Thanks for all the awesome reviews. Ya'll are keepin me psyched!


Fourteen.
The corridor of the stone prison gradually turned into one of steel beams and grating then into an air conditioned corridor that looked like it belonged on Atlantis. Through more lefts and rights than Carson could keep track of, John remained unconscious and Rodney dozed, locked in the purple light-capsules.

Carson stumbled on the transition from the steel mesh floor to the slick steel. His body was trembling, legs weak. He knew a fever had spiked but kept silent. Licking the sweat from his upper lip, he concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. He was shaken from his trance when he ran into the back of one of Saysha's orderlies. He mumbled an apology, taking a step back.

They had stopped in a room, not unlike Carson's own medical bay, with a line half-a-dozen diagnostic beds and shelves of medical supplies. Other pieces of impressive equipment he didn't recognize lined the other side of the long room.

The two levitating devices were depositing the two patients on diagnostic beds next to each other. As the one carrying Major Sheppard lowered him to the bed, Carson found the sense to speak, "Not on his back." The room spun, but he slurred, "Ribs are broken, open scalp laceration…" was all he got out before his legs gave, leaving him an unconscious heap in the arms of the nearby orderly.

Saysha ran to the side of the fallen man. She had noticed his deteriorating condition on their long journey to the healing room but hoped he would make it onto a bed before the fever took him. She motioned to the orderly to place him on a third bed near the other two men.

"Alright, gentlemen. Let us find out more about you," she spoke to the unconscious group while typing on the keys of the portable data recording unit.

A A A A A A

Saysha was excited. All three of her patients were fascinating in various ways, their bodies telling it's own unique story. They were of the line of the Atlanteans. Her people had not been in contact with them in ten thousand years. She scanned the initial readings for the fifth time since bringing them in, this time taking notes and condensing for her report to Jotham.

Carson was floating in darkness. Peaceful darkness. But something…something was nagging him, stealing his peace. Major Sheppard and Rodney. He shot up, eyes searching for his team mates. The room spun but he slid off the bed, his bare feet meeting the chilled floor. "You should not be up."

A bonnie lass with long dark hair stood in front of him, hands on her hips, a perturbed expression on her face. Carson frowned, staring at her, trying to coax his memory into telling him what happened. After a few blinks, it came flying back in flashes and spurts, nearly bringing the contents of his stomach with it.

Saysha noticed her patient pale and lose focus. She urged him back on the bed with a firm hand.

Carson clenched his eyes tight until he was sure he wouldn't vomit then opened them to see Saysha leaning over him. He gave a lazy smile, saying, "My name is Carson."

She smiled and nodded at him. "Nice to meet you, Carson. Do you remember what has happened?"

"Aye. How are my friends?"

Saysha side-stepped out of his line of sight allowing him to see Rodney beside him, still asleep but not as pale. He was stripped to the waist, givingCarson full view ofthe four gouge marks. A thing pink film covered them holding the flesh togetherlike a bandage, but it appeared to be a paint-like substance. Major Sheppard was on the other side of Rodney, face turned away, belly down on the bed, also stripped to the waist leaving exposed the ugly bruises that covered two-thirds of his back. A thick white gauze pad was held securely on his stitches by wraps of cloth winding around the major's head. Carson could see both men breathing slow and even.

"They are faring well. This one," she pointed to Rodney, "has been altered by a device very similar to one I use."

"That one is Rodney. From the writings on the device, we could see that it was a diagnostic tool. After he was exposed, I couldn't find a thing wrong with him...How did ya know?" Carson was getting excited because Saysha knew what caused Rodney's plight maybe she knew how to cure it.

"It leaves a distinct signature, only detectable by the diagnostic device. The handheld one you saw me use is a much newer model than the one with which he was treated."

"We found it in a room,...well, where Jotham found us. Those two were playing around with it. Rodney ended up mute and Major Sheppard received the injuries ya see protectin him when the place collapsed."

"Yes, that explains much. Those tunnels have been abandoned for centuries, since the main city was finished. The device you found hasn't been used in thousands of years because it was too dependant on the thought processes of the physician. Many were injured further or died because of the ineptness of the physician." She paused, cocking her head, "Why were you there?"

"Well," Carson was hesitant to say too much but these people had helped them and seemed more advanced than any others they had encountered before. "We are peaceful explorers. We travel through the Stargate to meet new cultures, find new friends..." He opted for the simple truth. Let Major Sheppard or Lt Ford make the decision to plunge into details.

"Well, I cannot ultimately speak for Jotham but I believe you have found new friends." She patted Carson's arm.

Carson returned her soft smile but found himself drifting. The scratch on his arm from the creature must've gotten infected...or there was poison on the claws...or th...

Saysha watched her patient fade, fighting valiantly but finally falling into sleep. More questions and answers could come later.