STORY TITLE: "What Have You Done?"
AUTHOR: Jersey13
RATING: T for Teen
WARNINGS: mild violence, some mind-control
SUMMARY: Haunted by nightmares, a mission to give aid to the people of a primitive world goes horribly awry for Dr. Carson Beckett. Having accompanied Colonel Sheppard's team to aid with trade negotiations, trying to earn the trust of the natives gives him more trouble than he bargained for.
STATUS: COMPLETE! (I've already finished writing this story, so have no fears about being left hanging for months. I will be posting a chapter about once a day, and there will be 7 chapters)
A/N: This fic is a sequel to "What Have I Done?", and both take place around late season 2. You shouldn't have much of a problem understanding what's going on if you haven't read the prequel, but it would probably add to the creepy atmosphere of the story and to the perceived mood of the team.
Visions of Laura Cadman haunted his dreams. It had been a long time since the physical traces of her infection by an alien organism had faded from her body, and he had long since forgiven her for hurting him. He had even begun to speak to her again, had forced himself not to feel sick with discomfort when she'd sat down at the lunch table with him yesterday. Of course, the commissary had been unusually busy that day with a delegation of foreign dignitaries visiting from another world, and so seating had been limited. Her voice had been sweet and kind when she had spoken to him.
They had talked of simple things; work, weather, co-workers, things of that sort. Laura smiled that tender, sweet smile that she had so often used before to melt his heart, and for a change, he had felt strong that day and did not wilt under her gaze like he had so many times before. He had even returned her smile before leaving the table, wondering neutrally whether or not the fact that he was starting to find himself able to relax in her presence again could have a deeper meaning.
But that night, he was plagued cruelly by those nightmares. He bolted upright in his bed, drenched in a film of cold sweat. He'd just dreamt that he'd been trapped in a small and shrinking space, trapped by that demon-like creature that he knew had possessed her, and he shook his head knowing that the memory of the nightmare would haunt him throughout the passing of the coming day. He rubbed at his eyes and stubbly face, hoping to distract himself, but there would be no going back to sleep this night.
He decided to get to the infirmary early, intent on properly preparing himself for the upcoming mission scheduled for that day. Reading the initial reports filed by Colonel John Sheppard's team, the natives of the planet they would be visiting today were peaceful and eager to trade, and he was being brought along as a token of good-will. It was usually a helpful trade practice to impress the benefits of forming trade agreements by demonstrating how useful you could be in a pinch. Their lives were simple and full, but the general health and well-being of those in their village had suffered in the past because of their general lack of practical medicine. They commonly chose to rely on their "gods" to cure them. Although noble in intention, he knew quite well that this kind of practice did not always end in a positive result and was happy to oblige them by showing off some of the simpler and more basic methods of medical treatment.
Carson all too soon found himself standing before the event horizon of the Stargate waiting to depart. Stargate travel often gave him the willies, and this time, as it usually happened, he was once again hit by a sudden eerie feeling of foreboding danger. He brushed off the sensation and replaced his lack of confidence with a practiced sense of professionalism, intent on not allowing the anxiety and fear of the unknown deter him from his duty to those people who were in need of his help. And those people definitely needed him.
Watching Colonel Sheppard step through the Stargate, followed in turn by each member of his team, Carson gathered up his courage about him, closed his eyes, and stepped forward. Upon arriving nearly instantaneously at their destination, he opened his eyes to find that the predominant color of the forest surrounding the Stargate was yellow. Even the grass beneath their feet was mostly yellow, only sparsely tinged with hints of green. The bark on the trees was a dirty yellow-brown, and even the soil itself, though dark and fertile, was interspersed and mixed with shades of yellow rocks, pebbles, and fallen leaves.
He looked up to see a fair-haired man approaching, both arms extended in what appeared to be the local equivalent of a greeting. His long, creamy-white robes contrasted greatly with the predominant yellow surrounding them, and Carson was already grateful for the novelty in color. One might expect that those living on a planet so dominated by a single color would tire of it quite quickly and expect that they would attempt to surround themselves with a different variety of colors. It seemed like a strangely surprising and refreshing change.
"Greetings!" the fair-haired man exclaimed good-naturedly, slowly lowering his arms and bringing his hands together, finally clasping them in front of him with a low bow. "Welcome to Tehyre!"
Colonel Sheppard smiled warmly, nodding his head and offering a slight bow. "Thank you for the kind welcome, Kij. We've returned to resume our trade talks."
Kij bowed again, not quite as deeply this time, and smiled genuinely. "And we are grateful for the opportunity. Have you brought this healer that you spoke of to us?"
"We certainly have," he said cheerily, clapping Carson on the back.
Carson looked back at him a bit strangely, but said nothing and smiled politely. "I'm Doctor Carson Beckett, an' I'd be glad to be of help."
"Excellent!" Kij said excitedly, his smile widening. "Please follow me, my friends. I shall take you to the village."
With a curt nod of agreement by Sheppard, they were off on a brisk stroll down a path that led away from the Stargate. Huts made of reeds and thick grasses mounted on short, stubby stilts appeared in the distance, and they surrounded a central space, in the very center of which stood a tall and worn stone statue carved in the figure of an imposing man holding his right hand outward as if to touch something. It faced the Stargate and seemed as if it was offering its protection and touch to the homes it stood among.
Kij noticed Carson gazing at the statue and decided to explain, speaking almost as if in sermon. "This statue is a personification of the embodiment of our Gods. We pray to them to protect the sanctity of our village, and we pray that they allow us to honor them in return with the goodness of our ways and worship."
He paused for a moment to allow Carson to take his time inspecting the statue, and when his curiosity was sated, they continued moving toward a much larger stilted structure on the other side of the village, well and far behind the statue. Made predominantly with wood, it was much larger than the huts that circled and radiated outward from the central statue. Kij had stopped in front of its large hinged doors, stooping low and reciting a whispered prayer before rising and holding the door open for the guests.
"This is our temple to the Gods," he explained softly, humbly. "We come here to pray and worship. Do your people also build temples to worship within?"
"We do," Sheppard said casually, nodding. "There are many temples on our homeworld, built by many different people who worship many different gods."
"I hope you will not take offense if I say that yours are a strange people," Kij said carefully with a smile. "On this world, there are no other gods but the ones we worship."
"I'm sure it must seem strange to you," Dr. Rodney McKay said, sounding slightly bored. "It's strange even to me. I've always leaned more towards agnosticism, personally."
"I see," Kij said with a nod, but it was not obvious how much that he understood. "This is also where the ill and injured come to request healing from the Gods."
Carson stepped forward expectantly. "If there are sick and injured here that need me, I'd best get straight to work. Where are they?"
"This way," Kij implored gratefully, motioning with his hand toward a door on the other side of the main room in which they stood.
Another statue, although a bit smaller, graced one wall, and ornately decorated tapestries were draped across the walls to either side. Carson followed Kij through the door and an adjoining hallway where he was shown to another room, dimly lit and full of people coughing and moaning in pain. With a grim frown, he wasted no time, and Kij left him to his careful ministrations.
Many hours passed seemingly in the blink of an eye. Colonel Sheppard and his team had long since finished the negotiating sessions, and Carson was nearly finished with the last patient that would accept treatment. Most of them had been happy to receive care from one who did the work of their Gods, but a stubborn few had politely declined his help, much to his frustration. He'd been concerned for one woman in particular who had refused, suspecting that she might have had a broken bone in her leg that had healed improperly, but she had staunchly refused him every time he'd asked to examine her. It was her choice, of course, but it still made him feel disconcerted.
With the last of his bandaging done, a few lessons in water purification explained, his surgical instrumentation sanitized, and the splinting and immobilization of broken and sprained limbs complete, Carson stretched out his back stiffly and left his patients to their rest. He was promptly led outside to Kij and Colonel Sheppard. Priests began to file inside behind them, keeping a respectful distance. Kij had arranged for them to stay in guest huts within the village overnight since dusk had come and gone hours ago, and although Carson was tired from the lack of sleep resultant from the previous night, he'd dutifully refrained from any complaints.
Before he led them away to retire in their guest huts, Kij stepped forward and bowed formally, and Carson had to catch himself quickly so as not to let out a sigh of disappointment at the delay. He was so tired, and all he wanted was just to go to sleep.
"If I may, I would like to extend an invitation to attend the purification ritual before retiring to rest," Kij asked politely, bowing again humbly. "We perform this ritual to cleanse us of our burdens and worries that would stay with us past the darkened world. You are not required to worship the Gods in order to partake in it, and we would be honored if you joined us."
"He means dreams," John explained for Carson's benefit, then turned to speak to the rest of his team. "They've been asking us ever since we got here, but I rarely have any dreams. What about all of you?"
"Me neither," Rodney said a little too quickly, but Kij did not seem to notice. "I never remember them."
Teyla spoke gingerly, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth as the invitation brought memories of her dreams into mind. "I often remember my dreams, and I do recall having one last night."
All eyes turned toward Carson, and he shifted his feet uneasily. He seriously doubted that the ritual could truly help him. "Aye, I had dreams that could certainly use a good cleansing."
"Why don't you two go ahead then?" the Colonel suggested with exaggerated cheerfulness, deftly beginning to unfasten his tactical vest as Rodney slipped off into the darkness of his own hut, but Carson suspected that John was secretly enjoying the opportunity to delegate the responsibility of dealing with the Tehyrians to someone else for a while. "You'll have to let us know how it was."
"Very well," Teyla said in earnest, turning to Kij and bowing her head politely. "I would be honored to partake in your ritual this night."
And then everyone's gazes once again fell upon Carson, who gulped nervously, but tried not to show his discomfort. "Well… I suppose I'll go as long as it doesn't take too long. I've got an early morning to look forward to."
"It should not take long at all, Doctor." With a pleased smile, Kij led them back to the temple and seated them together on a bench toward the back.
People soon began to file inside and take seats, and a few priests kneeled before the statue in humble prayer while others prepared a couple of tables up front for the ritual. Carson squirmed on the hard bench in an effort to get comfortable; the seat had no back rest and could not be considered soft in the least. A glance over at Teyla accurately told him that she was just as uncomfortable, despite the fact that she tried to smile reassuringly back at him.
A few minutes later, nearly all the seats and benches in the temple were filled, and even the seat to Carson's other side was being occupied by a young brunette wearing simple, but fine clothing. She seemed only mildly interested in what was going on around them and even blushed slightly when he glanced over and smiled at her. But before he had a chance to open his mouth long enough to even ask her name, the lights began to dim and the crowd in the room fell into a respectful silence.
A priest then stood upon a platform in the front, and began a long oratory detailing how the people's true gods were good and all-knowing, and would always protect the village in times of peril. Carson found the insight into their culture interesting, but ultimately questioned whether or not the sheer blind faith that most of them placed in their gods taking care of them was truly well-place and deserved. No true gods that he'd ever known people to worship ever healed the sick or wounded, nor ever protected those who did not act to protect themselves. But still, he figured that there had to be a reason that they would rely on their gods. Perhaps these gods were different, and perhaps these 'gods' weren't really gods at all, in which case these people could be being taken advantage of.
Either way, Carson listened carefully to the sermon and remained determined to do what he could to render assistance when he was permitted. It was possible that if these people decided he had been sent to help them by their gods that they would permit him to help more, perhaps even treat those who had once refused and had instead chosen to rely on their faith to heal them. Thus, when the priests began to travel through the crowd to offer blessings, Carson decided he willing to give it a try.
The priest touring and blessing the section in which they sat moved slowly, and as he stopped to bless the woman to his side, a faint glow began to emanate from the roof of the temple for a moment, lighting the figure of the woman standing to be blessed with what almost looked like a halo, and then slowly faded. Carson looked around for some sort of trick, a light show of some kind, but none was apparent. The crowd and the priest fell into a reverent hush at the wondrous sight, as if it was a sign from their gods themselves, and then the priest beamed proudly.
"You have been chosen, my child!" he spoke softly with glee, folding his hands over one another and bowing politely. "Are you willing to participate in the final choosing ceremony?"
The woman seemed quite flattered and surprised, and eagerly accepted the offer with a curt nod. She was obviously happy and honored to have been chosen for whatever it was that she had been chosen for, so Carson smiled as the priest moved once more to bless him next. Once the priest motioned for him, he stood and waited patiently for the man to get it over with. But strangely enough, the odd light appeared again, surrounding him also with its soft glow. Looking around, Carson once again failed to find its mysterious source and attempted to appear surprised and humbled for the benefit of the crowd of people, despite his growing sense of unease at the whole situation.
"It seems you have also been chosen!" the priest spoke again softly, the shock and surprise apparent in his demeanor. "This is quite an honor! No stranger to this world has ever been chosen by the Gods before. Do you wish to participate in the final choosing ceremony?"
Carson wasn't quite certain how he should respond, but decided a simple inquiry shouldn't be construed as too rude. "I'm not sure what it involves. What would be required of me?"
The priest smiled understandingly. "The Ceremony of Choosing will occur immediately following this service here in the temple. It is the ritual during which the Gods choose the one whom they deem most worthy to serve the people. As a stranger to this world and one who is not of our covenant, please do not feel you are obligated to participate. But you have been deemed worthy of the ritual by the Gods themselves, and it is considered a great honor among us to be chosen. The choice is yours, and we will not be offended if you choose to decline."
That didn't really tell him what he needed to know. Serve the people in what manner? What did that mean? "I'm not sure I understand. Assumin' I accept this honor, does this mean that all those people who were refusing medical treatment from me will change their minds?"
The priest smiled at him warmly. "If you are the one chosen by the Gods, they will accept your assistance. If you are not chosen, the chosen one may grant you permission to assist."
Carson sighed, taking a quick moment to consider what other options he might have, but decided there were none. If he was going to get those people to trust him, they had to believe that he was acting under the direction of their gods. "Alright then, I'll participate."
"Excellent!" the priest exclaimed with a pleasant smile, but the man's apparent goodwill did not quite reassure him.
When the priest moved on, Carson sat back down and tried not to squirm with discomfort. He didn't know why he had such a bad feeling about what was to come, but he was prepared to do what he had to do in order to help these people. Or so he thought.