It had been three weeks since their mission to M4R-459. It had been spent working busily on the information they had logged into their tablets while off world. The language was proving to be difficult. It was very similar to the Ancient language they already knew, but it was enough of a different dialect that it was proving difficult to understand. It was akin to the differences and similarities of the earth languages Spanish and Portuguese, both came from the same source, but the differences that happen over the years are just enough to cause confusion.
Lizzy had just made it back to her room. It had been another very long and unproductive day. Undressing she stepped under the hot shower, letting the running water soothe away the frustrations of the day. She was missing her off world excursions, but Wier had asked her personally to assist, that and she was not yet cleared for off world duty, not until Dr. Beckett told her so. Physically she felt fine, but he wanted her to play it safe. Pulling on her nightshirt she walked over to and collapsed into her bed, utterly exhausted. She was asleep in a matter of minutes.
Suddenly she was watching SGA-1 coming back home through the gate, all four were wearing woven flower crowns. They were laughing merrily and Lt. Col. John Sheppard was saying something about Hawaii to Dr. McKay. The dream was so vivid, so real. Like she was actually there. She jerked herself awake with a start and a wildly beating heart. That was a dream unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Odd. She shrugged, shaking off the sudden feeling of unrest, it was nothing more than a random dream. She reached for the glass on her nightstand and took a drink of water. Rolling over she soon went back to sleep.
The next day in the cafeteria she was walking to a table with her tray, lost in thought, when she heard voices behind her. It was Lt. Col. John Sheppard and Dr. Rodney McKay. She stopped dead in her tracks, hands mid poised in the act of setting the tray down. Sheppard was saying, "Was that place like Hawaii or what?"
She spun, looking in their direction as Rodney answered, "Well, it's a tropical paradise. Sure, why not, it's Hawaii if you want it to be."
Both were wearing flower crowns on their head, exactly like the ones she had seen in her dream the night before. Slowly she turned back around, set her tray down carefully, sat, and rubbed her eyes. Then pinched herself. Nope, not another dream. She shook her head. This was too strange, what a crazy coincidence. It left her feeling a bit spooked however, and for the rest of the day she was unable to shake the feeling.
That night in her room as she sat on the edge of her bed she almost felt uncertain about the idea of falling asleep. It struck her has one of the most absurd ideas she had ever imagined. This was silly, childish even. She stretched out on the bed, flat on her back, closing her eyes she soon drifted off to sleep.
She awoke with a start several hours later, breathing hard, her heart felt like it was going to leap from her chest. It had been another dream. She had been walking along a hallway, a few of the base personnel had been moving up and down the corridor. Then two people, walking briskly down the hall in opposite directions and not looking where they were going, collided into each other, sending papers and folders flying. It was a far cry from a nightmare... but the intensity and realism of the dream again startled and in a strange way, scarred her. It was like she had never even been asleep.
Calming her frantically racing heart she glanced at the clock, sighed, then swung her legs over the edge of the bed and rubbed her temples. Only an hour until she had to get up, might as well get a head start on work today.
The halls were quiet as she headed to her lab, most everyone else wouldn't be up for another hour. She booted up the computers and went to work. Two hours later, frustrated at her lack of progress, she shut off her tablet and left the lab. All she could think about was her dream, that stupid dream. She had just read the same thing five times over and it had made no sense. Food was sounding good right about now.
Walking along towards the cafeteria she wasn't paying much attention to the people around her. A tech came marching past her, lost in the files he had in his hand. Her eyes followed his path on their own accord, strangely fascinated with the action of his stride. The sequence of footfalls was almost hypnotic.
Suddenly, out of the blue papers and folders where flying in all directions. Lizzy stopped mid stride and stared, open mouthed, at the scene in front of her. The tech, not looking where he had been going had marched right into someone going the other way. Now both where uttering apologies and scrambling to pick up the scattered paperwork off the floor.
Stunned, Lizzy stumbled backwards, almost falling against the cold wall. She grasped the edge of an outcropping, something to support her suddenly weak knees. Her heart was thumping in her chest, her mouth had gone dry, her eyes wide and her body seemingly frozen in place as she watched her dream unfold before her.
Twice in a row now, what was happening to her? Panic suddenly welled in her heart and it gave wings to her feet as she bolted from the hallway, the cafeteria long forgotten.
Her mind raced along with her feet, churning questions one after another.Why? Why me? What is this, why can I see the future? Why am I having these dreams? Why me? Why? Why!
Blindly she raced on, then, turning a corner, she ran headlong into a pair of strong arms and a sturdy chest. Already panicked, the thought of being captured flashed through her mind and instinctively she started struggling to free herself. But the arms resisted, and grabbing her shoulders they held her in a firm, but gentle grasp. A soft voice quickly brought her back to the real world.
"Easy lass, easy." Was all Dr. Beckett said, quietly repeating himself as he steered the frightened woman to the infirmary. Upon their arrival he set a very quiet, and now ashamed, Lizzy, on a bed. She kept her gaze down, just looking at her hands, not sure what to make of her behavior.
Beckett handed her a glass of water, which she gladly accepted and drank deeply from. Soon an empty glass was placed on the table nearby.
"Now, Lizzy, what were ye running from?" He looked at her with a gentle, but firm look.
She sighed, "I... I was scared. I..." She fell silent.
"And?" The doctor prodded.
She lifted her head and looked him in the eye, "I've been having these visions... well, dreams really. In my sleep, and the next day, they come true, I don't know what's happening, or why it's scarring me so badly, but it is, and I'm frightened."
"How many of these dreams have ye had now?"
"Only two, one last night, and one the night before."
"Would ye like to tell me about them?"
She paused, then nodded, "Yes."
- - - - -
Dr. Weir was filing reports when Dr. Beckett knocked on her door. Glancing up she smiled and waved him in. "Carson, just give me a minute to finish this," she gestured to the open folder in front of her, "and then I'll be right with you."
He nodded and took a chair, a few minutes later Dr. Weir closed the file, "There, that's done. Now, what can I do for you."
"It's Dr. Dunham."
Weir frowned, "Again? Is something wrong? I thought everything was fine with her last you checked."
"It was, but just over an hour ago she ran into me in the hallway, terrified. She's been having some visions in her dreams, and they have been coming true the next day." He briefly explained the events of the two dreams and how they had come to pass. "I gave her some sleeping pills and orders not to report to work until these dreams stop."
Nodding, Weir said "Okay. Do you have any idea what is causing this? Could it be stress? I'm sure that she is very unsettled from that happened, I know I would be."
"Aye, that she is. As for a cause, I haven't a clue yet. I've run some tests and should have the results shortly. I don't want to jump to preliminary conclusions, but I think her experience off world may be apart of this."
"Lets hope not, we have enough adventures going on around here at the moment. But, thank you Carson, and notify me as soon as you know what the results are."
"Of course." He smiled, then got up and briskly left the room.
- - - - -
Back in his lab Dr. Beckett sipped on a cup of coffee as he scanned Lizzy's test results. Nothing out of the ordinary so far. Then he frowned, wait a second, that wasn't suppose to be there. He clicked to the secondary tests, he had ordered two sets just in case. Same results. He stared at the screen... well, this was different. He rubbed his temples, Well, he figured, either that explains everything, or it explains nothing.