The Chase (NC-17) Ronon/OFC Chapter 2
Title: The Chase
Author: Angelsdee
Chapter: 2/?
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Ronon/OFC
Warnings: Violence and sexual situations
Spoilers: Maybe a brief reference to Sateda
Disclaimer: I don’t even own my navel lint so don’t sue. This little venture is for entertainment purposes only. No profit to be made, which sucks since I am poor and could use the funds.
Summary: Ronon pursues Mikaela after she returns to Atlantis.
Sequel to: The Hunt written by Heimedall.
Previous Chapters: Chapter 1.
Ronon leaned up against the wall around the corner from Mikaela’s quarters waiting for her to emerge. He knew there were still a few hours until she was due to go off world but he hoped for the opportunity to see her, to explain his behavior. He was pleasantly surprised when she exited her quarters and moved to go to her before he recognized the scanner in her hand.
She stared curiously at the image on the device for a few seconds before a dark look of fury entered her eyes. Studying the read out, she turned down the corridor moving away from Ronon’s position and followed the sensor reading. Ronon waited for a few moments before he followed at a discreet distance.
She made her way down several levels, her anger growing with each step until she found herself outside the door to the Observation Room. Mikaela took several deep breaths before her hand went to her blaster and she accessed the door. The bottom fell out of her world when she stood at the glass staring down into the lab.
“I know what you are thinking,” Ronon said softly as he moved to stand behind her.
“I doubt it,” her chest heaved while she stared down at the man lying unconscious on the medical bed. “He was my kill and you took him from me to turn him into what? Is he human?”
“I never agreed with this plan either. He is Wraith and always will be but the Humans believe this is the best way to deal with this problem,” he growled low in his throat placing his hands on her shoulders. “I know this is difficult for you…”
“Difficult?” she grated out of clenched teeth snapping her dark gaze to his. “I found one of my people that they turned into a Runner. I removed the device from his back, studied it, and mass produced tracking implants that could be fired from our weapons,” she held up her blaster for him to see. “My gun has three settings, stun, kill, and one that fires the implant. I turned the hunters into the hunted! All this time that I’ve been on this base, I’ve asked what became of my target and was told that he was terminated after a failed experiment but it was a lie! They did not trust me to tell me the truth!”
“Mikaela, please calm down,” he said in a soothing voice while his hands slid over her shoulders.
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” she pulled against his grip but his hands remained. “You of all people know what these monsters do to our kind! They destroyed your world and mine! You found that a few hundred Satedans survived but only seventeen remain of the millions from my world! You knew that my kill was still alive and you said nothing letting me believe their lies!” she fisted her hands beating them against his chest while bitter tears ran down her cheeks. “How could you do this to me? You are the only one I trusted completely once I came here and you let me be deceived.”
Her anger ran its course only to transform into sadness. Ronon pulled her into his chest cradling her sobbing body against him. He felt her legs buckle beneath her and lowered them to the floor pulling her into his lap.
“I want to explain myself to you even though you might not want to hear it or even believe it,” he murmured into her ear while he stroked her hair. “I was against this with every fiber of my being and still am but I am allied with these people. They have a hard enough time preventing me from killing him. I don’t think they would fare as well with you. I weighed my options,” he whispered against her silken tresses. “I knew if you discovered his presence you would kill him and Sheppard’s people would be forced to send you back to the mainland. I wanted you here with me.”
“You made the wrong choice,” she whispered into his chest before she pulled out of his grasp, grabbed her weapon and retook her feet. “You should’ve trusted me, told me the truth, and tried to convince me that some good would come from this experiment. We both know that will never happen but you still should’ve told me.”
“I wanted to,” Ronon stood before her with his head hung low. “Aside from my own selfish reasons for keeping it from you, I still wanted to tell you but Sheppard insisted that I didn’t.”
“So after all I’ve done since I’ve been here none of them trust me for anything but to shed my blood for them,” she lowered her head placing her weapon back in its holster on her thigh. “You don’t either. I expected more from you. I find myself deeply disturbed that you are not the man that I thought you were.”
“Mikaela,” Ronon began to move towards her but stopped when she held up a hand to ward him off.
“I have a mission to prepare for,” she said quietly, “and upon my return I must rethink my decision of remaining here.”
Ronon stood silently watching her walk out the door. An ache filled his heart when he thought of losing her. He debated on the wisdom of telling Sheppard that she had discovered the secret they had been concealing from her but was hard-pressed to betray her again.
~*~
Ronon spent the next couple hours in his room until Lorne’s team was due to leave on their mission, still debating on telling Sheppard. When it was time for her departure, he made his way to the Gate Room. He sat in the Control Room next to McKay while he relayed his findings on the environment of the planet to Lorne before Chuck began the dialing sequence.
Ronon moved to stand at the top of the stairs meeting Mikaela’s eyes for a brief moment before she walked through the event horizon. There was no life in her gaze before she went through the gate. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this might be the last time he saw her. He always had that dreadful feeling whenever either one of them went on a mission but it gnawed at his stomach this time.
“So how are things going with you and our resident Warrior Princess?” Rodney asked as he swiveled around in his chair.
“Does everyone know how I feel about her?” Ronon rolled his eyes before he turned to face McKay.
“Please, you have the lovesick schoolboy look painted all over you.” McKay was pleased with himself that he got to engage in locker room talk and Ronon being the center of it made it all the more enjoyable. “Come on, Conan, you two are perfect for each other. You fight alike, look alike, and have the same dazzling personality.”
“Mind your own business, McKay,” Ronon turned to leave the Gate Room.
“Do you still want me to contact you when they are inbound?” Radek asked before he made it to the corridor.
“Yes,” he said in a low tone before he turned down the hall, leaving the two grinning scientists behind him.
~*~
“Ronon,” John smiled when he opened his door. “What can I do for you, buddy?”
“Sheppard,” he kept his eyes downcast, his voice was strained from what he was about to do. “I need to speak with you.”
“Sounds serious,” John’s smile faded as he stepped aside. “Come in.” He watched the big man pace his room for a moment before he finally flopped down into a chair. John sat on his bed across from him, arms resting on his knees waiting for Ronon to speak. “What’s going on, big guy?”
“It’s Mikaela,” he said gruffly.
“Your courtship of the lady is not going according to plan?”
“She knows,” Ronon looked up to meet John’s gaze but the look in his eyes said volumes.
“Knows what exactly?” John asked with a sense of dread building in his stomach.
“About her Wraith and the experiment,” Ronon gauged John’s emotions as they washed over his face. “I don’t know why but she checked her tracker and found the signal still broadcasting,” he cut off John before he could ask. “You told her that he was dead before she joined the team and I guess she had no reason to doubt you and check for herself but she knows now.”
“How did she take it?”
“How do you think?” Ronon snapped at him. “She is beyond furious that she was lied to and said she is going to have to rethink her position here since no one trusted her with the truth.”
“Damn,” John muttered under his breath before he shot to his feet and paced his room. “I struggled with the decision to tell her. I really wanted to, hoping we could convince her that this was a shot for the Pegasus Galaxy to survive but Elizabeth decided it would be best if I had any reservations. She said it was difficult enough trying to contain you. If Mikaela lost it, we’d have our hands full with the both of you.”
“I’d side with her,” Ronon stood in John’s path, his expression deadly serious.
“I know you would and that scares the hell out of me especially since I know the extent of your relationship with her now,” John sighed as he scrubbed his face with his palms. “Where is she now?”
“She left thirty minutes ago with Lorne’s team.”
“You let her leave on a mission knowing how pissed she is?” John glanced up at Ronon with his hands on his hips. “Why didn’t you tell me or Lorne? Do you realize how dangerous it is for his team having to rely on a person who feels betrayed by them?”
“She will not let any of them come to harm,” Ronon fired back, his eyes holding his certainty. “It is not her way to abandon her people to danger.”
“We aren’t her people!”
“And that way of thinking is the reason she feels betrayed!” Ronon’s chest heaved with anger while he glared at John. “You used her as a means to achieve your goals. You treated her as a weapon, muscle, and nothing else. I should know, you did the same with me but you came to trust me. Or do you, Sheppard?”
“Of course I trust you! We all do and that is why I told you about the experiment even though I knew how you’d react but Ronon you’ve been with us a lot longer,” John said calmly. “She is still new to us and quite frankly, buddy, she tends to be a lot more volatile than you and that shocks the hell out of me. I never thought I’d meet someone that is more deadly than you. After some time goes by we would take her into the decision making process like we have you.”
“Here is something for you to take into account while you decide how much time needs to go by before you fully trust her,” Ronon stared down at his friend trying to calm his breathing. “You had to gamble that she would believe you when you told her that the Wraith was dead because neither McKay nor Beckett could disarm the tracker that she placed in him. You got lucky that she did believe you or we would’ve lost her a lot sooner. But here’s the thing, she isn’t just muscle, Sheppard. She created the tracker, she designed it and your two top minds came up empty against her technology.”
“McKay and Beckett said that Michael was implanted with a form of nano-technology that they’ve never seen before,” John said in awe before he dropped back on to his bed. “It is even more advanced than the Replicators. She managed to take a Wraith implant, transfer its primary function to nanites, and somehow turn it into energy that fires from her weapon. The woman is a genius.”
“If she can do that can you imagine what she could do with the nanites in other capacities?”
“She could do just about anything,” John whispered, excited about the possibilities for the future of their war against the Wraith.
“Well I think that is a resource that you won’t be able to tap,” Ronon turned his back on John, his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Mikaela is deeply hurt that she wasn’t trusted with the knowledge of the experiment. She says that it is okay for her to bleed for your people but not be trusted as a true member of the expedition. She’ll leave Sheppard.”
“Well we’ll have to try our best to apologize and get her to stay,” John placed his hand on Ronon’s shoulder which made the large man turn towards him. “I think you could come in handy in the convincing department.”
“I have my own apologies to make, Sheppard. I will leave you to yours,” Ronon walked towards the door, accessing it before he glanced over his shoulder. “She will not be easily swayed in her anger but my interest in this woman will push me to do things I wouldn’t dream of to ensure she forgives me. I suggest you and Lorne do everything you can to make good with her too.”
~*~
“Colonel, we have an unscheduled off-world activation,” Chuck reported as the lights came on in rapid sequence on the Stargate. “I’m picking up Major Lorne’s IDC!”
“Drop the shield,” John moved to the balcony as weapons fire erupted through the wormhole striking the walls and columns. “Take cover!”
Cole and Johnson ran through firing over their shoulders before they dropped to the ground to avoid incoming fire. “Keep it open!” Cole yelled out.
“Where are Lorne and Mikaela?” John called down to the men over the din of the gunfire.
“The Major is carrying Mikaela while she lays down cover fire,” the lieutenant yelled back. “You might want to get Beckett down here! She got hit!”
“Carson, I need you down in the Gate Room!” John yelled through his comm and grabbed Ronon’s arm when he moved towards the stairs. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“She is injured!”
“And you can’t do a damn thing about it until Lorne gets her through the gate,” he pushed the anxious Satedan back when a beam struck right above their heads. “Now get down!”
The SO’s positioned themselves to cover the gate if any opposition came through while the personnel took cover from the blasts that still emerged from the open gate. Several minutes ticked by with no sign of their comrades. The Gate Room went silent when no more weapon’s fire emerged through the wormhole. Collective breaths were held until Lorne finally ran through carrying Mikaela in his arms, her weapon still extended behind him.
“Close the shield,” Lorne called out breathlessly. “Get a med team here now!”
John nodded at Chuck before he ran down the stairs behind Ronon. “Beckett’s on the way.” As they approached Lorne, Mikaela’s arm fell to her side, her weapon clattering across the floor. “What happened?” John called out as they closed the distance and felt his heart clench in his chest when he saw the gaping wound in her side, her blood covered Lorne’s black uniform making it darker.
“We came across some Wraith,” Lorne gasped out of breath as Ronon took her unconscious form from his arms. “We were outnumbered and I ordered the retreat. Mikaela took up the rear covering us and took one that was meant for me,” he ran his eyes over her while Ronon cradled her to his chest. “She told me to leave her behind but kept us covered while I picked her up. She refused to succumb to her injury and took out the rest firing over my shoulder while I carried her to the gate. She just kept telling me to run, that she would keep me safe,” Lorne shook his head in shock. “I could tell she was on the verge of passing out but she held on.”
“Let me through!” Carson yelled out to clear a path for the gurney. “Lad, if you will,” he indicated the gurney to Ronon waiting for him to set her down before he moved to examine her. “She has internal bleeding, massive blood loss and a lot of tissue damage,” he muttered before he nodded at his team. “Get her to the infirmary immediately!”
“Ronon,” John caught his arm before he could follow. “You were right,” he said solemnly to the distraught man. “I’m sorry.”
“Hopefully she’ll survive so you can tell her that,” he pulled his arm from John’s grasp and raced to catch up to his ladylove.
“He was right about what?” Lorne asked John who ran his hand over his eyes.
“She found out about Michael before your mission,” John whispered turning to Lorne and saw the regret in his eyes. “I jumped all over Ronon for not telling us before you left because I doubted her to watch out for the team after she discovered we betrayed her.”
“She not only watched out for us but she pushed me out of the way of a blast that would’ve killed me taking the hit herself,” Lorne shook his head absorbing the whole ordeal. “She took out every Wraith that followed us, Colonel. Why would she do that knowing that we lied to her?”
“Ronon says it is her way, I guess a warrior’s code of ethics,” he swallowed heavily before he leveled his gaze on Lorne. “A code we are going to lose if I understood Ronon right.”
“What do you mean?”
“If she lives, she is going to leave,” John turned walking towards the corridor that led to the infirmary. He wasn’t surprised to find Lorne, Cole and Johnson following close behind.
~*~
“Any word?” John asked Ronon when they entered the infirmary to find him pacing outside of the OR.
“No but I assume it is bad,” he said with a pained look on his face.
“Ronon,” Beckett said in a rush when he emerged from the OR. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“How is she?” John asked quickly.
“Not good I’m afraid. She’s losing a lot of blood,” Carson turned to Ronon taking a deep breath. “That is what I need you for. She has been injured before but never this badly to need a blood transfusion and you are the only match to her blood type we have in the database.”
“How is that possible? My blood is unique to my people,” Ronon said curiously.
“Apparently the Arianians are an off-shoot of the Satedans,” Carson registered the shock on Ronon’s face and grabbed his arm urgently. “I don’t have time to talk about this in detail out here. I will explain more while you donate some blood. Come with me please before we lose the lass,” he led the large man into the OR sealing the doors behind them.
~*~
Ronon sat in a chair beside Mikaela’s bed, fisting his hand to assist the flow of blood from his arm to the bag feeding into her veins. “How is she doing?” he asked while his eyes remained riveted to her still form.
“I’ve got the internal bleeding under control,” Carson sighed heavily as a nurse wiped his brow. “She is an amazing being. Her body’s natural healing abilities are unrivaled by anything alive except maybe the Wraith. On her own, I’d say she could heal from almost any injury without assistance,” he whispered in awe. “I’ve always noticed that her wounds disappear within hours if they are minor and days if they are major. No being alive heals like her.”
“Then why was she on death’s door a little while ago?”
“I don’t think she was, well not in the sense that any of us would be,” Carson shook his head while he inspected her wound. “She just needed the extra boost of blood to replace the massive amount that she lost. Her body is already healing her injuries.” He studied the image on the scanner in amazement. “With the addition of your blood, her healing…factor will have her back to a normal healthy state in no time. It has already knitted the sutures that I put in to stop the bleeding.”
“I don’t understand. You said her people are related to mine and that is not a Satedan trait. I heal fast but,” he glanced at Mikaela before he looked at the image on the scanner, “that is unreal. Look at the tissue close itself off.”
“At this point, I don’t have to assist her in the slightest,” Carson turned back to look at her. “As long as your blood continues to raise her pressure, her flesh will knit and heal without a scar. Of course I’ll close her up but I doubt infection is even a possibility for her.”
“Are you saying that Mikaela is capable of healing from any injury as long as she doesn’t lose too much blood?”
“Aye,” Carson nodded his head. “I’m sure she can die just like any other being if she is damaged too severely but if her blood loss isn’t too bad, she appears to heal from any wound without a mark on her. In fact, and I might have to run some tests to confirm this but I think it is quite possible the young lady is a lot older than we think.”
“You think this healing factor of hers slows her aging?”
“It is possible. She seems to have a rejuvenation ability that could keep her appearing young indefinitely.”
“Again, not a Satedan trait,” Ronon stated before he focused on Carson stitching up her side.
“Well I think it is possible that the Satedans are an off-shoot of the Arianians instead of the other way around. It appears that Mikaela’s people have the same genetic markers that are unique to yours but her physiology is much more advanced,” Carson glanced up for a second in thought before he met Ronon’s eyes. “If I had to wager a guess I’d say her people are to yours what the Ancients are to mine, a genetically and technologically superior race that seeded this galaxy with life like the Ancients did in ours. It is the only explanation for the similarities between you.”
“But the Satedans are the closest to her race genetic wise?”
“Judging by how closely the genetic markers in your blood are with hers, I’d say that the Satedans were the first race that branched off of hers. There we go,” Carson smiled as he finished the stitches and placed a bandage on her abdomen. “She’s stable and judging by this read out she should be awake within…minutes, back on her feet by tomorrow and up to her regular strength by the next day.”
“Look Doc,” Ronon stood placing a hand on Carson’s shoulder. “You can’t tell the others about her unique abilities just yet.”
“Ronon, I’m required to inform Elizabeth and Colonel Sheppard about anything medically related in regards to our expedition members,” Carson watched Ronon shake his head in the negative. “Why not? The chance of her blood or genes making you as advanced as she is is a very real possibility.”
“She might not stay and Sheppard is already aware of how technologically advanced she is. If they find out that her race is the equivalent of the Ancients to the Pegasus Galaxy they might not let her leave.”
“You need to explain, lad, and a lot better if you want me to keep this to myself.”
Carson sat and listened as Ronon told him of her discovery of Michael. The good doctor had the decency to look ashamed for his part in keeping silent. His interest was immediately peaked when he learned that Mikaela had created the nano-technology that infected the Wraith.
“My God, if what you say is true then it is quite possible that she can devise a way to kill the Wraith with the nanites instead of tracking them and killing them by hand,” he sat on the stool next to her bed, thoughts racing through his mind. “She could even deal with the Replicators and the Orii helping the Milky Way Galaxy as well as the Pegasus Galaxy.”
“I think she prefers to fight, Doc,” Ronon smiled when he returned his gaze to her body. “I guess my real ancestors are more like me than yours.”
“True, the Ancients relied on their technology to fight their wars for them and abandoned the more aggressive stance,” Carson rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“And look where that got them,” Mikaela said in a pained but angry tone.
Author: Angelsdee
Chapter: 2/?
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Ronon/OFC
Warnings: Violence and sexual situations
Spoilers: Maybe a brief reference to Sateda
Disclaimer: I don’t even own my navel lint so don’t sue. This little venture is for entertainment purposes only. No profit to be made, which sucks since I am poor and could use the funds.
Summary: Ronon pursues Mikaela after she returns to Atlantis.
Sequel to: The Hunt written by Heimedall.
Previous Chapters: Chapter 1.
Ronon leaned up against the wall around the corner from Mikaela’s quarters waiting for her to emerge. He knew there were still a few hours until she was due to go off world but he hoped for the opportunity to see her, to explain his behavior. He was pleasantly surprised when she exited her quarters and moved to go to her before he recognized the scanner in her hand.
She stared curiously at the image on the device for a few seconds before a dark look of fury entered her eyes. Studying the read out, she turned down the corridor moving away from Ronon’s position and followed the sensor reading. Ronon waited for a few moments before he followed at a discreet distance.
She made her way down several levels, her anger growing with each step until she found herself outside the door to the Observation Room. Mikaela took several deep breaths before her hand went to her blaster and she accessed the door. The bottom fell out of her world when she stood at the glass staring down into the lab.
“I know what you are thinking,” Ronon said softly as he moved to stand behind her.
“I doubt it,” her chest heaved while she stared down at the man lying unconscious on the medical bed. “He was my kill and you took him from me to turn him into what? Is he human?”
“I never agreed with this plan either. He is Wraith and always will be but the Humans believe this is the best way to deal with this problem,” he growled low in his throat placing his hands on her shoulders. “I know this is difficult for you…”
“Difficult?” she grated out of clenched teeth snapping her dark gaze to his. “I found one of my people that they turned into a Runner. I removed the device from his back, studied it, and mass produced tracking implants that could be fired from our weapons,” she held up her blaster for him to see. “My gun has three settings, stun, kill, and one that fires the implant. I turned the hunters into the hunted! All this time that I’ve been on this base, I’ve asked what became of my target and was told that he was terminated after a failed experiment but it was a lie! They did not trust me to tell me the truth!”
“Mikaela, please calm down,” he said in a soothing voice while his hands slid over her shoulders.
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” she pulled against his grip but his hands remained. “You of all people know what these monsters do to our kind! They destroyed your world and mine! You found that a few hundred Satedans survived but only seventeen remain of the millions from my world! You knew that my kill was still alive and you said nothing letting me believe their lies!” she fisted her hands beating them against his chest while bitter tears ran down her cheeks. “How could you do this to me? You are the only one I trusted completely once I came here and you let me be deceived.”
Her anger ran its course only to transform into sadness. Ronon pulled her into his chest cradling her sobbing body against him. He felt her legs buckle beneath her and lowered them to the floor pulling her into his lap.
“I want to explain myself to you even though you might not want to hear it or even believe it,” he murmured into her ear while he stroked her hair. “I was against this with every fiber of my being and still am but I am allied with these people. They have a hard enough time preventing me from killing him. I don’t think they would fare as well with you. I weighed my options,” he whispered against her silken tresses. “I knew if you discovered his presence you would kill him and Sheppard’s people would be forced to send you back to the mainland. I wanted you here with me.”
“You made the wrong choice,” she whispered into his chest before she pulled out of his grasp, grabbed her weapon and retook her feet. “You should’ve trusted me, told me the truth, and tried to convince me that some good would come from this experiment. We both know that will never happen but you still should’ve told me.”
“I wanted to,” Ronon stood before her with his head hung low. “Aside from my own selfish reasons for keeping it from you, I still wanted to tell you but Sheppard insisted that I didn’t.”
“So after all I’ve done since I’ve been here none of them trust me for anything but to shed my blood for them,” she lowered her head placing her weapon back in its holster on her thigh. “You don’t either. I expected more from you. I find myself deeply disturbed that you are not the man that I thought you were.”
“Mikaela,” Ronon began to move towards her but stopped when she held up a hand to ward him off.
“I have a mission to prepare for,” she said quietly, “and upon my return I must rethink my decision of remaining here.”
Ronon stood silently watching her walk out the door. An ache filled his heart when he thought of losing her. He debated on the wisdom of telling Sheppard that she had discovered the secret they had been concealing from her but was hard-pressed to betray her again.
~*~
Ronon spent the next couple hours in his room until Lorne’s team was due to leave on their mission, still debating on telling Sheppard. When it was time for her departure, he made his way to the Gate Room. He sat in the Control Room next to McKay while he relayed his findings on the environment of the planet to Lorne before Chuck began the dialing sequence.
Ronon moved to stand at the top of the stairs meeting Mikaela’s eyes for a brief moment before she walked through the event horizon. There was no life in her gaze before she went through the gate. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this might be the last time he saw her. He always had that dreadful feeling whenever either one of them went on a mission but it gnawed at his stomach this time.
“So how are things going with you and our resident Warrior Princess?” Rodney asked as he swiveled around in his chair.
“Does everyone know how I feel about her?” Ronon rolled his eyes before he turned to face McKay.
“Please, you have the lovesick schoolboy look painted all over you.” McKay was pleased with himself that he got to engage in locker room talk and Ronon being the center of it made it all the more enjoyable. “Come on, Conan, you two are perfect for each other. You fight alike, look alike, and have the same dazzling personality.”
“Mind your own business, McKay,” Ronon turned to leave the Gate Room.
“Do you still want me to contact you when they are inbound?” Radek asked before he made it to the corridor.
“Yes,” he said in a low tone before he turned down the hall, leaving the two grinning scientists behind him.
~*~
“Ronon,” John smiled when he opened his door. “What can I do for you, buddy?”
“Sheppard,” he kept his eyes downcast, his voice was strained from what he was about to do. “I need to speak with you.”
“Sounds serious,” John’s smile faded as he stepped aside. “Come in.” He watched the big man pace his room for a moment before he finally flopped down into a chair. John sat on his bed across from him, arms resting on his knees waiting for Ronon to speak. “What’s going on, big guy?”
“It’s Mikaela,” he said gruffly.
“Your courtship of the lady is not going according to plan?”
“She knows,” Ronon looked up to meet John’s gaze but the look in his eyes said volumes.
“Knows what exactly?” John asked with a sense of dread building in his stomach.
“About her Wraith and the experiment,” Ronon gauged John’s emotions as they washed over his face. “I don’t know why but she checked her tracker and found the signal still broadcasting,” he cut off John before he could ask. “You told her that he was dead before she joined the team and I guess she had no reason to doubt you and check for herself but she knows now.”
“How did she take it?”
“How do you think?” Ronon snapped at him. “She is beyond furious that she was lied to and said she is going to have to rethink her position here since no one trusted her with the truth.”
“Damn,” John muttered under his breath before he shot to his feet and paced his room. “I struggled with the decision to tell her. I really wanted to, hoping we could convince her that this was a shot for the Pegasus Galaxy to survive but Elizabeth decided it would be best if I had any reservations. She said it was difficult enough trying to contain you. If Mikaela lost it, we’d have our hands full with the both of you.”
“I’d side with her,” Ronon stood in John’s path, his expression deadly serious.
“I know you would and that scares the hell out of me especially since I know the extent of your relationship with her now,” John sighed as he scrubbed his face with his palms. “Where is she now?”
“She left thirty minutes ago with Lorne’s team.”
“You let her leave on a mission knowing how pissed she is?” John glanced up at Ronon with his hands on his hips. “Why didn’t you tell me or Lorne? Do you realize how dangerous it is for his team having to rely on a person who feels betrayed by them?”
“She will not let any of them come to harm,” Ronon fired back, his eyes holding his certainty. “It is not her way to abandon her people to danger.”
“We aren’t her people!”
“And that way of thinking is the reason she feels betrayed!” Ronon’s chest heaved with anger while he glared at John. “You used her as a means to achieve your goals. You treated her as a weapon, muscle, and nothing else. I should know, you did the same with me but you came to trust me. Or do you, Sheppard?”
“Of course I trust you! We all do and that is why I told you about the experiment even though I knew how you’d react but Ronon you’ve been with us a lot longer,” John said calmly. “She is still new to us and quite frankly, buddy, she tends to be a lot more volatile than you and that shocks the hell out of me. I never thought I’d meet someone that is more deadly than you. After some time goes by we would take her into the decision making process like we have you.”
“Here is something for you to take into account while you decide how much time needs to go by before you fully trust her,” Ronon stared down at his friend trying to calm his breathing. “You had to gamble that she would believe you when you told her that the Wraith was dead because neither McKay nor Beckett could disarm the tracker that she placed in him. You got lucky that she did believe you or we would’ve lost her a lot sooner. But here’s the thing, she isn’t just muscle, Sheppard. She created the tracker, she designed it and your two top minds came up empty against her technology.”
“McKay and Beckett said that Michael was implanted with a form of nano-technology that they’ve never seen before,” John said in awe before he dropped back on to his bed. “It is even more advanced than the Replicators. She managed to take a Wraith implant, transfer its primary function to nanites, and somehow turn it into energy that fires from her weapon. The woman is a genius.”
“If she can do that can you imagine what she could do with the nanites in other capacities?”
“She could do just about anything,” John whispered, excited about the possibilities for the future of their war against the Wraith.
“Well I think that is a resource that you won’t be able to tap,” Ronon turned his back on John, his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Mikaela is deeply hurt that she wasn’t trusted with the knowledge of the experiment. She says that it is okay for her to bleed for your people but not be trusted as a true member of the expedition. She’ll leave Sheppard.”
“Well we’ll have to try our best to apologize and get her to stay,” John placed his hand on Ronon’s shoulder which made the large man turn towards him. “I think you could come in handy in the convincing department.”
“I have my own apologies to make, Sheppard. I will leave you to yours,” Ronon walked towards the door, accessing it before he glanced over his shoulder. “She will not be easily swayed in her anger but my interest in this woman will push me to do things I wouldn’t dream of to ensure she forgives me. I suggest you and Lorne do everything you can to make good with her too.”
~*~
“Colonel, we have an unscheduled off-world activation,” Chuck reported as the lights came on in rapid sequence on the Stargate. “I’m picking up Major Lorne’s IDC!”
“Drop the shield,” John moved to the balcony as weapons fire erupted through the wormhole striking the walls and columns. “Take cover!”
Cole and Johnson ran through firing over their shoulders before they dropped to the ground to avoid incoming fire. “Keep it open!” Cole yelled out.
“Where are Lorne and Mikaela?” John called down to the men over the din of the gunfire.
“The Major is carrying Mikaela while she lays down cover fire,” the lieutenant yelled back. “You might want to get Beckett down here! She got hit!”
“Carson, I need you down in the Gate Room!” John yelled through his comm and grabbed Ronon’s arm when he moved towards the stairs. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“She is injured!”
“And you can’t do a damn thing about it until Lorne gets her through the gate,” he pushed the anxious Satedan back when a beam struck right above their heads. “Now get down!”
The SO’s positioned themselves to cover the gate if any opposition came through while the personnel took cover from the blasts that still emerged from the open gate. Several minutes ticked by with no sign of their comrades. The Gate Room went silent when no more weapon’s fire emerged through the wormhole. Collective breaths were held until Lorne finally ran through carrying Mikaela in his arms, her weapon still extended behind him.
“Close the shield,” Lorne called out breathlessly. “Get a med team here now!”
John nodded at Chuck before he ran down the stairs behind Ronon. “Beckett’s on the way.” As they approached Lorne, Mikaela’s arm fell to her side, her weapon clattering across the floor. “What happened?” John called out as they closed the distance and felt his heart clench in his chest when he saw the gaping wound in her side, her blood covered Lorne’s black uniform making it darker.
“We came across some Wraith,” Lorne gasped out of breath as Ronon took her unconscious form from his arms. “We were outnumbered and I ordered the retreat. Mikaela took up the rear covering us and took one that was meant for me,” he ran his eyes over her while Ronon cradled her to his chest. “She told me to leave her behind but kept us covered while I picked her up. She refused to succumb to her injury and took out the rest firing over my shoulder while I carried her to the gate. She just kept telling me to run, that she would keep me safe,” Lorne shook his head in shock. “I could tell she was on the verge of passing out but she held on.”
“Let me through!” Carson yelled out to clear a path for the gurney. “Lad, if you will,” he indicated the gurney to Ronon waiting for him to set her down before he moved to examine her. “She has internal bleeding, massive blood loss and a lot of tissue damage,” he muttered before he nodded at his team. “Get her to the infirmary immediately!”
“Ronon,” John caught his arm before he could follow. “You were right,” he said solemnly to the distraught man. “I’m sorry.”
“Hopefully she’ll survive so you can tell her that,” he pulled his arm from John’s grasp and raced to catch up to his ladylove.
“He was right about what?” Lorne asked John who ran his hand over his eyes.
“She found out about Michael before your mission,” John whispered turning to Lorne and saw the regret in his eyes. “I jumped all over Ronon for not telling us before you left because I doubted her to watch out for the team after she discovered we betrayed her.”
“She not only watched out for us but she pushed me out of the way of a blast that would’ve killed me taking the hit herself,” Lorne shook his head absorbing the whole ordeal. “She took out every Wraith that followed us, Colonel. Why would she do that knowing that we lied to her?”
“Ronon says it is her way, I guess a warrior’s code of ethics,” he swallowed heavily before he leveled his gaze on Lorne. “A code we are going to lose if I understood Ronon right.”
“What do you mean?”
“If she lives, she is going to leave,” John turned walking towards the corridor that led to the infirmary. He wasn’t surprised to find Lorne, Cole and Johnson following close behind.
~*~
“Any word?” John asked Ronon when they entered the infirmary to find him pacing outside of the OR.
“No but I assume it is bad,” he said with a pained look on his face.
“Ronon,” Beckett said in a rush when he emerged from the OR. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“How is she?” John asked quickly.
“Not good I’m afraid. She’s losing a lot of blood,” Carson turned to Ronon taking a deep breath. “That is what I need you for. She has been injured before but never this badly to need a blood transfusion and you are the only match to her blood type we have in the database.”
“How is that possible? My blood is unique to my people,” Ronon said curiously.
“Apparently the Arianians are an off-shoot of the Satedans,” Carson registered the shock on Ronon’s face and grabbed his arm urgently. “I don’t have time to talk about this in detail out here. I will explain more while you donate some blood. Come with me please before we lose the lass,” he led the large man into the OR sealing the doors behind them.
~*~
Ronon sat in a chair beside Mikaela’s bed, fisting his hand to assist the flow of blood from his arm to the bag feeding into her veins. “How is she doing?” he asked while his eyes remained riveted to her still form.
“I’ve got the internal bleeding under control,” Carson sighed heavily as a nurse wiped his brow. “She is an amazing being. Her body’s natural healing abilities are unrivaled by anything alive except maybe the Wraith. On her own, I’d say she could heal from almost any injury without assistance,” he whispered in awe. “I’ve always noticed that her wounds disappear within hours if they are minor and days if they are major. No being alive heals like her.”
“Then why was she on death’s door a little while ago?”
“I don’t think she was, well not in the sense that any of us would be,” Carson shook his head while he inspected her wound. “She just needed the extra boost of blood to replace the massive amount that she lost. Her body is already healing her injuries.” He studied the image on the scanner in amazement. “With the addition of your blood, her healing…factor will have her back to a normal healthy state in no time. It has already knitted the sutures that I put in to stop the bleeding.”
“I don’t understand. You said her people are related to mine and that is not a Satedan trait. I heal fast but,” he glanced at Mikaela before he looked at the image on the scanner, “that is unreal. Look at the tissue close itself off.”
“At this point, I don’t have to assist her in the slightest,” Carson turned back to look at her. “As long as your blood continues to raise her pressure, her flesh will knit and heal without a scar. Of course I’ll close her up but I doubt infection is even a possibility for her.”
“Are you saying that Mikaela is capable of healing from any injury as long as she doesn’t lose too much blood?”
“Aye,” Carson nodded his head. “I’m sure she can die just like any other being if she is damaged too severely but if her blood loss isn’t too bad, she appears to heal from any wound without a mark on her. In fact, and I might have to run some tests to confirm this but I think it is quite possible the young lady is a lot older than we think.”
“You think this healing factor of hers slows her aging?”
“It is possible. She seems to have a rejuvenation ability that could keep her appearing young indefinitely.”
“Again, not a Satedan trait,” Ronon stated before he focused on Carson stitching up her side.
“Well I think it is possible that the Satedans are an off-shoot of the Arianians instead of the other way around. It appears that Mikaela’s people have the same genetic markers that are unique to yours but her physiology is much more advanced,” Carson glanced up for a second in thought before he met Ronon’s eyes. “If I had to wager a guess I’d say her people are to yours what the Ancients are to mine, a genetically and technologically superior race that seeded this galaxy with life like the Ancients did in ours. It is the only explanation for the similarities between you.”
“But the Satedans are the closest to her race genetic wise?”
“Judging by how closely the genetic markers in your blood are with hers, I’d say that the Satedans were the first race that branched off of hers. There we go,” Carson smiled as he finished the stitches and placed a bandage on her abdomen. “She’s stable and judging by this read out she should be awake within…minutes, back on her feet by tomorrow and up to her regular strength by the next day.”
“Look Doc,” Ronon stood placing a hand on Carson’s shoulder. “You can’t tell the others about her unique abilities just yet.”
“Ronon, I’m required to inform Elizabeth and Colonel Sheppard about anything medically related in regards to our expedition members,” Carson watched Ronon shake his head in the negative. “Why not? The chance of her blood or genes making you as advanced as she is is a very real possibility.”
“She might not stay and Sheppard is already aware of how technologically advanced she is. If they find out that her race is the equivalent of the Ancients to the Pegasus Galaxy they might not let her leave.”
“You need to explain, lad, and a lot better if you want me to keep this to myself.”
Carson sat and listened as Ronon told him of her discovery of Michael. The good doctor had the decency to look ashamed for his part in keeping silent. His interest was immediately peaked when he learned that Mikaela had created the nano-technology that infected the Wraith.
“My God, if what you say is true then it is quite possible that she can devise a way to kill the Wraith with the nanites instead of tracking them and killing them by hand,” he sat on the stool next to her bed, thoughts racing through his mind. “She could even deal with the Replicators and the Orii helping the Milky Way Galaxy as well as the Pegasus Galaxy.”
“I think she prefers to fight, Doc,” Ronon smiled when he returned his gaze to her body. “I guess my real ancestors are more like me than yours.”
“True, the Ancients relied on their technology to fight their wars for them and abandoned the more aggressive stance,” Carson rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“And look where that got them,” Mikaela said in a pained but angry tone.