Disclaimer: The characters of, "Stargate: SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis", are owned by Robert C. Cooper, Brad Wright, Sci-Fi Channel and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.
guardianM3: I hope this long chapter makes up for the wait. Please review.
Chapter 12: Signs
Dr. Weir motioned for Sky to enter and had her take a seat. Dr. Weir knew why Sky had wanted to meet with her. She waited patiently for Sky to speak and looked at the girl sitting across from her. She could see the determination shining in Sky's eyes, but she still couldn't bring herself to fully trust Sky.
The girl was fiercely loyal to Sheppard, but Weir didn't know whether that was a good thing or not. Dr. Beckett had removed the control device from Sky freeing her from following the commands of anyone with an Ancient gene. He made it clear that there were no ill effects from having the device with in her or due to its removal. Weir trusted Dr. Beckett's word, but they still didn't understand everything about the Ancient technology.
There was a lot to consider when it came to the dark haired mysterious woman sitting across from her. Sky had rescued Sheppard and his team the first time they had met, possibly due to the control device that makes her save an Ancient's life at great risk to her own. When they had returned to the planet a second time to discover what they could about Sky, she had disobeyed a direct order from Sheppard, saving the lives of Sheppard and Yates. Finally, when Sky had defeated the mutant Wraith and her past began to come together, it was easy to let down their guards.
It was easy to feel empathy for Sky who didn't know who she was or where she had really come from. At least, Sky claimed not to know anything about her past. That was what bothered Weir so much was that couldn't be certain about anything when it came to Sky. It was like stepping through the Stargate, having an idea that the atmosphere was suitable for you, but not knowing what truly lay at the other end of that wormhole.
Sheppard was entranced by this girl. Everyone in Atlantis could see that as plain as the waves crashing against the city. Sheppard's friends were the only ones concerned about the affect Sky had on him. The question going through their minds was Sky a hurricane waiting to bring down Sheppard and Atlantis?
Weir stepped out of her thoughts and focused on Sky.
Sky looked directly into Dr. Weir's eyes, letting Dr. Weir know that she wasn't going to give up. "Dr. Weir, I must let you know that I intend to join the mission."
Dr. Weir didn't back down from Sky's intimidating stare. She had a firm look of her own from having to deal with nasty politics. "Sky, I can not let you join the mission. It is far too dangerous." She watched closely, wanting to catch Sky's reaction and if anything useful would be revealed.
Sky didn't seem fazed at all, as she retained her unwavering stare. "As I recall, Dr. Weir, I am able to handle dangerous situations."
Dr. Weir held back a sigh as she thought about allowing Sky to join the mission. She knew that Sky could handle herself, quite well in fact, and that she seemed protective of others, but no one knew what Sky's connection was to that planet.
"I must go, Dr. Weir, this is my choice to make."
She could see that Sky's resolve wasn't going to fade and she had a feeling that Sky would go on that mission no matter her decision.
She held back a sigh and taped her finger on her desk to emphasizing every word that she spoke. "You will follow Sheppard's orders and you will not stray from the team."
Sky gave affirmation with a firm nod of her head and didn't argue. Weir dismissed her and watched Sky leave the room. Even with her logical mind, she wished for a sign or an omen to let her know the outcome.
She didn't know why she had given up her resolve to allow Sky to go. She didn't know if it was because Sky was loyal to Sheppard or if it had been that determination in Sky's eyes that seemed to burn through Weir and into her own soul.
Sheppard didn't have to notice the mirrored looks on Teyla and McKay's faces to know that they were not happy that Sky was going with them. He chose not to say a word because it hadn't been his choice either. He would have preferred that Sky remain in Atlantis since no one knew what to expect on the other side of the gate. The MALP had shown that the atmosphere was suitable but it hadn't shown any signs of civilization.
They sent the MALP a second time to see if anyone or anything had been around the gate or were currently around the gate. The MALP didn't detect any life form within 20 yards of the gate.
He watched silently as the remaining members of the mission gathered, weapons held tightly in their hands, waiting for the unknown once they reached the planet.
Sheppard was curious about their destination wondering why the Ancient who had created the mutant Wraith and had experimented on Sky had left the gate address in his lab. There was a seed of dread threatening to branch out and consume him. Sheppard wished that Ronon would be going with them, especially since the man had some rather sweet weapons that he knew how to use quite effectively.
Sky was standing a little off to the side, not quite part of the team even though she had told Sheppard earlier that she would protect all of them. He didn't know what the rest of the team was thinking about Sky going along with them. They didn't seem to be worrying much about it since no one had said anything or was shooting him looks like Teyla and McKay.
He turned and nodded his head to Dr. Weir, who gave the confirmation to dial the address. He watched the gate dial the address and open the wormhole. He couldn't help but remember the first time he had seen the Stargate and the wormhole. It had been something he had never imagined was possible and certainly never expected that he would be one to explore other worlds, other galaxies.
He looked at the horizon wondering what lay not just beyond this particular wormhole, but several thousands more that he wished to enter. He didn't bother to look at Teyla, McKay or even Sky as he stepped through the gate pushing away his thoughts focusing on what needed to be done here and now.
Sheppard studied the area surrounding the gate, searching for any possible threats and taking in the environment around them. The area was a simple clearing with a scattering of trees acting as protectors of the Ancient gate.
He studied the tall grass, wondering if anything was hiding within it. There was no wind so he would be able to tell if something moved within the grass. He could hear the buzzing of insects and the trilling of birds off in the distance.
When everyone had stepped through and the gate had closed, Sheppard ordered Colonel Harper and Captain Conway to guard the gate. He had everyone else to break into teams of two and do a sweep in a grid-like pattern making sure that the teams were no more than twenty feet away from each other.
He paired Teyla and McKay together, and had Sky go with him. He knew that no one was surprised in his decision, but he certainly didn't deserve McKay's rolling eyes. Lastly, Captain Baker and Lt. Reynolds were paired together, which worked out well since they were used to being paired together.
Sheppard focused his attention on finding some sign of civilization, anything that could connect this planet to the Ancients or to Sky. He would glance her way a few times wondering what she was thinking, if perhaps she remembered anything about this planet, but how could she when all it was were trees and grass.
They had been walking for half an hour when McKay radioed Sheppard.
"Go ahead, McKay," Sheppard responded hoping that McKay had found something useful that wouldn't endanger their lives.
"Found some indications of civilization. Just some ruins though."
"We'll all gather there to check it out." Sheppard radioed the other teams to meet McKay and Teyla. It only took a few minutes for them to all gather around McKay, interested in what he had found.
"It's something," McKay said when Sheppard stepped into view.
McKay's discovery consisted of an arch and a road or perhaps it had once been a floor. The floor or road was on the other side of the perfectly formed arch, except for the wear and tear from the weather. All of the stones used in the arch and for the road were cut all of the same shape and size.
Sheppard took a few steps forward toward the arch and saw that there were symbols carved into the stones of the arch, but had been difficult to see due to the moss that covered the stones like a blanket. He didn't recognize the symbols.
"Sky, do you recognize these symbols?" Sheppard asked his eyes looked on to her face for any sign of familiarity.
"No, I do not," she replied calmly her voice sounding almost impassive.
Sheppard nodded knowing that Sky spoke the truth and wondered why he had thought she would have lied about such a thing.
"McKay, take some pictures. Then we'll continue for a little while. Maybe there are people close by." Sheppard looked at McKay knowing that the doctor didn't recognize the symbols either.
McKay nodded and took a few photos before they continued with the grid walk.
The next discovery came fifteen minutes later from Lt. Reynolds and Captain Baker.
Sheppard studied the new site. This time it was a pure white stone slab about two feet long cut in a perfect oval. Around the edge of the stone were crystals of various colors embedded into the stone almost as though they had grown from the stone, but Sheppard thought otherwise.
On the other side of the stone was a marker filled with some of the same symbols that they had seen earlier. These signs of civilization were about half a mile apart, but the only connection was the symbols. It didn't look as though there had been any travel to either of the sites but Sheppard couldn't be certain. Something was nagging at him, but he couldn't find the source.
He had McKay take some more pictures as he thought about the purpose of the altar. The stone slab wasn't large enough for a sacrifice nor did it seem to have any stains of any kind.
"What are you thinking?" Teyla asked him the fist words she had spoken during the entire mission.
"That something isn't quite right," he replied with a frown.
"Yes, I agree. It seems that these two places are both leading us towards the same direction, almost as though they were designated markers for travelers."
He sensed that something was amiss and he realized he wasn't the only one when he saw Sky tense. It was too late for him or anyone else to react as dozens of human shaped blurs swept down upon them from the forest.
The gun was knocked from his hands and he was sent flying backwards into McKay, both of them landing roughly on the ground exchanging numerous grunts and groans.
Teyla had used her gun like a battering ram against one of the blurs but the blur just pulled the gun right out of her hands and grabbed her.
Sky was the only one who seemed to be able to fight against the blurs, almost becoming one herself, but there were too many of them.
Sheppard was yanked onto his feet and a rather sharp dagger was placed against his throat. He watched helplessly as the rest of his team had various sharp implements ready to harm or kill at a second's notice, except Sky who continued to fight. Sky paused suddenly noticing that she was the only one who was still free and looked at Sheppard.
He signaled to Sky that she must stop fighting. He watched as Sky hesitated seeing that the adrenaline raced through her like lava, hot and needing to break through everything around her. He was relieved when she dropped the weapon she clutched in her hand, noticing that she had somehow grabbed onto a dagger from one of their attackers.
As they allowed their attackers to restrain them with itchy, thick rope, Sheppard studied them. They were pretty close to being human, except for a few minor differences that wouldn't be too noticeable if they were on Earth. The main difference was that several of their attackers had a feline shape to their eyes.
As they were prodded along, Sheppard wondered how long it would take for the two guards at the gate began to worry. He hoped that they would soon realize that something was wrong and return to Atlantis to get some help.
They had been traveling for about half an hour at a rather quick pace when they reached their destination. It was a city built with massive walls, towers and other fortifications that Sheppard knew could hold back an enemy for quite awhile. They were not brought through the main gate, but through a smaller one on the side.
They were led through narrow alleyways, turning corners at several points along the way never seeing anyone but their captors. Sheppard tried to think of a way to get free from their captors, get out of the city and back to the Stargate. In every scenario that he played in his head, none of them would make it back to the gate alive.
They took one more turn and ended in a wide space filled with water fountains and flowers. They stood before a building built of shining white stone. The building towered over all of the other buildings. There were arched windows, perfectly shaped and had similar symbols written in the stone.
As Sheppard looked around, he saw that Captain Conway and Colonel Harper, the two that he had left to guard the gate, had also been taken prisoners. He would have sworn, but one of his captors pushed him roughly forward, causing him to bump into McKay.
When their captors had seemed satisfied that their captives had all seen one another, they were pushed toward the white building. They were brought to stand before a pair of doors that took two men to push open. Sheppard couldn't help but feel small compared to the massive columns that looked as though a giant had stuck them into the floor.
Their captors prodded them along with the sharp points of their spears, having only a meager light coming from the far end of the room to guide them. Sheppard could now see the rows of seats hidden in the darkness between the columns that circled an altar at its very center.
They pulled Sheppard forward and brought his hands over the crystal. The crystal began to glow but then it changed to a vibrant red. Sheppard heard the angry murmurs as he felt a sharp jab of pain on his lower back. He fell to his knees but was roughly pulled up and off to the side.
He watched as everyone was put through this strange test. The crystal didn't do anything when Teyla, Colonel Harper, and Captain had been put through the test. When McKay, Lt. Reynolds and Captain Baker the crystal glowed red and they were roughly pushed to where Sheppard was standing.
He realized that the stone glowed red only for those who had the Ancient gene. He wondered who these people were and why they didn't seem to like anyone who had the Ancient gene.
Only Sky remained to be tested. He saw her glance towards him, asking him if she should fight these people. He could only shake his head, knowing that if they tried anything they would all be killed.
He saw her frown but she allowed her captors to pull her forward and place her hands over the crystal. Sheppard knew that the crystal wouldn't glow red because she didn't have the Ancient gene. He was surprised though when the crystal began to glow a pure white and with such intensity, that he had to close his eyes and turn away.
When he could tell the light had finally dimmed he opened his eyes and looked around the room. He saw the look of shock on the faces of his captors, the ones that he could see anyway and he wondered what this meant.
Excited murmurs filled the room making Sheppard wonder if this was a sign that would lead to their freedom or a sign that something worse was going to happen to them. He hoped that it was a good sign but knowing that things never seemed to work in his favor when he really wanted it too, he focused on trying to find a way out.