Chapter Ten

"Blind?" Weir asked looking up at Sheppard as he, Teyla and Ford stood in her office. She had given permission for the team to bring this girl back through the stargate in order to find out more about her and where she had come from. Quite frankly, she was having a hard time understanding and following the events of the past few hours and she'd met Kiki briefly before she had been whisked away to the infirmary along with McKay and Beckett. Elizabeth had been truly overwhelmed at the sight.

"Yes, she informs me that she is able to see colours and various shapes but that is the extent of her infliction. She has been this way for most of her life," Teyla answered calmly, hands clasped together behind her back.

"It would explain her behaviour towards us," Sheppard concluded hands on his hips. "The wild behaviour and just running at her targets. Aren't your other senses supposed to heighten when you lose one?"

"I think so," Weir replied, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "Do we know anything about where she comes from? What happened to her people?"

"We're still," Sheppard began while glancing to Teyla before looking back to Weir. "Trying to determine that but this thing screams Wraith."

"And she attacked you all because she may have thought you were Wraith looking for her? Because she didn't know any better?" Weir asked reclining back in her chair some more. Letting all the information sink in. No one gave her an answer, but it was a damn good suggestion and something to look into. "Keep me posted," Weir said in dismissal.

--

McKay looked over to Kiki who lay down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling but as if she could stare at anything before closing her eyes and turning over away from him. He was still having a hard time that the person who had attacked him was not only a girl, but she had been blind aswell. He paid his attention back to Beckett who was in the process of removing Ford's bandage. "It doesn't look so bad Rodney," he said softly, moving back and grabbing a swipe to clean it up then began applying stitches to close the wound.

"Yes well it doesn't feel that way," McKay answered, brutally honest before looking back to cave girl. Beckett caught the look but didn't say anything, if he had to guess either McKay was scared of the girl or still had a sore point about letting her, how had Major Sheppard put it? Get the drop on him. Then again with McKay you could never tell. He examined the cut more closely as he pulled the bandage from it's sterile wrapper and began to unroll it. "Good news Rodney, no muscles have been damaged. Your reflexes are good," Beckett said as he worked. "I don't see you having any long term problems."

"Well thank god for that," McKay answered wincing slightly and making a face. "I've been through enough as it is since we got here. I mean imminent death, the Wraith who suck the life out of you, being stuck in a puddlejumper which was, may I add, trapped in the gate! I'd be a whole lot safer staying at home looking after my cat and watching The Twilight Zone!" For some reason, Beckett looked completely unmoved by the scientist's overdue outburst.

"You may feel some pain and discomfort for a few days," Beckett replied, getting up and disposing of his latex gloves. "The stitches can come out in a couple of days, if you want any medication to control the pain just ask."

"Thank you," McKay said slowly getting off the bed and putting his jacket back on. "But that won't be necessary, I will need a clear head to carry out my work and despite the pain I will try my darn hardest to press on like any true Canadian."

"Whatever you say Rodney," Beckett said moving over to the table and putting some more latex gloves on and moving over to Kiki. McKay followed him over, out of interest more than anything. Beckett turned round and jumped slightly, startled by his presence there. "Rodney do you mind?" he whispered, keeping his voice low for Kiki was fast asleep.

"Sorry," he said, not meaning it entirely and found that in sleep, the young girl was actually kind of cute and not at all threatening plus she had been cleaned up so her hair no longer looked like she had a bird's nest in it. Beckett watched over her a moment with a dull expression, no child deserved to go through something like this. "So find anything interesting?" McKay asked still looking over the man's shoulder.

One more look at the heart monitor and Beckett snapped out of it, tearing his gaze away from her and looked to McKay. "Not really, she's a normal human like you or I. She's obtained a few bumps and scraps and is suffering from malnutrition but apart from that she's healthy."

"I thought you shot her."

"I did but I figured out why it didn't effect her," Beckett answered reaching into his pocket and pulling out the object he had retrieved in the forest and handing it to McKay. "Recognise this Rodney?"

McKay took the object and held it up to examine it more closely. "Well," he said clearing his throat, recognising it as the same type of personal shield he himself had used shortly after they had arrived at Atlantis. "So let me get this straight, she was wearing this and that's why she didn't become Wraith food?"

"That's my belief," Beckett answered as he took the shield back from McKay and put it in the top pocket of his lab coat, intending to share his findings with Weir. McKay looked at Kiki then back to Beckett as if figuring out a puzzle.

"But if she was wearing the shield then that would mean…"

"That she has the Ancient gene," Beckett finished for him. "Aye, it certainly does," whispered, his gaze drifting back to Kiki. "It certainly does."