Chapter 7
Kate stood bug-eyed on the deck of the General Hammond. She'd seen a lot in the last few years working for the Sanctuary, but this, this was a marvel she thought only astronauts and sci-fi shows could see.
David stood behind her, a smile across his face.
"Breath-taking isn't it?" he asked softly.
"Are you kidding?" she said incredulously, not tearing her eyes from the wondrous sight.
"I never get tired of it," he continued.
"And you've been living in another galaxy for years?" she finally looked at him.
"It doesn't feel that way, sometimes I swear it happened yesterday, other times I forget where I am at all," he shrugged.
"Sometimes, I can't believe how much you look like this colleague of mine, then I realize you are not like him at all," she smiled slightly.
"I'll take that as a compliment," he chuckled.
"It is, Tesla is the most obnoxious, self-important, arrogant genius alive," Kate rolled her eyes.
"Sounds like Dr. McKay," David smirked.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure he makes this McKay fellow look like Mother Theresa," sighed Kate. "The guy knows how to get on your nerves, then he makes you trudge through all sorts of dangers to help him and then boom you are trapped 50 feet underground being eaten by lava monsters and he complains that we can't do our job properly," Kate shook her head. "It's no wonder he isn't shot on a daily basis."
"Yep, that pretty much sounds like McKay, minus the lava monsters," David took her hand.
"It's so funny because even though you two look the same, I don't think of him when I'm with you, it doesn't even occur to me," she squeezed his hand lightly.
"That's comforting," he smirked.
"Do you get Skype in Atlantis?" she asked.
"Remarkably we do," he chuckled.
"I'll have to give you my screen name, you can show me your plants," Kate blushed. "You know what I mean."
David laughed lightly.
"Yes, I do," he sighed and released her hand, walking along the deck.
"So, when did Carter say we were going to head off?" she asked following him.
"In three hours or so, I think," he said.
"And it will be two weeks before we come across the Dead Luss?" asked Kate.
"Daedalus, yes, it will be waiting at the Mid-Way station checkpoint, or at least, what's left of it," he turned to her and smiled. "Then I guess, me and this Tesla fellow switch places, the Daedalus taking me back to Atlantis and the General Hammond taking you back to Earth."
"Wow," she sighed. "This will be one for the archives, and after Hollow Earth I thought I'd seen it all."
"Hollow what?" he looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"Oh, nothing," she shook her head.
"Dr. Magnus really went through a lot of trouble just to get my double back," he changed the subject. "Is there something there?"
Kate snickered.
"If only you knew," she smirked widely. "I'll tell you over jello."
The two of them walked on, not noticing the pair eyeing them down the corridor.
"Do you think she likes him?" asked Henry, peering over Will's shoulder.
"They've been hanging out together almost the whole week we've been here," he answered, keeping his voice hushed.
"What does she see in him?" asked Henry.
"Intelligence, height, wit? I don't know!" Will glared at him.
"This coupled with the double docs and Tesla, is just plain freaky!" muttered Henry.
"You're telling me," sighed Will. "I have never seen Kate act this way around anybody, what is so special about him?"
"Maybe he ingested some sort of plant that makes people like him," suggested Henry.
"Like that could happen," Will rolled his eyes.
"Ah! There you two are," Helen broke into their thoughts.
They jumped and spun to her.
"Magnus!" cried Will.
"We weren't spying, we promise," mumbled Henry.
Helen quirked an eyebrow at them.
"I didn't think you were…were you?"
"No," they said in unison.
"Alright, come with me, Carter has something she wants to show us," she eyed them once suspiciously but quickly turned on her heel.
They shrugged and followed her; Will smacked Henry's shoulder and glared at him for stupidly telling her they were not spying.
Henry rubbed his shoulder and mouthed "sorry" as they were led through the inner weavings of the ship by Dr. Helen Magnus.
~~~~Daedalus~~~~
Nikola smiled wildly as the device made a distinct whirring sound.
"Haha! Success!" Nikola called out in triumph.
"Is it working?" asked Hayley.
"If the humming and flashing lights are any indication, it is!" he held up the device.
"Excellent! So…how does it work?" she stepped up to him and the device.
"Hmm, I do not know," he looked at it, the puzzled expression returning to his face.
"So, you took it apart and put it back together again for what? For nothing!" she cried.
"Not for nothing…just nothing useful," he shrugged.
Hayley rolled her eyes.
"Oh yah, you are a real genius," she muttered sarcastically.
"Read the history books, you will find my name under GENIUS," he smirked arrogantly.
"Genius, or bat-crazy," she teased.
"Pigeon-crazy, thank you very much," he said indignantly. "I resent bats, as much as I resent being called old and senile. For 155 years old I have never looked better."
Hayley laughed.
"Could your ego grow any bigger?" she teased.
"You're beginning to sound like Helen," he glared at her.
"Oh the horror," she mocked him.
"Oh I hope this is a teleportation device that can send you away…Siberia!" he pointed the device at her and nothing happened. "Drat…"
She laughed at him more.
"That is brilliant! Siiiiiberiaaaaa!" she teased him some more. "Like that would work, how about trying Aaaaalaskaaaaa!" she waved her arms wildly only to taunt him further.
He was about to retort when he heard the device begin to beep in his hands.
"Oh dear," he muttered to himself. "Dr. Kiang…"
"Or why not for the heck of it, Fantasiaaaaaa!" she laughed and turned around to face him and suddenly he disappeared in the blink of an eye, the device landing on the ground with a clunk.
"Nikola!" she cried. "Oh my god," she waved her arms is the spot he had just vacated. "I sent him to Fantasia."
~~~~General Hammond~~~~
Helen watched the holo-screen in utter fascination as Sam described the layout to the ship to her and her team. Henry was in awe of the technology while Will looked more than a little bored.
"Here is the fuselage for the GH, it runs on…" Sam continued; Helen listened carefully.
"Doc!" Kate burst in, out of breath and face flushed. She had obviously been running,
"Kate, what is it?" she tore her gaze from the hologram to look at the young woman.
"Parrish…he's gone," she said, her eyes wide.
"Gone? As in…"
"Gone, poof! One moment he was there the next he was not, gone!" cried Kate.
Helen turned to Sam.
"Can we communicate with the Daedalus?" she asked.
"Uh, yah, follow me," said Sam, she didn't need to ask questions.
They immediately ran up to the bridge and opened a channel between the General and the Daedalus.
"Colonel Carter, we were just about to make contact with you ourselves," said Caldwell. "Seems our guest had performed a bit of a disappearing act."
"One minute he's here then the next one he's gone?" asked Sam.
"Exactly, how'd you know?" asked Caldwell.
"Seems our guys gone too, what did Tesla do?" sighed Sam.
"According to the witness he got the device that caused this mess in the first place running again and then poof! We at first thought it was one of his tricks but if what you're saying is true then we might have more problems on our hands," said Caldwell.
Helen growled.
"That man!" she clenched a fist and muttered to herself.
"Do you think it transported him?" asked Caldwell.
"At this point…we have no idea," sighed Sam.
Helen ground her teeth.
Where could they be?
~~~~Elsewhere~~~~
Nikola groaned as he cracked his eyes open.
"Uggh that was unpleasant," he muttered.
"Uggh…" said someone beside him.
Nikola looked over to see himself…if a little less better dressed…and his hair was a shaggy mop.
"Oh my head," muttered his double who cracked his eyes open as well.
He jumped immediately at the sight of his own double.
"What the!" he cried, then relaxed. "Oh…you must be Tesla."
"And you must be Parrish, I've heard so many good things," Nikola rolled his eyes.
"And I've heard only disconcerting if a little unnerving things about you," Parrish responded, blinking his eyes.
"You shouldn't believe a word they say," Nikola smirked then shakily got to his feet.
"Where are we?" Parrish followed looking around.
They seemed to be in a field, a purple sky above them, blue wheat like plants flowing around them and an oddly shaped castle in the distance.
"I'm going to assume somewhere between the Never-Ending Story and Oz," remarked Nikola.
Parrish was immediately drawn to the unique grass that crawled up to their waist.
"The chlorolization of this plant is astounding, it's almost vibrant like a painting," he said, his eyes immediately brightening. "Must be from exposure to this unique sky, it has always been my theory that a plants color is affected by the sun, I have never seen a different colored sky yet, but wow!"
"They weren't kidding when they said you were a plant freak," Nikola watched him with mild disgust as he fawned over the grass.
"Plant enthusiast my friend, it's my job," Parrish never tore his eyes away from the plant as he continued to examine it.
"I suddenly understand what Sheppard meant by you being a handful," Nikola muttered and something in the distance caught his eye. He smacked Parrish in the arm to get his attention.
"Plant boy! Look, we have company," said Nikola.
A small group of people coming from the Castle in a quick pace were heading straight towards them, the leader, a man with a crown like structure on his head and a big wide smile across his face was, Nikola assuming, the king or at least top ranking authority.
"Welcome!" the man shouted.
"It's the greeting party," said Parrish.
"Really, and here I thought they were the army," said Nikola.
Parrish bit his lip and ignored him.
"Welcome, welcome to Fervarra!" the man said again, stepping up to the identical pair. "We have been awaiting your arrival. There was a glitch in the last transferal and we lost you, but welcome back!"
The man took Nikola's hand in a firm handshake. Nikola's eyes widened and he immediately tried to pry his fingers from the man's strong palm.
The man released his hand and grabbed Parrish's hand and shook it, Parrish being less squimish about the exchange. Nikola wished he had his handkerchief but resorted to wiping his hand on the leg of his pants.
"Welcome to my home, I am Caspar, and this is my high court," he gestured to the small party behind him. "And this is my daughter Ailenna."
The beautiful auburn-haired young woman smiled and curtsied before the two men.
"Wait, we've been here before?" asked Nikola.
"Yes, but there was a glitch and you were taken away, it happens every few transferals," said Caspar.
"Transferals?" asked Parrish.
"Yes, the selecting device picks our next pair for the Choosing, that is you!" smiled the elderly man.
"What exactly is this Choosing?" asked Nikola, secretly praying it wasn't human sacrifice to a deity.
"Whenever a young girl comes of age she must perform the ceremony of the Choosing, the selecting device chooses two a like of the mortal world, they are sent here to complete the ceremony, when all is done one is sent home while other becomes a member of my court, and in this case, my family. One of you two have been destined for my youngest daughter Ailenna," said Caspar proudly.
"Destined for what?" asked Parrish, a little nervously.
"Why, for marriage of course," said Caspar with a big smile.
"Marriage!" the two gulped in unison.
Caspar laughed and signaled to his court.
"Bring our new guests! We shall have a feast tonight!" he ordered and his court nodded. To young women moved up to the stunned Nikola and David and grabbed them by the arms tugging them along to follow the merry group back to the castle.
~~~~Author's Notes~~~~
Ok, i now a lot have been waiting for this update, sorry it took so long but i was having difficulty deciding where i wanted to go with this story, i finally came up with an idea i liked, I hope you guys like it too. Now that i have a direction hopefully it won't take too long for the next update :) No promises, i would also like to finish another story that i'm working on but you'll definitely get an update sooner than before. Consolation cookies for those who waited so patiently.
