Chapter Twenty-Two
Finally, at something Colonel Sheppard considered to be a decent hour, Weir, Sheppard, Beckett, Alex, Lorne, Teyla, and Heightmeyer were all gathered in Weir's office.
"So there's no doubt she was exerting control over Major Lorne?" Weir asked.
Lorne caught somewhere between still feeling guilty and angry over this, kept his mouth shut; his expression said it all. Sheppard, having only witnessed what happened, but not actually involved, kept his peace. He looked to Teyla, Heightmeyer, and Alex. It was Alex who spoke.
"You're well aware that I can't prove anything. And, even if we could, what would accusing her accomplish? She knows that we know. And the only thing I can say is that there is more to her game than this retrovirus. She stands to gain something massively more important to her."
"What makes you say that?" Weir asked.
"No Wraith queen would ever give up anything they considered to be theirs unless they stand to gain far more than that one pawn is worth."
Looking to Lorne Weir asked, "And you have no idea what that might be?"
Frustration clear on his face, he said, "No ma'am. I can only remember what she did to me to try to wear me down, but not what she was looking for beyond that first encounter."
"Which she didn't get," Alex added surprising all of them.
"Atlantis' gate address?" Sheppard asked, clearly not believing.
Alex nodded. "Major Lorne gave her the Alpha Site address over and over again until she was convinced that was Atlantis' address."
"But, I saw…" Lorne said, thinking back to those moments.
"What you wanted her to see," Alex told him. "You wanted her to think it was Atlantis. Quite impressive, really."
"You're certain?" Weir asked, her green eyes sharp.
"Yes. But it makes no difference. She most likely tortured the information out of Mr. Church, anyway. So now she has two addresses, and she is convinced one of them is Atlantis. At best, this will delay her while she send scouts to both worlds to check them out. If we're lucky, she'll think we've moved the city and have the ability to do so again at any time," Alex explained.
Weir seemed to consider this for a moment before turning to Teyla and Heightmeyer.
"And you're certain there's no remaining traces of her influence in either of them?"
"Yes," Teyla replied. "There's nothing left."
"Then she stands to gain something much greater," Weir said almost to herself. A moment later she focused on Lorne, "You're sure you're ready to return to duty?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good, then I'll need you at the Delta Site. I need Colonel Sheppard here preparing the city for evacuation."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Alex, is it possible she can gain control of others without a direct line of sight or direct contact?"
"Yes, but it would be extremely difficult. With humans the closer proximity and even direct eye contact make the process much easier. It would be an even weaker connection than she had with Major Lorne, to start off with, and anyone on their guard would feel the alien presence."
Weir's eyebrows shot up. "That is good news. Major Lorne, put out the word at the Delta Site. You know what it felt like, so you'll know what to tell them. Teyla, I know this is a lot to ask, but I could use you there, as well. Can you lightly touch each person in a random rotation to try to detect her influence?"
Teyla frowned for a moment, knowing what kind of headache she would be suffering for this, but she knew, too, that there was no choice. "Yes."
"Thank you."
She thought again for a moment, a flicker of fear. "Is it possible she gave up Major Lorne for me?"
"It is," Alex admitted, "though I don't think that is her entire plot."
"You have a theory?"
"Maybe," she said hesitantly. "She could try to bore into your mind and gradually take control, but now that she knows we know about Major Lorne and myself, she's not likely to try those tactics again. She's going to pick her target much more carefully, and act much more swiftly. And…I may venture a guess as to the target."
"Earth," Lorne blurted, his blue eyes going wide, as all eyes were drawn to him. "That's why she was going through so many gate addresses!"
Alex nodded. "So there's a two-fold plan here. With her knowledge of the gates, it is easy for her to extrapolate the location within the galaxy using any gate address. But, to get to Earth and new feeding grounds she would need the gate address and the city itself."
"So now she thinks she may have city's location, and she'll need to secure it," Weir stated.
"Yes, so it is possible she would try to use you to control the city, whereas she was just going to use Major Lorne to lower its defenses and let her generals in quietly."
Weir's expression darkened. Sheppard and Lorne shared a look that openly displayed their frustration. They all knew where they stood. Ultimately, there was nothing they could do but play along. Until the Daedalus returned and was able to get within teleportation range of the hive, they were backed into a corner. If they refused, she could either attack directly or broadcast their most likely locations. Either would end in the destruction of the city.
"Carson, how is the lab setup going?"
Doctor Beckett sighed heavily. "Faster than I anticipated. It can be ready by tomorrow."
Again Weir nodded, seemingly lost in thought. "Proceed as planned, then. Maybe there's something to be gained in this. Maybe they will help perfect the retrovirus. In the meantime, that leaves one last order of business. All of you will stand witness."
Eyebrows around the room shot up, but Sheppard's came down.
"No."
"We can always—"
"No, Elizabeth. I'm not gonna—"
"Colonel Sheppard!" she snapped. "In civilian matters I am the final authority. And, at this very moment this is a civilian matter. It is about to turn military, and I'll leave no opening for a breach in the chain of command. Do I make myself clear?"
Sheppard's expression was close to murderous. "Yes, ma'am."
"Good," she said with one final look to make sure he wasn't going to interrupt her again. Glancing at her watch she said, "As of oh-nine-thirty we are enacting M Protocol. I relinquish control of the city to Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard until further notice. Any orders coming from me must be cleared through Colonel Sheppard's established chain of command. This information will not leave this office."
They all nodded agreement, half of them still in shock at this turn of events. Sheppard clenched his jaw, still glaring at her. "For the record, you will have control of the city back as soon as I can dump it on you."
Doctor Weir smiled dryly. "Yes, because I know how much you love paperwork, John."
"Fine," he snapped, still not liking the situation. "I accept control of the city and your authorization codes will be deactivated the moment I leave this office. Teyla, Beckett, proceed as planned. I'll work on the city evacuation. I've established a new site, and we're setting up now. That address will remain with me until complete evacuation is required. For now, I'm getting us down to a skeleton crew.
"Alex, you're with Doctor Weir. Don't let her out of your sight. Since the queen knows about you, and she knows what you can do, we're going to use that to our advantage. She might be the superior force between you two, but that doesn't mean we have to give her an easy opening. Gear up, I want her to see that we're not playing any more of her games. Shoot to kill if you even suspect. Understand?"
"Yes, Colonel," she replied, feeling the need for formality here.
For a moment the silence hung heavy in the air as Sheppard considered any other orders that were needed. He seemed to come to a decision.
"Major Lorne, you're in control of the Delta Site. The new evac site will be withheld from all personnel going to the Delta Site. Major, if we have to self-destruct Atlantis, you will be cut off. You and your men are to abandon the Delta Site. Pick any planet, any backup site you want. I don't need to tell you that if Atlantis is lost, it may be a long time before the Daedalus can round us all up. So try to stick together, but scatter if needed. Establish your own chain of command outside of Atlantis. We will operate as two independent groups."
"Yes, sir."
"Once the Delta site setup is final, there will be no more direct dials to Atlantis. We will dial the Delta Site once a day to check in. If it is more than thirty hours since last check-in, assume Atlantis is lost and get out as fast as you can.
"Beckett, establish your replacement CMO for Atlantis. You'll remain at the Delta Site for the duration."
"Yes, Colonel."
"Anyone have anything to add?" he asked.
Everyone shook their heads. "Good. Major, come with me."
"Yes, sir."
The rest of them wandered off to their individual duties. Alex found it a wonder that the heads of Atlantis could carry so much and still be able to stop and make friendly conversation, smile, and even engage their people in such a positive way. She watched as Carson gave the bad news, and assigned Doctor Warren as temporary CMO. Giving him a quick hug and peck on the cheek, she turned to her own duties.
She knew she had some time before Doctor Weir and the others would be ready to depart. Her heart heavy, Alex wandered the city for a while. The city seemed to speak to her. She'd often heard Carson describe the city as something alive, as if he could sense its presence. Today the city almost seemed alive to her, too. Every corridor she walked, every balcony she passed, every person she smiled greetings to…it all came back to her. The sense of urgency all around made the ancient city seem more alive than she could ever remember it feeling. Shaking this off as some sort of side effect of the emotional and mental stresses of the night before, she found herself standing in her old quarters.
She was amazed to find they hadn't been cleared out completely, yet. Alex had been so distracted with Carson she had almost forgotten. The numerous pictures of the sky still covered every visible wall. Her personal laptop was still sitting on the table. She'd taken to using Carson's once she'd moved in, and never really got back around to finishing her packing here. Sitting on the bed, she looked around. It almost felt like stepping back into a part of herself she'd shed at some point. It was comfortable and sad at the same time.
Had she really changed so much? Had being touched by others changed her?
For a few minutes she just sat, feeling herself and the city around her. Feeling the need to preserve this moment and more, she booted up the laptop.
~o~o~o~
Feeling refreshed and determined, Alex headed toward the chaos of the infirmary. There she managed to get a good supply of her injection formula. Doctor Knightley and Carson both being totally preoccupied with making the final checks to ensure they had all the needed supplies, they failed to notice that they had both supplied her with a massive amount of both the second female formula and the first. Packing this away with the rest of her gear, Alex headed through the gate with the most recent supply run.
Within hours she found herself standing behind Doctor Weir as they awaited the arrival of the queen. Her two generals flanking her much as they had the day before, she made little ceremony coming in and very clearly ignored everyone around her. The only person she would even acknowledge was Doctor Weir. And, of course, Alex. Elizabeth was watching closely as the queen entered the tent to find Alex in full gear standing guard. The queen made note of her presence, and then immediately tried to dismiss it.
Alex couldn't resist. She tweaked the vile creature with her telepathy, making her fumble a bit as she sat. The queen struggled to maintain her composure as she faced Weir very deliberately ignoring Alex. Satisfied that she'd gotten her point across in showing the queen she was not to attempt anything on Weir, Alex settled back into a comfortable stance and waited.
Much as the day before, Doctor Weir and the queen went back and forth on what duties, research, equipment, and responsibilities would fall where. Every demand Weir made, the queen would concede on with little or no argument. Even Alex, who cared little for such things as negotiations, found this irritating beyond belief. She had long ago come to the conclusion that there was more to this game than even she knew. The queen had many contingency plans in place, and was giving ground on Weir only because she wanted this to hurry up.
After a while Alex tuned out all but the telepathic frequencies that seemed to hum with tension within the tent. Despite the queen's neutral appearance and accommodating attitude, she was practically vibrating with the stress of maintaining her façade. It was all Alex could to do keep a smile off her face knowing this. While occupied and clearly under pressure, Alex took advantage of this to plant the tiniest of barbs in the queen. Hoping it wouldn't be noticed, she gave up even looking interested in the proceedings. Feeling the queen scan her at one point, she kept up the appearance of boredom and ignorance. Though she couldn't tell for certain, Alex thought the queen had bought the ruse.
Finally, after hours of discussion and all parties agreed, the queen gave her Hivemaster and his Masters of Sciences their orders, and the three of them turned to leave. The Hivemaster promised to return with the required equipment shortly. As soon as they exited the tent Weir turned to Alex.
Alex shook her head and held up her hand for silence. To avoid a repeat injury as she had sustained the night before, she seated herself at the table beside Weir and closed her eyes. Seeking that tiniest little barb she had planted in the queen's mind, she became an invisible rider. She watched as the queen crossed the event horizon and onto her own ship. Not a second later she screamed in rage, latching onto the nearest male and feeding on him. Still screaming, she unleashed all her pent-up fury. In her satisfaction, Alex slipped. Some part of her must have come through the link, because the queen stopped. Finding the telepathic barb the queen screamed again and crushed it out of existence.
Feeling as if a bomb had just gone off in her head, Alex gasped and gripped her head for a moment trying to pull her scattered thoughts back to reality. Groaning, she forced her eyes open. She must have been more out of it than she thought, because when she looked up Weir's pale face was joined by Carson's and Evan's.
"Sorry," she mumbled, sitting upright.
"Just what the hell was that?" Lorne asked as Carson checked her pupils.
Alex slapped Carson's hands away. "I believe the phrase is 'turnabout is fair play'."
Now Weir was furious. "In the middle of negotiations, you were in her head? You were here to protect me; not to go—"
Alex groaned in pain at Weir's elevated voice. "You don't need to shout. And, no, I wasn't. I planted a barb, I guess you could say. Kind of like a hook. I thought it would be too tiny for her to see. She's enraged, and I could feel it. I'm surprised you couldn't considering how strong it was."
"What gives you the right?"
Carson, clearly worried, was back to trying to check her over. Again, Alex batted at him with an irritated look. "Just give me something for a headache. I'll be fine."
His lips thinned in anger, he opened his mouth to argue but Major Lorne cut him off. "Come on, Doc. She's a big girl. Let her explain what happened before you haul her off."
Carson's face turned crimson. Shoving his hands in his pocket angrily, he glared at Alex letting her know this conversation wasn't over.
"What gives me the right is the same as it was before. She wanted to use Lorne. I stopped her. She knows about me. And now she knows I'm testing my limits with her, and anyone around her. I just planted the seeds of paranoia that might keep her on edge enough to behave for a little while."
Still furious, Weir seemed to consider this. "And what did you find?"
Alex chuckled. "For one thing, I wouldn't want to be on her hive ship right about now. One of the two generals won't be joining the team. For another, when she's focused, she can sense me in her mind."
"What did she do?" Lorne cut in, clearly not happy with this.
"Just crushed my link out of existence. It's something like having a bomb go off in your head. A bit uncomfortable, but not harmful."
Carson seemed skeptical, but kept his peace. Weir and Lorne shared a look.
"She's under your command," Weir reminded him calmly, but leaving no doubt where she stood on the subject.
The Major's jaw visibly clenched, and his blue eyes turned piercing enough to almost make Alex regret her actions. "What are the risks?" he finally asked.
"A few, but I'm more of a pest to them than anything useful for us, I think. It's more likely they'll seek out my presence only when I'm in their minds. And, even then, only to get rid of me in a painful, but harmless way. They can't come right out and tell me to stop, because then they're admitting to what was done to you. And they can't retaliate openly, because that would clearly lead to a breakdown in what has, thus far, been successful negotiations. So, aside from a handful of headaches, there's probably not much to worry about. Just have Teyla scan me periodically when I'm not paying attention to make sure there isn't any lingering Wraith presence, and it should be fine. And I'll do the same for her."
"Do you think you could gain anything useful out of it? Anything at all?" he pressed, eyes blue chips of ice now.
"I wouldn't trust anything I did manage to get. Now that she's aware, it could be false information meant to cause us trouble."
Lorne nodded unhappily. "So long as the risks are minimal, and you and Teyla stay in close contact, I'll permit it. Just be careful."
"That you won't have to worry about," Alex agreed, rubbing her temples.
"Very well," Weir agreed, clearly unhappy with having someone meddling in what she thought were perfectly acceptable negotiations.
Her head pounding, Alex tuned out the next part of the conversation between them. Carson, however, put a hand under her elbow and motioned for her to come with him.
"Go on, Alex. Let him check you over. When you're up for it, let me know."
Alex stared at the radio he'd just put on the table for a moment confused. Major Lorne grinned at her surprise. "For the duration, you're my second in command where Wraith are concerned. Civilian matters will still fall to Doctor Weir." He turned to Elizabeth, "Behind us is Major Cram and Major Bowden. If that chain of command fails, the rest are set in individual squads intended to function independently in a crisis. Each squad is a mix of civilian and military personnel intended to stay together if evac is needed."
"Good," Weir agreed.
Turning back to Alex and Carson he nodded toward the tent flaps. "Go on. I'll need you later. You've got some catching up to do on how we're going to operate until we're out of this mess."
"Yes, sir!" she snapped off. And, for a wonder, she meant it.
Shaking his head with a grin and still amazed by her at times, Lorne turned his mind to other duties. Carson still gripping her by the elbow, gently helped her to her feet. Alex was a bit surprised to find she was also a little unsteady. The queen had done quite a number on her head. Knowing she was in for many more such incidences, she advised Carson what to watch for and what to have ready.
It was going to be a long stay at the Delta Site.
~o~o~o~
Alex was more accurate than she wanted to admit. The very next day Wraith equipment and scientists began coming through the gate. Much as had the Atlanteans, they began to setup a camp just outside the human camp. In between the two camps were the shared labs. Though none of them were happy with the idea of a Wraith encampment so close, they all admitted it was easier than the constant back and forth through the gate.
Beckett and his team found themselves working side by side with the Wraith day and night. It seemed there was always something going on. The soldiers on both sides took turns guarding their own camps. Neither side dared trust the other. But, thanks to the queen and Major Lorne, both sides maintained strict discipline. Aside from the scientists working in the shared labs between the two encampments, no one dared cross the lines.
One day became two. Two became a week. A week that seemed to go on forever. Day after day Alex watched Carson come and go. She saw less of him now than she had while they were on Atlantis avoiding each other. But, she knew how important this work was to him, even if they had been backed into a corner. Day after day she took her turns at the guard rotations. Day after day she picked a random Wraith target to infiltrate, only to have them pick up on her and crush her. Day after day she felt Teyla scanning her from a distance; often times sending back a friendly sensation to let her know all was well.
The one thing Alex could appreciate was the sky on this planet. Thanks to a combination of red light emanating from the star in this system and a peculiar type of rock called sylvite that made up over eighty percent of the surrounding mountains and rocky terrain, the sky often looked to be a bluish purple color. The way the light reflected off the mountains brought out the purple hues most brightly at sunrise and sunset. And there were so many pale colored moons of a variety of colors that the night was almost as bright as the day, sometimes. Six of the largest, brightest moons rose at varying times throughout the day and night. Sometimes it made it difficult to see the stars, but Alex thought the loss was worth it. She wished she had brought her camera.
The downside was the sheer rocky monotony of the terrain. There were very few plants and absolutely no trees. The area was made up of surprisingly new mountains that hadn't really even begun to erode. So instead of walking on dirt, they found themselves traversing rocks varying in size from pebbles to a good several inches. Added to this was the fact that sylvite was about as tough as the average person's fingernail. The rocks broke up fairly quickly; but that also lead to a large number of minor injuries involving bumps, bruises, sprains, and cuts. Doctor Knightley was now in charge of the camp infirmary, and she was on the verge of demanding some sort of walkway system be built; if only to cut down on the amount of time she spent patching up minor injuries that were eating up her meager supplies.
And that was when Alex, for all her super human grace found herself practically being carried to the infirmary with a blood soaked bandage wrapped around her leg where her pants had been cut away to expose the wound. Alex, more exasperated than injured, told the two Marines who carried her in to bugger off. Knightley came around the corner of the makeshift divider and nearly dropped her tray of bandages at the sight of so much blood. For a moment Alex thought she was going to radio for Carson.
"If you bother Carson over this scratch, you'll be on the bed next to me," Alex threatened, half-heartedly. The truth was, she was almost willing to suffer Carson's mother-henning right about now, if only she could be with him for a little while.
Frowning, Knightly motioned for Alex to lay back. "I'm guessing you're about to tell me it's not as bad as it looks."
"Right. It's long and deep, and is likely to need more sutures than I would care for, but it's not life threatening."
"Yes, Doctor Cantwell."
"Cantwell? Wow, I thought Carson was just kidding about giving me that last name. I like it."
Knightley chuckled. "I thought you would prefer Beckett for a surname."
Alex's lack of response had her looking up sharply from where she had been cutting the bandage. She just caught the look on Alex's face as it went from pain to neutral. Obviously there was more going on, but she wasn't about to push the issue. Alex knew she had friends if she needed to talk.
"Yep, this one's pretty bad. Give me a minute to—"
"Alex?" Major Lorne called from the other side of the divider.
Knightley looked to Alex as if asking if she wanted her to get rid of him. Alex clenched her jaws. She knew they were right to inform the base commander of her condition as she was out of the rotation until her leg could be patched up, but damn it was annoying. If it wasn't one worrywart, it was another. Then she remembered her telepathic encounter with Evan, and couldn't blame him for a bit of worrying.
"In here," she called in resignation.
Major Lorne poked his head around the corner and then stepped around fully at the sight of so much blood. "They told me you were hurt, but—"
"I'll be fine," she cut him off. "Rebecca will have me patched up and back out there in no time," she assured him.
"Rebecca?" Lorne asked, unfamiliar with the name.
That's when Doctor Knightley sat up from where she had been hunched over almost out of sight from Lorne's position. Lorne's expression transformed at the sight of her.
"Doctor Knightley," he said, smiling brightly.
"Good to see you up and about, Major," she smiled back.
For a moment Alex got the distinct impression they had forgotten about her. Fixing an irritated expression on her face to cover what she was really feeling, she waited for them to break eye contact.
"If you'll excuse me," Knightley finally said, standing up. "I need to grab a few things."
Lorne just nodded, obviously not sure what else to say. Alex watched out of the corner of her eye as Lorne's eyes continued to follow the doctor. After staring at the divider for a few more seconds, he seemed to refocus on why he had come here in the first place. Frowning at the open, exposed wound that ran nearly from ankle to knee thanks to her skid down a steep embankment, he seemed to be considering something.
"Don't," Alex told him.
Lorne's eyebrows shot up before fixing on her suspiciously.
"I don't have to read your mind to know that expression. You're calculating how many days I'll be out of commission, followed with whether or not you want give me a lecture about how I need to be more careful."
Evan's eyes gave a mischievous twinkle as he smiled. "And what am I wanting for lunch, since you're so good?"
"Now that is an answer you don't want to hear right now."
The confused look on his face was almost worth the taunt. But it was too soon. She had to know one other thing, first. Before he could ask, Knightley returned with a tray full of items she would need.
"Major, I believe this is something you've had done to yourself enough times that you don't need me to assure you she'll live through the procedure," the doctor teased, putting on a fresh pair of gloves and picking up the filled syringe.
"No, but I would like to know how long you're going to have her off her feet."
"How long does it take to suture this up?" Alex asked.
"Maybe thirty minutes."
"I'll be back out there in forty-five," Alex answered. "We'll call it an early lunch break."
Lorne seemed set to argue but changed his mind. "You're sure?"
"It's a cut, Evan, not an amputation," Alex chided him.
Throwing up his hands in a gesture of surrender, he shook his head. "Alright. But you're explaining to Carson if he finds out."
"Deal."
Shaking his head again, Lorne smiled to Rebecca. "It was good to see you again, Doctor. If she gives you any trouble radio Sergeant Daniels. She'll sit on Alex if she has to."
Alex threw him a dirty glare that just made him chuckle as he left. When she turned back, she caught Knightley with the syringe still in hand staring after him long after he'd disappeared.
"Uh huh," was all Alex said.
Much like throwing a match onto tinder, the two syllables set Rebecca's face aflame. Ducking her head she aimed the needle at the open wound.
"This is going to sting a little."
She warned Alex less than a second before burning pain erupted inside the wound that had her biting her tongue to keep from yelping. Yep, she's definitely caught them both staring. And she had chosen the absolute wrong moment to let on to Doctor Knightley that she'd caught them.
~o~o~o~
Late that night, or possibly early morning, depending on your view of things, Alex was again curled up on what she'd come to think of as her rock. She was just close enough to the camp that she could be seen by the guards, but far enough away to have an unobstructed view of the sky. She did this often, when Carson wasn't in their tent. She found it harder and harder to sleep without him there. She hadn't realized how long she'd been sitting there watching the majestic moons gliding across the sky until light footsteps behind her alerted her to Evan's presence.
"Mind some company?" he asked, still far enough away not to startle her.
"Pull up a rock," she offered.
Seating himself beside her and leaning back to enjoy the view, he was almost surprised to find how comfortable the silence was. After their telepathic link, it was as if she'd always been there. It was as if she was a part of him, now, more so than ever before.
"Why do you come out here?"
Never taking her cat-like eyes away from the sky she replied softly, "That prison where John found me had become my coffin. I'd accepted that many decades, possibly even a couple of centuries, before he came along. There were times I would have given anything just to see the sky one more time."
"And then he helped you escape," Evan commented prompted when she'd gone quiet.
"Yes. I was wounded and perfectly happy to die there on that planet once I'd seen the sky again. But John seemed to have slightly higher expectations."
Lorne chuckled. "Well, I, for one, am glad he did."
Stretching out her legs and leaning back in much the same posture as Evan, Alex sighed contentedly. "Me too."
He didn't miss the wince she tried to cover as she moved her injured leg. "You okay?'
"It's nothing. I probably shouldn't have been sitting like that so long."
"Didn't Doctor Knightley give you something for the pain?"
Alex couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. Turning to face him Evan couldn't miss the look in those bright eyes as they reflected the moonlight.
"What?" he asked, not sure he liked that expression.
"She was a little distracted at the time, and probably forgot."
"Distracted? How?"
"You."
Sitting bolt upright he frowned at her. "Quit teasing. You caught me looking."
"Ha! I knew it! And, yes, I did. Same as I caught her."
Heaving a deep sigh Evan flopped onto his back with his arm under his head. Alex turned to face him more fully, moving her injured leg tenderly.
"Just my luck." He started ticking off points on his fingers, "We're in the middle of a crisis that could wind up with the destruction of Atlantis, a major threat to Earth, the entire Delta Site under my command, a Wraith queen playing games with us, and I've got a crush. Timing."
Alex giggled. "Yeah, not the best. Might have to work on that."
Heaving another sigh, he fell silent. For a while they just enjoyed the comfortable silence again and the beauty of the night.
"Mind if I ask you something?" she finally asked.
"You just did."
She flashed a brief grin before she turned back toward the sky as if to conceal her expression. "Why did you trust me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Even before the explosion in the mess hall, we had crossed paths maybe a dozen times. I think, perhaps, a handful of times in the martial arts classes, so far as I can remember. And, even then, we were never paired up. You were always polite to me, even when everyone else made me feel like I belonged back in the prison cells. Why?"
"I don't really know. I guess something about you seemed…young. No, not really the right word. I can't really explain it. But it was always in my head that you chose to be human. I didn't know all the details, then. But I knew you wanted this, and you had a genuine curiosity about what it meant to be human. I guess it always struck me as wrong that you had to experience hate before love, prejudice before compassion, and pain before happiness."
Alex accepted this in silence. She was so still Evan knew there was more going on than just curiosity. It was as if he could sense her feelings. Reaching up, he rubbed her back gently. As expected, he could feel the tremors as she tried to contain something he couldn't imagine. Sitting up, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"I never did thank you," she whispered.
"Not needed."
"I would have died in that mess hall after the explosion. I actually wanted to."
"I know. And I wasn't going to let that happen."
"Thank you, Evan."
"Hey, we're even now. So don't worry about it."
"But I do," she said softly. "Without you I would never have experienced life."
"Hey, what's with all this? You getting all depressed on me or something?" he asked half-heartedly shaking her a little.
She smiled up at him. "Quite the opposite. I was just thinking how incredible this has all been."
As a thought occurred to him, his heart skipped a beat. "You act like its ending."
Alex chuckled. "You never know what tomorrow may bring, or if there will even be a tomorrow. Considering our circumstances, is it so inappropriate that I would like to say what I should have said long ago?"
"Well, no. But don't go getting all down on me, either. We're going to get through this. The Daedalus should be here any day. We'll figure it out."
"Of course," she agreed, wrapping an arm around him and hugging him back. "But, for now, all this waiting and watching has me anxious. You up for a morning run?"
Glancing at his watch, he said, "We've got a couple hours until sunrise. Considering your leg, young lady, running is out of the question."
"Oh? And how exactly are you going to stop me?" she asked, both defiant and genuinely curious.
"That's the easy part," he said, standing up and stretching with a happy sigh.
"You still haven't answered my question," she told him, sliding off the rock and onto her feet.
Before she had a chance to comprehend what he had just done, Evan had planted his foot behind her ankle, twisted, and pushed her onto her back on the rock. As if that hadn't been enough, he rolled her right up into his arms in a move that left her both dizzy and suddenly understanding how a child's doll must feel.
"Does that answer your question?" he asked with a mischievous grin.
For a moment she wanted to smack him, but she had to admit the throbbing in her leg had gotten annoying. The run was just to get rid of some of the excess energy in the hopes of getting some sleep. Relaxing into his arms, she gave him a pouty look.
"One of these days I'm going to remember that you've been studying martial arts almost as long as you've been alive."
Evan's deep chuckle as he turned his steps toward her tent was strangely comforting to her.
"And one of these days I'm going to remember that you're older than recorded human civilization on my planet."
"Really?"
"You didn't know?"
"I've had plenty of reading material, but not much in the way of ancient human history from Earth."
"Huh, that's surprising. Well, you are."
Not feeling the least bit uncomfortable with the situation, Alex relaxed and let him carry her. His big, strong arms made her feel as if she could rely on his strength in any situation, but they had nothing on Carson's feeling of security and safety. She just barely checked another sigh at the thought of returning to her tent alone.
"Missing him?" Evan asked, as if sensing her thoughts.
She just nodded.
"Sorry. Look, if you want some company…"
"Don't worry about it. I'm probably just tired."
"Then get some sleep. You're not due in for at least another four hours," he said, dropping her off in front of her tent.
"Thanks."
"I'll bill you for the ride later."
She punched him in the gut, making him grunt but still not able to dislodge that grin.
"Night, Alex."
"Night, Evan."
She watched him walking away a bit faster than she had expected. Wondering what was up, she watched for a moment, but he never turned back. Shrugging it off as paranoia brought on by lack of sleep, she entered the tent. Seeing something on one of the cots, she reached over to the table just inside the tent and turned on the light. Sitting propped up at the head of one of the cots was a painting. It was an incredible night-time landscape that was mostly a night sky with a sea of stars and a handful of small moons arrayed like a string of pearls.
So absorbed in this amazing work of art was she, that she almost missed the note sitting on the cot below. Picking up the blank envelope, she opened it wondering if it might have been something left for Carson.
.
Alex,
I know how much you love the sky, and this was something I've been working on for a while now. I had actually planned to finish it a while ago, but my "vacation", as you put it, interrupted that. I finished it last night. Since I never seem to remember to get you any good pictures, I figured this little piece might make up for that.
Evan
.
That man would never cease to amaze her. She had even been through some of his most intimate memories and had no idea of his talent. Wrapping the painting in a blanket to keep it safe, she set it aside atop a chest. Feeling more lighthearted than she had in a while, Alex lay down on her cot and was asleep in seconds.