Dr. Emma Grayson walked quickly down the hallway toward Dr. McKay's lab. The last thing she wanted to do was be late for her first day on the job. But she had had trouble controlling her hair – something that seemed to happen a lot living on the water. As she tightened the loosening ponytail at the back of her head she tried to remember everything Dr. Weir and Carson had told her. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for. She had been a last minute replacement on the Stargate Atlantis team, thanks to Carson, slipping in just before the launch. Now that she was here in the Pegasus Galaxy she was going to make sure to savor every moment. And finally she was out of Archives. If things went well, she might even be able to go on an away mission or two.
She was a little concerned about getting along with Dr. McKay. She knew him mostly by reputation. She had seen him once in the mess hall carrying a huge tray of food – his metabolism must be extremely fast. Either that or he was squirreling away food for the winter.
Carson had sat her down and given her a list of do's and don'ts regarding Dr. McKay. He was concerned about her working with him. If Dr. McKay did anything to upset her, she was to come tell him right away. Emma knew the two of them were good friends, so it surprised her that he had such misgivings about her working with the man. Carson was still a little overprotective at times. Even though she had been grateful for all that he had done for her, it was time to let her go – Emma was no longer the little girl he had watched over so carefully.
She tried to put aside her worries and concentrate on the task at hand. Carson had not come right out and said it, but Emma knew that Dr. McKay did not want her in his lab. She had to convince Dr. Rodney McKay that she was an invaluable asset to his team. And she had to do it quickly before his well-known temper got the better of him and he released it on her.
She hoped she could remember everything that Carson had told her. Dr. McKay seemed to have more idiosyncrasies than anyone she had ever worked with. Considering the odd mix of scientists involved with the Stargate program, that was saying a lot. But she was willing to overlook that if it meant she got the opportunity to see some action.
Dr. Weir briefed her on her duties. She had been nothing but supportive and Emma didn't want to let her down. She had met Dr. Weir when first reporting to Atlantis. She seemed very intimidating at the time, but also put Emma quickly at ease. Since that first meeting, she had only seen Dr. Weir occasionally in the halls or at meals - they had not spoken since. Until the day she started making Ancient machinery "blip".
Emma volunteered for the ATA gene therapy as soon as it was made available to the general population. She was hoping it would take and she could move up on the waiting list for more interesting assignments. Although she knew her work in Archives was important, she really wanted to be more involved – meeting new people, learning first hand about new cultures and civilizations. Perhaps even making discoveries about the Ancients.
Emma had arrived early to the med lab that day. Carson was concerned about her volunteering for what he considered dangerous duty.
"You're the one who recommended me for this mission, don't you remember," Emma scolded.
"I meant for you to stay out of harm's way, pet. Not jump into the front line." Carson had been very protective of her when they were younger. And he continued to be so to this day whether she liked it or not.
Emma smiled. She cared about Carson very much. She had even declared that they were going to get married one day – never mind that she was 8 and he was 14.
"Come on, stop with the flirting and give me that shot."
Carson finally relented, giving Emma the gene. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling about this.
"See? No problems. Now how long before..." Emma never got a chance to finish her sentence. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she fell flat on her face.
Emma worked her way out of a deep sleep. She felt like someone had drugged her. She saw Carson through a thick haze, but didn't recognize the others around her. She heard voices from far away, then blacked out again.
Some time later Emma woke up, this time able to work her way back to consciousness. Carson was leaning over her looking extremely worried.
"What happened?" Emma asked.
"You fainted, pet. Gave us all a start. How are you feeling now?"
"Okay I guess."
"Can you sit up?"
Emma sat up slowly, still a little woozy, more embarrassed than anything else. "I'm fine, really. I'm fine," she replied.
"Since when were you made head physician around here, young lady?"
Emma looked up at him and smiled. "You know, I'm old enough now to take care of myself. You don't have to watch over me any more."
"Someone has to. You have a way of getting into more trouble than anyone I know." Emma's stubborn streak had kept Carson busy when they were growing up. He was always rescuing her from one minor disaster or another. It looked like things hadn't changed very much.
"Is this what happens to everyone who gets the gene therapy? You could have warned me."
"Actually, you're the first one who's fainted. We're still not sure why, we're hoping it's just your body adjusting to the new gene. Your vitals are okay, you should be fine as soon as you get your legs."
Carson did his best to sound convincing, but Emma saw right through him. Not wanting to worry him any more than she already had, she made up an excuse that would hopefully appease him. "I guess I didn't eat enough this morning. You know how I hate breakfast."
"No matter how old I get I still know when you're lying," Carson replied. "This has nothing to do with breakfast. Now, stand up and take a few steps for me."
Emma complied, still feeling a little weak kneed. She managed to take a few steps holding on to Carson for support. "You know I'm feeling better already, really I am." Emma let go of him and took a few steps on her own. She felt light headed, but nothing a little chocolate wouldn't cure. "I'm fine. You can take me off the sick list." Emma smiled, took one step toward the door and stumbled.
"I think not, pet. I'm not letting you out of my sight until you're back to normal." Carson grabbed her and smiled, trying to hide his concern. "I want to do a few more tests on you."
"I said I'm fine!" Emma was getting irritated. She just wanted to go back to her room. "Please let me go!"
She turned and started toward the exit. Carson had crossed the line. She felt fine and she wasn't going to let him keep her there any longer. As she approached the door, it swung open violently, slamming against the wall. It slammed shut just as quickly.
Emma stopped, not sure what just happened. "I think there's something wrong with your door."
"I'll have someone look at it." Carson turned his attention back to Emma. "Now back to bed."
Emma ignored him. "If you don't mind," she reached for the door, still irritated with Carson. It had already opened for her.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say the gene's starting to work." Carson approached Emma with one of the scanners. "Let me just run a few more tests. It'll only take a moment."
Emma just stood there. She knew by the look on his face that she was not going to be able to wrangle her way out of this one. Sometimes it was just better to let Carson have his way.
"That's odd." Carson mumbled to himself.
"No odder than anything else that's happened in the last hour." Emma replied sarcastically. She was going to give Carson just two minutes more, then leave whether he liked it or not. If he wanted to scan her, he could do so running down the hall after her.
"There seems to be something wrong with the bloody thing," Carson told her. "I'm getting readings off the chart."
Emma looked at the symbols on the screen. She doubted she would be able to make any sense out of them, but she may as well take an interest in what was happening to her. What she saw gave her a chill. "There's nothing wrong with the scanner," she told Carson flatly.
"And how would you know that?" Carson asked, he had had just about enough of her stubbornness and was ready to put her over his knee and give her a good spanking.
"I just know." Emma replied.
Carson looked at her closely. He could tell by the look on her face that she was not joking.
"What does it say?" Carson asked, quizzing her.
"It says I'm fine, but that reading to the left, the one that measures my Ancient gene? Like you said, it's off the charts." Emma sat down near the door. The door started opening and closing randomly. She had wanted the Ancient gene and now she had it in spades.
"Do you think you could come away from the door, pet?" Carson asked. "The slamming is starting to give me a headache."
"Well, then, you're in the right place," Emma replied, trying to lighten the mood. "Look, maybe it's just going to take some time for my body to get used to it. You said I was reacting differently to the treatment from the start."
"Yes, I did. But this is just flat out strange. I'm going to have to let Dr. Weir know what's happening."
"No!" Emma yelled. As she did, the door flew open and the light next to her exploded. Emma screamed as she ducked for cover, causing the lights in the ceiling to explode.
"Emma! Calm down!" Carson was on top of her in an instant, trying to protect her from the flying glass. "Your emotions seem to trigger the gene. Just try to relax." Carson told her.
Emma curled up on the floor, trying desperately not to react. "Okay," she said slowly. She took several deep breaths.
"Good. That's good. Feeling better?" Carson held her, feeling her body relax. "That's better. Now, I'm really going to have to get Dr. Weir."
Emma nodded, realizing that this was one situation she was not going to be able to handle on her own. She sat down in a quiet corner of the lab, hoping to stay out of trouble until Dr. Weir arrived. She was concentrating on controlling her emotions not only so nothing else in the lab would explode, but also so she could prove to Dr. Weir that her new abilities would not be a hindrance. Although how she was going to manage that was beyond her.
Emma absentmindedly turned to the computer at the station where she sat. This one was plugged into the Ancient mainframe. She pulled up some of the texts she had been translating, hoping the work would settle her nerves.
Emma read through what she had already completed. It seemed unusually sloppy to her, like someone had gone in and rearranged all of her words. She studied it some more, realizing that it indeed was her translation, but now when she read it she could see several mistakes she had made. Ancient was a very complex language. Key information was usually buried within multiple interpretations of a single sentence. Once she corrected her mistakes she found the translation flowed effortlessly. And more importantly, the new translation uncovered a database encrypted in the text.
Emma was so engrossed in her work that she did not hear Dr. Weir enter. Carson and Elizabeth stood behind her, watching her work. Elizabeth sat down next to Emma.
"This is incredible." She was amazed at Emma's mastery of the Ancient language.
Emma stopped. She had known something was different, but she had not been aware of the difference until she heard Dr. Weir's voice. It seemed that while she was in contact with the keyboard, she was able to mentally access the mainframe.
Emma closed her eyes and let her thoughts wander. In her mind she saw corridors stretching endlessly before her. She walked down the hallways knowing intuitively which way to turn. She touched one of the icons on the wall in front of her. Instantly images flooded her senses, not only sight, but touch and sound - images of Ancient Atlantis and the people who had lived there.
"Emma, what's happening?" Carson asked. He was ready to pull her off the keyboard at any second. His first instinct was to protect his patient.
"I can see images of Atlantis," Emma answered. She was overcome by the beauty of the city.
"Visions?" Elizabeth asked.
"More like memories. I can access the data in the mainframe. It's like movies are playing in my head, and I'm part of them."
Emma removed her hands from the keyboard and the images faded. She looked at Carson and Dr. Weir and smiled. "It looks like the gene has given me some additional abilities."
"So it does, pet, but let's not overdo it your first day." Carson scanned Emma for vitals. He didn't want her back on the mainframe until he had checked her out completely.
Dr. Weir pulled Carson aside. "What just happened?"
"I'm not sure. She seems okay, her vitals are normal. The gene therapy just seems to be working differently in her."
"Can you run some more tests," Elizabeth asked. "I'd like to see how else the gene works differently in her. This could be very beneficial to us."
"Aye, that may be, but I won't let her do anything that could harm her," Carson cautioned Elizabeth.
"Don't worry, we'll make sure to keep her safe." Elizabeth smiled at Carson. She knew how much he cared for Emma and didn't want to do anything to hurt either of them.
"Dr. Weir," Emma moved to join the pair. "Before I disconnected from the mainframe, I was able to access some of the city schematics. I'd like to see if I can pull them up again. There may some information..."
"Not until Dr. Beckett does some more tests on you," Dr. Weir interrupted. "I think for now you should stay off the mainframe."
"But..." Emma protested. She wanted to go back in. There was so much for her to learn.
"Until we know what's happening, we can't risk it. You don't know what could happen to you or Atlantis if you reconnect."
"But Dr. Weir!" Emma's protest grew stronger.
"Listen to Dr. Weir," Carson said sternly. His look told her to watch herself.
Emma said nothing, one last wave of frustration rising inside her. The lamp on the table flickered.
Dr. Weir exchanged looks with Dr. Beckett. Emma knew what they were thinking. If she could make the lights flicker on and off like that, what else could she do?
Emma backed down. She knew she needed Dr. Weir on her side if she was to be allowed to explore the mainframe again.
"This may not be permanent, you know, love." Carson looked at Emma. He was hoping it wasn't. It was one thing to be able to open and close a door at will, but being connected to the city on some deeper telepathic level was a bit more dangerous.
'It has to be,' Emma thought to herself. It couldn't be over so soon.
The next few days were spent in a flurry of tests. Emma spent hours working to control her emotions, something that was not all that easy for her. Emma wanted desperately to use her new found talents, but knew that it would only happen if she could convince Dr. Weir she was not a danger to herself or Atlantis. In the mean time the more she learned to relax, the more she found she could control the Ancient machinery. There was still much inaccessible to her, but she was working on it.
