Teaser
McKay dumps his kit and starts complaining that this mission "is a waste of time." He argues that it's an uninhabited planet and his time is better spent trying to find alternative power sources for Atlantis. Ronon asks him if he "Ever shuts up." And Sheppard laughs, "No talking is what he does." He then tells McKay that all the other teams were busy and they needed to stretch their legs.
The team is walking through the forest when Teyla stops suddenly and looks around. Sheppard asks what is it and she tells him she senses a presence. Immediately everyone's on high alert and Sheppard orders them to spread out.
Mckay goes with Ronon, still complaining when both of them her a noise. They freeze, Mckay hides behind Ronon, Ronon readies his weapon in the direction of a tree. After a pause, a small boy appears in dirty clothing and no shoes. "Oh god it's always children," Mckay says. "Would you rather it be a Wraith?" Ronon asks. "Honestly..?" Mckay replies. Ronon calls Sheppard on the radio. "They found something" and "This planet wasn't as uninhabited as they thought."
ACT ONE
Back on Atlantis, the small boy is being checked out by Beckett while Weir talks to Sheppard. "You say he just walked out from behind a tree?" "Ronon and Mckay found him first actually… needless to say the kid was terrified," Sheppard jokes.
Beckett approaches after a nurse takes the small boy to get something to eat and new clothes. Beckett tells Sheppard and Weir that the boy is perfectly healthy and human with a small anomaly in his blood stream. Sheppard asks what's wrong with that and Beckett explains, "I think we've learned even the smallest changes mean big things."
Teyla is sitting in the cafeteria watching the small boy be fawned over by some other personnel. Ronon approaches and takes a seat and asks her why she looks bothered. Teyla says she's not but that she is curious to know how someone can just leave a small child alone with no one to care for him. Ronon does agree it's odd but adds that many children have been orphaned by the Wraith. Teyla agrees but is still wary.
Sheppard is walking down a hallway when Weir calls him to her office. He says he was on his way to work out, "Can it wait?" She says no, their small guest, whose name is Romulus, has some information for them.
The small boy is drawing when Sheppard arrives in Weir's office. To Sheppard's surprise, McKay is intently watching over his shoulder. "Change of heart McKay?" he asks. McKay sneers at him, "Opportunity," he replies. Sheppard looks at Weir who explains the boy just told her something interesting. "Co-ordinates to a planet not on our charts" and "He says there's a ZPM." "It speaks?" McKay asks. Sheppard looks at him, "If you didn't know that why are you here?" McKay rudely takes the half finished picture from the child and shows it to Sheppard. "He's been drawing these since he got here." The picture is of a ZPM. "It's mine," the child says innocently, "I found it!"
After a short heart to heart, Sheppard convinces Romulus to tell them where he saw the ZPM before. Romulus, or "Squirt," as Sheppard nicknames him gives them the address of PX-758. Weir plans to sends a team opting to give Sheppard and his team a break considering the amount of missions they've had so far.
Teyla and Sheppard are sparring. Sheppard knocks Teyla down but she jumps up and practically throws him into the wall, attacking angrily. "Teyla, easy!" Sheppard exclaims. She apologizes not knowing what's wrong with her, just that she feels a great unease since Romulus came to Atlantis. Sheppard says she just needs to get to know the kid a little more. She reluctantly agrees.
Teyla enters sickbay and is welcomed by Dr. Beckett; they discus how Romulus is doing. Beckett says the boy, although talkative, doesn't want to go be with the other children on the mainland.
Teyla approaches the boy asking how he's doing. Romulus looks up at her for a moment then back to his drawing. Teyla makes a comment how it is a gift for him to be so creative and artistic but still Romulus says nothing. Instead he hands her a drawing, it's crude but it's clearly of a wraith hive ship.
Teyla's shocked and asks where he saw this ship before. He finally speaks saying, "They took my family away but I was hiding." Teyla looks at the picture again and seems unnerved, she gets up and leaves.
Sheppard turns the picture right side up then upside down. "Squirts pretty good," he says. Then smiles, "Perfect likeness." "What are you blind?" McKay comments. "We weren't all Picasso as a baby McKay," Sheppard replies. "Picasso?" Ronan asks. Both Sheppard and McKay shake their heads and the subject is dropped. Weir says that perhaps that's why they thought the planet was inhabited, because it was a Wraith culling world that simply dried up. Everyone agrees but Teyla is still hesitant. The meeting breaks up as Sheppard announces he's going to teach the kid football.
Romulus is latched onto Sheppard's back as he walks into the science lab. McKay and Zelenka are arguing where the ZPM is needed most, for the shields or for internal power. Both stop and look in horror as Sheppard approaches with the kid. "Don't let him touch anything," Zelenka says, then picks up his computer panel and walks away. McKay and Sheppard start talking about Romulus being, "A sticky fingered midget that should be in a cage," as McKay puts it. He reminds Sheppard of the planet inhabited entirely by children.
They are distracted from their talk when Zelenka curses in Czech, "Zpropadeně!" They realize Romulus is gone and that he's now taking apart one of Zelenka's computer panels. Zelenka tries to get it back but Romulus already destroyed it and dumps the bits on the floor smiling at Sheppard. "Can we do that again?" he asks. "This could be a problem," Sheppard sighs. Romulus is heading toward another instrument panel with a tool in hand and both McKay and Zelenka go for him. "Take it!" McKay says as he hands Romulus to Sheppard. Sheppard is amused but leaves with the kid.
Weir and Sheppard are discussing what to do with Romulus and his new found, oddly expert ability to take apart their technology, when the Stargate bursts to life and Lt. Lorne's team enters the gate room. Both head down the steps and are nearly run over by Mckay who runs to Lorne and asks, "Did you get it? Don't break it, give it here!"
Lorne shakes his head and turns as the rest of his team is coming through. "We found something alright," he says. The last man through is carrying a medium size bundle with bare legs hanging out of it. "What, did we turn this place into an orphanage?" McKay spews. Sheppard approaches the bundle and pulls back the hood slightly. He, Weir and even McKay are shocked to find, Romulus… or at least, his identical twin. "Well that's odd," Sheppard says.
ACT TWO
Beckett shrugs at Weir, "I don't know what to tell you Elizabeth, the wee lads are indeed twins." "Then how did they end up two worlds apart?" she asks. "I don't know but he won't say anything to me, he's a wee bit shy, unlike his brother."
Sheppard enters with Romulus. Beckett comments on how the two seem to be getting along well. Sheppard shows Beckett and Weir that he's taught Romulus to give a high five.
Romulus sees the other boy and starts screaming. The other boy sees Romulus and starts screaming. It is agreed upon quickly and Sheppard takes Romulus from the room.
Weir approaches the boy, he stops screaming. "Is it gone?" he asks. Weir asks him why he was so scared and the boy replies that Romulus isn't his brother he's a "copy" but the boy doesn't know how to explain passed that. All he says is that the boy is dangerous. "By the way, now that you're talking, what do we call you?" Weir asks. The boy looks up, "I'm Remus."
Sheppard is sitting across from Romulus who is eating ice-cream contently. Sheppard asks, "You want to explain your little freak out Squirt?" Romulus says the other boy is bad. That, when his family was taken by the Wraith, the other boy, suddenly appeared. He ran away through the Stargate because he'd seen his people use it before. The boy is obviously afraid. "Don't worry Squirt, you're safe here," Sheppard says.
Weir's sitting in her office, looking pensive. Teyla comes in and Weir invites her to sit. Teyla explains that there's something about the children that is unsettling her. She thinks that one may have something to do with the Wraith. Weir explains what she found out from Remus and what Sheppard found out from Romulus. "So one of them is lying," Teyla says. Weir isn't so sure, she thinks one is telling the truth but doesn't know which one to believe. Dr. Beckett is supposed to be running tests on them and they should have results soon enough.
Sheppard is startled awake to find Romulus standing at the foot of his bed. Romulus says he couldn't sleep he was scared and wants more ice-cream. Sheppard yawns and realizes it's still late. "Come on Squirt, I'll take you back to bed." But Romulus doesn't want to sleep, he wants to play. Sheppard starts shaking his head but Romulus repeats himself and oddly, Sheppard complies. They leave the room.
Teyla is in bed, she's having a nightmare. She wakes up suddenly hearing whispers then snaps her head toward her open door. Both boys are standing there watching her. She starts, asking them what they want but they both turn and walk away. She chases out the door after them only to find no one is in the hallway. She turns back to her room and finds a Wraith hissing at her and moving for the attack.
Teyla yells, sits up in bed and pats her self down. She's alright, it was a dream. Still as she lies back down her eyes are wide awake and wary.
Ronon is running through Atlantis when he comes to a junction. He opens the door and is surprised to find Sheppard unconscious, Romulus beside him crying.
Sheppard's awake, in sickbay. Weir comes in with Telya and McKay curious as to what happened. Sheppard says all he remembers is taking Romulus back to bed and then everything goes black. Suddenly Zelenka appears, "Then when did you accessed the internal memory banks of the city?" he asks. Sheppard is confused, "I… didn't?" he says questioningly.
ACT THREE
Everyone is standing around Sheppard on the medical bed. Zelenka looks down at his computer panel then back up. "It appears you were looking at personnel files." Sheppard shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. He has no recollection of the time Romulus came to get him and waking up here. "Perhaps we should ask the children?" Teyla asks. "Good idea, it's time we get some real answers," Weir says.
Romulus is sitting across the meeting room from Remus. Both boys are eyeing each other warily. Weir, Beckett and Sheppard's team sits with them. "Boys we need to know the truth now." Romulus protests his innocence while Remus stays rather quiet. "Remus hurt the major not me!"
Remus' head snaps up, he looks at Romulus in fear and then to Sheppard but still says nothing. "Remus what do you say happened?" Remus shakes his head and looks back at his hands. Ronon kneels next to the boy and looks him straight in the eye, "You either do not wish to protest your innocence or you fear the punishment you are about to receive for being Wraith." Remus bursts into tears.
Sheppard comes to the boy's aid, picking Remus up and glaring at Ronon, "And I thought Rodney was bad with kids." "Boy scout," McKay grunts. "Girl guide," Sheppard shoots back. Weir stops the two of them from fighting and asks Romulus how he knew how to take apart those computer panels. To which the boy explains his father was an engineer before the Wraith took him and the rest of his family.
"He's my dad!" Remus cries. He buries his face in Sheppard's shirt. Romulus folds his arms, "My dad always said to stay strong, he wouldn't want me crying like that thing." Remus cries harder. Sheppard sighs and says maybe the boys will be better after some food. The others concur.
The others hang back as Beckett and Sheppard take the boys for some food. "Teyla you've been awfully quiet, is something wrong?" Teyla shakes her head, "I am unsure, at his age Romulus should be more upset about loosing his family but Remus appears to be too…" "Innocent?" Ronon supplies. Teyla agrees.
"We should interrogate them," McKay says. When Ronon agrees with him, they all look at him in shock. "You do?" Weir asks. "The Wraith are cunning, whether we choose to admit that or not. I wouldn't put it past them to send us children." Weir asks if he thinks one of the children is "a plant" to gain access to their information. "I think THEY are both much more then that," Ronon replies. Teyla nods. "Oh come on, I hate kids too but they can't both be evil. Can they?" Mckay asks.
Romulus is confidently eating away while Remus just pokes at his food. Sheppard is eyeing both children cautiously. Suddenly Sheppard gets up and walks away leaving a confused Beckett in his wake. "Major?" Beckett queries.
Teyla is walking next to Weir. "There's something you aren't telling me isn't there?" "I had a strange dream last night that the two of them were at my door…" Teyla says. Weir stews over the dream a bit then says, "Maybe we should send teams to both planets and recheck the area, see if we can't figure this out." Teyla agrees just then Weir is called by McKay to the control room.
In the control room, Sheppard is being restrained and held at gun point. "What the hell is going on??" Weir demands. Mckay's fingers are racing across the instrument board. Mckay, "He was trying to lower the shield and send a transmission." Weir incredulous, "And…?" Mckay, "And a moment before he came in here, two Wraith hive ships were picked up on the long range scan. He was trying to contact them." Weir looks at Sheppard, "Explain," she demands.
Sheppard's eyes are distant, he's staring at nothing, something's wrong.
"Elizabeth," Mckay says. She turns away from Sheppard to Mckay. "What?" Mckay scared, "He got through."
ACT FOUR
"How much did he get through?" Weir asks. Mckay, "I'm not sure, I stopped him before he could do too much harm but I'd say we are significantly screwed." "Is there anything you can do to jam the signal before it gets to those ships?" Weir asks. Mckay's fingers are still dancing, "I'm trying." Intense moments of everyone staring at each other while McKay works then…
"I think I did it." Mckay says. "Or at least we'll know when we aren't blown to a thousand tiny pieces." Everyone breaths easy. Sheppard passes out in his guard's grip. Weir tells the guard's to take Sheppard to the infirmary. "Mckay, keep an eye on those ships," she adds.
The infirmary, Ronon is watching the children like a hawk. Sheppard sits on one of the beds. Beckett snaps off a medical glove and sighs, "As far as I can tell there's nothing wrong with him." "I don't remember leaving the table, it's kinda like a dream," Sheppard sighs. "I've sent teams back to the two planets of the children's origin," Weir says. Sheppard, "What are you hoping to find?" Weir, "Answers."
Teyla comes in and approaches the children. Romulus moves to stand but Ronon holds both still. Weir approaches looking frustrated. "Until further notice you two are going to be guarded. Unless one of you can convince me your stories are true," Weir. "OFF WORLD ACTIVATION"
The gate comes to life. Everyone rushes into the control room. Lorne's team comes through the gate with a wary looking, man following them. "Now this is getting ridiculous," Mckay grunts. Weir, Sheppard and McKay approach the man and Lorne's team. "Lorne?" Sheppard asks. "Major Sheppard, Doctor Weir this is Simones," Lorne introduces. The man shakes hands then says, "I understand you think you have a child from my people's villages."
Weir/Sheppard/McKay/Simones are sitting in the conference room. Simones is looking at a picture of both boys. He puts down the computer panel. "As far as my people are concerned this boy was killed at the hands of the Wraith years ago as was his entire family." Everyone looks shocked. Mckay, "That can't be right; we've got two of them." Simones shakes his head, "There have been stories…" he tells a story of the Wraith doing testing on humans. Sheppard likens the story to Teyla.
Simones goes on to say that, They have some of those that were returned but now the Wraith seeks them out. The Wraith are aware of their sensing abilities. This boy's parents were two of such escaped. There have been many attacks and they are loosing places to hide. They were originally from PX-134 but split up to lessen their numbers to PX-758. They had been watching the boys, on both planets, wander the woods since they'd been placed a week ago. "You just let those boys fend for themselves?" Sheppard asks. Simones doesn't bat an eyelash, "It's possible one of these boys is human but there's no sense in risking it. You'd do well to destroy them both."
Teyla is walking down the hallway alone. Something catches her attention. She stops and looks around her curiously. When she sees nothing, she keeps on walking. Suddenly a stunner blast hits her from behind. She falls, unconscious and Remus steps into view with a grin and a weapon.
Sheppard and Weir enter sick bay. Everyone's unconscious, even Ronon. Sheppard calls for an emergency putting all personnel on alert for the two kids.
Sheppard runs through the halls. Over the radio, "Sheppard this is Weir sensors found them in the jumper bay." Sheppard heads for the bay.
Teyla comes to and finds the two boys standing close to her. They are on the west tower high above the water. Remus is holding a gun. He turns to Romulus, hands him a knife and smiles, "Kill her." He orders. Teyla realizes then that Romulus seems distant, under control. She accuses Remus of this and Remus smiles, "… human minds are so easy to control."
An argument ensues about why the Wraith crated Remus and why they kept both boys around. Eventually Teyla starts winning and says, "Perhaps you use Romulus as the pawn because you are jealous he is the original and you are just a copy. You are not truly human."
Remus is furious and raises his weapon to her, "Even the Wraith cared more about keeping him alive then they did me! I was supposed to kill you by any means necessary as long as Romulus was returned to them!" He's almost pouting. Behind him Romulus has lowered the knife and no longer obeys Remus.
Suddenly Sheppard appears, "Freeze!" Remus spins around and tries to fire off a shot but Romulus screams, "NO!" and lunges at him. Both drop over the edge of the tower and out of sight. Sheppard helps Teyla to her feet and both look over the edge.
Sheppard and Teyla are standing on the balcony, Weir comes out. "They found them," she says. "Did either…?" Sheppard asks. Weir sadly lowers her head and nods. Sheppard hits the railing, "Damn it!" Teyla, "I should have known, but with Remus's ability to control thoughts I could not discern good from bad. They created one and used the other as an innocent ploy." "They only needed one, Remus must have been able to find where Lorne's team went after we brought Romulus here. We brought that kid to his death." Weir, "No one is to blame but the Wraith. Now we know just how far their human experiments have gone and we'll be ready next time."
Sheppard, "Let's hope there never IS a next time." Teyla and Weir watch him walk off.
THE END