The next day Kimberley slowly woke up with a strange chiming noise. Waiting for a second she smiled as it stopped, then shrieked as the covers where whipped off her.
Kimberley bounced up and threw her self at the intruder, opening her eyes in time to change direction and land on her teddy bears, instead of straight at Daras legs. "How did you get in here!"
"Pop off the panel, little switcheroo with the crystals." Dara shrugged, then walked over to the wall closet and looked through Kimberley's hung up clothes, selecting a pair of black trousers and three tops, one pink, one green and one purple. "C'mon get dressed, we need to head down to the mess hall."
"I thought we were meeting Col. Carter in her office at nine?" Kimberley asked, not moving from her seat on the floor.
"We are, but I want to get some breakfast in and explore Atlantis a little before hand." Dara explained.
"Meh." Kimberley flopped sideways and buried her head in the bears. "I don't do breakfast."
"What do you mean, you don't 'do' breakfast?" Dara asked as she threw the items onto Kimberley's bed.
Kimberley shrugged. "I don't like eating in the morning, or until late afternoon preferably."
"What? No wait, forget it, you're eating something." Dara decided.
"I don't like eating in the morning!" She repeated and stood up, placing her hands on her hips and glared at her friend.
"That's stupid!" Dara responded.
"Why?" Kimberley demanded. "I'll have a munch later, grab a sandwich or something for when we're on a break-"
"You need to eat in the morning to kick start your metabolism. Great way to diet." Dara cut in.
"But I don't like to eat in the morning." Kimberley repeated again.
"How about we do it together, and with all the training and stuff we'll be doing here on Atlantis, by the time we go home our parents won't be able to recognise us." Dara offered, noting that Kimberley looked to the left as she nodded, her head trailing down wards. "You okay?"
"Yeah, fine, lets go get breakfast." She smiled and walked out her door, doubling back to grab the clothes.
o0o
Dara led Kimberley through the similar looking hallways, nodding to a few people who called out hello.
"Why do you know so many people?" Kimberley asked. "How do you know where we are going?"
"You know how when we would come here in the past, your would run off and do what ever you needed to do?" Dara asked and waited for Kimberley to nod. "Well I got used to the lay out of this place and the personnel. That and I downloaded a map when I realised we were coming here to live."
Kimberley nodded, accepting the explanation. She turned her attention to looking for any forgotten 10,000 year old dead plants, a bit sad that she didn't find any.
It took them several minutes and two transporters - something Kimberley did not want to do again - before they arrived at the mess hall.
Dara headed for the hot food section, leaving Kimberley to glance up and down the room before walking toward the fruit and cereal section.
Both girls grabbed their breakfast before heading to an unoccupied table, sitting down and eating their breakfast with little fanfare.
Kimberley munched on her banana and looked around the room, spotting the scientist, military personnel and doctors before finally noting Dara looking at her. "What?"
"That's all your having?" Daras fork pointed to her bowl of cereal and the banana in her hand, before dropping down to point at her own breakfast.
Kimberley blushed. "I told you I don't lik-"
"To eat at breakfast, yeah yeah yeah." Dara waved her off and quickly finished her breakfast, looking around the room as Kimberley finished hers. "We've got about twenty minutes to get to Col. Carters office, and it only takes five to get there."
"Again, how do you know this?" Kimberley asked, downing the rest of her milk.
"I am your omnipotent master." Dara smirked.
Kimberley raised both eye brows.
"If I told you I'd have to kill you." Dara sighed.
"I believe you." Kimberley nodded, then began packing up. "Lets go just now, that way we can take a scenic route."
"What do you have in mind?" Dara asked, grabbing her plate before Kimberley could and stood up, walking to the trolley before exiting the mess hall.
"I just want to see the Stargate." Kimberley replied.
"You see ours all the time." Dara pointed out.
"No, I go through it a hellava lot, but I've never actually seen it up close and personal." Kimberley replied then began humming some music.
"Hey Kimberley." A man with a gun nodded to Kimberley.
"Hey Brent, how are you?" Kimberley asked.
"I'm good, yourself?" Brent replied.
"Off to meet Col. Carter, any tips?" She joked.
"Just keep outta trouble." He laughed. "I'm just heading off to suit up, catch up with you soon?"
"Sure!" She bopped her head and watched him enter the locker room, turning to continue walking but stopped at the sight of Dara staring at her. "Huh?"
"Who was that?" Dara asked.
"Captain Brent Cole, leader of AT15." Kimberley explained.
"I mean, how do you know him?" Dara questioned.
Kimberley blushed.
Dara saw red. "What did I tell you about stealing my puddle jumper?"
o0o
Carter sat behind her desk filling out requisition forms that Chef Rotella had just emailed to her and tried not to sigh.
She loved Atlantis, the Pegasus galaxy and all the adventures that came with it, but truth be told she missed her friends back on Earth, and nothing, not even Jack, could have prepared her for this much paperwork.
As her pencil (a trick she picked up from her old CO) hovered above the next line someone laughed loudly outside her office, diverting her attention.
Dara shook her head as Kimberley tried to suppress her giggles. "Really Chuck, you shouldn't encourage her."
"But its true, we do get more bathroom breaks than anyone else in the expedition." Chuck said, still not quite believing that two people knew his name.
"Dara, Kimberley, how are you? Did you manage to get here okay?" Sam asked.
"Sure did Col. Carter." Dara replied.
"Good, have a seat please." Sam gestured for the two to take the seats in front of her desk, as she moved to sit behind it and bring forward a large stack of files. "Kimberley, if you could just go through these forms for me and return them before the end of the month?"
"Huh?" Kimberley asked. "Why isn't Dara-"
"I did them all last night. When you were talking with Carson." Dara smirked at her.
Kimberley blushed but accepted the stack of papers.
"Its all standard procedure, confidentiality agreement, employment contracts, information to help your transition to living on Atlantis easier." Sam tried to smile and seem positive for everyone in the room. "Also there are your basic health, safety and training forms. I'm afraid you can't start training or go through the Stargate until you have completed all these."
"Understanda-" Kimberley paused and flipped back a few pages. "We get paid!"
Sam nodded, a little confused. "Did Dara not tell you?"
'Why do I have the feeling that there is a lot that Dara hasn't told me?' Kimberley thought and shook her head. "No ma'am."
"Well everything is in there, including how you are to receive the money and should answer and questions that you may have." Sam explained. "Today we will take it easy and formally introduce you two to everyone."
Kimberley paused on the line she was reading. "We're aliens?"
Sam nodded. "This is the best way to hold off the IOA from trying to find out the differences between our two realities."
"To stop them experimenting on us." Dara clarified as Kimberley's confused face.
"No I get that, but what I was thinking was, why aren't they trying to get to our galaxy?" Kimberley asked.
"Reality." Dara muttered to her. "Wait, what?"
"Well, if I was them I would want to go and visit where the others came from, to see if there was anything there that could be used to our advantage." Kimberley explained, looking down at the papers and missed the freaked out looks that Sam and Dara shared.
"As I was saying." Sam tried to get back on topic. "Today Dara, you will be assessed for off world missions, that includes guns, psychological pre assessment, physical training-"
"We go back the third weekend in every month?" Kimberley spoke up quickly.
"Barring any kind of event or situation, yes." Sam nodded to her.
"Do we have to go back home? Can we visit your Earth?" Kimberley questioned.
Sam frowned. "It would be a good idea to keep in touch with your friends and family back home, and as most of the expedition is not as lucky as you are, if you ask them their opinion they would advise you to take it."
"What about going to your Earth?" Kimberley asked again.
"Our puddle jumpers aren't capable of going through to their Earth." Dara pointed out. "The way Catherine made up the jumper causes a big massive warning light to come on and various warning signals."
"Oh." She nodded and looked to the papers, her head flying up once more.
Sam sighed. 'This is going to be a long briefing.' "How about I get Dara started on her training and then come back and answer all your questions Kimberley?"
The youngest female nodded.
"Can you show me the way?" Dara asked Carter, who nodded.
Once they were out of ear shot Dara shook her head at Sam. "What?"
"She's going to ask so many questions, and a lot of them basic and repetitive." Dara warned.
The leader of the expedition, a season warrior and galaxy renound astrophysicist stopped walking. 'Crap.'
o0o
Dara smiled to Evan Lorne as he nodded to her. "Major Lorne."
"Miss Baldwin." He replied.
In sync they both began to laugh.
"So, you're going to show me how to shoot a gun?" Dara asked.
"Yeah, and hopefully you'll hit the bad guys and not any of your team members asses." He nodded.
"Do I get to walk about with one of these puppies?" Dara fingered the P90 she had been given when first entering the shooting range.
"Ahh, that may be a bit too powerful for your first time." He explained and gently took it away from her, handing her a 9 mill in stead.
Dara nodded, and tried not to look too crestfallen at being handed the weaker piece.
"I'm just going to see how much you know about guns, then I'll fill in the blanks before your mission tomorrow." Lorne explained, handing her a set of ear muffs.
"Wait, what?" Dara demanded. "A mission when now?"
"Tomorrow, didn't Col. Carter tell you?" Lorne looked surprised, then understanding. "You are going with AT1-"
"What?" She was freaking out now. "I'm going to get killed!"
"Its just a peaceful mission to find trading partners." Lorne tried to sooth her.
"I'm going to get killed!" Dara repeated. "What am I wearing, a red shirt? Bulls eye on my back?"
"What? No you'll be fine!" Lorne was confused. "I'm sure Col. Sheppard will keep a close eye on you and keep you safe from harm."
"I bet he will." Dara muttered darkly, then looked to him. "Show me how to use everything, because knowing what I know, I'm going to need it."
"You know what you know? What do you know? How do you know?" Lorne asked, a confused look falling over his face, head tilted to the side slightly.
"Uh, you guys are a TV show..." Dara began, wondering how Lorne, LORNE! was missed out in the Atlantis grape vine.
"A TV show? Who plays me?" He butted in.
"Kavan Smith." Dara replied instantly.
"Whose that?" Lorne asked.
"The guy who looks just like you." Dara replied. 'Of course he doesn't know who he is, they probably don't exist in this reality!'
o0o
John entered the sparring room as Ronon punched Dara, causing her to fly downwards onto the mat. "Baldwin!"
With that shout he ran towards them, calling for a time out for Ronon. Bending down he checked no where was bleeding before running his hands over her body, checking her out for any broken bones.
"Get off, get off!" Dara ordered, sitting up and glared at him. She then changed her attention (and head position) to look at Ronon. "How about two against two?"
"Sure." Ronon grinned.
"We don't have another person." John tried to get out of it.
"Is my liver not chopped?" Teyla asked from the side lines.
"What?" Dara and John asked in sync.
Teyla blushed. "It was something I over heard Kimberley saying the other day."
John rolled his eyes at the other alternate earthlings name. Dara caught the end of his eye roll and gave him one back.
"How about me and her." Ronon pointed to Dara, who looked at little weirded out. "Against you two."
John shrugged, figuring he and Teyla could hold off Ronon and Dara wouldn't be too tough. "Sure, first set to call uncle out?"
Everyone agreed and Ronon helped Dara up, who flexed her limbs before motioning for Ronon, who bent down to speak with her.
John watched as she whispered to him and he nodded. Ronon stood opposite John, while Dara stood opposite Teyla.
Someone counted down from 3 from the sidelines.
"Go!"
John stood dumbfounded as Dara ran towards him, jumping out of the way at the last second.
Dara twirled in a circle and watched him, keeping her feet apart and arms up.
John began walking around her, not noting as Teyla and Ronon stopped sparing to watch them from the side lines.
"Are we gonna stand here and look pretty or get something done?" Dara called to him.
"I could think of something more productive to do." John replied, eyes roaming her body for weakness.
"Eyes up here Sheppard." She snapped her hands. "And you're thinking what I think your thinking, you better have a good physician."
"Why?" John asked, walking to the left as she began to walk closer to him.
Dara just smirked and rush forward. John twisted to escape her fast hands and fancy foot work stopped him from stumbling. Dara continued forward, her arms close to her body as she tried to get him on the ground.
John saw an opening and darted forward, his hands curled into fists and hit the side of her body, causing Dara to gasp in sudden loss of breath.
Feeling bad John stopped his advance and looked to Dara in worry. Dara took this time to catch her breath and glare at him, sweeping her feet under him, causing him to fall to the ground and bang his head off the mat.
Dara quickly moved to sit on his chest, arms pinning his to the side. She moved up to sit just above his ribs, leaving his legs useless in defence.
John gasped for breath and looked up at her. And smirked. "So you like it on top?"
Dara glared even more at him and use his own arms to smack him on the side of his head.
"Ow!"
"Call uncle!" Dara demanded.
"Never!" He mock yelled, wincing as she brought his hands up to hit him again.
And again.
And again.
"Say it!" Dara nearly screamed.
"Uncle! Uncle!"
Dara smirked and let go of him, shaking her head at Ronon taking something from one of the petty officers that were watching the match.
Looking down at John she held her hand down to him, helping him up. "Am I good for gate travel?"
"Sure." John replied, brushing off his training clothes for a distraction.
"Sure?" Dara didn't like the way he said that.
"Once you get past your psyche eval." He grinned.
o0o
Kimberley and Sam entered the mess hall, the latter glad for any other kid of conversation.
The duo spotted Dara hanging at the buffet table, looking over her options.
"Hey Dara!" Kimberley shouted.
Dara turned around and smiled at Kimberley, waving her over.
Kimberley sped walked to her friend, giving Sam a short break before she joined the two girls.
"I heard you took Sheppard." Kimberley gushed. "How? Were you dirty?"
"No I was not-well, not too much." Dara admitted with a cheeky grin.
"So when do you get off world?" Kimberley asked.
"Once I have my psychological evaluation with Doctor Heightmyer." Dara sighed.
"Huh?" Kimberley looked confused.
"It's because we need to know how she would respond to basic stressors before placing her into dangerous and unsettling situations." Sam explained.
"But she doesn't need to." Kimberley pointed out.
"Excuse me?" Dara and Sam asked in sync.
Kimberley blushed under their intense stares. "As Dara, and by extension my self, are classified as 'aliens' and 'allies', we are not to undergo any type of testing that may be deemed against our ways of living."
"But how is having a psyche evaluation going to do that?" Dara asked.
"It could bring up confrontational memories that could be banned from our culture." Kimberley explained, then took a relaxed defensive stance, placing most of her weight on her right leg and brought her left one forward. "And Teyla and Ronon didn't need one before they joined SGA1."
"FART 1." Dara corrected, then looked at her friend. "Wow, when did you get smart?"
Kimberley shrugged. "Its because it has some thing to do with-hey!"
o0o
Not long after Sam had looked at, triple check and swore at the final print in the girls contracts, Dara was being suited up for the BDU's and the teams mission time table was pushed up a day.
Outside the changing rooms Dara stood a little shell shocked with Teyla, and Kimberley, who couldn't quite believe her friends luck. "Oh my God Dara, you'll be the first one of us to set foot on an alien planet!"
"And what's Atlantis, the next door country?" Dara asked, snapping out of her thoughts.
"The changing rooms are this way." Teyla smiled to Dara, beckoning her to follow her into the female changing rooms and avoid any kind of argument that the two girls may get into.
"Bring her back in one piece yeah?" Kimberley asked, worry filling her to the core, any previous argument forgotten about.
"I will do my very best." Teyla bowed her head.
Kimberley bit her lip and nodded before grabbing Dara for a hug.
Dara squeaked as Kimberley crushed her ribs. "Hey, watch it Buffy!"
"Sorry Dara." She replied and let go, biting her lip again. "Just, promise me you'll try to stay safe yeah?"
Rolling her eyes Dara just nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine, now let me go have an adventure."
Kimberley nodded and released her friend, a frown still on her face. 'Something doesn't feel right.'
"We'll be back in a few days, try not to destroy the place while I'm gone eh?" Dara asked, poking Kimberley in the side.
"I make no promises." Kimberley promised, then squeed. "You're walking through an honest to friggen God Stargate! Do you know how crazy this is?"
'About as much as you.' Dara thought before speaking. "I'll see you in a few days."
The girls hugged again and each went their separate ways.
o0o
"Lookin' good Miss Baldwin." Mack grinned to Dara as she fiddled with the P90 in her hands, stepping away as she looked at him. 'Still not completely over the New Years thing then.'
"Okay everyone, just to remind you all we are simple explorers looking to exchange tools and wisdom, possibly medicines, for other awesome tools and yummy crops." John reminded them as he stepped closer to the gate. He looked up at Chuck and nodded for him to start the dialling sequence. "Its also Baldwin's first mission, so lets hope we don't get ambushed again."
A few of Macks team grumbled about Johns work choice tempting fate. Dara ignored them to step closer to the gate, awe filling her heart. It may not be the first time she went through it, but this was the first time she would step though the gate.
As the last chevron locked, the connection was created and the wormhole was born, the energy whooshed out towards her.
Dara felt a yank of excitement course through her heart, then spread through her entire being before pulsing in her head like a gentle vibration.
'I'm going to walk though the Atlantis Stargate - me, a cake decorator from Crapsville Michigan!' Dara thought, hoping her excitement wasn't seeping through every pour. 'Oh man life just doesn't get much better than this!'
"Okay guys, move out!" John ordered and entered the gate.
Dara walked towards the gate and placed her hand in front of her, taking a breath as she felt the strange texture of the Stargate. It felt chilly cold, but nothing she wasn't used to, and oddly soft; not velvet but something like it.
Taking a deep breath she tried to get the grin off of her face as she stepped forward, walking through the gate with her eyes open, blinking as she stepped through the event horizon on another planet - ANOTHER PLANET!
Dara lifted her feet to continue walking, eager to get off of the stone structure base of the Stargate and walk on an alien world when Ronon grabbed her arm as she stepped through and dragged her to the side.
Dara flailed her arms a little then noticed it was so that she didn't go flying into the much trap below them.
Dara bent over and laughed at the sight of Sheppard covered in muck. After regaining her breath she turned to Ronon. "Thanks."
He nodded to her.
John glared at Ronon who grabbed McKay, then glared even further when he heard a shutter going off in the direction of Dara. "Did you just take a picture?"
Daras hands flew to her backpack. "No."
John continued to glare at her.
"I'm reading only a few life signs." Rodney called out and the gate dissengadged.
"Where? How many?" John asked.
"Wait, whats with all the trees?" Dara asked.
Teyla looked at the trees and frowned. "This is an area of the planet that does not have many trees; is this a lot compared with your Earth?"
Dara looked confused. "What? No! Its just, first mission and everything, I just had to erm, you know what, never mind."
"As I was saying." Rodney brought all attention to him. "There are roughly four douzen life signals about a click to the west."
"You up for your first Alien excercise?" John spoke quietly to Dara as he passed her to take point.
"And here I thought keep you out of trouble was my first one?" Dara smirked.
John frowned at her, then turned his back on her. "Lets get a move on people; I want a shower!"
o0o
Twenty five minutes, fourteen complaints from Rodney and two death threats from Dara to Rodney later, they arrived at the village settlement.
"I'm just saying, walking in these boots is not good for my health!" Rodney complained again.
"And I'm just saying if you keep complaining my fist is going to be bad for your health." Dara threatened again.
"Will you two knock it off!" John demanded and whirled around. "All I've been hearing since we left the gate is a complaints about this, death threats about that, take some time to smell the alien flowers will ya and stop distracting everyone!"
With that John whirled round on the spot and walked into a chest. Looking up his eyes widened at the sight of the warrior Wraith.
"Shoulda taken your own advice." Dara muttered as they were all shot with Wraith stunners, some of them several times.
o0o
"Any word from AT1?" Kimberley asked Chuck as she handed in another batch of completed forms.
"No not yet, but they're not due to check in for another few hours." The gate tech replied, then frowned. "Isn't that like the eighth bundle you've taken in today?"
"Yeah, if I didn't know any better I would suspect Col. C of trying to keep me snowed under with paperwork!" Kimberley laughed, heading into Sams office.
o0o
Slowly Dara woke up to a pounding headache. 'Please don't be stuck in a Hive Ship, please don't be stuck in a Wraith hive Ship!'
Opening her eyes she swore. 'Damn and I even said please!'
As her head continued to pound she tried some meditating breathing exercises to bring it down to a manageable level, silently wondering if she should have taken Kimberley advice and had a hidden pouch of them in her boot.
"Damnit it!" She heard a voice, Rodneys, swear to her left. "The pouch burst!"
Dara turned her to head and sniggered at the sight of his black sock clad foot covered in a white powder.
"We all here?" John asked.
"I'm not." Dara answered.
John rolled his eyes. "Shut up."
"I'm not here mentally, doesn't that count?" Dara pointed out.
John forwned and moved over to her. "Does your head hurt? How many fingers am I holding up?"
Dara batted his hands away. "I was joking you clown."
Rodney shivvered, then put his boot back on. "Can we please get out of here?"
"Where's Ronon and Teyla?" Dara asked.
"We are out here." Teylas voice called from the hallway.
John held his hand out to Dara who ignored it and stood up onder her own power. Ignoring his slightly annoyed (and crest fallen) face she made her way over to the cage door and poked her head out, and stared at the sight of Ronon and Teyla cocunned to the wall. "You've got to be fricken kidding me!"
"Ahh, I see you have awoken." A Wraith spoke to the group as they came around the corner, flanked by two guards.
"Todd!" John growled and bumped Dara out of the way to glare at his some times freindly enemy. "What do you want with us?"
Todd sneared at them and one of the guards motioned for them to step back. They did so and the door was opened, but before any of them could escape one of them hit Todd on the back with his stun gun and knocked the Wraith inside the cell, locking it quickly.
Slowly the Wraith turned and observed them, pausing his eyes as he spotted Dara. "Who is this?"
John answered the question that was directed at him. "Wraith exterminator."
Dara rolled her eyes. "Civilian consultant." 'OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!'
Todd inclined his head. "It is a pleasure to meet one of the humans who does not quake at the sight of my presence."
'TODD THE FRIGGEN WRAITH! TODD! WRAITH TODD!' Dara nodded her head. "Nothing to quake about. I'm Dara, nice to meet you Todd."
"Ahh, I see my presense if known vastly through the galaxy." He sneered/smiled.
Dara shrugged. 'Holy crap I'm actually having a conversation with .Wraith!' "I've heard a little. I mostly recognised you through your tattoo."
'She's taking this really well.' John thought, watching the two of them interact. "What did you do?"
"Nothing!" Dara denied. "Oh, talking to the Wraith, right, sorry."
"I am merly on this vesel without the expressed permission from their commander." Todd smiled.
"Ya mean you snuck on board to kill them and steal their technology?" John rephrased.
"You humans, must you boil everything down to the simplest of tricks." Todd sneered.
"Hey, you guys suck the life outta people, we gotta have some kind of balance." Dara pointed out.
"Am I the first Wraith that you have encountered?" Todd asked Dara, stepping closer to her.
Dara stood still. "No."
"The first one you have spoken with, and been in the same enclosed space?" He added, stepping closer once more.
Dara stepped one foot back. "Maybe."
"I suspected as much." He sneered.
"Can we maybe think about how we are getting out of here?" Rodney brought their attention to him.
"Got any knives on you?" John asked.
"Here." Dara held out a swiss army knife, a pen knife and a ceramonial dagger to him.
"Where the hell did you hide those?" John demaned.
"Hide what?" Ronon asked.
"These." Dara held them out ot show him.
"Nice." Ronon nodded to her.
"How's your aim?" John asked.
Dara looked at him like he was nuts. "I just need one knife."
John nodded and watched her walk up and down the door, ignoring Rodneys instrctions about where to stand, where to aim, how hard to throw, how hard to breathe..."What are you doing?"
Dara looked over at him from where she was examining the structure of the door holding them in. Her knife hovvered in mid air. "I wanted to see if I could cut this thing."
"You don't think we tried that?" John looked at her like she was her friend. "We aren't complete idiots you know."
Dara nodded, then looked at the bars again. With a shrug she bent down a little and put her arms in front of her, dropping the knife form her hand to the outside ground and thrust her hands through. Her arms followed and she squiggled about to get her shoulders then chest through the gap.
John watched in utter fascination as she placed her hands on the ground and used the structure of the cell door to bring her body out, holding in the air for a second before her balance caught up with her and she tumbling backwards, her legs flying out of the cell and landed the same time as her back.
"Ohh that was close." Dara spoke mostly to herself, the knife inches from her body.
Instantly Dara jumped up and grabbed the knife, making her way over to Ronon. After examining the cucoon she pulled a section of it towards her and began cutting, working her way from one side of Ronon to the other.
After a few minutes both Ronon and Teyla were free. Rodney was giving them directions on how to open the cell door.
"Now hit it just to the-over on the- the left!-the other left! Oh for the love of- move to the left!" Rodney exclaimed and Ronon had enough.
He raised Daras knife in the air and plunged it into the wall and waited.
"Well that didn't do anything did it?" Rodney asked. "Now, will you aim it a bit more to the-"
PLUNGE.
"WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT?" He shouted at him.
PLUNGE. PLUNGE. PLUNGE.
"Ronon!" Rodney moaned, then turned to John. "Make him stop!"
"Ronon I don't think its-working." John stopped speaking as the power left the area they were in, but the door didn't open.
"See! You see what you did!" Rodney continued to moan.
Dara 'hmmed' before taking the knife out - and giving the area power once more. She lifted the knife high, closed her eyes and though hapy thoughts.
Swish.
"How the- how did you do that?" Rodney asked, stumbling forward to look closely at Dara. "Did you hit your head on the ground?"
"It was slippy and weird feeling but-hey!" Dara glared at him.
"As much as this human interaction is enlightening on your mating rituals, I must take my leave." Todd began and turned away.
"Oh no you don't buddy." Dara threw her arm out to stop him walking. 'Just keep an eye on his arm. You'll be alright if you keep an eye on his arm.'
Todd looked down at Daras arm, and then to her face. "I am curious; how did you know the correct place to enter the knife?"
Dara put her arm at her side and shrugged. 'Besides it being the only spot in the wall that wasn't shredded?' "I've seen pictures and videos of Hive Ships before and remembered where the relief buttons where."
Todd cocked his head and regarded the female in a new light. "I know of an exit to the ship, we have not yet left the planet."
"Do we follow him?" Dara asked John, who nodded after a slighlt pause.
"Todd has an understanding with us, he helps us and we keep Ronon from killing him." He explained.
Dara thought of the information that Todd would give them in the future, that he had gave them in the past and what he was doing for them now and nodded. 'If you think about it, he's kinda like Rodney. I did NOT just compare Merideth McKay with a Wraith! If he finds out about this I'll have cold water for a month!'
Turning to Todd, who was leading the group as they moved through the maze of corridors, Dara spoke directly to him. "What were you on the hive for?"
"Several things. Most things that you humans would not understand." Todd lifted his lip and snarled at her.
"Survival, espionage and getting back at someone?" Dara guessed, correctly she assumed as Todd stopped walking and regarded her again. "What?"
"You are unusually perceptive for a female human." he spoke quietly. "What makes you suggest those reasons?"
Dara shrugged her shoulders. "If you want to survive you need to surround yourself with like minded people, but in order to do that you need to be accepted by them. And the fact that the Queen and commander of the ship did not kill you means that you have fought with them in the past and they want to aggravate you more before killing your slowly and painfully." 'Holy Hannah I'm having an actual conversation with a Wraith!'
"Can we cut the chit-chat till we're nearer the Stargate?" Rodney demanded, turning to look at the two who had fallen behind the group.
"Aren't you supposed to lead?" Dara asked Todd, who looked at her again before nodding and made his way to the front.
o0o
An hour or so later the gate sprung to life and Kimberley tapped her foot. 'I really gotta use the bathroom.'
Chuck looked to her and laughed. "Why don't you head Kimberley, AT1 aren't due to report or check in again for another-recieving AT1's code."
"I want a medical team at the gate room now." Carter ordered as she entered the command hub. "Are we receiving any radio transmition?"
"Not yet ma'am." Chuck shook his head.
Sam nodded. "Lower the shield then."
Everyone in the Stargate Operations room watched with baited breath for AT1 and guest to come through the gate, many of them hoping it wasn't under their own power.
Teyla and Rodney walked through first, with Ronon and Dara next. There was a pause and wait until John came frowning through the gate.
Kimberley and Sam walked down the stairs and arrived the same time as the medical team.
"So, you're all in once piece?" Kimberley asked, stopping beside Dara and grabbing her for a hug.
John rested his hand on his P90 and looked back at his group before nodding.
Kimberley smiled. "That's good." Then exploded. "Why the hell didn't you check in on time!"
"Well, there was a situation." John spoke mostly to Carter.
"What kind of a situation." Carter was afraid to ask.
"I don't need to go through Wraith 101 tomorrow." Dara sung to Kimberley, who moaned.
"Aw man, that's so not fair! Who did you met?" She asked Dara.
"It isn't fun and games meeting the Wraith." John replied the same time as Dara. "Todd."
"Ohh that would be so cool!" Kimberley tried to ignore John.
"Are listening to what I'm saying?" John was beginning to get furious.
"Why don't we continue this in the debriefing room?" Sam interviened, and everyone bar Kimberley and the medical team walked up stairs.
o0o
Later on Kimberley grabbed Dara as she finished her first post-mission check up and was given the all clear.
"I just heard through the grape vine, you took Ronons advice and none of mine?" Kimberley asked.
"I took some of your advice." Dara defended.
Kimberley snorted. "Like what?"
"Remember rule number 12." Dara pointed out.
Kimberley rolled her eyes, then asked. "So, how was meeting your first Wraith?"
Dara thought about it for a second. "it was interesting, but weird."
Kimberley rolled her eyes. "Well duh!"