Real
reprehensible...
Kello leans out of the booth into the cafe signaling through
the window to the street outside where the squad car pulls
ahead to a position ready for him outside the door.
KELLO
(to phone)
Don't worry, I'll get there. I'm
on Broadway now.
Kello hangs up. Hurries out. We see him get into the squad
car which rapidly accelerates.
INT. HUNSECKER'S LIVING ROOM
Hunsecker has hung up. He stares at the telephone for a
moment. Then he moves towards Susan's door, CAMERA TRACKING
with him. He comes to the threshold, looks at Susan who is
standing in much the same position in which Sidney left her.
SUSAN
Unaware that her brother is watching her, she picks up the
fur coat on the bed. (She is about to start packing her
belongings.) She turns as she hears Hunsecker speak.
HUNSECKER
(over scene)
That's a pretty coat.
REVERSE ANGLE
SHOOTING ACROSS Susan, towards Hunsecker. Hunsecker comes
into the room.
HUNSECKER
(continuing)
- but it's about time you had a new
one.
Susan turns squarely to face him.
RESUME SUSAN
She braces herself to tell him:
SUSAN
(soberly)
I'm leaving, J.J.
RESUME REVERSE ANGLE
He does not sense any danger in the seriousness of her tone
(or, if he does, refuses to recognize it.)
HUNSECKER
(with a faint scoff)
Don't kid a kidder. I'll see you
for breakfast around eleven.
Without waiting for a response, Hunsecker goes out, closing
the door. Susan stares at it for a moment. Then she moves
to get a small suitcase which she lays on the bed.
TERRACE
Hunsecker opens the windows onto the terrace, comes out and
looks over the parapet, (looking to see how far Sidney has
got, hoping to see Kello's squad car.)
RESUME SUSAN
She completes her simple packing, closing the suitcase.
With a gesture that is obviously automatic, she starts to
put on the fur coat; then she halts, realizing what she is
doing. She pauses; CAMERA MOVES CLOSER. Now, deliberately
she throws the coat back on the bed. CAMERA PANS down with
the gesture. She looks down at the coat, the discarded
symbol of her dependence upon her brother. CAMERA PULLS
BACK again as she takes a quick look round, then goes to
take a duffle coat from the wardrobe. She throws this over
her arm, picks up the suitcase, goes to the door.
INT. LIVING ROOM
Susan comes out of the door. She moves with a sober
determination, expecting to find Hunsecker in the room.
CAMERA TRACKS with her. But then she realizes that Hunsecker
has gone out on the terrace. She takes a step or two
towards him, then pauses.
HUNSECKER
From Susan's viewpoint, SHOOTING through the big glass
windows. Hunsecker is at the parapet. He is impatiently
looking down into Broadway.
SUSAN
A CLOSE UP. She now realizes that there is no point in
saying goodbye to him: she has already told him that she is
leaving and, if she becomes involved in further argument
with him, it can do no good. Yet there is some emotion on
her face as she takes a last look at her brother; she turns
away.
HUNSECKER
Framing him in foreground at the parapet. Susan can be seen
through the windows before she disappears to the door.
Hunsecker reacts as he catches sight of a vehicle on Broadway
below...
EXT. BROADWAY
The squad car comes down Broadway at speed.
EXT. DUFFY'S SQUARE
Sidney is walking across the square. The squad car appears
in foreground; it pauses hardly at all as Kello slips out of
it, and starts to move after Sidney. Then the car
accelerates round Duffy Square to cut Sidney off on the
other side.
SIDNEY
Sidney comes up towards CAMERA. Seeing something ahead, he
halts...
SQUAD CAR
From Sidney's viewpoint. The car breaks to a stop. It's
door opens and a detective gets out slowly. It is Phil.
RESUME SIDNEY
Sidney is framed in foreground, the squad car beyond.
Sidney knows what this means. He starts to speak before he
turns to look over his shoulder.
SIDNEY
Hello, Harry...
REVERSE ANGLE
Kello, moving silently up behind Sidney, slows down, amused
at Sidney's prescience.
KELLO
Hi!
(coming to join Sidney)
I just been on the phone to J.J.
Kello's manner is almost affectionate. He shakes his head,
admonishing Sidney.
KELLO
(mildly)
You been a bad boy, Sidney. J.J.'s
going to write about you in his
column tomorrow.
REVERSE ANGLE
SHOOTING ACROSS Kello onto Sidney. Sidney's smile is tired.
SIDNEY
I thought he would.
KELLO
Yeah...
(then)
And another thing - he's gonna say
you 'resisted arrest'...
(as Sidney nods)
You know J.J....!
Sidney turns away to look back towards Phil. Then, taking
Kello totally by surprise, he wheels, striking the cop
viciously across the mouth.
KELLO
Kello's head jerks back. Recovering at once, he guffaws,
lurches into CAMERA with a sudden vicious movement. There
is a sharp guttural cry over scene.
LONGER ANGLE
Phil runs forward towards the figures of Sidney and Kello
seen beyond him. In doing so, he blocks the view so that we
do not clearly see the violence with which Kello strikes
Sidney down. Phil, in foreground, is seen to relax. When
he moves aside, clearing the view, Sidney is writhing on the
ground at Kello's feet.
CLOSER ANGLE
Kello wipes his knuckles on his handkerchief. He signals to
Phil to help lift the body at his feet. Phil enters shot
and they raise Sidney, half carrying, half dragging him out
of shot.
LONG SHOT
The cops carry the figure of Sidney Falco across Duffy
Square; they bundle him into the police car. The pigeons in
the square, circle.
HUNSECKER'S TERRACE
CAMERA LOOKS down towards Duffy Square in the distance. The
police car can be seen moving off, circling the square and
disappearing southward on Broadway. CAMERA PULLS BACK to
include Hunsecker in foreground.
HUNSECKER
A CLOSE SHOT, SHOOTING sharply upward at Hunsecker. He
looks down, quiet impassively, and there is a slightly
insane grandeur, a paranoiac superiority in the way that he
turns back, dismissing Sidney from his thoughts.
INT. LIVING ROOM
CAMERA SHOOTS towards the closed door of Susan's room.
Hunsecker walks into the shot, stops before the door. He
begins to take off his tie and unbutton his shirt, clearly
preparing to go to bed. As an after-thought, he comes back
to the door, addresses it:
HUNSECKER
(gently)
Susie?
(getting no answer)
Are you in bed...?
CAMERA MOVES CLOSER. It is at a low level, still emphasizing
the man's dignity. He strolls for a few paces.
HUNSECKER
(continuing)
I don't have to tell you, of
course, that I cleared your
boyfriend's name; I didn't let you
down...
CAMERA has now moved so that we are shooting past Hunsecker
onto Susan's door. He gets no answer except silence.
HUNSECKER
A CLOSE SHOT, REVERSE ANGLE. We now see in his face a
flicker of fear. With what is clearly an effort, he
reassumes a confident manner.
HUNSECKER
...I was saving this news for
breakfast, but I think I'll jump
the gun! I'M GONNA GIVE YOU AND
DALLAS THE BIGGEST WEDDING THIS
TOWN HAS EVER SEEN!
Still no answer from inside the bedroom. Hunsecker's forced
expression remains unnaturally fixed upon his face. He
calls out:
HUNSECKER
Susie...?
INT. BEDROOM
The room is quite empty. CAMERA SHOOTS across the bed
towards the door in background. Susan's discarded fur coat
lies on the bed. And the doors of the wardrobe are open.
Hunsecker's voice can be heard continuing over scene:
HUNSECKER (O.S.)
(outside)
I'm getting the Mayor to perform
the ceremony and - NO, I think I'll
fly the Governor down from Albany...
(a pause)
Do you hear...?
A pause. Then, very tentatively, the bedroom door is opened.
HUNSECKER (O.S.)
(outside)
Are you listening?...
Now he opens the door and comes in.
HUNSECKER
A BIG CLOSE UP. The sight of the empty room freezes his
face for a moment. His eyes look round.
INT. BEDROOM
From Hunsecker's viewpoint. A PANNING SHOT, from the open
door of the cupboard to the fur coat. CAMERA PULLS BACK to
include Hunsecker. He steps to the bed, picks up the coat.
REVERSE ANGLE
There is a dazed, incredulous look on his face. But, as he
glances over his shoulder, CAMERA ZOOMS PAST him towards a
little door in the wall behind him: It is ajar, showing a
couple of inches of light.
RESUME HUNSECKER
Once again Hunsecker reassures himself that Susan must be
behind the door. But his voice is even more false as he
declares:
HUNSECKER
(a note of anger
appearing in his voice)
Susie!...You won't threaten
me!...Nobody walks out on J.J.
Hunsecker!
CAMERA NOW MOVES CLOSER and closer to Hunsecker. The ANGLE
is a weird one, tilting grotesquely upward.
HUNSECKER
(continuing)
You need me - you all need me!...
Hunsecker, his fists clenching fiercely at the fur coat,
walks towards the door. CAMERA PANS with him. He stands a
few inches from the narrow opening. He seems about to push
the door open further, but is afraid to do so.
INT. BATHROOM
CAMERA SHOOTS ACROSS the bathtub, showing enough of the tiny
room to make it clear that it, too, is completely empty.
Through the slit in the door, we can see only a glimpse of
the movement of Hunsecker outside. Hunsecker's voice
continues:
HUNSECKER (O.S.)
"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall
not want".
(a sneering laugh)
That's bunk in a book! I'm the
Shepherd of millions of little men
and women!...
INT. BEDROOM
A DOWNWARD ANGLE, SHOOTING past Hunsecker to the door. As
Hunsecker retreats from the door, he is still clutching the
fur coat. He stands alone in the middle of the room and his
gestures are a little wild. CAMERA rises higher to shoot
down at Hunsecker, alone in the little room.
HUNSECKER
(continuing)
...I don't ask them to get on their
knees, but they come to me for
advice and guidance! Who are you
to reject me!
With an increasingly eccentric manner, Hunsecker strides out
of the bedroom door into the living room again.
INT. LIVING ROOM
A similar ANGLE, SHOOTING down on Hunsecker as he comes out
of the bedroom. But as he starts to roam the vast room,
CAMERA rises higher still, pulling backwards and upwards to
a LONG SHOT which holds the entirety of the big room in all
its ugliness.
HUNSECKER
(continuing)
What makes YOU fit to sit in
judgment on a man like me. Only a
great person understands another
great person, and that leaves you
out!
Hunsecker is now addressing the whole of the apartment, no
longer pretending even to himself, that the girl is still
listening. He moves off towards the windows to the terrace
where the curtains are now blowing in the morning wind. He
goes out towards the terrace, his voice becoming more
distant - a man shouting empty nonsense, addressing no one.
HUNSECKER
(continuing)
- That leaves you ALL out! You're
pigmies! You're all sick, weak
midgets! I'm proud to be alone!...
EXT. BROADWAY
CAMERA SHOOTS STEEPLY UP towards the top of the Brill Bldg.
(At this angle Hunsecker's terrace will not be visible but
its position is established in relationship to the Budweiser
sign.) CAMERA PANS DOWN to pick up the figure of Susan
Hunsecker as she pushes her way out of the brass doors onto
Broadway.
CLOSER ANGLE
Susan pauses on the sidewalk. She stays there for a moment.
She breathes in the fresh morning air, looking around with
the expression of someone who sees the world with new eyes.
Then she starts up Broadway - away from the Times Square
area. The girl's step has a purpose in it; she has
confidence and courage. Music for the end titles is quiet,
simple and lyrical.
END OF PICTURE
Sweet Smell of Success
Writers : Ernest Lehman Clifford Odets
Genres : Drama Film-Noir
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Naruto, Star Wars Enter Naruto, Maelstrom of the galaxy
**A/N here we go again my readers. So this idea has been nagging at my mind for some time. So instead of writing a new chapter for one of my other stories as I was planning to do with few hours I have to spare I just had to write this. It beckoned and I felt compelled answer.**
**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Naruto or star wars. Or anything else I use that is from show movies etc.**
One precious beam of light stood out against the thick darkness that engulfed the room. The aura of light cast shadows against what looked to be metallic support beams and large, cylindrical pipes crossing each other at various axels in a maze of metal, all appearing as nothing more than vague shadows hidden away by the strength of the light and dark. In the center of the light a lone figure in a mixture of golden brown and snow white robes that would be at home on a monk of some sort, kneeled as if before a king or a lordling. "Report," a voice echoed from the darkness. It was a rich voice filled with mystery and muffled by what lie in the light and dark.
A bob of the head was the reply. "Commander, the 3 year battle held many casualties on both sides however in the end the invaders were forced to retreat."
"I see. What about the general I asked you to keep tabs on. What happened to him?"
"General Naruto Uzumaki was sent back to the senate to stand trial for outright defying a direct council order." A pregnant silence followed, penetrated only by the faint sound of humming machinery in the background.
Finally as if acknowledging another presence the shadowy leader spoke. "I see. You did well Eagle, you are dismissed and inform cobra to report to me immediately." The light flickered for an instant and the figure in the light was nothing but a memory. The commander sighed '_things are turning bloodier by the day, so many attacks and so much chaos. Both sides of the conflict are so stubborn, they will continue to wage war and destroy not only each other but the entire galaxy as well. It would be so much easier if one side had the power to wipe out the other. But no it'll continue being a stalemate for centuries. Unless…_' The leader looked down at a file he was holding. '_Naruto Uzumaki, I wonder what part YOU will play in all this._'
At that moment another presence entered the room. Another similarly robed figure only this time dressed in a mottled black and dark purple kneeled in the light. "You summoned me Commander Aegis?"
The now identified Commander Aegis walked forward allowing the light to frame his light gray and blue robes. "Rise; Yes cobra I did. I need you to go to Tythus and secure the delivery of a very important package."
A smirk came to Cobra's lips. "Care to clarify on the parameters of the mission?"
A chuckle, whether it was sinister or full and warm was undetectable, emanated from Aegis. "The package arrives at Tythus in four days time which may leave very quickly after arriving, or may be held on the planet for an undisclosed amount of time. Now your mission is to keep a watch over the package until such time as you can leave with it without detection. You must not be sighted with the package while in Tythus under ANY circumstances and the package, No matter what, MUST leave with you. There is no choice in the matter. Understood?"
"It shall be done Commander." Cobra replied with a salute before they too left the area without a trace.
~Tythus four days later, a council has been convened for the trail of Naruto, and a few members have more than one personal stake in it. Some hidden some obvious. ~
The slight thudding of his black leather, fur lined, combat boots and the slight swish of his mahogany travelers cloak were the only sounds that accompanied Naruto as he strode down the long hallway to the senate council. To Naruto, who had seen the destruction of people's homes, lives, and worst of all hope, rules were meaningless if they only served a certain group of people. His decision on the matter was final and he didn't regret his actions. Yes he regretted the death of so many that fought under his green leadership abilities. However, he gave them the option to run and they stayed. He knew through their silence they too wanted to fight as badly as he did. His resolve on the matter never once wavered and the council could shove it down their throats for all he cared. Still he felt compelled to at least try and reason with them, they were good and honest people after all.
The metallic doors at the end of the hallway _whooshed_ as he approached, announcing his arrival. The council chamber was a large circular auditorium. It had a ten foot ceiling with three large window's creating a half circle for showcasing the beautiful jungle landscape that lay beyond. A small, bubbling fountain was placed in the center. The ever present pillar of focusing sprouted from the center of it. Naruto stopped just before the fountain with an expectant look on his face and his arms crossed. "Do you know why you have been called before us, Naruto Uzumaki?" One of the council men asked. He was a rather tall man with a short pointed beard and lewd intelligent eyes.
When Naruto was not forthcoming another member, this time a younger woman with blonde hair and cold, hard, calculating steel grey eyes answered the question. "You disobeyed a direct order of this council boy! We warned you not to get involved! Your place was elsewhere!"
"Where! Where was I needed! Tell me that! 'Cuz the way I saw it those people needed me. So tell me Councilor Milara where were you planning on sending me?" Naruto shot back hotly.
This time it was one of the few people Naruto actually came to care for on Tythus that answered. "A hot head you always were, young Naruto." The old, short, wrinkled, green, pointy eared woman replied. Councilor Mooya was her name. "We were going to send you to Dxun, where you could be in position to help negotiate with Onderon royalty."
"That wouldn't have solved anything Master Mooya and you know it. I'm not good at governmental type things nor can I stand by and watch innocents die when I have the power to help." Naruto replied evenly.
The first Councilor answered this time. Councilor Fuu Sei a great man and general respected by his peers and known to be fair to anyone even if it didn't exactly please everyone. "That is precisely why you were being sent to Dxun to learn how to better navigate governmental proceedings, another would have been sent to defend Kuurackus. We get off task, however, and it is time for your sentencing. We have chosen the rare punishment of exile. Complete and utter exile as well as the surrendering of your weapon. You chose to go to war and to indulge in wanton violence and destruction than obey the will of the council. You knew this was coming, didn't you Naruto?" The man had an edge in his voice that implied an underlying grievance with the blonde. It wasn't that he had a grudge against Naruto for never being able to catch him whenever he had pulled a prank. That was absolutely NOT why he agreed to the exile.
Naruto glared at all five council members, even Mooya. "Fine, I'll leave. Before I go I want to ask you all something. How is it that you can sit here comfortable in your seats of power and deny the chaos and destruction going on around you? We are taught to listen to nature and preserve the balance of things. So riddle me this, why is it you are not listening? Why is it you blatantly deny the cries of help from not only the people we have sworn to protect but also from Mother Nature herself who is so obviously out of balance? Maybe I'm wrong but I seriously doubt it, you sit here and judge me for my actions, let me return the favor. All you're doing is enticing the enemy. Showing them that, when it comes crunch time, you will have neither the fortitude, conviction, nor the wisdom to stand up and fight knowing that death may come, but fighting to protect what is most precious anyway. I declare here and now you have forgotten the meaning behind the name you carry so proudly!"
With his piece said Naruto withdrew a cylindrical object that fit in the palm of his hand, the part he was holding was wrapped in brown leather with intricate gold and silver thread sprawling across it. A milky fog colored jewel attached at the base and a focusing lens at the top. Naruto activated it, a blade of pure plasma, colored sapphire blue with white marbling sprawling the length of blade, the same color and patterning of his eyes, before with one fluid movement he impaled the pillar of focusing straight through the core top to bottom. Turning around he swept out of the room head held high with a clear message behind it. I am right. You are wrong.
"I fear...we may have judged him too harshly, he was only just entering adult hood, blood flows quicker in the youthful and he was always impulsive and followed his heart." Said Master Mina, one of the two that had stayed silent during Naruto's trial, she was an older woman in her late thirties and wise beyond her years even now. Though her maroon red skin seemed to contrast that, seemingly coming from nothing but instinct she always knew how to best handle a situation, whether it was on the field of battle devising brilliant strategies, or in the court room negotiating solid treaties that served the greater good. Indeed she was a person of influence and the fact that she doubted herself did not sit too well with the other masters.
"No we did what was necessary Mina, you saw him, and he was forever changed from that three year long struggle. He has clearly been tainted by the experience and continuing his training would be a severe mistake on our part. We do not need another of our order to turn on us and bring another army down upon us." Milara retorted with something of an edge in her voice, an edge that resembled…something, hate, betrayal, jealousy? It was too congealed and conflagrated to read.
"Remember Milara, that no two people are alike, and to judge someone based off other examples of people in a similar situation is not sound judgment. No two people are the same. Remember that well." The last unidentified master spoke. It was Master Talon a strong man and everything a leader should be. Strong, charismatic, full of life, wise, and determined. Naruto's old teacher. If anyone felt a sting from Naruto's last act it was he.
"Careful Talon, you might be letting your emotions cloud your judgment. We all know you cared for the boy." Milara sneered.
Talon didn't take the bait instead he stood. "Well either way the deed is done and I shall retire to my quarters. Good day." He announced as he strode out of the auditorium, not before bowing to the other masters however. After a few short words were passed the other judges left as well to continue about their day, however, none could leave alone the thoughts of Naruto that lingered in the back of their minds whispering to them all the same thing. '_Did we make the right choice?_'
Naruto after the trial had gone to one his few retreats that he had made during the course of jedi training. He looked fondly at the deadly jungle that engulfed the planet. His retreat was a small camp area that was cleverly hidden and only those with extrasensory sight or smell would be able to find evidence of his safe spots. They came fully equipped with escape tunnels he had dug himself and there was even an underground store room where there was a bed and some survival equipment. It was about the size of a bedroom it was simply an escape house to be used in case of emergencies. This was one such emergency.
Too pass the time Naruto had taken to looking in on his bunker. It was dusty from the inactivity of his 5 year absence, a small picture of him and master talon grinning and flashing twin v signs with their middle and pointer finger. Their cheeks were both swollen and bloody with black eyes. They looked like they had gone through hell and back. The reason made naruto grin viciously. They had been to an outer rim world and entered a fighting circle. Not only did they end up winning all their matches, but in the end they agreed to fight all of the other fighters at the same time in a no holds bar grand brawl. Talon and Naruto had fought bare handed the whole time not wanting to reveal their status.
Talon had told him afterwards that it was educational and a good placement test for ones skills. It kept them battle ready he had counseled and prevented them from relying too much on their jedi powers. Talon had forbidden Naruto from using the force in any way shape or form while on the planet. He had been clear they were NOT to be discovered. What made Naruto really laugh was that the council had never known about it.
Naruto walked over to the long chest by the trunk of the bed. He had left something here a long time ago. Even before he had a lightsaber, now that he was without one he felt he had better take something along for protection. Reaching down he pressed the green button and the lid slid open with a hiss. There gleaming in the soft lighting was a large blade about five feet in length total. The gleaming steel was twice again as large as his forearm. Beside it lay its sheath that Naruto slid across his back, the sheath was made entirely of ebony colored wood. Etched along the length of the blade was an orange fox with a black tipped ears and tail.
Grabbing the blade he felt a sensation of warmth shoot through his whole body. As if the blade was happy to see him. He had named the blade "Butou Kitsune". He had forged it with his own blade from his own hands out of a unique metal that was extremely durable and flexible. The sword could even deflect blaster fire to some degree. The pommel however was truly a unique work of art, Naruto had gone archaic almost and had gone with a lacquered oak handle with black and orange cord wrapping down the length except for three depressions on either side which Naruto had placed several gems all of which added to the strength of the blade as the depressions were hollow. Naruto had imprinted the gems directly into the steel and had built the handle around the gems.
It had taken Naruto a good long while to work his way up to that point but the pay off had been enormous. The blade had never once failed him in its history of use and he doubted it would now. Naruto sighed, he no longer felt so naked. He was deadly with his fists but he knew at any point in these dark times a fight could break out and, experience showed, more often than not that meant a blaster was involved. Or worse, a lightsaber.
Naruto felt the urge to explore call upon him and with that thought in mind headed to the exit. He wasn't expecting to see a woman, gasping for air and wounded just enough to cripple her for a short time, standing in front of his door. She was tall, graceful, and proud, even with all her wounds. The woman had an elegant and bejeweled head band that wrapped around her which could mean one of several things to Naruto. The woman uttered one word before collapsing, her voice hoarse and incredibly small due to strain and dehydration "Help".
Naruto caught her quickly before she fell. Thinking quickly Naruto laid her on his bed and swiftly left the underground room. Up above Naruto quickly hid the panel and entryway, this was just like his last time here except only his made up scenario was actually happening. The only difference was he was saving an unknown woman not a princess. Moving with practiced eased Naruto erased all evidence of any camp before settling into a lotus position to wait for the woman's' attacker.
Hours passed which left Naruto time to think. That brief encounter with the woman left Naruto certain of a few things. The first, she had been attacked to be captured not killed. The damage was too carefully executed. The second, the girl was a jedi, the way she carried herself proved that to the observant young man. that led to the third factor. His opponent was skilled enough to fight a jedi and dominate the fight. Upon further analyzing Naruto realized the woman was Mirulakan, he knew enough about the race to be able to identify one when he saw one and if he was a betting man, which he was, he would bet his life she was an influential one if her ceremonial headband was any indicator.
That would also explain why she was a capture target instead of a simple random kidnapping. He had no more time to think on the matter however as his opponent morphed out from the shadowy forest. Naruto stood drawing his blade. "I don't know why you want the woman, but I'm here to ensure you don't follow her path from this point on."
A chuckle came from the cloaked figure. Naruto smirked before rushing forward swinging his large weapon with lightning reflexes. Taken aback the robed figure leapt to the side and Naruto was slammed into a tree. Naruto rolled to his feet before jumping into the forest. Cobra smirked, this boy wanted to play hide and sneak. He was about to discover just why it was you can't hide from a snake. "Boom" Cobra whispered before Naruto came hurtling back to the clearing in a smoking pile.
"Oh you little bastard, you actually placed a minefield around here! You should warn a guy before you do that! I mean really did you honestly think that would really catch me?" Naruto ranted.
Cobra smirked unseen by Naruto. "It worked didn't it?"
That was when things took a turn for the unexpected for cobra. Naruto actually chuckled. "Question: Are you mentally disabled? To think master would actually fall for something so silly!" Naruto said, only his voice sounded much more robotic before Naruto's image flickered revealing an interpreter droid outfitted with a sonic imprint sensor and a holo-projector. "Detonation in T minus three seconds: 3…2… 1"
Cobra swore mentally before leaping high into the air just as the droid exploded with a vicious boom. Cobra was flung back to the ground viciously. The agents head cracked against a tree root and the hood fell off revealing another woman. This one had purple hair done in a weird upside down pony tail that was strangely spiky almost looking like a symbol for fire. With golden eyes and slit pupils. Cold steel pressed against her slightly tan neck. Naruto towered above her with a commanding presence.
Sure it might have been the fact that she was laying in the ground and she was at sword point, or it might have been the blue energy was latterly pouring off Naruto in little wisps. It was then she understood that Naruto was the true package as she stared into his blue and white marbled eyes that were thrumming with power. "Yield woman."
"Awww what? No gloating, no playing with your prize. C'mon am I not comely enough to even tempt you a little?" She teased, as follow up she spread her legs just enough to split the cloak open revealing she was in skin tight mesh-net pants. She dropped her shoulders slightly behind her adding in the power of her impressive bust as a closing offer.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "You have to be the strangest woman I have EVER met. Regardless why are you hunting that woman?"
His question was answered, though in such a way that was very hazardous to his health. "Attention you kidnapping scumbags return the princess to us immediately we have you surrounded." Tythus military led by several jedi came forward.
Naruto went bug eyed, this day just keep getting worse and worse. Cobra grinned, "Looks like they believe you're with me kid, so where'd you stash the girl?"
"You have ten seconds to answer us or we will open fire." The lead jedi said in an angry tone, Naruto saw his hand twitch. Naruto's mind flipped into battle mode. Dropping to a defensive stance Naruto swung his sword in a horizontal arc and sending out a wave of force energy that slammed all the men flying backwards.
"Come on!" Naruto shouted and threw down a flash bang that blinded everyone. When they could see again Naruto and cobra were gone with no trace of them ever being there.
The lead jedi swore angrily "Command this is red leader, the kidnappers have got away and one of them is the exile!"
Static was all that remained on the line for several minutes. "This is command, did you say that the exile is one of the kidnappers?"
"Correct, they have escaped we will continue pursuit but we'll need back up, The exile is armed and extremely dangerous!" Red leader continued.
The man at the radio tower put the mic back on the receiver, clenching his fists his teal green eyes narrowed. '_Why Naruto? We we're supposed to become masters together!_' Without a word he stormed off intent on finding the wayward blonde.
Naruto and cobra trudged along an underground tunnel, the princess slung across Naruto's shoulders. This was going to be the start of a very long day Naruto thought.
End file.
| fanfiction |
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