A/N: Now for the long bugger ... All together now, "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhooooooood ..." :)
V: Mr. Sheppard's Neighborhood
We were loading Katie's sample boxes into the Jumper when Shadow joined us. I stood back and let the Marines finish, and as I wiped sweat from my face I wondered what all Katie had in the box I lugged from the Temple. There was no way in hell plant clippings weighed that much.
"You are leaving?" Shadow asked me. His eyebrows were slightly crooked up in the center and it wasn't hard to read the disappointment there.
"Yeah, duty calls," I said. "You know how that is."
Shadow nodded a bit sadly.
Carson came out of the Jumper at the sound of Shadow's voice. "Ah, Shadow," he said as he came down the ramp. "How is Xili doing?"
"She is doing well," Shadow replied with a faint smile. "She is resting with her family now, and they promised to make sure she does nothing strenuous until she is well." Then he ducked his head. "Thank you for your help."
Carson waved that off. "It's all part of my duty, lad. Think nothing of it."
Lorne stuck his head out of the Jumper. "Sir? I think we'll have to make two trips with all this." He paused a moment when he saw Shadow and I was surprised he kept a straight face. "We'll take this over to the 'Gate, then come back for passengers."
"Sounds good, Major." I glanced around. "Not everyone is here yet, anyway." Rodney was late, as usual. He begged out of helping carrying stuff by saying he needed to go over some data with Zelenka. "We'll be here."
"Very good, sir," Lorne said, and by God if that little twitchy smirk didn't come back before he ducked back inside.
Carrie came out a moment later and the hatch closed. "The boys will unload," she said and gave Shadow a discreet once over.
I rolled my eyes as I turned around to move closer to the village gate. We all stood under the lintel to keep the light drizzle off our heads and watched the Jumper rise up through the canopy and disappear.
Shadow was watching it intently. He shook his head. "Kintu still wants to know where its feathers are," he said. "I've tried to explain how it flies, but …." He shrugged. "I finally just told him it was 'magic' and he accepted it."
I snorted. "Hey, kid – how'd you like to come visit my village?" I blurted out. It had been going through my head since breakfast, and I asked before I could have any second thoughts.
Shadow lit up. "Really?"
Carson about swallowed his tongue, and Carrie's eyes got huge.
Then Shadow deflated. "I couldn't – can't. I have to watch …."
"Aw, I'm sure Lorne and his boys could protect your people for a day, two at the most."
Carson finally found his voice. "Are yae sure that's a good idea?"
I shrugged. "He's been a gracious host for us. Twice now, if you think about it. I think it's about time we returned the favor." Then I turned partially to Carson. "And all visitors have to have a physical," I reminded him. Then I mouthed full work-up.
Carson's eyebrows shot up. Then he smiled at Shadow. "I think that's an excellent idea. You should come visit, lad."
"And see the ocean," I added. Good God – when had I become so good at pushing people's buttons? Oh, wait – shortly after I met Rodney, that's when. It's become a survival instinct.
Shadow was looking torn until I said 'ocean'. Then he grinned like he did last night and showed both sets of fangs. Carrie gasped, and I don't think it was because of the pointy teeth. Now that I was on the receiving end, I could see why I got the same reaction to that smile. "I will need to let Kenje know. And Kintu. I will be right back." He started to jog off, but stopped and came back. "Do I need to bring anything?"
I was trying really hard not to laugh he looked so excited. "Naw, we got ya covered." Well, not literally, anyway, I thought.
Shadow nodded and took off in a fast jog just shy of a full out run.
When I turned back to Carson I found the doctor grinning so wide his dimples were showing. "He's like a kid at Christmas," he said. "Elizabeth is going to have whole bloidy herd when she sees him in his little … ah, that may be a problem." Carson's grin faded, but not entirely. "We better give her a warning."
"Why? You didn't warn me," I said and watched him squirm.
Carson coughed. "Ah, yes, but here we could keep it contained," he said. "As soon as he steps through the 'Gate, there's going tae be chaos."
My eyes got a little wide. "Oh." I grimaced as images started going through my head. I had my soggy, muddy clothes tied up in a bundle and strapped to my back in place of a backpack. Too late to get those cleaned up for him to borrow. "I didn't really think that part through," I said sheepishly.
"Obviously."
"How bad can it be, really?" I said with my hands raised. Carrie's little answering giggle said tons. "Oh, God," I muttered and covered my eyes with both hands.
"I'm sure there will be plenty of pictures taken so you can remember his visit," Carson said and patted me on the shoulder.
I ran my hands down to my mouth and glared at him. "Gee, thanks," I said through my fingers.
We could hear Rodney then as he approached, and when I turned around I saw he was just talking to himself. Well, griping, actually. His rant arrived about thirty seconds before he did.
"…Didn't say 'excuse me, coming through, pardon me, gang way, look out', nothing. Just barreled on by, hogging the whole damn path, like the entire Wraith fleet was after his spiky-haired mutant mostly bare ass and about knocked me on my ass and God knows what's crawling around in that mud after all those bare feet and who knows what else." Rodney stopped when he saw us and pointed back the way he came. "Did you see what that rude little primitive …." His words trailed off when he realized we were all staring at him. "Uh, hey, guys, what's going on?"
The last time I heard Rodney talk that fast was when he was hopped up on Wraith enzyme. Carson remembered that fun little episode, too, and he stepped right up in front of him. "Rodney, look at me," he said in his stern, don't-give-me-crap doctor tone. Rodney did. "Oh, dear God – what have you been into? Your eyes are dilated."
"Nothing," Rodney said, twitched, and started chewing on his thumbnail.
"Jesus – you ate another one of those fruits didn't you?" I said.
"Um, no."
I raised my arms in exasperation. "McKay, you can't lie worth crap."
"Oh, all right, yes," Rodney snapped back. "But Zelenka made me do it."
Carson crossed his arms and I drawled out, "Riiight."
"He did! He ate a third one and said his exceptional Czech constitution could handle it, and my bland, wussy generic Canadian one would probably self destruct if I even so much as thought about attempting such a manly act." He glanced back and forth between me and Carson and chewed on that abused thumbnail again. "Did I mention he ate a third one, too? Because he did, right in front of me."
Carson sighed. "No more caffeine for you for the next week." When Rodney started to protest he held up a finger. "Your blood pressure is bad enough as it is – God knows what havoc that fruit is doing to your system as we speak." When Rodney tried to speak again he said, "I will sedate you and have you pulled from active duty."
"Oh, I bet you'd just love to come after me with your little sheep tranquilizers."
"Actually, I'd just use a stunner," Carson said quite amicably. "Or have Ronon shoot you. Either way would work peachy for me." I just love the way his dimples come out when he says the word 'peachy' – it really does give it such an ominous tone.
"You would really like that, wouldn't you?" Rodney said. "Hippocratic oath, my ass. Should be hypocritical in your case."
Carson sighed.
I stepped between them and whispered to Rodney, "Don't forget what the Major said earlier – he has really big needles. And catheters. And Nurse Carrie over there is pretty good with a straight razor. Not great, but good."
That did it – Rodney's eyes got even wider and he started to behave. "You just had to bring that last one up, didn't you?" he whispered and grimaced. Yeah, apparently he's been a victim, too, and I think we were both fighting the urge to scratch. "By the way, where was Kirkzan off to in such a hurry?"
"He had an errand," I said through my teeth. Jesus, does he lay awake at night and try to come up with names, or is there some part of his brain solely dedicated to that little process only?
Rodney just went huh and pulled a disk case out of his pocket. "This is from Zelenka," he said as he handed it to Carson. "It's from the clone room. He thought you'd find it interesting – it's Shadow's DNA profile and breakdown of the genetic enhancements."
Carson took it. "I will, but I'm still going tae do a full work-up when we get back …."
"He's coming back to Atlantis with us?" Rodney blurted out. He looked at me. "Are you insane? Wait, wait, wait – no, disregard that. You are. Never mind." Then he giggled. "Oh man, I can't wait to see Weir's reaction. Oh, hey …." He pulled his portable DVR out of his vest and before he could check the batteries I confiscated it. "Hey!" He made a lunge for it but I spun out of his way. "You're not going to be able to get them all, you know."
Crap. "But this is one less," I said and crammed it in my vest.
Lorne returned with the Jumper a few minutes later, and before he settled I glanced down the village path to see if Shadow was on his way yet. Didn't see him. Lorne joined us a moment later. "Atlantis sent a couple mules over earlier this morning after check-in – Morales, Ferguson, and Kimball are loading them right now." He gestured toward the waiting Jumper. "Ready when you are."
"We're still waiting for one more," I said. I looked at the others. "You can go ahead if you want."
"Shotgun," Rodney called and took off.
We all watched him duck inside the Jumper. Carson sighed. "I think I'm going to slip a Valium into his pudding when we get back."
"That would probably be a good idea," I said.
"Who are we waiting for, sir? Is Dr. Z coming back with us?" Lorne asked.
"Um, someone else," I said.
"Here he comes," Carrie said and smiled somewhat distractedly.
We all turned and watched Shadow come jogging back up to the gate. He'd taken the time to change, and his new loincloth actually contained a little more honest to God cloth than the last. It was white and embroidered with black and red designs similar to Kintu's tattoos, and the ends of the cloth draped over his belt and hung almost to mid thigh. He stopped, his breath coming fairly hard from his run, and took a moment before he spoke. "I have spoken with Kenje – if there is any emergency he will speak with Teyla, and she said she will contact us through the 'Gate if needed. And Kintu and his hunters will keep watch for any more urtal sign."
"Good," I said and turned to Lorne. His eyes were huge, and he had his lips pressed shut so tight the skin around them was actually white. "Major, while Shadow is with us, you and your men are to assist these villagers in any way that is needed. Understood?" When Lorne didn't reply right away I cleared my throat and repeated, "Understood?"
"Um, yes. Sir," Lorne replied. Then he looked at me, did an abrupt about face, and about two steps later I heard one short, strangled laugh.
"I heard that."
Lorne reacted like I'd kicked him in the ass and he shot into the Jumper.
Carson chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. "Get used to it," he said as he and Carrie headed for the Jumper.
I sighed and motioned for Shadow to follow them. The kid entered the Jumper cautiously, and as he walked through the rear compartment he kept reaching out and touching different things as he passed. Thank God he wasn't sniffing things, too. Carson and Carrie were both watching him with amused smiles on their faces. When he got to the cockpit I gestured for him to take the seat behind the co-pilot's. Rodney was already seated behind Lorne and had one helluva crooked smirk on his face. Lorne deliberately stayed focused on his controls while I sat down. I turned a little in my seat, looked back at Shadow, and noticed his pupils were slightly dilated. When Lorne fired up the Jumper they dilated fully and I realized he was nervous about flying. "Hey, don't worry about it – you won't even be able to tell we've left the ground in this baby."
Shadow swallowed hard and offered a weak smile.
I turned back around and said to Lorne, "No fancy stuff, Major."
"Yes, sir," he said and carefully brought us up out of the canopy. Then he brought the Jumper around in a sweeping arc that I thought was pretty damn gentle, but apparently not to Shadow.
"Holy crap!" Rodney blurted out at the same time Carson said, "Dear lord," and Carrie gasped. Lorne glanced back briefly, did a perfect double-take, said "Holy fuck!" and promptly lost control of the Jumper.
Shadow had shifted and had his claws buried into the arms of the seat. He had his mouth open and was panting very rapidly. His eyes were solid black and fixed straight ahead, and I couldn't even tell he had ears they were pressed so tight against his skull.
"Major!" I shouted and was about to take control of the Jumper when Lorne snapped back around. He brought it up just in time, but he still clipped the top off a tree and damn near winged the top of a pyramid before he leveled out again. Even with the inertial dampeners we still felt the short ride. "Eyes forward!" I snapped and Lorne kind of guiltily hunkered down over the controls.
Shadow took a second to close his mouth and swallow before drool ran out. "That was not … natural," he said and resumed panting.
That made me wonder if the kid was more sensitive to movement than we were. I unlocked the chair's base and swiveled it around at the same time Carson stepped forward and placed a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "There now, lad," he said as he knelt down next to the chair. "We'll be landing in a moment." He glanced back into the rear compartment. "Find me a bag before he hyperventilates himself into unconsciousness." Carrie was already doing that.
In the meantime I held my hands up to block Shadow's view out the windscreen. "Don't look out there – look here," I said and pointed at my eyes. I saw his focus shift and a second later actually saw a little rim of green return.
Carrie snapped open an air-sickness bag Ford had stocked as a joke a long time ago and handed it to Carson, who in turn held it up to Shadow's muzzle. "Breathe into this, it will help."
Shadow managed to unbury his right hand from the armrest and held onto the bag. His claws were damn impressive up close – they were nearly three inches long and the tips were so sharp they were practically clear. Carson pulled his hand back quickly and just rested it lightly on Shadow's other arm. His breathing didn't slow until we were actually sitting on top of the Great Pyramid for nearly a minute, and when his ears finally rotated forward and we could see more green than black in his eyes, he lowered the bag. "You lied," he said and swallowed again. "I felt that." He blinked slowly and Carson and I both saw a third eyelid close as well. "I don't like being held down," he said softly.
I straightened a little and glanced at Rodney when he made a surprised grunt. "You felt the inertial dampeners kick in?" he said. "Holy crap! What did it feel like?"
"Like a thick wet weight pressing down on me," he said quietly. I felt my stomach get cold even before he said, "It brought back memories. I am sorry."
"The White Room," I said back just as quietly and patted his arm. I could feel tense, corded muscles under the surprisingly soft fur. "Don't worry about it, kid."
"We dinnae know," Carson added and took the bag from him. "We'll take it easier next time," he said and flashed a frown towards Lorne. We both did, and Lorne shrank.
"I will be better next time," Shadow said and relaxed his other hand. When the claws retracted it made his fingers look shortened and oddly thickened and definitely more paw-like. "It caught me … off guard." Then he did this thing with his ears where they actually drooped. "Sorry." Even his whiskers drooped as he lowered his head a little.
"Hey, don't be embarrassed," I said with a faint smile and fought the urge to ruffle the fur on the top of his head. That would just be too weird. "Hell, I think Rodney damn near puked on his first Jumper flight."
"I did not!" he shot back. "That was Hodges."
"Are you sure?" I asked. I glanced at Rodney and could tell he wasn't pissed but going along with me to get Shadow to relax.
"Most definitely," he replied in mock indignation. "We have a similar hair-line. That's what probably confused you."
Shadow's ears twitched and he made a very soft chuff. Then he closed his eyes, took several deep breaths, and between the third and fourth one the fur retreated and his face shifted. I almost expected there to be squishy or crunchy noises of some sort, but I chalked that up to all the cheesy horror movies I've seen. Carson's eyes were huge, but it was more from fascination than from anything else. Carrie gasped again and held a hand to her mouth, but her expression was just as amazed as Carson's.
Lorne let out a surprised grunt, and Rodney said, "That is just so … cool!"
Yeah, it is, I thought and grinned as Shadow opened his eyes. I was happy to see a lot more green/gold than black this time. He offered a lopsided and still slightly embarrassed grin to all of us. "All better?" He nodded and I patted him on the arm again before I swung my chair back around. The first thing I saw was some leaves and a few small branches stuck to the windscreen, and two worried Marines and a med tech staring at us from behind the DHD. "Clean those off before you take off again, Major," I said as I got out of the chair.
"Yes, sir," Lorne replied guiltily.
Carson and Carrie were on either side of Shadow as we exited the Jumper, and I heard Carson ask, "If you don't mind my asking, son – how do yae do that?"
Shadow shrugged. "I just … do it."
"Does it hurt?" Carrie asked.
"It did at first, but not anymore."
"And it's completely controlled?" Carson said.
He nodded. "Except when I'm stressed, or startled, then my fur tries to come out. Then that just happens," he said.
"Horripilation," Carson said.
My brain was trying to formulate some smart-assed comment about prostitutes when Rodney said, "Goose pimples?"
Carson stopped and turned around. "My God – you actually sullied your brain with a medical term? Let me guess – you only learned it in relation to some gloriously over the top insult."
Rodney nodded and twitched. "Horripilative had a really good ring to it."
I shook my head. Yep, he must have a section of his brain fully dedicated to insults and names. I could almost see his brain, years from now, in some jar in some prestigious institute's lab, and there on the side of it a tiny little area with a flashing warning sign saying, prod at own risk, contents highly volatile.
Carson just shook his head and sighed. "Go dial the 'Gate," he said. He went over to Jamie and the Marines and gave the various boxes and equipment a once over. Carrie and Shadow had wandered over by the mules and I saw the kid give her a little grin accompanied by a slight lift of his chin that made her blush.
"Oh, Jesus," Rodney muttered as he dialed home a little more forcefully than he needed to. "We're not even on Atlantis yet and his Kirk gene is kicking in. I would have thought that all the other splicing and manipulating would have put a kibosh on it, but no, turns out there are two things in the universe more common than hydrogen – stupidity and flirting."
As the stargate came to life I glanced over at Rodney. He was in turn glaring at Shadow and Carrie. I turned my attention back to them, and you know – I never really noticed it before, but Nurse Carrie could almost be Katie Brown's blonde sister. "You're jealous," I said as I looked back at Rodney.
"I am no such thing," he snapped back, then continued under his breath. "I'm, I'm, I'm … horrified. Absolutely horrified that the universe has two of you gallivanting around and hitting on space bimbos. We should call ahead to Weir, have her put all the women – and a few of the men, especially Henderson over in bio – into isolation. The pheromones from you two are going to wreak utter havoc. I can hear all the uncontrolled giggling and see the glazed over eyes now. It's going to take the scrubbers days to get everything out of air and everyone back to clear-eyed coherency."
"What in God's name are you prattling on about now?" Carson said as he approached the DHD.
Suddenly Rodney stopped and looked up sheepishly. "Um, was that out loud?"
"Yes," I said and grinned at Carson. "He's jealous."
"I am no such thing!" he said with a defiant jut of his jaw.
"And obviously paranoid from way too much of that caffeine equivalent," Carson said. "Why did yae have to go and eat a third one, Rodney? Why?"
"'Cuz Radek called him a pussy," I said, my grin making my cheeks hurt.
"Excuse me, he used the term 'wussy'. Leave it to you to change one letter …."
"Enough, children!" Carson said. "Let's go home." He stomped over to the mules and he and Jamie took the remotes from the Marines. They walked next to them up to the stargate. He waved at Carrie to join them, and a few seconds later they were gone.
Shadow walked up to within a few feet of the stargate and stopped. We joined him just as rain started to fall. "You nervous?" I asked him.
Shadow was staring at the liquid crystal matrix, his eyebrows faintly raised in the center. He glanced at me. "No, not really. I know what it is, what it does, but …." He shrugged. "Does it hurt?"
I flashed back to my first time in front of the 'Gate, and Ford's reply to my exact same question. Damn, I missed that kid. Shadow read my expression wrong and I saw his eyes start to dilate. "Naw, it doesn't," I said, my voice a little thick.
"It tingles a little," Rodney said. "But it's over before you know it." Then he stepped through, no doubt to get the best seat for the reactions to come.
We stood there a few seconds more. "Ready?" Shadow nodded and took a deep breath before we stepped through. He did stumble a little on the other side, but I think it was more from surprise than from actual loss of balance. He looked at me, his eyes faintly dilated, and grinned. "See, not so bad," I said rather smugly.
"No, it wasn't," Shadow replied, then he got distracted by Atlantis. He took a hesitant step forward, paused, then took another and slowly started to turn in a slow circle as he walked away from the 'Gate and took in the size of the room. The 'Gate shut down a moment later and as I walked over to join him it suddenly dawned on me how quiet it was. Even during graveyard you can still hear things – the shuffle of restless bodies, of paper, the clicking of keyboards, the occasional creak of an office chair – but right now it was utterly still. I glanced to the side and saw Rodney hugging his computer and rocking back and forth on his heels, a demented crooked smile of absolute insane joy lighting his face as he watched the rest of the room.
I think that was when things sorta slowed down for me. I looked to Carson and his people at the end of the room and saw he had his arms crossed but one hand covering his smirk. Carrie was red and had her eyes half lidded, and Jamie was leaning back against one of the loads and mirroring the doc. I looked up, and the first person I saw was Elizabeth. She was standing at her usual spot at the railing, her mouth open in pure shock. Huh, I don't think I've ever seen her look like that, I thought absently.
The other techs were coming to the railing now, and everyone was focused on the exact same thing – Shadow, damp from the rain and pirouetting, giving everyone a really good view as he took in the sight around him like a kid in the universe's biggest candy store.
I was certain my ears were the color of Elizabeth's shirt when I said, "Hey, Elizabeth – we brought a visitor. This is Shadow, the new Guardian of the Nixtahuec." I turned my head briefly to Shadow and said in a surprisingly calm voice, "Shadow, this is Dr. Weir." I indicated where she was by a lift of my chin.
Shadow stopped, saw where my gaze was focused, and looked up at her. "Hello, Dr. Weir," he said, smiled faintly, and ducked his head in a little bow.
"Um, hello, Shadow," Elizabeth replied and white knuckled the railing.
That was when sound returned to the 'Gate Room with a vengeance, and if I had listened closely right then, I probably could have learned how to say holy shit in at least three other languages. I saw somebody head out of the room at a fast walk, and a couple of the other techs had their hands to their ears as they spoke into their radios. Elizabeth was still frozen in place, but her mouth was drawn into a tight pale line. From this angle I couldn't tell for sure if she was pissed, or trying really hard not to laugh.
Rodney sauntered over to me and glanced around smugly. "Now that was an entrance," he said. "I bet the security footage of that is going to be played with joy for years to come." He rose up onto his toes when he repeated, "Years. Lorne is going to be so sad he missed the live show."
"Shut up, Rodney," I said. I glanced over at Shadow and saw the kid was pretty unfazed by it all – his eyebrows were raised a little and he was watching everything with mild curiosity. He saw me looking at him and I motioned him to the stairs across from the 'Gate. He nodded and we both headed for them like everything was normal, like I wasn't in someone's borrowed clothes and walking side by side with my nearly naked shape-shifting clone. Yep, completely normal. Rodney fell into step next to me, and a second later Carson joined us.
"Are yae feeling all right, Colonel? You're looking a little peaked."
I glanced over my shoulder at Carson and all I could see was stubble and dimples. Well, I guess that's better than lobster red, I thought as I gave him a tight little smile. As we started up the stairs Rodney fell back a few steps, and the next thing I heard was him whisper to Carson, "Scoot over – you're blocking everyone's view."
"Oh, sorry," Carson said. And they both snorted.
That did it. I stopped when I got to the landing and swiveled around. My hands were sitting on the butt of my P90 and I gave it a pat as I focused on Rodney and smiled. "You know, accidentally shooting you in the foot right now would be so worth the brig time." When I turned back around I found Shadow studying Rodney, his head cocked slightly to one side.
Shadow stepped closer to Rodney and sniffed him from about a foot away. Rodney flinched and grimaced, and when Shadow frowned at him he backed down one step. "You ate another tinu, didn't you? I can smell it in your sweat." He chuffed disgustedly and looked at me. "Does he always ignore what people tell him?"
"Yes," Carson and I both said at the same time.
Some of Rodney's previous smugness was replaced with worry. "Um, what's going to happen?"
Shadow sniffed again. "You'll find out soon enough," he said. When he turned back around he had that wicked little crooked smirk I was more than familiar with.
And I was wearing the same expression when we got to the top of the next landing. Elizabeth was waiting for us, and when she saw our matching grins her eyebrows shot up and she let out a short, amused snort. "I'm beginning to feel decidedly outnumbered and a tiny bit nervous, Colonel," she said and tried to contain her smile as she glanced back and forth between us.
I rolled my eyes a little and clamped my lips together for a second. "Yeah, sorry about that," I replied. I almost added so do I.
She nodded faintly at me then swiveled slightly to face Shadow. She started to offer her hand, then at the last second just wound up clasping both in front of her. "Shadow, it's a pleasure to meet you."
I could see she was trying really hard to just focus on his face, but she lost the battle and I saw her eyes dart down once and her smile widen slightly. I closed my eyes briefly and clamped my hands down on my P90 to keep from cradling my forehead and sighing.
"And it's an honor to meet you, Dr. Weir," Shadow said, offered that slight bow again, and smiled crookedly.
I watched in what I could only describe as detached horror as Elizabeth's neck grew pink. She lowered her eyes and tucked a strand of hair behind her right ear. Oh, Jesus. Somebody behind me sighed – I think it may have been Carson.
"Shall we go to my office?" Elizabeth said and swiveled to gesture towards it. Then she kind of froze, and you could see her regarding all that glass. "On second thought, let's go to the conference room," she said when she turned back to us and led us that way. All the techs were still standing in a little group as they watched us traipse on by, and they had all become mouth breathers. A glare from Rodney cured that, and they scrambled back to their stations. Damn, I only get that kind of reaction with those guys if I'm holding a loaded weapon.
The doors hadn't even swiveled all the way open before we stepped inside the conference room. Shadow immediately began walking around the table and checking out everything, mostly by touch it seemed. Elizabeth stepped up next to Carson and said quietly, "Is 'this' what you needed to speak to John about?"
"Aye," Carson replied just as quietly.
"Hmm," she replied and gave me a sideways glance. At least she was diplomatic enough to keep her amusement under control. "I want a full work-up on him," she whispered.
"Planned on it," Carson said.
"Good." Then Elizabeth stepped forward. "So, Shadow, what brings you to our fair city?"
"Sheppard invited me," Shadow replied from the opposite side of the room. He was standing right next to the table, his head down and his hand resting on the lighted surface. He looked up at us. "This is Atlantis," he said, his tone a bit mystified.
We all kind of glanced at each other. I don't recall any of us mentioning it by name, and all mission logos are masked or removed when we're off world. But then he could have read that as we walked past control. Elizabeth rested her hands on the back of a chair and replied, "Yes, it is. You've heard of it."
Shadow chuffed and Elizabeth jumped a fraction. "It's mentioned in the Temple's … lab's database many times. The scientists who built it came from here, but its exact location was never given," he replied. "We thought it had been destroyed long ago."
I think the 'we' caught her a little off guard because she frowned briefly. I knew he meant the Guardians in general and not his people. "So did a lot of people," Elizabeth replied. "You are quite familiar, then, with the Ancients and their technology," she stated rather than asked.
Shadow clamped his lips together, raised his eyebrows a bit, and nodded several times. "Considering I'm a product of that technology, yes, I am." He shrugged apologetically and continued his exploration of the room.
He said it so innocently and matter-of-factly it took us all a little by surprise. And it made me just a little bit more pissed at the Ancients. I glanced at Carson and noticed the statement bothered him as well, only he just looked … sad about it all.
Elizabeth cleared her throat before she spoke. "I didn't get to meet the previous Guardian, and for than I am truly sorry."
Shadow's expression was neutral when he nodded once, but his eyes lowered briefly and I could see the pain there in that second.
"I apologize for not getting back to you and your people sooner. Things got … hectic. We truly do wish to trade, and the little information Dr. McKay brought back was absolutely amazing."
Shadow smiled. "Your Dr. Brown was very excited to be at the lab. I think if she could have packed up the entire Temple and brought it back here, she would have. I hope your people can find a use for what's been sitting there, unused, for all these centuries." Then his expression got a little dark. "The Ancients certainly don't need it, and my people's requirements are fairly simple."
Rodney snorted and received dirty glares from me and Carson.
Elizabeth even turned briefly and arched an eyebrow at him. "Well, we're happy to have you here, Shadow, and I'm looking forward to talking to you. How long will you be staying with us?"
"Only a couple days," Shadow replied. Then he looked at me and grinned. "Sheppard promised to show me the ocean."
I shrugged when Elizabeth looked at me. "The kid really likes water. I thought it'd be cool."
She made that little hmm noise again. "In that case, let's show him the ocean." Shadow had made a complete circuit of the conference table, and since he was only a few feet from Elizabeth she started to reach out and take his arm, but at the last second just motioned for him to follow her. I cheated and thought the doors to the balcony open before they got there, and as soon as the ocean breeze hit them Shadow stopped and started taking in quick breaths with his mouth slightly open. The only way I could tell it startled Elizabeth was when she glanced our way briefly, her eyes slightly wider than normal. Then he did his big, happy smile and that did make her go, "Oh, my," at the sight of his fangs. He was out the door before she could recover.
I was the first one to meet her at the doors. "Yeah, he has pointy teeth," I said.
"Goes well with the pointy ears," Rodney added. "And the pointy hair."
I scowled at him. "You are just enjoying this entirely too much, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I am," Rodney replied with a crooked smirk.
I sighed and got a sympathetic smile from Elizabeth. We both stepped out onto the balcony and could see Shadow was at the railing. He was up on his toes and peering over the edge. Elizabeth let out a short, startled laugh and quickly turned around, her hand to her mouth. I just hung my head. "John, if he's going to be here for a few days, we really need to find him some clothes," she whispered. I just nodded.
Carson and Rodney stepped out a moment later, and Carson sputtered out, "Oh, dear." He turned his head away and rubbed his mouth.
"Hello!" Rodney said. "You know, he really does have quite the physique. What would you say his body fat percentage is at, Carson? Two? Three?" Then he turned and glanced back towards the windows that looked out onto the balcony from the 'Gate Room and waved. "Oh, hey, I think I see a camera." He turned back around and rocked back and forth a few times.
"Enough," I growled. "Now you know what I've been going through for the past day," I whispered to Elizabeth.
"I'm so sorry," Elizabeth said and choked back another laugh. Yeah, sure you are, I thought. Then she made an effort to set her features to a more diplomatic smile and less junior high smirk and turned back around. We went over to the balcony to join Shadow.
"So, what dya think?" I said and stood between him and the 'Gate Room windows.
Shadow settled back on his heels and crossed his arms. "It's huge," he said, and I wasn't sure if he was talking about the ocean, Atlantis, or both. "I feel … very exposed."
We all heard a weird noise right then – it was like a cross between a gag and a sneeze and someone stepping on a cat. We turned around and saw Rodney, his mouth clamped down tight and his eyes glittering. "That was probably the wrong choice of words," he managed to choke out. We also noticed he was kind of pale and sweating like a pig.
"Rodney, are you all right?" Elizabeth asked.
"Never been better," he replied. Then in the next heartbeat his smirk disappeared and his eyes got wide. He raised a finger, cocked his head, and said, "Excuse me." Then he turned around and shuffled back into the conference room at a pretty fast clip.
Now it was Shadow's turn to smirk. He hitched his chin toward Rodney's retreating back. "He's going to need a very strong anti-diarrheic for the next few days," he said to Carson.
Carson chuckled. "I've got just the thing." He shook his head. "He was warned."
Elizabeth was glancing back and forth between the two and you could see the question in her eyes. "We'll explain later," I said to her.
Shadow hunched his shoulders over a little and his smile turned more into a grimace. "Your world is a lot cooler than mine."
"We better get you back inside," Carson said and he motioned Shadow to follow him back into the conference room. "We'll get you outfitted with some proper clothes once we're done in the infirmary."
"Infirmary?" Shadow asked and stopped just inside the doors.
"Standard procedure," I said. Once Elizabeth and I were inside I closed the doors. "Anytime we go off world we have to have a physical when we get back."
"Aye – it's to ensure they don't bring any bugs back with them that could make us all sick," Carson said. "And the opposite is true, also – we like to make sure we don't have anything that could get our visitors sick in turn."
Shadow thought that over for a second and nodded. "Understandable. After your last visit some of my people got ill."
"Nothing serious, I hope," Elizabeth said worriedly.
"No. Some congestion, coughing. It was all over in five days once symptoms set in."
"That's good to hear," Carson replied with a concerned sigh. "Anyhow, it's just a few simple blood tests, a quick check up, and you're done." He glanced my way. "And that goes for everyone, including the Colonel and myself."
"All right," Shadow said and rubbed his arms. That shadow rippled across them briefly and I saw Elizabeth's eyes get wide.
When we left the conference room I noticed immediately the working staff of the 'Gate Room had nearly doubled in size, and the extra looky-loos weren't being discreet at all. Man, word travels fast here. To say I felt self-conscious as we all came down the stairs was an understatement, and I was happy I didn't see any cameras. They must have been hiding them well. Elizabeth was still with us, so she obviously intended to accompany us to the infirmary. There was no sign of Rodney, and that was just fine by me.
When we got to the main floor there were two scientists with full packs and gear standing there. One was a tall gangly red head and the other a tiny, cute Japanese woman - they had to be Katie's people. They both had their mouths open and I just nodded curtly at them as we passed. It was a full three seconds before I heard the giggling. I only clamped my lips together and grimaced.
I was glad it was a short walk to the lift, and after a crowded ride down a couple levels I definitely was not looking forward to the longer walk to the infirmary, especially after the doors opened and I saw easily a dozen people just loitering in the hall. So I set my shoulders, kept the grimace on my face, gripped my P90 like I was more than ready to use it, and stepped out. Yeah, that helped with the more overt ogling, but heads were still peaking out of doors as we passed by. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, and when I glanced at Shadow I saw he was curiously checking everyone out in return. Especially the women.
We were rounding the final corner when I saw Lieutenant Cadman approaching. She was decked out in sweats and carrying a gym bag, and when she saw us she slowed down to a dazed shuffle and moved to the side. She was staring at Shadow, and when I glanced to the side I saw Shadow was staring just as intently back at her. When they passed each other they just kept turning and for a few seconds they were both walking backwards. Then Shadow swiveled back around to face forward and I could see a lopsided grin as he said, "The women here are … tall."
A loud crash made us all stop and turn around. Cadman had backed into a planter and she, the plant, and the planter had all gone down. Carson ran over to help her up and she waved him away as she fought her way out of the plant and shot to her feet. He took a moment to help her set the planter back upright and she took off down the hall, stopped, came back and got her gym bag, and was gone. Carson stood there a moment just staring at the crooked plant and I could tell he was only doing that to get his snickering under control. Elizabeth had her hand back to her mouth, too, when she turned back around. I just growled, did an about face, and started stomping towards the infirmary.
Shadow caught up with me a second later, and I could see him looking at me out of the corner of my eye. "My presence here is upsetting you," he said.
I glanced at him and saw his eyebrows crooked up in the middle in worry. "It's not you, kid – it's everyone else." What were his words? Oh, yeah …. "It's very disconcerting."
He chuffed. "They do seem highly amused by it. Perhaps when I am dressed more like your people it will help matters."
"Yeah, I hope to God it will."
When we got into the infirmary Carson made sure any non-essential personnel were kept out. Rodney joined us several minutes later and the first thing Carson did was hand him a dose of Imodium. Rodney swallowed it with a grimace, and as he handed the little cup back he said, "Radek better be going through hell, too. That's all I can say." But then he proved that statement wrong and proceeded to bitch for another few minutes before he had to run off to the bathroom again.
Carson got me processed right away so I could go back to my quarters and get something for Shadow to wear and change into my own clothes. The halls were filled with the right number of people for the time of day, but I still got some rather odd looks as I double-timed it back to the infirmary. I had a duffle with me and crammed inside was a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt, and a hoodie. I thought about throwing in my extra pair of running shoes, but I knew I wouldn't be comfortable wearing somebody else's pair of sweaty sneakers so I left them behind.
Carson had Shadow under the Ancient medical scanner when I got back, and a small flock of medical personnel was watching with extreme interest. Elizabeth was standing off to the side and I joined her. I'd passed a very pissy Rodney back in the main infirmary – they were just finishing up with his physical. You'd think by now he'd realize that it goes much quicker if you co-operate, but no – he has to fight tooth and nail the whole time. I set the duffle down and crossed my arms. "Is something the matter with Shadow?" I asked, a little alarmed at the thought.
"No, no," Elizabeth replied. "The scanners here are a little more advanced than the ones in his lab. He's been having Carson run different tests so he can see how they work." She smiled and rubbed her nose. "At one point he even had Carson up on the table so he could run a few diagnostics. It was … very cute."
I snorted. "I bet Carson is absolutely thrilled he has a cooperative patient."
Carson obviously heard us because he turned around and gave us a not too convincing stern glare. "You're bloidy damn right about that. Between you and your 'I'm fine, it's just a scratch' attitude and his paranoid hypochondria and veterinary cracks …." He pointed past me and I turned my head to see Rodney walking up, his hand pressed to the crook of his elbow. "… It's enough to make me forget my oath, and possible brain damage or not, just keep you two stunned until you're healed."
Rodney stopped next to me and glanced back and forth between me and Carson. "What's got his kilt in a wad?" he said to me. As if he didn't know. Then he glanced up at the scanner's screen and just flipped in a blink from being an asshole to being a curious scientist. The man's schizophrenic – has to be. That's the only possible explanation. "Oh, hey," he said distractedly. "He's got the vitals of a cat."
Carson lifted his hands, gazed upward, and shook his head. He turned back around and looked at the screen, too. Shadow sat up and craned his head around to read the stats as well. "Yes, he does," Carson replied and called up a couple different graphics. "Body temperature, one-oh-two point two, resting pulse right around one-twenty, blood pressure one-sixty over one-hundred." He glanced at me over his shoulder. "You two may make look alike, but that's about it."
Shadow and I met each other's eyes and cocked our heads. I went huh the same time he chuffed, and then we both got lopsided grins.
It got really quiet for a moment before Carson grunted and said, "All right, now that was wee bit eerie."
"I think that was more than just a 'wee bit'," Rodney said. Then he stepped forward and whispered, "Have you scanned him when he's, you know …."
Shadow leaned forward and gazed around Carson. "I am right here." Then he smiled faintly at Carson. "I can change – I do not mind."
"Are you sure, lad? I don't want to impose …."
"I'm sure." Shadow shrugged. "I will be warmer that way. Let me know when you are ready." He lay back down and sat his hands on his stomach.
I turned and motioned Elizabeth forward. "You gotta see this," I whispered to her when we moved up closer to the head of the exam table.
"It's so freaking cool," Rodney muttered, his eyes fixed on the scanner's screen.
If all the attention was bothering Shadow, he didn't show it. He was looking pretty relaxed when Carson finally said, "All right – ready when you are, son."
I was watching Elizabeth when he shifted. The flinch and surprised, "Oh, Lord," was well worth it. I put my hands on my hips, smiled smugly, and rocked back on my heels as I listened to the other surprised gasps in the room. I looked at the read-outs and saw his body temp had gone up a degree, his pulse up ten more beats a minute, and his blood pressure hardly fluctuated.
Shadow immediately started to twist around so he could see the read-outs, too, but Carson shooed him back. "Scootch back, lad – I'm not done."
"Sorry," Shadow replied and his speaking while looking like that brought even more startled noises. He settled back down, and after a minute he yawned and that brought another wave of comments from the onlookers. I must say, the kid had an impressive set of teeth in that half form. He even looked like he was about ready to doze off until Carson gave him the go ahead to sit back up. He instantly swiveled his legs out and stood next to Carson, still in his half-form, and they were both studying the new read-outs intently and commenting too quietly for me to hear. Elizabeth and I got forced back as the other doctors and nurses crowded around them. Rodney managed to bull his way up next to Carson, even though this wasn't his area of expertise. He lasted maybe twenty seconds before he got a pained grimace and had to leave the room again.
Carson glanced at Shadow. "If you don't mind my asking, haven't you, well, scanned yourself before now? You have the equipment."
Shadow shook his head. "I know all the bio-stats of my predecessors – it's all up here," he said and tapped his temple with a broad finger. "I've just never been curious until now." Then he glanced around until he saw me. His ears flicked, and he was back studying read-outs.
I guess meeting your source material made a really big difference to the Guardians. At least to him, anyway. Must be a lot of comfort in anonymity, I decided. I felt someone watching me and I turned my head and found Elizabeth studying me closely. "How are you holding up under all of this?" she asked very softly. The concern I saw in her face was … really nice after all the previous snickers and twitches.
I lowered my head and rubbed my neck. "Well, a lot better than yesterday, that's for damn sure." Amazing what a midnight life-or-death hunting trip could do as a sanity check and bonding experience – but I think I would have preferred a football game and a cooler of brews. Or maybe nuking a few Wraith. I snorted softly. "It's still pretty weird at times, though, and all the snickering and giggling and smart-assed comments don't help."
"I shall try to behave," Elizabeth said.
"Can we stun Rodney?" I whined. "It would make things a whole helluva lot easier."
For just a second I saw her seriously consider the idea. "But we may need him for an emergency," she said as if trying to convince herself not to stun him. "And he's even worse when he wakes up."
"Yeah, forgot about that," I said and sighed. She was still watching me and I offered her a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. Thank you for asking." Then before things got too awkward I bumped her shoulder lightly with mine. She blinked, then smiled back, but she lowered her eyes quickly. I looked back towards Carson and Shadow and tried to ignore the faint pink that came to her ears.
"Well, lad, I think we can safely turn you lose in the city. You have a few minor intestinal parasites – considering you live in a tropical jungle I'm amazed you don't have more in your system – but other than that you're incredibly healthy." Carson patted him on a furry shoulder. "Let me get something to clear those bugs up with and we can get you dressed." He glanced around and actually frowned. "All right, people – back tae work. We do have other patients." There was a general groaning and mumbling, but they did scatter. Pretty soon it was just me, Elizabeth, Carson, and Shadow. "I'll be right back," Carson said and a moment later he was gone, too.
Shadow reached out and ran a blunt hand along the edge of the scanner. "I don't suppose you would be willing to trade one of these?" he asked hopefully and swiveled his head towards Elizabeth.
She stepped up closer to him, her hands clasped behind her back. "We may have spare or two. I'll check inventory and speak with Carson." Then she ducked her head and seemed embarrassed as she cleared her throat. "I don't mean to be intrusive, but may I …?" She lifted a hand and hesitantly held it a few inches from his arm. Shadow nodded and just raised his arm so she had no choice but to bury fingers into black fur. She let out a startled oh and pulled back, then set her hand back on his arm. "It's softer than I expected," she said and you could see her fighting the urge to just pet his arm.
Oh, for crying out loud, I thought and rolled my eyes.
Elizabeth must have noticed my expression because she pulled her hand back and cleared her throat again. "Thank you," she said to Shadow. He chuffed, and there was actually a touch of purr on the tail end of it. She blushed and backed away a step, I shook my head, and Shadow managed to get a fairly decent lopsided grin on his feline face.
"Did I miss anything?" Rodney replied as he came back into the room. He glanced between a retreating Elizabeth and Shadow curiously. Someone had shoved a bottle of blue Gatorade in his hand during his last trek through the infirmary – no doubt Carson – and he was just now opening it. Then he looked at me as he took a drink. "I did miss something, didn't I? Damn it. I wish that Immodium would hurry up and kick in." He looked at Elizabeth, but she already had her diplomat face on.
"No, you didn't," I said a little too disgustedly and picked up my duffle. I walked over and set it on the exam table and unzipped it. "I think these should fit without any problem." I pulled the jeans out first and showed him how the zipper worked. "This goes in front."
Shadow nodded, and as he reached out to take the jeans he shifted back to human. Our backs were to Rodney and Elizabeth, and as he grabbed the pants he said in a barely audible whisper, "I'm not invading your territory, am I?"
"What?" I said a little louder than I wanted. "No," I whispered back. "Just … behave yourself around her. Okay?"
He looked at me out of the corner of his eye for a moment, then chuffed. "All right – I will." His tone struck me as a tiny bit … mocking. He tested the zipper a few times and was about to put the jeans on when Carson returned.
"Hold up on those a moment, lad," Carson said as he set two syringes and some alcohol wipes on the table. He shooed me away and I went over by Elizabeth.
"What are those?" Shadow asked cautiously.
Carson opened a wipe and swabbed an area on Shadow's upper arm. He held up the first syringe. "This is just a precaution against a nasty flu-like bug that has cropped up a few times here on Atlantis. We do have a few cases currently – I'm pretty sure they're past the contagious stage but I don't want you tae spend your stay here hugging that uncomfortable contraption the Ancients call a toilet. Your experience in the cafeteria will be frightening enough. This may sting a bit," he said and administered the shot. Shadow didn't flinch, but a line of fur rose up along his spine for a split second. "Now turn around." Shadow did, and this time he did flinch when cold alcohol hit his right cheek. His eyes got a little wide and the three of us watching couldn't help grinning. "And this one is for your …." We could tell Carson almost said 'worms', but he caught himself at the last possible second. "… Parasites."
Rodney had his lips clamped down and was just rocking in place, his bottle of Gatorade sloshing merrily. I smacked the back of his head and he mouthed ow. He hid his smirk behind another drink.
"There – all done," Carson said. "Now get dressed before ya catch cold."
Shadow just stared at Carson with a hurt expression and rubbed his cheek. Elizabeth had to turn away or else embarrass herself even further by busting out laughing. Then Shadow stared accusingly at me. "And all your guests are subjected to this?"
I forced myself to be serious. "Yeah, they are." I grimaced. "Sorry."
He didn't look like he believed me as he started to put his right leg into the jeans. He got his other leg in and once they were pulled up he just undid the belt and left the ends of the loincloth hanging over the waistband after he zipped up. It didn't look half bad, either – especially after her refastened the belt over the top. Kind of had an Apache thing going there. I went back to the table and pulled the t-shirt out and showed him what was the front. He pulled it on and I felt a little jealous because it was almost too small for him through the shoulders and chest. He studied me for a moment, then tucked it in. He even put the hoodie on but didn't zip it up.
"We should probably find you some shoes," Carson said.
Shadow glanced down at his feet. "No, this is fine. I'm used to this and your foot wear looks uncomfortable." He looked up and made note of Carson's concerned frown. "The floor doesn't feel cold. Honest."
"All right," Carson replied, but he didn't look convinced.
"He'll be fine," I said as I picked up my duffle. "It's not like the halls of Atlantis are littered with broken glass and cactus. Mind if I stash this here for now?" I said to Carson as I held up the empty duffle. He nodded and took it from me. Then I looked at Shadow and nodded for him to follow. "C'mon, kid – let's go see the ocean up close."
Shadow perked up and grinned. "All right."
I glanced at Elizabeth. "Want to join us?"
"I'm sorry – I can't," she replied and looked genuinely disappointed. "I have some reports to go over and some paperwork I've neglected for far too long. Perhaps I can join you two for lunch."
"Okay – we'll swing by and get you," I said. Then I looked at Rodney. Yeah, he'll be tagging along, nothing I can do to about that. But then Carson stepped in and saved the day.
"I want you to sit here for the next hour, or until you can actually go ten minutes without running to the loo. Understood?" Carson said. When Rodney started to open his mouth he held up a finger. "I will break out the big guns, and you remember what that stuff tastes like, don't you?" Rodney kind of deflated. "Good. Now drink." Carson glanced at me and grinned briefly as we left the room and I knew I owed him a really big favor.
