Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
A/N: This is the second oneshot in my Serenity 'verse AU, but chronologically this takes place before Check In and Check Ups. Not necessary to read that one, but it does give more background information about the characters and the universe. Enjoy!
Running
"Are you done yet?"
"Ronon, hit him for me."
The former Runner chuckled at the siblings. John was scowling; he'd been pacing around their campsite while Emily worked on the Jumper, and kept asking if she was finished. Ronon didn't know why the guy was on edge, but something had him agitated. Emily was attempting to ignore her brother, only muttering curses as she worked, but she'd growled and threatened bodily harm the last several times he'd asked if she was done yet. It was clear to Ronon she was getting increasingly frustrated, though he wasn't sure if it was because of what she was working on or her brother.
"I thought you said you knew what you're doing," John taunted, causing Emily to growl again.
"I do know what I'm doing!" she shot back heatedly. "But this isn't like a normal piece of machinery I can take apart and put back together. And in case you missed the memo, I haven't been dealing with Ancient tech all that long; I'm figuring this out as I go."
Ronon saw John open his mouth to retort, but the guy caught himself before anything came out. Instead, John closed his eyes and took a deep breath before asking in a forced calm, "So, what's the problem, then?"
Hearing Emily sigh, Ronon wasn't surprised when she muttered a few last curses before making her way out of the Jumper. He bit back the smirk at her appearance, knowing she was in a bad mood from the scowl on her face; it was amusing though, with her hair even more of a mess than her brother's, she was covered in sweat and had tools sticking out of every pocket, even one stuck in the knot most of her hair was in.
"Remember how that buffalo thing two planets ago knocked the Jumper around?" Emily asked, wiping her hands off on her pants before grabbing her canteen.
"Yeah," John agreed with a hand prompting her to continue; both of them ignoring Ronon's "What's a buffalo?"
"Looks like it knocked a bunch of the crystals loose, and some of 'em decided to come on out all the way when we were dodging the darts on our way here. Since the Ancients didn't exactly label anything, it's a bunch of trial and error to figure out how to get everything back in the right spots."
John exhaled loudly, rubbing a hand over his face. "Ok," he sighed. "So, how long until it's fixed — or at least ready to move?"
Emily rolled her eyes and glared at her brother. "It's not that simple." When John opened his mouth to argue, she cut him off. "We still haven't even figured out all the Jumper's systems yet! I could be messing with stuff we need, but have no clue is there." He opened his mouth again, and she held up a hand. "But we should be ready to go by morning," she told him in a much softer tone.
They stared at each other for a long while — so long Ronon thought they may come to blows, and not for the first time — before John finally nodded and grabbed one of the big jugs out of the Jumper.
"I'm gonna go get some water."
As he disappeared through the trees, Emily sighed heavily and dropped down onto the log Ronon was using as a bench in front of the fire he'd started.
"What's his deal today?" Ronon finally asked. For as much as he talked sometimes, John was about as forthcoming as Ronon was. Emily wasn't much better, but she would give more information when asked, without as much of a fight — as long as she trusted you.
Emily shook her head as if it was no big deal. "He's just worried."
"'Bout what?"
After meeting his eyes, Emily let out a long sigh and turned her gaze back to the fire. "Know that ship we caught coming out of hyperspace before we got through the gate?" When Ronon nodded, she added, "It was one of the ships from Earth."
"Your guys' world." He remembered because it was a weird name, and even weirder because the people from Earth called themselves Tau'ri. It didn't make sense to him, and neither John or Emily could explain it either.
"Yeah." Emily's voice was quiet. She got like that sometimes, especially if it was one of the rare times she talked about their home planet.
"So? What's the big deal about the ship?" Ronon asked after it became apparent Emily wasn't going to explain.
She seemed to shake herself out of her thoughts, and shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, though Ronon knew better. "Because the Jumper started malfunctioning, he's worried the cloak didn't hold, and thinks they may have gotten a glimpse."
This was something Ronon understood; the need to avoid detection. Though he didn't know why they avoided their own people — other than the doc — Ronon knew they had a good reason. "He thinks they'll follow?"
Again, Emily shrugged, but this time it was more thoughtful as she replied, "Unless they pulled off a miracle, there's no way they know where the gate dialed; it was an orbital gate with no DHD."
Ronon nodded, the tension he hadn't been aware of relaxing some. Then he shrugged and wondered, "Then what's the big deal?"
There was a long moment where Emily stared at the fire. Then she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and glanced at him. "That they'll start looking for us."
"What happens if they do?" Ronon needed to know; he wanted to be prepared. As much as he had history with the Wraith, John and Emily had history with their people; he needed to know what to expect, just like they knew what to expect with the Wraith.
"Depends on who catches us," Emily answered quietly, staring into the fire with a thousand-yard stare. But before the former Runner could ask anything else, she stood up abruptly, took a long swig from her canteen, and turned back toward the Jumper. "I'm gonna get back to work, see if I can't get us outta here sooner."
Ronon didn't comment further, he knew he wouldn't get more information — not now, at least. But he did let his mind wander back over everything he knew about their people. He knew John and Emily avoided worlds they knew traded with the people from their home world. He knew they had gotten clothes native to Pegasus in order to blend in better, and avoid anyone making the connection between them and the other Tau'ri. He knew the doc was the only person from their world they had any contact with, and they'd only taken the chance with him in order to save Ronon; the doc had earned their respect during that, but they were still wary around him. He knew they kept the Jumper cloaked, and didn't reveal it's existence to anyone except the Athosians; people they traded with knew they had a small ship, but didn't know it was one of the Ancestors' — this was another precaution, as the other Tau'ri had taken up residence in a city of the Ancestors they called Atlantis.
The more the former Runner thought about it, the more everything made sense. They may not have trackers like he'd had, but they were running from the Tau'ri, just as he'd run from the Wraith. The difference was that they had no desire to kill the Tau'ri, just to avoid them. It made Ronon curious; he wondered what would happen when it was no longer possible to avoid the Tau'ri. He knew that day was coming. And he knew John and Emily knew it too.
A/N: Hope you liked this little piece! I have plenty more I want to do with this universe, but I'm juggling my time right now and I have a few other stories I'm working on, so I make no guarantees of when the next chapter of this AU will be posted. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!