Chapter 35
Just a few words to say, if you like food and enjoy the recipes I post, I'm now on Pinterest at Laurie Seasoned with Love and have created a blog on Tumblr.
Just search for letsseasoneverythingwithlove. The blog will contain some of Louise's recipes and many more. Enjoy.
"You check with us every two hours, you do not stray and if anything seems weird, you fall back immediately, got it?" He's checking out the rules on his fingers as he's enunciating them. He gives her the look – the one that says "don't mess with me or else".
She scowls and extends her hand, palm up, as if waiting for him to hand her something. "And I'll be back before ten. Now, Dad, can I get the keys?"
Elizabeth covers her mouth with her hand to cover her smirk. It's Louise's first time off-world with her own team and the jumper. She can't wait to leave and John can't wait to have her home in one piece.
"I don't see why she should do this so soon, 'Lizabeth," John huffs. He's currently propped on the side of her desk, discussing the matter of Louise's team. They've been home for almost two months now and he's trying to delay the inevitable.
"Look, John. She's done everything you've asked of her, and some more. She's trained more than most scientists in the City and yet, you insist on babying her."
He scowls. "I so not!"
She lifts her eyebrows and smirks. "Really?"
He sighs. "Call it foreboding if you want but I'm not comfortable letting her go off-world on her own. Why don't you put her on a team, or wait for us to be available for what she's planned to do?" he asks hopefully.
She shakes her head. "John, I'm putting my foot down on that one. She's ready and willing and she's got the gene now. Besides, you've assembled the perfect team for her. Having Ridgeway and Wilson back on base as her under-cooks is a blessing. They can switch from under-cook to off-world assistant so she'll always be with one of them while the other takes care of the food service here. Harrison is a "damn good soldier" – your words, not mine – and Captain Johansen has passed your tests with flying colors." She enumerates the details they've already gone through so he'll see how unreasonable his retiscence is. He doesn't look convinced all the same.
"What if..." he starts but sees her look.
"With what ifs, John, we would never have gotten here in the first place. My decision is final. She's going."
"In that case, at least let me go with her for her first time," he pleads.
"Uh, uh, no way. One, it's your day off in I don't know how long and you've promised me we'd spend the afternoon golfing and two, you need to let her breathe a little and now is as good a moment as any."
"I'll walk you to the jumper," he says, falling into step with her as she leaves Elizabeth's office to gear up.
"John..." Elizabeth calls after him warningly.
Louise scoffs. "Don't embarrass me in front of the whole team, John," she pleads, seeing him hesitate.
"Can't I get a hug before you go?" he asks, grinning, trying to keep a brave front.
She rolls her eyes. "You'll get the hug and a souvenir if you're a good boy and let me go now."
He remains standing in the Control Room, his hands in his pockets, as she heads for the jumper bay. She's right. This must be how you feel when your little one goes to her first day of school and deep down, he knows shouldn't smother her so much if he wants her to be happy.
"Dr Weir, this is Major Harriman. We have arrived and Ms Léger is going to land the jumper in a clearing a klick away from the village. The sensors do not indicate any suspicious activity but we'll proceed cautiously, as agreed with Colonel Sheppard. We'll make contact again in two hours. Harriman out."
John hasn't left the Control Room yet and has hovered ever since Louise has left to gear up.
Elizabeth gives him a look. "See, all good. Now, let's get out of here before you grow roots," she teases him. "Come on," she insists, taking hold of his arm and leading him towards the door.
He turns towards Chuck anyway. "When they make contact again..." he starts saying.
"I'll make sure you're the first to know, Sir," the other man replies, failing poorly at hiding his mirth.
They reach the village through a path across the forest. Harriman has asked her twice already if she'd like to stop and rest for a few minutes. She scowls and taps her foot impatiently. "Major. If you do not stop mothering me right now, I'm firing you!"
He lifts his hands. "Sorry, Ma'am. But Colonel Sheppard said..."
She growls in frustration. "I don't care about what John says. I'm in charge of this mission and if you go on like this, I'm gonna get nuts! Damn! He's so gonna pay for this," she mumbles, trudging forward. Johansen gives his superior a look. I told you so, he seems to be saying. Wilson sniggers. Way to go, Ma'am, she thinks.
The planet they're visiting is one of many on the Ancient logs. Two continents and mainly water. A small population of farmers and craftsmen. They're hoping to make friends with the population and see if they can trade for food or plants for New Athos in exchange for help of any kind. Actually, since it's their first visit, Elizabeth only expects Louise to establish the first contact – no more – and be back by the end of the day.
The first village they encounter is eerily silent and the people shy away from their presence, getting inside their farm houses quickly as they approach. They've spotted a larger one past the hill they see ahead but it's much farther on foot and Harriman advises her against going that far. "We can keep it for next time. If it's food we want, I think it's here we should start."
She nods and they approach the center of the village – mainly a square of dirt with a well in the middle. She sees fields and orchards ahead and is curious to check them out but they need to be polite and ask permission first so they go round, knocking on doors but no one answers. When they reach the edge of the village, they hear a familiar screeching sound coming from the stargate's vicinity.
"Dart on approach, fall back!" Captain Johansen yells. He's had a few run ins with the Darts already and is the first to react. They leave at a run towards the forest and the cloaked jumper.
Harriman signals for them to stop with his raised fist then listens. "The forest has eyes and ears," he tells his subordinate. The other man nods. They signal for Wilson and Louise to crouch and circle a small mound, P90s at the ready. Wilson and Louise get their P14s from their side holsters. "Please don't kill us," they hear someone whimper and they join the two marines. A mother and her two small kids are hiding in a cache probably used for hunters. The two children look OK but the mother's leg seems broken.
"Who are you?" Harriman demands, his weapon still trained on them.
Louise sighs and puts her hand on his. "Come on, it's plain to see they're no threat. Lower your gun. You're scaring them." She crouches in front of the mother. "I'm Louise," she says with a reassuring smile. "Do you know what's happening here?"
"I'm Lira and these are my two children. We ran away from the village when we heard there would be another selection today."
"What selection?" Harriman asks gruffly, looking antsy. He knows they shouldn't stay so long in the same place. They need to get going.
Louise huffs but knows he's doing what he knows best – try to keep them alive. "Yes, please, tell us. We've just got here and were supposed to visit your village but no one is around."
"Some weeks ago, a Wraith arrived in our village. He said he was not coming to cull us but needed people – the chosen ones, he called them. He comes back every so often and the elders of the village have agreed to it. They're just trying to save their own hide by letting him take whoever he wants, as long as it's not them or their families," Lira replies scornfully.
"Who is that Wraith? Do you know what he does to these people he takes?"
She shakes her head. "No idea. And I'd never seen one before but I was told they all look the same."
"Why didn't you all flee when it started happening? The stargate is not so far you can't reach it," Captain Johansen wonders.
"We are forbidden by our Ancestors to go through the gate. The place around it is sacred and no one has ever dared venture so far as even this forest. We would be shunned and then where would we go?" She looks around. "I got lost trying to flee towards it because I was afraid they might take me and then, what would happen to my children? I'm a widow and have no family left. But then I fell and hurt myself."
"Ms Léger," Harriman orders, "now we know why this Wraith is here, we need to get going. We'll come back with reinforcement if we can but we need to leave asap."
"We can't leave them here," Louise looks at him resolutely.
He nods and Johansen lifts the mother in his arms. "Come on, kids, let's get out of here," Louise tells the children with a smile. Deep inside, she's scared as hell. First time off-world and they get trapped with a Wraith. She rolls her eyes at her own stupidity. How could she possibly think – given her luck – that anything that could go wrong would not go wrong?
As they approach the jumper, they see the Dart is already there, having landed on the other side of the same convenient clearing.
"Bummer," she mutters. Murphy's law – again!
"I don't get it," Harriman whispers to Johansen. "They usually swoop through the villages and beam their victims up then leave. It seems he's going on a reconnaissance mission, like us."
"That may be so, Major," Wilson butts in. "But we're not here to get intel on the Wraith or engage combat, Sir. Colonel Sheppard said to fall back if anything happened."
"I agree with you, Wilson. But to get to the jumper, we need to get past the Dart. They're bound to see us."
Louise has taken her binoculars out as they speak and gasps. "The son of a... Sorry," she adds sheepishly, "excuse my French." Wilson sniggers. She's used to her boss's sarcasm, even in times of crisis.
"What?" Harriman asks gruffly.
She lends him the binoculars. "The Wraith," she says, pointing at the pilot who's leaving his Dart. "It's Michael!"
"All the more reason to leave asap," Harriman says.
"He looks as if he were rendez-vousing with someone, Sir," Johansen remarks and checks through his binoculars. "Yeah, clearly waiting for more people. We got to leave before that happens."
"We could leave the jumper and head to the stargate on foot," Wilson offers, "but it's like, what... ten klicks?"
"Make it fifteen," Louise corrects her. "No, we need to get inside the jumper. If we have it in the air before he gets back to his Dart, we stand a fair chance of returning to Atlantis unscathed."
She thinks hard. "I can lure him away from his ship," she says, more to herself than the others. "While I do, you get on the jumper. He won't kill me. I'm almost certain of it. I can even talk some sense into him."
Harriman growls. "You're nuts. You know that? It's out of the question."
She sneers. "Thanks for the compliment but not your call. Proceed as planned. I'll find a way back. Hey, Michael, is that you?" she calls out, leaving the cover of the trees, and walks decidely towards him.
Wilson rolls her eyes at her boss's recklessness but she knows she's given them an advantage they shouldn't waste. "Let's go," she says, grabbing the hands of the two children. Harriman has his jaw set. He should have seen it coming. Now is not the time to berate himself. His CO will do that just fine for him if they get back to Atlantis. He opens the hatch with the remote and they round the clearing cautiously to get as close to it as possible.
The Wraith has turned towards Louise and now has his back to the cloaked jumper. He looks bemused. Louise keeps on walking towards him. If she wants to get to the jumper now, she'll have to go past him anyway and make a run for it. All she thinks is "John is going to kill me for this", which makes her snigger. If Michael doesn't kill you first! She's much less confident as she approaches him.
"Ms Léger?" he asks, looking at a loss for a brief moment. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah, enjoying the fresh air of the countryside, taking a stroll through the forests, ya' know, reconnecting with Mother Nature..." she drawls. She's buying them time. She sees them from the corner of her eye enter the jumper or rather lack of it as it's still cloaked. She needs them to power the jumper before she can move. She listens intently while watching him. "You look good, Michael," she says, still making small talk to give herself countenance as she approaches him.
"And you," he replies, shaking his head in disbelief. "I would never have thought we'd see each other some day in such circumstances. I'm still hoping to raid Atlantis, of course, and lay my hands on your Colonel Sheppard, torture him a little, before I kill him for what he did to me."
She's barely a couple of yards from him when she finally hears the engines power up. "That's what you don't understand, Michael. You'll never get over that frustration," she mocks him, leaving at a run, "he's my superhero and superheroes never die!"
She barely makes it – by a hair's breadth. He grabs her arm as she reaches the hatch and she knows there's no way she'll get out of it. She should have shot at him when she had the chance. But if she's honest with herself, she couldn't. Because she still sees the guy who'd come to her kitchen, looking so lost she couldn't but take him under her wing.
"Fall back to the gate," she yells at the jumper that's hovering in front of them. Michael is holding her against his chest, using her as a shield.
"I have no clean shot, Sir," she hears Johansen yell.
"I said fall back, that's an order," she yells once more and she hears the jumper whoosh towards the gate.
She crumbles against Michael, not caring what happens next. She feels dizzy and knows she's probably suffering from hypoglycemia from the run and the stress.
He roars in frustration but sits her gently on the grass. "You need to eat," he says matter of fact, and searches her pockets for sugar that he hands her with a sneer. "Eat first, I'll kill you later."
She huffs and eats the sugar cubes then reaches for her bag to get water. He's already taken her side arm but looks suspicious. She shrugs and hands him the bag. "No gun in there. I just need water."
He hands it to her then checks she's got nothing in there she could use as a weapon and hands it back to her.
"Thank you," she says with a sneer.
He crosses his arms on his chest. "I'm not your enemy, Ms Léger."
Her eyebrows shoot to her hairline. "You're kidding me, right? You've just threatened to kill my friend and myself!"
He shakes his head. "It was just a manner of speaking. As for John Sheppard, of course, it's quite a different matter."
"He's gonna come and get me, you know," she informs him. "I'm sure you don't want to face Ronon again," she adds wickedly. "You'd better let me go."
"Not so fast, my dear. I need to know what you're doing here."
"Told ya' already."
He growls and lifts her to her feet. "Drop the attitude, Louise. I'm in no mood to listen to your antics which by the way, remind me too much of your friend. He's clearly not having a good influence on you."
"I was on a trading mission. Period. I wasn't expecting to see you, Michael."
"Well, the thing is, Louise. You now know too much. You were at the wrong place at the wrong time and I can't let you go for now."
She huffs. "Why? The others have probably already returned to Atlantis and informed Dr Weir of what we've learned."
He smirks. "let's say I'm keeping you as leverage."
She sees him look towards the edge of the clearing and turn to face it. Three men are approaching them cautiously. They stop a few feet away from them and nod respectfully. They look like fairly rich farmers with their comfortable clothes and smug looks. "We have come as required, my Lord. The volunteers are waiting for you to pick them up at the usual spot," the eldest says.
They're eyeing Louise suspiciously. "We do not know this one. Is she a worshipper like us?"
Louise narrows her eyes at them. They seem so unctuous she feels like puking. Michael replies before she can. "None of your business. I'll check the goods and if I'm satisfied, you'll get to live a little longer." He tilts his head towards Louise. "Watch her. I'll be right back."
He leaves towards the path and disappears through the forest. She eyes the three men and decides to act before Michael returns. John will be there shortly and despite her show of bravery a moment ago, she doesn't want him to come rescue her and put his life at risk for her. She got into that mess. She needs to get out of it on her own. She curses under her breath for not having learned yet how to fly a Dart or she would try to steal it. All she can do is take the slip and try and reach the stargate on foot, hide there and wait until Michael has gotten tired of looking for her and has left with his cargo. She's sorry about those poor people but knows she cannot do much on her own.
She glances at the three men who are talking in hush tones and watching her from afar. They must be wondering who she really is and what Michael is doing with her. She hears one of the men snigger. They're obviously having a good time at her expense and not paying enough attention to what she's doing. She decides it's now or never and bolts in the direction of the trees, towards the stargate. She never gets there. Something hard hits her head and she feels herself falling.
She hears gunfire in the distance. At least it sounds like it because the sound is muffled as if she were wrapped in wads of cotton. Her head is hurting like hell and when she touches the back of it she feels a sticky liquid on her fingers.
"Don't move," she hears Michael order. "You have a commotion. How are you feeling?"
She moans. "Dizzy..."
"Louise, listen to me. You must not fall asleep, you hear?" he growls in frustration then she hears him talk to the men she's seen earlier. "You idiots! I told you to watch her, not kill her. My reinforcement have arrived. Get the prisoners here. I'll beam them up when I'm done with her."
He turns to Louise again who's slipping into nothingness. "Louise? Louise!"
She tries to open her eyes but her eyelids are too heavy and the numbness she feels is so good... "Let me sleep," she mumbles.
"No way," he growls. "If only your damn Colonel could stop firing at my men! I've tried to contact him but he doesn't respond. You need a doctor or you'll die. I can feel your strength slipping away."
"Well, so be it," she mumbles, trying to turn on her side to get to sleep.
He roars. "No way! You showed compassion for me. I'll not let the only one who did something good for me die." He puts his hand on her chest and she feels excruciating pain invade her whole being. She cries: "Stop it, for the love God, Michael, stop!" but he only lets go when a jumper approaches their position and starts firing around him. He removes his hand from her chest and drags her towards the trees for cover. "Had they let me finish the job, you'd be cured," he mutters angrily. "But I guess, this will have to do. We're even now, Ms Léger." She tries to sit as he successfully reaches his Dart and leaves.
"Don't move, Louise. There's blood on your head," Beckett instructs her. Lorne has parked the jumper in the clearing, letting Sheppard chase the Dart.
"I know," she says impatiently, swatting his hand. "I'm OK. Michael's fixed the commotion."
"He's what?" he cries out, circling her to take her vitals. His hand remains poised in the air. "Louise..."
"What?" she barks. She hates it when he hovers over her like a mother hen – like John.
"I think he gave you a little bit more than what you bargained for. Look." He passes her a mirror. She looks and at first sees nothing wrong, except the blood caked on her hair. But then she sees it – ker skin is smoother and those tiny wrinkles around her mouth and eyes have disappeared. She looks a few years younger – just enough so that everyone is staring though.
TBC