Start Chapter 14
"Teyla have you noticed any side effects?" Ancient asked as she arrived at her usual lab.
"To what are you referring to?" she asked sitting down on a nearby chair.
"Have you heard any of his thoughts felt any of his emotions or anything else like that?"
"I am not sure I believe I may have heard a few of his thoughts and I did feel his emotions regarding the men he lost.
"That is all?"
"Yes, his thoughts have become more frequent however they are for a short time and I do not think he has noticed."
"No, he hasn't but they will become more frequent and last for longer as you stay here."
"Is he hearing my thoughts as well?"
"Not yet I believe he is attempting to prevent that from happening."
"How can I do that?"
"You do not need to concern yourself with it you will grow accustomed to those thoughts soon enough."
"His thoughts and feelings are private I should not be hearing them."
"Has it not been a positive experience for you?"
"That is beside the point, if he wished to share his thoughts he would; I should not invade his privacy like that."
"I will leave you to continue your research." He disappeared quietly.
"Wait I have several questions," she said standing up and moving over to the console.
He flickered back to life, "What?"
"How is such recent data on this console about Athos me and John are on here that happened only a few years ago?"
"There are sensors around many worlds that transmit everything they gather back to this ship. Some worlds that you have visited contain those sensors but if you want that data than you will need to find those rooms."
"Why do you not translate these logs?"
"Because they are not mine to translate the ones that are have already been translated into English," she nodded and proceeded to go through the console learning more about her people.
***
"Colonel are you able to detect when Teyla is able to hear your thoughts?"
"No, why has that started happening already?"
"Yes several times in fact," he said cheerfully.
John groaned to himself, "What did she hear?"
"Your concern about calling her sweetheart, your thoughts about the men who died, and several others."
"Why haven't I heard any of her thoughts?"
"Because your mind was the first to enter into the system in time you will hear her thoughts,"
"Can you stop that?" he asked lazily.
"No, I cannot the system was not designed to be turned off."
"Ok well how soon will be hearing her thoughts?"
"I cannot be certain,"
"An estimate at the least," John was growing annoyed with the cheerful mood of the blue man.
"I do not know perhaps a few hours or even days."
Sheppard frowned at him, "Any new toys for me to play with?"
"The ships systems are not toys Colonel but you have control over the ships internal security system."
"Good," he said sitting down in the control chair and bringing up the security system. He looked through the different cameras at the dark labs and the hallways. He saw Teyla in one of the smallest labs, "I see you." he called over the internal communications system.
She turned around in surprise, she hadn't heard the door open, "John?" she asked seeing that the door was still closed and not seeing him.
"Yes," he responded playfully.
"Where are you?" she asked smiling and in her own playful tone.
"You don't know?"
"No," her response was deadpan, her expression told him that she was not amused by his game.
"Well maybe I don't want you to find me,"
"Perhaps I do."
He smiled, "I'm on the bridge I've got control of internal communications and security."
"Can you produce your own hologram?"
He turned to the AI.
"Yes I will activate them now,"
"Thank you," the image activated next to Teyla and she saw him smiling up at her.
"Interesting color John,"
"What color am I?"
"Pink," she said laughing slightly.
"What really?" he said laughing slightly, "Ancient any chance of changing my color?"
"No John leave it is entertaining to look at your little pink pistol," she said laughing.
"Oh is it now, Ancient come on something like a blue or green."
"Why do you continue to carry your pistol?" she said stifling her laugh.
"Because I don't want to be unarmed if something comes here and attacks us."
She turned back to her reading, "goodbye John."
"Don't you want to come up and try it out?"
"No, I have not finished with my people yet."
He deactivated the hologram and went back to exploring the security system.
***
After a few hours he had found weapons systems that could be used to defend the ship. He tested fire those and found them to be very effective although he had no real targets to attack. "So there's nothing for me to do with this stuff?"
"I can run some simulations."
"Fine," and no sooner had he said it then he felt the world fade and the simulation take its place. The simulation began by slowly sending troops against the ships formidable defenses but it steadily increased the amount and skill of his opponents. It continued to add variables such as someone who he had to protect; Sheppard noticed that person was usually Teyla. He managed to successfully defend against most of the waves of enemies which consisted of Wraiths, Asurans, and Genii. When the simulation ended he leaned back panting from the grueling hours of fighting. "Wow and that was just simulated"
"Yes it can be very stressful controlling the drones but you seemed to do it with exceptional skill."
"I've had more practice than I'd like and the lasers were what killed me they took a few shots to kill the wraith so that got intense when anyone I needed to protect was around. The wraith just kept shrugging off the shots and getting to close."
"What did you think of the fields?"
"Well I wasn't very good with them because they are kind of strange to use but I can see they would be very effective."
"Yes it is strange to watch a Wraith get caught in a time dilation and see them get partially trapped their attempts to leave are often humorous."
"Why was it so exerting, I was just sitting here?"
"It simulates the stresses that would be exhibited in that combat situation by both the user and any soldiers defending the ship. It actually went easy on you."
She walked into the room and saw him sitting in the chair sweating, "John what are you doing?" Teyla asked entering the room and interrupting their mental conversation.
"Oh Teyla I was just running some simulations they were realistic."
"It would appear so," She eyed his sweaty T-shirt.
He got up from the chair, "So what's up?"
"I simply wished to inform you that I am finished with that lab and am free to join you," she sounded cool to him and what she figured he'd have her doing.
"Would you like to try the simulations?"
"Are they dangerous?" her hand and eyes drawn to her belly which was beginning to show.
"No, well at least I don't think so."
"They are not harmful," Ancient said curtly without appearing.
Teyla looked at John who gave her a reassuring smile before stepping out of her way. She sat down in the chair and slowly searched the system for the simulations John had been using. When she located them she studied them for a few minutes before activating them.
***
Several hours later she sat up with a start looking around she noticed that John was sleeping nearby with the remains of his dinner and that it was now dark outside showing the hundreds of stars of the galaxy. She took the food John had left for her, which was now cold, and headed to the observation lounge. "Can you heat this up?" she asked Ancient on her way there.
"Yes but you will need to head to the dining area."
She changed course and headed to the mess hall after having her food heated she headed back to the lounge and sat at one of the tables. When she finished she moved over to one of the rooms' couches and laid down. She drifted off to sleep staring at them marveling at how something so beautiful was filled with something which had brought so much death to the people of Pegasus.
***
She walked into the building alone she had been separated from the rest of her team but she knew that they were scouring the area. She made her way through the buildings destroyed entrances into its relatively intact interior. As she made her way into the first room she noticed that technology in this building was different than that of the others. While the other buildings appeared to have 19th century technology this one definitely had some advanced technology. She activated her radio, "hey sir you might want to come here there's something you should see," she asked cheerfully on his channel.
"Oh really what might that be or should I say who?" he replied playfully over the comm. Channel ducking away from his teammates who were lurking around.
"No there's some technology here for you to check out although I'm sure that's not all you'll be checking out," she said suggestively smiling to herself.
"How well you know me," he said laughing to himself.
"You know talk like that could get you into trouble with the higher ups," she replied as she moved further into the building.
"Maybe but you're not military so I don't see what the problem is."
She laughed it had become a sort of ritual, to tease each other, between them since their friendship have first evolved. They'd hadn't told anyone about it yet and their team had only just begun going on missions again so they hadn't encountered any problems but they both knew that they would have to tell Carter sooner or later. "Just get over here," She turned around and slowly meandered back to the entrance.
"Alright relax I'm almost there," he began tackling the debris blocking the entrance and after a few minutes managed to get inside the building. He greeted her with a kiss when they caught up with each other. "Come on, I think it might actually be wraith technology." They moved further into the facility weapons raised prepared for the possibility of wraith contacts in the area that hadn't shown up on the Life signs detector. When they came to a large door they it open and when they entered the cavernous room were greeted by a gruesome sight. There were many bodies lying on some sort of machine they had died recently. As they slowly approached scanning the room to see if any threats remained. Unable to find any they approached the bodies who were lying only a few hours before and when they approached them she gasped her mouth dropping open.
"What?" he asked her.
"Those…That's… These are the missing Athosians." He looked at the bodies again seeing the resemblance to some of the faces he had seen around the around Athosian camp.
***
Teyla opened her eyes slowly and then quickly shut them again she pulled her blanket up closer in an attempt to keep in some of the warmth. After settling back down under the blanket with a contented smile on her face she realized that she hadn't fallen asleep with a blanket the previous night. Her eyes flew open and she bolted up looking around the room which she was surprised to discover wasn't the observation lounge but her bedroom. She looked around for John but he had already left, when she didn't know. She decided to try and get a few more hours of sleep before getting up so she turned over and closed her eyes again.
As she drifted off back to sleep she heard the sound of the door opening and someone entering. She lazily opened her eyes and saw John putting a tray of breakfast on the nightstand. He carefully set it down in order to avoid waking her as he turned to her he smiled before leaning over and pulling the blanket up under her chin. He turned and looked at something in the corner before moving over to the window and staring at the horizon. He nodded to the corner and palmed the window sensor turning it from transparent to opaque blocking out the sunlight and plunging the room into darkness. He walked out turning and stealing one last look at her when he reached the door.
He watched, as he always did through the cameras, as she drifted off back to sleep with a smile on her face. Perhaps she does care for him in a similar way, which would present an intriguing scenario; I must remember to input those parameters into the training simulations.
End Chapter 14
A/N It'll be explained in the next chapter don't worry.