Sheppard shifted, trying to ignore the soreness of sitting in the hard chair for so long. He had spent nearly an hour debriefing his men on the training mission since several of the soldiers had concerns and questions that needed to be addressed. A few had even requested additional sessions and gave ideas on how they should be conducted. Sheppard had thought it a worthwhile idea, already planning a regularly scheduled training program for all off world personnel. After the soldiers had departed, Weir and Beckett had entered and took their seats for the next briefing. The physician had been unable to convince Teyla to abandon her vigil with the child. Seeing how she already knew the situation, he hadn't argued.
Weir had just begun to inform Sheppard and Ronon of the trip to the mainland when McKay entered the room, laptop in hand. He was late, as usual. The scientist didn't miss the annoyed look the Colonel sent his way as he took his seat, abnormally silent.
"As I was saying," Weir began again, "yesterday a small cavern was discovered on the mainland by one of the Athosian children. The room reacted to Rodney's presence. Inside they discovered what at first appeared to be a stone altar. However, it was actually a stasis chamber that was being powered by a ZPM."
"We found a ZPM on the mainland?" Sheppard asked.
"Yes. Unfortunately, the power was nearly exhausted, and the activation of the room only quickened the depletion. Rodney had enough time to activate the stasis pod and copy the data contained on the machine before it was completely drained."
"So if it still had power, why didn't our scanners detect it?"
"The walls were made of the same material found on Batigin. No signal could be detected outside the room."
"So what was inside the pod?" Ronon casually asked. He had heard of such devices before but had never seen one.
"A young girl," Weir answered.
"Wait… young?" Sheppard started. "I thought stasis pods only slowed the aging process. It's been 10,000 years. Assuming she was a child when she was placed in, shouldn't she at least be fully adult, if not older?"
"That's what we thought as well. However, Rodney has a theory on that." Four sets of eyes turned to the unusually quiet scientist, who had been looking intently at the laptop's screen. "Rodney?" Weir prompted. He looked up, taking a second to process what had been said before giving a slight cough.
"Yes, well, as Elizabeth said it's just a theory at this moment. I haven't had the time to actually confirm it yet. When we encountered the alternate Weir she was in a stasis pod that was being powered by the city, which was being powered alternately by the three ZedPMs. During those 10,000 years she aged considerably. However, in this situation a ZedPM was connected directly to the stasis chamber. This allowed the chamber to slow the aging process significantly."
"How much?" Ronon asked.
"If my calculations are correct, this child has only aged five years since she entered the chamber."
"Why put such a young child in stasis, and in a hidden chamber on the mainland no less?" Sheppard asked. "Better yet, why even code the data in the first place? With the gate's shield it wasn't like anyone could just arrive through the gate."
"That's what we've been trying to figure out," Weir said. "Whatever secrets this girl holds must be important enough for them to have gone through all the work. Carson, can you update us on her status?"
"I've conducted a full exam on the wee lass. Besides a slower heart rate and low temperature from her time in the chamber, she's as healthy as can be expected. Her vitals have already shown an improvement since her arrival. I've also tested her for the ATA gene. It's positive. From my best estimate, this child is a first generation Ancient."
"So what you're saying is we have a living, breathing Ancient in Atlantis," Sheppard stated.
"Aye, I believe so."
"Have you talked with her yet? How much does she know?"
"She is still sleeping," Beckett answered. "Teyla is with her now. Remember, she may appear a little older but mentally she is still only five. I do not know how much she will be able to tell us. Once she wakes we will have a better understanding, but right now all we can do is wait."
ooOoo
Teyla stretched her arms above her head, easing the slight tension that had formed in her back. She had been keeping watch for nearly two days, breaking only when necessary, and only when Beckett or one of his staff stayed with the girl. Besides the slow rhythm of the child's chest, she was motionless. Teyla did not understand why it was taking so long. Old Weir had recovered in a matter of hours. Did it have something to do with the extra power the chamber had due to the ZPM, or that she was still so young?
A soft moan from the bed had her instantly alert – and calling for Beckett on the radio. The young girl moaned again, eyelids fluttering open to reveal dark green eyes that slowly looked around, as if not truly seeing. Teyla waited until the eyes settled on her face.
"Do not be afraid, you are safe. My name is Teyla Emmagan. You are in Atlantis. Do you understand?" The child blinked a few times, as if absorbing what had been said. The eyes wandered around again before settling back onto Teyla, who held a glass of water. "This is water. Are you thirsty?" She offered the straw to the girl, who looked at it strangely, as if not knowing what it was. "You drink from it, like this." She demonstrated, and offered it again.
Hesitantly the child took a sip, then reached for the glass and took a longer swallow. When she finished she kept her arms up, looking at the bracers with puzzlement. "We found you on the mainland in a stasis chamber, and brought you here to recover. You were wearing those when we found you. We do not know how to remove them, or the golden collar you wear."
The girl had been looking at the backside of her hands before examining the palms, slowly clenching and unclenching her fingers. At the mention of collar she felt at her neck, again puzzlement in her eyes.
"You understand me," Teyla said, noticing the reaction at the words. The child looked at her and gave a slight nod. "What is your name?"
"Miryana." The voice was quiet, almost a whisper.
"What do you last remember?" The searching eyes again, this time stopping at a figure behind her. Teyla turned to see Beckett watching silently, making notes on a tablet in his hands. "That is Doctor Beckett. He was the one who healed you."
Miryana's eyes seemed to bore into him for a moment before turning back to Teyla. Although she was so young, the eyes seemed to hold so much knowledge. Was this child really only five when she entered the chamber?
"Healed?"
"When we found you, you were very cold and weak. You had been sleeping a very long time, but you are well now."
"I was sleeping." It was a combination of a question and a comment, but not one that desired an answer. Instead she absently felt at one of the bracers. "I remember being cold. I was alone."
"Do you know why you were sleeping?"
"I was sick. There was no time to fix me. She said she would come back."
"Who?"
"My mother. I wonder why she did not return. Is she here?"
"No, Miryana. A very long time has passed since you went to sleep. I am afraid your mother is no longer here."
"Oh." The two adults looked at each other for a moment. Miryana was acting calm – almost too calm about the entire situation. How sad it was to see a child with such little emotion. Were all Ancients like this, or was this also a side affect of the stasis pod?
"Miryana," Beckett stated, moving forward, "you are not sick anymore. I am certain of it. Besides being tired for a few days, you are as healthy as can be."
"Really?" Was that a hint of excitement? "Does that mean I can leave my room?"
"Yes. I would like you to stay here overnight to make sure you regain your energy, but tomorrow you'll be fit to walk around."
A genuine smile lit both Miryana's face and eyes, and Teyla was relieved to see emotion return to the child. The girl turned to Teyla.
"I am happy to hear that. Can I see the water?"
"Yes. Tomorrow I will show you the water." Miryana gave a content nod of her head before lying back down.
"I will sleep now, so tomorrow will come faster." She shut her eyes but opened them a second later. "Will you still be here?" she asked with a sense of hope.
"Yes. I will remain here with you. You do not have to be alone again." Giving Teyla another smile, Miryana shut her eyes and fell back to sleep.