Chapter 7

"Why are there no children on Atlantis?" Corynn asked, cautiously taking another bite of the food the Atlanteans had called french fries. Teyla remained silent for a quick moment, then gave a soft smile.

"There are children, but they are currently on the mainland. They are of Athosian descent, though. None of the Earthlings have children. At least, not here." Teyla watched as the information was processed by Corynn. The warrior had been assigned by John to keep an eye on Corynn, and now the two women were in the mess hall, sharing lunch. The room was crowded, and Corynn had swept her eyes over the people, a small frown on her face.

"That is a shame. This is such a grand city, with plenty of room for families. It seems a waste," Corynn said. Children were aplenty where she came from, and life without their laughter and innocence seemed very empty.

Teyla rose, carrying her tray, and, a moment later, Corynn followed. "I agree. Unfortunately, with the threat of the Wraith, as well as other dangers, having children on Atlantis is currently…not an option." They tossed their waste, then exited the room, Corynn's feet automatically headed towards the lab. She wanted to check on Dr. McKay's arm.

The Wraith. After she had helped Dr. McKay, Corynn had returned to the infirmary, collapsing into her bed. She had awakened to find Carson Beckett eager and full of questions. Many hours later, after being poked and prodded and stuck with numerous needles, she had finally begged for mercy. He had relented, allowing her to leave with Teyla. It was during his examinations, however, that she had been informed of the Atlanteans' primary enemy, as well as the history of the Ancients.

Carson had been shocked to learn that Corynn and her people had never encountered the Wraith. She shivered as she remembered his descriptions of the horrid creatures. She was glad that they never had dealings with such beings. The Ancients, however, she was somewhat familiar with. At least, she was familiar with their technology. Some of it could be found on her ship.

The two women wandered the halls, finally arriving at the lab. A quick look around proved that McKay was no where in sight. Neither was Dr. Zelenka. Teyla managed to contact Radek on the radio, and, after being told that they were down at the East Pier, examining the Orion, she led the way to the ship.

Corynn gasped when she saw the craft. It was truly beautiful, streamlined and gleaming in the morning sun. She exchanged a smile with Teyla as they made their way on board.

Rodney had watched their progress nervously. He felt awkward, knowing that the strange woman who was approaching him had been responsible for easing his pain, for repairing his damaged arm, and thereby allowing him to remain on Atlantis. He was enormously grateful, but knew he would be unable to express his thanks – at least in an acceptable, articulate manner.

"Dr. McKay? How's your arm?" Corynn didn't wait for answer, grabbing the appendage in her hands, and running her fingers over the scar. Once again, Rodney could feel warm tingles, pleasant and soothing, as she caressed the skin. Uncomfortable, he nearly yanked his arm away.

"Fine. Thank you." He paused, unsure of how to continue. To his surprise, however, she merely nodded, then glanced around. Dropping his arm with a little pat, she wandered the room, peering at consoles and humming to herself.

"What are you doing?" She stopped at one of the consoles, her eyes absorbing the various crystals and rods that had been pulled from the access panel.

"Not that it's any of your business, but we're attempting to reroute the power. It's been slow going, though. Most of the crystals are damaged, and useless." His tone was sharp, and Teyla flashed him a warning look. She was accustomed to Rodney when he was in work mode, but this woman was a guest.

Corynn nodded, unperturbed by his tone. She picked up one of the crystals, looking at it critically. Then she bent down, her eyes finding the empty niche where it belonged. Yup. This was ruined, all right. But, they had a spare crystal right next to it. They just needed to…

"Where's your recalibrator?" she asked. She laid the useless crystal down, and tugged out the spare one. Yes, this would do just fine.

"Hey! Put that back!" Rodney stalked over to the woman, his blue eyes flashing and worried. They couldn't afford to lose another crystal. And what was she saying? Something about a…

"Recalibrator?" This was from Radek, who had paused entering codes into the computer. "What's a recalibrator?" He rose from his seat, watching as confusion rippled across the woman's face.

"Maybe that's not the right word. I'm still getting used to your language," she replied. She glanced around the room, looking for the familiar little rectangle with the three buttons. There were many devices scattered around, but none that resembled the recalibrator. Unless they didn't have one.

She turned to McKay. He was eying her warily. She refrained from rolling her eyes; what did it take for this one to trust her, anyway? "A little box, three blue buttons? You set the a crystal in it, key in the schematic, and recode the crystal?" The blank look that greeted her was replaced with dawning comprehension, and suddenly McKay was in action. He reached up and keyed his radio.

"Takani! This is McKay! Take a team to the storage area and look for a small box – " he paused as he glanced up at Corynn, a question in his eyes. She immediately understood him, and held out her hands to give the rough size of the device. He watched her hands for a moment, calculating the dimensions, then spat them into the radio. "Get back to me as soon as you've located one! McKay out."

Corynn nodded in satisfaction. This man – this McKay – seemed to be difficult, even distrustful, but he was obviously well-respected. He would get the job done. Still, she could help these people even more…

oOo

"….so, essentially, she just activates the normal healing abilities that we contain in our bodies, and focuses them to a particular site This increases the rate of healing significantly, as well as eliminating many signs and symptoms." Carson paused in his explanation, shoving his hands into the pockets of his lab coat.

"Like McKay's pain?" John asked. Two days had passed since Corynn had "cured" Rodney, and, after numerous tests and hours of questioning, Carson had finally gotten the answers he sought. The woman in question was now ensconced in temporary quarters of her own, claiming that she was starting to hate the sight of the infirmary. John really didn't blame her. There were times when he hated this place as well, especially when the patient was himself.

"Aye, although she said that she absorbs the pain, and diffuses it. I'm not quite sure what that means, but it seems effective." Carson leaned back on his heels, excitement playing on his face. Corynn's apparent healing abilities, and the fact that she could control her own body functions, were a revelation. This went far beyond biofeedback, or meditation, or any of the other ways that humans – Earthlings – tried to keep their bodies healthy. Carson wondered if her abilities could be harnessed, and shared.

"And Dr. McKay? Is he okay?" Elizabeth asked. Rodney had slept through the entire previous day, finally waking around midnight. Carson had found him raiding the mess hall, a plate piled high with anything edible. Grumpy and hungry, Rodney had reluctantly submitted to Carson's tests, and walked away with flying colors. Whatever Corynn had done, it had been a complete success. His arm was fully functional and practically pain free. The physicist had returned to work, and was now with Radek Zelenka, addressing the Orion's power problems.

"So, I guess the question is, now what do we do with her?" Elizabeth asked. She nodded at Carson, thanking him for his update, and was now strolling down the hallway towards her office. Her second-in-command walked at her side, his face thoughtful.

'Uh oh. Here it comes,' Elizabeth thought. She braced herself for his suggestion, which came a moment later.

"She could stay here," John said. They entered her office, and Elizabeth automatically skirted the desk, collapsing into her chair. John perched on the desktop, his green eyes intense. He knew full well that Elizabeth had already been considering this option, and was curious as to her thoughts.

The expedition leader only sat quietly. She held John's gaze, then twisted away with a sigh. John and his strays. She briefly wondered what he was like as a boy, if he brought home every wounded animal he found. She also wondered if his mother gave in as easily as she did.

"John, we don't even know if she wants to stay. And we still have to consider this Tristan guy. He may well be out there, searching for her as we speak. What if he finds her on Atlantis? What if he decides to use this weapon on the city, just to get to her? And what if everything she's told us is false? We're relying solely on her word, and we really know nothing about her." Elizabeth clasped her hands together, watching as John nodded slowly.

"I agree we don't know anything about her, but what did we know about Teyla? Or Ronon, for that matter? I trust both of them with my life now. I know we've been screwed by others in the past, but I believe her. I don't think she wants to hurt us – or the city."

Elizabeth agreed. He could tell by the set of her shoulders, the way her face remained relaxed. If she disagreed, she would have been far more tense.

"As for her staying here, well, she may not have a choice. I saw her ship. Unless she's knows something we don't, I think McKay was right. It's ready for the junk heap."

"And her cousin? What about a potential murderer running around? Currently, we've got everyone grounded, but eventually we have to get back to business, John." Elizabeth's voice was firm. They were here on Atlantis as explorers. If they couldn't leave to explore, they might as well go back to Earth.

"So far, there's been nothing on the scanners. We'll keep maintaining a high alert, at least until the Daedelus returns. Then we'll ask Colonel Caldwell to make a more detailed sweep of the area. If this Tristan guy is out there, he'll find him." John rose to his feet, avoiding Elizabeth's stare. It was one thing to ask Caldwell to do them a favor. For him to agree would be entirely another.

"As for her ship…" John's voice was abruptly cut off as Rodney, Radek and Corynn raced into the room. All three were smiling and breathless.

"Dr. Weir! Oh, Sheppard, good, you're here too. We have a solution!" Rodney babbled. He rubbed his hands together, then planted them on his hips. He looked enormously proud of himself.

"We may have a solution," Radek interjected quickly. He met Rodney's irritated glance, then shrugged. Corynn had remained behind the two scientists, watching the others apprehensively.

"Okay, Rodney. I'll bite. A solution to what?" John turned towards the physicists, wondering what they had been up to. The last time he checked, they had been on the Orion, still trying to get the crystals to….oh.

"The Orion! We think that we may have found a way to get the remaining crystals on the ship to work." Rodney's voice was fast and sharp, and John was relieved to see his friend and teammate back to normal. Carson had told him that without Corynn's help, Rodney would have had to return to Earth, perhaps for months, and the thought of the scientist far from Atlantis was disconcerting. If anyone belonged here – was needed here – it was Rodney McKay.

"Actually, it was Corynn who offered a solution," Radek added. Yin to McKay's yang, Radek was the more rational of the two. He was less animated than the lead scientist, but, by his tone, John could tell he was also excited. This must be good.

"Exactly what are you two talking about?" This was from Dr. Weir. Her tone seemed harsh, but it was usually the only way to get the full story from McKay.

Rodney took two steps, stopping before Elizabeth's desk. His blue eyes were bright. "We have a way to completely repair the Orion, as well as any other component that breaks down on Atlantis." He watched as doubt flowed across Elizabeth's face, and his excitement was momentarily tempered.

Corynn stepped forward, coming to McKay's side. "Dr. Weir, I have access to a device that I believe is capable of making the necessary repairs to the Orion. At least, I hope it does."

"I'm sure it does," Rodney added quickly. Radek nodded vigorously behind them, adding his support. Elizabeth's gaze settled on all their faces, and she sighed.

"I'm guessing you need something?" It was more a statement then a question.

Rodney only nodded, then turned to John. "We need to go out to her ship."

TBC