Chapter 3

John Sheppard watched as Dr. Carson Beckett adjusted one of the IV lines. The woman they had found lay still on the bed, unresponsive to any stimuli. Carson was warming her IV units, trying to get her core temperature back up to normal. As John neared the bed, Carson ran a hand wearily through his hair, the lines on his face revealing his concern.

The team had brought the woman back to the puddle jumper, and then flew directly to the Orion. Dr. Beckett had leapt out of the Captain's chair, hurrying down to the ship's medical center as John forced the Ancient ship to limp directly to Atlantis. Within an hour, they had been home, the ship landing hard as Carson's worried voice warned the Colonel that they were losing the woman. The Orion's infirmary was woefully ill-equipped, and Carson had only their first aid kits to work with.

Now, five hours later, the woman lay as still and pale as when they had found her, her lips tinged with blue as she drew in tiny, uneven breaths. She was small, almost delicate, looking lost under all the blankets and medical apparatus that surrounded her.

John stiffened slightly as Dr. Weir came to his side. She had been at the docking platform as John had landed the Orion, a medical team behind her. The expedition leader had frowned as Ronon gently carried the woman to a gurney, then watched as Carson hurried away with his patient, shouting out medical tests along the way. Remarkably, though, Elizabeth hadn't asked any questions, but just ordered SGA-1 to report to the infirmary for their after-mission checkup.

"Colonel Sheppard?" Elizabeth's soft tone was impassive, but John could tell by the set of her mouth that she was troubled.

"I was just about to ask Carson for an update," John replied. They both turned to the physician. "How's she doing, doc?"

Carson's anxious blue eyes swept over his patient, and he gave a shrug.

"I canna tell you that," he replied. "She's alive, but barely. She only breathes about four times a minute, and I can't seem to raise her body temperature above ninety degrees. She isn't responding to anything." Beckett fiddled with one of the machines, then added softly, "It's almost like something's preventing her from waking up."

Elizabeth pondered that statement for a long moment, then folded her arms across her chest. "She is human? Maybe this is normal for her...species if she's not."

Carson shook his head. "Yes, she's human. All the tests confirm it, down to her DNA." He wandered over to the expedition leader, regret on his face. "I have to say that if things don't improve shortly, she'll probably won't make it." Defeat shadowed his eyes, and Elizabeth laid one hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure you're doing everything you can, Carson," she said softly. The doctor only gave distracted nod, plunging his hands into his lab coat.

Elizabeth turned back to John, her face grim. "Colonel, we need to talk. Have your team meet me in the conference room for a debriefing in an hour." Her tone was tight, and John felt a tingle of apprehension; his boss wasn't happy, and he thought he knew why.

Elizabeth turned back to Beckett. "I'd like you there as well, Carson, if you can manage it." Carson nodded his reply, his eyes returning to his patient. As Elizabeth strode from the room, John on her heels, the physician gently took the woman's hand, wincing at the touch of her icy skin.

"Come on, lass. Just give me a sign," he whispered. He slid her hand under the blanket, then settled himself in a chair. If she wasn't going to make it, the least he could do was make sure she didn't die alone.

oOo

Warm. She felt warm. Deep within her subconscious mind, Corynn sensed that something had changed. The cold and lonely blackness that had surrounded her when she dropped into hibernation had been replaced by a soft bed and the muffled sound of voices. But the voices; their speech made little sense to her. She tried to process the words, but she was so very tired. She gave up, focusing her strength on adjusting her metabolism, raising her heart rate slightly, and increasing her body temperature. She settled back into unconsciousness, trusting her body to return to its normal physiology. Before she collapsed entirely into exhaustion, though, she felt the gentle touch of a hand, accompanied by a lilting voice whispering reassuringly.

Whoever the strangers were, they cared about her fate. Corynn's last thought was that she would have to reward them for their kindness.

oOo

Elizabeth folded her hands on the table, her eyes scanning the room. She could feel John's eyes on her, and she stifled a sigh. Her second-in-command had a bad habit of bringing home strays, and then wanting to keep them. Her gaze fell on Teyla and Ronon, and she shook her head.

Dr. Beckett rushed into the room, his face excited. Elizabeth could tell from his expression that the woman – whoever she was – had improved. She nodded at him as he pulled out a chair, seating himself next to Teyla. The Athosian gave Carson a warm smile, then turned as Elizabeth cleared her throat.

"Okay, everyone. Now that we're all here, we can begin. Dr. Beckett, why don't you give us an update?"

Carson eased forward in his chair, clearing his throat. "She's improving, but very slowly. Her body temperature has risen to ninety two degrees, and both her heart rate and respirations have increased significantly. She's still deeply unconscious, however, and still hasn't responded to any physical stimuli."

"So, she'll live?" Sheppard asked. He was settled in the seat directly to the right of Elizabeth, and he was twisting the chair back and forth slightly. The expedition leader's mouth lifted in a wry grin; she didn't know who fidgeted more, John or Rodney. Her quick glance at the physicist revealed tapping fingers and restless eyes.

"Maybe. She's getting better, but I have no idea if the extreme temperatures did any permanent damage to her brain or nervous system. And I won't know until she wakes up," Carson answered, and John nodded his head in response.

"What about her ship?" Rodney blurted out. "I only had a few minutes to look at it, but there was evidence of Ancient technology, specifically crystal power circuits. And despite the damage, some of the crystals still looked viable. We might be able to use them on the Orion. At the very least, we should go back out there, and take another look."

Teyla frowned, her steady brown gaze focusing on Rodney. "Dr. McKay, I understand that the Orion requires new crystals to function properly, but the damaged ship belongs to this woman. I do not think she would appreciate you

using her ship as a… a…" She broke off, unable to find the word.

"Parts store," John offered, and Teyla nodded her thanks.

"Parts store," she parroted.

"I only said we should take a look," Rodney retorted. A light blush covered his cheeks, and he settled back into his chair, his fingers rubbing at the scar on his right arm again. John frowned at the gesture; lately, whenever McKay was disturbed or upset, he would chafe at the old wound Kolya had inflicted so long ago. He wondered if it was bothering Rodney, or if the movement was just a new habit.

Elizabeth remained silent. She understood Rodney's impatience; with the Daedelus gone most of the time, Atlantis only had the cloak and shield as protection from the Wraith. It would be a great asset to have a warship stationed above the city on a constant basis. 'A working warship,' she amended to herself.

"Rodney, while I think you have a valid point, let's give this woman a couple of more days to heal. Hopefully, she'll wake up and we can negotiate some kind of trade agreement, and you'll get your crystals," Elizabeth said. She didn't voice the other scenario: that this woman wouldn't improve, or might even die, and they could take the ship and strip it down completely. She shuddered as the image of vultures circling overhead flowed through her brain. No. They weren't that desperate. Yet.

Elizabeth moved on to her next question. "And what about the damage done to her ship? You said it looked like she had been in a battle?"

Rodney quickly answered. "We've been sweeping the area with the long-range scanners, but other than her ship, there's been nothing. I'm guessing that she jumped to her current position, using all of her power to escape from…whomever."

"Escaping from her enemy, you mean. Whoever she fought with and wherever this battle was, it seems obvious that she lost," Ronon added. Elizabeth could tell by the set of the runner's face that he was unhappy about that fact.

"Until she wakes up, Elizabeth, we'll just have to keep a closer eye on things," John suggested.

"Agreed. Until then, I suggest everyone return to their normal duties. Thanks for coming." Elizabeth paused for a moment, then added, "Colonel Sheppard, if you could stay a moment."

John froze, his hands planted on the table top as he pushed himself out of the chair. With a sigh, he eased back down, watching as the others filed from the room. When they were alone, John turned to Elizabeth.

"I know what you're going to say, Dr. Weir, but I did what I felt was necessary. The woman was dying, nearly frozen to the core, and while I know we need to keep our presence secret, and not bring strangers back to Atlantis, I felt, under the circumstances, that to leave her there would have been…"

"It would have been murder," Elizabeth finished for him. "Relax, Colonel. I support your decision." She walked around her chair, standing before her second-in-command. His entire body relaxed as he returned her smile, running one hand through his spiky hair.

"Thank you," he said. His face tightened as the smile suddenly fell from her face, and her tone became one of warning.

"However, should this woman prove to be an enemy…" Elizabeth's voice trailed off, her meaning clear.

John nodded, his eyes taking on the sharp coldness of a soldier. If she proved to any threat to Atlantis, or the city's current residents, he would do what he was trained to do. Hopefully, she would prove to be an ally, open to trade and willing to keep their secret.

Hopefully.

TBC