CHAPTER 6 – INCARCERATION

John stood broodingly at the back of the room, watching as Carson gave her a full physical. They had disallowed John's request that she at least be moved to the infirmary to undergo this physical, however Carson had been considerate enough to set up a privacy curtain that effectively screened her from the front and the marines who were guarding her. John stood near the back of the room, needing to hear and see what went on, and while a part of him knew that Carson would never compromise the health and welfare of his patient, regardless of their origin, he needed to make sure with his own eyes, that she was safe. The protectiveness left him feeling disconcerted, and he moved now so that his back was against the wall of the room, propping himself up and dropping his head slightly to massage an aching neck.

Carson called him over to the bars. "She's a healthy wee lass Colonel. Appears in full human form,with all the normal functions and internal workings that you would expect to see in any human from our world. No abnormalities and no sign of anything alien, although I am aware that the alien would not be visible to the naked eye and that it exists as a consciousness only. She carries nothing viral that could be detrimental to the welfare of any personnel here, and pending Dr Heitmeyer's evaluation, I am going to recommend that she be released into more comfortable quarters." Carson began packing up his bag and looked up again at John to see him looking down and resting his head against the bars.

"Ok son? You look as though you haven't had a good night sleep for a while."

"That would be an accurate disgnosis Doc, worried about her, I guess..."

"Elizabeth told me how things were between you - knowing what her intentions were, does that not change those feelings?" He paused, waiting for John to respond, then smiled looking at what he saw in his eyes. "No never mind, you don't need to answer that, I can see it on your face. Feelings are not something you can just turn off. Good luck to you son." He gave John a pat on the shoulder and left the room.

Andrea had fixed her clothes back into place and now came to him. Her cool hand touched his forehead, soothing a little the ache that had settled there, and he leaned into her touch, ignoring the interested glances of the watching marines. "You have pain John? I wish to make it go away...Tell me how I can do this?"

"I want it to go away too Andrea, and I don't have the answer on how... when Dr Heitmeyer has been to see you and given you a positive evaluation, I am going to have you moved into private quarters - it's not right that you're being held here. Can you tell her to come and find me when she has finished? I have reports to write up - you'll be ok here a while on your own?"

Those violet eyes just looked into his and he turned quickly to leave, needing suddenly to place some distance between them.

Kate found him in his private quarters working on his laptop at his desk - needing some privacy from the rest of the base personnel. Looking at her he saw only compassion and not censure and felt able to make a joke at his own expense. "So Doc - come to take me away and lock me up in a padded room? To check out my level of sanity? Must be questionable falling for an alien...hmmm?"

"Use jokes if it gets you through it Colonel. You want to hear my recommendation?" She sat down in the extra chair he had pulled up to his desk and watched his face closely, continuing only after she saw him nod. "For all intents and purposes, she is a human and in no way controlled by the alien entity. She explained to me how the transformation works and I understand that some sort of malfunction occurred this time. The human is now the stronger of the two shared consciousness."

"Were you able to talk to both?" John watched her closely, interested in her answer.

"It is difficult to explain Colonel. She has become one, for all intents and purposes, but still holds partly, the convictions of the original entity. She still feels the compulsion to mate, at least for the sake of species continuation. Then the role of that entity will no longer exist,and there will only be left the human." She leaned forward in her seat now, careful to choose her words. "She (the human) has no planet to call home. If she (the entity) will be allowed to mate, the offspring will need to be taken back as close as possible to the Lantian star and they will be nutured in the radioactive environment. She will be released from the body and will leave with them. Her species will continue."

"And what of the human - of Andrea?"

"She will be free to make her home anywhere - there will only be the human,no remnant of the entity will exist."

"She told you all of this?" He stood now, pacing through his quarters, a measure of hope beginning to colour his thoughts.

"I believe she is a good person, with good intentions. It is up to you whether you agree to help her. It is a lot to ask... but you should feel flattered that you were chosen."

He laughed, and she was relieved to see that humour was still able to colour his outlook as this would provide a healthy release. "Flattered Doc? Yeah, I guess I should -but it's kinda awkward, this whole having to perform on call... so to speak." Now it was Kate who laughed.

"Put that way Colonel, yes, I imagine it is. You can move her to more comfortable quarters. I have spoken to Elizabeth and she would like her to remain guarded for now, but agreed that it was not appropriate to keep her locked in that cell." She got up to leave his quarters then, turning back to him before she exited. "If you need to talk at all Colonel, you know where to find me... good luck with your decision!"

Unable to concentrate further, he put away the paperwork, shut down his laptop, and with a measure of resolve now, went to head back to the cell area. Encountering Rodney along the way he groaned. He so did not need the inopportune humour of the scientist at this time.

"Colonel! Can't just be content with monopolising the human women of this galaxy, you need to lay dibs on the alien ones? That's a little greedy, even for you! I mean, just saying, if she needs a volunteer for her... quest... could be I may be interested in perpetuating her species. That is, if you're not man enough for the task..." There was sufficient humour in Rodney's eyes for John to realise when he was getting a damn good ribbing and punched Rodney not a little softly in the ribs, causing him to stagger slightly.

"Hey! Was that necessary? I was just offering..."

"And I was just attempting to shut your mouth... seems it didn't work so I might have to resort to stronger tactics." Glaring at him somewhat forbiddingly now, Rodney realised that he had quite possibly overstepped his mark and decided that an exit at this time would be the best course of action.

Shaking his head, John entered the cell area and the marines stood to formal stance at the entrance. Dismissing them with a look, John went to the cell bars and deactivated the lock. Holding out a hand to Andrea, he waited until she had moved close enough for him to grasp hers, and pulled her a little closer, mindful of the watching marines. "Time to move out little lady - some new quarters for you! Well, actually not so new.. you'll be using the same one as when you first arrived, but you will have to have these two chaps here outside your door at all times, so no midnight rendevous clad in scant attire sweetheart, or these guys will be blushing."

But it was the blush on Andrea's cheeks that had John stepping back a fraction, mentally, and the soft look as her eyes met his. Seems his little alien entity had certainly developed some very real human feelings and John felt a lightening of the cloud that had settled over his emotions.