{013)
Everything around me felt like a dream. Or a nightmare. My eyes were open, I could see what was happening, but my body wasn't in my control. It was almost as if I was flying on autopilot.
The Wraith reached down to grab at me. As soon as his hand touched my arm, I twisted it over quickly, throwing him off balance. Spinning around, I swept his legs out from under him and he landed hard on his back. He was quick to recover. The Wraith launched himself at, an animalistic snarl rising up in his throat as he delivered blow after blow.
It felt like second nature to me. As if I had somehow been training for this moment my entire life. Skillfully, I dodged blow after blow, my mind analyzing and my body reacting. I was a puppet to an invisible puppeteer. The next blow barely missed my chin, noticing too late that it was a feint. The second blow had me doubled over, the air whooshing out of my lungs painfully.
My knee hit the forest floor as I struggled to recover. Reaching down, I slipped my hand into the back of my boot as the Wraith advanced forward, eyes glinting with victory, but I was ready. Springing up, I buried my knife into the center of his chest. The Wraith staggered back surprised as he fell to his knees. Studying him for moment, my head tilted curiously to the side, eyes sweeping coldly over him.
The creature looked dazed. The toll of bullet holes and the dagger buried firmly in his sternum finally taking its toll. Cocking my head, I smirked as I gripped the bottom of his chin and the back of his head. Snap. The Wraith fell at my feet, lifeless. Grabbing the knife from his chest, I wiped the blood off on his clothes before seating it back into my boot. My father had taught me to always keep one there.
Taking a ragged breath, I looked around, sensing eyes watching me. The two men had their eyes locked on me, breathing uneven as they too struggled to recuperate from their encounter. But their eyes held something different; fear. Biting my lower lip; I brushed past them, ignoring their stares as I made my way towards the Jumper.
Beep…Beep…Beep.
My feet halted, the small handheld device in my pocket eliciting a stream of loud beeps as I passed by the two dead Wraith my Sheppard and Connor had taken down. I knelt down in front of one of the bodies, running the device along the length of his torso. The beeps grew steady over his left jacket pocket. Digging my hand into his pocket; I fished out a large turquoise crystal littered with veins of gold that glistened in the sun's rays.
"What is that?" Sheppard stared curiously over my shoulder. It wasn't natural that was for sure. It was carved into two sharp pointed pyramids and polished to shine. Shrugging my shoulders, I examined the crystal, running my hands over the smooth polished surface.
"I'm not sure," She whispered caught up in its glow. "Whatever it is though, it operates on the same frequency as the ZPM."
"We need to go!" Sheppard called as the shrill of darts screamed above the canopy. "Now." Burying the crystal in my jacket pocket I let Connor push me along the trail towards Sheppard.
The Jumper wasn't far ahead, the low hum of the engine reverberating off the trees, ready to take flight. Sighing, I plopped myself down in the rear compartment, leaning my head back and closing my eyes.
The peaceful feeling lasted only a few minutes before the rocking of the Jumper had me reaching down in an attempt to keep myself from falling; failing miserably. With a groan, I hit the floor of the Jumper, full force.
"Shields are down!" Ford swore colorfully from the cockpit.
"McKay!" Sheppard barked. "Get those shields back up or we won't make it to the gate." McKay grumbled as opened a. large compartment above where I had originally been sitting. The construct was easy to recognize. Etched glass. I watched as McKay hummed and hawed over the secondary systems in an attempt to find where the backup power to the shields were stored and activated. The substation seat in the front had proved useless and the young doctor was getting more and more irate by the moment as Sheppard shouted back at him to hurry.
My hand firmly gripped the sturdy black cargo of Connor's knee as I struggled to keep from sliding around on the floor like a fish out of water as Sheppard weaved in the air to avoid the darts. McKay swore under his breath again as he struggled to stay upright.
The air was stagnant around me. Hushed whispers falling around me, cocooning me in a bubble of warmth and assurance. They thrummed with intensity as I struggled to make sense of what was going on around me. Connor had moved from his seated position next to me in order to assist Sheppard at the front.
No one seemed to notice the change in the atmosphere around us.
"McKay!" Sheppard threatened from the front, his voice turning desperate. "Right now, or we are dead." The Jumper shuddered again as a Wraith dart narrowly missed our front end.
"I can't do it!" McKay bristled desperately as he stepped back from the console. "The shield isn't meant to be accessed from the panels back here. I would need to bypass several redundancy systems and take the fail-safe off line. If I try, it will cause an overload in the system and electrocute whoever is back here!"
Bam. Puzzle solved.
I knew I was more than just a pretty face. It wasn't the thrum of voices I was hearing, but the gentle hum of electricity. Rising from the floor, I knew what I had to do. Bibbity boppity boo. Just call me the fairy godmother of the Pegasus Galaxy…or something like that.
Without a second though, I snatched the tablet from McKay's shaking grasp, pushing him forcefully into the forward compartment.
"Hey." He whimpered as I shoved him roughly into his seat. My eyes caught Connor looking up at me from his station his crystal blue eyes wide with sudden understanding. It was too late for him to stop me now.
"Lex…" He warned rising from his seat, long legs chewing up the distance to the rear as fast as he could. It was too late. Giving him a small smile, I manually closed the compartment door, effectively sealing myself off from everyone else. A lump had grown in the back of my throat as the pounding on the door increased, my teams' insistent cries nearly breaking me as they called my name. It was no use.
This was a task only I could complete.
Taking a deep shaky breath, I removed several of the glass control discs; rearranging all but one of them. Closing my eyes, I swallowed back the lump in my throat as I slipped the last disc in place.
A single solitary scream pierced the air. My body was alight with fire as the electricity coursed through my body freezing veins. Chest heaving, I fought to breath—to continue breathing. My muscles seized and tightened in on themselves, the lactic acid building in my body, wearing it out to the point of anguish. The Puddle Jumper let out a deep sigh, the lights flickering off before resetting itself.
The sounds of the compartment door sliding open told me that the Jumpers operations had returned to normal. I breathed a sigh of relief, my body still humming from the voltage. Heavy footsteps rushed towards me, but I was in no hurry to meet them. The familiar scent of campfire and cedar wood wafted around me, dispelling the smell of burnt flesh.
Hands roamed my body, assessing for injury, the warmth welcome against my surprisingly cool skin. For someone who literally just got roasted like a turkey at Thanksgiving, I felt unnaturally cold.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Connor's smooth voice scolded me; shining a pen light in my eyes. Scrunching my eyes closed against the sudden intrusion; I swallowed down the guilt unable to form any words. The look on his face was heartbreaking. As was the one on Teyla's. Both of them had thought the worst.
They had thought to find me dead.
"I'm fine." I reassured them, the words coming out in a slow cadence as I attempted and failed to sit up. My mouth was cotton dry and the tilt-a-whirl effect of the Stargate had come barging back with a vengeance.
"You're not fine," That was McKay. "Do you know how many volts of electricity ran through your body? Enough to kill an entire village of people. You're lucky you aren't dead."
The sensations of my body began to slowly return. Muscles uncoiled and relaxed. The pounding in my head settled down to a low throbbing. Still felt like I was about to throw up though. In the background I could hear Sheppard radioing for a medical team and sighed. Carefully, I attempted to sit up again, stretching my limbs out much like a cat waking up from napping in the sun too long. They all stared at me. A mix of curiosity and wonder splashed across their faces.
"How is this even possible?" Teyla's soft voice broke through the awkward silence. "Should you not be dead?" Biting my lip, I glanced over at Connor. None of us had thought about the fact that Teyla had yet to be informed of who I was or more precisely—what I was.
"I'm a little different," Biting my lip, I attempted to stand, a wave of nausea rolling over me. I found myself on my knees retching up the contents of my breakfast that morning. One of Teyla's soft hands held back my hair while the other rubbed soothing circles on my back. When I was done tossing my cookies, McKay held out his handkerchief for me, a grimace splashed across his face. "Thanks." It came out as an embarrassed whisper. Shuddering, I felt us pass through the event horizon and into the Gate Room. At least I had already lost my stomach contents.
"Welcome back," Weir stated over the radio, tone laced with worry. "Dr. Beckett is ready for you in the Jumper Bay." Sheppard acknowledged as the Jumper rose automatically towards the bay. Lifting my head, I looked up at the boyish face of the Major, his normally jovial and carefree features turned sour. There was certainly a lecture coming. Turning to face Connor, I was surprised to see him studiously avoiding my gaze as the hatch to the compartment opened. Without even a backwards glance the rough Lieutenant strode away.
I'd be lying if I said that didn't sting a bit. Sheppard looked miffed but he wasn't ignoring me. Ford looked somewhere between amazed and concerned and I couldn't even figure out what McKay was thinking.
Beckett's familiar footsteps bound up the ramp, medical bag slung against his shoulder, concern evident in his vibrant eyes. For a moment I almost felt guilty. Almost. Hell, I saved us. I mean, I wasn't expecting a party or anything, but I didn't need the concern. I was fine. Knew I would be too.
"How are you feeling lass?" Beckett took my hand in his as he checked my pulse. There was no time for me to answer before he was shining a light in my eyes and feeling my head for bumps. Really? I was electrocuted. It wasn't like I had fallen and couldn't get up. I didn't need a life alert of anything. Gently, I swatted his hands away as I once again attempted to stand.
"I'm fine, Doc." I gritted through clenched teeth as my muscled groaned in protest. Truth was, I was more annoyed at myself than him. "I don't need a doctor. I need a bath and my bed." Beckett smiled smugly when my legs began to shake wildly beneath me before giving out completely. Sheppard caught me before I fell, gently lifting me into his arms.
I may have blushed. May have.
"Sure looks that way." Beckett's smug smile widened as he motioned for Sheppard to lay me down on the gurney waiting just outside the Jumper. I let out a frustrated sigh. My head was throbbing, and I was beginning to feel nauseas again from all the movement. Closing my eyes against the bright recessed light of the city; I was content to ignore the bustling around me. Before I knew it, the hum of the city had faded away and all was silent.