Hunger Strike, Part 6/? -- Beckett/Cadman
Title: Hunger Strike, (Part 6/?)
Author: Shelby (gateruner)
E-mail: gateruner2000 at yahoo.com
Feedback: yes, please!
Archive: LJ, my website. Any place else, just ask.
Category: Beckett/Cadman, Angst, Drama, WIP
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: Up to the ending of S3, EXCEPT that “Sunday” didn’t happen! No, no way, no how.
Summary: Laura Cadman is abducted off-world and rescued, but her nightmare has only begun as she starts to remember exactly what happened to her and what evil plans the Wraith have in store for humanity.
Warnings: This is darkfic people. Beware! If you don’t want the angst, don’t read on.
Disclaimer: They aren’t mine, I don’t own them, don’t make any money from them, just playing, honest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Hunger Strike
Part 6
Carson sat up quickly, falling back against the wall of the bathroom stall. He looked around, he was in the bathroom and the foul smell that emitted from the toilet told him he was still right where he had been. He wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his jacket, taking deep breaths as he managed to hoist himself off the floor.
It had been a dream, a very vivid dream. None of it was real. Well, almost none of it. Carson looked down at his pants and noticed the wet spot that was beginning to dry; causing the fabric of his BDU’s to stick to his body in a very uncomfortable way. “Oh, that’s just bloody perfect!” He hadn’t done anything that embarrassing since he was 16.
Carson flushed the toilet quickly making his way to the sink. He splashed cold water across his face and around his neck. A quick run to his quarters and he could take care of the pants. But explaining the dream might not be so easy.
“Dr. Beckett, this is Weir.” The headset crackled in Carson’s ear.
“Go ahead Dr. Weir,” Carson dried his face as best he could.
“I need you to report to the control room immediately.”
“Understood,” Carson exited the bathroom, all but forgetting to change pants. Elizabeth didn’t usually say immediately without good reason.
----------------------
“So what do we say?” John stared at the screen, with Rodney at the controls.
Rodney sat in wait, his fingers poised above the keypad, “How about something like, ‘Who is it?’”
“We know who it is,” John shook his head, “We need to get him to talk. Find out what he did to Cadman, and what else he’s been up to.”
Michael’s voice suddenly flooded the room, “I want to speak with Dr. Beckett. No one else.”
“I understand that, Michael. He is on his way.” Elizabeth was about to page Carson once again when he burst into the control room. She sighed and motioned towards the terminal.
“What’s going on?” Carson asked, looking at everyone.
“Ah, Dr. Beckett. You had a good nap, I take it?” Michael’s voice floated over the speakers.
Carson felt his stomach churn, “How the hell did he know?”
“How quickly you forget, Dr. Beckett. The Wraith have telepathic abilities. You of all people should know this. Remember how easily I slipped into your mind. How I was able to extract precisely what I needed from you, and more. So much more.”
“Alright, cut the crap, Michael,” John wanted answers. “Beckett is here, now what do you want?”
“Straight to issue, I always liked that about you, Colonel. Very well. As you have no doubt discovered I am in the process of solving the food shortage in this galaxy. The Great Awakening has come to pass, and there is not enough human life in this galaxy to sustain the numbers that are beginning to stir.
“You took me from my people, tried to force a life upon me that you deemed to be ‘better’. -- Made me into something that wasn’t quite human and not quite Wraith. And in your fumbling you inadvertently gave me the information necessary that not only solves the food shortage, but also helps those humans who choose to serve us.”
Carson felt his anger flare, “What? By growing people? By using women to harvest their eggs and incubate them like food?”
Michael laughed, “For a scientist, you lack the vision I had come to expect from you, doctor. That is simply the first phase of my plan; to ensure that the food supply remains abundant. You forget that these women serve us, that they are already willing to do our biding. What makes you think they will not give up something they have no use for in order to save themselves? Self preservation is a thing of beauty, don’t you agree?”
“Laura was no bloody servant!” Carson leaned as close to the speaker as he could, “You kidnapped her, forced yourself upon her, and then took something that damn well didn’t belong to you.” He took a deep breath, trying to control his anger, “If you think that I won’t hunt you down….”
“Ah, yes, Lt. Cadman,” Michael interrupted. “How is she? Resting comfortably? She is a spectacular creature, no doubt. I can see why you are so taken with her.”
Carson gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white, “I swear to God, when I find you, I… I….”
“You’ll what, doctor? Kill me? I hardly doubt that. Your twisted code of ethics prevents you from that. Although it didn’t stop you from experimenting on me, now did it?”
“You leave Laura alone! She had nothing to do with this. If you are looking for someone to experiment on, then take me. But leave her out of this. You have no right!”
“YOU HAD NO RIGHT!” Michael yelled. “What right did YOU have taking me away from my people. Forcing me into an experiment that I would never have submitted to willingly.”
“An eye for an eye?” Sheppard spoke up, “So that’s what this is all about? Dr. Beckett experimented on you, so now you figure you can seek retribution by going after the closest person in his life?”
Michael chuckled, “Like I said, Colonel, I always liked you.”
“What the bloody hell have you done to Laura!” Carson spat back.
“Very well, doctor. I am surprised you haven’t figured it out by now, but then again, as I said earlier, you lack the imagination I would have expected. I have done very much the same thing that you did to me, only better. You see, I have given Lt. Cadman a Wraith retrovirus, only I was much kinder with mine. I stripped away certain aspects of the Wraith physiology, and left only the necessary components behind -- Telepathy, heightened awareness, superior strength and agility, regenerative properties, and hunger. Of course, she will never have the need or ability to feed on humans, but there will be another need. The need to propagate her species. A driving desire to mate and reproduce. And it is with this desire that I will ensure the Wraith a food supply for centuries to come.”
------------------
Laura sat up on the bed, blinking through the tears. She wrapped the sheet around her body, looking around the bedroom. Carson was there, had been there with her, and then he was gone. And something else was there, something that made her skin crawl. Michael. Laura felt a chill go down her spine as she curled her legs up to her body.
She was asleep, dreaming, and yet she wasn’t. She could feel the sedatives in her system, knew that she was lying in the infirmary bed, and yet not. She felt displaced, like her mind was in one place and her body was another.
Kicking the covers back, Laura got out of the bed and strolled to the bathroom. She turned the shower on and stepped inside. Despite the odd sensation of feeling out of her body, she actually felt good. Sated and satisfied. Maybe it was the drugs that were coursing through her system, she thought as she grabbed a bottle of shampoo.
Lathering up her hair, she thought back on all the events that had transpired over the last week. The kidnapping, the torture, and her final return home had all been exhausting. And now she wasn’t sure where or how she’d fit in again.
Laura stuck her head under the spray, allowing the soap to wash from her hair, soap suds streaming down her face and chest. She ran her hands over her face and stopped. Stepping out of the water stream, she began to run her fingers along her cheekbone. The scar. The one that Michael had given her, it was almost gone. She looked down at her chest and realized that the deep gash across her breasts was almost non-existent as well. “What the hell?”
She brushed her fingers over the faint scar. It looked weeks old, not days. Even as a child it took a long time for cuts and bruises to go away. Her fair skin made it almost impossible not to notice. But now they were almost completely healed.
As she continued her self-physical, she realized the bruising on her thighs had also vanished, and her abdomen no longer ached. A dream. Of course, she was still dreaming. Naturally, who wouldn’t want to picture themselves normal again. Satisfied that she’d found the answer to her new found recovery, Laura went back to showering again.
--------------------
“Dr. Keller?” Nurse Lisa approached the doctor with a wash basin in her hands.
“Yes?” Dr. Keller looked up from her notes, “What can I do for you?”
“It’s Lt. Cadman, ma’am. I was bathing her, as you instructed, and when I got ready to change the dressings on her scars, well, I thought you should see this.”
The nurse pulled the curtain back and allowed the doctor to enter the area. Laura was still asleep, the steady rhythm of the monitors noted that everything was stable. The nurse reached forward, and pulled back the dressing across the lieutenant’s face. “It’s like it’s gone. The scar is almost completely healed.” She pulled the sheet down to expose Laura’s chest, “So is this one as well.”
“How in the world?” Dr. Keller stepped closer to examine the fading injuries. She ran her fingers over the faint markings, noting that the wound was completely healed, the skin only slightly discolored.
“Should I notify Dr. Beckett?” Nurse Lisa asked.
Dr. Keller turned away from the bed, “Yes, I think we should. And let’s run some more bloodwork, I want to find out how…”
Nurse Lisa jumped as she noticed Lt. Cadman bolt upright in the bed, grabbing Dr. Keller from behind. Before the nurse realized what was happening, the doctor was knocked unconscious and the lieutenant was coming for her.
--------------------
Laura turned the shower off, and grabbed a fresh towel from the rack. It felt good to be clean again, to be free of the grime and disinfectant of the infirmary. She dried off quickly, then twisted the towel around her hair before returning to her quarters. A fresh set of clothes, and morning jog, that’s just what she needed.
She got dressed quickly and pulled the towel from her hair, drying it as best she could. Grabbing her track shoes, she sat back down on the bed. Laura was in the process of untangling a knot in the laces when she felt it. The shoe slipped from her hands and fell to the floor. Her gut churned, her breathing became labored, “Michael.”
He was close, very close. Laura began pacing the room. She could feel him, reaching out to her. But what could she do? “I have to find him.”
----------------------
Laura increased her pace down the hallway, ignoring the stares as she raced by. Her bare feet were cold against the floor and she realized that wasn’t the only thing that was cold. She gripped the back of her bed gown as she ran, feeling the blood run down her knuckles as she squeezed the fabric together. She knew better than to rip out an IV, but there wasn’t enough time to go through formalities. It would only be a matter of minutes before the infirmary staff called out an alert for her and she had to make it to the control room.
----------------------
Carson listened in horror as Michael laid out his devious plans. Essentially he was planning to populate the galaxy with human children through these women. And because the genetic material of the eggs are pre-determined at birth and therefore un-tampered, the offspring would be a regular human. No super-Wraith genes whatsoever. Leaving them powerless to defend themselves against their enemy.
Not to mention the long-term, damaging affects of keeping these women constantly fertile for extended periods of time. What he didn’t understand was what Michael was doing with the embryos after impregnation. How was he gestating the fetuses?
“So what is it that you want, Michael?” Dr. Weir was trying her best to sound neutral, diplomatic. But her anger was beginning to bubble up to the surface as well.
“Want? What I want is for you to admit your gross mistake. To admit that you had no right in playing God with my life or any others.”
“No right playing God?” John interrupted, “And just what the hell do you think you’re doing! Turning these women into your concubines and using them like test tubes to get pregnant. Who’s playing God now, Michael?”
Dr. Weir spoke up next, “What you are doing is wrong. It’s tantamount to rape. Forcing these women to impregnate themselves is not only unethical, it’s also immoral.”
“I’m not forcing them to do anything. As I said before, these humans serve the Wraith, they do so willingly and without force. Besides, you forced me into this situation. I had to find a way to survive, to live out my existence without threat of annihilation. The Queen I worked with was quite pleased with my plans, and has offered me sanctuary in exchange for my work.”
“Fine.” Elizabeth clenched her jaw, “I ask again, WHAT. IS IT. THAT. YOU. WANT.”
Michael laughed again, “As I said earlier, Dr. Weir, I simply want you to admit your error. That you feel remorse for what you have done to me and that you are every bit as responsible for what has happened to Lt. Cadman as you are to me.”
“You’re out of your bloody mind!” Carson roared.
“Carson,” Elizabeth pleaded to him.
“No Elizabeth, no! He’s nuts if he thinks I’m admitting to a thing like that.”
“You got the first part right,” John quipped.
“Carson, listen to me,” Elizabeth began, “Arguing with Michael is not going to get us anywhere. If we have any hope of…”
Elizabeth was cut off by another voice from behind her, “She’s right, Carson.”
Carson looked past Elizabeth, his eyes going wide, “Laura, love. What are you doing out of bed?”
Laura moved into the room, as three marines scrambled through the doorway behind her.
“Men, stand down for now.” Sheppard stood up, watching Lt. Cadman closely but ready to activate the marines again, if necessary.
“Ah, Lt. Cadman!” Michael’s voice cut through the room again, “How lovely to hear your voice again. I assume you are feeling well, are you not? Please, tell your associates how much better you feel.”
Laura stared at the terminal speakers, trying to force back her fear. She looked back towards Carson, trying to decide what to say. She did feel better, actually.
“Laura, your face!” Carson reached out, brushing her newly healed cheek, “Sweet Jesus, how in the hell.”
“I told you Dr. Beckett, superior healing capabilities. I hope you will come to realize that I have made life better for the lieutenant. That I succeeded in my experiment, where you failed miserably. She will remain the woman you love, only better. After all, isn’t that what you set out to do for me? Make me ‘better’? I would think you would be grateful to me for what I’ve given her… and you.”
Laura turned back towards the speakers, “You liar! You didn’t give me anything. You took it! And I want it back! You had no right!” She was trembling with anger.
“Let’s consider that part of the deal, payment for services rendered, why don’t we?” Michael cooed.
Dr. Weir looked from Carson, to John, and then to Rodney, who’d remained remarkably silent through the entire ordeal. All of them had puzzled looks on their faces, just as she did. “Lieutenant, what are you talking about, what did he take?”
Laura turned away, her face reddening. She hadn’t meant to let it slip out, and now she had to come up with an answer.
“Lieutenant?” Sheppard called out.
“Laura?” Carson reached out for her hand.
Laura turned back and looked at the group as Michael spoke up again, “Yes, Lieutenant, please tell them what they want to know. Tell them what I took from you… and Dr. Beckett.”
Carson nodded towards Laura, motioning for her to speak.
She swallowed hard, then spoke, “My baby. Our baby.”
End Part 6.
x-posted at beckett_cadman and atlantisfic
Author: Shelby (gateruner)
E-mail: gateruner2000 at yahoo.com
Feedback: yes, please!
Archive: LJ, my website. Any place else, just ask.
Category: Beckett/Cadman, Angst, Drama, WIP
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: Up to the ending of S3, EXCEPT that “Sunday” didn’t happen! No, no way, no how.
Summary: Laura Cadman is abducted off-world and rescued, but her nightmare has only begun as she starts to remember exactly what happened to her and what evil plans the Wraith have in store for humanity.
Warnings: This is darkfic people. Beware! If you don’t want the angst, don’t read on.
Disclaimer: They aren’t mine, I don’t own them, don’t make any money from them, just playing, honest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Hunger Strike
Part 6
Carson sat up quickly, falling back against the wall of the bathroom stall. He looked around, he was in the bathroom and the foul smell that emitted from the toilet told him he was still right where he had been. He wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his jacket, taking deep breaths as he managed to hoist himself off the floor.
It had been a dream, a very vivid dream. None of it was real. Well, almost none of it. Carson looked down at his pants and noticed the wet spot that was beginning to dry; causing the fabric of his BDU’s to stick to his body in a very uncomfortable way. “Oh, that’s just bloody perfect!” He hadn’t done anything that embarrassing since he was 16.
Carson flushed the toilet quickly making his way to the sink. He splashed cold water across his face and around his neck. A quick run to his quarters and he could take care of the pants. But explaining the dream might not be so easy.
“Dr. Beckett, this is Weir.” The headset crackled in Carson’s ear.
“Go ahead Dr. Weir,” Carson dried his face as best he could.
“I need you to report to the control room immediately.”
“Understood,” Carson exited the bathroom, all but forgetting to change pants. Elizabeth didn’t usually say immediately without good reason.
----------------------
“So what do we say?” John stared at the screen, with Rodney at the controls.
Rodney sat in wait, his fingers poised above the keypad, “How about something like, ‘Who is it?’”
“We know who it is,” John shook his head, “We need to get him to talk. Find out what he did to Cadman, and what else he’s been up to.”
Michael’s voice suddenly flooded the room, “I want to speak with Dr. Beckett. No one else.”
“I understand that, Michael. He is on his way.” Elizabeth was about to page Carson once again when he burst into the control room. She sighed and motioned towards the terminal.
“What’s going on?” Carson asked, looking at everyone.
“Ah, Dr. Beckett. You had a good nap, I take it?” Michael’s voice floated over the speakers.
Carson felt his stomach churn, “How the hell did he know?”
“How quickly you forget, Dr. Beckett. The Wraith have telepathic abilities. You of all people should know this. Remember how easily I slipped into your mind. How I was able to extract precisely what I needed from you, and more. So much more.”
“Alright, cut the crap, Michael,” John wanted answers. “Beckett is here, now what do you want?”
“Straight to issue, I always liked that about you, Colonel. Very well. As you have no doubt discovered I am in the process of solving the food shortage in this galaxy. The Great Awakening has come to pass, and there is not enough human life in this galaxy to sustain the numbers that are beginning to stir.
“You took me from my people, tried to force a life upon me that you deemed to be ‘better’. -- Made me into something that wasn’t quite human and not quite Wraith. And in your fumbling you inadvertently gave me the information necessary that not only solves the food shortage, but also helps those humans who choose to serve us.”
Carson felt his anger flare, “What? By growing people? By using women to harvest their eggs and incubate them like food?”
Michael laughed, “For a scientist, you lack the vision I had come to expect from you, doctor. That is simply the first phase of my plan; to ensure that the food supply remains abundant. You forget that these women serve us, that they are already willing to do our biding. What makes you think they will not give up something they have no use for in order to save themselves? Self preservation is a thing of beauty, don’t you agree?”
“Laura was no bloody servant!” Carson leaned as close to the speaker as he could, “You kidnapped her, forced yourself upon her, and then took something that damn well didn’t belong to you.” He took a deep breath, trying to control his anger, “If you think that I won’t hunt you down….”
“Ah, yes, Lt. Cadman,” Michael interrupted. “How is she? Resting comfortably? She is a spectacular creature, no doubt. I can see why you are so taken with her.”
Carson gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white, “I swear to God, when I find you, I… I….”
“You’ll what, doctor? Kill me? I hardly doubt that. Your twisted code of ethics prevents you from that. Although it didn’t stop you from experimenting on me, now did it?”
“You leave Laura alone! She had nothing to do with this. If you are looking for someone to experiment on, then take me. But leave her out of this. You have no right!”
“YOU HAD NO RIGHT!” Michael yelled. “What right did YOU have taking me away from my people. Forcing me into an experiment that I would never have submitted to willingly.”
“An eye for an eye?” Sheppard spoke up, “So that’s what this is all about? Dr. Beckett experimented on you, so now you figure you can seek retribution by going after the closest person in his life?”
Michael chuckled, “Like I said, Colonel, I always liked you.”
“What the bloody hell have you done to Laura!” Carson spat back.
“Very well, doctor. I am surprised you haven’t figured it out by now, but then again, as I said earlier, you lack the imagination I would have expected. I have done very much the same thing that you did to me, only better. You see, I have given Lt. Cadman a Wraith retrovirus, only I was much kinder with mine. I stripped away certain aspects of the Wraith physiology, and left only the necessary components behind -- Telepathy, heightened awareness, superior strength and agility, regenerative properties, and hunger. Of course, she will never have the need or ability to feed on humans, but there will be another need. The need to propagate her species. A driving desire to mate and reproduce. And it is with this desire that I will ensure the Wraith a food supply for centuries to come.”
------------------
Laura sat up on the bed, blinking through the tears. She wrapped the sheet around her body, looking around the bedroom. Carson was there, had been there with her, and then he was gone. And something else was there, something that made her skin crawl. Michael. Laura felt a chill go down her spine as she curled her legs up to her body.
She was asleep, dreaming, and yet she wasn’t. She could feel the sedatives in her system, knew that she was lying in the infirmary bed, and yet not. She felt displaced, like her mind was in one place and her body was another.
Kicking the covers back, Laura got out of the bed and strolled to the bathroom. She turned the shower on and stepped inside. Despite the odd sensation of feeling out of her body, she actually felt good. Sated and satisfied. Maybe it was the drugs that were coursing through her system, she thought as she grabbed a bottle of shampoo.
Lathering up her hair, she thought back on all the events that had transpired over the last week. The kidnapping, the torture, and her final return home had all been exhausting. And now she wasn’t sure where or how she’d fit in again.
Laura stuck her head under the spray, allowing the soap to wash from her hair, soap suds streaming down her face and chest. She ran her hands over her face and stopped. Stepping out of the water stream, she began to run her fingers along her cheekbone. The scar. The one that Michael had given her, it was almost gone. She looked down at her chest and realized that the deep gash across her breasts was almost non-existent as well. “What the hell?”
She brushed her fingers over the faint scar. It looked weeks old, not days. Even as a child it took a long time for cuts and bruises to go away. Her fair skin made it almost impossible not to notice. But now they were almost completely healed.
As she continued her self-physical, she realized the bruising on her thighs had also vanished, and her abdomen no longer ached. A dream. Of course, she was still dreaming. Naturally, who wouldn’t want to picture themselves normal again. Satisfied that she’d found the answer to her new found recovery, Laura went back to showering again.
--------------------
“Dr. Keller?” Nurse Lisa approached the doctor with a wash basin in her hands.
“Yes?” Dr. Keller looked up from her notes, “What can I do for you?”
“It’s Lt. Cadman, ma’am. I was bathing her, as you instructed, and when I got ready to change the dressings on her scars, well, I thought you should see this.”
The nurse pulled the curtain back and allowed the doctor to enter the area. Laura was still asleep, the steady rhythm of the monitors noted that everything was stable. The nurse reached forward, and pulled back the dressing across the lieutenant’s face. “It’s like it’s gone. The scar is almost completely healed.” She pulled the sheet down to expose Laura’s chest, “So is this one as well.”
“How in the world?” Dr. Keller stepped closer to examine the fading injuries. She ran her fingers over the faint markings, noting that the wound was completely healed, the skin only slightly discolored.
“Should I notify Dr. Beckett?” Nurse Lisa asked.
Dr. Keller turned away from the bed, “Yes, I think we should. And let’s run some more bloodwork, I want to find out how…”
Nurse Lisa jumped as she noticed Lt. Cadman bolt upright in the bed, grabbing Dr. Keller from behind. Before the nurse realized what was happening, the doctor was knocked unconscious and the lieutenant was coming for her.
--------------------
Laura turned the shower off, and grabbed a fresh towel from the rack. It felt good to be clean again, to be free of the grime and disinfectant of the infirmary. She dried off quickly, then twisted the towel around her hair before returning to her quarters. A fresh set of clothes, and morning jog, that’s just what she needed.
She got dressed quickly and pulled the towel from her hair, drying it as best she could. Grabbing her track shoes, she sat back down on the bed. Laura was in the process of untangling a knot in the laces when she felt it. The shoe slipped from her hands and fell to the floor. Her gut churned, her breathing became labored, “Michael.”
He was close, very close. Laura began pacing the room. She could feel him, reaching out to her. But what could she do? “I have to find him.”
----------------------
Laura increased her pace down the hallway, ignoring the stares as she raced by. Her bare feet were cold against the floor and she realized that wasn’t the only thing that was cold. She gripped the back of her bed gown as she ran, feeling the blood run down her knuckles as she squeezed the fabric together. She knew better than to rip out an IV, but there wasn’t enough time to go through formalities. It would only be a matter of minutes before the infirmary staff called out an alert for her and she had to make it to the control room.
----------------------
Carson listened in horror as Michael laid out his devious plans. Essentially he was planning to populate the galaxy with human children through these women. And because the genetic material of the eggs are pre-determined at birth and therefore un-tampered, the offspring would be a regular human. No super-Wraith genes whatsoever. Leaving them powerless to defend themselves against their enemy.
Not to mention the long-term, damaging affects of keeping these women constantly fertile for extended periods of time. What he didn’t understand was what Michael was doing with the embryos after impregnation. How was he gestating the fetuses?
“So what is it that you want, Michael?” Dr. Weir was trying her best to sound neutral, diplomatic. But her anger was beginning to bubble up to the surface as well.
“Want? What I want is for you to admit your gross mistake. To admit that you had no right in playing God with my life or any others.”
“No right playing God?” John interrupted, “And just what the hell do you think you’re doing! Turning these women into your concubines and using them like test tubes to get pregnant. Who’s playing God now, Michael?”
Dr. Weir spoke up next, “What you are doing is wrong. It’s tantamount to rape. Forcing these women to impregnate themselves is not only unethical, it’s also immoral.”
“I’m not forcing them to do anything. As I said before, these humans serve the Wraith, they do so willingly and without force. Besides, you forced me into this situation. I had to find a way to survive, to live out my existence without threat of annihilation. The Queen I worked with was quite pleased with my plans, and has offered me sanctuary in exchange for my work.”
“Fine.” Elizabeth clenched her jaw, “I ask again, WHAT. IS IT. THAT. YOU. WANT.”
Michael laughed again, “As I said earlier, Dr. Weir, I simply want you to admit your error. That you feel remorse for what you have done to me and that you are every bit as responsible for what has happened to Lt. Cadman as you are to me.”
“You’re out of your bloody mind!” Carson roared.
“Carson,” Elizabeth pleaded to him.
“No Elizabeth, no! He’s nuts if he thinks I’m admitting to a thing like that.”
“You got the first part right,” John quipped.
“Carson, listen to me,” Elizabeth began, “Arguing with Michael is not going to get us anywhere. If we have any hope of…”
Elizabeth was cut off by another voice from behind her, “She’s right, Carson.”
Carson looked past Elizabeth, his eyes going wide, “Laura, love. What are you doing out of bed?”
Laura moved into the room, as three marines scrambled through the doorway behind her.
“Men, stand down for now.” Sheppard stood up, watching Lt. Cadman closely but ready to activate the marines again, if necessary.
“Ah, Lt. Cadman!” Michael’s voice cut through the room again, “How lovely to hear your voice again. I assume you are feeling well, are you not? Please, tell your associates how much better you feel.”
Laura stared at the terminal speakers, trying to force back her fear. She looked back towards Carson, trying to decide what to say. She did feel better, actually.
“Laura, your face!” Carson reached out, brushing her newly healed cheek, “Sweet Jesus, how in the hell.”
“I told you Dr. Beckett, superior healing capabilities. I hope you will come to realize that I have made life better for the lieutenant. That I succeeded in my experiment, where you failed miserably. She will remain the woman you love, only better. After all, isn’t that what you set out to do for me? Make me ‘better’? I would think you would be grateful to me for what I’ve given her… and you.”
Laura turned back towards the speakers, “You liar! You didn’t give me anything. You took it! And I want it back! You had no right!” She was trembling with anger.
“Let’s consider that part of the deal, payment for services rendered, why don’t we?” Michael cooed.
Dr. Weir looked from Carson, to John, and then to Rodney, who’d remained remarkably silent through the entire ordeal. All of them had puzzled looks on their faces, just as she did. “Lieutenant, what are you talking about, what did he take?”
Laura turned away, her face reddening. She hadn’t meant to let it slip out, and now she had to come up with an answer.
“Lieutenant?” Sheppard called out.
“Laura?” Carson reached out for her hand.
Laura turned back and looked at the group as Michael spoke up again, “Yes, Lieutenant, please tell them what they want to know. Tell them what I took from you… and Dr. Beckett.”
Carson nodded towards Laura, motioning for her to speak.
She swallowed hard, then spoke, “My baby. Our baby.”
End Part 6.
x-posted at beckett_cadman and atlantisfic