Summary:
The continuation from "When the Past Unfurls - Part I" where we find out about exactly what Steve had gotten himself into and John's mysterious connection to this new addition.
Hello everyone,
Here's the next chapter of the series. It's connected to the Origin Stories (The third story of the series) because I delve more into the back story of the Alterans, Asgard, Wraith, and Goa'uld from another point of view.
Also, if you can imagine a very cute, softer, and dragon-like version of 'Venom' from Marvel Universe with the adorable characteristics from Naomi Novik's 'Tremeraire', you have a pretty close image of Galen.
Thank you so very much, Aethir, for beta'ing. I know you are busy with your own writing and college work on top of it, and yet you find time to help me with this not-so-lil monster. Writing is hard, but we love it, we are so fucked!
Beaming Area
Earth Warship - Odyssey
Danny reached the Beam-up area just as the white light faded away, leaving behind the rest of SG-11 and their four prisoners. He was not the least bit surprised to see Wo Fat and Lieutenant Catherine Rollins among them. Lieutenant Colonel Davidson, the ship's executive officer, was already there, directing security to escort the prisoners to the brigs - the Goa'uld and the Jaffa to the specially customized one and Rollins and the Trust agent to the regular cell block.
Danny had already decided to take the team to the conference room in the same level as the infirmary after they had stored their gear in the armory. Colonel Carter had made the suggestion just before she had been called away to the bridge to deal with a long-range sensor glitch. He could see the wisdom in that plan as he thought about it - he could take his time explaining the new developments to the rest of them without any interference, they'd have time to ask all kinds of questions and probably vent at him, and then he could get them to agree to go for their post-mission checkups without barging in on Steve like a herd of stampeding elephants, agitating Sheppard enough to make him go crazy again.
Conference Room - 1
Odyssey
"A Furling... what the fuck is a Furling?" Higgins finished the glass of water in two large gulps and placed it on the conference table with a thud.
"It's one of the 'Alliance of Four Great Races', isn't it? I think it was mentioned in one of the AARs of SG-1, one of their very early reports," Noshimuri replied thoughtfully. "It was somewhat light on the details though,"
"That's a nice way to put it! That's because there aren't any details. Nobody had ever seen one of them before and the Asgards only ever mentioned them once," Bates had his customary grimace turned to full. "Out of the Big Four, the Furlings are the most mysterious, any info about them is practically non-existent."
"So then how did the Commander manage to just find one swimming in the river in P3X-704?" Cadman exclaimed incredulously. "And you said it looked like he was hosting it? How can the Major be sure? For all we know, it could be another trap the Goa'uld cooked up! It's one of their planets after all," she asked them all.
Over the years she'd been with the SGC, Laura Cadman had also read and re-read all those reports and she agreed with Noshimuri and Bates. Apart from a single artifact that dealt with the weather patterns and the bits and pieces they had found of some obscure language, they knew absolutely nothing else of this race. She was wondering if it was possible that Sheppard was mistaken or being played somehow.
"Is it possible maybe Sheppard was having some kind of a reaction to something in the water?" Vega pulled another possibility out of thin air. Danny could see she had a point there.
"But Danny said they were both scanned by the medics, wouldn't they have picked up on it?" Kono asked from where she was sitting at the far corner, balancing on two legs of the back of the chair with her feet propped up on the table.
"Those scanners they have are advanced enough, but there's a chance that they could miss a new, passive agent," Vega was warming up to her theory.
Danny had told them about everything that had taken place after the trio had beamed down to the infirmary - about the doctor, the security, Sheppard's reactions, and this new alien, the Furling. Now he sat silently, listening to his teammates, the exclamations of disbelief and their theories, thanking Colonel Carter for her foresight. He just knew that she had prevented another fiasco by asking Danny to bring this lot here to explain before letting them out in front of Sheppard and Steve.
"Yes, I know, it's crazy. But, for now, we're going with it." Danny decided to join the discussion, putting a firm stop to any more hypotheses. "Because let me be clear. Sheppard's very - I mean - very fucking serious about this guy's protection. He turned all that Wraith-Killer madness full-on and went into protective mode. I was there and I know he was ready to go against the entire ship if that's what he had to do to keep Steve and his alien safe. So until those two come up with more information and explanations, we're going to tread carefully," he said in a serious tone he rarely used and it got all of them paying attention. "So, when we go out there and meet them, you'd better keep it in mind. We don't know if it's just Sheppard or all the ATA gene carriers, so there's that too,"
That last bit had all of them turning to stare at Lorne. Lorne rubbed a hand across his face and sighed. "So, can we go see them now?"
"You lot go for your checkups while I go ask Sheppard, then I'll come and get you if he says okay," Danny informed them, getting up to go to the infirmary.
He was already planning to lead them through the entrance furthest from where the Commander and the Major were resting. If the infirmary staff had done what Carter had told them and screened that area off, it wouldn't be an issue, he hoped.
Infirmary - Screened off Area
Odyssey
Steve was surrounded by the warm, blue blanket again. If this was what dying felt like, with no pain, hurt, or fear, but cozy comfort, he could get used to this. As long as there were no singing serpents, he was all for it.
"Human Steven McGarrett, you are not dead. You have been healed and in quite excellent health."
Okay.
Wow!
The singing was back. It was every bit as indignant and confident still, as if he found it tedious that Steve was questioning his abilities. Well, he kinda was, wasn't he? And he had almost forgotten how beautiful that voice was - enchanting might be a better word. If only the voice hadn't come attached to that scary monster!
"Why do you insist on these insulting and frankly offensive thoughts? I'm no more scary than all those images you carry around in your head from those insane things you call 'movies.' It is perfectly clear to me that I am much more than all of them combined."
So he had been swimming around in Steve's thoughts? He didn't know how to feel about that. But the creature did have a point. Steve had seen a few horror flicks and not-so-horror movies with weird fantasy creatures in them. But he didn't know exactly what this guy looked like now, did he?
Responding to his thoughts, the sea serpent unfurled in Steve's mind, giving him a clear view of what he had agreed to host. He had to admit that he had been a bit of an asshole to the creature. But in his defense, he had been dying thanks to a shot in the back by a Snake, a much uglier one that'd been riding a human brain stem.
Steve didn't know enough words to describe the sight of the creature he was now seeing in his mind. Calling him beautiful felt glaringly lacking. He was a freaking incredible thing to behold and the movies didn't even come close to what this guy actually was. Steve hadn't realized any of this back when he had been drowning.
The creature was long and looked to be quadruped with clawed feet. He had a soft, transparent ruff along the entire length of the spine and around the neck. The ruff along the back ended at the tail merging into a sharp point and the whole ensemble reminded Steve more of a sea dragon than a sea serpent. Maybe something from a fairytale or a fantasy novel he had read when he was a kid. The sea dragon was also covered in shiny, rough-looking scales - scales of every shade of blue he could imagine. Steve was sure he was seeing probably hundreds of different blue colors in them. It looked as if the creature was glowing from within and whenever he moved, different sets of colors caught the light, giving him an ethereal look. He was blinking his huge blue-green eyes and waiting for Steve to finish admiring him.
"Okay, you're right, I'm sorry. You are neither ugly nor scary. Quite the opposite really. I apologize,"
"Apology accepted, Human Steven McGarrett," the dragon replied, now placated by Steve's humble apology. "You were dying after all," he graciously allowed.
"And thank you for saving my life. You didn't have to do that," Steve had to get that out of the way. He owed his life to this creature's timely intervention.
"Saving your life has given me an opportunity to see the world again. There is no debt owed."
"Yes, about that. What is happening between us right now? What did I agree to exactly? You'll forgive me if I'm offending you but I need to know. As you probably already know, I was kidnapped by a group of creatures that uses humans as puppets after all,"
Steve hoped fervently that he hadn't made a worse mistake by agreeing to accept help from this unknown entity. He didn't know what to do about it if that was the case. He felt gut-churning fear at the thought of being responsible for bringing along a greater disaster.
"I understand the fear you harbor on behalf of your people and I am not offended. I am happy to explain what happened to you back on the planet I have started calling the 'Carcerem.*'" The creature settled into recounting the story in his melodious voice. "I am a Furling and my name is Galen. I am 11798 of your years old. I am the last of my species left in this galaxy. I was in that river for a very long time and the circumstances that brought me there is another story. A story I shall share with you another time. I was suspended in stasis over the years until your blood touched the waters," he paused.
He was playing the memory in their shared space of mind as he was describing the events and now Steve could see himself through Galen's eyes. He saw his body hit the water and his blood mixing into the water like a dark, red cloud. Then he saw the reaction Galen went through the moment his scales came to contact with his blood.
At that moment, Galen knew him, experienced him, and understood him, in his entirety.
The Furling saw everything; his genetic makeup, his blood type, health, all his injuries new and old, all his memories throughout his entire life, the things he had done, things that had been done to him, the things he believed in, his morals, all the emotions and feelings he had experienced in his whole life - all of that and more... It was all-encompassing. At that moment, Galen had known Steve's entire being down to a single molecule.
He felt the Furling gently withdrawing the memory.
"You may see it whenever you wish, but for now you have an inkling as to what it was like for me. It was not something I had any control over or could stop from happening," the Furling told Steve apologetically. "For it is my nature."
Steve knew Galen could feel what he was feeling right now at the knowledge of being so completely exposed like that. It was utterly, mind-numbingly horrifying, and strangely freeing at the same time. Steve was having a hard time wrapping his mind around it. It was starting to make him feel sick.
"I knew you so completely, I could not avoid helping you. It was impossible, unthinkable, for you and I were one. Your pain was my pain and your fear was my fear. It was all I could do to make them all go away," the Furling continued softly.
Steve didn't know what to think let alone to say, which was the same thing right now, wasn't it? Amidst the jumble of emotions he was battling to get under control, he felt incredibly guilty at having put this beautiful creature through all of that. He couldn't even begin to fathom how it must have been like to live all those thousands of years and then keep going for as many without any contact with the world at all - a grey, lonely existence with nothing but his own memories to keep him company throughout the long years...
What right did Steve have to disturb the last living being of an ancient race with all of his problems?
"Oh, God! I'm so sorry!" Steve didn't know what else to say. The sick feeling had intensified at this new realization.
"No! Do not be sorry! Human Steven McGarrett, please, I implore you, do not ever be Sorry!" Galen was adamant and earnest. The ringing notes were insistent and determined, urging Steve to believe. "I had not felt for millennia and you brought all of that back to me, you reminded me of a time that was before the endless grey I had been suspended in. Along with the pain and fear, you also brought the memories of joy and love, things I had forgotten for a long time, so the gift of life was mutual," the Furling was sincere in his gratitude and Steve heard the hope and longing in his musical voice.
He was starting to believe Galen.
"In fact, it would be accurate to say that you have given me more than I have given you because you brought me the presence of a dear old friend as well." there was a clear note of smile and joy in Galen's voice now.
Steve was lost in memories again.
This time, there were images of John, along with an overload of sense memories. Millenia old memories and emotions blending anew with recent ones. Galen had known Sheppard's Alteran ancestor and he could sense her through Sheppard - the Alteran he had been merged with before his self-imposed exile. Steve was drowning again and the Furling had to bring him back to the surface gently.
"Human Steven McGarrett, I promise you, with time, you shall know me as well as I have known you. I am an old soul with an entirely too long a life and even longer memories. But they are now yours as well as mine. I shall share anything and everything you may ask for, as long as we are merged together."
The promise resonated in his bones and Steve knew without a doubt that the offer was sincere. Even though the Furling was now firmly blended to him, he wasn't being overwhelmed or crushed by the presence in any way. It was strangely very comforting to be sharing a mind-space with him. His calming presence was a soothing balm for the turbulence of emotions brought on by the recounting of the events. It was something Steve hadn't thought would be at all possible. He also knew that he wasn't in a hurry to separate from the Furling just yet. He was friendly and kind, but more than that, he could feel the deep loneliness he had experienced over the thousands of years that'd passed, underlying in subtle waves in his presence...
Nah, they didn't have to worry about that for a while yet unless Galen wanted it for some reason. Besides, Steve wanted to know more, a whole lot more. And he knew Galen was perfectly willing to share. It was going to be an experience, he was sure. He had one more thing to straighten out first.
"Galen?"
"Yes, human Steven McGarrett?"
"Say, if we're going to be sharing a mind and a body for the foreseeable future, please call me Steve and I'll call you Galen, that okay?"
"As you wish, Steve."
Steve knew he had made the right choice there. Bells tinkled happy ringing notes in his mind. "Alright then. So, do I just wake up now or what?"
"You may wake up any time you wish, Steve, but you should know that your friend is waiting," Galen informed him.
"John?"
"Yes."
Galen then showed him his lover's tired face staring resolutely at a spot on his knee. John looked worn out and worried. Then there was the memory of Galen calling out for help and John reacting to it in the craziest possible manner. No wonder he looked so tired. They were going to have to deal with that incident on top of everything else. Another thing he needed Galen to explain to him, but not now.
Steve knew it was time to wake up. He felt the presence of the Furling fade away and it was as if he was back to himself again. There was not even a hint of the vast creature that he was merged with. There wasn't the slightest intrusion in his mind and it confirmed his decision, even more, to keep Galen with him for a while.
But now, he had a worried lover to reassure, so he opened his eyes.
….
"Hey,"
John turned his head so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. Steve was staring at him with a crooked smile. John felt the answering smile stretching on his lips at the sight. He stood up from his chair and bent towards the SEAL to catch that crooked smile in a blistering kiss. He had so many things to say to him, he found it much easier to pour it all into that kiss. Everything he had felt from the moment he had seen Steve going down, the dread, the worry, and now the joy at seeing him looking back at him, all of it came rushing out of him. Steve groaned appreciatively and put his hands around John's neck to keep him in place, enjoying his greeting.
"Hmm, I could get used to this kind of 'welcome back,"
Steve sounded a little breathless when they finally parted for air. John gripped his shoulders, rested his forehead on Steve's, and sighed. He didn't want to let go just yet.
"How are you feeling?" He asked softly.
"I'm great, considering."
John knew that was the truth. He was merged to a Furling after all. They had a long conversation ahead of them. Not yet though. He needed this moment to savor the feeling of having his SEAL alive and well in his arms again.
"So, tell me, how much trouble are we in?" Steve asked after some time.
John let go of him and moved to sit on his chair. He dragged it closer so that he could still keep one arm on Steve's shoulder when he talked to him.
"Nothing we couldn't talk ourselves out of, I guess," John said slowly. At least, he hoped that was the case. "It'll be entirely up to Galen what he chooses to share about himself," he was quite firm on that point. He still wasn't sure that telling the others about the Furling earlier was the best decision, but Galen had insisted it was for the best.
"He's very fond of you," said Steve. He couldn't help but smile at the glimpses of memories Galen had shared with him from his past.
"Yeah, Steve, about that," John said, running a hand through his hair. "I've got all these memories in my head. His call brought back so many things, stuff that's a few thousand years old and I haven't got a clue how to deal with all that,"
John was trying and failing to keep the panic he had been pushing back from spilling over. He'd tried to sort through those new memories while he was waiting for Steve to wake up and had almost lost his mind. It had been too much and he'd had to fight hard to separate himself from drowning and getting lost in the life of an Alteran ancestor. It was an entire world of new, exciting things full of wonder and the tide of memories was too alluring to keep away for too long. John knew he had to somehow sort through and push them back if he needed to keep his own mind from shattering to pieces and disappearing in the vastness of it. John was scared because he didn't know how to do it.
"Hey, hey, John, look at me,"
It was Steve's turn to hold onto him and John realized he was gently shaking him by the shoulders. John had almost drowned again in his own mind.
Steve was staring at him intently and he was glowing a shimmering blue from within. Galen had surfaced responding to John's panic. He could see the form of the Furling - a blue, sea dragon with a transparent ruff around his neck staring at him with wide blue-green eyes - the same shade as Steve's - John noticed. He wasn't quite sure whether he was seeing him in his mind or Galen was somehow projecting himself over Steve to the naked eye.
Then he heard him.
"Child, John Sheppard, I am sorry my call has unsettled you. It was not my intention to do so, please forgive me," the apologetic, singing voice in his mind was already having a calming effect on the tidal waves of memories and emotions. "Do you wish for them to be locked away again?" the Furling offered.
No!
John didn't want them to go away. He just needed some time and help to understand them. He wanted to keep them and experience them, just without losing himself while doing that. It was all a part of him and he didn't want to let go.
"As you wish, child,"
Then he heard the singing again and John could feel whatever the Furling was doing taking effect. The flood of chaos in his mind was clearing. His memories were not going anywhere, but they were fading. They were losing their intensity so John could view them without getting lost in them. The same thing was happening to the tangle of emotions and finally, he felt he could breathe again without his mind threatening to break into pieces.
He didn't know how long it had been. It could've been minutes or hours. When he eventually opened his eyes, Steve was sitting on the table and hunched over him; his forehead resting on John's and his strong arms securely wrapped around his shoulders, holding him safe.
"You okay?"
Galen had withdrawn and it was Steve who was asking. John nodded. He wasn't sure whether his voice was steady enough to talk yet. Steve stayed where he was, willing to hold him for however long he needed. John wanted it to go on forever. He didn't want to move at all. But real life was waiting just outside getting ready to intervene. In fact, he could hear them talking to each other in hushed voices from the other side of the temporary screen that separated him and Steve from the rest of the infirmary. So he slowly pushed away from the warmth and straightened.
Looking over his lover, John realized the SEAL was still only in his underwear. The doctors had only taken his sodden clothes off and transferred him onto the gurney just before the things had gone to hell. He should've at least gotten him something to wear before losing his shit on the man the moment he opened his eyes, John chided himself.
As if he knew what John was thinking, Steve leaned back in and planted a soft, forgiving kiss on his lips, smiling as he did so before letting him go.
"Let me go get you some dry clothes," said John sheepishly. "I got the people in the infirmary to back off earlier without really letting them finish your checkup,"
"It's okay. I'm glad you did that," Steve replied. "But I'd like some clothes, please. I'd rather not see the rest of the team only in my boxers," he added with a smirk twitching at the corner of his mouth.
Notes:
- Galen's speech will always be depicted in Italics.
- Alteran is depicted in Latin.
*Carcerem - Prison