58 – Worry

WITH MORDIN

While Samael was talking with Shepard, Mordin was studying the serum. He had just finished helping Okeer with the Grunt Project and would now look at the Serum formula.

The more Mordin looked at the Chimera Serum formula, the more he felt some parts were missing. It was like someone tampered with the final product, to make it less effective.

For example, as mentioned before, the serum would act like a change in DNA. It would force the person who took it, to adapt to it. Basically, the person would be 99.9% whatever species she/he was and 0,01% Krogan.

But that 0,01% would change a lot in the person's body.Of course, there would be no metamorphosis so that the person would look like a Krogan, but the person would gain the strength of one and the aforementioned side effects.

It would allow weak species, if they somehow manage to take the Serum without exploding/dying, to fight on equal ground against Krogans, the species known by their strength. 

But, again, Mordin felt the Serum was incomplete. He thought the Serum should allow other species' DNA to be involved, not only the DNA of a Krogan, and somehow counterattack the side effects of the Krogan DNA.

However, that would also mean it would allow the Side Effect of the other species DNA to be 'born' too, if they existed.

All in all, the more Mordin studied, the more fascinated he became with the Serum. He was going to test all his hypotheses, and then present a product better than anything else Samael had ever expected.

Who knows, maybe he could solve the small life span of the Salarian and the humans...

So, with nothing but time, Mordin went back to studying the formula, trying to improve it.

--

NORMAL POV

NEXT DAY

Samael followed his routine after yesterday night with Shepard and what happened to him. He knew no one could help him at the moment, so he had no choice but to endure.

He trained with his pupils in the morning, kissed Tali some more, and then went to his secret building. There, Mordin was working on the Serum while Okeer was working on Project Grunt.

The researchers were doing other things, but Okeer was looking at them like he wanted to ask for help.

Anyway, Samael greeted everyone and went to Mordin. He immediately started speaking, '' Mordin, I think we can include other species' DNA in the Serum.''

Mordin, who noticed Samael getting into the room, nodded,'' So you thought of that too. I thought it was too strange for you not to mention it, yes.''

Samael could only bitterly nod and tried not to think about it, '' So... do you think we can do it?''

Mordin nodded, '' Difficult, will need some more time to research, but ... it's possible.''

'' How long?''

''Without help, 1 month. With others's help, maybe a week or so.'' The Salarian continued, '' The notes the file had were providential, as they helped a lot, yes.''

Basically, without those notes, Mordin would be stuck for a long time in the Serum and would not have time to think about how to improve it.

Mordin hesitated before saying, '' You see, there's a lot of testing I have to do in order to improve it, so-''

'' Ask what you want. I'll try to answer it for you.'' Samael offered. He was an expert on the serum.

Of course, with his faulty memory, it might not be a good idea, but he wanted to see if he could help. It was not like his memories were wrong, it was more like they were missing. He was intelligent enough to help Mordin with this.

Mordin, sensing an opportunity, started to ask a lot of things regarding the Serum.

Samael, having made the serum a lot of times, answered the best he could.

 20 minutes later

'' So, if we put the Asari DNA, to combat the Krogan one, we might give birth to a whole new person...'''

Mordin was getting excited by the prospect of this, '' I have to do some more tests, but the side effect might be even more severe.''

Samael said with a pained smile, '' Do whatever you have to. But, I want a Serum for tomorrow. Can you do it?''

Mordin hesitated, '' But, there could be something we miss-''

'' Mordin. Can you do it?''

The Salarian saw the resolution in Samael's eyes. He could not begin to understand why the human was risking so much, but he could answer, '' Yes, but I need more ingredients. The original Serum formula only accounted for the Krogan DNA, so we still have to secure the other parts.''

'' What do you need?''

Mordin used his omni tool to send Samael a list of what he needed.

Samael looked at it for a moment before saying, '' LD has all this. You can have those by tonight.''

The Salarian could only stare.

Samael smiled through the pain and said, Being the owner of a multi trillon credit company has its perks.''

Before this, Samael wasn't in a hurry to take the Serum. But what happened to him yesterday sent a danger signal to him.

Something was wrong, very wrong. The problem was , he didn't know what, when, where, who. He could only endure and prepare somehow.

And the Serum with the Asari and Krogan DNA made sense to him, as it would give him strength to face anything.

Of course, the side effect would not be known, but the one with the Krogan DNA alone was also not known, so it was all the same.

Mordin nodded, '' Come back here tomorrow at the same time. I will somehow make it.''

'' Thanks for the help.''

Samael then left the building, going to his base. The place was one of his favorites to think about life, and right now, he needed that.

FIRST PERSON POV

I was at my base in the slums, specifically in my office. It was noon. I also turned RR and EDI off from my omni tool, just like I always do when I need to think about the future.

I was still in disbelief about what was happening to me. I knew before that something was wrong with my mind, but this was on another level. My own mind was holding me back.

Of course, the serum wasn't that big of a deal, but what if I wanted to think about a big piece of information from past cycles, like when or where exactly the Reapers usually attacked, and my mind didn't let me?

Or when someone I liked was in danger? It could've happened with Jack beforehand, with Miranda too. That was a scary thought.

So, today I was going to try and go through my own memories. It was a difficult quest because there are things I really don't want to remember. 

But, I had no choice.

I sat cross-legged on the ground and used the technique I learned from the Asari. Of course, I don't have their powers, but I do know some tricks. Revising my memories was one of them.

So, I started from the beginning.

In the first cycle, I was just a naive person when I arrived in this universe. I did my best to escape poverty and used my game knowledge to help Shepard the best I could. I trained with Wrex the most, but I learned from others too. I also created the first version of the Quarian Pill, but the effects weren't permanent like now. That took a lot of effort and time.

Nothing much came out of revising the first cycle; my memories of that time were okay.

The second cycle was almost the same as the first, but this time I used what I learned in the first one to make things easier. The Advanced Med gel was made in this cycle.

In the third cycle, with the data I had before and after decades of research ( counting the time loop), we created the Quarian Pill. I used this as a favor and learned everything I could from the Quarian people. I also asked for EDI mother code, which allowed me to make RR in a future cycle. 

I also asked for Garrus training in that cycle, and the turian obliged.

Then, in the fourth cycle -

The fourth cycle...

I slowly opened my eyes. If others could see me right now, they would immediately notice my turmoil.

I can't remember my fourth cycle... Or rather, I don't know which memories are from what cycle.

From the first to the third, everything was ok. But, from there, it was like my memories were tampered with. I have A LOT of memories, but I can't organize them in cycles anymore.

Which was weird, considering I did in fact write down my experience in other cycles. It was a custom to do it when I returned in time, in cases where something like this happened.

So, I looked around my office and used a hidden compartment in the room. I noticed a small book in there and took it.

Opening the first page, it detailed my first, second, and third cycles with precisely what I remembered, meaning they were normal.

There's also information about other cycles, which is something good.

' Maybe I will remember something if I read them.'

I briefly looked at the information in them.

Fourth Cycle - I became the owner of Omega.

Fifth Cycle - I let myself be indoctrinated. 

Sixth cycle - I worked for Cerberus

Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth all checked. But, for some reason, my mind wasn't letting me organize my memories on those cycles.

Meaning, something or someone messed with my memories in this last cycle of mine. Because, at the beginning, everything was ok, since I wrote this book, but down the line, my memories were disrupted.

I sighed. Very few people in the universe could do something like this, and each option was worse than the other.

But, there's nothing much I could do. I will follow my own advice. 

' If you can't do anything about the situation, adapt, improvise, and find a way to come out of that situation on top. If you can't do that, go with the flow.'

I closed the book after memorizing all the contents and put it away again.

I then meditated some more, to dispel my bad mood.

After 20 or so minutes, I opened my eyes once more. My mood was now normal after the small meditation.

'We are going to Thessia in a month, and then I'll deal with this. Until then, I'll enjoy my life.'

With newfound vigor, I went after Tali. I missed her lips already.