(no subject)
by deiann
and
Author: victoriaely
Title: Firefly
Rating: G
Pairing: none
Spoilers: none
Summary: The team, consisting of John, Teyla, Carson and Radek explore the mainland
deiann's wallpaper:
Resources:
Texture is by dungeonesque
Brush is by colortone
Author: victoriaely
Title: Firefly
Rating: G
Pairing: none
Spoilers: none
Summary: The team, consisting of John, Teyla, Carson and Radek explore the mainland
Beta read by the wonderful sgcgategirl and severusslave. Thanks a lot for the help ♥
"So, why are we here?" John Sheppard asked, sighing.
"The Ancients must have known of the existence of the mainland." Sheppard shrugged and Zelenka continued. "Perhaps there are some... useful things here. If they would have been on the surface, the Athosians would have found them. So, we are searching the caves."
"Aye, lad. That makes sense. What doesn't make is sense is me being here," Carson Beckett added.
"Doc, you never want to go off-world, but you need field practice. What better way to do it?" Sheppard replied with a grin.
"There could be injuries," Teyla said, trying to offer a reason that Carson would agree to.
"Rodney's not here, so there's little chance for that," Carson said.
They continued their walk in silence, looking for anything out of the ordinary. They were an awkward team. They knew each other very well, but for the first time being actually a team.
"So, doc, how's life in the Science Department?" John asked, trying to break the silence.
"We are researching a way to enhance the compatibility between our naquadah reactors and the -"
"What's that?" Carson's question interrupted Radek's exposition.
They walked towards one of the walls and saw drawings on the cave's wall. They were a mixture of symbols and geometric shapes. The complexity of it suggested it was made by adults, but little faults made them think they were a child's work.
"This isn't Ancient," John said.
"Not the one we know. The shapes are somewhat similar. They're definitely not Wraith. Let's see if there aren't more," Radek suggested.
For next hour, they found more drawings, each being more complicated and with less faults. They were all on the same side of the wall, and the distance between the drawings seemed to indicate some kind of a pattern.
"What could this be?" Carson asked, not really expecting an answer.
"When we were children, we used to draw on the cave walls, but they were drawings... nothing this complicated," Teyla answered.
"Why did they use the cave walls instead of the Atlantis... resources." Radek said.
"Wait!" John said and they all stopped, looking at him expectantly. "What if they wanted to keep track of something they did... and the only way to do that without the knowledge of the others was to do it here, like this."
"I don't like the sound of that."
"Carson, maybe it was something good."
"Aye, that's exactly why they were hiding from the Ancients." Carson knew that it was too late to turn around.
They walked for ten more minutes, the same drawings on the wall, until they reached the end of the cave. The walls back here were full of drawings and tucked into a corner they saw an Ancient device.
"I knew it," Carson muttered.
John approached the little device touching it cautiously. "It does nothing."
"Can you read the writing?" Radek asked.
"Yes. This one is Ancient." John started reading, visibly amazed at what was written on the device.
"Well, Colonel?" Teyla finally asked.
"Are you familiar with the Replicators?"
Carson froze. "The ones that almost took over the SGC?"
John turned around and looked at the physician. "Yeah, them. Met them?"
"Aye. I was there when they... What about them?"
"This is the Ancient version. These kids wanted to make themselves some toys. Something that couldn't be taken away from them by the older ones."
"They made replicators?" Carson asked, shocked.
"No, not replicators. They made real things... I mean alive. They made bugs."
"Bugs, Colonel?" Teyla asked, frustration in her voice. John realized that she had no way of knowing about the events that has transpired on that planet, let alone in another galaxy.
"Yes," he said, elaborating for her benefit. "The glowing bugs that were on the planet where we found the crashed Hive ship... you know, when you and Ford rescued us."
"You mean the Ancient kids made them?" Carson asked, amazed.
"Yes, they did."
Radek studied the device, trying to determine if they could use in some way back on Atlantis. The thought that some children were able to accomplish something like this was fascinating, but he saw few uses for it. It couldn't power up the shields, couldn't replace a ZPM... it was just a toy.
"There's nothing more that I can do. Maybe return a few days from now to study it closer with Kates and Matthews, but other than that..."
Carson cautiously approached the device. He could read the text on it, but there was something more, something that John didn't say. "It's... working."
"No, the energy levels are too low for it to be functioning, it's probably some residual -"
"Radek, I can feel it. I can't tell you how, but I know it's still working." Carson touched the cold surface of the device, hoping that he could understand more.
"Carson, maybe activating it isn't such a good idea," John said, gently moving his hand away from the device.
"I can't activate it." John could hear the regret in Carson's voice and wondered if the doctor had actually tried to do it. The others were obviously wondering the same thing, looking expectantly at Carson. "Aye, I've tried, but I couldn't."
John sighed. "Carson, we don't do such things. This is something we don't know anything about and -"
"I know, just... forget I ever said anything." Their discovery was remarkable in a way that neither of them could completely understand. Even Radek, who was a scientist, couldn't understand. He sat down on the cold floor, trying to calm down.
"It's not like that, Carson. If you would have activated it, who knows what could have happened?" John didn't want to shout at him, but the long walk and too many unfortunate experiences with McKay made him edgy.
"I... this is so remarkable... don't you see it? They made... life out of nothing. I just hoped I could..." Carson tried to explain in a low voice.
"It was wrong. Don't do it again." John's words were interrupted by a loud noise coming from the entrance of the room. When they turned around to look, they saw two large doors closing, trapping them inside.
"What did you do?" John asked as soon as the doors stopped their motion.
"Nothing."
"Right. If you think we're gonna try to activate that thing now that we're stuck here, think again." John was sick of being in that cave, and if Carson wanted to study it more, he could do it another day.
"He did not do it," Radek said, pointing to the device. It was glowing, with pulsations every few seconds. As the pulsations grew in intensity, they moved towards the exit, as far from the device as they could.
"It's gonna explode..." Radek warned, moving behind Carson.
"I'm so sorry for this... but I didn't do anything."
The glowing of the device suddenly stopped and they all sighed, relieved.
"We should -"
"Colonel, I believe it would be best if we sat down to rest for a few minutes before we try to find a way out. We all need to... calm down." Teyla said.
"Yeah, we probably should."
They all sat down by the door, resting against the cold walls of the cave.
"I'm such a daft." Carson said, closing his eyes his eyes.
"What does it mean? I mean, you say 'daft' all the time, but I don't know what that means -" Carson's glare stopped John. "Would you call me a daft now?"
"Suppose I could. But I could find more appropriate words." Carson felt something on his neck and tried to sweep it away, but 'it' kept moving on his neck. He suddenly rose to his feet, trying to get rid of the intruder. The last thing he needed was a bug bite. He suddenly stopped, seeing the way the others were looking at him.
"What's wrong?"
"It's... one of the glowing bugs," Radek barely managed to say
Carson stopped and let the little bug do its inspection. It continued by circling him and settling down on his opened palm.
"I think that explains why the doors closed," John finally said. "Why just one?"
"Not enough energy. The question is... why at all?" Radek supplied.
"Carson." Teyla smiled. "He obviously communicated with... the device more than the rest of us. It felt that he needed to be... comforted."
Carson blushed. "I had no idea that..."
"Carson, you've got yourself a cool toy!" John was enthralled by the idea. Earlier, when it was just theory, it was uninteresting. But now...
Carson smiled, looking at the little light playing in front of him. It wasn't just a light dancing in the air, it was a living being. "I wonder if you understand me." The light stopped in front of Carson. "Go down." The light moved a few inches down and stopped. Carson's smile widened. "You can understand me."
"That's so cool! Come here," John ordered, but nothing happened. "Hey! Why won't you come here?"
"Maybe he's afraid of you," Radek answered, grinning.
"Go to John, little one," Carson said and the little bug fly towards John and stop on his nose. "Well, not afraid of him."
"Perhaps he doesn't hear us... Maybe this is a mental thing. Think of something," Radek suggested.
A few seconds later, the bug started moving around the room, stopping from time to time as if to analyze something. After a few minutes, it stopped in front of Carson.
"What did you ask it to do?" John asked, curious.
"I told him I was hungry." Carson raised his right hand and waited for the little creature to sit on it. "He's sad. He's sad that he couldn't find any food for me."
"He is much more than a toy, Colonel," Teyla said, watching the little light. "He is a companion."
"Yeah, that he is," John responded after a few seconds.
"Is everything okay?" Teyla asked, concerned.
"I just remembered something." He wondered if he should tell them. They were his friends, but did they want to know such things about him? "When I was a boy, I had just a few toys. My father said a young man like me should be serious and learn. That's why I learned how to read and write at five." He stopped for a moment, remembering how sad he was whenever his father suggested something new to learn. It was all about progress rate, knowing more than the others. "There was one toy that he couldn't throw away, no matter how much he tried." John smiled and continued with pride, "I had the most beautiful wooden horse in the county. It was made by my grandfather, especially for me."
"It must be one of your most treasured possessions." Teyla said.
"It would have been. The day I told him I joined the Air Force, he didn't say a thing, went to my room and broke it to pieces."
The little light moved from Carson's hand to John's left shoulder.
"What do you want, little bugger?" he asked smiling.
"Maybe he heard you after all," Radek suggested.
"You'd better help us find a way out, buddy." John got up and studied the door. There were no visible controls, no wirings, nothing.
"Dr. Z, think you can help me a bit?"
"This door was activated by the device. When it started creating... Carson's friend. I believe that it must be device that deactivates it." Radek kneeled in front of the device and tried to find some text that would tell them how to open the doors. After an hour of work, he concluded: "There's nothing here about it."
"We obviously won't have any problems breathing, but the food supply isn't that big. And it's getting chilly." John said as he was organizing their MREs.
"Don't you know how to get us out?" Carson asked.
"That's what I was saying, Carson," Radek responded.
"I was asking him." He pointed towards the light glob.
"I think that if he would have known, he would have done something to help us."
"I suppose... What are we going to do? Stay here and wait to be rescued? It would take them weeks to find us here. We don't have that much time."
"We're aware of that, Carson." John was out of options and the thought of being there, stuck until death, was overwhelming him.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Talk to him! He must know what to do. I don't care, just get us out of here."
The little light started buzzing, moving in larger and more sloppy circles. After a few minutes, it moved to a couples of inches in front of Carson. The light started to dull until there was none left. As soon as the light disappeared completely, the bug fell to the ground, lifeless.
"What happened?" Radek asked, stunned.
The doors opened as Carson answered. "He got us out."
"I had no idea that... I'm sorry."
"We're too old to have toys." Carson led the way out of the room, continuing in a whisper, "And too tired."
After hearing the song, I decided to write a story that was sad, that showed how growing up can make us forget some of our dreams.
deiann and I decided on the characters and we both did our parts. Here are the mid-time glimpses:
They walked for ten more minutes, and found more drawings of that kind on the wall, until they reached the end of the cave. The walls were full of drawings there and by the wall in front of them, they saw an Ancient device.
"I knew it." Carson muttered.
John approached the little device and touched it. "It does nothing."
"Can you read the writing?" Radek asked.
"Yes. This one is Ancient." John started reading, visibly amazed at what was written on the device.
"Well, Colonel?" Teyla finally asked.
"Are you familiar with the Replicators?"
Carson froze. "The ones that almost took over the SGC?"
John turned around and looked at the physician. "Yeah, them. Met them?"
"Aye. I was there when they... What about them?"
"This is the Ancient version. These kids wanted to make themselves some toys. Something that couldn't be taken away from them by the older ones."
"They made replicators?" Carson asked, shocked.
"No, not replicators. They made real things... I mean alive. They made bugs."
"Bugs, Colonel?" Teyla asked, frustrated that she didn't understand anything of what was being said.
"Yes. The glowing bugs that were on the planet where we found the crashed Hive ship... you know, when you and Ford rescued us."
"You mean the Ancient kids made them?" Carson asked, amazed.
"Yes, they did."