He was stunnedā¦he had not expected any of that. How could all of that had happened and he not known? He forced himself to delve into his memoriesā¦bits and pieces were there. He remembered the bar..the informant he was to meetā¦He remembered pain he couldnāt block. Then nothing..but the briefest bits of speech..voices. Feelings of ease or anxiety. But nothing that painted a clear picture.
When he moved his arm, he felt the pull of the IV tubing. His eyes swiveled to the doctor. āCan this come out now?āĀ
Anzi rolled her eyes and moved forward to check his IV settings and port, to make sure he had not disturbed them. "No, Neo..it cannot. You died so many times, I cannot even count. Your organs are functioning, but not not as well as I would like. I'm keeping you medicated for pain, because you were given the cell treatment...twice. I will look over your stats and if there is enough improvement, the IV can come out then. Not before. What you can do is walk. And eat. Though this today, nothing more than liquids," she said with an apologetic, but no nonsense smile.
She smiled at the look on Neo's face when Talyn handed him the unappetizing looking concoction.Ā
Cryno had left the ship after he awoke. He hadn't been in the bacta as long as she had wanted, but it was enough that he was ambulatory. Knowing he wouldn't listen, she did not try to persuade him to stay a few more days. He was not admitted, she couldn't force him to stay. For everyone's safety his leaving was probably for the best. Except for Neo. As she watched him exit the room, she could only hope he calmed enough that he wasn't a danger to anyone else when the effects of the sedative completely wore off. Regardless, when he left, it was out of her hands. Her gaze, full of trepidation, returned to the suspended drell.
----------------------------------------
She smiled when the readings came through. He was ready. His organs were functioning on their own. Not as well as she'd like, a few more days and he'd be back at 100%, but her father had given her another 2 doses ofĀ altered stem cells. They would make up for the lost time in the bacta and he would be able to eat and work his muscles, both of which were needed. He'd lost around twenty pounds so far and she was glad she could finally wake him.
She'd been giving him small electrical jolts to his muscles every few hours as well as physical manipulation once a day to keep his muscles conditioned as much as possible.
She nodded to her father and smiled at the rest that stood, waiting for her verdict. She tapped in the commands on the holo-pad on the side of the chamber. A whirring noise accompanied the slow lowering of the chamber into a prone position. The bacta quickly drained to the recycling reservoir. The doors separated and slid down into the side casing. She reached in and pulled Neo to his side, his lungs eventually expelled the serum. She laid him back onto his back and removed the IV containing the medication that kept him under. She flipped on her holo-tool, a green light ran the length of his body as it scanned him looking for organ distress or other abnormalities. Finding none, she flipped it off. "He is holding his own now. She smiled at the round of cheers.Ā
A green glow wrapped around her body as her biotics kicked in. She raised Neo's body and lowered him down on the absorbent cloth covering one of the beds. She pulled a blanket over him, adjusted his remaining IV and injected a solution that would wake him up.
(I'm not playing Cryno...in your other threads he said he was off the ship and not going back, so I included his leaving.)
Receiving the alarm on her omni-tool of her newest patient's erratic lifesigns, she rushed back into the room and saw the turian struggling, then fall still again. According to the readouts, he'd come out of the chemically induced coma. He should not have been able to come out of it, but he had and she did not want to risk raising the dose. At least his lungs had been given the chance to be saturated with the healing serum.
With a green flare she rose to stand on the platform behind the tank. She slapped the panel to slide the lid and used her biotics to raise the turian. When his head was clear, she tilted him a bit until his lungs released the bacta, then scooped him up. She laid the IV bags on his chest and lowered them.
She settled him on a table. With a couple of pillows under his head to make room for his fringe when on his back and a blanket over him, she did her best to make him comfortable. Though she knew it would never be enough. Not for that one. She adjusted his IV bags, took his readings and then went to check Neo's. She could see the fluctuations in his as well. He calmed when his partner joined him, became agitated when he partner struggled and now had settled back down, though not at the calm level he had been when his partner was with him. She had not realized he'd been that aware. What people experience in a coma is vastly individual. It was never a thing science could pin down, not even in her cycle.
She looked at the now smooth wall that Cyrno had been pushed into. She had never seen a metal react like that with such elastic give. They hadn't had anything like that in her cycle and she was surprised that it could even exist. She had tried to question him about it, but just like she kept prothean technology tight-lipped, so did he with his technology. She could accept and respect that.
She glanced over when the man in thoughts appeared. It was always freaky when that happened. "Oh - I nearly forgot. Before the Cryno incident occurred, Neo received a message on his OT. Can you hack into it and find out what it was? If it's a friend, I would like toĀ make them aware of what happened."
When Anzi returned to the room, she caught sight of Talyn asleep in a chair near Cryno. When she approached an odd scent reached her olfactory senses. She followed it to the turian and noticed the dried blood on him. She flipped on her holo-tool, its green light flared. She scanned the man and then wished she'd used the holo-tool instead of the omni-tool the first time she scanned him. She noted his damage, woke talyn and had him help her remove the turian's clothing. She started two IVs, nutrition and medication to keep him under, then, with Talyn's help, lowered the man into the bacta next to Neo.Ā His body shuddered as he released air and took in the oxygen infused bacta into his lungs. Leave it to Cryno to find a way to be with his man.
She slid the antidote into the port on the IV. Speed be with you my friend. She stared at the readings, willing them to change, but knowing they wouldn't. The antidote would keep him from getting worse, it was not a magic pill, his body still had to heal from the damage inflicted upon it.Ā
She saw his OT flash and thought about calling Talyn in. But if the message was on his personal frequency rather than Ā his Spectre frequency, then a hacker could retrieve it, if they knew the personal frequency. She didn't know if Cryno could hack, but he would certainly know his fiance's private frequency.Ā
She sighed softly and gave her attention to the turian. "Cryno, a message came in on Talyn's OT. Would you be able to hack into his personal frequency?"
She came in to check on her patient, found the turian passed out. He was either tired or refused to go to the mess...or both. She picked him up, laid him on a cot and covered him with a blanket. She sighed, looked over the readings and then went to the mess, gathering up a plate of dextro food. She jotted a note telling him to be sure to hit the mess.
If he didn't like it, then he should go fix his own plate. She set the covered plate on the small table near his cot and went back to bed.
______
She used her biotics to raise her to the top of the bacta chamber, punched in the holo keys that caused the top to slide into itself. She rose higher and then lowered herself into the tank with the drell. She gripped his shoulders for a moment and gave them a squeeze. She wasn't sure he could feel the touch, but she needed it as much as he did. She gently pushed him to the front of the chamber, until he couldn't move. She held her hand up and felt the syringe placed upon it.
She ran her hands down his spine, until her practiced fingers found the spot they needed. She tried not to think of her friend or the nice body beneath her fingers. She had no interest in the man, but she wasn't blind. She inserted the needle, very glad that he would not feel the pain of the spinal tap. She withdrew the precious fluid, held the syringe up. It was taken and another placed in its stead.
She gently tucked his head down and pushed him firmly against the chamber wall. She flipped on her holotool, its green light filling the fluid filled chamber, and scanned the back of his neck, Following the path directed, she inserted the needle into his brain-stem and withdrew a small amount of cell rich fluid.
She pulled him back to the center of the chamber. Gave his arm another squeeze and rose from the bacta serum.
When she lowered herself back to the ground, Vanny wrapped a towel around her. She murmured her thanks, and hurried over to her father, who was busy analyzing the spinal tap fluid.
She handed the small syringe with the stem cells and watched him begin to work on them. She absently rubbed her belly when her babies began to kick and then realized she hadn't gotten dressed. She slipped back into her robes.
_____
A few hours later, an excited cry brought her attention back to her father.Ā He was talking excitedly to Vanny. She hurried over to them.
"Ritumesium!"
She blinked. "You are not making sense, dad."
His smile broadened. "The oils produced by a flower found on Thessia." He frowned. "I'm not sure..." He'd never heard of the flower, yet that was the composition of an odd chemical that showed up minutely in his stem cells.
Savvy spun around. "The Rits plant is often used by asari. The petal oils are the weakest, the root oils the strongest. It is used to relax, and cause a more sensual and gratifying mind meld. Especially between two asari." She darted between Anzi and Otek, her lights flashing excitedly. "Humans discovered that it relaxes them to the point where their inhibitions are non-existent. According to C-Sec, it is used as a date-rape drug with humans. There are no reported records of the plant being used on a drell," the sultry voice intoned.
Otek flipped on his holotool andĀ pulled out a slide of blood. He put a tiny drop of the extracted chemical on the drop of blood. The three protheans watched the blood cells become still and die...and it happened in a blink.
"I'll start on the antidote," Otek said with a nod.
Anzi slipped over to the turian. "Talyn told me about your believing it to be a 'roofie'. I investigated what that was, but did not find any flunitrazepam in his system. But you were right about the date-rape idea. Dad found minute traces of ritumesium, the primary chemical found in the oils of the rits flower, that originated on Thessia. Asari use it to relax and enhance their mind meld and human's use it as a date-rape drug. I'm not sure how or why he was exposed. But when dad exposed his blood to the chemical, the cells died instantly. He is working on a cure." She paused letting him absorb what she said. "Despite having an antidote soon, he will have to remain in a medically induced coma until all his organs are functioning again. I'm sorry, it's only a matter of time now. He will survive this." She had to believe that.
"I don't know where the fuck you bastards are taking him, but I'm coming too."
He turned at the sound of the voice. āCryno. We are taking him to my ship.ā He held up his glowing OT. āI was just about to comm you so you could meet us there. I wanted to give you the chance to be with him beforeā¦ā He flipped off his OT and lowered his voice. āHe needs the bacta tank. The one you were in. The stasis is keeping him alive, but nothing more. If there were a power fluctuation or failure, he would die. He needs to begin to heal. Please, follow us. You are important to him, that Ā makes you important to his healing.ā ā¦and to me. But he left that unsaid, suspecting the man wouldnāt understand.Ā
They moved through the ship to the room with the bacta chamber. There were chairs, a couple of cots, tables with lab equipment. It looked more like a clinic than a room on a space ship.Ā
He nodded to Anzi when she gestured for the stasis pod to be lowered down next to the reclined chamber. He watched her move away over to the lab table, while he lowered the pod. His fingers flew over the holo-controls and the pod doors separated and slid down the slots on the side of the pod. The large body glowed from the stasis field. He swallowed hard at the frozen look of agony on the drellās features. He nodded to the turian and backed away to give the man time with his fiance.
He cringed at the heartrending sounds coming from the turian. Even Anzi could not keep the distress from her face. But she continued setting out the small vials and then closed the small stasis tube they had been housed in. He knew what that meant. Sheād retrieved stem cells from her unborn babies. The very idea of doing that made him blanch. And if they were ready to use, it meant Otek had already altered them.Ā
They gave the turian about 15 minutes, but they needed to get the drell into the bacta. He watched Anzi work around the turian. She slipped an IV port into the vein of each arm. One IV had nutrients, the other is what would put him into a medically induced coma.Ā
He watched her move back to the table and handed him the five vials. She slipped the needle into a vein and held her hand out. One by one the vialās contents were pushed into the drellās unresponsive body. Right now everything was frozen, none of the medication or cells were able to do their jobs. For just a moment, between transfer from stasis to the chamber he would be revived.
She knew the turian didnāt wish to speak with her and sheād been trying to be as considerate as she could, but there would be times when she would need to speak with him, such as now. āWhen we remove him from stasis, there will be a few second gap between stasis and when the medicine will take hold and put him into an induced coma. We cannot risk organ failure and extend the time, Iām sorry. He will need to be submerged immediately, because his organs will fail if he is not.ā Ā
She reached behind his neck and untied the top tie of his hospital gown. āCryno, if you would reach under him and untie the other string. We need to remove his hospital gown.ā She assumed the man would balk at her or Talyn doing such an intimate chore.
When the gown was removed, she moved to the far side of the larger, prone chamber. Ā Her biotics encased her in a green glowing light. āTurn off stasis, Talyn.ā As soon as the field shut down. She raised the large drell and laid him down gently in the bacta tank, the green glow fading. She watched Talyne pull the stasis pod out of the way, so that Cryno could be there when Neo awoke. She attached the IV bags and hit the holo keys to begin filling the chamber.Ā
Feeling came back to him slowly. And he wished like hell it hadnāt. Pain ripped through him, his foggy brain unable to comprehend what was happening. His eyes flew open, bright light stabbed at them and he squinted. He felt a pressure on his hand, a familiar face swam into his vision. He squeezed the handā¦or thought he did. āI -ā His eyes closed as his body relaxed.
"Now!" Anzi yelled. The clear panel slid shut and sealed into place. Bacta filled the chamber rapidly. The chamber rose to stand upright, the large drell's body suspended in the healing serum. As the liquid rose over his head, he gave two harsh gasps as his lungs filled with the fluid and went still. She quickly checked all the readings, and then departed with Talyne, leaving Cryno alone with the drell. Alarms would alert her to any issues. She assumed the turian would make use of one of the cots when he got too tired.
"I don't know where the fuck you bastards are taking him, but I'm coming too."
He turned at the sound of the voice. āCryno. We are taking him to my ship.ā He held up his glowing OT. āI was just about to comm you so you could meet us there. I wanted to give you the chance to be with him beforeā¦ā He flipped off his OT and lowered his voice. āHe needs the bacta tank. The one you were in. The stasis is keeping him alive, but nothing more. If there were a power fluctuation or failure, he would die. He needs to begin to heal. Please, follow us. You are important to him, that Ā makes you important to his healing.ā ā¦and to me. But he left that unsaid, suspecting the man wouldnāt understand.Ā
They moved through the ship to the room with the bacta chamber. There were chairs, a couple of cots, tables with lab equipment. It looked more like a clinic than a room on a space ship.Ā
He nodded to Anzi when she gestured for the stasis pod to be lowered down next to the reclined chamber. He watched her move away over to the lab table, while he lowered the pod. His fingers flew over the holo-controls and the pod doors separated and slid down the slots on the side of the pod. The large body glowed from the stasis field. He swallowed hard at the frozen look of agony on the drellās features. He nodded to the turian and backed away to give the man time with his fiance.
He cringed at the heartrending sounds coming from the turian. Even Anzi could not keep the distress from her face. But she continued setting out the small vials and then closed the small stasis tube they had been housed in. He knew what that meant. Sheād retrieved stem cells from her unborn babies. The very idea of doing that made him blanch. And if they were ready to use, it meant Otek had already altered them.Ā
They gave the turian about 15 minutes, but they needed to get the drell into the bacta. He watched Anzi work around the turian. She slipped an IV port into the vein of each arm. One IV had nutrients, the other is what would put him into a medically induced coma.Ā
He watched her move back to the table and handed him the five vials. She slipped the needle into a vein and held her hand out. One by one the vialās contents were pushed into the drellās unresponsive body. Right now everything was frozen, none of the medication or cells were able to do their jobs. For just a moment, between transfer from stasis to the chamber he would be revived.
She knew the turian didn't wish to speak with her and she'd been trying to be as considerate as she could, but there would be times when she would need to speak with him, such as now. "When we remove him from stasis, there will be a few second gap between stasis and when the medicine will take hold and put him into an induced coma. We cannot risk organ failure and extend the time, I'm sorry. He will need to be submerged immediately, because his organs will fail if he is not." Ā
She reached behind his neck and untied the top tie of his hospital gown. "Cryno, if you would reach under him and untie the other string. We need to remove his hospital gown." She assumed the man would balk at her or Talyn doing such an intimate chore.
When the gown was removed, she moved to the far side of the larger, prone chamber. Ā Her biotics encased her in a green glowing light. "Turn off stasis, Talyn." As soon as the field shut down. She raised the large drell and laid him down gently in the bacta tank, the green glow fading. She watched Talyne pull the stasis pod out of the way, so that Cryno could be there when Neo awoke. She attached the IV bags and hit the holo keys to begin filling the chamber.Ā
[Text] Neo is in the hospital. It is grave. I am taking over his care. You may see him during normal visiting hours, however he is in a life sustaining stasis. If you have any concerns, you may contact me.
[text] Iāve already heard from Cryno but thanks for letting me know.
[text] Iām trying to get Cryno out of jail and him seeing Neo is more import than me seeing him
[text] Yeah I donāt understand his animosity nor his reasons for it, heās just like that with everyone, even me on occasion
[text] And to my knowledge his love is only for Neo
[text] Thereās a court proceeding thing tomorrow morning and Iām going to speak on his behalf, if things go south Iāll be there to talk to you about Neo for Cryno
[Text] Neo is in the hospital. It is grave. I am taking over his care. You may see him during normal visiting hours, however he is in a life sustaining stasis. If you have any concerns, you may contact me.
[text] Iāve already heard from Cryno but thanks for letting me know.
[text] Iām trying to get Cryno out of jail and him seeing Neo is more import than me seeing him
[Text] I tried to speak to Cryno. All he did was threaten to kill me. I told him if he killed me, my father would kill him and Neo would die. What good would any of that do?Ā
[Text] I told Cryno I wanted to work with him. He said he wouldn't work with me, that I, my father and Rine were on a list of people he wanted dead. Ā Then he said he would kill my father and I if we didn't cure Neo.
[Text] This has to go deeper than Vanny, because I did nothing to Cryno, but try to keep him alive when he was kidnapped by that crazy drell. I can't understand the animosity. I'm trying to save a man we both love.
[Text] I hope he's not still in love with her, that won't end well.
[Text] If you wish to keep apprised of Neo's Ā condition, come see me when you can. You can relay the information to Cryno, since I am aware he'd rather go without the information than see me. when he's released, to get it.
[Text] Neo is in the hospital. It is grave. I am taking over his care. You may see him during normal visiting hours, however he is in a life sustaining stasis. If you have any concerns, you may contact me.
(text) I donāt think you quite understand something here, you evolved form of an insect. I AM IN JAIL
[Text] You are welcome to try. But if you kill me, my father will kill you. Neo will die. What good is any of that? No other doctor will touch his case, they consider him dead. I, and my father, are his only chance, if you want him to live.Ā
[Text] I am trying to work with you. Iām asking that you do the same.
[Text] It is unfortunate you see things that way. I've done nothing to you but try to keep you alive. I honestly cannot understand your animosity towards me.Ā
[Text] Keeping Neo alive has nothing to do with your threats and everything to do with the fact that he is my family and I will do everything in my power to keep a loved one alive.Ā
[Text] Neo is in the hospital. It is grave. I am taking over his care. You may see him during normal visiting hours, however he is in a life sustaining stasis. If you have any concerns, you may contact me.
(text) I donāt think you quite understand something here, you evolved form of an insect. I AM IN JAIL
She ignored his nasty attitude. Her species was sentient long before his.Ā
[Text]Perhaps, and that is unfortunate. He needs you here with him.Ā
[Text] I am willing to discuss his case with you, if you are released. Just not within hospital walls. He is a Spectre, and the Council has sealed all records. They want this to remain quiet.
[Text] If you are not released, then you may send a representative. I would need their name.Ā
[Text] You are welcome to try. But if you kill me, my father will kill you. Neo will die. What good is any of that? No other doctor will touch his case, they consider him dead. I, and my father, are his only chance, if you want him to live.Ā
[Text] I am trying to work with you. I'm asking that you do the same.
[Text] Neo is in the hospital. It is grave. I am taking over his care. You may see him during normal visiting hours, however he is in a life sustaining stasis. If you have any concerns, you may contact me.
(text) I donāt think you quite understand something here, you evolved form of an insect. I AM IN JAIL
She ignored his nasty attitude. Her species was sentient long before his.Ā
[Text]Perhaps, and that is unfortunate. He needs you here with him.Ā
[Text] I am willing to discuss his case with you, if you are released. Just not within hospital walls. He is a Spectre, and the Council has sealed all records. They want this to remain quiet.
[Text] If you are not released, then you may send a representative. I would need their name.Ā
[Text] Neo is in the hospital. It is grave. I am taking over his care. You may see him during normal visiting hours, however he is in a life sustaining stasis. If you have any concerns, you may contact me.
Rine was in the middle of an interview on the citadel when her omni tool beeps.
[Text]: Wait what? Iāll be there soon.
Her heart races and her stomach drops. She stops the interview she was doing and left as the report and production team was confused. She didnāt say a word as she made her way to the hospital. She knew that she would face Cryno at some point but she would do what she canāt to make sure Neo gets the care he needs.
When she enters the hospital she spots the prothean who contacted her. āWhat happened?ā She states trying to keep herself calm as the fear seemed to only pile up inside her.
Anzi's eyes dart to the guarded door. "Come," she said as she led the woman back out of the hospital. "I am willing to break hospital protocol, but not within hospital walls. The man's a Spectre and the Council wants everything hush-hush." She led her to a bench and sat down; her hand absently rubbed her rounded belly. The babies were being active right now.Ā
"I was not here when Neo came in. Apparently, he coded many times and his organs began to fail. He was put in field stasis to prevent his death. When I was making my rounds to the various hospitals on the Citadel, someone told me about someone's fiance attacking a doctor and a c-sec officer. That's when I learned what happened to Neo. I took his case as soon as I heard. The attending doctor that took his case when he came into the hospital resigned from the case early this morning. No one wants a certain death in their stats," she said in disgust. "I'm not going to let the man die. Not without a fight. My dad, Otek Vorn, he's taking over the lab work. The problem is, no one knows why he's dying...why his organs are shutting down. Nothing was picked up in the blood panels...in the scans. But I'm not willing to give up. There's a reason, there is always a reason. I just have to dig until I find it.
