Later that night, Carson's comm link sounded to alert him to a medical emergency. Two technicians had been injured when a part of the city they were investigating collapsed around them.
As he made his way along the corridor towards the Infirmary, he encountered Tollany leaving Major Lorne's room with a self-satisfied smirk on her face. Something about the smile bothered Carson. He didn't mind the fact that she and Lorne had most probably slept together, they were consenting adults, he just hoped his lectures on safe sex had been listened to. What bothered him was the expression on Tollany's face. There was something calculating about it, something that made a farce of any pretence of love.
However, the feeling of unease left Carson suddenly when Tollany saw him and smiled. Something in the smile seemed to re-assure him, made him forget what he was feeling.
"Good evening, doctor," Tollany said, as she approached him. "Where are you going at this time of night?"
"I have patients to attend to, lass," he said, smiling ruefully.
"Then those patients are lucky to have someone as dedicated as you to look after them," she replied, smiling softly, then continuing on her way.
As Carson passed Sheppard's room, he heard voices inside. One was a voice he did not recognise, and Carson could only assume that it was the woman he had seen John with earlier in the evening.
"There definitely must be something in the air," Carson said to himself as he continued along the corridor.
If he was being honest, he did feel slightly jealous of the easy way John had with women. He was happy with Laura, and happy to let the relationship develop at its own pace, but he wished he had the confidence to take their relationship to the next level. His reticence had nothing to do with his feelings for Laura, or rather it had everything to do with his feelings for her. He respected her too much. He cared for her too much to rush her into bed. He enjoyed courting her, getting to know her, sharing his life with her, and then eventually, sharing her bed. Shaking his head to get his focus back on the job in hand, he headed toward the Infirmary where his patients awaited him.
oOoOo
In the early hours of the morning, the new Athosians and their doca gathered in their room to hear a report on how their plans were progressing. The satisfied look on the faces of Tollany and Rhianna told them the answer to their question, even before it was asked.
Tollany stood up, and held her hands up for silence.
"The next stage of our plan has been accomplished. Both Rhianna and I carry the seeds of those with the Blood of the Ancestors. Tomorrow, the seeds will be placed in the breeding pods. Once again, we will have children who carry the Blood of the Ancestors."
"But will they be able to operate the technology?" one of the men in the group asked.
"We believe so," one of the other men answered. "All those we have discovered have shown they can operate the Ancestor's technology. There is every likelihood that their offspring will be able to as well."
"Why do we have to do this?" one of the women asked. "They are kind people. They have only shown us gentle hospitality. Could we not just ask for their help? Explain what has happened to us. Dr Beckett seems very skilled in manipulating the Blood of the Ancestors, and he may be able to help us use our technology again."
"The last time we asked for help, what happened?" Tollany asked, her tone almost aggressive. "I will remind those of you who have forgotten. The last time we asked for help, our 'friends' infected us with a virus. That virus desimated our kind, killing so many of our people that those who are left are forced to look to others, not of our bloodlines for mates. Now the Blood of the Ancestors is so diluted we can no longer use the technology they gifted us with. We are open to attack from the Wraith and any other enemy we may encounter. Do you still want to trust our 'friends'?"
Maronna, who had first raised the idea of trusting the Lanteans, looked back unflinchingly.
"I still think these people are trustworthy," she said with determination. There were others in the group who nodded. They too had felt the kindness of their hosts.
"Very well," Tollany said, her voice dripping sarcasm. "Go to these 'friends' of yours and tell them our story. But do not expect the rest of us to visit you when they place you in a cell and carry out experiments upon you. I have heard stories of what these people did to a captured Wraith. They used him to test their own virus weapon. Do you wish share his fate?"
Maronna flinched this time then looked at the ground, now was not the time to try and defy Tollany. They had followed her this far. Very few of the others would be prepared to veer from the path she proposed they followed. Maronna decided she would bide her time, and see what happened. Maybe then she could persuade more that her path was better than Tollany's.
"Sukara?" Tollany said. "How did it fare with Dr Beckett?"
Sukara, the woman who had been watching Carson in the Mess Hall, came forward. "There is a problem," Sukara admitted. "He already has a mate. They seem close and I believe he would not betray her knowingly."
"Do we need his seed?" one of the men, Polan, asked. "Could we not just use others?"
"From what the doca say," Tollany responded. "Dr Beckett is next strongest to Colonel Sheppard. His seed is needed if we want strong offspring."
"We could replace his mate," Rhianna suggested from her place beside Tollany. "We can keep her in the area without sensors and Sukara can take her place."
"Could we not just kill her?" Polan said, a certain venom in his voice.
"Not yet," Tollany said. "If any of them start to suspect something, or if our 'persuasion' wears off, she may prove a useful bargaining tool. But Polan," she said, turning to the man. "I want you to be in charge of capturing this woman, and restraining her. Don't use too much force."
The man gave her an evil grin. "I promise I will not hurt her too much," he said, a note of anticipation in his voice.
oOoOo
Ronon was finding it difficult to sleep. For the last three nights he'd awoken in a sweat, his sleep haunted by nightmares. Scenes from his past, intermingled with fears from his future. Feeling restless but at the same time exhausted, he stalked the corridors of Atlantis like a caged lion. His steps took him, without thought, to the gym. Exercise was a good way of finding release for his demons.
As he approached the gym, he was surprised to hear the sound of someone working out. As he approached, he realised it was Teyla.
"You not tired?" he asked, as he looked round the door.
"I could not sleep," Teyla replied, pausing for a moment, and wiping the sweat from her neck.
"Me neither," Ronon replied. "Bad dreams."
"I feel uneasy," Teyla admitted. "I am unsure why."
"It's not the Wraith?" Ronon asked, a note of concern in his voice.
"No," Teyla responded immediately. "But there is something that leaves me feeling anxious. It is different from the way I feel when the Wraith are nearby, but it is just as unsettling."
"Want to fight?" Ronon asked, a grin suddenly splitting his face.
"So you wish to be defeated by a woman, again?" Teyla asked, a glint coming into her eyes.
"In your dreams," Ronon replied, challengingly.
oOoOo
In another part of the city, Laura Cadman was tossing restlessly in her bed. Her sleep had started with sweet dreams of her evening with Carson, but soon the dreams had given way to nightmares. She felt as if she was being dragged into darkness, into a cold damp place, without light, without heat.
She was sinking to the depths of the city, further away from Carson, from the light. She tossed and turned, trying to struggle free of the nightmare, trying to banish its images and replace them with Carson's gentle smile, the one he saved just for her.
But the power of the nightmare was too great. It dragged her deeper into its clutches, falling deeper and deeper and deeper. With a start Laura woke, opening her eyes wide, her heart racing, her body covered in sweat. But what her eyes saw was not the reassuring presence of her room, instead she saw her nightmare come to life. She was not in her quarters, she was in a dark, damp, and cold room. Somewhere in the depths of the city. And standing in front of her was an evil creature, strangely human, yet strangely feline. At once it reminded her of the doca, but without any of their redeeming qualities. What stood before her was evil.