Chapter Three

She didn't to bed right away. Her recent focus on past events had gotten her too wired to even think of sleep. All Emily did was sit in her room and stare at old pictures of her parents, family, and friends. There was one reason and one reason only why she wasn't walking around the city, sparing with Teyla, or running in the gum. Someone would find her and start asking her questions. This was the room she had stayed in when she was taking courses in construction and repair of Atlantian facilities and power sources.

The room was completely separated from the rest of the city's power and data. Her computer was a lone entity that could send out and take in information, but only if she called for it with one of her countless codes. Crystals of her own design and engineering powered everything in her home. They were accessible from both inside and outside her room, allowing for easy change whenever their power finally gave out. Because of these features, Emily left absolutely no electrical fingerprint as long as she turned her communicator off.

Emily let out a long sigh as she sat back in her bed. She clapped her hands and the lights faded off. The lights from various parts of the city quickly flooded through the tapestries covering the room's window, casting silhouettes all along the walls of her room. Slowly, Emily fell asleep with countless memories of Atlantian nights dancing around her mind.

"Has anyone else noticed how strange Emily's been acting?" Dr. Weir inquired as she looked at the faces before her.

"She seems normal to me," Sheppard replied with a shrug.

"No she hasn't," Zelenka piped in, his arms crossed.

"And since when have you noticed her actions?" Rodney remarked.

"For a while."

"Why? She hasn't even talked to you," Sheppard asked.

"Well . . . um we have talked a few times."

Rodney sat up in his chair. "What did she tell you? If it's anything about remembering anything-"

"Calm down, Rodney. I'm sure Dr. Zelenka would have told us if he found out anything important," Weir replied in a smooth tone.

Rodney and Zelenka exchanged glances before Weir continued. "Back to the task at hand. She hasn't seemed all together for a while."

"You wouldn't if you'd been frozen in a stasis pod for thousands of years," Sheppard remarked.

"Still. There is something wrong with her," Tayla chimed in.

"She probably just misses her family. Now can I please get something to eat?" Rodney complained.

Everyone ignored his last sentence.

"No, this is more than missing family. There's something else wrong," Zelenka replied while shaking his head.

"And how do you know this?" Rodney inquired.

"She's been having night terrors. It could be –"

"Wait a minute. Night terrors?" Weir interrupted, taking a step forward.

"She never said anything to you about it?" he questioned, obviously befuddled.

Everyone shook his or her head.

"That's strange."

"You're telling me," Sheppard mumbled.

"Maybe Dr. Beckett knows," Tayla mused.

Weir shook her head. "He would have said something to us."

"Is anybody else wondering why she told Zelenka and no one else?" Rodney asked.

They all looked at one another. That was something they hadn't thought of.

"She did say that I was the only one who wasn't always pumping her for information," a confused Zelenka remarked.

"So you think she has found some kind of . . . relationship with you?" Tayla inquired.

"No, I don't think so."

"Any other ideas?" Sheppard asked a he leaned back in his chair.

"Maybe he looks like someone she knew," Ronon said with a shrug.

"Well whatever it is, that's not our biggest concern. We've got an Ancient having night terrors and she refuses to admit it," Weir remarked.

"And she has no memory," Rodney added.

"Maybe the night terrors aren't such a bad thing," Zelenka remarked.

"What?" Rodney quickly returned.

"She seems to get more of her memory back when they do occur."

"He does make a point there," Sheppard replied.

"Well whatever it is, I'm officially having her visit the psychologist in the morning," Weir said with a grim look.

"Wait, that won't work," Rodney began. "She's supposed to-"

"Save it, Rodney. My mind is made up. Dismissed."

With that, everyone got up and walked out, completely unsuspecting of what was going on in Emily's mind during those same moments of their discussion.