Ardeth told Frank everything about the Med-jai. If Frank was shocked by what had gone on this past week, his shock was increased tenfold by the end of the evening. Sleep did not come easily for him that night, as he thought about the many unbelievable situations the Med-jai—and his grandfather—had been involved in.

He was also trying to make a decision. Earlier, when Ardeth had said that Frank was a Med-jai, the conversation had taken an interesting turn.

"He is a Medjai!" Safti had gasped, interrupting without thinking. As Ardeth tossed him a puzzled frown, Safti had raised his tattooed hand toward his Chief, who nodded, as he suddenly understood. 

"What?" Frank asked, catching the unspoken exchange.

"I will begin the tale in a moment, but first..." Ardeth paused, unsure of how to broach the subject.

"What?" Frank asked again, growing apprehensive. He waited, wondering what Ardeth was having trouble saying.

"I think what he's trying to tell you," said Rick. "Is that as a Med-jai, you need to be marked as one."

Frank frowned. "Marked?"

Rick nodded, and held up his arm, showing him the tattoo on his wrist.

Tattoos, Frank thought to himself. Great, those will be a real career booster. He took a deep breath, and looked at Ardeth. "I'm honored, I am, but…in my day, people don't walk around with tattoos on their faces…"

Ardeth and Safti both chuckled. "We do not expect you to get the facial tattoos," Ardeth said. "Perhaps a small one, like Rick's…"

Frank had never been one to consider defacing his body, but instead of refusing, he thought about it for a minute. This is my heritage, he thought. That's different then getting a tattoo of a snake on your rear.

"Think about it," said Rick.

Ardeth nodded. "Yes. You do not have to give your answer now."

He'd nodded, and Ardeth had begun the stories.

Frank sighed, as he tried to imagine what life would be like if they were stuck there. As much as he was fascinated to find out what his ancestors were like, this was not his home…

********************

The next day, Frank woke feeling at ease, having resolved during the night that he would allow the Med-jai to mark him as a member of the tribe. Refusing the tattoo would be like running away from his heritage—denying it—and he didn't want to do that. He knew there was still a lot he didn't know about the Med-jai, but he knew enough to be proud that they were the race he'd come from.

Frank thought about his mother, wondering what Alanur would think. The mental picture of her brought of smile to his face.  She would be proud, too, he was certain of it. Now...just how do the Med-jai go about this process? Frank wondered, frowning slightly. Oh well, he continued, mentally shrugging. It can't be any worse than getting shot.

"You have made your decision?" Ardeth asked, startling Frank, who hadn't noticed that his 'grandfather' was awake. Ardeth could see the decision on his face, and swelled with pride inwardly. He said nothing, however. It was important that Frank say the words.

Frank looked at him. "I've decided to take the tattoo."

Ardeth couldn't hold back his smile, and Frank smiled back.

********************

A few hours later, everyone was assembled in the tent while Safti prepared to apply the tattoo.

Frank was nervous about it, for some strange reason. He had decided to have it put on the inside of his right wrist, where it would not be as noticeable to the entire world thanks to his watch. In his line of work, any identifiable mark on his body could prove hazardous.

Everyone in Frank's team thought it was great for him to wear the sign of his people.

"I wish I came from a cool race like this," Cody said, admittedly jealous.

Alex O'Connell was quietly watching, and thinking. His parents had left late last night, telling Ardeth that they'd be back in a couple of days. He sighed, wishing he could've seen them again, but knowing that he'd made the right decision. Looking up, he saw Safti holding Frank's arm steady on the table that the two of them were sitting up at, and Safti was just starting his work.

When Frank saw the large needle, he began to wish he'd changed his mind. What's the matter with me, he thought. I've been shot, stabbed, had my spleen removed, and more…and I'm afraid of a needle? I've been given more shots then I can count! He realized the difference could be in that the shots he'd gotten during his many hospital stays were to save his life, whereas this one was to permanently mark his body. I can't back out now, this is important to Ardeth…my grandfather…and it's who I am. He suddenly had to fight the urge to smile. If the team only knew what I was thinking, they might actually think I'm human!

"Ready?" Safti asked.

Frank nodded, trying to appear relaxed. When the thick needle was stuck into his skin, he had to bite back a gasp; it hurt more then he had thought, and he realized the reason being that the skin on his wrist was naturally more sensitive then other areas of the body. He stole a glance at Ardeth, to see him smiling proudly, and so he smiled back.

Cody had a look of fascination on his face. Jake had seen tattoos done before, but was curious to see how Frank's came out. Alex and Monica looked sympathetic towards the pain they knew he felt, as usual, and Alex O'Connell was smiling too; a much happier man since his mission had been a success.

Looking down at his wrist, Frank saw that Safti had not made fast progress. A tattoo being applied in 1934 was done quite differently then in 2002; painstakingly by hand, and with a very thick needle. He tried not to wince as Safti continued to do the outline with black ink, pressing the needle hard into his skin. The bullet wound in his side protested his sitting position, and he sighed inwardly, wondering how long it would take.

********************

The tattoo took Safti an hour to complete. Frank had begun it sitting up, but ended it lying down. The bullet wound in his side had grown more and more painful, and combining that and the pain he still had from the other gunshot wounds—not to mention the tattoo—it was sufficient to make him pale enough for the others to notice.

Frank had tried to shift his position slightly, to take pressure off the left side of his body, when he heard Ardeth's voice.

"Safti."

Safti looked up from his job and looked at Ardeth. He followed his leader's gaze to Frank's face, and frowned, angry at himself for not keeping in mind that Frank was still anything but healthy.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Frank's team looked up from studying the half finished tattoo, and saw their boss' pale face. They all rushed over, nervously, repeating Safti's question.

"I'm fine," Frank lied.

"Yeah, sure," said Jake. "Can you do this with him lying down, Safti?"

Safti nodded, and moved the small table as they all tried to help Frank lie down.

"I'm all right," he said, annoyed at their mother-henning. He couldn't stop the relieved sigh that escaped his lips when the pain in his side lessened, though, as Safti picked up where he'd left off.

"Ooooh!"

Frank opened his eyes when he heard the amazed voices, realizing that it signified that Safti had finished. He tried to lift his arm, so he could see it, but Safti was still holding it, gently wiping blood away. He let go, and Frank was able to see the finished product now.

The tattoo showed a pyramid with a circle through it, going through the points of the triangle. Inside the tip of the pyramid was a sun and moon; the moon superimposed over the right side of the sun. Ardeth had suggested it, saying that the symbols of night and day represented the cycle of life; the different generations of grandfather and grandson. Underneath it was the mark that was on the Med-jai's cheeks. It was beautifully done; he was amazed at Safti's handiwork.

"It looks great," he said, smiling at Safti, who grinned back.

"Yes," said Ardeth, coming closer to see it better. "Safti does good work."

Frank's team came close, to study it.

"Excellent job," Monica commented.

"It looks cool!" Cody exclaimed.

"I almost got a tattoo when I was younger," Jake told them. "But I chickened out."

"Chickened out?" Alex Cross said, her eyebrows flying up. "Jake Shaw chickened out?!"

"Yeah, first time for everything," Jake replied, with a smirk.

For all of you wondering what the 'information' was that I alluded to in chap 1 that Dreamscape helped me out with, it was about how a tattoo is done. (No she doesn't have one, she did some asking for me, lol) Just a few chapters left! Keep reading and reviewing! Thanks! :)