this took FOREVER to proof. hope you like it!
Ronon's whole body thrummed with energy as he followed Sheppard through the trees, unable to forget what they had found last time they were on this planet. The sooner this was over the sooner Jennifer could relax and the sooner this bitch was dead the better everyone would sleep, not that that was the official goal of this mission. Woolsey had been very clear on that in their meeting; this girl was to be brought back to Atlantis, having been deemed a danger to herself as well as anyone who might find her in the future so that she could be questioned, assessed and dealt with. Sheppard had understood straight away and gone still, telling Woolsey in a too calm voice that if Jennifer had said she kept all important information from her captors then she had. Ronon's glare had cut off any attempts to deny that that was the reason SGC has decided to allow the search and only Woolsey's sincerity kept the fraying tempers leashed.
Now, running through the short stretch of trees between the jumper and the caves, Ronon's hand itched to grab his blaster and shoot everything that made a noise in their vicinity. He had noticed Sheppard was similarly twitchy and even Teyla, although not reacting to every falling leaf, was also tense. Soon the trees thinned and they came upon the clearing in which they had found the doctor half buried, the hole was still there and each of them had to force down the memories fluttering in the corners of their mind.
Their hope was that the girl hadn't strayed far from the cave and would be able to see reason and leave with them quietly. Well, that was SGC's hopes, secretly Ronon hoped the girl would attack them the moment she saw people and give him the excuse to shoot her. Sadly they had been given a sedative so explaining the use of deadly force would be difficult. Sheppard had been careful to point that out before they arrived.
The area around the cave was completely still and silent but Ronon noticed that although the skeletons of the two men around the fire were still there the dogs, which had been shot when they took out the men, were missing. Closer to the cave he noticed that the body of the man he now realised was probably the boss was also missing. A crawling sensation crept up his spine as they moved towards the cave, Ronon's instincts went on high alert.
As they approached the cave a shriek came from the dark and a voice shouting for them to 'get out!' reverberated off the walls. Guns and lights up the team entered the cave. The first thing Ronon noticed was the smell; eye wateringly revolting and strong enough to blessedly stuff up the nose in a matter of seconds. The sounds came as they neared the opening of the main cavern; angry shouts of a female, scuffling and the angry chitter of small animals. Ronon, Sheppard and Teyla shared looks of uncertainty as they neared.
Their lights fell on a confusing scene. The soft glow of the single torch lit the small structure on the back wall but between them and the structure stood a young and slight woman, black hair a tangled mess, skin grey with dirt but with pale streaks where angry tears coursed down her cheeks. She stomped and screamed, waving her arms in the air.
And completely ignoring the newcomers.
The team shared another glance as the screaming turned to shouting and Ronon finally realised what she was doing. She was fighting rats, trying to scare them away from her shelter by either standing on them or chasing them away. She wasn't doing well; each of them could see a dozen or so rats scurrying over and into the structure.
Sheppard cleared his throat and the reaction was instantaneous, her head whipped around and she screamed in fear, backing away from the trio so fast she tripped over her own feet and sprawled out on the floor, not bothering to stand before making threats against them "runaway children or the monster will get you!" she stood and glared at them "he'll steal your tongue and break your feet and you'll never see the sky again!" her sudden high pitched giggle was startling as it bounced off the cavern walls and surrounded them.
Ronon's skin crawled and he pretended to lunge at her in the hopes it would get her to stop talking. No such luck.
"He likes the big ones best. So juicy, so strong! They try to breathe when their bones are pebbles and the pebbles are bones, when the dirt is blood and the blood id dirt" she cocked her head to the side, staring intently at Teyla "but I like the little ones. I like their skin. So pretty. So smooth"
Teyla watched the girl with pity as the men moved in closer, signalling that she wanted to hear more before they took her.
"The monster" she giggled again "the monster-master, the master-monster, he makes sure they stay still so I can draw my pictures" she smiled at Teyla, drawing a couple of steps closer and leaning forward as if to share a great secret "There was this one time I even tasted it" she gasped as if shocked at her own admission her hands flying to her mouth in a parody of dainty sensibilities "I did the perfect swirl at the bottom, it was so shiny and red I just had to lick it! She didn't seem to like it much though" she said with a pout "but it's ok, the monster-master changed her mind" storm clouds gathered in her face and again her mood turned "but then someone stole her from us! They came into our home and took what didn't belong to them! People like you, with hands full of metal and clothed in green, filthy robbers!" she paused to glare at Sheppard's uniform before turning back to Teyla, eerily calm "do you like dogs? I like dogs"
A calculating looks came over her and as she tensed to spring Ronon fired, sending her to the floor stunned.
Silence fell on the trio as they stared at the figure at their feet. Teyla was the first to break the sudden silence "If Jennifer wishes to speak to this… child one of us should accompany her" .
"The Doc shouldn't have to face her at all" Sheppard said with suppressed rage straining his throat. He and Ronon shared a meaningful look.
"We don't have to find her" Ronon said bluntly.
"No" Sheppard said with reluctance "The doc wouldn't rest if she thought she might be out there"
"Then perhaps she had a knife" Growled Ronon, dark eyes fixed on the girl in front of them "I don't care what lie we have to tell your superiors we could end this now"
Silence fell again as the men considered the decisions ahead of them.
"No" Teyla stated firmly "we are not doing this. I will not back up your story. We return her to your SGC and they will serve a fair punishment and help as it is deserved"
Sheppard sighed "she's right Ronon, she comes back with us. In one piece. Ronon if you would kindly do the honours" he said waving his torch in the direction of the girl "we can get out of this place. It gives me the –Holy Shit!" Sheppard had flicked his light over the structure in the back of the cavern and finally took in what he saw.
"Well that explains the smell" Ronon muttered with disgust.
Teyla covered her mouth as she looked at the body of a large man propped, and in some places skewered, into place on what looked like a chair made of twigs. His skin was grey and in many places missing. The rats had clearly gone for the belly as a gruesome cavity was all that remained under his exposed ribs. At his feet lay two dogs the size of ponies. Both were primarily bone, fur and fangs and as the team watched two rats wriggled through the ribs of the far one "we need to leave" Teyla stated, shaken and unable to hide it.
"Yep" Ronon said and threw the girl over his shoulder, not caring how hard her face hit his back.
"You don't have to do this"
"Yes I do Ronon"
"You really don't"
"Yes I do John"
Ronon grabbed Jennifer's arm when her pacing brought her past him again and spun her to face him "at least don't go in alone"
"No" she said shaking her head "I need to prove to myself that I can face her"
"Then why are you pacing the hallway?" Sheppard asked unhelpfully
Jennifer gave him an exasperated look before she tugged arm from Ronon's grasp and started pacing again "because I can't bring myself to actually approach the door. Because the thought of being within arm's reach of that…child makes my skin crawl and my head spin"
"Then don't go" Ronon said while stepping into her path, forcing her to stop pacing when she reached him again "I-we don't want you to put yourself through this. We met her, we know what she's like too, and you'll get nothing good from her"
"I don't care; I have to face her before anything official happens. I need to know I can handle it" Jennifer looked up at Ronon with eyes that pleaded with him to understand. He searched her face and must have seen something because he nodded and stepped away, giving her access to the door of the holding cell.
Sheppard's voice came softly from over her shoulder as she reached for the handle "We'll watch from the observation room, if at any time you need us just say"
Unable to tear her eyes away from the door she nodded her head numbly, swallowed the butterflies trying to force their way up her throat and entered.
The first thing that struck Jennifer was how tall the girl was. In the cave the darkness had stolen or her edges, her hands and face being the only things Jennifer remembered seeing of her. In the harsh unforgiving light of Atlantis she looked so ordinary. Long dark hair dirty and matted in places and the rest of her covered in a layer of grime that made it almost impossible to determine her skin tone.
The second thing to strike her was the stench that filled the room. Jennifer began to feel sorry for the huddled figure in the corner but that vanished when the door closed behind her and the girls head snapped up, freezing Jennifer as a beatific smile lit the girls face.
"You came back to me!" the chains, insisted upon by Sheppard until the girl could be assessed, rattled as she stood.
"Hello" Jennifer said, the shiver she was unable to hide evident in her voice.
"Oh he'll so happy when I tell him I found you again!" the girl squealed in glee and took a step closer, her chains pulling taunt "you were my favourite, did you know that?" Jennifer shook her head numbly, trying to control her rapid breathing "oh the things we have planned for you, just you wait!"
Jennifer clenched her fists and remained silent, not trusting herself to remain calm if she tried to speak.
"I wanted to paint your face next, maybe do something pretty around the eyes" The girl cocked her head "or with the eyes, it's not like you would need them anymore, the cave is very dark. And my monster-master is always so creative; you would love what he does with your feet"
"no" Jennifer rasped "NO!" hands fisted at her sides she trembled as pity, fear and fury warred inside of her "I am sorry for whatever you went through to twist your soul like this but I will never be under your power again" Jennifer's voice rose in pitch as her emotions overtook her compassion "but I'm not sorry to tell you your master is dead"
The change happened in the blink of an eye, one minute The girl was a ball of excited energy and in the next she charged at Jennifer, teeth bared and hands clawed as she strained against her chains "LIAR! I will tear the flesh from you limbs and paint the walls in your BLOOD! I'LL CLAW OUR YOUR EYES AND LET THE DOGS FEAST ON YOUR BONES!" she shrieked
Jennifer beat a hasty retreat. By the time the guys had reached her she was incoherent, bent double and leaning against the wall as she tried to breathe through her panicked tears. Between gasps she tried to say something but all they heard was "I… can't… be…"
Ronon stepped forward when Jennifer's panic stricken eyes widened and she staggered and just quick enough to catch her before she hit the ground in a dead faint.
It's amazing how easy I found writing all the crazy lines. It was something I has thought I would get stuck on but apparently one of the voices in my head is a nut job so that helps... that may not be as crazy as it sounded
1 more chapter to go!