Author's Note: I am messing with the canon in this scene. There are two things the writers did that I did not agree with. They killed Weir and Beckett. So, this scene is written to assume that, while the Replicators attacked and Atlantis changed planets, Weir is still alive and in command of Atlantis rather than Sam Carter. I'm also taking a slight bit of liberty with Lorne's retelling of "Tabula Rasa," so this does contain spoilers as well. Also, as I wrote this chapter, I realized I have something of a time discrepancy to something I mentioned in a previous chapter. I'm going to go back and correct that, so go with the time frame in this chapter. Some things just don't appear until later chapters are written. Sorry for the confusion. Enjoy and let me know what you think. ~lg
SGA SGA SGA SGA
On her third visit to the red room, she didn't fight. She willingly donned the clothing they asked of her and waited impatiently. The rewards came more often than the pain lately, and she found herself wanting more. Willing to do anything to feel that high again. She knew she'd become an addict, but she didn't care. The torture had broken her will and created a need inside her.
The man appeared, this time dressed in a leather coat and jeans. He was in his mid-forties, and he acted like most thugs on the street. In fact, that's what he was: a thug who had very strange tastes. Her costume for the evening reflected that, including a thick gold necklace that lay heavy on her neck, preventing the need for much clothing in the area. Gypsy-style bracelets circled her left wrist while a strange slave-bracelet coiled around her right wrist, its chains running to her fingers.
This time in the room was like any other time, but she surrendered herself before the man touched her. When she finished, she smiled at him, pushed him deeper into the bed, and raised her right hand over his head. The waves of pleasure began again.
Anna struggled to wake from the dream even as she watched the man die at her hands. She finally pushed the last vestiges of sleep away and sat upright, willing the nausea and memories away. She had slept through the night again, but the dreams still came. She wasn't sure if the extra sleep was worth the fight it took to wake herself.
After her stomach settled, she climbed from bed and prepared for her run. Evan had insisted that they become friends, and he'd started sharing bits of his life. Anna discovered that she rather liked this version of her running partner over the silent one. While he never prodded her to reveal what went through her head, the question was always there, always hovering at the edges of the conversation.
He waited in what she thought of as "their spot." The sunrise was beautiful, but she couldn't shake the darkness of her dream. Evan saw through her façade as she greeted him, but she didn't care. She didn't want to talk, either. Right now, running would help. That and a sudden case of amnesia.
SGA SGA SGA SGA
Lorne's team went off rotation that night. They had been off-world a total of five times in the last week, though none of them had interfered with his morning run. He was grateful for that. Anna was too withdrawn for her own good, and he couldn't forget the glimpse of her that he saw while she played the piano. That night had been good for both of them. Lorne knew why her fingers slipped. He'd allowed his emotions to get the better of him, and Anna had seen it. Not that he cared. He didn't know what she'd been through, but she needed to understand that someone cared in spite of what happened.
After his shift ended, Lorne changed into jeans, a white t-shirt, and a paint-spattered blue button-down shirt. He left the shirt open and untucked, not caring how it looked. Then, he gathered the painting he'd begun a few nights ago, his easel, paints, brushes, and palette. Only a few people knew of this past time he allowed himself, and he normally didn't reveal it. Painting absorbed a person, and Atlantis was not a place to be so absorbed that he didn't know what happened around him.
He carried his supplies to the lookout where he met Anna every morning. The geeks promised that tonight's moon rise would be spectacular, and he needed just such an event to get the painting he'd started to look right. Lorne had been fascinated with moonscapes ever since hearing Anna play the "Moonlight Sonata" for the first time. His fascination with them only increased after she played the Beethoven piece for him.
Someone had beat him to the lookout. Lorne slowed and would have gone his way, but he recognized Anna's form. She wore the red dress, the one that left her shoulders and part of her back bare. The wind had lifted her hair from her shoulders, and she'd corralled it by pulling to one side. Lorne carefully set his supplies where they wouldn't fall or get blown away. If he could take a picture, he would. The scene was perfect.
Then, Anna moved. Her shoulders shifted, and Lorne pulled his attention from her back when she wiped a tear from her face. Clearing his throat so that she'd know he was there, he moved to her side. She turned her face from him, but it didn't matter. He'd seen enough to know that she was hurting. "Hey, if you'd rather be alone, say the word."
"Have you ever done anything you're ashamed of?" she asked.
The question startled him. He leaned his elbows on the railing beside her, close enough that he could easily reach for her hand if the need arose. "Yeah, all of us have at one point or another."
"Tell me about it."
Lorne's eyes went to the horizon. The moon rise had begun, and it was as spectacular as promised. But something had shifted. Anna chose this moment to open up, and he refused to destroy that. "When we first came to this planet, we didn't know that there was a mutated disease here. It basically caused everyone to lose their memory, as well as making us very sick. The only way to keep the symptoms at bay was to take stimulants. As the disease worked on me, I took so many that I became somewhat addicted. I started out by putting everyone who was sick in the mess hall, which should have made it easier for the doctors to treat them. Instead, I became something of a dictator. I shot Teyla and put her in the brig. I would have shot Ronon and Colonel Sheppard had there not been precautions taken." He eyed her. "Not one of my best moments."
"I killed a man," she said. There was no preamble or justification, and instinct told Lorne that there was more to the story. "About six months ago."
"Okay." He tried to find the words. "There were extenuating circumstances, I assume? A kill or be killed type of situation?"
"You don't get it. I liked it." She moved suddenly to face him, her eyes wild. She reached up to grab her head with both hands, jabbing her fingers into her hair. "Oh, God, I liked it!"
Lorne knew that she was praying for absolution by the way her eyes went to the sky. Sensing she was on the edge of hysterics, he skipped past taking her hand to comfort her. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into his arms.
Anna fought him for a moment and then relaxed into the embrace. Lorne held her while she fell apart on his shoulder. There was only an inch or so difference in their height, and that made it easy for her to rest her head on his shoulder. Still, as he held her, he wondered what had led up to this sudden revelation and her subsequent break-down. Part of him worried that she would withdraw again, but he refused to let that happen. As she cried, he ran his hands gently through her hair and wondered how he'd gotten to this point. He cared for this woman a lot more than he should have.
Just as she'd begun to calm, the radio in their ears came to life. "Dr. Travis to the infirmary immediately," Beckett announced. "Dr. Travis to the infirmary."
SGA SGA SGA SGA
The trip through the Stargate ended like every other trip. Sheppard looked around. Night had fallen on this planet, but distant fire illuminated the clouds, making them seem closer to the ground. Something wasn't right. This was the fourth planet they'd been to since Lorne's meeting with Amaan. Out of all of the worlds, this was one of Jeneb's closest allies. If anyone had any idea what was happening on Jeneb and why planetary leaders suddenly went missing, this planet would know.
With Ronon watching the team's six, Sheppard led the way toward the lit horizon. Something caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. A quick glance at his team told him that they sensed it, too. McKay seemed to understand that this wasn't the time for words.
The path through to the village led them through a dense forest. On any other day, Sheppard would have preferred to walk this path in the daytime. But, they hadn't come from Atlantis. They'd come from another planet with another missing delegate. He had checked in with Atlantis and received Weir's permission to investigate. So, here they were, after dark, tired, and hungry. Not the greatest of circumstances.
Before they reached the village, a call rang out. Seconds later, a red beam from some sort of energy weapon arched out of the forest and slammed into a tree behind them. Ronon jumped out of the way as the tree fell, taking McKay with them. Sheppard leaped over the fallen tree and backed into his team. "Teyla, I thought these people were farmers."
"They are." Her voice was tense. "I do not know where these weapons came from."
"Alright, Ronon take point. We head back to the gate and head home." Sheppard looked around. "Maybe they just don't like visitors after dark."
Ronon took off toward the gate with Rodney hot on his heels. Teyla followed, and Sheppard watched to make sure they weren't followed. The dense brush kept him from seeing how attackers they had or if they were followed. But two more energy beams jumped out at them. Sheppard cursed. When they reached the gate, Ronon dropped to his knees and fired two shots from that gun of his, but neither one stopped what happened next.
As Sheppard dialed Atlantis and McKay entered their IDC code, Ronon suddenly fell backwards as one of the red beams connected with his shoulder. He pushed himself up as Sheppard dropped to one knee and tried to pull him behind the DHD. Before either man could react, a form appeared from the forest and leveled a long quarterstaff-looking weapon at them.
"Oh, no." Sheppard moved quickly, his heart sinking, but it wasn't quick enough. Ronon took another shot, this one to his gut, just as McKay called out for them to follow him. Teyla ran over and helped Sheppard lift the Satedan enough to get him through the gate. As they entered the wormhole, he glanced back. A second figure had joined the first, and his eyes glowed as he watched the trio escape through the gate.
Mayhem broke out in the Atlantis control room. Weir called for Beckett and a med team while security teams ducked out of the way. Another staff weapon blast had followed them through the gate. Chuck engaged the shield and shut down the wormhole after diving behind his computer. The window in the tower-the one shattered by the Replicator attack on Atlantis-once again lay in shards on the floor.
Beckett ran in. "What happened?"
"Staff weapon blast. Two of them." Sheppard stepped back as Beckett and two other doctors lifted Ronon onto the gurney. He caught Elizabeth's startled glance. "I saw the Goa'uld with my own eyes. I can't be sure, but I think it's in the leader we were trying to find."
Sheppard left Weir standing in the control room and followed Ronon to the infirmary. Once there, Beckett placed him under the scanner. When the doctor's face fell, Sheppard stepped forward. "Carson?"
"It's not good, I'm afraid." Beckett turned. "I could try to operate, but I don't think I can work that fast." He went on to call other medical personnel over and gave each of them explicit, yet incomprehensible, instructions. They went to work as Beckett rounded the foot of the bed.
"You have to do something!" Sheppard stared at the doctor.
"I know that, Colonel." Beckett thought for a millisecond. "What about Dr. Travis?"
Sheppard stilled. He wasn't sure if anyone other than Beckett, Weir, and himself knew the truth about Anna Travis. But Ronon was dying, and she might be the only one who could help.
Alarms blared through the infirmary, and another doctor rushed over. "He's crashing."
Beckett cursed and moved to try to stabilize Ronon. Sheppard made his decision. "Do it."
Beckett nodded, finished his work, and touched his radio. "Dr. Travis to the infirmary immediately. Dr. Travis to the infirmary."
The medical team continued to work over Ronon as they waited. Sheppard, Teyla, and McKay found an out of the way place where they could see Ronon. Just when Sheppard jumped up to go find Anna, she ran through the door with Lorne right behind her. At any other time, he might have raised an eyebrow at their appearance. Lorne rarely wore his civies, and Anna looked as wonderful as she always did. The Marines that had followed Sheppard from the control room did glance at each other when they entered.
Anna joined Beckett immediately. "Doctor?"
"I need you, lass." Beckett stilled and stared at her over Ronon's broken body. "He needs you. I can't work as fast as you can. You brought the device, and you can fix him. There's nothing I can do from here. At least, nothing that would ultimately save his life. He's too far gone already."
Anna's eyes cut to Lorne, and Sheppard had the sudden urge to slap the major on his back in congratulations. He stayed in place, however, as Anna nodded. "Okay. Let's do this."
While Beckett ran to a secure locker holding the device Anna needed, she glanced around. Sheppard understood. Lorne wasn't armed, but the three Marines, Rodney, and Teyla were. She had checked her chances of survival.
Beckett returned a moment later with a box. Anna opened the lid without fuss and pulled out a strange round device. It looked like a massive bracelet with an orange stone. When she slipped the Goa'uld healing device on her hand, it immediately began to glow.
The reaction was immediate. Doctors and nurses tried to shield Ronon. McKay and the Marines drew their weapons on her. And Lorne stepped back. Anna raised her hands in surrender, the device deactivating while she looked at Sheppard.
"At ease." Sheppard glanced around, suddenly irritated at the Marines when they sent questioning looks at him. "Do you think I didn't know about this when she first got to Atlantis? I said, at ease."
They lowered their weapons, and Anna nodded at him. With a calm expression on her face, she stepped to Ronon's side, activated the device, and went to work.
~TBC~
