AN: Ok, not many people reviewed the last chapter, but I'll hope that you haven't all gotten bored with my inane ramblings. Towards that end, I give you: The end! Forgive any typos or inconsistencies; I've gone over this chapter a dozen times, and with no beta, so if I've missed anything, it's most likely due to my brain having filled in the blanks when my eyes weren't looking!
Chapter 10
"Thank you for your help, we truly appreciate it," Weir said. Breeda remained quiet, looking at Sheppard, her expression unreadable. As the silence stretched out, Weir asked the first of so many question that had been nagging at her since they discovered the nature of the device that had started all of this. "Please don't take offense, but I am curious; why were you hiding from the Ancients? I understand that you did not wish to be drawn into a war, but why such a specific defense mechanism?" Everyone fell silent, all waiting to finally understand the hows and the whys. The silver-haired woman was silent a moment more. When she finally looked up, Elizabeth was struck by how much the lines on her face now seemed to stand out, and how tired her graying eyes were.
"We didn't so much hide as live in seclusion," Breeda said slowly, turning to face the other woman. "As for the defense screen, it would trigger against either Ancient or Wraith trespassers. The Wraith will feed upon any being with a life force large enough for their appetites, and we do not relish the idea of being attacked by the Wraith any more than being drawn into the war."
"You are essentially comparing the Ancients with the Wraith!" Elizabeth proclaimed in astonishment. "That hardly seems fair. They only asked for your help because they were being overwhelmed, they were fighting a losing war, while the Wraith--."
"The Wraith only feed on other beings because it is what they must do to survive," Breeda said, cutting Weir off. "Your people may not be the Ancients, but you are very much like them. In that, I must admit some disappointment."
Breeda drew a deep breath before continuing. "The device triggers certain, specific pathways in the brain, but only pathways that have been triggered before. Pathways of aggression, violence. If a person who had never delighted in killing or lashed out in rage tried to enter, he would be able to pass by the device unhindered. If he had taken the life of another in anger, then that pathway would be reactivated in his mind."
"Hey!" Sheppard exclaimed, sitting up more in his bed. Carson put a hand on John's shoulder, half to calm, half to keep him from jumping up. "Sometimes we have to kill in self defense!" Sheppard said, sounding particularly defensive himself at the moment. He was a soldier, he did what was necessary. He took offense at the implication that he was some kind of mindless killing machine.
"Of course!" Breeda agreed, her eyes burning brightly. A wave of energy filled the room, causing the hair on arms and at the back of necks to come to attention. "Make no mistake, I am no pacifist. I will fight to the death to defend myself, my family, my friends, my people, if I must. But I will not then come to seek out the help of another, claiming that my enemy is evil based on the fact that they fight with me. Certainly not based on what they must do to survive. That is why my sisters and I devised the defense screen; not out of aggression or ill-will towards the Ancients as a people. As a statement, no matter how small, against their hypocritical attitude. I am sorry that you were affected by the device, that was not our intent; but I will not apologize for my contribution or the creation of the screen in the first place." She closed her eyes for a moment, and when they opened again, they were calmer. Now it was the eyes glaring back at her that were full of fiery indignation. She understood their anger, and she wanted to explain better.
"There are all manner of parasites in the universe," she said. "We may perceive them as distasteful, dangerous, and destructive; but they are not evil simply by nature." Breeda's eyes locked with Weir's, and understanding began to dawn on Elizabeth. "The Wraith, as sentient beings, may - as individuals - be evil through their choices and actions, but not simply because of what they must do to survive. Humanity posses the same ability. As did the Ancients."
"I do see your point," Elizabeth said. "It is made just by looking at the Goa'uld and the Tok'ra--"
"And Ellia," Carson added sadly.
"But to make such a device, just on the principle--" Elizabeth was again cut off by Breeda.
"Hypocrisy is something we take very seriously. And when you live as long as we do, driven by the need to guard and guide a given group of people as though they were your children, one's principles become of the utmost importance. In a way, they are our reason for existing." Elizabeth paused, tipped her head, then decided to leave that topic for the moment. She would try and get back to it, but for the moment, she was starting to feel as though they were going in circles. She moved on to the next big question.
"Why did you help us?"
"You are from Earth," Breeda replied as though it explained everything, a sad smile playing across her face.
"Yes, we are. But how do you know that, and what difference does it make?" Weir countered.
"It makes all the difference in the world to a tired old woman to see her children all grown up and roaming about the stars." She was met by confused stares all around.
"What the devil are ye on about?" Carson asked, growing as frustrated as the others with her riddles and non-answers.
"When I said that some of my people once lived on Earth, I neglected to mention that my sisters and I were among them," Breeda answered. The simultaneous raising of eyebrows, cocking of heads, and dropping of jaws appeared almost choreographed, and was quite comical.
"Hang on, hang on," McKay blurted. "You were on Earth--"
"Well before the dawn of human civilization; but it was not our time to be there. I don't know if I can adequately explain, but I will try. Earth was not where we were... born, I guess you could call it; but it was to be Home for my sisters and I. However, the timing was off, we were early, not truly meant to be there for many thousands of years yet. So we left, came to this galaxy to wait, far away from the turmoil and territorial battling that was going on... and we stumbled into a war zone." She closed her eyes, lost in memories.
"That's not possible, nothing, no one can live that long!" Rodney argued. Breeda ignored his comment and continued.
"We built our defense screen, our bunker, and we kept to ourselves as best we could. Over the years, some came, but not many. Believe it or not, we did not relish sitting by and doing nothing; but it was not our battle to fight. After the war ended, we waited until we felt the pull of Home calling us, letting us know it was our time. It is a very strange thing, that my people have; a connection created with us, ingrained in us, that binds us to a particular group of people. My sisters returned home, to Earth, to the people who were to be our charges and look to us for guidance, protection. Though it grieved me, I stayed behind."
"Why couldn't you go with them?" Zelenka asked.
"I wasn't sure myself, until I met you, Radek. Then I knew why I had remained." Zelenka felt everyone's eyes turn towards him, and he flushed red and suddenly became fascinated by the bandage on his leg. "I am still a protector of my people; and though technically speaking, not many among you are from the specific lands my sisters and I are guardians of, their blood does run through your veins." She looked at Sheppard and Beckett with a smile.
"However, even being away from my sisters in body, I am always a part of them, as they are a part of me; one spirit. In that way, I am on Earth, with my sisters, seeing and knowing all that they see and know, and we are all together watching over those who are ours to protect. I have heard their voices, their songs and their laughter through the ears of my sisters; but it had been my greatest sadness that I had never been face to face with them. As of today, that has at last changed. Am I correct in guessing that your venture to the stars is not common knowledge back Home?" She was met by mute, but thoughtful nods. Breeda then nodded herself.
"Humanity, always so damn secretive; but it makes sense to me now. I remained so that I could see how far you all have come, so that I can finally return to my sisters and share the news with them." McKay's eyebrows made an admirable attempt to reach his hairline. This had all gone from outlandish to downright unbelievable in his mind. There was nothing obviously special about this woman except her ability to use alien technology; and that was nothing special to the crew of Atlantis anymore. Though, he did have to admit, when she got pissed off earlier, it had made him a bit more nervous than even he believed was justified. Still...
"Yea, sure, okay," McKay said, circling his index finger by his temple. Zelenka kicked at him with his good leg.
"That does sound a little... odd," Elizabeth said, hiding her smile as Rodney and Radek waged a now-silent war behind Breeda.
"I'm certain it does. But now that I know you are here, we shall be able to see you. We may see much further and deeper than is Humanly possible, but even we are not omniscient. We do have a connection to all our charges, a connection that cannot be severed, but can be stretched so tightly that it would be impossible for us to understand any information from it. We would never have been able to reach you out here, because we would not have been able to find you, understand where you were, even through the link." Breeda looked at the faces around her, hoping that at least one of them would understand what she was trying to express.
"In my wildest dreams, I never would have thought to see you here, so early in your lives. As I said before, our principles are much of our reason for existing. To protect all of our people, to teach them and be near them. If I had not been here, you all would have been beyond our reach; but now the bond has been made." She smiled again at Sheppard and Carson, trusting them to make the connection.
"What, so you've tagged us with a homing beacon now?" Sheppard asked incredulously.
"That is one way of describing it," Breeda said, nodding thoughtfully, joyful inside that they at least understood part of it. "I am sorry about the way that things unfolded, but all things have their reasons."
"Turn, turn, turn," Sheppard mumbled under his breath. When he realized that he'd drawn Breeda's full attention, he continued. "Don't think I'm not grateful for your help, I am. And I understand that what happened was a mistake, but your device nearly killed me, not to mention what happened to McKay and Zelenka; all on a principle." His eyes were hard. Yes, the woman had corrected her mistake, but that didn't erase everything that had happened.
"You are correct," she said, her voice steady, but guilt in her eyes. THe joyful flutter inside had dulled as he reminded her of her own failure to think, to grow, to be aware of the world around her. "There are times it takes great hardship to bring about change; for better or for worse. Had events run their course differently, I may have remained ignorant of who you all were. I know that you may not appreciate the importance of that, especially as compared to what you had to endure," she said, facing Sheppard, McKay, and Zelenka in turn. A strange sensation washed over the occupants of the infirmary; a bittersweet warmth. Hot chocolate, coffee, warm blankets on a bitterly cold night.
"I can only hope that all involved have taken something positive away from this experience," Breeda sighed. Carson snorted, having been more frustrated by the events of the past day than he had been in a long time. He hated being useless; in his mind, it was the one thing a doctor should never be.
Breeda stepped over to the physician and grabbed him by the shoulders gently. She leaned in and whispered something in his ear. The others strained to hear, but could make out nothing more than if they were listening to a breeze outside a window. When she finally stepped back, Carson's jaw hung slack, his eyes were wide, and his face just a shade paler than usual.
"Carson?" Weir asked, and Beckett shook himself back to reality. Breeda had already turned her attention to the Colonel.
"Be proud, John Sheppard," she said. "You are a great warrior, and a source of pride for those who came before. I trust that recent events will not cause you to doubt yourself."
"Nope, I can't say that I think they will," Sheppard said lightly. It wasn't the whole truth, but it was truth enough.
"Now," Breeda said, turning to Weir, "If you would be so kind as to let me return to the planet from which we came?"
"I thought you were going to go back to Earth," McKay snapped.
"And I'd like to understand things a bit better before you leave us," Weir said.
"Carson understands well enough for all of you," Breeda said, turning to leave the infirmary. "I will be going back to Earth, but not by any method you would be able to use, directly or indirectly, Dr. McKay." Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest, but felt the weight of Beckett's hand on her arm.
"Just... just let her go, ok?" he said. His eyes were still wide.
"Are you ok? What did she say to you?" Weir asked him, suddenly concerned that the woman had done something to her CMO.
"I'm fine. She just... told me her sisters names," Carson sounded as though he could hardly believe the words he was saying. "Just let her go. We don't want to be dealing with her cousins." Weir gave him a puzzled look, but Carson wanted to process all of the information before he made a complete fool out of himself.
Within only a few minutes, Ronon and Teyla had escorted Breeda back to the planet where they had met her. They returned within the hour, along with the two sergeants.
"So, what happened?" Weir asked as Ronon and Teyla made their way out of the gateroom.
"Breeda used that scanner thing of hers to deactivate the defense screen, permanently," Ronon told her.
"Are you sure?" Weir asked. As much as she would have loved to understand the technology, it was too great a risk to her people.
"The device broke in half," Teyla told Weir. Elizabeth didn't look very convinced, but she noticed the feral grin on Ronon's face.
"I broke it into a few more pieces after that," he said, resting his hand on the grip of his sidearm.
"And what about the rest of the technology?" Ronon shrugged.
"She said that it would not be harmful to our people, and we were welcome to try and unlock it's secrets," Teyla said. "It did not sound as though she believed we would be able to."
"Well, maybe we can surprise her and her people a bit more," Weir said, a glint in her eye speaking of the challenge she did not plan on backing down from. "Full debriefing in two hours." Teyla and Ronon nodded, then turned and continued down the hall.
Two hours later, the briefing room was starting to feel just a little bit crowded. This may have been due to the sudden excess of adaptive medical equipment around. McKay's crutches were leaning against the table, sticking halfway onto the floor and threatening to trip anyone not careful to watch where they were walking. Radek had been unable to be contained to the infirmary -- at least for the duration of the debriefing -- much to Carson's chagrin. The Scotsman had grumbled about Zelenka spending too much time with McKay. However, Radek was forced to use a wheelchair, since his shoulder wound prevented him from using crutches properly. Rodney was taking full advantage of having Radek back alive and unwell, making as many snarky comments as he could. At least, until Radek 'accidentally' wheeled over McKay's foot.
John was sitting quietly in the corner, willing to let the two scientists bear the brunt of Carson's attentions. He was happy that Beckett had conceded to release him from the infirmary, on the promise of check-ins every few hours, or randomly as Carson decreed. He listened quietly as the story of what had happened over the past day was told and retold, as various parties threw their perspectives into the mess. After Ronon and Teyla finished recounting their departure from Breeda, all eyes turned to Carson Beckett. The doctor pretended not to notice for a minute, before finally sputtering at them all.
"What?" he stammered.
"Come on, Carson," Sheppard said, willing to risk the ire of the doctor to finally get the last of the answers. "Spill it, what did she say to you?" Beckett was quiet for a long minute; but when the eyes did not waver from him, he finally sighed and let the words come.
"My gran was a real spitfire, to her dyin day. She respected lots of the old traditions. She told me all about the Celtic gods an goddesses." He stopped and looked around, embarrassed by the topic. "It didn't register until Breeda told me her sisters names. She called them Bride and Brigid." Weir looked confused.
"Ok...?"
"Bride, Breeda, Brigid, Brigit, they're all names for the same goddess." A snort came from the general direction of Rodney. Carson glared at the Canadian, but continued. "The Goa'uld were the Egyptian gods and goddesses. I dinna know if they took the existing mythology and fit themselves to it, or if the mythology was based around them; but I think Breeda's people, at least some of them, may have done the same thing for the Celts."
"You're not serious," McKay's skeptical comment was a statement, not a question.
"I'm quite serious," Carson said, flushing. "Look, I know how ridiculous it sounds, but any more so than the idea of the Egyptian gods being snakelike aliens that took over the bodies of humans?"
"Touché," McKay conceded.
"So is that why Breeda kept staring at you?" Weir asked. "Because of your heritage?"
"I would presume so."
"Me too, I guess," Sheppard said. When everyone turned to stare at him, he knit his brows. "What? I'm half Irish!"
"So what did you mean when you said we wouldn't want to deal with her cousins?" Weir asked Beckett.
"The gods of the Celts were a fierce bunch, not someone ye'd like to make an enemy of," Beckett said, hardly believing what he was discussing. "Brigid is the kindly one of the lot; and if she's got devices like that defense screen tucked away..." he trailed off, not really sure how to finish that thought; but thankfully the others seemed to get the idea.
"Well, I guess it's a good thing that they're on our side..." Weir said. She was suffering from the same 'I can't quite believe what I'm saying' condition as Beckett. The room grew quiet again as they all processed the 'I can't quite believe it' information. Finally, John broke the silence.
"So, Carson, am I healthy yet?" he asked. The medical doctor sighed.
"As best I can tell. Yer blood chemistry is back to normal, EEG's are fine; but ye should still take it easy--"
"Yea, I know that part of the drill. I wasn't planning on chasing after Breeda or leaping through the Stargate... right this minute... I just think I REALLY need a drink."
"I second that," Zelenka muttered.
"Aye, well..." The team could see the wheels turning in Carson's mind, debating the safety versus the virtues of stress relief and coping with the unbelievable. "I'd have to agree with you."
"Are we all off duty yet?" McKay asked, turning to Weir.
"I think that it's been a long enough day," Elizabeth said with a tired smile.
"Then I say we all reconvene in the lounge in fifteen minutes with lots and lots of alcohol," Sheppard said. Elizabeth nodded.
"Dismissed."
XxXxXxX
"Must it take a life for hateful eyes
To glisten once again?
'Cause we find ourselves in the same old mess,
Singin' drunken lullabies."
-- Flogging Molly, Drunken Lullabies
(This song is also where the title came from!)
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
XXX
End Notes: Ok, I realized as I was writing the last 2 chapters that I had kinda written myself into a corner with Breeda's history, in terms of what I knew she was and how I wanted it to play out, and the canon timeline. I keep forgetting how LONG 10,000 years is, cuz, well, I'm daft at times. I hope I covered my arse well enough and at least made it sound plausible! I hope I've wrapped up all the loose ends that needed wrapping. If not, thwap me over the head.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed my trip down insanity lane. If so, please please please leave me a review, and encourage my troublemaker of a muse to spawn more plot bunnies. If you hated it, please tell me why. I'm not ashamed to beg, spammit!