No more trees, no more green grass. Everything was burned down. The sky was dark grey. Sheppard and Rodney could smell the disgusting smell from dead bodies that lay everywhere. The beautiful planet Oka was destroyed and Sheppard felt the anger inside him.
"Damn it!"
"What has happened?" Rodney McKay said with a voice that was in chocked.
"Wraiths." John Sheppard said and hold his weapon tighter. "Lets clear this area and then we get out of here. It´s like a graveyard."
They went through the destroyed little village and they noticed that the whole place was surrounded by dead silence.
"Come on body, let's go back. Wraiths are gone and there are not a living…"
Sheppard suddenly stopped.
"What?" Rodney asked.
"Did you hear that?" John pointed to a big fallen tree.
"Maybe it was just something that fallen apart."
"No. Wait here. I will check."
John went to the big tree and he suddenly heard something that moved. He jumped over to the other side and he lowered his weapon immediately.
The little girl with blue eyes with tears jumped up and started to run.
"McKay! Catch the girl" Sheppard shouted and ran after.
Rodney looked confused at the scared girl when she by mistake ran into his arms. John took her from Rodney as she frighten struggled to get free.
"Hey, hey, hey, It´s ok. We won´t hurt."
The little girl stopped but she was still shaking and the tears rolled from her eyes. She could not be more than 6 years old, John thought to himself and than lifted her up.
"So what are we going to do with the kid? Her family and friends…all that she had on Oka is all dead." Rodney said and took his hand on his neck and looked concerned out of the window in the meeting hall.
"For now it is best that she stays here at Atlantic a couple of weeks. She´s limping because she has a big wound on her leg that has to be taken care of. The wound can easily be infected. And she´s also very hurt physically." Carson said.
"I understand. She can stay. But someone needs to take the responsibility of her." Dr Elizabeth Weir said and then looked at John.
"Oh no, don´t look at me."
"Colonel Sheppard, you found her and she would be very safe with you. It´s only a suggestion."
John looked at Tayla that smiled and nicked like she said, "do it".
He rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Ok, I´ll baby sit."
"Good. Where is she now Dr Carson?" Dr Weir asked.
"I had to give her an injection so she could fall asleep a couple of hours. She´s in the resting room at the clinic. Think that she will wake up soon."
Mia woke up and didn´t know where she was. She didn't remember anything. She was alone in a room and lay on a bed and one of her knees was wrapped in bandage. She jumped off the bed and felt the fear. "I must get out of here." she thought.
She wen out of the room with her pained knee and then followed a long corridor. She then went left, then right, and then left again. She went upstairs. Then she could hear two men talking with each other and she could hear that they were jogging.
"Where could she be?" one of them asked.
"Carson, you check downstairs and I´ll keep looking here."
Mia opened a door and went in a dark room before they could see her. She collided with a shelf and then heard glass fall in front of her on the floor in the dark and then she hide under, what she thought was, a desk. When she couldn´t hear the men anymore she went out of the room again and was about to run.
"Hello kiddo. There you are."
She jumped of fear and saw a man with dark hair and blue kind eyes behind her.
"Just thought I heard something in the lab and I wasn´t wrong. You don´t have to be afraid."
He sat down on his knees in front of her.
"My name is John Sheppard. What´s yours?"
She could feel that she was shaking again.
"Don´t worry, you don´t need to answer now."
He saw that she bend her knee.
"Does it hurts?"
The girl shook her head.
"Ok then. We need to get you to bed and I will carry you."
He held a hand forward her and carefully she took Johns hand. She knew he didn´t want to hurt her. He was kind. He then lifted her up and he took her to his room.
"You will stay with me for a while. We will fix a bed for you, but for now you can take mine." He said and laid her down on the bed.
"Are you hungry? Thirsty? I think you at least should take some water."
Mia had stopped shaking. He began to win her trust.
She took the glass and drank a few mouths of water. Then she looked at him with her blue big eyes.
"My…My name is Mia."
John smiled.
"Hello Mia."