John Sheppard had been described many ways, but he doubted that anyone would label him as trusting. Following a stranger on a world where Elizabeth and he had been abducted went against every instinct he possessed. So how was it that he now found himself crouched in a hallway of the building where they had been held? The man had left him and Elizabeth there a minute or two ago, indicating through gestures (some of which John found highly entertaining) that he would be back when the way was clear.
“Now tell me again why you thought this was a good idea,” he whispered. She was crouched behind him, pressed as tightly against the cement wall as possible.
“I didn’t say it was a good idea,” she whispered back, arching an eyebrow at him. He had always thought that she did that to be intimidating. He had to admit that sometimes it worked. “I did say that we didn’t really have any other options. You said yourself we couldn’t break out of that cell by ourselves.”
“Yeah, but following a complete stranger, who happens to belong to the other side, wasn’t high on my list of alternatives.”
“We could always go back,” she said.
He wondered what it said about him that his first impulse was to stick his tongue out at her. She had a teasing look on her face, one that he hadn’t seen since arriving on Abreca. She had been avoiding him when they first arrived and after that…well, there hadn’t been a lot of time for normalcy. But it was comforting to see that look on her face again, especially after how tense she had been in the cell.
Before John could think of a reply, their new friend reappeared. The man came bustling around the corner, looking as just nervous as he had when he had left. Not that John could blame the man; he was probably committing at the very least a serious crime, if not outright treason. The stranger gestured tightly for them to follow him again.
John glanced back at Elizabeth and without thinking, grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him. Seeing how much it flustered her gave him a pleased little thrill. He would be a fool and a liar if he said that he had never noticed how attractive she was, and he was neither of those things. What he hadn’t really noticed before was how he could affect her. Although he supposed now was not the time to start thinking that way.
They continued to follow their furtive guide quickly down a series of halls. Elizabeth, John noted, made no attempt to remove her hand from his. Eventually they came to a hall that ended in a door. The man tapped softly on the door in what seemed to be some sort of rhythmic code. He waited until he heard another series of taps from the other side of the door and then began to ease the door open.
John positioned Elizabeth behind him, uneasy at being unable to communicate with this man. Having to rely on the goodwill of a stranger went against every instinct he had, especially when Elizabeth’s safety was at stake. Keeping her close at his back, he followed the man out the door.
It was night and it was chilly, after the regulated temperature of the building. More than ever he missed his uniform and his jacket. These glorified scrubs offered no insulation from the cold; and really, would it be too much to ask for some shoes? The ground beneath their bare feet was cold, hard and wet, but at least it was smooth. It reminded him of cement sidewalks back on Earth. He heard Elizabeth’s sharp intake of breath when her feet touched the cold ground. She huddled closer to him, apparently the desire for warmth outweighing any need to keep a professional distance.
They appeared to be in an alley and though it was quiet outside, he could hear what sounded like normal city sounds. This was what he would have expected to see when they first arrived through the stargate. Two more people joined them in the alley: a man and a woman. The woman took one look at Elizabeth huddling behind John and said something in a harsh tone to the men. She took off her backpack, yanked out a jacket and tossed it to John. John nodded his thanks to the woman and turned to hold the jacket around Elizabeth’s shoulders while she gratefully shrugged it on.
The two men were talking in hushed tones to each other, every once in awhile looking back at John and Elizabeth. It frustrated him no end that he couldn’t communicate with them in anything other than charades. The woman, having also glanced at their feet, nudged her companion. When he didn’t immediately respond, she pulled his pack off his shoulders, causing him to yelp in surprise. Muttering angrily, she pulled two pairs of boots and socks out of the pack, and handed them to John and Elizabeth.
They didn’t fit perfectly - Elizabeth’s were at least a size too large - but they were an infinite improvement over bare feet. The stranger who had led them out of their cell reminded him of a neighbor he’d had back on Earth, so John mentally named him Gerry. The new arrivals were obviously a couple, so he’d chosen the first TV couple that had come to mind: Rob and Laura from The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Once John and Elizabeth had their borrowed boots on, “Gerry” gestured to John and Elizabeth; it looked like they were on the move again. He was glad, relieved to finally be on the move again after feeling so helpless. Elizabeth grabbed John’s hand again as they headed quietly down the alley. John tried not to think about the jump in his pulse at the touch of her hand.
He was relieved when they came to a vehicle at the end of the alley. He hadn’t relished the idea of trying to blend in with the rest of the population, especially when their clothing screamed prisoner/mental patient. He also wasn’t sure what they would do if they had been questioned by anyone, since they didn’t speak or understand the language.
The vehicle was large, about the size of a Hummer3 or maybe a Chevy Tahoe. But it featured a striking difference to Earth vehicles – no wheels. It actually hovered just above the ground, reminding him of the land speeder in Star Wars.
“Man, McKay would totally dig that car,” he whispered to Elizabeth, who couldn’t contain a chuckle.
John helped Elizabeth into the back of the vehicle and then climbed in after her. “Gerry” followed them in, pulling the heavy door shut behind them. “Rob” and “Laura” got into the front of the vehicle.
When they pulled out of the alley, John could see that they were not very far from where the abduction had originally taken place. But he also noted with rising alarm that when they turned onto the street, they turned in the exact opposite direction of the stargate. So, if they weren’t headed to the gate and then home, he had to wonder…where were they being taken?
Continued love and affection to my wonderful betas!!
“Now tell me again why you thought this was a good idea,” he whispered. She was crouched behind him, pressed as tightly against the cement wall as possible.
“I didn’t say it was a good idea,” she whispered back, arching an eyebrow at him. He had always thought that she did that to be intimidating. He had to admit that sometimes it worked. “I did say that we didn’t really have any other options. You said yourself we couldn’t break out of that cell by ourselves.”
“Yeah, but following a complete stranger, who happens to belong to the other side, wasn’t high on my list of alternatives.”
“We could always go back,” she said.
He wondered what it said about him that his first impulse was to stick his tongue out at her. She had a teasing look on her face, one that he hadn’t seen since arriving on Abreca. She had been avoiding him when they first arrived and after that…well, there hadn’t been a lot of time for normalcy. But it was comforting to see that look on her face again, especially after how tense she had been in the cell.
Before John could think of a reply, their new friend reappeared. The man came bustling around the corner, looking as just nervous as he had when he had left. Not that John could blame the man; he was probably committing at the very least a serious crime, if not outright treason. The stranger gestured tightly for them to follow him again.
John glanced back at Elizabeth and without thinking, grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him. Seeing how much it flustered her gave him a pleased little thrill. He would be a fool and a liar if he said that he had never noticed how attractive she was, and he was neither of those things. What he hadn’t really noticed before was how he could affect her. Although he supposed now was not the time to start thinking that way.
They continued to follow their furtive guide quickly down a series of halls. Elizabeth, John noted, made no attempt to remove her hand from his. Eventually they came to a hall that ended in a door. The man tapped softly on the door in what seemed to be some sort of rhythmic code. He waited until he heard another series of taps from the other side of the door and then began to ease the door open.
John positioned Elizabeth behind him, uneasy at being unable to communicate with this man. Having to rely on the goodwill of a stranger went against every instinct he had, especially when Elizabeth’s safety was at stake. Keeping her close at his back, he followed the man out the door.
It was night and it was chilly, after the regulated temperature of the building. More than ever he missed his uniform and his jacket. These glorified scrubs offered no insulation from the cold; and really, would it be too much to ask for some shoes? The ground beneath their bare feet was cold, hard and wet, but at least it was smooth. It reminded him of cement sidewalks back on Earth. He heard Elizabeth’s sharp intake of breath when her feet touched the cold ground. She huddled closer to him, apparently the desire for warmth outweighing any need to keep a professional distance.
They appeared to be in an alley and though it was quiet outside, he could hear what sounded like normal city sounds. This was what he would have expected to see when they first arrived through the stargate. Two more people joined them in the alley: a man and a woman. The woman took one look at Elizabeth huddling behind John and said something in a harsh tone to the men. She took off her backpack, yanked out a jacket and tossed it to John. John nodded his thanks to the woman and turned to hold the jacket around Elizabeth’s shoulders while she gratefully shrugged it on.
The two men were talking in hushed tones to each other, every once in awhile looking back at John and Elizabeth. It frustrated him no end that he couldn’t communicate with them in anything other than charades. The woman, having also glanced at their feet, nudged her companion. When he didn’t immediately respond, she pulled his pack off his shoulders, causing him to yelp in surprise. Muttering angrily, she pulled two pairs of boots and socks out of the pack, and handed them to John and Elizabeth.
They didn’t fit perfectly - Elizabeth’s were at least a size too large - but they were an infinite improvement over bare feet. The stranger who had led them out of their cell reminded him of a neighbor he’d had back on Earth, so John mentally named him Gerry. The new arrivals were obviously a couple, so he’d chosen the first TV couple that had come to mind: Rob and Laura from The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Once John and Elizabeth had their borrowed boots on, “Gerry” gestured to John and Elizabeth; it looked like they were on the move again. He was glad, relieved to finally be on the move again after feeling so helpless. Elizabeth grabbed John’s hand again as they headed quietly down the alley. John tried not to think about the jump in his pulse at the touch of her hand.
He was relieved when they came to a vehicle at the end of the alley. He hadn’t relished the idea of trying to blend in with the rest of the population, especially when their clothing screamed prisoner/mental patient. He also wasn’t sure what they would do if they had been questioned by anyone, since they didn’t speak or understand the language.
The vehicle was large, about the size of a Hummer3 or maybe a Chevy Tahoe. But it featured a striking difference to Earth vehicles – no wheels. It actually hovered just above the ground, reminding him of the land speeder in Star Wars.
“Man, McKay would totally dig that car,” he whispered to Elizabeth, who couldn’t contain a chuckle.
John helped Elizabeth into the back of the vehicle and then climbed in after her. “Gerry” followed them in, pulling the heavy door shut behind them. “Rob” and “Laura” got into the front of the vehicle.
When they pulled out of the alley, John could see that they were not very far from where the abduction had originally taken place. But he also noted with rising alarm that when they turned onto the street, they turned in the exact opposite direction of the stargate. So, if they weren’t headed to the gate and then home, he had to wonder…where were they being taken?
Continued love and affection to my wonderful betas!!