Author's Note: This story takes place during SG1 season 9, with spoilers for the episode Ethon, (The episode where they have to blow up the satellite).
Scones Anyone?
Marz
Chapter 3: Bad Time to Hitch a Ride
Remus blinked. The tracer module fell from his shaking hand.
"Are you hurt?" asked a familiar voice.
Remus looked around. He was crouched on a highly polished floor in a small room. The walls were lined with glowing panels and switches. A tall blond woman with close cropped hair and blue fatigues was leaning over him.
"The Ministry said you didn't make your meeting yesterday. Our guys couldn't contact you either. It looks like we made the right call bringing you in. Remus, are you alright?"
He nodded. "Yes, thank you Colonel Carter."
She held out her hand to help him up.
He hadn't seen the muggle woman in over four months, since she had set up the protocol for sending werewolves to the crashed Goa'uld ship that had become the muggle's lunar research center. He liked her because of her apparent inability to hold a grudge. He and Mad eye-Moody had kidnapped her and her team mate Daniel Jackson, when they suspected the muggles had something to do with the disappearance of Harry Potter. None of the other muggles from the SGC seemed to hold grudges either. When they found out about magic and werewolves and all other things supernatural they hadn't responded with panic. Instead they offered to help cure werewolves, giving Remus a job (and a nice salary) as their go-between. They'd also promised to keep their existence a secret, if Wizards responded in kind. He wished the English Ministry would take a page out of their book.
He took Carter's hand, and was reminded that his wrist was dislocated.
"We've got to make some quick decisions," Carter said. "The Prometheus is about to leave orbit."
"Oh," Remus said, still a little shell shocked.
"We can beam you back to your apartment, or to the SGC infirmary. You'll have to catch a flight home from there."
"I need to go back," Remus started.
"Home?"
"No, I need to go back to the caverns. They have children there. There turning them into…I need to go back at moon set."
"We can't wait Remus. We're leaving orbit. I'll send you the exact coordinates that we grabbed you from as soon as possible."
"How long will you be gone?"
"I don't know. It could be a day, it could be weeks."
"Can I stay?"
"What?"
"Can I stay here, and then you can beam me right back when you return."
Carter frowned. Remus knew this was against all kinds of procedures. She grabbed the tracer off the floor and put it in Remus' hands.
"Lieutenant Lynn?" Carter called to a man who was just standing in the corridor. "Can you escort Mr. Lupin to the infirmary?" She turned back to him. "I'll run it by the captain. If you suddenly end up back in your apartment you should take it as a no, alright?"
Remus nodded, and allowed the muggle soldier to escort him to an elevator.
Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell wanted to chew his nails, or crack his knuckles, or do a headstand. He was completely and totally prepared for the mission. He knew the approach angles. He knew the stats. He was ready to launch his X302 at a moment's notice, under fire, without gravity, without atmosphere, any way really, short of blind folded, maybe even then. He was revved up and ready to go, ready to blast the crap out of that Prior satellite. The only problem was the Prometheus would take nine hours to get to Tagallus, and they were just now pulling out of Earth orbit. They should have gone fourteen minutes ago, but Colonel Carter had taken a call and put everyone on hold to run a scan of the planet and pick someone up. He watched her return to the bridge and say something to Captain Pendergast, who nodded at first, frowned next, and exclaimed "werewolves?" before nodding again.
Mitchell couldn't help but be curious. When Carter returned to her workstation he followed.
"Did he say werewolves?" he asked.
Carter nodded, but didn't provide any other information.
"Well, why?"
"Because I just beamed a former werewolf aboard," Carter said. "Remus Lupin. He's in the SGC personnel files, listed as a special rep."
"But his file doesn't say werewolf right? Because I went over those files until my eyes were bleeding when I was trying to get SG1 back together, and I didn't see one file that said werewolf."
"It's one of those things that we don't put in files."
"He really was a werewolf?" Mitchell asked.
"Yes," Carter said, trying to focus on the calculations she'd been asked to check when she had brought Remus' request to Pendergast.
"But with the teeth and claws and fur and everything?"
"Yes," Carter said.
"And the full moon?
"That too," Carter said.
"And this wasn't in the files because…?"
"We said we'd keep them out of our files if they'd keep us out of theirs. If the Stargate goes public, they have no desire to be dragged out into the open as well."
"But werewolves?"
"Wizards too," she said. "Maybe we should have filled you in earlier, but the situation with them is a bit, tenuous."
"The situation with Wizards is a bit tenuous. Right." It had to be some kind of joke. Then again Carter wasn't known for her practical jokes. "All wizards or just some wizards? What about Merlin? I thought Merlin was an ancient?" Mitchell asked, recalling the fight they'd had with the security system guarding Merlin's treasure.
"According to them, that Merlin was just using the name because it held power with the locals. Real wizards wouldn't have had anything to do with establishing a muggle government. As for the other parts of the legend you'd have to ask Daniel. He knows more about it then me."
"What about magic wands?" Mitchell asked.
"They have those too," Carter said.
"So are they the mysterious guests that have a section of the moon base all to themselves?"
Carter looked up in surprise. "Yes."
"So what, werewolves go party on the moon?"
"Werewolves get cured on the moon."
"Really?"
"I've got a lot to do right now," Carter said. "Why don't you go ask him yourself?"
She hoped Remus would forgive her.
Remus tried to sit still while the muggle doctor poked at his wrist.
Will it hurt more or less if I don't watch?
They'd given him scrubs to wear in place of his torn and stained clothes. He always seemed to end up in these strange pajama like garments when he was around SGC personnel.
"Whoa! What got you?" asked a very burley man from the doorway.
Remus turned his head and started to answer.
POP!
The words Remus had been planning to say were replaced by an exclamation of pained surprise as the doctor chose that moment to push the bones into place. When Remus stopped seeing flashes in front of his eyes, he noticed the burly man was standing in front of him, inspecting his injuries with amused interest. Remus squinted at the name stitched onto the man's uniform. Mitchell. He was fairly certain they hadn't met before.
"You're the werewolf right?" Mitchell asked, pointing at Remus face. "So does this mean you're going to turn into a werewolf again?"
Remus blinked as the doctor started blotting disinfectant on the claw-marks near his eye.
"No. These are from a werewolf in human form." Remus said, slightly annoyed. "You only become a werewolf if you are attacked during a full moon.
Mitchell gave a disbelieving snort. "Really?" he asked, looking to the doctor.
The doctor shrugged. "It's too late to stitch these," the doctor said to Remus. "They'll just have to heal as they are."
"Why'd they grab you?" Mitchell asked. "They dragged you off to make you one of them again?"
"I was there for dinner actually."
The man opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again, catching on to what Remus meant.
"Nasty."
Remus watched him as the doctor slathered more stinging goo onto the claw marks on his face. He had a feeling this fellow wasn't going to go away with out a good kick in the backside, and he wasn't wrong.
"Do you have a tail?" Mitchell asked.
"What?"
"When you turn into a werewolf, do you have a tail?"
"Er…yes."
Remus looked to the doctor for help. The doctor gave him a look that said they were both crazy.
"Do wizards really exist?" Mitchell asked.
"Do you have clearance to ask these kinds of questions?" Remus asked.
"I'm on SG1," Mitchell replied proudly. "So do wizards really exist?"
"Yes."
"Do wizards really fly around on brooms?" Mitchell asked.
He had a smirk on his face that said he didn't believe a word Remus was saying.
"No, we travel by sled, pulled by flying animals, usually reindeer. That's how the Santa Claus legend started."
"Really?" Mitchell asked.
"No." Remus replied.
Mitchell threw his head back and laughed. He was still cracking up when Carter and Teal'c arrived.
"How are you feeling?" asked Carter as she walked into the infirmary.
"Better," Remus said.
Remus nodded to Teal'c, a large dark skinned man with a gold symbol branded in the center of his forehead.He nodded back. Remus still had trouble believing Teal'c was from another planet billions of miles from Earth.
Almost as much trouble as Mitchell is having with the existence of werewolves.
"I suppose the fact that I'm still here means you got a 'yes' from the captain," Remus said.
Carter nodded. "Captain Pendergast said he would need to get everything confirmed again when we reenter the solar system, but O'Neill went to bat for you. You're going to want to beam quite a few people out with you?"
Remus nodded.
"Is Dr. Jackson not with you?" Remus asked.
"We're going to pick him up actually," Mitchell said with false cheer.
"Has something happened to him?"
"We don't know," Carter said.
"Where are we going?" Remus asked.
The three members of SG1 exchanged looks. Teal'c raised an eyebrow. Mitchell shrugged. Carter sighed.
"We're going to a planet called Tagallus," Carter explained. "The two countries on the planet, Rand and Caledonia are at war. Daniel went to the planet with a defector from Rand to try to talk his government out of using a dooms day weapon provided to them by a group of aliens called Priors, who are attempting to take over our galaxy on behalf of a group of entities called the Ori. We haven't heard from Daniel since."
"Oh," Remus said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Not unless you've regained your…" Carter paused.
Remus knew despite what she had seen, she wasn't comfortable using the word.
"Magic?" he supplied.
"Uh…yes," she said. "The Priors' abilities seem to be on par with your peoples', though theirs seems to come in least in part from modified brain chemistry, while yours…"
Remus shrugged. "It hasn't worked since I died."
There was an awkward pause.
"Have you asked Harry for help?" Remus said to break the silence.
Carter shook her head. "General O'Neill says we shouldn't bother him until he's out of school. Harry's still sending us schematics of Goa'uld technology that pops up in his head, but…he's just a kid after all."
Remus nodded, another reason to like these muggles.
"If you'd like I can see if anyone in the Order is interested in an interplanetary tour."
Carter nodded.
"Well!" Mitchell declared, "We've got explosions to plan and you look like you could use a week in the sack, so I guess we'll see you around wolfy!"
He turned and walked out.
"Er…right," Remus said.
Carter and Teal'c made more polite exits. Remus stood alone in the infirmary, feeling rather useless.
Remus lay in a bunk in the crew quarters, listening to the humming engine and the whirring fans that circulated air throughout the ship. He was exhausted, but he couldn't keep his eyes closed for more then a few minutes at a time. It felt like someone else was in the room with him, but whenever he sat up and looked around, all he saw were twenty empty bunks. He told himself it was the security camera blinking in the corner, but he knew that wasn't it.
Maybe it's just nerves. I am flying towards a star that can't even bee seen from Earth.
He shifted again. Even if he got permission to beam directly back into the werewolves' caverns, what would he be able to do? He could probably borrow a gun or one of those alien zat devices from the muggles, but even then he'd be out numbered. He could call in the Order, but it could take days more to get together an effective team. Getting help from the Ministry would take even longer. The werewolves might not even be there anymore. He couldn't ask the muggles. It wasn't their fight.
The ship shuttered and a red light started to blink in the corner of the room. An electronic voice announced a hull breach. Remus rolled out of the bunk, and stumbled across the room towards the heavy steel door which was sliding shut. He didn't have time to think. He ducked under it and a moment later he was locked outside. He paused for a moment, confused. He smelled smoke coming through the vents and moment later the fans shut off. He started up the hall, towards the faint sound of panicked voices. The air around him started to move, but the fans hadn't come back on. A gale force wind pulled at him, and the voices were lost. He started to run forward into the rush of air. It pulled at his clothes and nearly dragged him off his feet. He caught the edge of another door as it was sliding shut and squeezed his way through. The wind cut off the moment the door sealed.
A man was suddenly in front of him grabbing his shoulders.
"Was there anybody else in there?" the man shouted in Remus' face.
"I didn't see anyone," Remus answered.
"Get up to the next deck!"
Remus looked about in confusion, but the man shoved him down the left corridor, so he figured that was the way to go. Other members of the crew were running with him. They came to a narrow ladder, it disappeared into the ceiling, at least thirty feet. Remus' hand was numb under the layer of splints. Another crewman pushed him towards it.
"I'll go last," Remus said. "I'll slow everyone down!"
"You go now!" the man ordered.
There was more shoving and Remus started up the ladder, using his one working hand to climb. He got to the next deck and scrambled out of the way. The rest of the crew came flying out of the hole in the floor. They rushed off in different directions, the last one slamming the hatched closed over the ladder.
"What's wrong?" Remus asked, stumbling after the man who had made him climb the ladder first. The name sown on the man's uniform was Hutch.
"We're under attack from the planet. The engines are out, our weapons don't work and you're asking me dumb question," Hutch replied.
"Oh. What should I be doing?" Remus said.
"You should stay out of the way. Go on up to deck twelve."
Remus nodded and stumbled off. He passed Mitchell and Teal'c, who were running the opposite way. The ship gave another terrifying shake. For a moment his feet rose up off the floor. He floated forward, weightless. Then gravity returned and he dropped to the deck. He got to his feet again.
"Brace for impact!" an electronic voice echoed through the halls.
Remus grabbed the nearest door frame with his working hand. The ship shuddered. The wind came up again. Now Remus understood what it meant. There was a hole in ship somewhere and the air was rushing out into space. He stumbled up the corridor. Panels sparked and smoked. Up ahead he heard a woman screaming. He wasn't sure how he heard it through the rushing air, but he did. He ran.
A woman's arm was caught in a door and the air was rushing out past her. He could see through the narrow space that there were two more people behind her clinging to her, and a hundred yards behind them, down the corridor, there was…nothing. Remus saw a steel bar lying on the ground, it was one of the ladder rungs. He jammed it into the narrow gap in the door and pushed. It inched open and the woman's arm came free she started to slide away, but the men clinging to her reached around her and caught hold of Remus. He kept pushing. Slowly all three squeezed through the narrow space. The air was so thin Remus' vision was going dark, but he managed to hang onto the bar until they were all out. The door slammed shut behind them.
One of the men picked up the woman with crushed arm. She'd passed out. The other pulled Remus to his feet. He hadn't realized he'd fallen down. They stumbled through the ship, running into one sealed door after another. Finally they came to a ladder. They climbed. The next deck was filled with smoke and panicked people.
"-abandoning ship?"
"-deck twelve-"
"Where's Chris?"
"-power's down-"
"This way! Everyone this way!" boomed a voice through the confused din.
Everyone rushed down the hall, through a door that had been jimmied open. The crew crowded around an Asgard beam platform.
"Eight at a time let's go!" ordered an officer.
The crew queued up. Remus went to the end of the line. He heard a faint voice. Someone was calling for help. Things were exploding all around, people shouted, and still he could hear it. He walked back to the hall and listened. There was a flash of light as the first group beamed out. Remus wandered farther away.
"Help!"
Remus ran again. He heard people calling for him to come back, but he didn't stop. He followed the voice through twists and turns until he was completely lost. He came to a sealed door and pried it open. There was a man lying on the floor in a puddle of blood. A section of the wall had blown out, and piece of twisted metal was sticking out of his chest. He'd been dead at least ten minutes.
"Help!" called the voice again.
Remus turned and saw Remus.
The man standing behind him had the same face, the same build, but was wearing different clothes. Remus recognized the clothes. They were the clothes he had been wearing when Bellatrix Lestrange had hit him with the killing curse.
"Help me," the other said. "I want to live."
Remus ran. He tried to get back to the platform, but he was lost. The ship started shaking and did not stop. The deck under his feet was growing hot. He heard another call for help, and went toward it. It was coming from the next deck up. He climbed the next ladder that he came to. The next deck was so clouded with smoke Remus had to crawl along the floor. There was a man with his ankle caught in a door. Remus grabbed the metal and pulled. The man crawled free. He started to say something but he was cut off as a wall of fire surged up the hall. Remus threw him up his arms.