Bete Noire or Blanc
A little scribble I was inspired with from this weekend, and which got form while I was writing it.
Bete Noire or Blanc
John Sheppard was sitting in the puddle jumper’s piloting seat, not knowing how he came about that place. He frowned, turned around, and saw he was alone in the jumper. He looked out the window and saw he was on a deserted piece of dry land. Somewhere. He had no idea where he was, or how he came there. He pinched himself to be sure he wasn’t asleep. Nothing, except a slight sting as if a needle went inside him. He bowed forward to look through the window. The planet he was on was not the new planet he had put Atlantis on, and he didn’t recognise it. It had no trees, and all he saw was a dry, yellow landscape, but it wasn’t a desert, that’s what he knew for sure. He thought he saw a few cactuses far away, but he couldn’t be sure what they were. He decided he had to find out what the heck was going on. John stood up from his seat, grabbed his P90 from the bench in the back of the puddle jumper, of which he couldn’t recall putting it there. On his way out, he noticed the life signs detector was missing. How inconvenient, Sheppard thought. Without giving it much more thought, the planet seemed quite deserted after all, he opened the rear hatch and walked off the ramp.
Walking around the jumper, he figured he would check out those cactuses up ahead. Looking behind him, he suddenly noticed the dark clouds that were gathering. That did not look good. He had to be back at the jumper before that storm hit. He thought he’d have another five minutes, so he walked on away from the jumper. He narrowed his eyes to see what the cactuses were. He was pretty sure now it weren’t cactuses. It moved. Cactuses not often moved, but also didn’t often speak; yet he could hear a distinct voice now coming from where those supposed cactuses stood. He raised his P90, and he realised how handy a life signs detector would have been right about now. He had no idea where he was, and no idea who that person was.
Was that waving? Was that person actually waving at him? He narrowed his eyes again, and kept on walking towards him or her. Abruptly he came to a halt. He or she had an umbrella. He pierced his eyes onto the human being; at least he thought it was a human being. They must have known the storm was coming, but where on earth could he or she have gotten an umbrella on this planet?
“John Sheppard? Is that you?” Sheppard had no idea what to do except keep on walking and hoping for the best. It was a female voice, so how bad could it be. Right? Right? He grimaced, knowing that not knowing where you were or how you got there was never a good sign.
“Yeah.” He answered hesitantly. “Who are you?” He still had his P90 raised, even though the girl he saw couldn’t have been much older than 20 or 21. She still had the umbrella in one hand, and some kind of folder in the other.
“Look out for that cactus!” The girl pointed, but it was too late. Sheppard’s tac vest had ripped open, and revealed a tight black T-shirt. John was utterly surprised at his tac vest ripping. There was no way that could have happened, not from an ordinary cactus. He looked annoyed at the girl, who looked at him unsure of what the lieutenant colonel might do next. He took a few steps back, put down his P90, and took off his ripped tac vest. It hung half way down his shoulder now, he couldn’t even fire the gun even if he wanted to. Why did that girl suddenly look pleased? He grabbed his P90 back up, and decided she couldn’t be a threat. She would have hurt him if she had wanted to when he had put it down.
“So, where am I?” John looked around and saw the clouds were now almost above them.
“Honestly? No idea.” She said.
“No, I mean, which planet. I understand you’re as lost as I am, but I need to know which planet I am on.” Sheppard had a feeling this would take a while. And he was right.
“I told you, I don’t know.” Sheppard was uneased. She really seemed not to know where they were.
”Do you at least know where you come from?” He figured it would take a while, so he’d better just take the long route to get where he wanted to go.
“A place in the Netherlands, you wouldn’t know it.” The girl looked at the sky and a big grin appeared on her face. “You might want to hide from that storm that’s about to hit.”
For some reason, John had the impression she didn’t mean that, and the fact she came from the Netherlands had not improved his mood either. “I’m on earth? Is that what you’re saying?”
“As I said, I don’t know where we are. Just as you don’t. I have no idea how I got here, just as you don’t.” John was sure the girl was now really waiting for it to pour down on them.
Then it came. The rain came down as if it was a bucket of water poured down on them. The young woman stood quite comfortable under her umbrella, whereas John felt he was soaked to the bone in a matter of seconds. He could hardly see anything, and he felt the raindrops start at the top of his face, down to his chin and on the ground. He could probably wring his hair as well, if that still had any model to it. If it ever had any.
Through his eyelids that could barely stay open, he had the distinct impression the girl was grinning at him. Why would she do that? Was she making fun of him, wet as a cat as he was? Then as sudden as it had started, it stopped raining, and the bright sun beamed down through the opening clouds onto the planet. John had no idea what this was supposed to be about, but he knew he was going to get out of here. Looking at the girl suspiciously, the turned around and headed for the jumper.
“Hey! Shep! Wait up! Where are you going?” It sounded as if the girl came running after him.
“Outta here, that’s where I’m going.”
“But we haven’t even scratched the surface of the planet yet. Don’t you think we should explore it a bit more?” She almost sounded upset.
“I just got soaked, I have no idea where I am, I’m off.” John was determined to get away.
“But you can’t.” She stood still, and John turned around to face her.
“Excuse me? Why couldn’t I?” He was getting more and more confused. She knew him, but he had never seen her. Or had he?
“You just can’t.” The girl was rummaging through her jeans pocket now. “Look. I have to give you this.”
John gave the object a strange look. It was a radio. “What am I supposed to do with this?” John tried the radio. “Hello?”
Surprised he looked up. He heard a click the moment he brought the radio to his mouth. “Did you just take a photo?”
“Maybe. Sorry, did you mind?”
“You should do whatever pleases you.” John turned towards the jumper again. He heard the girl stepping up a pace, and she came aside from him.
“Hold on. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you out there in the rain without an umbrella, and I shouldn’t have taken a picture when you weren’t aware, and still soaking wet.”
John had the idea though that he was drying rather quickly with that sun. It even felt as if he was sweating already. Strange weather on this planet, he thought. “Look. I don’t where I am, I am, well, I was soaking wet, you just took a photo of me, and I have no idea whatsoever who you are.”
The girl looked disappointed when John said that. Should he know her then after all?
“Can we take a look at the jumper?” Great, she also knew what his spaceship was called.
John sighed. He knew by now she wasn’t dangerous. Apart from a slight craziness gene in her DNA maybe, but not dangerous. “Sure, why not.”
A strange sound left the girl’s throat, and John looked at her with a certain reservation. He should not close the hatch, he thought to himself. One could not be too reserved.
As John walked up the ramp he heard another click. He turned around with eyebrows frowned.
“Sorry. Won’t happen again.”
“Rather not have those pictures fall in the hands of wraith, or citizens on earth. Thank you.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not planning on running into any wraith. Although, you never know in these situations.” The girl walked further into the jumper, straight on to the front seat where she sat down in the passenger seat, waiting for John to take the pilot seat. He thought it best to do as he was expected.
“So. What do you want me to do?”
“Show me those inertial dampeners. I’ve also wanted to fly circles in the air without getting nauseous.” John had to grin at that. Interesting choice for a girl.
John closed the back hatch. He knew it was fine as long as he was flying, and they took off.
He looked at the girl as he flew like the jumper like rollercoaster through the air. She was smiling from ear to ear and was obviously enjoying it. “Can it go faster?” Her green eyes showed joy.
John snorted: “Sure.” As the jumper gained speed, the girl started making those strange noises again. As soon as she was aware of them, a look of horror appeared in her eyes. She looked at John with much shame. He had to laugh out loud. “Don’t worry. Everyone’s first ride in one these babies is quite the event.”
She was now as red as a tomato.
Then suddenly a loud noise rattled through the jumper, and it didn’t come from the girl’s throat. They looked at each other in horror, as John realised it was the engine pods. They seemed to have stopped working. John knew he had to fly down to the surface as best as he could, but the landing would never be as smooth anymore as he had hoped, even with inertial dampeners.
“Hold on!” He said loudly, as he tried with all his power to control the jumper. He had hoped for a bright blue surface appearing ahead, but instead the dry yellow landscape continued.
The blow still came unexpected, and they both flew forward over the jumper’s front dashboard.
Falling back, and observing the damage, the girl seemed to have a scratch right above her eyebrow, but not much blood came out while she rubbed it. John however was bleeding heavily, and he felt he would get quite the bump on his forehead. He tore his eyebrow, and the blood was leaking into his eyes, nose and mouth. The girl stood up from her seat, turned around at the spot, and fell sideways back into her seat.
“Take it easy. Just a few scratches and maybe a concussion, nothing serious, but still gotta take it easy.” John was feeling his bump.
“Me maybe. You look like you can use a hospital bed right about now.” The girl attempted to get up again, and succeeded. She walked to the back of the jumper, and came back with a first aid kit.
“Ever done that before?” John gave her a suspicious look.
“I have my first aid diploma yes.” She looked certain.
“How long ago would that diploma have gotten into your possession?” He wasn’t getting stitched by an amateur, how cute she might have been.
The girl started grinning: “I dunno. About ten years ago, give or take.”
“Ah.” John grimaced.
“You want to do it yourself then?” She gave the needle to the messy haired guy across from her.
John sighed, but wasn’t happy. “You are going to cut into my head without ever having stitched someone up, aren’t you?”
“You would be my first yes.” It seemed as if the girl couldn’t stop grinning.
John tried to look through the jumper’s window, but couldn’t see a thing. He wasn’t sure if it was the blood pouring into his eyes, or the screen being broken.
“Fine. Can you punch me first though, so I won’t feel it?” John was half truthful, half lying.
The girl obviously wasn’t sure either, as she looked at him with an uncertain look in her eyes: “Sorry?”
“Can you not just put a bandage on it?” John was not in the mood to get unconscious with someone he didn’t know. Or not long anyway. Then he realised he didn’t even know her name. He opened his mouth to ask, but the girl was ahead of him: “That’s maybe a better solution, yes. I don’t want to ruin your pretty face permanently.”
John had to grin inwardly. Even a compliment amidst all the blood. And he still felt soaking wet, although now he was completely unsure if it was the rain or sweat.
The girl grabbed a bandage from the kit and cut a piece out of it. She plastered it onto the colonel’s eyebrow. When she was done, she looked at him with a funny look on her face, both expressing a good mood, and uncertain of the result.
“Still pretty?” John teased.
“You look good in white.” He couldn’t see her face as she turned around to putt back the first aid kit.
“So, now what?” John asked. The girl had been on the planet first, so she must know what was going on more than he did.
“Honestly? Don’t know. We have to wait and see.” She sat back in the seat, and really seemed to wait for things to come.
“Just wait and see. Okay. Want to play a game?” John became quirky now.
“Yeah sure. If you know a good one. Don’t think ‘I spy’ will do good on this planet.” She looked outside, or least tried to, but soon came to the conclusion there wasn’t much to see.
“No, that would be a very boring game here.” John knew that he should be panicking right about now, especially now also the jumper wasn’t working and there was no way he could get to an orbital gate. Yet he wasn’t, he was quite enjoying himself. Could be the blow to the head though, he thought.
Looking to his right, he saw he girl spinning around in her chair. She wasn’t much older than 22, if that. He had to grin to himself thinking back of her taking a picture of the jumper. Who knew that his favourite ship would ever be the subject of a photographer? It had never crossed his mind to snap one of it. Probably because he had to kill everyone who would took a look at it.
Maybe he should ask her what he hell she was really doing here. Wasn’t much he knew about her after all. Yet something held him back.
The girl stopped spinning and looked John in the eyes. She started grinning, and he felt more and more self aware.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she said as she was shaking her head gently. “Just enjoying myself. A lot.”
“From spinning your seat?” For some reason John had started spinning as well, soon realising that was not a smart idea, seeing as he might have a concussion, and he felt lightheaded.
She stuck out her tongue at him. The last thing he remembered seeing was the girl standing up from her seat, walking over towards him.
Then all went black.
And she woke up...