Yeah, I know, it took me a LONG time to update… classes have been crAZY! But I have the next one written... there's only two more…
'SCOPES AND ACHES
I stood in the shower for what seemed like hours, the water washing everything away. My hair is cleaner then it's been in a long time, washed over and over. I scrub my skin, hoping to wash away the tingle that still creeps over my body.
Where did the idea start that you are safe under your covers? That the monsters can't get you? I can't curl up small enough, cover myself up enough. The ceilings in Atlantis are smooth, there's nothing to count, nothing to occupy your mind. Why am I laying here while I'm sure others are securing the city, bringing back the rest of the population, trying to get things back to whatever passed as normal. My own team is back no doubt, resetting up the lab. I hear something outside my door, I set up; no, the Wraith are gone. There's nothing out there to get me anymore. I should be in the astronomy lab, make sure nothing got damaged, that everything gets back to where it should be. Pulling my uniform back on I quickly make sure the bandage is still stuck to my head, that's going to leave a mark. A deep breath calms me before I open the door.
Once I reach the main astronomy lab I see that everyone is back and the boxes are beginning to be unpacked.
"Emily!" Vivian spotted me first. Her eyes went wide when she saw the gauze bandage with a small spot of red in the center. "Are you okay, what happened?"
"I see everyone is back and safe." Smiling, trying to pass things off as normal.
Connor was carefully trying not to drop the one for the smaller graphing telescopes. Apparently Emily's exuberant greeting had made him jump. Then again, he was always jumpy. Was he even old enough to have his doctorate? "We just got back, we were wondering where you were, especially when you didn't come though the gate with Owen."
"And when the next evac never came…everyone thought the worse." Owen said.
"Yeah well… the Wrath are gone now, so let's get this place back to working shape." I slap my hands and rub them together in preperation. "Just because the Wraith attacked doesn't mean Mckay's going to let us slack on our weekly reports. We got unpacking to do."
…oooOOOooo…
"Emily," I jumped at Vivian's voice, hitting the top of my head on the bottom of the table.
"Ouch," rubbing my head, my head was already pounding, I need to stop hitting it. I crawl out. "Viv, yeah, what's up?"
"What are you doing down there?"
"Hooking back up some of this gear." I motioned behind me to the computers that ran the radio telescopes stationed around the city.
"It's three in the morning, don't you think you should be heading to bed."
"Is it really that late?" There's no way time has passed that fast.
"Emily, your hand is shaking…"
Setting down the cables I press my hands firmly to the table. "I just lost track of time and just haven't eaten in a while, I'll be fine once I eat."
"The mess is closed…"
"I'll find a Powerbar somewhere, I'll be fine," leave me alone.
"What happened when the Wraith?"
"What'cha mean," Picking the cables back up, I lean back around the screen, plugging them into the back.
"Well, you were stuck here during the attack, you weren't here when we got back, no one knew where you were, and you're head is bleeding. You keep avoiding my questions, this isn't like you Em."
"I fell and hit my head, that's all."
"What were you doing when you fell?"
"Um… I don't remember…" trying to pass it off as nothing.
"I'm not sure," she mocked, "you sound like a kid."
Suck it up, "I ran into a Wraith."
Vivian was quiet, "Are you okay."
"It wasn't a big deal, I barely saw it." Except it's eyes will haunt my nightmares for years.
"I don't know what to… did it… you know…. 'palm' you?"
"'palm' me," Looking back at her with a tension breaking laugh. "What am I a basketball, do I look older to you?" crawling back under the desk. "No it didn't attack me, just gave me a scare."
"How'd you get away?"
The one way every woman on this base want to be saved, "Major Sheppard killed it."
"Oh… I'm so… so sorry." There was no more concern in her voice, that conversation had ended. No, now; now she was all sarcastic.
"Right I'm sure you are," crawling out, tapped a little rhythm out on the table. "Alright, time for food."
…oooOOOooo…
I got back to my room around four. Three hours of sleep should be enough, enough time to make Viv and the others happy, and I can be back in the lab early. At first I keep the bathroom light on, but the shadows and my imagination were scarier then the darkness. My whole body is aching and exhausted and I can't for the life of me get comfortable. No matter how I sprawl out or curl up, everything still hurts. Especially my head, right behind my eyes and up my right side is still pounding, is that feeling ever going to end. Carson's happy-bye-bye-pain pills must have worn off. I should go get some more, didn't he want to see me anyway today, but I'm sure a visit would involve poking and prodding and needles.
This seems oddly familiar, wasn't I just laying here a few hours ago? Staring at the Technicolor light show inside my eyelids. I wonder if anyone else see that? Most peope just say they see black when they close their eyes, but I see color. Moving tie dye stains, or soap bubbles or water balloons filled with paint exploding. Except they are brighter now, maybe it's the concussion? Or maybe there's still some pain drugs in my head, maybe that's what's keeping the fireworks exploding in my eyelids.
Okay, that's it, I can't lay here any longer.
…oooOOOooo…
"Meanwhile, back at the lab," it's empty of course. We set radio telescopes up around the city, scanning the skies. Four powerful duel-processing computers sit in the far corner of the lab, constantly monitoring what the dishes pick up. Looking for anything that might be a pattern, artificial; or looking at objects that emit radiation in the longer frequencies. The computers are able to create a picture where optic-based telescopes see nothing. Although here in Pegasus they are looking for more then just that, they are looking for anything that might be the Wraith or something else that wants to ruin our day. Pulling up a chair, curling my leg; I remind myself that when I get up, it's really going to hurt. Then again, I never follow my own advice.
Plugging a headset in and tuning in to the first dish, I heard nothing. Second dish is the same. The radio dishes around Atlantis were grouped into four groups, three at each of the large arms and the last group on the main tower. Each were capable of acting on it's own, collecting shorter radio and microwaves, or all in a group to form the largest radio telescope in history. I was proud of that fact, that I had wired together such a beast, a dish as big as the city. Normally the dishes would have to be close together to act as one, laid along veins such as the VLA (Very Large Array) in New Mexico. But leave it to the military to conceive of something better, I would never of gotten my hands on it if I hadn't joined up with the Stargate program. Hell I wouldn't have even thought it was possible, but you can do wonderful things with a little alien technology. The last telescope in the group is probably not working also… yep, no joy. Normally I would have gone out, investigate and fix; but very much lacking the energy at the moment, I decided to send people out later. Ah, the perks that come with command. Well, at least one of the scopes is working. For some reason I always think that I'll be able to pick up some faint pattern or something else that the computers miss, highly unlikely, but I listen all the same.
The background cosmic radiation acts like a sort of white noise, not putting me asleep, but almost in a kind of trance, dazing out. Any sort of rest is better then nothing. Hours pass quickly, noting unusual comes across my ears.
CLAP "Shit!" I practically fall out of my chair. "Owen, what the hell are you doing!" Recovering back into my chair.
"What are you doing crashed out in the lab listening to static at half past the crack of dawn?"
I just haven't gotten any sleep in close to 36 hours. Up for almost two days straight before the Wraith got here and no sleep since the attack, I'm just desperate for anything at the moment…"Just woke up early that's all. Aaaaummmummmm" I hum out, trying to remember what I was going to ask him, oh yeah "… the dishes are out on the tower, could you check those out before you start things this morning?"
"Yeah, no problem; I'll wait till Viv gets in, those things are her baby. She can get them to do anything."
"That's fine," Checking my watch, "She should be in any time." I stretch, yawn, and try and stand up. "Eeaaaaahh," As I fall back into the seat, my knee and ankle cry out; everytime, I flex my leg, I need to stop sitting on my leg.
…oooOOOooo…
Connor was wandering in and out, unpacking and setting up the last of the equipment, while I filled out paperwork waiting for Viv and Owen to reach the dishes.
"Dr. Ashta, how is the unpacking going?" Dr. Zelenka wandered into the room, pushing his glasses up on his nose.
"Hey there," oh thank you, a reason to take a break. "It's going good, Dr. Manganello is getting the last of the equipment out of boxes. Making sure no one got greedy and snatched one of the Celestron scopes." I smiled and leaned back.
"Yes, well, everyone would like one I'm sure. All want to find and name a star for family back home."
"Yeah, everyone wants to be an astronomer until it comes to the number crunching. Besides, I got a big family, I may need all those stars…"
"Emily," Vivian's voice popped up in my ear.
Tap, "Yeah, I'm here."
"Well, I know why the radio dishes aren't working..."
"… Okay… would you care to fill me in… my telepathy isn't quite working today."
"Someone cut the wires."
"What?"
Owen's voice cut in, "The wires to the power source were severed."
"By who?" Radek asked, obviously curious.
"We have no idea," Viv said. I can just see her shaking her head and kicking something. For some reason she always thinks violence and technology mix well. "Owen, look at this."
"What is that?" scrapping came over the radio.
"What's going on?"
"We found something." Vivian explained.
"'Something' that doesn't tell me much."
"Viv it's blinking…"
"ShitOwenrun…." Static followed.
"Viv… Owen… guys…" panic started creaping in my voice…
I was already out the door in a dead run, with Connor and Radek close behind.
"Rodney," Zelenka called as he ran.
"What!" he said impatiently.
"We just lost contact with people at the radio dishes…"
Rodney interrupted, "Who was there, there was just an explosion!"
Somehow I start running faster, I'm not tired anymore.