Reading Key: Thoughts and emphasis are in italics. Telepathic conversation is underlined.
"Chapter" Summary: Canon to FNM. Tells the story (from Nycole's perspective) of what happened the night the Genii overtook Atlantis. About 21 years before FNM but nine years in the future (confused?). Nycole is seven.
Author's Note: I didn't realize until I was writing this that all the people (except Nycole) who escaped Atlantis had a first name ending in N. Hers starts with it, so I guess that's the excuse, heh.
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Glimpse 6: Escape from Atlantis
"Nycole, baby girl, wake up," the urgent voice of her father roused the seven year old from her sleep.
"S'amatter?" she slurred sleepily.
She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her blue-green eyes as John hurried around her room, shoving her favorite things and some clothes into a bag. She came wide-awake as she realized what was happening. Something had gone wrong and they were leaving Atlantis. Nycole and the other children had been taught evacuation drills since long before they knew what the phrase meant.
Nycole scrambled out of her bed and shoved her feet into the shoes she'd worn the day before, not bothering to undo the straps first. She grabbed her mother's pocket watch from the table beside her bed. Elizabeth always let Nycole bring it to bed when she couldn't be there to tuck her in.
"Where's your sweater?" John asked her.
"I think I left it in the mess," she answered in a small voice.
Her father didn't waste time berating her. Instead, he shrugged out of his uniform jacket, holding it up so she could slip her arms into the too-long sleeves. Once the warm garment was wrapped around her, he threw the bag of her stuff over his shoulder and scooped her up against him on his left side, holding his P-90 in his right hand.
"I can walk, Daddy," Nycole tried to be helpful.
John smiled tightly at her as he jogged to and out of her door, "I know, baby girl, but we might have to run and I don't want to accidentally leave you behind."
Ronon was in the hall waiting, moving into action to follow them when John didn't stop.
"Where's Mother?" Nycole whispered as they moved through the corridors quickly and quietly.
Her father's jaw tensed, and he answered, "She's in the control room."
Nycole knew from the way he didn't look at her when he said it that her mother would be staying in the control room and not joining them wherever they were headed.
"Where are we going?"
"The jumper bay," he said, then made a shushing noise.
They had reached a turn in the corridor, and he stopped before it and waved Ronon forward. The taller man peered carefully around the corner, his gun already aiming down the next stretch of hallway. After a few seconds he stepped out from the corner and motioned for John to follow with the hand not holding his weapon.
Nycole whimpered and buried her face in her father's neck as they ran down the hall. There were bodies on the floor. This was far from the first time Nycole had seen a dead person, but these were all people she knew, people who had known her since before she was born. People she saw every day. And there were so many of them.
She only glanced up again once they stopped running. A quick peek told her they had made it to the jumper bay. Carson was there holding a sleeping Marion. Evan Lorne and his team were also there. One of them had a bandage wrapped around his arm, stained red with blood.
"Take Nycole," John told Ronon, handing her over to the taller man without waiting for an answer. Ronon held her naturally… he was the closest thing she had to an uncle and had been a constant presence as she'd grown up…. as John turned to address the others gathered at the rear of one of the jumpers. "Doc, you up to flying?"
"I don't…"
John didn't let Carson finish, turning to Evan, "Lorne, I need you to pilot the jumper. Get them out of here and to the Alpha site. The rest of you with me."
"Sheppard," Ronon growled, "if Lorne's going with Carson and the kids, they don't need me. I can help you."
"I asked you when Nycole was a baby to be her godfather. I told you what it meant and you agreed. What I need from you is to know that someone will be taking care of my daughter if I can't, protecting her with his life. Are you telling me you can't do that?"
"Of course I can."
John nodded sharply, "Then that's what I need you to do. Promise me you'll take care of her like she was yours."
Ronon stared at John for a moment.
"Promise me, Ronon," John demanded.
"I promise."
Her father's attention shifted back to Nycole. She could feel her bottom lip trembling as she tried to be a big girl and not cry over what was happening. John smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her cheek.
"I love you, Nycole."
Then he was gone, running down the hall in the direction of the 'Gate room with Lorne's men a step behind him. Ronon climbed into the jumper after the others were inside. Setting Nycole on the bench seat in the back section, he stared out as the ramp closed. His hand tightened on the handle of his gun before he heaved a sigh and sat down. When Nycole leaned toward him, he growled quietly and tensed away from her. Nycole sank into her seat and tried to be as small as she could be. She couldn't see out the front window where she was, but she knew from the feel of their flight that they didn't leave through the 'gate.
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"We should meet up with the Satedans and Athosians on Prizax now," Ronon was saying when Nycole woke up.
She must have fallen back asleep on the way to the Alpha site, because the jumper was powered down and Carson, Ronon and Evan were standing at the bottom of the open ramp in the early morning sun. They couldn't have been there too long, though, because only a few hours had passed when Nycole looked at her mother's watch.
"The evacuation plan has always been to wait a full day before moving to another planet," Carson said.
"And if someone gives the Genii our location?" Ronon asked angrily.
"No one on Atlantis would do that!" Carson shouted.
Nycole could tell from the look on Evan's face that even though he wasn't saying anything, he didn't really agree with Carson.
"Not everyone in Atlantis was trained to withstand torture," Ronon pointed out.
Nycole shrank slightly when Evan looked into the jumper and at her, the sadness clear on his face. After a minute, he sighed and nodded.
"Alright," he told Ronon, "we'll go to Prizax. If anyone else makes it out of Atlantis, sooner or later they'll look for us there."
Ronon nodded once and walked away after murmuring something to the other two men. Carson came into the jumper first and went passed Nycole to check on Marion, who was still sleeping. Evan entered a little slower, stopping next to Nycole.
"Would you like to come sit up front with me?" he asked quietly.
Nycole nodded and took the hand Evan offered her. She hopped off the seat and went with him to the front, peering with wide eyes at all the controls. Her father had let her sit up front with him more than once, but only when it was just the two of them. She felt more grown up being allowed to sit in the co-pilot seat when there were other adults on the ship.
After a few minutes, Ronon came back and closed the back ramp. He sat across from where Carson was sitting with Marion on his lap, and Evan started the jumper, pressing the symbols on the console that would activate the 'gate and allow them to travel to Prizax.
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Evan landed the jumper at the end of the Athosian settlement furthest from the 'gate. Halling and a couple of the other Athosian leaders came to the ship, and Evan and Ronon went out to talk to them after Ronon told Nycole to stay in the jumper with Carson and Marion. After a few minutes, Carson stood and held out a hand to her. She took it and followed as he led them to a nearby cooking fire. He asked the woman there for food for she and Marion. Nycole only ate a few bites of what she was given; her tummy felt funny.
She kept her head turned toward the other adults from Atlantis, her eyes widening when Ronon and Evan got into an argument. She drew her knees up in front of her and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees. Nycole couldn't hear their words, but they were gesturing angrily and Evan's face was red. Ronon turned away after a few minutes. With his hand on his gun handle, he starting walking very fast in the direction of the 'gate.
Evan watched him go with his hands making fists. For a minute Nycole thought he was going to run after Ronon and hit him. Instead, Evan shook his head and turned toward the fire she was seated next to. Nycole lifted her head to watch him approach. He stood so that he was in between she and the others around the fire.
"Ronon's not coming back, is he?" she asked.
"I don't think he is," Evan replied.
Nycole nodded and set her chin back on her knees. She could feel that Evan had continued to watch her, and after a few minutes, she turned to look at him.
"He was going to teach me to fight," she informed him. "Could you teach me?"
Evan looked a bit surprised but nodded, "One of the Satedan or Athosian families would probably take you in if that's what you want. But if you'd prefer it… I'd like to raise you. I'll teach you everything I can."
Nycole's throat felt like it was closing when she fully realized that she would never see her parents again, but she found her voice enough to concede, "Okay."
Her new guardian moved closer, standing over her awkwardly. Evan had always been nice to her, but he had spent less time with her and the rest of the children than some of the other adults. Nycole tried to make it easier on him and raised her arms, allowing him to lift her against him. Once he had settled her on his hip and she'd wrapped her arms around his neck, Evan walked to the jumper. Tomorrow one of the Athosian tents would be their new home, but for tonight they would spend one last night housed by Ancient technology.
End Glimpse 6