Here, KItty, Kitty, Kitty...... (Not Human Challenge, G)
Title:Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty....
Author: Goddess47
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoiler/AU for Runner
Pairing: Gen
Summary: For the SGA_Flashfic Challenge: Not Human
"Rodney, don't move," John commanded.
"Not moving," Rodney squeaked carefully.
They had come to P3M-736 to collect plant samples they hoped to use to create medicinal supplies. The radiation level on the planet created several varieties of plants that that couldn't be found anywhere else. Teyla knew there was a market for such goods that the Lanteans could trade for food and other commodities. Even with the renewed contact with Earth and regular runs by the Daedalus, the Atlantis expedition knew their supply line was fragile and needed to build their own backup systems.
Somehow, the chaos of getting lost on the planet, finding Ford, finding a Wraith, losing Ford and fighting with the Wraith evaporated to nothing as Rodney looked up at the creature that had him pinned to the ground. From Rodney's limited point of view, the beast resembled a panther. Only larger. Much larger. The size of three people or more larger. One paw sat on Rodney's thigh and another, claws extended, sat on his tac vest. Rodney had a vague thought that saying "Nice kitty" wasn't going to help much.
"It did help us get that Wraith," John admitted casually. Rodney watched the head of the creature tilt as it listened to the sound of John's voice. "You did good," John told the creature directly.
Rodney grunted as the creature stood, placing more of its weight on Rodney. "Hey, take it easy!" Rodney protested automatically. At that the creature sat back on its haunches, not letting Rodney loose, but reducing the pressure. "Thanks," Rodney said.
To his amazement, the creature - for lack of a better term - shrugged its shoulders. Ignoring a warning "Rodney!" from John, Rodney poked what he could reach of the creature's side and demanded, "You're intelligent, aren't you?"
The creature nodded its head at them.
"Then let me up, you cretin," Rodney huffed. "You're killing my back - it's going to take forever to get it back into alignment."
The creature gave a small growl and shook its head. It flexed the paw on Rodney's tac vest and briefly extended the claws further. "Okay, okay, I get it," Rodney agreed quickly trying not to move too much. "What do you want?"
"Rodney!" John exclaimed. "We don't negotiate with hostage takers."
"Well, if Tigger here had wanted to kill me, it could have done so before this," Rodney countered. "And, like you pointed out, it-" Rodney sneaked a peek down the sleek body, "he, he helped us kill that Wraith. This is his only way to communicate with us."
Rodney felt as much as heard a brief purring-type noise to tell him he was right. Big cats like this on Earth didn't purr, but this was Pegasus and all the rules were up for debate in any case.
Just then, Teyla and Major Lorne appeared in back of John. As Lorne automatically brought up his weapon Teyla put a hand on his arm, "No!"
John sighed. "Stand down, Major. Despite how it looks, evidently Dr. McKay has this under control." Rodney saw Lorne relax infinitesimally and roll his eyes at the same time. But he didn't lower his P90.
"Teyla?" John asked over his shoulder. "Anything, well, anyone you're familiar with?"
"I have not seen one before, but this looks like a Dex, said to be hunted by Wraith for sport. There should be a tracking device, which explains why there were only the two Wraith - the one you killed and the one in the dart - on this planet," Teyla informed them. "But they are intelligent and are known to be fierce warriors."
"Tracking device?" John asked.
Rodney dug into his tac vest. "Okay, let me work here," he slapped at the paw on his chest. The paw moved enough to let Rodney get at the device he was reaching for. He tapped at the screen, hmmmm'd at it, tapped some more and declared, "Blocking now. Hopefully, the Wraith will interpret that as a kill and don't come looking." He rubbed the back of his neck and spoke to the beast, "You so owe me, I'm going to be sore for days."
"Colonel?" Lorne asked.
"Think Beckett could remove the device?" John asked.
Rodney shrugged, "Don't see why not. It's not brain surgery, after all." Rodney chucked at his own joke but sobered when the Dex looked at him with a growl. "Sorry, couldn't resist. It's in his back somewhere, here," Rodney gestured to the middle of the creature's torso, "and it can't be too deep."
Rodney could see John debate. "Can't hurt, I guess. Major, take the jumper and get Doc Beckett to help our new friend here." He looked at the beast, "You're not going to let Rodney up until we do this, are you?"
The creature grinned at John, if you could ignore all the teeth it showed in doing so.
"Oh, great," Rodney muttered. "At least this is flat ground and not a mud puddle."
"Teyla, what else about can you tell me about our friend Dex here?" John asked as he settled on a nearby rock.
"The Wraith culled their planet long ago. The creatures worked in pairs with humans, as a team. When their humans were culled a great many of the creatures also died. A number of those that lived were captured and had trackers placed in them. They are intelligent and can dial a gate on their own," Teyla recounted. "I have never met one and the thought was that they had all passed into legend." She walked up to the breast before John could stop her. She placed a hand just above the creature's head and said, "I am pleased to meet you." She looked to Rodney. "What is his name?"
As Rodney started to sputter, "Me? Why should I know...." the name Ronon whispered in his head. He stared for a long moment at the beast before he said in a strangled voice, "Ronon."
"Ah! The stories are true!" Teyla laughed, pleased. She turned to John, "The Dex were said to be able to communicate to some of their humans mind to mind. Rodney's blessed to be able to do so." She returned to sit next to John.
"Can you read my mind?" Rodney asked. He looked at Ronon steadily, trying to look braver than he felt.
Some came into his mind with an implication of limited and contact came to Rodney.
"Okay, the answer is kinda yes but only on a limited basis and there has to be physical contact," Rodney elaborated. "That describe it?"
Ronon nodded.
Rodney thought for a second. "Colonel, come over here and touch Ronon."
"What?"
"I have a theory," Rodney insisted. "Come over here and touch him," Rodney repeated.
Rodney knew his theory was correct when John's hand jerked back from Ronon. "Ha! I knew it! It works on the ATA gene, I'll bet."
John nodded, "Whoa. That was.... Interesting....." He shook his head to clear it.
"I'll bet our friend Ronon and his kind were another Ancient experiment," Rodney theorized. He looked at Ronon, "Do you know the gate address of your home world?"
Rodney felt the reluctance come in waves from the beast. He got a jumble of memories that included the fall of a gate. He finally had to put up a hand to say, "Stop." The flow stopped and they both took a deep breath.
"Okay, not going there by gate, but we can look it up on Atlantis and see where it was," Rodney said to Ronon. He had a thought about what Teyla had told them, "You saw the gate fall, yet Teyla said that the stories of your kind are part of legend. Do you know how old you are?"
A sense of many years passed to Rodney but nothing specific. "Hmmm... concept of time but no idea of number. Probably irrelevant since our measurement of time is based on Earth specific variables. Okay, pretty old, though." He looked over the beast lounging on him. "You look good for your age."
"Rodney!" John protested.
"Well, it's true," Rodney replied, exasperated. "I mean, look at him!"
They all really looked at Ronon. His coat was deep black with a couple of bald spots and upon closer inspection the ears were tattered about the edges and the tail was frayed in a couple of places. Ronon sat up straight and preened for a moment before relaxing against Rodney.
"How long does it take to get Beckett here?" Rodney demanded. "They should have been back by now."
It was another couple of hours before Lorne and Beckett came to the clearing. "Dr. Weir wasn't happy about this so we had to bring some backup. I left them by the jumper so not to scare your friend there."
"His name is Ronon," Rodney told them. "Carson, get over here and get going. You're going to have to work on me next if I don't get off the ground soon."
"Ach," Beckett said. "I didn't expect such a large beastie, I must admit." He moved toward Ronon when the beast growled at him. Beckett stopped and said to Rodney, "You need to tell him I'm not here to hurt him."
Rodney debated. "Put down your kit, come over here and put your hand on the paw that's on my chest. Think slow, clear thoughts about what you want to do and how you want to do it."
At Beckett's disbelieving look, John put in, "He's right. Go ahead."
Beckett put his backpack down and carefully inched toward Rodney. "Oh, get over here," Rodney huffed. "Ronon won't hurt you."
Ronon grinned at the doctor, but Rodney suspected the teeth didn't help the cause. "Ronon, not nice to tease the nice doctor who's going to help you," he slapped the paw on his chest.
The teasing seemed to convince Beckett that is was safe to approach the pair. He stooped down and put a hand on Ronon's paw. He closed his eyes and sat frozen for a minute. His eyes flew open and spoke to Ronon, "Are ye daft? I can't do this without anesthetic."
Rodney sensing a firmness from Ronon put in, "I've pretty much pinpointed the device, so it should be a simple extraction. I don't think it's deep and without hands Ronon couldn't get at it anyways. Opposable thumbs have their uses, you know. Just do it so I can get up from here."
Beckett looked at them and muttered, "You're both insane. On your head, Rodney." Beckett got his kit and Rodney directed him to the location on Ronon's back where the sensor was located. Beckett placed his hand and felt around for a moment before stopping in one spot. "Just under the skin, I can feel it here." He lay out some instruments and a razor to remove some of the fur. As he shaved the spot, Beckett murmured, "Sorry, just enough to make sure I can get clear access." He swabbed the spot and as Rodney felt Ronon tense he put a hand on top of the paw on his chest and tried to think comforting thoughts. He wasn't sure it worked when the claws of the paw on his thigh came out briefly but it only pinched before Becket said, "Got it!" He handed the device to John and put some salve on the incision. "Leave this alone for today," he told Ronon. Ronon sniffed at the salve and nodded understanding.
"Now can I get up?" Rodney whined. Ronon moved back and allowed Rodney to sit up. "Ow. Ow. Ow. I'm not going to be able to move for a month."
"Come on Rodney," John said patiently, helping the scientist to stand. "All you've done is lay around all day." He looked at Ronon. "Now what?"
Ronon did that shrugging thing again and sat still. Without thinking, Rodney offered, "Come with us."
"Rodney!" John protested.
"Don't Rodney me," Rodney turned to John. "You've been doing that all day. He hasn't harmed anyone, he can be an asset to us and if he's such a legend in Pegasus maybe some of those alien priests will think twice before making us go through any of their weird rituals before talking to us."
When John rolled his eyes, Rodney knew he had won. He turned to Ronon, "Well?"
A grin and a nod.
"Okay, come on then. Let's go home," John told everyone.
As they exited the jumper, Elizabeth Weir stepped back at her first sight of Ronon. Rodney said, "Hey, mom, he followed me home. Can I keep him?"
Author: Goddess47
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoiler/AU for Runner
Pairing: Gen
Summary: For the SGA_Flashfic Challenge: Not Human
"Rodney, don't move," John commanded.
"Not moving," Rodney squeaked carefully.
They had come to P3M-736 to collect plant samples they hoped to use to create medicinal supplies. The radiation level on the planet created several varieties of plants that that couldn't be found anywhere else. Teyla knew there was a market for such goods that the Lanteans could trade for food and other commodities. Even with the renewed contact with Earth and regular runs by the Daedalus, the Atlantis expedition knew their supply line was fragile and needed to build their own backup systems.
Somehow, the chaos of getting lost on the planet, finding Ford, finding a Wraith, losing Ford and fighting with the Wraith evaporated to nothing as Rodney looked up at the creature that had him pinned to the ground. From Rodney's limited point of view, the beast resembled a panther. Only larger. Much larger. The size of three people or more larger. One paw sat on Rodney's thigh and another, claws extended, sat on his tac vest. Rodney had a vague thought that saying "Nice kitty" wasn't going to help much.
"It did help us get that Wraith," John admitted casually. Rodney watched the head of the creature tilt as it listened to the sound of John's voice. "You did good," John told the creature directly.
Rodney grunted as the creature stood, placing more of its weight on Rodney. "Hey, take it easy!" Rodney protested automatically. At that the creature sat back on its haunches, not letting Rodney loose, but reducing the pressure. "Thanks," Rodney said.
To his amazement, the creature - for lack of a better term - shrugged its shoulders. Ignoring a warning "Rodney!" from John, Rodney poked what he could reach of the creature's side and demanded, "You're intelligent, aren't you?"
The creature nodded its head at them.
"Then let me up, you cretin," Rodney huffed. "You're killing my back - it's going to take forever to get it back into alignment."
The creature gave a small growl and shook its head. It flexed the paw on Rodney's tac vest and briefly extended the claws further. "Okay, okay, I get it," Rodney agreed quickly trying not to move too much. "What do you want?"
"Rodney!" John exclaimed. "We don't negotiate with hostage takers."
"Well, if Tigger here had wanted to kill me, it could have done so before this," Rodney countered. "And, like you pointed out, it-" Rodney sneaked a peek down the sleek body, "he, he helped us kill that Wraith. This is his only way to communicate with us."
Rodney felt as much as heard a brief purring-type noise to tell him he was right. Big cats like this on Earth didn't purr, but this was Pegasus and all the rules were up for debate in any case.
Just then, Teyla and Major Lorne appeared in back of John. As Lorne automatically brought up his weapon Teyla put a hand on his arm, "No!"
John sighed. "Stand down, Major. Despite how it looks, evidently Dr. McKay has this under control." Rodney saw Lorne relax infinitesimally and roll his eyes at the same time. But he didn't lower his P90.
"Teyla?" John asked over his shoulder. "Anything, well, anyone you're familiar with?"
"I have not seen one before, but this looks like a Dex, said to be hunted by Wraith for sport. There should be a tracking device, which explains why there were only the two Wraith - the one you killed and the one in the dart - on this planet," Teyla informed them. "But they are intelligent and are known to be fierce warriors."
"Tracking device?" John asked.
Rodney dug into his tac vest. "Okay, let me work here," he slapped at the paw on his chest. The paw moved enough to let Rodney get at the device he was reaching for. He tapped at the screen, hmmmm'd at it, tapped some more and declared, "Blocking now. Hopefully, the Wraith will interpret that as a kill and don't come looking." He rubbed the back of his neck and spoke to the beast, "You so owe me, I'm going to be sore for days."
"Colonel?" Lorne asked.
"Think Beckett could remove the device?" John asked.
Rodney shrugged, "Don't see why not. It's not brain surgery, after all." Rodney chucked at his own joke but sobered when the Dex looked at him with a growl. "Sorry, couldn't resist. It's in his back somewhere, here," Rodney gestured to the middle of the creature's torso, "and it can't be too deep."
Rodney could see John debate. "Can't hurt, I guess. Major, take the jumper and get Doc Beckett to help our new friend here." He looked at the beast, "You're not going to let Rodney up until we do this, are you?"
The creature grinned at John, if you could ignore all the teeth it showed in doing so.
"Oh, great," Rodney muttered. "At least this is flat ground and not a mud puddle."
"Teyla, what else about can you tell me about our friend Dex here?" John asked as he settled on a nearby rock.
"The Wraith culled their planet long ago. The creatures worked in pairs with humans, as a team. When their humans were culled a great many of the creatures also died. A number of those that lived were captured and had trackers placed in them. They are intelligent and can dial a gate on their own," Teyla recounted. "I have never met one and the thought was that they had all passed into legend." She walked up to the breast before John could stop her. She placed a hand just above the creature's head and said, "I am pleased to meet you." She looked to Rodney. "What is his name?"
As Rodney started to sputter, "Me? Why should I know...." the name Ronon whispered in his head. He stared for a long moment at the beast before he said in a strangled voice, "Ronon."
"Ah! The stories are true!" Teyla laughed, pleased. She turned to John, "The Dex were said to be able to communicate to some of their humans mind to mind. Rodney's blessed to be able to do so." She returned to sit next to John.
"Can you read my mind?" Rodney asked. He looked at Ronon steadily, trying to look braver than he felt.
Some came into his mind with an implication of limited and contact came to Rodney.
"Okay, the answer is kinda yes but only on a limited basis and there has to be physical contact," Rodney elaborated. "That describe it?"
Ronon nodded.
Rodney thought for a second. "Colonel, come over here and touch Ronon."
"What?"
"I have a theory," Rodney insisted. "Come over here and touch him," Rodney repeated.
Rodney knew his theory was correct when John's hand jerked back from Ronon. "Ha! I knew it! It works on the ATA gene, I'll bet."
John nodded, "Whoa. That was.... Interesting....." He shook his head to clear it.
"I'll bet our friend Ronon and his kind were another Ancient experiment," Rodney theorized. He looked at Ronon, "Do you know the gate address of your home world?"
Rodney felt the reluctance come in waves from the beast. He got a jumble of memories that included the fall of a gate. He finally had to put up a hand to say, "Stop." The flow stopped and they both took a deep breath.
"Okay, not going there by gate, but we can look it up on Atlantis and see where it was," Rodney said to Ronon. He had a thought about what Teyla had told them, "You saw the gate fall, yet Teyla said that the stories of your kind are part of legend. Do you know how old you are?"
A sense of many years passed to Rodney but nothing specific. "Hmmm... concept of time but no idea of number. Probably irrelevant since our measurement of time is based on Earth specific variables. Okay, pretty old, though." He looked over the beast lounging on him. "You look good for your age."
"Rodney!" John protested.
"Well, it's true," Rodney replied, exasperated. "I mean, look at him!"
They all really looked at Ronon. His coat was deep black with a couple of bald spots and upon closer inspection the ears were tattered about the edges and the tail was frayed in a couple of places. Ronon sat up straight and preened for a moment before relaxing against Rodney.
"How long does it take to get Beckett here?" Rodney demanded. "They should have been back by now."
It was another couple of hours before Lorne and Beckett came to the clearing. "Dr. Weir wasn't happy about this so we had to bring some backup. I left them by the jumper so not to scare your friend there."
"His name is Ronon," Rodney told them. "Carson, get over here and get going. You're going to have to work on me next if I don't get off the ground soon."
"Ach," Beckett said. "I didn't expect such a large beastie, I must admit." He moved toward Ronon when the beast growled at him. Beckett stopped and said to Rodney, "You need to tell him I'm not here to hurt him."
Rodney debated. "Put down your kit, come over here and put your hand on the paw that's on my chest. Think slow, clear thoughts about what you want to do and how you want to do it."
At Beckett's disbelieving look, John put in, "He's right. Go ahead."
Beckett put his backpack down and carefully inched toward Rodney. "Oh, get over here," Rodney huffed. "Ronon won't hurt you."
Ronon grinned at the doctor, but Rodney suspected the teeth didn't help the cause. "Ronon, not nice to tease the nice doctor who's going to help you," he slapped the paw on his chest.
The teasing seemed to convince Beckett that is was safe to approach the pair. He stooped down and put a hand on Ronon's paw. He closed his eyes and sat frozen for a minute. His eyes flew open and spoke to Ronon, "Are ye daft? I can't do this without anesthetic."
Rodney sensing a firmness from Ronon put in, "I've pretty much pinpointed the device, so it should be a simple extraction. I don't think it's deep and without hands Ronon couldn't get at it anyways. Opposable thumbs have their uses, you know. Just do it so I can get up from here."
Beckett looked at them and muttered, "You're both insane. On your head, Rodney." Beckett got his kit and Rodney directed him to the location on Ronon's back where the sensor was located. Beckett placed his hand and felt around for a moment before stopping in one spot. "Just under the skin, I can feel it here." He lay out some instruments and a razor to remove some of the fur. As he shaved the spot, Beckett murmured, "Sorry, just enough to make sure I can get clear access." He swabbed the spot and as Rodney felt Ronon tense he put a hand on top of the paw on his chest and tried to think comforting thoughts. He wasn't sure it worked when the claws of the paw on his thigh came out briefly but it only pinched before Becket said, "Got it!" He handed the device to John and put some salve on the incision. "Leave this alone for today," he told Ronon. Ronon sniffed at the salve and nodded understanding.
"Now can I get up?" Rodney whined. Ronon moved back and allowed Rodney to sit up. "Ow. Ow. Ow. I'm not going to be able to move for a month."
"Come on Rodney," John said patiently, helping the scientist to stand. "All you've done is lay around all day." He looked at Ronon. "Now what?"
Ronon did that shrugging thing again and sat still. Without thinking, Rodney offered, "Come with us."
"Rodney!" John protested.
"Don't Rodney me," Rodney turned to John. "You've been doing that all day. He hasn't harmed anyone, he can be an asset to us and if he's such a legend in Pegasus maybe some of those alien priests will think twice before making us go through any of their weird rituals before talking to us."
When John rolled his eyes, Rodney knew he had won. He turned to Ronon, "Well?"
A grin and a nod.
"Okay, come on then. Let's go home," John told everyone.
As they exited the jumper, Elizabeth Weir stepped back at her first sight of Ronon. Rodney said, "Hey, mom, he followed me home. Can I keep him?"