SGA: Of Mermaids And Atlanteans 1/4
She swam through the murky water, though to her eyes it was bright as day. Her webbed fingers and flipper-like webbed feet made channels through the water, which her lithe body twisted through, swimming like the great fish. The dome rose before her, the towers inside pristine and waiting.
Pausing, she rose with the current and swam slowly around the central spire, then down the side of the dome to peer into the rooms at the smaller spires near the arms. Dark as always, her imagination filled in the gaps with lords and ladies and their courtships and royal dramas that made her orderly life seem petty in comparison with their glamour.
^Teyla!^
She sighed and turned to face the large man swimming toward her. ^Ronon. Did they send you to find me?^
He smiled, the motion making the corners of his goatee rise into a small trident shape. ^Melena said she saw you leave the settlement while your father was still talking. Nice one, taking advantage of the distraction.^ He looked up at the dome, the current pulling his trademark dreadlocks behind his head. ^I simply don't see the attraction, Teyla. Why you keep coming here, day after day.^
Teyla shook her head as she followed his gaze. ^I barely understand myself, Ronon. It just.... It feels like my destiny is here. With this city. I just...don't know how.^
Ronon made a sound that sent bubbles floating away. ^Honestly, Teyla. You and these feelings of yours. What are we going to do, then? Find out what that destiny is?^
^Unless it finds us,^ she said. ^But right now, I think we'd better be getting back to the settlement.^
He reached for her wrist and squeezed it. Without a word, they headed away from the sunken city.
Each of them turned and looked back at the darkened dome.
And they wondered what their future held.
~*~
Inside the massive city, a single spire rose taller than the rest. Deep inside this spire, the halls and rooms were just as dark and silent as the rest of the city.
Until the giant stone ring in the exact centre of the spire flared to life in a blaze of light and sound. Sigils all along it lit with blue fire and the ring began to rotate around itself. As it did so, several lights on a column near it lit, one after the other.
Six lights. Seven. Eight. The centre of the ring shimmered with energy that appeared to be water, which then raced out and back with a violent rushing sound.
Wheeled pallettes filled with crates began to roll out of the ring. Ten. Twenty. Fifty. More.
Then people began to step out of the ring. Men and women, each wore a uniform and carried a weapon, with a massive pack on their back. One of those gasped when his feet touched the ground in front of the ring, and the entire room flared with light.
"What did you do?" his superior barked at him.
"I.... I just came down the stairs!" he gasped back. "Honestly, sir, I didn't touch anything or do anything!"
As the civilian contingent walked through, his superior growled, "I've got my eye on you, Sheppard." With that, the man spun on his heel and started ordering his men to move the pallettes and get things secured.
As Sheppard stood there, stunned, a shorter man walked over to him. "He's just jealous."
Sheppard frowned at him. "....what?"
"You heard me," the man said. "He's jealous. You're twice the soldier he is and you've got the strongest genetic marker of any of us. Just look at how the city is responding to you! It's amazing!"
He turned as he spoke, and Sheppard lay a hand on his arm. "Wait....what do you mean twice the soldier? I've got more demerits and a huge black mark---"
"Yes, yes, I've read your file," the shorter man said, waving a hand impatiently. "And every single one of those disobeying orders malarkey was done to save lives. To protect. In my book, that makes you a hero." He poked a finger into Sheppard's chest. "And don't let that go to your head, Sheppard. Your genetic marker makes you a valuable commodity here, no matter what Colonel Tightwad says."
"Sumner," Sheppard corrected. "His name's Sumner."
"I know his name. Mine's McKay. Rodney McKay." He grabbed the stunned Sheppard's hand and shook it with a tight grip. "See you as soon as I get a lab set up. Hey!" he immediately started yelling at a pair of soldiers who were moving a pallette. Jogging over, he began to berate their intelligence and parentage, and somewhere in there he told them where the pallette went.
Sheppard couldn't help but smile. Somehow, he got the feeling that McKay character was going to become a good friend.
Now, if he could only figure out what that strange pressure in the back of his head was, he'd be golden.
~*~
Sheppard had never been so tired. He had spent the first day on Atlantis getting poked and prodded, moving his meager personal possessions into his assigned quarters, and turning on various systems.
The pressure in the back of his head, he was convinced, was Atlantis herself. Yes, he thought of the city as female. Yes, he had a sneaking suspicion she was alive.
Good luck trying to convince anyone else of that, though. Sumner was already looking for any excuse to throw him in irons.
It wasn't paranoia if someone really was out to get you.
Once he was off duty, Sheppard headed to explore the city. He climbed down many access tunnels and found himself out on a pier near the dome. His breath caught as he looked out at the endless ocean that stretched out over his head and suddenly felt very small.
Kneeling on the pier, Sheppard reached down and ran his fingers over the sand the city was embedded in. He gasped softly to find it softer than any sand he'd ever touched before. "....wow...."
Sheppard slowly climbed to his feet and returned his gaze to the ocean --- and froze.
Out there, floating in the water, was a woman. He could clearly see her features frozen in an expression of shock. Her bare feet were shaped almost like flippers and the hand that flew to her chest in a universal expression of surprise was webbed.
Slowly, Sheppard raised his hand and slowly waved at her.
In response, she whirled in place and shot off into the ocean like she'd been fired from a cannon.
Sheppard sank to his knees, staring after her, his brain whirling.
What the hell had just happened?
~*~
Teyla was approaching the city as she always did, when something struck her and pulled her up short.
Lights were on in the city.
That.... That wasn't possible. There was no living thing in Atlantis. It was abandoned, for longer than recorded memory.
Muscle memory led her to drift near the bottom of the sea, and she could see a solitary pier blazing with light. Curiosity led her closer, where she saw a figure kneeling on the pier.
Suddenly the figure stood, its mouth pulling back in a smile. Horror washed over Teyla as she realised not only was this a living thing, it was clearly an air breather shaped like herself.
An air breathing human! Here, in her domed city!
Her hand flew to her throat in horror as it clearly saw her. It raised an arm and gestured at her, mimicking her people's greeting.
No, no, no..... This was not happening! Teyla spun and fled, her brain whirling as she put miles between herself and the oddly transformed city she had once loved.
What in the seven hells was happening?
~*~
Day One, Atlantis.
Atlantis. That sounds impossible, but here we are. One way trip, cut off from Earth - but here. Even me, which is some kind of a miracle.
I am suspected by the military because of the black marks on my record and my tendency to put people above regulations. I am treated as a light switch by the scientists, who need my gene to activate things.
We are several miles underwater, and there's where the real incredulity comes in.
I think I saw a mermaid. A real, honest to God mermaid. She didn't have a fish tail, but otherwise, she was a mermaid. Breathing water just as easy as we breathe air.
I freaked her out, though. And now I fear she won't come back.
Way to go, Sheppard.
John closed the unmarked black book - one of many he had packed to keep some record of this crazy adventure - and sighed. He put the book in his underwear drawer, inside the false bottom he had carved to hide it in.
Then he ran his hands through his hair and let out his breath in a great whoosh. Whispering for the lights to turn off, he stood and made his way through his quarters in the sudden darkness, standing beside one of the great windows and gazing out into the ocean.
In the distance, he thought he could make out a pod of creatures swimming. Though he figured they were probably fish, part of him wished they were the people of the mermaid he'd seen.
Unless he'd daydreamed her.
But daydreams didn't take off in a blast of bubbles, did they? She seemed so real.
Groaning, he tugged off his boots, belt and shirt and all but collapsed onto the bed. His eyes dragged closed of their own volition and his breathing slowly deepened.
Just before he tumbled off the edge into sleep, John found a thought wending its way through his brain.
I don't even know her name.
~*~
^All right. Talk to me.^
Teyla startled badly to find Ronon seated next to her. ^How long have you been there?^
^Not long. Although...^ Ronon shifted position and gazed out across the plateau toward the great dome in the distance. ^As lost in thought as you were, a t'kartak could slide up behind you and bite your head off and you'd never notice it.^
Teyla swattted at him, and they both smiled for a few seconds. Then Teyla's smile dimmed as she turned toward the domed city again. ^I want to go back.^
^What's stopping you?^
^There are people there.^
Ronon didn't answer. She turned to see him sitting silently, staring at the dome. After a long few moments, he said, ^Go on.^
Teyla boggled at him. ^You believe me?^
^I believe you saw something. Imagined creatures wouldn't have affected you this badly. So --- go on. Tell me what you saw.^
Teyla sighed. She curled her knees to her chin and began to talk. She told of the pier, of the man with the dark hair and dark clothing that breathed air. She told him of the greeting he gave her, a wave that was close to their greeting, but just different enough to be unsettling.
She told of how she had fled like a child that was frightened of the shadows that writhed along the seabed. Those words were tinged with shame.
^How long ago was this?^ Ronon asked.
^Nearly a seven-time.^
Ronon nodded and stood, holding out his hand to her. ^Come. We have our duties. We shall return to the city after evenmeal.^
Teyla frowned, even as she took his hand and allowed herself to be drawn upward. ^We?^
^We,^ Ronon nodded. ^I am coming with you.^
~*~
Day Seven
I have gone to the pier every day since I saw the mermaid. So far, she has not returned.
I just wish I could have not scared her so badly. I don't even know what spooked her.
I wish I could do see her again.
"Hey! Sheppard!"
John startled, looking up from his diary and spinning toward the door. "How in the hell did you get in here? And what the hell are you doing here?"
McKay held up his hands. "Settle down, there. I'm not military and I'm not here to bust your chops. You've been off all week and I just want to know what's the matter."
"Off? I've been at the labs when you ordered me to, every day."
"Yes, but your brain's been somewhere else. Hence - you've been 'off'. All week. If there's one thing I don't need, it's someone I work with not paying attention! Heaven knows I get enough of that from my underlings."
John blinked. "So you're telling me you were.... worried about me?"
McKay rolled his eyes rather expressively. "Well, you don't have to put it so melodramatically."
John laughed and put the diary away. "You're right. I've been a little pre-occupied."
"Yes, I figured that out. What by?"
"Hang on," John said. "You still haven't explained how you got in here."
"Doctor Beckett gave me the ATA gene therapy. So I decided to test its efficacy."
"By breaking into my quarters?"
McKay crossed his arms. "You don't have to put it that bluntly. As you said, I was... concerned."
John sighed and closed the drawer, satisfied that McKay had only seen the drawer and not the false bottom. "You'll think I've gone insane."
"Why don't you try explaining before you leap to that conclusion?"
"Okay." John met his eyes. "I saw a mermaid."
McKay's eyebrows rose rather comically. "All right.... and what made you leap to that conclusion?"
"She was swimming outside the dome."
"Show me."
~*~
^Tell me again why we're going back,^ Teyla groaned as she swam, hard-pressed to keep up with Ronon.
^I want to see this person,^ Ronon answered. ^I want to see what he's like. If he is anything like you, he is going to come back and see if you're real. Besides.^ He shot her a grin. ^I've been told since I joined the village that I suffer from terminal curiosity.^
Laughing, Teyla swatted at him which caused him to laugh in return. Their laughter ended when Teyla reached out and took his arm. ^There's more than one!^
Ronon nodded. They were close enough to the dome that they could see two figures waiting there. ^Follow me,^ Ronon said, drifting to the sea floor and walking the last few feet to the dome, with Teyla right behind.
~*~
"Rodney," John climbed to his feet. "Look."
Rodney looked up from his tablet and gaped at the pair who were walking toward them. "Is that her?"
"That's her," John confirmed as he moved toward the dome. He locked eyes with the woman, and nodded a greeting.
~*~
Teyla swallowed hard and bowed her head in a greeting. ^He seems to want to communicate,^ she mused.
^So, communicate,^ Ronon told her.
^But we won't be able to,^ Teyla protested. ^We don't know what dialect they speak.^
Ronon tilted his head toward the dome. ^Then start with something simple.^
~*~
"What's he doing?" Rodney asked, seeing the big man with the dreadlocks tilt his head toward the dome.
"I don't --" John broke off as the woman stepped up to the energy dome. She pressed her hand to her chest, then took her finger and began to trace odd symbols onto the dome.
When her fingered lowered, four symbols rested there. They shimmered and twisted, and suddenly John and Rodney were looking at a single word in their language.<
TEYLA
"Oh!" Rodney breathed. "It's a translation matrix!"
John licked his lips. He touched his own chest, then reached for the dome.
~*~
Ronon laughed as the odd symbols twisted into recognisable ones. ^It's being translated!^
As he wrote his name and the second air-breathing man identified himself as "ROD-NE",
Teyla muttered, ^Well, that solves the communication issue.^
'Rod-Ne' was writing again, and Teyla couldn't repress the gasp as the words shuddered into readability.
CAN YOU LIVE OUT OF WATER
John nodded as the man - Ronon - wrote in reply:
WHY
"Cautious," he told Rodney. "I can respect that." He wrote in return:
EASIER TO TALK THAN WRITE
Ronon and Teyla looked at each other, then he wrote back:
DON'T KNOW
NEVER TRIED
Teyla added:
CAN YOU LIVE OUT OF AIR
John and Rodney shook their heads and Rodney replied:
LUNGS WON'T LET US
BESIDES PRESSURE WOULD CRUSH US
John added:
WE HAVE TRIED
Teyla was the one who asked this time:
WHY
John wrote concisely:
CURIOUS
EXPLORERS
Ronon raised his hand to the dome, but both their heads snapped around to look at something behnd them. Ronon nodded and Teyla lifted a hand in farewell as she swam away. Ronon turned back to the dome and wrote quickly:
WE ARE MISSED
WILL RETURN WHEN ABLE
And then, he rocketed away.
Rodney blew the air out of his cheeks and turned to John. "A mermaid and a merman. And if they were 'missed' - an entire community under the waves!"
John grinned. "So - now do you believe me?"
"I believed you before. I just needed to see it for myself." Rodney sighed. "But now comes the big question. How can we communicate easier with them?"
"No," John said, his smile falling. "The big question is: How do we keep the military from decimating them?"
Rodney actually blinked. "You think they will?"
"Sumner's in charge."
"Point taken."
~*~
Rodney was scheduled to have a physical two days later, and he was quite put out when Doctor Carson Beckett's first words to him were, "All right, lad, what are ye dyin' from now?"
He glared at the physician. "And what makes you think I'm dying?"
"You're here - on time," Carson glanced at his watch. "Correction, slightly early - which leads me to think that you think you're dyin'."
Rodney crossed his arms. "And the fact that I might just want to talk to you? That never even entered your mind?"
"No," Carson admitted as he drew the privacy curtain. "It hadn't. This is you, after all."
"Oh, gee, thanks, Carson." Rodney rolled his eyes.
"But you're here," Carson said quickly. "And so, let's do this. Why don't you tell me what's on your mind, Rodney?"
"Hypotheticals," came the reply from deep within the folds of the black t-shirt as Rodney slid it off.
Carson brought the exam cart over. "I'm gonna need a bit more information than that."
As he submitted to the exam with his usual bad grace, Rodney told Carson a "hypothetical" tale of meeting humanoids that lived underwater but were intelligent and wanted to communicate with the new occupants of the domed city.
Casron listened and then said, "I'm not sure what you're askin' of me, Rodney."
"Suppose we wanted to explore their world as they do. What would need to happen?"
Carson studied him for a long moment, then ordered, "Go to my office, Rodney."
Rodney shot him a skeptical look, but grabbed his t-shirt and headed to the office.
Once Carson joined him there and shut the door, the physician touched a device and the whole office flashed with light. "Now we're soundproofed," Carson said, holding up a syringe. "Vitamins."
Rodney broke into a broad smile and rolled up his sleeve. He accepted the injection with a winced hiss. "So --- the soundproofing is in case I yell in pain?"
"Which explains your uncharacteristic stoicness just now," Carson chuckled. "Wouldn't give me the satisfaction."
"Damn straight."
Carson sat down at his desk and gestured toward the second chair. He waited till Rodney was seated, then said, "No, the soundproofing is so we can stop talking in hypotheticals. Tell me about these beings that you saw."
"No."
Carson actually blinked in surprise. "....no?"
"No." Rodney crossed his arms. "Not until I know you won't run to the military with this."
Carson raised an eyebrow. "So you did see something." Then what he said sank in. "The military? I'm surprised at you Rodney! You know me!"
"Yes, I know you. And I know you're Chief Medical Officer of a base overrun by soldiers led by a xenophobic, nuance-blind fool!"
Carson stared at him for a second, then broke into a slow smile. "Well then, Rodney - why don't you tell me what you really think about the man?"
~*~
"You didn't!" John gasped, feeling himself grinning uncontrollably from ear to ear.
"I might have said something to that degree, yes," Rodney held a device in his hand and thought On.To his delight, it lit immediately and started making a pleasant trill of a sound. "Will you look at that!"
"Hey, it took all the way!" John grinned even broader. "Fantastic! Now I'm not the only light switch around here!" His smile suddenly faltered.
Rodney set the device aside, and it went dark and silent. "You stop that right now," he chided John.
"Stop what?"
"You're thinking now that I've got the same ability, then you're going to be right back as just another grunt under Sumner's heel. Well, you're not. Like it or not, I still need you."
"For what?"
Rodney snorted. "Please. Someone needs to listen to my brilliance and challenge me. Everyone else is too afraid of me. You aren't. And besides." He grinned. "Come on, John. Mermaids."
John found himself laughing. "There is that!" He sighed. "So...now what?"
"Now, let me ponder a day or two. I'll come up with something."
"Yeah?" John challenged. "How can you be so sure?"
"Easy." Rodney nudged his shoulder as they walked out of the lab side by side. "I always do."
~*~
John walked out onto the pier two nights later and Rodney shot to his feet. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Bates's men," John sighed, touching his sore cheek and wincing. "Saw us laughing in the mess, made a lot of noise about it...."
"And gave you a shiner." Rodney put his hands on John's face and tilted it up toward the artificial light the dome gave off. "Let me guess, speculations about you and I doing the horizontal mambo." John's expression must have said it all, because Rodney gave a huff and released him. "Wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last. Your incredibly repressed and immature military thinks everything has to be about killing or sex. Since we're friends, they think we're hitting the sheets. For the record, John, you're lacking a few necessary bodily parts to be even remotely my type."
"And those body parts would be---"
"I won't dignify that incredibly asinine question with an answer. Besides, our friends are arriving."
John looked out and, sure enough, Teyla and Ronon were swimming up. As had become their custom, the water-breathers settled onto the ocean floor and walked up to the dome. After they said their greetings, Rodney grinned.
MIGHT HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU.
Teyla answered:
WHAT SURPRISE?
John's eyes widened as Rodney wrote:
THERE MIGHT BE A WAY TO BRING YOU INTO THE CITY SO WE CAN MORE EASILY TALK.
Ronon wrote:
SHOW ME.
Once it was established that the two outside the dome could see inside when they were crouched down, Rodney drew a map into the sand at the base of the dome. Ronon copied it, and he and Teyla went off a little ways to discuss it.
John asked, "What's that?"
"A tank room, close to the shuttle bay. We assume it was used as part of a desalinisation process, but if we can communicate with them face to face that way...."
"What if they can't breathe air?" John asked.
Rodney smiled. "That's why we're going to do it in a tank. So if they can't, all they have to do is duck down and boom, instant water."
Ronon drew near the dome again and they read:
WILL INVESTIGATE. TWO NIGHTS WILL RETURN.
They raised their hands in farewell and swam away.
John blew the air out of his cheeks. "And it's a waiting game again."
"Come on," Rodney said. "I'll show you the place. And then we need to go to bed."
That very night, a shadowy figure slid into the Infirmary and padded its way into Carson's office. Unscrewing the base of the light fixture, it slid a small disc from among the wires and pocketed it before sliding out as silently and as unnoticed as it arrived.
On to Chapter Two