CHAPTER THREE: "THE ENCOUNTER, PART TWO"
She wasn't sure how much time had passed between the time she got rendered unconscious to now. The sedative was still coursing through her veins, when her body allowed her to somewhat come to. Her heart raced as she realized she was on a foreign ship, and she was surrounded by these blue aliens. The same ones who managed to capture Nicholas. Her head lazily looked around the room she was in now. It was very bleak; there wasn't a thing in this room, from what she could see. The walls and floors were a bright white, and she had to close her eyes a bit, because the offensive color suddenly hurt to look at. Her hand instinctively went to rub against her shoulder, but it slowed to a stop as realization overtook her. Then, shame and fear suddenly racked all throughout her body, causing it to shiver and quake. She had been stripped of all of her clothes. And now, these aliens were surrounding her, studying and eyeing her nude form.
Her hands and arms went to defensively cover herself up, her cheeks a bright pink at the sudden invasion of her body. They acted as if the act didn't faze them. In fact, they weren't showing much of anything at her being nude. Still nervous, she didn't make an attempt to move, trying to force her brain to function properly. She wanted to move, to cower in the corner and pray these aliens would just leave her be. Her brain was still under the spells of the sedation, and that just made her freeze in her spot. She suddenly wanted and needed Nicholas. The memories of her rape started to flood back into her mind, and it made her cringe. Just as she was about to fall on her knees, a few of the aliens grabbed her, to stop her body from crashing to the ground. She wasn't sure why she was suddenly showing so much vulnerability, there was only one person who got to see that side of her. And now, she wasn't sure what they had done with him.
It took her a moment to realize quickly, that these aliens were not being hostile to her. Not like they had been initially. They were not holding her in a tight grasp. In fact, their grasp was more of a steadying measure, to make sure she didn't harm herself. Probably due to the fact that they had her heavily sedated. If they weren't holding onto her now, she probably would have hurt herself. She hurt herself often, when she wasn't under the influence of anything. She was just naturally clumsy. A few of them chattered softly, almost in a purring nature, as they slowly started to lead her towards another section of the room. So, they were not speaking to her in a hostile manner either. Her brain wanted to desperately ponder why they were treating her so differently now. Was there something special about her? Her mind couldn't focus on a single thought; it only allowed her to walk, stumbling slightly a few times. They stopped her when she was in a much smaller room, but designed the same way as the other one had been. White walls, floors, and not a thing in sight. But when she looked up, she saw what appeared to be, what reminded her of what a shower head looked like.
She was correct. Soon, she felt hot, but not scolding, water start to pour from above. The sudden change in temperature made her body start to panic, and she cried out and tried to run away. They grabbed her firmly, but not in a means to hurt her, and pulled her back under the shower spray. She only stood there, shivering, despite the fact that the hot water actually felt really nice against her skin. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she took a decent shower. How long had it been since they arrived on the Destiny? The steam showers on Destiny were adequate enough, but she was a fan of water. And a regular shower or bath, she preferred those any day. But she wasn't exactly fond of a shower like this. Aliens who had just abducted her, aliens whom she wasn't sure of their motives. Aliens who were now lathering her down with, what she hoped was a soap of some kind. Afraid they would bathe her in acid or something of the sort. But when she didn't feel her skin burn or melt away, she allowed a small sigh of relief. Whatever they were bathing her with, wasn't so bad. It felt like shea butter almost, and it was helping to make her body relax some, even though she wouldn't allow herself to relax too much. She couldn't trust these aliens to not turn defensive, if she allowed herself to let her guard down.
The shower ended, and in one brief moment of clarity, it dawned on her what it was they had just done. They had decontaminated her, in a sense. These aliens were just as clueless about her as she was about them. This was probably so they wouldn't catch any harmful diseases or airborne threats from her. And she wondered if they had an issue with cleanliness. Aside from their skin feeling cold and the texture reminding her of a frog, they seemed clean. Without the warmth of the shower, she stood there dripping and shivering, as they guided her away from the shower head. She froze, as the aliens in the room stepped aside and allowed this really tall alien to step forward. Just the height of this one made her nervous, not being very tall herself. It chattered something to the others, and they soon left the room. Now, it was just her and this alien, alone. It was also wearing a cape of some sorts, and it seemed to her that this particular alien might have been the commander. Or at least, the alien who ran the ship. It carefully offered her a blanket or towel of sorts, both of them visibly flinching as their skin touched. It watched her carefully, as she gratefully covered herself; it seemed pleased by this.
It was its turn to place a hand on her shoulder gently, and started to guide her out of the room and into the corridor. She wondered, in another brief moment away from the drug haze, if these aliens were truly amphibious. It was freezing in the corridors, and the floor was also very cold, almost like ice. She wished they would have given her something for her feet too, but was thankful to, at least, have this blanket. It didn't say anything to her, simply guided her into another room. She became nervous again, trying to step back and away as she saw the lab. But when it insisted with a push of its hand, she could only just walk in. Maybe if she just went along with them, they wouldn't become hostile again. They might even spare her, if their plan was to kill her eventually. She, regretfully, laid herself upon the examination table, and whimpered slightly when the blanket was removed again. She tried not to flinch or cry out, as they stuck a few more needles into her, eyes shutting tightly.
She tried to force that memory out of her head. She loathed in the fact that even though she considered herself a survivor from that situation, it continued to haunt her. She never completely forgave herself for going down the route of being a heroine addict. Even though, initially, it had been out of her control. Still, she felt as if everyone looked at her, and could tell she had once been an addict. Even when Nick would look at her. It was foolish, she knew, but that's how she felt. And hadn't it been for Nicholas being there, and constantly reminding her how stupid of a mistake that had been, and forced her to get treatment. It sent chills down her spin thinking what might have become of her, had she not gotten help. Had he not been there for her. She felt worse now. She should have done more to help Nick, instead of letting him get captured too.
A beeping took her out of her thoughts, and she moved her head to the sound. Now the aliens surrounded a panel, and she realized the beeping was of her heart rate. It sounded a little fast, but even enough, she supposed. The panel also had a pretty detailed layout of her anatomy, and she was a bit surprised. She was sure doctors had similar methods about doing the same thing, but this was incredible. They weren't monitoring and studying just one organ or function. They were studying everything, in real time. Her lungs expanding and returning with each breath she took, her heart palpitating within her chest, her muscles, bones, vessels, and tendons flexing as she barely wiggled her toes. Also, her brain functioning, sending electrical pulses, despite her body's lack of actually listening. They all chattered now, purring in chorus, as they seemed very pleased about something. She was praying they would remove the needles now, however, they remained in place. They left the panel, and they all surrounded her, blinking and staring at her. A nervous sound left her voice; she couldn't tell if it had been a whimper or a chuckle. However, her silent message got across to them.
She flinched a bit, as one of them suddenly attached a metal strip to her forehead, the whirring noise racking her frazzled nerves. She hadn't gotten a chance to get a good look at it before they attached it. She also wasn't sure when or how long they had the device on them, or what its purpose was for. Soon, the alien who had put the device on her head, gave a similar one to its leader. It didn't look too advanced; just a metal strip with lights along it. The lights on that one were red in color, and she watched as it placed the strip to its head now. She saw it flinch momentarily, before she felt her heart race. A voice. She had just heard a voice in her head. She concentrated, as she heard the voice again, somewhat fascinated.
"Relax. We will try to make this as painless as possible…"
Make what as painless as possible? What were they planning to do with her? She wondered if these devices is what was allowing it to talk to her. To allow it to speak English, because what they had spoken before, was nothing she could ever understand. She felt some of them grab her again, straps being tied around her arms and legs, and panic started to rise again. As she struggled against the straps, it tried again, in an attempt to calm her. She panted, shuddering as she felt a tear roll down her cheek. She really wanted him here now. Nick always knew what to say, from a scientific perspective, about these kinds of situations. He was the only person she had left, who remotely gave a damn. And being thrown into this situation, with beings she knew nothing about, or their purpose for her, she just felt really vulnerable. She longed to, at least, see that Nick was okay. She mournfully looked up at the head alien, speaking to it for the first time since she was captured.
"Where is Nicholas?"
Of course, it had been a failed attempt. And it seemed he hadn't understood whom or what she meant. She was only assuming these aliens in the lab with her, were male. Their physche appeared to be masculine, but this was only an assumption. She wasn't sure if the females looked the same as males. If they had any females. At least, by voice alone, the leader sounded male. He soon turned his back on her, and was attending to something on a table. She swallowed, closing her eyes, and willing her rapid heart to slow down. She was afraid she'd go into cardiac arrest before they'd attempt to do anything to her. That, was a scary thought. What would they have done with her carcass then? Surely, they didn't want some dead human girl in their ship. Who would?
When the leader turned back around, it was the instrument in his hands that made her go rigid. Her body went rigid, all mental thoughts ceased. It even felt as if her blood and heart stopped. The wave of panic that flooded her senses this time, was overwhelming. She wanted to pass out, hoping she was just having a really bad nightmare. And she'd wake up on Destiny, and laugh at herself for how dumb she felt. Having nightmares like these, like when she was a kid. But this was no nightmare, unfortunately. This was really happening, and not knowing what the purpose of that instrument was terrified her. She shook, as some of the aliens surrounded her and braced her. What were they bracing her for? They had strapped her down, wasn't that enough?
What happened next, it almost seemed like a blur. When that long white tube was inserted inside her most intimate part. How much that had stung, more tears rolling down her face. She remembered begging for the leader to stop, that whatever she did, she was sorry. She was begging for it to stop, or for them to just end her life. That's how bad this was. They were invading her most intimate area, and it was hurting her. It was like reliving the evaluation from the doctor, after her rape. She had wanted him there then too, but he was still married then. And Gloria had been dealing with her cancer. She didn't want to seem greedy; Gloria needed him more at that time. But when the doctor told her…that the greedy son of a bitch, who raped her, had stripped her of her capability to have children. She felt a piece of herself die. She remembered collapsing to the ground, her girl friends not knowing what they could say to make the situation better.
Ever since she was a little girl, her only two dreams she ever had, was to one day get married and become a mother. Her own mother had died giving birth to her, and she felt she owed her mother. To show her mom up in Heaven, that she could be the mom…she never got the opportunity to be. She longed for children. She had dreams about them often. Waking up and making them breakfast, having tickle fights, being pregnant with them. It was something she had looked forward to for years. And, the moment she found out that she'd never be able to, she stopped having those dreams. It hurt her too much to even bare to think about having children now. Because, it'll never happen now.
But for these aliens to have inserted something into her, there, it felt like they were making damned sure she couldn't. If there ever was a slim sliver of a chance she could. She screamed, she thrashed, she begged, yet they continued. Eventually, she felt the tube slowly exit; yet it still stung. Personally, the invasive damage was done. The leader continued to chatter within her mind, telling her to relax, that it'd be all over soon. The probing to her mind was getting to be a bit too much as well. She flinched as one of them injected her with more sedative, to try and calm her nerves down again. Then, a second injection of this bright purple liquid was put into her arm. She didn't have time to ponder what it was they were injecting into her now, the sedative worked quicker this time. Soon enough, the stinging between her legs subsided, as her body started to relax. By the time the drug overtook her, she was fast asleep, unaware of what they might have done to her.
They did the same procedure a few more times, though those times it went a lot quicker. She still was foggy as to what it was they had done, or continued to do. Other than that, the aliens had been pretty okay with her. They offered her a cot of sorts to sleep in when she was tired (or heavily drugged), and would let her out to walk around whenever they felt that she needed to. Of course, each time, someone escorted her. And each time, they never allowed her to see Nicholas, wherever they were holding him. They offered her plenty of drinking water, though it was a little different than what she was used to drinking. And surprisingly, they had a good amount of fruit that was edible. Overall, it seemed their goal was to take care of her as best to their abilities.
She still was unclear why they wanted to take care of her. Going back on her Sociology notes, she wondered if they valued and respected the female species, like humans did. She wondered if they had chivalry methods, and maybe possibly, thought of females as being the higher and more intelligent of the sexes. But that also begged the question, if that was the case, where were their women? She had yet to stumble into a female. At least the males were keeping her safe and healthy. Although, she wasn't fond of being sedated and being a lab mouse, they often gave her vitamins in the form of a liquid. Actually, whatever they were doing, was helping the malnourishment that had started to affect her body on the Destiny. She had actually gained two pounds the week she had been with these aliens.
But thinking about what they might be doing to Nick was killing her. She desperately missed him, and she often thought about trying to go exploring on her own. To find him and somehow help them escape to get back on the Destiny. But she was afraid that, she wasn't sure why they would, but maybe they had taken a liking to her. And she was afraid if she tried to help Nick, they might just take him away from her forever, to teach her a lesson. She didn't want them harming him. And somewhere, deep down inside of herself, she had a feeling he wasn't being treated as well as she was.
She could hear the humming of the device still attached to her forehead. They had been trying to ask her about the Destiny for a while now. But every time, they'd get the same responses, truthful responses. She didn't know how to operate the Destiny, she couldn't tell them anything about her history, what she was made of, how old she was, nothing. Nick was the expert in all that Ancient stuff, and that was the only thing she could offer them. Was that the Destiny was simply Ancient in design, and was really old. Bleak, cut and dry responses, and they seemed to give up quickly. She was glad when they would; she had a feeling they were after Destiny this entire time. Might even try to take everyone else on board captive, just so they could obtain their prize. Everyone on the Destiny may be on ends, no one trusting anyone. A lot of the civilians loathed her, because of the fact that she was behind Rush's alliance. And not a lot of them, trusted Rush at the moment. Still, she wouldn't wish any ill harm on any of them. When you remove the titles, degrees, ranks and abilities, they all were civilian; human.
She looked up as she heard the noise of the door opening, and saw the leader alien standing there. She stood up and walked over, having only seen him whenever she was brought to the lab. He didn't say anything, having taken off the device, but brought her out into the corridor. They walked silently, a few other aliens passing by, chattering softly, before going on their way. She looked around as she noticed she was in a different part of the ship, and he opened another hatch. It almost looked like a mess hall, although the aliens in here weren't eating. It seemed like they had just been visiting one another. What kind of aliens she saw in this room, made her almost cry in delight.
These aliens, although they closely resembled the males, were definitely female. They were a lot shorter in height, their hips were a bit more defined and fuller than the males. Although they didn't have breasts, they did have a more defined shape to the chest cavity as well. The females were dressed in the same wet suits as the males, except they wore these really extravagant headdresses. It reminded her of what women in the Egypt time periods would have worn, except with crystal pieces. The leader walked in and all the females became silent, standing to his attention. He chattered something to them, before he allowed her to walk further into the room. She heard him leave, and looked around the room some more. The females studied her, before a majority of them went about their way. She noticed all of them had the same mind devices on their heads, though since none were linking directly to her, she was only hearing the same alien chatter. But suddenly, one voice piped up, and her head went in the direction it had come from.
There, all alone in a corner, sat one female. She cautiously walked over to it, offering it a kind smile. She didn't want to startle her, in case she had heard wrong. But she had said hello to her, and she was making no attempt to become hostile or move from her spot. Sitting down slowly, she decided that she probably should respond back.
"Hello. I don't…mean you any harm."
"I'm not worried about you harming me. So, you're an Earth creature, a Tau'ri.
"Yeah, I guess so."
Now she felt stupid. If they had originally thought of humans to be intelligent creature, she just exposed that there were some out there who weren't so clever. She had heard Nick use the term before, plenty of times. Hell, they had explained to her before all the different names that linked to different species. They had told her it was important to know, since all this information had been discovered by the greats of the past. Such as Carter and Dr. Jackson. But again, it was Nick's blind and sudden decision to have her join on the Stargate Program, the Icarus Project that landed her even the possibility of experiencing all this. …She still couldn't figure out what Nick saw in her. The female was still watching her, studying her, and she could almost see, what she thought was a smile.
"You're very lovely looking."
This female alien had just complimented her, and she was a bit taken back. But to show that she was appreciative, she offered her another smile, nodding.
"Thanks. You're nice looking too. My name is Lily."
The female didn't offer her a name. Probably because she wouldn't have been able to understand it. She felt a bit silly, for acting so hesitant and unsure around the female aliens. She had been wondering about them for a whole week, and now, they're here and she's still scared to overstep some boundary. The female must have noticed, having felt a gentle touch to her shoulder.
"Don't be scared Lily. No one here has any intention to harm you. Trust me in that."
"If you say so, then I guess I can trust you."
"Tell me a little about yourself. And don't worry, I'm not probing for any information the alphas may be after. The other Omegas, including myself, are not interested in capturing ships. We are here for other purposes, the main reason to keep our species alive."
"I know what you mean. What do you want to know about me?"
"Whatever you would like to tell me."
"Well, I'm 24 years old. I was born in the United States, in the Southern state of Louisiana. Where I lived for 6 years before I was shipped off to Maryland. I lived there until I was around 11 years of age, before I was adopted. At that time, my adoptive parents were on their way back to live in Louisiana. So I went back with them. …I rather not think back to them. I…fled home at age 16 and hitchhiked to California. Because I was home schooled at the orphanage, I was able to skip a few grades. So by the time I made it to California, I was able to enroll in some college courses. At 18, I enrolled in a Physics class that kind of helped me achieve what I have today. And why I ended up on the Destiny."
"What happened to your birth parents?"
"My mother died giving birth to me. And my father, I think it was just too much for him to take. He went down hill after her death. He tried to be a father for me, but when I was 6, he finally decided he had enough and gave me away. I don't know if he's still out there, or if he decided that…that was it. I have never heard from him since. I don't remember my mom or dad, or my adoptive parents either."
"Fleeing home that young, they must not have been good."
"No, they were heroine addicts and dealers. Heroine is a very nasty narcotic, drug. They forced me to become an addict myself, by pushing heroine on me. It…was a very gray area of my life. I've overcome that, and will never go back down that path again."
"How were you able to manage out of that?"
When the female asked her that, she flushed deeply. It was just a habit of hers, that she had been able to keep hidden for some time now. But whenever she thought about Rush, she just couldn't help it.
"My Physics Professor paid for and made sure I got the help I needed. He's actually been there for me, for many years. He's the one who offered the opportunity for me to be on the Destiny. How we got there, is a long story. A lot of people are upset that he stranded us, but I don't mind. It gives me a chance to get to know him better. Before, we've always been colleagues but now, I have a chance, maybe. He's really great. He's so intelligent, insightful, charming, courageous, understanding, masculine. He's got shoulder length dark hair. Soft, makes you want to run your fingers through it. He's not too incredibly tall, which is fine with me, since I'm so short. His Scottish accent, sometimes you can't understand him, yet, you can't take your ears away from him. His eyes, so dark and penetrating. When they're stern they look deep into your soul. But when they're soft, you can just see all the vulnerability he hides behind that wall of his. He has great sense of style; he's so cute with his glasses on. He's hard working, sincere, mysterious…"
"Sounds like he's your mate."
That comment from the female made her pause. She understood what the female had meant by mate, but for someone to just suggest that Rush was her lover, her mate, her man. Her blush deepened, god, did she wish that was true. How she longed for Nick to see more in her than what he did see in her. He had been attracted to Gloria, because she was smart, free spirited, and beautiful. She was Nick's opposite, in many ways, and opposites often attract. Dr. Perry, she remembered he had always been fond of her intelligence. They had worked together a lot, at the university and often chatted on their free time. She had caught them once or twice having long chats, especially once Gloria had died. So what did that make her? What did he really see in her, if he did see anything.
"No, he's not my mate. Just a really close friend."
"But, it sounds like you really care for him. Attracted to him, am I correct?"
"You are. Actually, I'm worried sick. I haven't seen him since I was taken aboard. I'm afraid they might have killed him."
She saw the female shake her head, standing up. At first, she just continued to sit there, until the female gestured for her to get up. Getting up, she followed the female out of the room and into the corridor. It seemed like they had walked forever, until the female finally stopped in front of a door. Once it opened, they both stepped inside, looking forward. Along the wall, was a single oval shaped piece of glass; a holding tank. The tank was filled with water, and she could see a human floating within the water. The female stepped aside, allowing her to walk further into the room. Nervously, she felt her feet walk closer, until she was standing directly in front of the tank. The glass was fogged up, and she could faintly hear air bubbles floating within. Shakily, her hand raised and rubbed a streak against the glass. Her heart definitely did stop, her knees buckling, and her eyes tearing up. Nicholas was floating inside, breathing mask attached to his mouth, and obviously knocked out.
"Oh my God, Nick!! Ohh Nicholas, I'm so sorry baby…"
She turned back around to the female, panting and tears falling down her face.
"Is he being hurt in that tank?"
"No. We use it to go into temporary stasis. I believe they value the information about the Destiny that he may possess."
"You've got to let him out!"
"I can't. Lily, if I go against the Alphas, they will kill me. And I cannot be killed…"
"But he's hurt…"
Looking at Nicholas further, she could see faint bruises healing, and several scrapes and cuts on his face. Her hand placed itself upon the glass again, rubbing up and down. As if he could feel her, that it would provide comfort. She wanted to just bust the glass and take him into her arms. To tell him how sorry she was that she let him down, but that it'd be okay. That she'd be there for him, and never allow this to happen again.
"I'm sorry Lily, we have to go now."
More tears fell, not wanting to leave. Almost as if, leaving would seal his fate. That she'd never get to see him again. She didn't care that this female was watching her. If they others on Destiny had been in the same room, she wouldn't have cared. Her lips went forward, leaving a soft kiss among the glass, before she whispered.
"I'll come back for you, I promise."
She hated leaving him, in that water prison that he was in. Unsure just what kind of tortures or hell he had been through. All because they valued his mind; damn, he was just too smart for his own good sometimes. She followed after the female, as she was led to a different room. When the door opened, her anger and guilt was suddenly washed away, her eyes softening. This room was obviously a nursery of some sort. She could see a good number of baby aliens slumbering, and younger ones playing together. She heard the female chatter out, and watched as a young, male alien came running towards the female. She watched the female pick him up, nuzzling him and the two of them chattering amongst themselves. The little male looked over at her, obviously the younger aliens hadn't seen humans before. But the male gave a soft chatter in her direction, before clutching at his mom again.
Now, they were seated back in the mess area. The little boy slumbering in the female's lap. She reached her hand over carefully, gently running her hand along his head. Tears were in her eyes again, chuckling softly as she continued to pet the boy, before looking up at the female.
"You're a momma…"
"Yes, I am. Many of the Omegas on board are mothers."
There was something off about the way the female had said it. She sounded proud of the fact that she was a mom. But it also sounded like, maybe, it hadn't been her choice. She gave a kind smile to the female, leaving the child be for now.
"He's beautiful."
"Do you have any children?"
Again, the female sounded off putting in her question. But at her question, she swallowed the hurting lump in her throat, and tried to push the pain out of her heart.
"No. Unfortunately, I can't have children. I was able to, but something happened, and I was ripped in my ability to produce eggs."
The female, looked a bit surprised, but also disturbed by this. Before she had the chance to ask the female what was wrong, the leader came back in. The device was back on his head, and he instructed her it was time to go. She stood up, but before leaving out the room, she smiled to the female.
"It was a pleasure to meet you and your son."
The female watched the young Tau'ri go with her leader, completely gobsmacked. She wasn't sure what her leader's intentions were for this female, but she had a feeling what they might have been. All of the Omegas, including herself, have been down this road before. She decided to herself, one day, this would have to stop.
Author's Notes:
Again, if you want to read the unedited version, you will have to read it at my Live Journal. Since I cannot link to the page, I believe my email is on my main page. Just send me an email, put in the subject you are from and would like to read my unedited chapter. I'll email the link to my page. But in your email, include your LJ user name, because in order to read the chapter, I have to add you as a friend and vice versa. This week, I am planning on making a new, public, Live Journal page to host the chapters. That way, the stories won't get mixed with my personal blog posts, and second, people won't have to add me to read. Unless they want to. It'll be my story hosting LJ.
Story Notes: Again, I thought it would add more to the story if the mind probing devices allowed the aliens to communicate to other species, and vice versa. And if no one has caught on to what is going on yet, don't ask. My lips are sealed, you'll just have to continue reading. There will be plenty of OMG twists coming up, I promise you.
