Elizabeth froze. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The small hand on her bare arm was warm and the large eyes in the small face were filled with fear. Her skin was fair and her long brown curls seemed to make her look even more youthful. It reminded her of Rodney’s statement earlier in the day about her being three years old and then something else struck her.
Slowly she got up, backing away from the child though never letting her eyes move from her delicate features until she reached the door. It didn’t shock her that as she turned, so did the girl and she could hear the soft pad of her shoes as she followed Elizabeth to the control room.
Picking her location carefully, Elizabeth moved to stand on the small balcony overlooking the Stargate. But unlike every other time she’d stood here, she faced into the control room and watched out the corner of her eye as Chuck eyed her with suspicion. It gave her half an answer. The child had followed her completely and at the railing of the balcony her head ducked a little to see between the bars. Chuck’s confusion was aimed at Elizabeth, not the small girl in a pretty red dress at her side.
“Is something wrong, Doctor Weir?” He asked daringly.
“No,” she gave the white lie too convincingly and waited to see if he’d call her on it. He said nothing and returned to his work. Chuck didn’t have the ATA gene, but then again neither did she. Yet somehow, she could see the small girl who had given up looking down on the gate room and tugged at the hip of Elizabeth’s pants.
She looked down at the girl as she ran quickly over the staff in the control room. Not one of the current personnel there had the gene and suddenly, without provocation, Elizabeth felt very strange acknowledging a girl who only she could see. And the reason she could see her was... a mystery at best.
“Can I stay with you?” she asked and took a step closer to Elizabeth as though afraid someone or something would try to steal her away. Elizabeth smiled at her before looking up and caught the confused look that one of the technicians was giving her.
“I need to see Carson,” Elizabeth said as she moved from the balcony and passed Chuck. The girl followed and slipped her hand quickly into Elizabeth’s. It was strange. The feel of her warm fingers and her presence at her side as though she suddenly had a daughter. She let her fingers wrap around the tiny hand as she moved down the stairs and to the transporter, thankful that the small girl’s short legs didn’t slow her down on the steps.
Elizabeth let her mind wander back to the beginning of the expedition, back even to when she’d first met Carson and he’d shown her how he tested people for the ATA Gene. He’d done that test on her and she remembered clearly feeling a slight pang of disappointment that she didn’t naturally have this separation from everyone else. She’d then been tested again with everyone else as their personnel files were put together for the SGC and Elizabeth’s use. Again there had been nothing to explain how she could see a girl usually only sighted by members with the gene. Three or four months into their trip here, Carson had given her the gene therapy, and a week later her test still told her that her eyes were now lying to her.
Stepping into the infirmary, Elizabeth nodded to the nurse who turned to her before crossing the room to Carson’s desk. She waited for him to finish his work and turn around to talk to her, or at least she would have if the girl hadn’t spoken up before he could complete the task.
“What are you doing?”
Carson jumped and Elizabeth had to fight off the urge to laugh as he swung around and looked first at the girl before turning his eyes on her.
“You scared the life out of me,” he said and the small hand tightened around Elizabeth’s fingers as she gave a short laugh. “I was just finishing the reports on Colonel Sheppard and Doctor McKay. Is this the girl who is only seen by gene carriers?”
“Yes,” It was all Elizabeth could bring herself to say and she couldn’t hold back from counting the seconds until he realised the fundamental flaw in the statement.
“I only wanted to be seen by John,” she said a little touch of sulkiness in her voice. “But they wouldn’t let me,” she edged closer to Elizabeth and that was the point at which Carson realised something was... odd.
“You can only be seen by people with the Ancient Gene?” he confirmed and the girl nodded. “Elizabeth doesn’t have the gene.”
Elizabeth watched as she turned to look up at her in confusion, something obviously didn’t add up to her. It didn’t add up to them either and there had to be a perfectly reasonable explanation for what was going on. They just had to work out what it was.
"Yes she does."
"I did the test…" Carson started, but Elizabeth held up her hand to stop a childish argument breaking out between them.
"All our tests show I don't have the same gene as Carson and John," Elizabeth said calmly. "What makes you say I have?"
“It’s not the same," she said. "My mommy did the test when you were asleep. She said you had the Navo Gene."
"When I was…" Elizabeth's brow creased as she considered the statement. Ancients couldn't come in and take DNA while she was fast asleep in the middle of night. Then she realised what the girl had actually said. Her mother had done a test while she was asleep – children could see everything as sleep; death, unconsciousness and sleep itself. "When you were alive?" The girl nodded with a smile on her face as Elizabeth finally understood.
"Elizabeth?"
"The other me, who went back in time and stayed in the city to save us," she said before turning and crouching down to the girl's level. "You've met me before," she said simply.
“Mommy was pleased that you had the gene,” the girl said. “She told me that there were only five people who had it. She’d been working on giving it to more people for years.”
“How do we test for this gene?” Carson asked and as the girl shrugged. Elizabeth gave him a look over her shoulder. “What?”
“She’s five, Carson, not a biologist.”
“Right,” Carson agreed. “Then I guess I need to start searching the database.”
Elizabeth hummed at him in response and looked back at the girl. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t know the child’s name. No one did. John had told her he was being forced to guess, but guessing the name of a girl who lived more than 10,000 years ago was going to be one hell of a trick.
“What’s your name?” she asked her, thinking it would be best to have a name to call her and refer to her by. She smiled at her friend and wondered for a moment if she would make her guess like she did with John. “I’m no good with guessing games.”
“Samara,” she said, “but I like Mara.”
“Mara,” Elizabeth repeated, “that’s a beautiful name. Mara, why don’t we leave Carson to do his research and go find somewhere quiet to sit and you can tell me all about the evil that you said is coming, okay?”
Mara nodded and Elizabeth stood up and offered her hand. She knew it was going to be strange walking the corridors to a conference room when only about half the personnel could see the child.
****
“So,” John started looking between the two Marine officers standing to attention in front of him. “Which of you is going to tell me what’s going on between you?” he asked sitting back in his chair and propping his feet up on the table.
Silence followed. Neither of the men moved and John couldn’t help but quirk his brow at them. He didn’t speak though; giving them a moment to debate what was going on and occupied himself with the big purple bruise on Lambert’s left jaw. Marines were meant to have this ‘comrades in arms’ thing going; the few he’d known in the past were always like brothers. But these two seem to be the complete opposite to this.
“We’re on an advanced city, thousands of light years from home,” John said sitting forward dangerously. “What possible reason is there for you two to add to my problems?”
Silence again and John was beginning to get impatient. He’d talk to them separately if he had to. Though he didn’t want to, he would also confine them to their rooms until he could find a solution. What he couldn’t have was two men at each other throats. They’d been here for only ten weeks and they were ready to kill each other. He hadn’t gotten that urge until Rodney became very annoying about half way through their first year here.
“Very well,” he said, standing up and picking up his palm computer as he did so. “You’ll report to your respective rooms, under guard, until such time as you feel telling me and sorting this out would be in your best interest. In the meantime, I’ll make sure that the persons covering your shifts know that you’re responsible for their extra work. Dismissed.”
They saluted sharply, turned and walked out. John watched the small scuffle at the door and rolled his eyes before following them out to find men for the guard duty. This was turning out to be a long day; he’d been more happy playing games with his mystery girl than he had dealing with two silent children.
****
“Major Lorne,” Doctor Weir called, stopping him in his tracks just a few steps past her. He turned with a smile and let his eyes drop to the girl at Doctor Weir’s side before returning his eyes to her face.
“Ma’am?” he questioned.
“What’s this I hear about Doctor Parrish wanting a transfer Earth side?”
“I was hoping you hadn’t heard that yet,” he said a little defeated. He had hoped he’d have a chance to talk the man out of his wish, but it would seem someone had taken the idea back to the highest authority. “I think he feels a little threatened out here,” he gave a laugh. They all did. “I know he doesn’t like the off world duty anymore; too many run-ins with the Wraith.”
“I see,” she said turning fully to look at him and making the girl at her side take a few steps to keep hold of her hand. “I reinstate his duties here without a problem, so why hasn’t he asked for that before?”
“No idea, ma’am, I told him I’d talk to you about that if he wanted, but he seems fixed on returning home. I was going to go have a chat with him, see if he was absolutely sure.”
“Okay,” she said. “Keep me informed,” he nodded at her and she turned to walk away.
“Doctor Weir,” he said stopping her and he had to lick his lips as he dared himself to ask. “Who’s your friend?” he asked indicating the girl.
“Mara,” she said simply and looked down at the kid.
“Ah, she’s the one driving Colonel Sheppard crazy,” he said and Mara gave a laugh that made him think she was doing it on purpose.
“That would be Mara,” Elizabeth offered with a grin. “Let me know how Doctor Parrish is when you’ve had your chat,” she requested before turning and leaving.
Evan turned too, returning to his trip to the infirmary. He didn’t really know what he’d do if Parrish was serious about leaving the city. He’d have to find, train and break in a new team member. That wasn’t the kind of thing he did easily. Starting out with a new team was best, as everyone was in the same position, but changing one person meant one person felt singled out.
He shook away the horrible possibility and focused on what he could say to talk his fourth member into staying in the city, even if he didn’t go on missions anymore.
****
“That has to be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
Radek looked over his glasses to the noticeably annoyed astrophysicist who had his head in a laptop. For a moment he merely regarded the man before silently sighing.
“It was a perfectly reasonable search, Rodney.”
Rodney scoffed behind the screen of his computer before looking up at the other scientist.
“Are you kidding me? Did you really think that typing in ‘Navo Gene’ would get you anywhere in a database like this?” He gestured dramatically to the screen before him. “You might as well have just typed in ‘the meaning of life’ while you’re at it and see if you get anything.”
“Well I don’t see you coming up with any better ideas,” Radek turned back to his computer and stared at the abundance of Ancient text in disbelief. It would take years to go through everything manually and they weren’t even sure if the information they were looking for was in there.
“Actually,” the chubby index finger of the Canadian scientist appeared over the laptop, “while you have been mindlessly inputting random searches, I have been writing a new sub-routine that should significantly narrow the search parameters.”
Radek’s eyes perked up as he swivelled back around. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the other.
“I know what you’re thinking: ‘It would take days to write such a comprehensive sub-routine’ and normally, you’d be right. Thankfully you have me,” Rodney offered a smug smile.
“Even so, Rodney, it would take more than –”
“Yes, if you were to write the program for the entire database,” Rodney continued. This brought about a confused look on Zelenka’s face and Rodney continued. “I figure if the gene is mentioned at all, it would be in the medical or science logs which significantly narrows the search already.”
“And writing a sub-routine for a small section of the database is simpler.”
“Exactly.”
Radek had to admit that he was impressed that Rodney thought of such a solution, especially since he had been opposed to helping with the search in the first place. Rodney had really wanted to be back at the new console trying to get it to work.
“Got anything yet?” The Scottish accent wafted into the room as Carson turned the corner and entered the lab. He looked at the two scientists expectantly.
“Nothing about the Navo Gene,” Radek adjusted his glasses.
“Not yet,” Rodney countered.
“Rodney thinks he can narrow down the search to just the medical and science-related material in the database,” Radek said turning to look at Doctor Beckett.
“Can he really do that?”
Radek shrugged before McKay’s voice sounded proudly behind his computer.
“He just did.”
Radek swivelled around to his own monitor while Carson leaned in to watch as the Ancient text began to fly across the screen and Rodney’s program initiated. Moments later there were a handful of files on the screen as opposed to the copious amount there were before.
“You did it Rodney.”
“Of course.”
Radek clicked on the first file and the three silently began to read what it contained. It was Carson who piped in first, his hand touching the screen.
“It says here the Navo Gene first appeared in one of the last generations of the Ancients.”
“That makes sense. Navo means new in Ancient,” Radek said leaning back in his seat.
“Yes, well thank you Mr. Translator, but that doesn’t help us understand what the gene is.”
Radek rolled his eyes at Rodney’s dry remark and clicked on the second file. Carson seemed to lean in interestedly as the text scrolled down.
“Wait!” Carson put his hand on Radek’s shoulder to stop him from continuing down the file. Carson re-read the text on the screen.
“It says here that this scientist who discovered the gene thought it to be the next evolution of their race.”
“I thought we were the next evolution.”
Carson shook his head gently to Radek.
“Actually, we are the second generation to go through the evolutionary steps as the Ancients once did. You see, we are the descendents of the Ancients which is why only a small number of the population still carries the ATA Gene.”
“So that would make Elizabeth?”
“Higher in the evolutionary chain than you or I, yes.”
The room became silent as the ramifications of the new information settled on the trio. It was broken by the crackling of the radio.
“Doctor McKay to the control room.”
“What now?” Rodney muttered with a roll of his eyes.
****
John ducked as a wooden stick skimmed the top of his hair and countered the attacking stick with his own. Using his weight, he pushed back his opponent and took a moment to regain his breath.
“But why now? Why show up after we’ve been in the city for so long?”
John wiped a bead of sweat that formed on the crown of his hair as he watched Teyla, who remained nimble in front of him. Having caught his breath, he began his own assault, swinging the sticks towards Teyla’s abdomen, but the attack was quickly averted by the Athosian. John tried again, swinging low this time, but Teyla jumped and executed a round-house kick which caught Sheppard in the back and sent him stumbling.
“Perhaps she was only recently allowed to appear to us.”
It was Teyla’s turn to perform a series of assaults which John struggled to block but ultimately managed. Teyla backed off and gave John a moment to breathe. John began to circle to the left.
“To do what though? It’s not like she’s a wealth of information.”
Not that John was holding it against her – she was five after all – but it didn’t make sense to him that the ascended beings would let a child come warn them instead of sending someone older.
“You have mentioned that these, ascended beings, have rules against interfering with our lives. Would it not be prudent then to warn us through a child?”
“You mean like a loop-hole? They knew the kid could give us the right information, but we’d have to fill in a lot of the holes ourselves?” From what John had read about the Ancients back home, it didn’t sound entirely inaccurate. It was like the ascended beings had nothing better to do than to play games with the lower plains. John deadpanned. “Great.”
The two were back at it. The click-clacking of the wooden sticks as they smacked together sounded in the spacious gym as the two continued to spar against each other. For a moment, John thought he had the upper hand as he noticed Teyla had left her right arm exposed. He moved in to grapple her arm, but Teyla was ready. She swung her forearm out and sent John flying backwards to the ground. In one single motion she was on top of him with her sticks crossed, one on each side of his neck. They remained like that for a moment before John conceded defeat and Teyla helped him up.
“Even if that’s the case, we need a little more to go on than ‘evil is coming’.”
Elizabeth had radioed him just as he had left Tipson and Lambert in his office. He had thought it to be a very cryptic message then and he still did now.
Teyla handed him a towel before she reached for one and dabbed herself off from the workout. Finally she looked up.
“There used to be an old story my father would tell me when I was a child. It is regarded as merely a legend among my people, but with recent events…”
John had known Teyla long enough to know that it usually proved helpful to listen to her when she remembered things like this. From his experience, most legends came from some sort of truth, and he was willing to take any ideas over the abundance of nothing he had now.
“What’s the story about?”
“It has been a long time since I have heard the story told,” Teyla placed the sticks on the shelf. “The story speaks of a time before the Wraith, of a time before the ancestors, when there was peace. It is said that a ‘darkness’ slept in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, a darkness no one could see, and it was awoken when the ancestors arrived.”
“Doesn’t that sound familiar,” John muttered as he took a seat on one of the benches and reached for a bottle of water. “So what happened?”
“The story says that the darkness approached the ancestors under the veil of air and that only the ancestors could see them. The darkness almost defeated the ancestors, but that they managed to defend themselves in the end.”
John looked at Teyla. “That’s it?”
“The story was meant to keep us from venturing into the ruins on our planet in fear that we would awaken the darkness again,” Teyla offered a sympathetic smile.
“Right. No reason to go into detail as long as you can keep the children in line.”
Teyla dipped her head.
“Colonel Sheppard,” Chuck’s voice rang over the radio.
John exchanged glances with Teyla before pressing the button on his radio. “Go ahead.”
“Your presence is required in the Control Room, sir.”
“I’ll be right there.”
John stood up and motioned Teyla to follow him.
****
“No! Absolutely not!” Doctor Parrish was sitting in a wheelchair in the middle of the botany lab surrounded by lush flora with Major Lorne standing across from him behind a counter. Parrish crossed his arms to further his statement.
Lorne took a deep breath and reminded himself that he needed this guy on his team.
“Come on Doc, it was an accident. It could have happened to anyone.”
“But it happened to me, Major. Me! And this isn’t the first time either. There was that time when I sprained my wrist on M4X-337 –”
“That could have happened to anyone. No one saw the crevice until it was too late. It was an honest mistake.”
Parrish rolled his eyes. “What about the time I fell down the cliff or when I almost drowned in the river? I suppose those were just flukes as well.”
Lorne shifted his weight. “So you’ve had some bad luck.”
Parrish let out a scornful laugh. “Bad luck. Face it, Major, I’m just not cut out for off world exploration. I never was and I never will be.”
Lorne crossed his arms. “You’re a valuable member of my team. I need you on it.”
Parrish rolled his eyes. “All you need is a scientist on your team. I’m easily replaceable,” Lorne opened his mouth, but Parrish cut him off. “I’m sorry, Major, but my mind is made up.”
Doctor Parrish didn’t leave much room for argument as he swivelled somewhat awkwardly in his wheelchair and made his way towards the doors. Lorne watched as the scientist ran into a young woman, mumbled something about watching where one walked to her, and continued irritated down the corridor.
Once Parrish was out of sight, Lorne let out a loud exhale and leaned on the nearby counter. He didn’t know what he was going to do. He knew he needed to find someone to replace Parrish, but who? His eyes fell on the young red-haired woman who had run into Doctor Parrish as he left. She was currently attending to some plant that reminded Lorne of sunflowers back home, though these were smaller and red. It took him a moment to recollect her name.
“Doctor Brown, right?”
Katie looked up from the flowers and over at the military officer.
“Yes?”
Lorne took another moment to recollect some information before he spoke again.
“You’re head of botany, right?”
Katie pulled back a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear while she nodded.
“Yes,” she offered him a meek smile to which Lorne countered with a warm smile of his own.
Anyone looking at Lorne could tell that the wheels in his head were turning. He needed a fourth member of his team and it was preferable that the fourth member was not only a scientist, but a botanist. It’s what made his team different from the others on base and he wanted to keep that edge.
“Ever go off world before?”
Katie blinked at him and turned around fully to face him. She didn’t speak to a lot of the military officers on the base except for a few, one of them being Lieutenant Cadman. It was rare for them to start a conversation with her. She was speechless for a moment, but recovered.
“Not really, no.”
Lorne widened his smile and his charm. “Ever want to?”
“Oh well, I don’t know. I mean, I suppose it would be interesting to travel to different worlds, but –”
“Great! You can join my team then.”
“Oh. But I –”
“I won’t take no for an answer Doc. Trust me, you’ll love it,” Lorne offered another smile.
“Are you sure I’m the right person for the job?”
“Major Lorne, please report to the gate room,” Colonel Sheppard’s voice sounded over the radio before Lorne had a chance to respond.
“On my way, sir,” Lorne offered a ‘what can you do’ shrug to Katie as he pushed off the counter and began to exit the lab.
“What if I can’t do it?” Katie yelled after him.
“It’s a piece of cake!” And then he was gone.
****
“What’s going on?” Elizabeth demanded, moving from the conference room to the control room. She’d been sitting talking with Mara, though they’d talked about anything except what she wanted and even played a few games. It had been Rodney’s sarcastic tone that had pulled her from the girl and back to the rest of the city.
John and Rodney exchanged a look before turning back to her, but neither of them said a word. She watched them, narrowing her eyes at the way they shifted uncomfortably until John caught sight of Mara standing in the conference room doorway. Instantly he reached out a hand, grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him and further away from the girl. For a moment she thought he was going to kiss her, but he turned as he pulled on her sleeve and she found herself moved over to stand near Ronon. She raised a quick brow at the Satedan, he’d been standing in that very spot when she’d returned from the infirmary, and it looked as though he hadn’t moved a muscle.
“I think I know what ‘evil’ is,” he said drawing her attention back to him. “There’s a Wraith ship heading our away.”
“A Wraith ship?” she asked. “As in one?”
“Yeah,” John offered with a grin, “we were just debating if we had enough power to cloak us for long enough so they think we’re still gone.”
“Well, I could have told you the answer to that,” she offered. “If all they want to do is confirm we’re not here anymore then we’re fine, evil averted.”
“Did you find anything out?” John asked and she could see the sceptical look in his eyes. It made her think for a moment. A single Wraith hive ship wasn’t really that much of a problem. Sure, it would expend a little bit of their power supply, but one Wraith ship sent to check on them was nothing.
“I know she’s good at avoiding the question,” Elizabeth watched Ronon move to stand closer. “And she likes games,” she said. She considered telling John her name or leaving Mara to have her fun at guessing.
“You know her name, don’t you,” he asked with a sly grin.
“Why can’t everyone see her?” Ronon asked stopping Elizabeth from gloating about the fact that she did know the girl’s name.
“I haven’t managed to find out anything other than the games she likes to play and why she’s so comfortable with me.”
“Which is?”
“So, do I just stand here looking pretty or are you going to give me something to do?” Rodney said cutting off Elizabeth’s answer. Elizabeth turned back to the monitor and studied the display. It seemed pointless to send someone, even a little girl to warn them about a single Wraith hive ship; there was something bigger at play here and this hive ship was just the beginning of it.
“Start switching over from shield to cloak, be ready for them when they get close,” she ordered and listened as Rodney muttered about time wasting and moved out of the room. She turned, looking between John, Teyla and Ronon for a moment and considering her options. “John, get Major Lorne up here to join us. I think it’s time we had a little chat with Mara.”
She turned, heading for the small girl still standing in the doorway of the conference room. As she stepped into the room she heard the comm. call for Major Lorne and smiled at Mara. She knew this would be hard. The girl had obviously spent many years without anyone to really play with and here on Atlantis she was presented with a friendly environment and John, who was a big kid all of his own.
“Come on Mara,” she said holding out her hand, “time to get some work done.”
Mara took her hand and followed her across to her office. John and Teyla were sitting comfortably in the chairs on the other side of her desk and Ronon was leaning against the door. She could start without Lorne. All she needed was for him to do a little recon and see if there were more hive ships following the first.
She moved around her desk and took her seat very aware that only John could see the girl trailing behind her. It didn’t seem to faze either Teyla or Ronon that she lifted something invisible onto her lap before she started considering where to start.
“Mara,” John said pointing his finger at her knowingly. Mara stuck her tongue out at him and smiled.
“Elizabeth told you,” she said struggling just slightly on the ‘z’ in her name.
“Excuse me, Elizabeth,” Teyla said shifting forward in the seat. “Ronon and I cannot see or hear... Mara, perhaps we should be excused from this meeting.”
“Yeah,” John said then creased his brow. “Why can only people with the gene see you?” he asked Mara.
“So that you’ll be ready,” Mara said innocently reaching for Elizabeth’s silver watch. She sat back against Elizabeth’s chest as she tinkered with the object and managed to open it and look at the clock face before she added. “Only those with our gene or the Navo Gene can see the evil people.”
Elizabeth turned to Teyla and Ronon, who both had an arched brow watching the object linger in the air. She nodded at them and Teyla moved quickly, her expression betraying for a split second that she found the sight eerie. Ronon seemed completely amused at the sight and had to be dragged from the room by Teyla.
“You mean that half the city won’t be able to fight them?” Mara nodded at John’s question and flipped the watch shut. “Doesn’t sound like the Wraith,” John added and Elizabeth couldn’t help but look at him with an expression that said only too clearly that she’d worked that much out.
“The drones can stop the Wraith if they don’t come in too many ships,” Mara said simply.
“Ma’am?” Lorne asked while stepping into the office.
“Major,” Elizabeth greeted with a gesture to the empty chair next to John. “I need you to do a little recon.”
Lorne nodded and she watched his eyes follow Mara’s hand as she placed a statuette back on its podium. She reached for something else, but Elizabeth stopped her from taking it and pulled her back against her chest. She leaned back taking Elizabeth’s hand with hers and started to fiddle with the long fingers examining each of Elizabeth’s nails.
“Need you to take a Jumper to a location near the hive ship that’s heading our way and make sure it’s all alone out there,” John said with a raised brow and Elizabeth knew he was watching her; her attention had been drawn by the child on her lap.
“How far away is the nearest gate, sir?”
“About half hour Jumper ride,” John said and Elizabeth pried her fingers free long enough to pick up her father’s watch and give it to Mara.
“No heroics, Major,” Elizabeth put in now that she could put her full attention back into the current situation. “Just take a look and see what’s out there and then come back.”
“Yes ma’am, we’ll be ready to go in twenty,” Lorne said and left his chair and the office quickly.
Elizabeth’s hands were pushed aside quickly as Mara got up. She quirked a brow noting that her watch had left with the little girl and wondered for just a second if she’d be able to find it later. She was drawn shortly after the girl vanished from view by the smirk on John’s face.
“What?” she asked him with a grin.
He didn’t answer. Instead he stood up and moved around to stand between her and the door out to the stairs. His smile grew and he simply jerked his head towards the door. She followed him out and down the stairs in silence. He looked back once to make sure she was following and turned into an empty meeting room as soon as the corridor was clear.
“What...”
“Will you forgive me?” John asked stopping her from asking any questions.
“For what?”
“This,” he said and took a step towards her and drew her up into a passionate kiss. Their first, she realised as she let herself melt against him. Six months together, sharing a bed and letting him be in the room while she changed. He’d kept his hands to himself, told her he respected her and would wait a lifetime for her and here he was taking the next step in their relationship.
All she could think of was a single, simple question. Why did we wait so long? John pulled back somewhat reluctant to see her response and for a moment he didn’t look her in the eye.
“I will,” she said, raising her hand to brush against his cheek and feeling his stubble scratching at her palm. “If you do it again.”
He smiled before he leaned in and kissed her again, this time more gently. The looming doom of an enemy stopped her from lowering her hand to his chest to find the zipper of his jacket; now was far from a good time to take a step back from her celibacy. But soon, he’d waited long enough.
“John,” she whispered, keeping herself close to him, but breaking the kiss. He dropped his head and drew a line of kisses down her neck. “What brought this on?”
“Natural mother,” he said simply, “could make any man’s heart melt watching you with Mara,” he continued. His hands slipped around her waist and pulled her closer and she finally realised where he wanted this to go.
“John,” she said again. “Not here, not now,” Elizabeth added. She placed a hand on his chest to push him back and moved just a step back. His hands stayed on her hips as he looked up at her.
“I always found you more irresistible during and after a crisis,” he offered with a sly grin. She took his hands and dropped them back at his sides before leaning in and giving him a short kiss on the lips.
“Then come find me after this one,” she said and turned before he could stop her.
****
Lorne finished the quick check of the Jumper’s supplies and controls before turning to check the other two members of his team. Cole was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat. He’d been quick to call shotgun when he’d realised Doctor Parrish wasn’t going with them. Miller was checking his gun in the rear of the Jumper. Sitting right behind Cole though was his youngest recruit ever. Five years old, long brown curls and bright green eyes. She smiled up at him ever watchful of his movements and he knew he’d have to tell her eventually that she couldn’t go with them.
He swallowed, kids were great. He loved them to death, so long as he could give them back at the end of the day. Only problem with this one was there was no one she really belonged to. Despite the fact that she’d been completely relaxed with Doctor Weir, he couldn’t very well send the girl back to her; she was busy enough without a child to deal with. She had McKay and Zelenka to fill that role.
“Who do you wanna stay with while we go see some old friends?” he asked her as she gave a yawn.
“I can’t go with you?” she asked innocently. Lorne shook his head hoping she wouldn’t start crying or throwing a tantrum and let out a sigh of relief when she got up and headed out the rear of the Jumper.
He’d let her follow him around the city as he gathered his men, got their equipment and made their way here. He’d known where she was at all times and he wasn’t going to let a five year old girl out of his sight until he knew someone else could keep an eye on her. She made her way out the Jumper Bay and started down the stairs. When she reached the bottom of the first set and turned the corner he scooped her up and carried her down the next – it was just quicker this way.
He set her back on her feet at the bottom and followed as she took off at a run across the corridor and into the control room. She paused, looked around and darted off to one side and Lorne stepped into the room in time to see Colonel Sheppard get strangled by her arms.
“Sir,” Lorne said stopping nearby.
“Major,” John said and then smiled. “How’d the babysitting job go?”
“Just great, sir. Didn’t bore her to tears or get any tantrums, though she did want to go with us.”
“Sorry sweetie,” John said poking at her sides to make her laugh. She groaned and rubbed her eyes before settling her head on his shoulder. “You’re stuck here with me and Elizabeth.”
“I like Elizabeth,” she said sleepily and turned to grin at the Major.
“Whenever you’re ready, Major,” he said and Lorne gave a half salute before turning and heading back to the bay.
****
“What you said half an hour ago,” Elizabeth said in a hushed tone as she pointed to Mara asleep on John’s shoulder. “That goes both ways you know. I think she’s adopted you.”
“Us,” John corrected matching her volume, “she likes you too.”
“You could lay her on my sofa, you know.”
“Nah,” John said adjusting the sleeping weight in his arm, “she’s not that heavy and it’s good practice.”
“Practice?” She said her voice a little higher and louder than before.
A moment’s panic washed over John as he realised a little too late that he’d stepped into grounds unknown. He knew Elizabeth well enough to know what she liked and disliked, her favourite colour and food and how she dealt with stress, discomfort and sadness. But what he didn’t know, was whether or not she wanted children. He could very well have struck a nerve with that comment.
“Practice for what?” Rodney said stepping up to them; his face lowered to his PDA and Zelenka a step behind him.
“My own kids,” he said. “If the woman I find wants them,” he added giving Elizabeth an apologetic look.
“That reminds me,” Rodney said finally looking up at him with a pointed finger. “I went looking for you this morning and you weren’t in your quarters. She,” he said somewhat venomously indicating Mara, “said you were with ‘her’.”
“Her who?” Radek asked.
“She wouldn’t say,” he spat. “So who did you spend the night with?”
“That’s a rather personal question, Rodney,” Elizabeth interjected before John could finish licking his lips.
“Erm,” Radek said trying to add his own interjection to the conversation.
“You’re not at all worried that he might be Kirking the whole female population?”
“Doctor Weir,” Radek tried.
“I don’t have a Kirk complex,” John put in feeling only slightly offended and more worried about how Elizabeth would respond to that particular comment. “If you must know,” he said and paused to wet his lips again, “I’ve shared a bed with the same beautiful woman every night for the last six months,” he didn’t dare look directly at Elizabeth, but he could see the brow quirk out of the corner of his eye.
“Doctor Weir?”
“What?” Rodney shouted rounding on the other scientist. Mara shifted in John’s arms and he watched as Elizabeth turned to see what Radek was pointing at.
He followed the line of the man’s arm and finger to the sensor screen. The long range scanners had been back on for most of the day and he could see the familiar dot that indicated a Puddle Jumper and nothing else. The hive ship was gone, just vanished off the screen as if it had found a wormhole and been transported backwards. He quickly scanned the rest of the monitor, it was really gone.
“Where’d the hive ship go?” Rodney asked dumbly.
“That’s a very good question, Rodney,” Elizabeth said eyeing the screen.
****
The Puddle Jumper flew out of the orbiting Stargate and quickly cloaked after it cleared the area of the gate. Major Lorne glanced down at the unfamiliar planet that the gate was hovering beside and secretly wondered if there were allies down there that could help them with the Wraith. However, that wasn’t the mission. The mission was a half-hour away in the middle of space and Lorne pushed the Jumper in the right direction going as fast as the ship could go.
“Think they’re heading for Atlantis?” Cole looked up from what he was doing and posed the question to the other two men in the Jumper. Half an hour was a long time to remain quiet.
“I don’t see why. The Wraith think Atlantis was destroyed,” Lorne kept his eyes forward, but continued to participate in the discussion anyways. Miller had his head down examining something on his gun.
“Maybe they’re going there to see if they can scavenge anything.”
“Or maybe they’re not going there at all,” Cole rebutted.
Miller shook his head. “There’s nothing from here to there of any interest for them.”
“Oh, and I suppose you’re a Wraith expert now.”
Lorne pressed a few buttons on the dash and read the information streaming down the HUD as the two officers began to argue over Wraith tactics. Finally he decided that the bickering had gone on long enough.
“It doesn’t matter,” he glanced back at the two from the corner of his eye, “our orders are to go check it out and that’s what we’re doing.”
The two of them looked at each other silently for a moment and then uttered in unison, “Yessir.”
For the rest of the ride the conversation turned to more mundane topics like sports and the mess hall menu for next week. The conversation had remained rather steady until Major Lorne fell silent and stared intently out through the window. Lieutenant Miller was the first to notice and he looked at the team leader whose brow was now furrowed.
“Sir?”
It took a moment for the question to register and then Lorne simply replied with.
“We’re here.”
Cole noted the furrowed brow on Lorne’s face as well. “What’s wrong, sir?”
Lorne gestured to the window of the Jumper. “Notice anything missing?”
The two men leaned forward in their seats and peered outside the large window at the dark space in front of the ship. After a moment, Cole was the one to pipe up again. “There’s nothing there.”
“Exactly,” Lorne pressed his lips together in contemplation and then hit the long-range communication button. “Atlantis, this is Major Lorne.”
“This is Atlantis. Go ahead, Major Lorne.”
“We’ve arrived at the designated coordinates and there’s, uh, nothing here.”
There was silence for a moment and then Colonel Sheppard’s voice sounded on the other end, “Ya, we saw that.”
“Did they jump into hyperspace before we got here?”
“Negative. They were just there one minute and gone the next. We thought the deep-space sensors were malfunctioning.” The comm. cut out just as Doctor McKay’s irritated voice said something in protest. There was a pause and then Sheppard was back. “What can you see, Major?”
Lorne was now frowning. “Nothing, sir.”
“Look harder, Major,” Rodney’s voice cut in unceremoniously. “The hive ship couldn’t just disappear. There has to be something.”
“Doc, I think I’d be able to spot a Wraith Hive Ship –”
The Puddle Jumper lurched to one side causing Lorne and the other officers to grab onto whatever was in front of them in order to remain in their seats. Miller looked expectantly at Lorne who was pressing various buttons trying to get a reading. “What the heck was that?”
“Major Lorne?” It was Colonel Sheppard again.
“Something seems to have hit us, sir.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know, sir. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
Something hit the Jumper again, this time from the left and caused Miller to fall out of his chair and onto the floor. He muttered something about next time calling shotgun as Lorne recovered from the initial shock and began to manoeuvre the ship. The Jumper was hit again as Lorne turned. It felt like they were under attack, only the sensors weren’t picking up any energy readings.
Miller climbed back into his chair just in time to join the other two men who were staring at a large metallic object floating a few feet in front of them. The darkness of space made it hard to make out. Miller squinted. “What is that?”
Lorne frowned. “It looks like a part of a ship.”
Miller raised his eyebrows and Cole read the scrolling text on the side of the screen, “The sensors are picking up traces of Wraith energy signatures.”
Lorne pressed the comm. link again, “Colonel Sheppard. I think we found the Hive ship, sir.”
“What’s its status, Major?”
“Gone, sir. It looks like it was completely torn apart.”
“What?” McKay’s shrill voice came over the radio, then there was static and Colonel Sheppard’s voice came back. “Any signs of how it happened?”
Lorne pressed a few more buttons on the dashboard and read the readings from the sensors. He shook his head and replied.
“If you’re asking if I see an Ancient weapon we could use, the answer is no, sir.”
“That’s too bad. Is there anything salvageable?”
“No sir. It looks like we’re right in the middle of the debris field. It’s going to be one hell of a bumpy ride out.”
“Alright. Head back to the gate –”
“Wait,” Lorne re-read the new information on the screen. “It looks like the sensors are picking up a faint energy reading.”
“Check it out, Major.”
“Yessir.”
Lorne carefully manoeuvred the ship to the right, bumping into some debris in the process, and slowly flew the Jumper towards the faint reading. It was like navigating through a mine-field. Whenever Lorne scraped or bumped into a piece of rubble, the Jumper would groan or rock in protest. Suddenly Lorne felt himself wishing that Doctor McKay was here in case the Jumper got damaged – and that was saying a lot for Lorne.
“It should be right ahead,” Cole pointed on the map displayed on the HUD for the benefit of Miller and they all began to concentrate on the space debris in front of them. A faint light flashed on and off from a floating mass of metal.
“What is that?” Miller asked as he got off his chair and leaned over Cole’s shoulder for a better view.
Cole shrugged. “Some sort of beacon? Maybe a distress signal.”
Lorne frowned again. If it was a distress signal that meant that more Wraith ships were on their way. “Let’s get a closer look.”
The Jumper inched forward slowly until the piece of metal drew close enough for the men to discern parts of it. The blinking came at calculated intervals and with every passing minute one of the solid lights would disappear. Ten lights, then nine, eight, seven. Lorne tensed as he heard Miller’s breath catch. “We need to get out of here.”
Lorne backed up the Jumper hastily. The Jumper lurched and sent Miller flying back onto the floor with a groan. There was no time to see if he was alright. Lorne navigated the ship, weaving it in and out of large pieces of Wraith ship as best as he could.
“Major Lorne,” Colonel Sheppard’s voice was on the radio again. “What’s your status?”
“The Wraith activated their self-destruct sir. We’re trying to get away from the blast radius before it – shit! Hold on!”
The radio crackled.
“Major Lorne? Major Lorne, come in!”
Slowly she got up, backing away from the child though never letting her eyes move from her delicate features until she reached the door. It didn’t shock her that as she turned, so did the girl and she could hear the soft pad of her shoes as she followed Elizabeth to the control room.
Picking her location carefully, Elizabeth moved to stand on the small balcony overlooking the Stargate. But unlike every other time she’d stood here, she faced into the control room and watched out the corner of her eye as Chuck eyed her with suspicion. It gave her half an answer. The child had followed her completely and at the railing of the balcony her head ducked a little to see between the bars. Chuck’s confusion was aimed at Elizabeth, not the small girl in a pretty red dress at her side.
“Is something wrong, Doctor Weir?” He asked daringly.
“No,” she gave the white lie too convincingly and waited to see if he’d call her on it. He said nothing and returned to his work. Chuck didn’t have the ATA gene, but then again neither did she. Yet somehow, she could see the small girl who had given up looking down on the gate room and tugged at the hip of Elizabeth’s pants.
She looked down at the girl as she ran quickly over the staff in the control room. Not one of the current personnel there had the gene and suddenly, without provocation, Elizabeth felt very strange acknowledging a girl who only she could see. And the reason she could see her was... a mystery at best.
“Can I stay with you?” she asked and took a step closer to Elizabeth as though afraid someone or something would try to steal her away. Elizabeth smiled at her before looking up and caught the confused look that one of the technicians was giving her.
“I need to see Carson,” Elizabeth said as she moved from the balcony and passed Chuck. The girl followed and slipped her hand quickly into Elizabeth’s. It was strange. The feel of her warm fingers and her presence at her side as though she suddenly had a daughter. She let her fingers wrap around the tiny hand as she moved down the stairs and to the transporter, thankful that the small girl’s short legs didn’t slow her down on the steps.
Elizabeth let her mind wander back to the beginning of the expedition, back even to when she’d first met Carson and he’d shown her how he tested people for the ATA Gene. He’d done that test on her and she remembered clearly feeling a slight pang of disappointment that she didn’t naturally have this separation from everyone else. She’d then been tested again with everyone else as their personnel files were put together for the SGC and Elizabeth’s use. Again there had been nothing to explain how she could see a girl usually only sighted by members with the gene. Three or four months into their trip here, Carson had given her the gene therapy, and a week later her test still told her that her eyes were now lying to her.
Stepping into the infirmary, Elizabeth nodded to the nurse who turned to her before crossing the room to Carson’s desk. She waited for him to finish his work and turn around to talk to her, or at least she would have if the girl hadn’t spoken up before he could complete the task.
“What are you doing?”
Carson jumped and Elizabeth had to fight off the urge to laugh as he swung around and looked first at the girl before turning his eyes on her.
“You scared the life out of me,” he said and the small hand tightened around Elizabeth’s fingers as she gave a short laugh. “I was just finishing the reports on Colonel Sheppard and Doctor McKay. Is this the girl who is only seen by gene carriers?”
“Yes,” It was all Elizabeth could bring herself to say and she couldn’t hold back from counting the seconds until he realised the fundamental flaw in the statement.
“I only wanted to be seen by John,” she said a little touch of sulkiness in her voice. “But they wouldn’t let me,” she edged closer to Elizabeth and that was the point at which Carson realised something was... odd.
“You can only be seen by people with the Ancient Gene?” he confirmed and the girl nodded. “Elizabeth doesn’t have the gene.”
Elizabeth watched as she turned to look up at her in confusion, something obviously didn’t add up to her. It didn’t add up to them either and there had to be a perfectly reasonable explanation for what was going on. They just had to work out what it was.
"Yes she does."
"I did the test…" Carson started, but Elizabeth held up her hand to stop a childish argument breaking out between them.
"All our tests show I don't have the same gene as Carson and John," Elizabeth said calmly. "What makes you say I have?"
“It’s not the same," she said. "My mommy did the test when you were asleep. She said you had the Navo Gene."
"When I was…" Elizabeth's brow creased as she considered the statement. Ancients couldn't come in and take DNA while she was fast asleep in the middle of night. Then she realised what the girl had actually said. Her mother had done a test while she was asleep – children could see everything as sleep; death, unconsciousness and sleep itself. "When you were alive?" The girl nodded with a smile on her face as Elizabeth finally understood.
"Elizabeth?"
"The other me, who went back in time and stayed in the city to save us," she said before turning and crouching down to the girl's level. "You've met me before," she said simply.
“Mommy was pleased that you had the gene,” the girl said. “She told me that there were only five people who had it. She’d been working on giving it to more people for years.”
“How do we test for this gene?” Carson asked and as the girl shrugged. Elizabeth gave him a look over her shoulder. “What?”
“She’s five, Carson, not a biologist.”
“Right,” Carson agreed. “Then I guess I need to start searching the database.”
Elizabeth hummed at him in response and looked back at the girl. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t know the child’s name. No one did. John had told her he was being forced to guess, but guessing the name of a girl who lived more than 10,000 years ago was going to be one hell of a trick.
“What’s your name?” she asked her, thinking it would be best to have a name to call her and refer to her by. She smiled at her friend and wondered for a moment if she would make her guess like she did with John. “I’m no good with guessing games.”
“Samara,” she said, “but I like Mara.”
“Mara,” Elizabeth repeated, “that’s a beautiful name. Mara, why don’t we leave Carson to do his research and go find somewhere quiet to sit and you can tell me all about the evil that you said is coming, okay?”
Mara nodded and Elizabeth stood up and offered her hand. She knew it was going to be strange walking the corridors to a conference room when only about half the personnel could see the child.
****
“So,” John started looking between the two Marine officers standing to attention in front of him. “Which of you is going to tell me what’s going on between you?” he asked sitting back in his chair and propping his feet up on the table.
Silence followed. Neither of the men moved and John couldn’t help but quirk his brow at them. He didn’t speak though; giving them a moment to debate what was going on and occupied himself with the big purple bruise on Lambert’s left jaw. Marines were meant to have this ‘comrades in arms’ thing going; the few he’d known in the past were always like brothers. But these two seem to be the complete opposite to this.
“We’re on an advanced city, thousands of light years from home,” John said sitting forward dangerously. “What possible reason is there for you two to add to my problems?”
Silence again and John was beginning to get impatient. He’d talk to them separately if he had to. Though he didn’t want to, he would also confine them to their rooms until he could find a solution. What he couldn’t have was two men at each other throats. They’d been here for only ten weeks and they were ready to kill each other. He hadn’t gotten that urge until Rodney became very annoying about half way through their first year here.
“Very well,” he said, standing up and picking up his palm computer as he did so. “You’ll report to your respective rooms, under guard, until such time as you feel telling me and sorting this out would be in your best interest. In the meantime, I’ll make sure that the persons covering your shifts know that you’re responsible for their extra work. Dismissed.”
They saluted sharply, turned and walked out. John watched the small scuffle at the door and rolled his eyes before following them out to find men for the guard duty. This was turning out to be a long day; he’d been more happy playing games with his mystery girl than he had dealing with two silent children.
****
“Major Lorne,” Doctor Weir called, stopping him in his tracks just a few steps past her. He turned with a smile and let his eyes drop to the girl at Doctor Weir’s side before returning his eyes to her face.
“Ma’am?” he questioned.
“What’s this I hear about Doctor Parrish wanting a transfer Earth side?”
“I was hoping you hadn’t heard that yet,” he said a little defeated. He had hoped he’d have a chance to talk the man out of his wish, but it would seem someone had taken the idea back to the highest authority. “I think he feels a little threatened out here,” he gave a laugh. They all did. “I know he doesn’t like the off world duty anymore; too many run-ins with the Wraith.”
“I see,” she said turning fully to look at him and making the girl at her side take a few steps to keep hold of her hand. “I reinstate his duties here without a problem, so why hasn’t he asked for that before?”
“No idea, ma’am, I told him I’d talk to you about that if he wanted, but he seems fixed on returning home. I was going to go have a chat with him, see if he was absolutely sure.”
“Okay,” she said. “Keep me informed,” he nodded at her and she turned to walk away.
“Doctor Weir,” he said stopping her and he had to lick his lips as he dared himself to ask. “Who’s your friend?” he asked indicating the girl.
“Mara,” she said simply and looked down at the kid.
“Ah, she’s the one driving Colonel Sheppard crazy,” he said and Mara gave a laugh that made him think she was doing it on purpose.
“That would be Mara,” Elizabeth offered with a grin. “Let me know how Doctor Parrish is when you’ve had your chat,” she requested before turning and leaving.
Evan turned too, returning to his trip to the infirmary. He didn’t really know what he’d do if Parrish was serious about leaving the city. He’d have to find, train and break in a new team member. That wasn’t the kind of thing he did easily. Starting out with a new team was best, as everyone was in the same position, but changing one person meant one person felt singled out.
He shook away the horrible possibility and focused on what he could say to talk his fourth member into staying in the city, even if he didn’t go on missions anymore.
****
“That has to be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
Radek looked over his glasses to the noticeably annoyed astrophysicist who had his head in a laptop. For a moment he merely regarded the man before silently sighing.
“It was a perfectly reasonable search, Rodney.”
Rodney scoffed behind the screen of his computer before looking up at the other scientist.
“Are you kidding me? Did you really think that typing in ‘Navo Gene’ would get you anywhere in a database like this?” He gestured dramatically to the screen before him. “You might as well have just typed in ‘the meaning of life’ while you’re at it and see if you get anything.”
“Well I don’t see you coming up with any better ideas,” Radek turned back to his computer and stared at the abundance of Ancient text in disbelief. It would take years to go through everything manually and they weren’t even sure if the information they were looking for was in there.
“Actually,” the chubby index finger of the Canadian scientist appeared over the laptop, “while you have been mindlessly inputting random searches, I have been writing a new sub-routine that should significantly narrow the search parameters.”
Radek’s eyes perked up as he swivelled back around. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the other.
“I know what you’re thinking: ‘It would take days to write such a comprehensive sub-routine’ and normally, you’d be right. Thankfully you have me,” Rodney offered a smug smile.
“Even so, Rodney, it would take more than –”
“Yes, if you were to write the program for the entire database,” Rodney continued. This brought about a confused look on Zelenka’s face and Rodney continued. “I figure if the gene is mentioned at all, it would be in the medical or science logs which significantly narrows the search already.”
“And writing a sub-routine for a small section of the database is simpler.”
“Exactly.”
Radek had to admit that he was impressed that Rodney thought of such a solution, especially since he had been opposed to helping with the search in the first place. Rodney had really wanted to be back at the new console trying to get it to work.
“Got anything yet?” The Scottish accent wafted into the room as Carson turned the corner and entered the lab. He looked at the two scientists expectantly.
“Nothing about the Navo Gene,” Radek adjusted his glasses.
“Not yet,” Rodney countered.
“Rodney thinks he can narrow down the search to just the medical and science-related material in the database,” Radek said turning to look at Doctor Beckett.
“Can he really do that?”
Radek shrugged before McKay’s voice sounded proudly behind his computer.
“He just did.”
Radek swivelled around to his own monitor while Carson leaned in to watch as the Ancient text began to fly across the screen and Rodney’s program initiated. Moments later there were a handful of files on the screen as opposed to the copious amount there were before.
“You did it Rodney.”
“Of course.”
Radek clicked on the first file and the three silently began to read what it contained. It was Carson who piped in first, his hand touching the screen.
“It says here the Navo Gene first appeared in one of the last generations of the Ancients.”
“That makes sense. Navo means new in Ancient,” Radek said leaning back in his seat.
“Yes, well thank you Mr. Translator, but that doesn’t help us understand what the gene is.”
Radek rolled his eyes at Rodney’s dry remark and clicked on the second file. Carson seemed to lean in interestedly as the text scrolled down.
“Wait!” Carson put his hand on Radek’s shoulder to stop him from continuing down the file. Carson re-read the text on the screen.
“It says here that this scientist who discovered the gene thought it to be the next evolution of their race.”
“I thought we were the next evolution.”
Carson shook his head gently to Radek.
“Actually, we are the second generation to go through the evolutionary steps as the Ancients once did. You see, we are the descendents of the Ancients which is why only a small number of the population still carries the ATA Gene.”
“So that would make Elizabeth?”
“Higher in the evolutionary chain than you or I, yes.”
The room became silent as the ramifications of the new information settled on the trio. It was broken by the crackling of the radio.
“Doctor McKay to the control room.”
“What now?” Rodney muttered with a roll of his eyes.
****
John ducked as a wooden stick skimmed the top of his hair and countered the attacking stick with his own. Using his weight, he pushed back his opponent and took a moment to regain his breath.
“But why now? Why show up after we’ve been in the city for so long?”
John wiped a bead of sweat that formed on the crown of his hair as he watched Teyla, who remained nimble in front of him. Having caught his breath, he began his own assault, swinging the sticks towards Teyla’s abdomen, but the attack was quickly averted by the Athosian. John tried again, swinging low this time, but Teyla jumped and executed a round-house kick which caught Sheppard in the back and sent him stumbling.
“Perhaps she was only recently allowed to appear to us.”
It was Teyla’s turn to perform a series of assaults which John struggled to block but ultimately managed. Teyla backed off and gave John a moment to breathe. John began to circle to the left.
“To do what though? It’s not like she’s a wealth of information.”
Not that John was holding it against her – she was five after all – but it didn’t make sense to him that the ascended beings would let a child come warn them instead of sending someone older.
“You have mentioned that these, ascended beings, have rules against interfering with our lives. Would it not be prudent then to warn us through a child?”
“You mean like a loop-hole? They knew the kid could give us the right information, but we’d have to fill in a lot of the holes ourselves?” From what John had read about the Ancients back home, it didn’t sound entirely inaccurate. It was like the ascended beings had nothing better to do than to play games with the lower plains. John deadpanned. “Great.”
The two were back at it. The click-clacking of the wooden sticks as they smacked together sounded in the spacious gym as the two continued to spar against each other. For a moment, John thought he had the upper hand as he noticed Teyla had left her right arm exposed. He moved in to grapple her arm, but Teyla was ready. She swung her forearm out and sent John flying backwards to the ground. In one single motion she was on top of him with her sticks crossed, one on each side of his neck. They remained like that for a moment before John conceded defeat and Teyla helped him up.
“Even if that’s the case, we need a little more to go on than ‘evil is coming’.”
Elizabeth had radioed him just as he had left Tipson and Lambert in his office. He had thought it to be a very cryptic message then and he still did now.
Teyla handed him a towel before she reached for one and dabbed herself off from the workout. Finally she looked up.
“There used to be an old story my father would tell me when I was a child. It is regarded as merely a legend among my people, but with recent events…”
John had known Teyla long enough to know that it usually proved helpful to listen to her when she remembered things like this. From his experience, most legends came from some sort of truth, and he was willing to take any ideas over the abundance of nothing he had now.
“What’s the story about?”
“It has been a long time since I have heard the story told,” Teyla placed the sticks on the shelf. “The story speaks of a time before the Wraith, of a time before the ancestors, when there was peace. It is said that a ‘darkness’ slept in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, a darkness no one could see, and it was awoken when the ancestors arrived.”
“Doesn’t that sound familiar,” John muttered as he took a seat on one of the benches and reached for a bottle of water. “So what happened?”
“The story says that the darkness approached the ancestors under the veil of air and that only the ancestors could see them. The darkness almost defeated the ancestors, but that they managed to defend themselves in the end.”
John looked at Teyla. “That’s it?”
“The story was meant to keep us from venturing into the ruins on our planet in fear that we would awaken the darkness again,” Teyla offered a sympathetic smile.
“Right. No reason to go into detail as long as you can keep the children in line.”
Teyla dipped her head.
“Colonel Sheppard,” Chuck’s voice rang over the radio.
John exchanged glances with Teyla before pressing the button on his radio. “Go ahead.”
“Your presence is required in the Control Room, sir.”
“I’ll be right there.”
John stood up and motioned Teyla to follow him.
****
“No! Absolutely not!” Doctor Parrish was sitting in a wheelchair in the middle of the botany lab surrounded by lush flora with Major Lorne standing across from him behind a counter. Parrish crossed his arms to further his statement.
Lorne took a deep breath and reminded himself that he needed this guy on his team.
“Come on Doc, it was an accident. It could have happened to anyone.”
“But it happened to me, Major. Me! And this isn’t the first time either. There was that time when I sprained my wrist on M4X-337 –”
“That could have happened to anyone. No one saw the crevice until it was too late. It was an honest mistake.”
Parrish rolled his eyes. “What about the time I fell down the cliff or when I almost drowned in the river? I suppose those were just flukes as well.”
Lorne shifted his weight. “So you’ve had some bad luck.”
Parrish let out a scornful laugh. “Bad luck. Face it, Major, I’m just not cut out for off world exploration. I never was and I never will be.”
Lorne crossed his arms. “You’re a valuable member of my team. I need you on it.”
Parrish rolled his eyes. “All you need is a scientist on your team. I’m easily replaceable,” Lorne opened his mouth, but Parrish cut him off. “I’m sorry, Major, but my mind is made up.”
Doctor Parrish didn’t leave much room for argument as he swivelled somewhat awkwardly in his wheelchair and made his way towards the doors. Lorne watched as the scientist ran into a young woman, mumbled something about watching where one walked to her, and continued irritated down the corridor.
Once Parrish was out of sight, Lorne let out a loud exhale and leaned on the nearby counter. He didn’t know what he was going to do. He knew he needed to find someone to replace Parrish, but who? His eyes fell on the young red-haired woman who had run into Doctor Parrish as he left. She was currently attending to some plant that reminded Lorne of sunflowers back home, though these were smaller and red. It took him a moment to recollect her name.
“Doctor Brown, right?”
Katie looked up from the flowers and over at the military officer.
“Yes?”
Lorne took another moment to recollect some information before he spoke again.
“You’re head of botany, right?”
Katie pulled back a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear while she nodded.
“Yes,” she offered him a meek smile to which Lorne countered with a warm smile of his own.
Anyone looking at Lorne could tell that the wheels in his head were turning. He needed a fourth member of his team and it was preferable that the fourth member was not only a scientist, but a botanist. It’s what made his team different from the others on base and he wanted to keep that edge.
“Ever go off world before?”
Katie blinked at him and turned around fully to face him. She didn’t speak to a lot of the military officers on the base except for a few, one of them being Lieutenant Cadman. It was rare for them to start a conversation with her. She was speechless for a moment, but recovered.
“Not really, no.”
Lorne widened his smile and his charm. “Ever want to?”
“Oh well, I don’t know. I mean, I suppose it would be interesting to travel to different worlds, but –”
“Great! You can join my team then.”
“Oh. But I –”
“I won’t take no for an answer Doc. Trust me, you’ll love it,” Lorne offered another smile.
“Are you sure I’m the right person for the job?”
“Major Lorne, please report to the gate room,” Colonel Sheppard’s voice sounded over the radio before Lorne had a chance to respond.
“On my way, sir,” Lorne offered a ‘what can you do’ shrug to Katie as he pushed off the counter and began to exit the lab.
“What if I can’t do it?” Katie yelled after him.
“It’s a piece of cake!” And then he was gone.
****
“What’s going on?” Elizabeth demanded, moving from the conference room to the control room. She’d been sitting talking with Mara, though they’d talked about anything except what she wanted and even played a few games. It had been Rodney’s sarcastic tone that had pulled her from the girl and back to the rest of the city.
John and Rodney exchanged a look before turning back to her, but neither of them said a word. She watched them, narrowing her eyes at the way they shifted uncomfortably until John caught sight of Mara standing in the conference room doorway. Instantly he reached out a hand, grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him and further away from the girl. For a moment she thought he was going to kiss her, but he turned as he pulled on her sleeve and she found herself moved over to stand near Ronon. She raised a quick brow at the Satedan, he’d been standing in that very spot when she’d returned from the infirmary, and it looked as though he hadn’t moved a muscle.
“I think I know what ‘evil’ is,” he said drawing her attention back to him. “There’s a Wraith ship heading our away.”
“A Wraith ship?” she asked. “As in one?”
“Yeah,” John offered with a grin, “we were just debating if we had enough power to cloak us for long enough so they think we’re still gone.”
“Well, I could have told you the answer to that,” she offered. “If all they want to do is confirm we’re not here anymore then we’re fine, evil averted.”
“Did you find anything out?” John asked and she could see the sceptical look in his eyes. It made her think for a moment. A single Wraith hive ship wasn’t really that much of a problem. Sure, it would expend a little bit of their power supply, but one Wraith ship sent to check on them was nothing.
“I know she’s good at avoiding the question,” Elizabeth watched Ronon move to stand closer. “And she likes games,” she said. She considered telling John her name or leaving Mara to have her fun at guessing.
“You know her name, don’t you,” he asked with a sly grin.
“Why can’t everyone see her?” Ronon asked stopping Elizabeth from gloating about the fact that she did know the girl’s name.
“I haven’t managed to find out anything other than the games she likes to play and why she’s so comfortable with me.”
“Which is?”
“So, do I just stand here looking pretty or are you going to give me something to do?” Rodney said cutting off Elizabeth’s answer. Elizabeth turned back to the monitor and studied the display. It seemed pointless to send someone, even a little girl to warn them about a single Wraith hive ship; there was something bigger at play here and this hive ship was just the beginning of it.
“Start switching over from shield to cloak, be ready for them when they get close,” she ordered and listened as Rodney muttered about time wasting and moved out of the room. She turned, looking between John, Teyla and Ronon for a moment and considering her options. “John, get Major Lorne up here to join us. I think it’s time we had a little chat with Mara.”
She turned, heading for the small girl still standing in the doorway of the conference room. As she stepped into the room she heard the comm. call for Major Lorne and smiled at Mara. She knew this would be hard. The girl had obviously spent many years without anyone to really play with and here on Atlantis she was presented with a friendly environment and John, who was a big kid all of his own.
“Come on Mara,” she said holding out her hand, “time to get some work done.”
Mara took her hand and followed her across to her office. John and Teyla were sitting comfortably in the chairs on the other side of her desk and Ronon was leaning against the door. She could start without Lorne. All she needed was for him to do a little recon and see if there were more hive ships following the first.
She moved around her desk and took her seat very aware that only John could see the girl trailing behind her. It didn’t seem to faze either Teyla or Ronon that she lifted something invisible onto her lap before she started considering where to start.
“Mara,” John said pointing his finger at her knowingly. Mara stuck her tongue out at him and smiled.
“Elizabeth told you,” she said struggling just slightly on the ‘z’ in her name.
“Excuse me, Elizabeth,” Teyla said shifting forward in the seat. “Ronon and I cannot see or hear... Mara, perhaps we should be excused from this meeting.”
“Yeah,” John said then creased his brow. “Why can only people with the gene see you?” he asked Mara.
“So that you’ll be ready,” Mara said innocently reaching for Elizabeth’s silver watch. She sat back against Elizabeth’s chest as she tinkered with the object and managed to open it and look at the clock face before she added. “Only those with our gene or the Navo Gene can see the evil people.”
Elizabeth turned to Teyla and Ronon, who both had an arched brow watching the object linger in the air. She nodded at them and Teyla moved quickly, her expression betraying for a split second that she found the sight eerie. Ronon seemed completely amused at the sight and had to be dragged from the room by Teyla.
“You mean that half the city won’t be able to fight them?” Mara nodded at John’s question and flipped the watch shut. “Doesn’t sound like the Wraith,” John added and Elizabeth couldn’t help but look at him with an expression that said only too clearly that she’d worked that much out.
“The drones can stop the Wraith if they don’t come in too many ships,” Mara said simply.
“Ma’am?” Lorne asked while stepping into the office.
“Major,” Elizabeth greeted with a gesture to the empty chair next to John. “I need you to do a little recon.”
Lorne nodded and she watched his eyes follow Mara’s hand as she placed a statuette back on its podium. She reached for something else, but Elizabeth stopped her from taking it and pulled her back against her chest. She leaned back taking Elizabeth’s hand with hers and started to fiddle with the long fingers examining each of Elizabeth’s nails.
“Need you to take a Jumper to a location near the hive ship that’s heading our way and make sure it’s all alone out there,” John said with a raised brow and Elizabeth knew he was watching her; her attention had been drawn by the child on her lap.
“How far away is the nearest gate, sir?”
“About half hour Jumper ride,” John said and Elizabeth pried her fingers free long enough to pick up her father’s watch and give it to Mara.
“No heroics, Major,” Elizabeth put in now that she could put her full attention back into the current situation. “Just take a look and see what’s out there and then come back.”
“Yes ma’am, we’ll be ready to go in twenty,” Lorne said and left his chair and the office quickly.
Elizabeth’s hands were pushed aside quickly as Mara got up. She quirked a brow noting that her watch had left with the little girl and wondered for just a second if she’d be able to find it later. She was drawn shortly after the girl vanished from view by the smirk on John’s face.
“What?” she asked him with a grin.
He didn’t answer. Instead he stood up and moved around to stand between her and the door out to the stairs. His smile grew and he simply jerked his head towards the door. She followed him out and down the stairs in silence. He looked back once to make sure she was following and turned into an empty meeting room as soon as the corridor was clear.
“What...”
“Will you forgive me?” John asked stopping her from asking any questions.
“For what?”
“This,” he said and took a step towards her and drew her up into a passionate kiss. Their first, she realised as she let herself melt against him. Six months together, sharing a bed and letting him be in the room while she changed. He’d kept his hands to himself, told her he respected her and would wait a lifetime for her and here he was taking the next step in their relationship.
All she could think of was a single, simple question. Why did we wait so long? John pulled back somewhat reluctant to see her response and for a moment he didn’t look her in the eye.
“I will,” she said, raising her hand to brush against his cheek and feeling his stubble scratching at her palm. “If you do it again.”
He smiled before he leaned in and kissed her again, this time more gently. The looming doom of an enemy stopped her from lowering her hand to his chest to find the zipper of his jacket; now was far from a good time to take a step back from her celibacy. But soon, he’d waited long enough.
“John,” she whispered, keeping herself close to him, but breaking the kiss. He dropped his head and drew a line of kisses down her neck. “What brought this on?”
“Natural mother,” he said simply, “could make any man’s heart melt watching you with Mara,” he continued. His hands slipped around her waist and pulled her closer and she finally realised where he wanted this to go.
“John,” she said again. “Not here, not now,” Elizabeth added. She placed a hand on his chest to push him back and moved just a step back. His hands stayed on her hips as he looked up at her.
“I always found you more irresistible during and after a crisis,” he offered with a sly grin. She took his hands and dropped them back at his sides before leaning in and giving him a short kiss on the lips.
“Then come find me after this one,” she said and turned before he could stop her.
****
Lorne finished the quick check of the Jumper’s supplies and controls before turning to check the other two members of his team. Cole was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat. He’d been quick to call shotgun when he’d realised Doctor Parrish wasn’t going with them. Miller was checking his gun in the rear of the Jumper. Sitting right behind Cole though was his youngest recruit ever. Five years old, long brown curls and bright green eyes. She smiled up at him ever watchful of his movements and he knew he’d have to tell her eventually that she couldn’t go with them.
He swallowed, kids were great. He loved them to death, so long as he could give them back at the end of the day. Only problem with this one was there was no one she really belonged to. Despite the fact that she’d been completely relaxed with Doctor Weir, he couldn’t very well send the girl back to her; she was busy enough without a child to deal with. She had McKay and Zelenka to fill that role.
“Who do you wanna stay with while we go see some old friends?” he asked her as she gave a yawn.
“I can’t go with you?” she asked innocently. Lorne shook his head hoping she wouldn’t start crying or throwing a tantrum and let out a sigh of relief when she got up and headed out the rear of the Jumper.
He’d let her follow him around the city as he gathered his men, got their equipment and made their way here. He’d known where she was at all times and he wasn’t going to let a five year old girl out of his sight until he knew someone else could keep an eye on her. She made her way out the Jumper Bay and started down the stairs. When she reached the bottom of the first set and turned the corner he scooped her up and carried her down the next – it was just quicker this way.
He set her back on her feet at the bottom and followed as she took off at a run across the corridor and into the control room. She paused, looked around and darted off to one side and Lorne stepped into the room in time to see Colonel Sheppard get strangled by her arms.
“Sir,” Lorne said stopping nearby.
“Major,” John said and then smiled. “How’d the babysitting job go?”
“Just great, sir. Didn’t bore her to tears or get any tantrums, though she did want to go with us.”
“Sorry sweetie,” John said poking at her sides to make her laugh. She groaned and rubbed her eyes before settling her head on his shoulder. “You’re stuck here with me and Elizabeth.”
“I like Elizabeth,” she said sleepily and turned to grin at the Major.
“Whenever you’re ready, Major,” he said and Lorne gave a half salute before turning and heading back to the bay.
****
“What you said half an hour ago,” Elizabeth said in a hushed tone as she pointed to Mara asleep on John’s shoulder. “That goes both ways you know. I think she’s adopted you.”
“Us,” John corrected matching her volume, “she likes you too.”
“You could lay her on my sofa, you know.”
“Nah,” John said adjusting the sleeping weight in his arm, “she’s not that heavy and it’s good practice.”
“Practice?” She said her voice a little higher and louder than before.
A moment’s panic washed over John as he realised a little too late that he’d stepped into grounds unknown. He knew Elizabeth well enough to know what she liked and disliked, her favourite colour and food and how she dealt with stress, discomfort and sadness. But what he didn’t know, was whether or not she wanted children. He could very well have struck a nerve with that comment.
“Practice for what?” Rodney said stepping up to them; his face lowered to his PDA and Zelenka a step behind him.
“My own kids,” he said. “If the woman I find wants them,” he added giving Elizabeth an apologetic look.
“That reminds me,” Rodney said finally looking up at him with a pointed finger. “I went looking for you this morning and you weren’t in your quarters. She,” he said somewhat venomously indicating Mara, “said you were with ‘her’.”
“Her who?” Radek asked.
“She wouldn’t say,” he spat. “So who did you spend the night with?”
“That’s a rather personal question, Rodney,” Elizabeth interjected before John could finish licking his lips.
“Erm,” Radek said trying to add his own interjection to the conversation.
“You’re not at all worried that he might be Kirking the whole female population?”
“Doctor Weir,” Radek tried.
“I don’t have a Kirk complex,” John put in feeling only slightly offended and more worried about how Elizabeth would respond to that particular comment. “If you must know,” he said and paused to wet his lips again, “I’ve shared a bed with the same beautiful woman every night for the last six months,” he didn’t dare look directly at Elizabeth, but he could see the brow quirk out of the corner of his eye.
“Doctor Weir?”
“What?” Rodney shouted rounding on the other scientist. Mara shifted in John’s arms and he watched as Elizabeth turned to see what Radek was pointing at.
He followed the line of the man’s arm and finger to the sensor screen. The long range scanners had been back on for most of the day and he could see the familiar dot that indicated a Puddle Jumper and nothing else. The hive ship was gone, just vanished off the screen as if it had found a wormhole and been transported backwards. He quickly scanned the rest of the monitor, it was really gone.
“Where’d the hive ship go?” Rodney asked dumbly.
“That’s a very good question, Rodney,” Elizabeth said eyeing the screen.
****
The Puddle Jumper flew out of the orbiting Stargate and quickly cloaked after it cleared the area of the gate. Major Lorne glanced down at the unfamiliar planet that the gate was hovering beside and secretly wondered if there were allies down there that could help them with the Wraith. However, that wasn’t the mission. The mission was a half-hour away in the middle of space and Lorne pushed the Jumper in the right direction going as fast as the ship could go.
“Think they’re heading for Atlantis?” Cole looked up from what he was doing and posed the question to the other two men in the Jumper. Half an hour was a long time to remain quiet.
“I don’t see why. The Wraith think Atlantis was destroyed,” Lorne kept his eyes forward, but continued to participate in the discussion anyways. Miller had his head down examining something on his gun.
“Maybe they’re going there to see if they can scavenge anything.”
“Or maybe they’re not going there at all,” Cole rebutted.
Miller shook his head. “There’s nothing from here to there of any interest for them.”
“Oh, and I suppose you’re a Wraith expert now.”
Lorne pressed a few buttons on the dash and read the information streaming down the HUD as the two officers began to argue over Wraith tactics. Finally he decided that the bickering had gone on long enough.
“It doesn’t matter,” he glanced back at the two from the corner of his eye, “our orders are to go check it out and that’s what we’re doing.”
The two of them looked at each other silently for a moment and then uttered in unison, “Yessir.”
For the rest of the ride the conversation turned to more mundane topics like sports and the mess hall menu for next week. The conversation had remained rather steady until Major Lorne fell silent and stared intently out through the window. Lieutenant Miller was the first to notice and he looked at the team leader whose brow was now furrowed.
“Sir?”
It took a moment for the question to register and then Lorne simply replied with.
“We’re here.”
Cole noted the furrowed brow on Lorne’s face as well. “What’s wrong, sir?”
Lorne gestured to the window of the Jumper. “Notice anything missing?”
The two men leaned forward in their seats and peered outside the large window at the dark space in front of the ship. After a moment, Cole was the one to pipe up again. “There’s nothing there.”
“Exactly,” Lorne pressed his lips together in contemplation and then hit the long-range communication button. “Atlantis, this is Major Lorne.”
“This is Atlantis. Go ahead, Major Lorne.”
“We’ve arrived at the designated coordinates and there’s, uh, nothing here.”
There was silence for a moment and then Colonel Sheppard’s voice sounded on the other end, “Ya, we saw that.”
“Did they jump into hyperspace before we got here?”
“Negative. They were just there one minute and gone the next. We thought the deep-space sensors were malfunctioning.” The comm. cut out just as Doctor McKay’s irritated voice said something in protest. There was a pause and then Sheppard was back. “What can you see, Major?”
Lorne was now frowning. “Nothing, sir.”
“Look harder, Major,” Rodney’s voice cut in unceremoniously. “The hive ship couldn’t just disappear. There has to be something.”
“Doc, I think I’d be able to spot a Wraith Hive Ship –”
The Puddle Jumper lurched to one side causing Lorne and the other officers to grab onto whatever was in front of them in order to remain in their seats. Miller looked expectantly at Lorne who was pressing various buttons trying to get a reading. “What the heck was that?”
“Major Lorne?” It was Colonel Sheppard again.
“Something seems to have hit us, sir.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know, sir. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
Something hit the Jumper again, this time from the left and caused Miller to fall out of his chair and onto the floor. He muttered something about next time calling shotgun as Lorne recovered from the initial shock and began to manoeuvre the ship. The Jumper was hit again as Lorne turned. It felt like they were under attack, only the sensors weren’t picking up any energy readings.
Miller climbed back into his chair just in time to join the other two men who were staring at a large metallic object floating a few feet in front of them. The darkness of space made it hard to make out. Miller squinted. “What is that?”
Lorne frowned. “It looks like a part of a ship.”
Miller raised his eyebrows and Cole read the scrolling text on the side of the screen, “The sensors are picking up traces of Wraith energy signatures.”
Lorne pressed the comm. link again, “Colonel Sheppard. I think we found the Hive ship, sir.”
“What’s its status, Major?”
“Gone, sir. It looks like it was completely torn apart.”
“What?” McKay’s shrill voice came over the radio, then there was static and Colonel Sheppard’s voice came back. “Any signs of how it happened?”
Lorne pressed a few more buttons on the dashboard and read the readings from the sensors. He shook his head and replied.
“If you’re asking if I see an Ancient weapon we could use, the answer is no, sir.”
“That’s too bad. Is there anything salvageable?”
“No sir. It looks like we’re right in the middle of the debris field. It’s going to be one hell of a bumpy ride out.”
“Alright. Head back to the gate –”
“Wait,” Lorne re-read the new information on the screen. “It looks like the sensors are picking up a faint energy reading.”
“Check it out, Major.”
“Yessir.”
Lorne carefully manoeuvred the ship to the right, bumping into some debris in the process, and slowly flew the Jumper towards the faint reading. It was like navigating through a mine-field. Whenever Lorne scraped or bumped into a piece of rubble, the Jumper would groan or rock in protest. Suddenly Lorne felt himself wishing that Doctor McKay was here in case the Jumper got damaged – and that was saying a lot for Lorne.
“It should be right ahead,” Cole pointed on the map displayed on the HUD for the benefit of Miller and they all began to concentrate on the space debris in front of them. A faint light flashed on and off from a floating mass of metal.
“What is that?” Miller asked as he got off his chair and leaned over Cole’s shoulder for a better view.
Cole shrugged. “Some sort of beacon? Maybe a distress signal.”
Lorne frowned again. If it was a distress signal that meant that more Wraith ships were on their way. “Let’s get a closer look.”
The Jumper inched forward slowly until the piece of metal drew close enough for the men to discern parts of it. The blinking came at calculated intervals and with every passing minute one of the solid lights would disappear. Ten lights, then nine, eight, seven. Lorne tensed as he heard Miller’s breath catch. “We need to get out of here.”
Lorne backed up the Jumper hastily. The Jumper lurched and sent Miller flying back onto the floor with a groan. There was no time to see if he was alright. Lorne navigated the ship, weaving it in and out of large pieces of Wraith ship as best as he could.
“Major Lorne,” Colonel Sheppard’s voice was on the radio again. “What’s your status?”
“The Wraith activated their self-destruct sir. We’re trying to get away from the blast radius before it – shit! Hold on!”
The radio crackled.
“Major Lorne? Major Lorne, come in!”