Emma came to slowly, opening her eyes just a crack. Around her, machines beeped and she felt sluggish. She couldn't focus her eyes and her arm ached. She tried to move, but couldn't. Giving up, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
"Sir, her brain activity is nothing like I've ever seen before." Emma opened her eyes slowly as she heard people talking around her. "It's similar to the human brain, but whereas humans use only 10 of their brains, she seems to use 80."
"They seemed to be an advanced race," the blonde woman said, studying a monitor close to Emma. She groaned as she tried to move her arm and caught the attention of those around her.
"Hey there," a woman with short dark hair said, "How do you feel?"
Emma managed a little more than wrinkle of her nose. She didn't trust herself to speak. "My name's Dr. Frasier.You broke your arm in the fall," Dr. Frasier explained, "And you suffered some severe head trauma. You need to rest. Do you understand that?" Emma nodded, closing her eyes once more.
The last time she came to, she was able to push herself up in bed and observe the new environment she was in. She wore a thin paper gown which made her shiver from the thin material and cool air. She pulled the thick blankets closer around her.
"Hey there," she heard a kind voice say. "You seem to be feeling better."
Emma didn't say a word as the woman approached and began to examine her readings. "Do you remember what happened," Dr. Frasier asked. Emma shook her head slowly.
"The building you were in was attacked by an opposing race," the doctor explained, "Colonel O'Neill rescued you and brought you here for treatment. You broke you wrist when some debris fell on you." Emma pulled her hand away as the doctor reached for it. "I won't hurt you," Frasier explained gently. "Do you have a name?"
She nodded her head slowly, allowing the doctor to examine the hand she had wrapped in a thick cast. "What is it," Frasier asked.
"Emma," she replied in a soft voice. "I am of the Bacchi."
"Well Emma, it's nice to meet you," Dr. Frasier said. She glanced up as Colonel O'Neil and Major Carter walked in. "Colonel, Major, she's awake."
Emma turned and saw the man and women from her planet. "Hey there," Major Carter said, "How do you feel?"
"Okay," the girl said softly, "Your…Major Carter?"
"Yeah," Sam said. "What's your name?"
"Emma," she replied.
"Interesting name," Colonel O'Neil said. Emma raised her eyebrow, confused by the man's statement. "Oh. I'm Colonel O'Neil."
"It's nice to meet you, Colonel O'Neil," Emma said softly. She looked down, trying to avoid his eyes.
"Ooookay," O'Neil said, noticing the girl's shyness. "Carter, I'll be in the gate room, if you need me."
"Yes sir," Carter said.
"I'm going to go check on SG-5. They just got back," Frasier said. Carter nodded and watched the doctor leave, closing the curtain behind her.
"You were studying us, on the planet," Emma said, looking up at Major Carter.
"Yes," Carter said, "We travel to different worlds, learning about different cultures. What were you working on in that room?"
"An alternate power source for the gate," Emma explained. "The soldiers had brought back something known as aeon weed. It can serve as a powerful energy source when combined with certain chemicals."
"How powerful," Carter asked, intrigued by what the girl was saying.
"The soldiers brought back five pounds of it," Emma said, "It was enough to power that building we were in."
"Wow," Carter said, "But how does it work?"
"I'm not sure," Emma said, "That's what I was working to find out." She coughed and tried to clear her chest, which caught the attention of Dr. Frasier.
"Alright Sam, that's enough," the doctor said. "Emma needs to get her sleep. You can come back and see her later on."
"Alright," Sam said, sliding off the bed. "I'll see you later, Emma." The girl nodded and slid lower in her bed, coughing slightly. Carter walked off as Dr. Frasier closed off the curtains to her bed.
When Sam returned a minute later, she found Emma sound asleep, breathing tubes attached to her face. "Hey Sam," Dr. Frasier said, "She's still asleep."
"What's with the breathing tubes," Sam asked, motioning towards Emma.
"She has asthma," the doctor explained, "She had an attack shortly after you left. She's pretty small for her age and her species lungs are smaller than ours. Plus, the air here on Earth is heavier than where she is from. It's just going to take some time for her to adjust. The tubes help her breath. She's gradually adjusting and will be able to go without them and just use an inhaler when needed."
"Oh," Carter replied, "Janet, when you ran a brain scan on her, you didn't find nanos, did you?"
"No," Janet replied, "Her brain chemistry was different from ours, though. It could explain her heightened intelligence."
"I'll say," Carter stated. "She was working on a new power source for the gate."
"New power source," Janet asked, "Like energy?"
"I don't know," Carter said. Movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention.
"Hey," Janet said, walking over to Emma's side, "Feel better?"
"Yeah," the girl replied, "It's easier to breath."
"We put you on some breathing tubes. We'll gradually adjust you to Earth's atmosphere," Janet explained, "Then, you'll just use an inhaler when needed."
"Will it help me breath better," Emma asked, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Yeah," Janet said, "You feel up to talking with Sam?"
"Sure," Emma said with a soft smile.
"Okay. I'll be over there, if you need me." Emma followed the doctor's finger to a small office. Emma nodded and watched as the doctor walked off.
"I'm different from you, aren't I," Emma asked, turning to face Sam.
"Yeah," Sam said, "Your lungs are smaller than ours, which makes it harder for you to breath Earth's air. How old are you?"
"I'm fourteen, in Haylen years," Emma replied, "It takes 405 days for Haylen to rotate around the sun."
"Which makes you about fifteen and a half, by Earth years," Carter replied. "Are all of your race small?"
"I think," Emma said, "Few of my race survive past 16 years."
"Why not," Carter asked.
"You saw the conditions we worked in," Emma said, looking down at her hands, "Would you want to live in that? Major Carter, everyday, I was used for the knowledge I was cursed with. The weapons I built destroyed entire races. Living with that kind of guile isn't easy." She had tensed up in her anger and begin to struggle to breath.
Janet heard the girl's gasp and looked over to see Emma struggling for air. "Sam, you might want to leave," Janet said, walking over. "Emma, just relax. Take deep breaths." She grasped Emma's hand in her own and rubbed her thumb against the back of the girl's hand, trying to calm the girl back down. Sam turned to leave, but stopped when Emma grabbed her hand and held tight. Sam looked to Janet who raised an eyebrow while continuing to soothe Emma. Finally, the girl leaned back against the pillows, her breaths evening out. Her grip on Sam gradually weakened until Sam laid her hand next to her.
"Sam, can I talk to you for a minute," Janet asked as Emma fell deeper into sleep. Carter nodded and followed Janet back to her office.
"Sam, you can't upset her," Janet said, "She's still weak."
"I didn't mean to," Sam explained. "I was asking her a question and she got upset." She turned and look back at the girl that was sound asleep in the bed.
"Her heart's too small for her body," Janet said, "That's why her race dies so young. They work her race so hard that their bodies eventually give out."
"Will she die," Sam asked.
"No," Janet said, "I've been giving her vitamins to help strengthen her heart. If she continues to take them, she may even be able to play sports like a normal teenager."
"Okay," Sam said, "I'm going to go work in my lab. Call me when she wakes up." Janet nodded and watched as her friend left the infirmary.