The Finale of Turbulent Winds!
Sep. 18th, 2004 02:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luciazephyrIt is COMPLETE! *faints*
Title: Turbulent Winds
Author: Dr. Zephyr Tanaka
Rating: PG
Pairing: None. Sorry, shippers and OTPers!
Summary: When the team arrives on a desert world, the people of the oasis village invite them to stay. But should Atlantis ally with the people who perform what they call the Gecenadi Ritual? Say hello to tons of problems like a new ally, a huge new responsibilty, a misunderstood enemy, and more. (CHAPTER FIVE---Settling in with Sea Airs".) (COMPLETE! WHOO!)
Standing Outside a Fire
Book One --- Turbulent Winds
Chapter Five ::: Settling in with Sea Airs
---Morning in the City of Bronze---
The only thing that registered at first was the cold. Besides her head, wrapped in a thick sheet of her own hair, she felt a biting cold. Her legs instinctively pulled up as she huddled against herself for warmth.
Even in the morning, it shouldn't have been so chilled, she realized, making her frown, eyes still lidded as she tried to force herself asleep again. She knew it'd be short-lived rest. Lord Akito would be rudely waking her up in about ten minutes, if her mental clock was correct.
Seconds ticked by, turning into minutes. But after a quarter hour, she felt even more uneasy. The elder hadn't woken her? Such extra quiet was a luxury she was never allowed. She knew something was wrong, and forcing away her own denial, she opened her crystalline amber eyes.
Definitely not the backroom of the temple.
Sheedra bolted upright, emitting a high-pitched squeak of surprise at the completely foreign environment. Glossy bronze walls with green designs embedded in them, a windowless room, many strange devices scattered around, any traces of warmth chased away-
The child panicked, jerking violently and toppling off the bed and onto the sterile, hard floor. She felt a sharp pain in her arm before she crawled into a corner, huddling there with confusion written across her face.
She flinched as the sound of tile floor being hit with metal echoed through the room.
---
Dr. Beckett had nearly dropped his cup of tea when a faint clatter, like steel against stone, reached his ears. He turned, following the new sound to his area. He sipped his warm drink casually as he searched. Not much surprised him anyone, despite his initial reaction. He went to his medical area, waving his hand in front of the door panel to slide the door open. He leaned inside the chilly room, shivering at the strange temperature. "Hello?"
He took a few steps in when no one replied, blinking to adjust his blue eyes to the darkness. He set his drink down and walked over to one of the beds. Laying on the floor was an IV stand. That explained the racket. He reached down, lifting the stand back to it's upright position before stooping again to grab the IV bag itself. He hung it back up before grabbing the needle as it swung limply. He fingered the object curiously, his skin coming away from it tinted red, obviously from blood.
His half-asleep brain startled awake as he wheeled around to look at the empty bed. 'Damnit.' he thought to himself, 'Where'd she get off to?' He cleared his throat. "Sheedra?" he called out, "Sheedra, love, are you here?"
A scuffling sound brought his attention to the other side of the tall bed. He leaned over it, staring down at the child alien. He circled quickly around the bed, kneeling down to Sheedra's eye level. Her face was tucked into her arms, that were folded on her knees. He reached out and placed a hand on her arm, feeling the muscle tighten under his touch. He clucked his tongue. "It's just Carson, love. What're you doing on the floor?" he patted her arm soothingly, making her raise her head to look at him.
"I was afraid." she stage-whispered, unfolding herself to sit with her legs bent beside her, her hands in her lap. "There was metal in my arm."
He laughed lightly. "You didn't need to worry about that. It's there to help you." He stood up, reaching out to pick her up like he had done before and rested her on the bed. "Let me see where you pulled the needle out."
She cautiously offered him her arm, palm up. He shook his head at the trace of blood trailing down her arm. "That won't do at all. I'll get you patched up, alright?" She nodded exaggeratedly, watching him raptly as he pulled a damp wipe from the drawer beside him and cleaned the spot and the scarlet trail. He tossed that out before dabbing the wound with rubbing alcohol, apologizing when she winced at the burning sensation, and put a standard band-aid on it. He patted the elbow afterward, grinning reassuringly at her. "See? Didn't take long, did it?" He didn't wait for an answer, lifting Sheedra again and depositing her on the floor. "Are you hungry?"
Finally, after poking her sore arm a few times, she looked up at him and sent him a small smile, which he gladly returned.
---
"Where are your parents?" she stared up at him, her head snapping up to meet his sapphire eyes. His chin rested in his palm, his expression leading her to believe he was purely curious. She stared down at her bowl filled with dried fruit and nibbled on a slice of toast.
"No one knows, really, about my mother." Sheedra began, her speech pattern slow and contemplative. "I was told that she died giving birth to me."
"And your father?"
"He raised me by himself, until he died a few years ago. He was always talking about how he'd teach me more of our people's customs and how they lived. I once asked why we didn't just go to live with them."
"With who?" Carson sat up, stretching his arms and shaking out his wrists that had cramped up slightly.
"The Wind Clan." she answered as though this was like saying the sky was blue. "They were my ancestors, I think." Sheedra bit into a piece of the fruit. "People who could blind like me."
Carson's ears perked. "I've been thinking about that, Sheedra. How you vanish and all."
Sheedra blinked at him, considering the question. "It's just something my people do. We think about how it'd be to be unneeded and unimportant. That way no one notices us." she frowned deeply, more looking through Beckett now that looking at him. "I still don't know how that man saw me."
"Who, Major Sheppard?"
"No, that was the leader man." She closed her eyes tightly, racking her brains. "The man with the red left on his clothes."
Carson's eyes widened significantly. "You don't mean Rodney?" he asked incredulously, eyeing her skeptically. "No, you Definitely mean him... How could someone like Rodney see you?"
She sighed. "I don't know. He shouldn't have been able to." she shuffled her feet against the sleek floor. "I'm sorry I can't tell you more."
He waved an impatient hand. "Don't worry about it, love. It's not your fault you don't know. I was just intrigued." he beamed at her. "You'll understand why it's so hard to believe once you get to know him."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's just say he's not the nicest person on base, but don't take anything rude things he says personally. He's got his heart in the right place."
---Afternoon in the Sky---
"Hey, heard I'm on babysitting duty, doc." Beckett looked up from his microscope to catch Major Sheppard signature smirk. He returned it warmly.
"If you insist. She's no trouble to have around, sweet girl." the Scotsman replied amiably as Sheedra walked to join the two, staring up at the newcomer. She blushed at the compliment, avoiding eye contact with Carson, focusing instead on Sheppard's boots.
"Yeah, but you're probably gonna bore her to tears. Not everyone's fit to be a biologist, doctor." he teased gently, stooping to look Sheedra in the eye. "You've ever flown before, besides last night?" The alien shook her head, making her dark hair swing around her. His smirk widened and he caught her hand with his.
"Are you abducting my charge, Major?" Carson chided jokingly, leaning back in his chair.
"Yep. Got clearance to take her up." Sheppard replied with a nod. "You maybe be a coward when it comes to the Jumpers, but I think they're a blast."
"So I've figured." His eyes narrowed. "And I'm not a coward. I just... don't want to accidently activate the weapons system and destroy the city." he muttered, flashing back to that damn chair Rodney made him sit in back on Earth. He'd nearly kill the General, for God's sake. Not one of his prouder moments. Not one of McKay's either, he guessed. It was a mutual nonverbal agreement between the two to never bring up the accident ever again.
"Yeah, sure." Sheppard tugged gently on the tiny hand he held, quietly marveling at the size difference between them. Sheedra's feet pattered clumsily behind him as she walked backward, trying to follow him while waving goodbye to Beckett.
"Goodbye, Dr. Carson!"
He waved lightly back at her. "See you later, Sheedra dear." He caught her second genuine smile that morning as she disappeared around the door frame.
He laughed quietly to himself, his heart feeling lighter than usual. Mornings like this, he could get used to.
---
"Okay, now. Sit in the seat beside me." She nodded and dashed to the tall chair to his left, forcefully pulling her small body up onto it. She bounced in place, trying to get comfortable and finally situating herself. She pulled her legs up onto the cushion, crossing her lithe legs daintily. She bobbed her head at him and he turned to the console. "Atlantis base, this is Jumper Two. I'm going to take that flight to around the planet I informed you of earlier."
A second later, Grodin's voice came over. "Read you, Major. You're clear. Though, off the record, I suggest you stay out as long as possible."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Dr. Weir woke up in a fiery mood. And it seems you're on top of her hotlist. Atlantis base out."
John muttered to himself about the injustice of it all, tapping the console buttons to open the sky door. He heard a small squeak as he lifted the ship off the ground abruptly. He suppressed a snicker, sparing Sheedra the embarrassment. Her hands gripped the armrests, knuckles tinted white. Her eyes were tightly shut and he leaned over to poke her in the ribs. She emitted another squeak, this time louder. "Open your eyes, or you'll miss it." he chided kindly, returning to the controls.
Her eyes blinked open hesitantly before she leaned eagerly forward, staring out over the city and the cerulean seas below. They were moving so impossibly fast, gaining height she had once believed impossible. The shocking blue of the sky faded to a darker shade as they left the lower atmosphere. She now looked up instead, gasping at the sight all around her. "It's... so full of stars." she breathed, admiring the inky black, speckled with millions of dots of white and hot-turquoise.
Sheppard felt a sad smile tug his lips, a deep sympathy twisting around his image of her. He grew up knowing things like this, taking it all for granted. To a sheltered child like Sheedra, this was the pinnacle of beauty, something that was an everyday thing for him. He realized he wanted to make her look around with that awe-struck expression more, to tell her of his home and, just maybe, eventually show it to her. "You want to hear a story, kid?"
It took a full half-minute for Sheedra to tear her gaze away from the sight through the glass. "A story? About what?"
He felt tempted to rub his palm together with glee. "Just a well-known myth from my planet we like to call Star Wars."
---
"Wait, why didn't he kill them with his force magic?"
"What?"
"You say these stormtroopers had no ability to aim, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, why did Darth Vader use them if they did him no good?"
Sheppard silently mulled over this. Why had Darth Vader kept using the same morons if they couldn't shoot the broad side of a barn? "Um... I don't know." he answered, flinching at the clueless tone of his own voice.
"They hardly do much good then, right?"
He leaned his arms back, twining his fingers behind his head. "You read into this stuff way too much, Sheedra."
"It's just, my legends seem to make more sense that yours, sir." She boasted in a way that reminded Sheppard of McKay. She unfolded her legs, stretching them out in front of her and yawning.
"Your people have legends too?"
"Of course. All races do, I would think." She bit her lip contemplatively. "Most people like to believe in a meaning to life and existence."
"You know, you're a little too smart for a seven-year-old." he commented dryly, grinning at her. "So how about you tell me one of your stories."
Sheedra spun the chair to face him. She looked pleased with the idea and launched into a tale.
"A story passed down by the Wind Clan speaks of the enemy, the one who cause the fallout of the clan. The story goes that a traveler came to the Wind Clan's village, beaten and starving, on the verge of death. Now one was allowed to see the secret settlement, so the guards raised their arrows to strike him dead.
"The lord of the village, Tsunami, held pity for the man and ordered the arrows lowered. He was brought to the sick house and nursed back to life.
"When he was well enough to speak, Tsunami asked him his name and how he came to be so brutally attacked. The traveler replied he was called Dyne and was a merchant of the desert. He was attacked by sand thieves and left for dead. He crawled to the village.
"Tsunami could not bring himself to kill the innocent man. So he let him stay, but only with a blood oath that he would never leave the village. If someone heard of the settlement's placement, they would be wiped out. Dyne agreed.
"For ten years, Dyne kept his promise. But he grew stir-crazy, longing to see new sights. He swore he would return soon and left the main gates to the forest outside the community. In the woods was a shrine to the Gods of the Wind Clan. In the shrine was a box made of a wood called diamond oak. It was said to hold the Clan's true potential, but was forbidden to be touched, for with all the good was in the box, but also the evil.
"Dyne picked up the box, too enraptured by the glossy white wood to care for the law. But the diamond oak was slick and slipped from his fingers, breaking the sacred piece.
"Tsunami found him there, trying to put the box back together. He killed Dyne there, as he should have years ago but couldn't...."
---A Dawn in the Dusk---
"You took your time I see."
"Dr. Carson!" Sheedra greeted the man with a enthusiastic wave, running over to meet him. "I've seen the sky above the clouds, doctor." She explained excitedly, eyes filled with delight. "It's amazing."
"So you two had fun?"
"Yep. Told you I'd take care of her." Sheppard defended himself swiftly, shutting down the Jumper and joining the two near the Bay's door.
"I'm sorry for doubting you." Beckett sarcastically replied, rolling his eyes. "Now, Weir's been wanting to see you for hours."
"Damn, she's still upset?"
"That woman knows how to carry a grudge. Good luck, son." Carson patted the taller man on the shoulder, mocking the Major's 'fear' of the female leader. "Now shoo. I have to recheck Sheedra's scar. Come on, love." He twined his fingers with hers, escorting her down halls. She waved at John with her free hand. "Goodbye, Major!"
---
The infirmary's door slid open with a hiss. The foreigner walked into the room, much more confident than she had been that morning.
"Owowowow. Owww." A moan of pain from deeper in the room shoved her back into her shyer personality, making her duck behind Beckett's legs.
"What'd you do now, Rodney?"
"Just fix me, okay?" Dr. McKay sat up on the bed he had been lounging on, cradling his arm against his chest. Carson yanked the arm toward him, getting the Canadian to swear in a few words that Carson was sure weren't in a normal dictionary.
"This is a burn."
"Fantastic deduction, Watson. Fix it." he pouted at Beckett, hoping to get at least some sympathy. The plan was unsuccessful and the medical doctor was unusually rough with the aloe vera and bandage, making Rodney duck his chin away from him guiltily.
"How'd you get it anyway?"
"That's not your business!" Rodney flushed red at the question, trying not to recall his own clumsiness making him stumble and lean against the hot metal on the Ancient... thing. He had yet to figure out what it was.
"Fine, be that way. I'll make something up for the report." Carson started putting his equipment away before picking up a bag of cotton and surgical tape, rounding on Sheedra. "Come here, love. Time to change that bandage."
She walked slowly over, staring at the floor, the wall, the ceiling, anywhere but McKay. He, on the other hand, examined her like he examined reports in his scientific journals; noticing all statistics about her, noting her behavior, and observing. Carson hauled her up into a stool and began working on the cut and infection, taking off her current bandage and reapplying the medication. She took his distracted state as a chance to watch the man past him. He fascinated her. He was able to see her despite the magic. No one, not her own father, had ever been able to do that.
His eyes finally settled on hers and she squeaked yet again at being caught staring. Normally, she would have looked away but...
She had never liked the color hazel for eyes, the shade of green always too murky through the brown to appreciate. But these hazel eyes felt different. They looked so young for a man with such an age, yet at the same time, too old, with knowledge behind them that she admired before she was conscious of it being there. As she stared, the darker quality of the irises withdrew even so faintly, leaving a richer shade of green...
"Done." Beckett announced, making both Sheedra and McKay jump with surprise. She reached a hand up to feel the area above her left eye, rubbing her fingers over the cotton and the tape holding it there. She smiled up at Carson, who turned to Rodney. "Your turn."
He blinked at the sudden attention. "My turn to what?"
"Watch Sheedra, of course. It's your turn." Carson leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms and smirking smugly at the astrophysicist's surprised jaw-drop.
"M-me? Carson, you know I don't get along well with children. I always end up making them cry or something!" he whined, suddenly very aware of amber eyes watching him, looking slightly hurt.
"That's normal kids, Rodney." he shook his finger in a sagely way. "Sheedra's not loud or talkative or the least bit annoying. You'll get along fine."
Sheedra jumped down from her perch, waiting for McKay to stand. He swallowed hard, feeling nervous with that intense gaze on him. "I hope you're right, Carson." He got to his feet, looking down at the brunette girl before awkwardly leading her away.
Carson smiled ruefully, leaning on the vacant bed. "I am, Rodney. Just you wait." he pushed off, talking to no one in particular. "You'll see."
---
'Hell, what do I do?' His mind raced, jumping from idea to idea on how to handle the situation. Ignore her? No. Act casual? No. Make chit-chat? About what?!
He bit back a groan of frustration, looking back at her covertly. She was still dressed up in the ceremonial robes, he noticed. Shouldn't someone have gotten her an outfit more fitting? He pushed the thought away, trying to think of something else...
Damn, it must have been freezing in that silly silk getup, right? Not that'd he'd know, but still... "Hey," he coughed, slowly his pace until they came to a stop. "Aren't you cold in that outfit?"
She blinked, surprised at the question before looking down at herself. She just pulled the long sleeves tighter around her, looking up at Rodney. He sighed, taking that as a yes. "We have quite a few spare outfits we brought with us. You look like you could use one."
Sheedra pulled her lip into her mouth, biting down on it, contemplative. He said without shame he didn't get along well with children, so why...?
He's trying.
She nodded to him and he lead them deeper into the hallway until he found the door he was looking for. He paused, getting an idea. "Sheedra, did Carson tell you about the Ancient gene?" she shook her head. "Well, this city belonged to a race long ago we call the Ancients. They use technology that could only be used by themselves. It only works with someone who has the correct gene in their blood. Understand?"
"Yes." Sheedra confirmed, sending Rodney a small smile. "Do you have the..."
"The gene? Yes, but I had to go through an inoculation to get it." He saw the confusion sketched on her features as she frowned. He bit the insides of his mouth and sigh. "Inoculation is, in this case, getting a shot from one of Carson's needles with the gene in it. He put it in my blood."
"Oh, okay."
"I'm telling you this because I want to know if you have it." he turned back to the door panel and dismantled it, taking a few minutes to play around with the crystals before putting the lid back on. "I've changed this so it'll only open to those with the gene. Wave your hand over it and see if it works."
Sheedra gained a determined look as she stood up on her toes and fleetingly waved her palm over the box a few times. Nothing happened, and her face fell. Rodney noted this and tried to look nonchalant. "Oh well. Worth a shot. Not many people have it, so don't feel bad. Maybe Carson'll give you the gene himself." he comforted her. As he did, a little, mean voice in the back of his head asked him why the hell did he care if she was upset. She was an annoyingly kid who'd follow him around and ask stupid questions.
For once, he didn't bother arguing with that cruel side of his mind. He didn't know why he was having patience. He just was. It didn't make sense and that wasn't something he admitted lightly.
He opened the door himself and walked into the makeshift closet. Rodney sorted through a few boxes, finding mostly military equipment. As he was wondering if her even had the right closet, one box held folded up clothing in it, mostly of the main Atlantis uniform. He looked discreetly at her, trying to choose which color scheme he should give her. The red and grey civilian outfit would compliment her the most... but for some reason he pulled out the blue, a copy of his own. He tucked the tan jacket, turquoise shirt, and khaki slacks under his arm, slamming the box shut and replacing it on one of the piles.
They continued down one of the corridors, entering one of the empty quarters. He looked around, dropping the bundle into her waiting arms. "You could change in here. I'll wait outside." he hastily said, ducking out of the room and letting it slid shut behind him.
He glanced a few feet away, eye landing on a bench seat like the others scattered around the city. He sighed in relief, dropping onto it and leaned back against the wall, his head resting against it tiredly. His train of thought 'derailed', wandering at high speeds from idea to idea.
So, she was about seven, eight-ish years old it seemed. She'd need schooling if she stayed on Atlantis, which was seeming likely. Did they bring any textbooks with them? No, that was probably foolishly left on Earth, like zat guns and a psychologist. So how would they go about teaching her? Well, Elizabeth was a speech writer before 'hitting it big' in delegations, so she'd be good at teaching English. Carson was a closet biologist, so Life Science would be his domain. Sheppard was military, so he could do a bit of History- actually no. Sheedra had an impressionable young mind and no way would McKay let her be turned into (the horror) an American. He'd have to teach her World History and obviously Physical Science. What if they went back to Earth? What then? The SGC had a bad habit of sticking refugee aliens with whatever family they could and forgetting about them. Couldn't have that happen.
His thoughts ended when the door hissed open and Sheedra poked her head out, a goofy smile on her lips. "Hello? I'm done." she said, making him jump. He looked at her in the new outfit and fought down his laughter. It was far too big, the sleeves of the jacket a good foot longer than her arms. She had the belt on the khaki's tightened so the slacks would fall, and the legs of it were also much longer than even her legs, which were obviously taller than usual. The blue shirt hung to her knees as well.
He beckoned her over, not trusting his own voice. She tried to walk, but stumbled halfway to him, watching as the floor rushed up to meet her.
She stopped, less than an inch from impact, suspended in mid-air. Sheedra could feel Rodney's arm wrapped down around her stomach and up to hold her shoulder. She squeaked in surprise, gripping his sleeve with both her hands. She heard a chuckle and then was lifted and deposited on the bench he had previously occupied. He moved back into view and she could tell he was fighting down a smile. "I guess we better help you out so you don't drown, eh?"
She was Definitely unlike other children, he noticed as she stood perfectly still as he rolled up her sleeves so she had a fair chance of being able to see her own hands. She was quiet, except for her habit of squeaking, he mused as he redid the belt tie correctly, but that didn't bug him much. He folded the excess of the shirt carefully under itself and did the same to the pant legs. Sheedra looked down at herself, beaming in appreciation. "This is warmer, sir." she commented drily, getting a snicker from Rodney.
"Call me Rodney."
Her eyes lit up. "Okay. Rodney."
He let himself grin back. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
---End of Turbulent Winds---
Author's Notes:
I feel like I'm about to collapse. This is sooooo late! Sigh. I'm sorry, but my History teacher felt like he should give me a huge project on Mythology, so I couldn't get any work done on this. Hence the lateness. Then, it took me a good three days to get this to the point I even considered it halfway good enough for the internet. I saved it to my floppy disk devoted to this story.
I came home the next day and sat down to finish up. The thing broke. It gave me an error saying the file could not be opened. I shrieked in horror. Very high-pitched. (That's where I got the idea of Sheedra's squeaking habit, BTW.) So I sobbed a bit pathetically for a day.
Decided I would not like this goddamned ten year old laptop beat me. I opened the file in everything. Nada. Until I gave up and tried Notepad. I hate Notepad. But it worked. Granted it took me a good three hours to sort through the random HTML stuff it had buried the story in, but I got it! Actually, I got only half the chapter, but hey, I got something to work with. So I've finished it up and am fairly happy with it.
Anyway, about this chapter: It's the last bit of Turbulent Winds. Now I'm working the kinks out of the next book's outline. It'll be called, if all goes well, Rough Waters. So we're doing waters, like my muse Erisinia suggested. Hope you'll read that one too.
And we get some dynamic between dear Sheedra and Rodney. He'll still be a little snarky to her, but he's more... well, gentle with her than he is with anyone else. He's overprotective. He knows she's his charge and he refuses to screw up and let her get hurt in any way. Make him a bit overzealous about it.
Spoilers for next book:
1- We'll meet the oft-mentioned Wind Clan.
2- That legend Sheedra told Sheppard will come back to bite them all in the ass, I promise.
3- More character focus on Rodney, Sheedra, Sheppard, Carson, and mor focus on the plot.
4- The Wraith get cranky.
5- A link between Atlantis and Earth becomes possible.
That's what you have to look forward to in Rough Waters.
An IMPORTANT question to anyone who reviews: How much of a part should Sheedra play later in the story? She's obviously not gonna "save the world" or whatever, cause that'd make her a Mary Sue. But do you guys find her annoying or do you not mind her? Maybe you even like her a bit? Please, please, please, let me know what you think.
Thanks a million for reading!
~Dr. Zephyr Tanaka
*is ded from overwork*
~Dr. Zephyr Tanaka
Title: Turbulent Winds
Author: Dr. Zephyr Tanaka
Rating: PG
Pairing: None. Sorry, shippers and OTPers!
Summary: When the team arrives on a desert world, the people of the oasis village invite them to stay. But should Atlantis ally with the people who perform what they call the Gecenadi Ritual? Say hello to tons of problems like a new ally, a huge new responsibilty, a misunderstood enemy, and more. (CHAPTER FIVE---Settling in with Sea Airs".) (COMPLETE! WHOO!)
Standing Outside a Fire
Book One --- Turbulent Winds
Chapter Five ::: Settling in with Sea Airs
---Morning in the City of Bronze---
The only thing that registered at first was the cold. Besides her head, wrapped in a thick sheet of her own hair, she felt a biting cold. Her legs instinctively pulled up as she huddled against herself for warmth.
Even in the morning, it shouldn't have been so chilled, she realized, making her frown, eyes still lidded as she tried to force herself asleep again. She knew it'd be short-lived rest. Lord Akito would be rudely waking her up in about ten minutes, if her mental clock was correct.
Seconds ticked by, turning into minutes. But after a quarter hour, she felt even more uneasy. The elder hadn't woken her? Such extra quiet was a luxury she was never allowed. She knew something was wrong, and forcing away her own denial, she opened her crystalline amber eyes.
Definitely not the backroom of the temple.
Sheedra bolted upright, emitting a high-pitched squeak of surprise at the completely foreign environment. Glossy bronze walls with green designs embedded in them, a windowless room, many strange devices scattered around, any traces of warmth chased away-
The child panicked, jerking violently and toppling off the bed and onto the sterile, hard floor. She felt a sharp pain in her arm before she crawled into a corner, huddling there with confusion written across her face.
She flinched as the sound of tile floor being hit with metal echoed through the room.
---
Dr. Beckett had nearly dropped his cup of tea when a faint clatter, like steel against stone, reached his ears. He turned, following the new sound to his area. He sipped his warm drink casually as he searched. Not much surprised him anyone, despite his initial reaction. He went to his medical area, waving his hand in front of the door panel to slide the door open. He leaned inside the chilly room, shivering at the strange temperature. "Hello?"
He took a few steps in when no one replied, blinking to adjust his blue eyes to the darkness. He set his drink down and walked over to one of the beds. Laying on the floor was an IV stand. That explained the racket. He reached down, lifting the stand back to it's upright position before stooping again to grab the IV bag itself. He hung it back up before grabbing the needle as it swung limply. He fingered the object curiously, his skin coming away from it tinted red, obviously from blood.
His half-asleep brain startled awake as he wheeled around to look at the empty bed. 'Damnit.' he thought to himself, 'Where'd she get off to?' He cleared his throat. "Sheedra?" he called out, "Sheedra, love, are you here?"
A scuffling sound brought his attention to the other side of the tall bed. He leaned over it, staring down at the child alien. He circled quickly around the bed, kneeling down to Sheedra's eye level. Her face was tucked into her arms, that were folded on her knees. He reached out and placed a hand on her arm, feeling the muscle tighten under his touch. He clucked his tongue. "It's just Carson, love. What're you doing on the floor?" he patted her arm soothingly, making her raise her head to look at him.
"I was afraid." she stage-whispered, unfolding herself to sit with her legs bent beside her, her hands in her lap. "There was metal in my arm."
He laughed lightly. "You didn't need to worry about that. It's there to help you." He stood up, reaching out to pick her up like he had done before and rested her on the bed. "Let me see where you pulled the needle out."
She cautiously offered him her arm, palm up. He shook his head at the trace of blood trailing down her arm. "That won't do at all. I'll get you patched up, alright?" She nodded exaggeratedly, watching him raptly as he pulled a damp wipe from the drawer beside him and cleaned the spot and the scarlet trail. He tossed that out before dabbing the wound with rubbing alcohol, apologizing when she winced at the burning sensation, and put a standard band-aid on it. He patted the elbow afterward, grinning reassuringly at her. "See? Didn't take long, did it?" He didn't wait for an answer, lifting Sheedra again and depositing her on the floor. "Are you hungry?"
Finally, after poking her sore arm a few times, she looked up at him and sent him a small smile, which he gladly returned.
---
"Where are your parents?" she stared up at him, her head snapping up to meet his sapphire eyes. His chin rested in his palm, his expression leading her to believe he was purely curious. She stared down at her bowl filled with dried fruit and nibbled on a slice of toast.
"No one knows, really, about my mother." Sheedra began, her speech pattern slow and contemplative. "I was told that she died giving birth to me."
"And your father?"
"He raised me by himself, until he died a few years ago. He was always talking about how he'd teach me more of our people's customs and how they lived. I once asked why we didn't just go to live with them."
"With who?" Carson sat up, stretching his arms and shaking out his wrists that had cramped up slightly.
"The Wind Clan." she answered as though this was like saying the sky was blue. "They were my ancestors, I think." Sheedra bit into a piece of the fruit. "People who could blind like me."
Carson's ears perked. "I've been thinking about that, Sheedra. How you vanish and all."
Sheedra blinked at him, considering the question. "It's just something my people do. We think about how it'd be to be unneeded and unimportant. That way no one notices us." she frowned deeply, more looking through Beckett now that looking at him. "I still don't know how that man saw me."
"Who, Major Sheppard?"
"No, that was the leader man." She closed her eyes tightly, racking her brains. "The man with the red left on his clothes."
Carson's eyes widened significantly. "You don't mean Rodney?" he asked incredulously, eyeing her skeptically. "No, you Definitely mean him... How could someone like Rodney see you?"
She sighed. "I don't know. He shouldn't have been able to." she shuffled her feet against the sleek floor. "I'm sorry I can't tell you more."
He waved an impatient hand. "Don't worry about it, love. It's not your fault you don't know. I was just intrigued." he beamed at her. "You'll understand why it's so hard to believe once you get to know him."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's just say he's not the nicest person on base, but don't take anything rude things he says personally. He's got his heart in the right place."
---Afternoon in the Sky---
"Hey, heard I'm on babysitting duty, doc." Beckett looked up from his microscope to catch Major Sheppard signature smirk. He returned it warmly.
"If you insist. She's no trouble to have around, sweet girl." the Scotsman replied amiably as Sheedra walked to join the two, staring up at the newcomer. She blushed at the compliment, avoiding eye contact with Carson, focusing instead on Sheppard's boots.
"Yeah, but you're probably gonna bore her to tears. Not everyone's fit to be a biologist, doctor." he teased gently, stooping to look Sheedra in the eye. "You've ever flown before, besides last night?" The alien shook her head, making her dark hair swing around her. His smirk widened and he caught her hand with his.
"Are you abducting my charge, Major?" Carson chided jokingly, leaning back in his chair.
"Yep. Got clearance to take her up." Sheppard replied with a nod. "You maybe be a coward when it comes to the Jumpers, but I think they're a blast."
"So I've figured." His eyes narrowed. "And I'm not a coward. I just... don't want to accidently activate the weapons system and destroy the city." he muttered, flashing back to that damn chair Rodney made him sit in back on Earth. He'd nearly kill the General, for God's sake. Not one of his prouder moments. Not one of McKay's either, he guessed. It was a mutual nonverbal agreement between the two to never bring up the accident ever again.
"Yeah, sure." Sheppard tugged gently on the tiny hand he held, quietly marveling at the size difference between them. Sheedra's feet pattered clumsily behind him as she walked backward, trying to follow him while waving goodbye to Beckett.
"Goodbye, Dr. Carson!"
He waved lightly back at her. "See you later, Sheedra dear." He caught her second genuine smile that morning as she disappeared around the door frame.
He laughed quietly to himself, his heart feeling lighter than usual. Mornings like this, he could get used to.
---
"Okay, now. Sit in the seat beside me." She nodded and dashed to the tall chair to his left, forcefully pulling her small body up onto it. She bounced in place, trying to get comfortable and finally situating herself. She pulled her legs up onto the cushion, crossing her lithe legs daintily. She bobbed her head at him and he turned to the console. "Atlantis base, this is Jumper Two. I'm going to take that flight to around the planet I informed you of earlier."
A second later, Grodin's voice came over. "Read you, Major. You're clear. Though, off the record, I suggest you stay out as long as possible."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Dr. Weir woke up in a fiery mood. And it seems you're on top of her hotlist. Atlantis base out."
John muttered to himself about the injustice of it all, tapping the console buttons to open the sky door. He heard a small squeak as he lifted the ship off the ground abruptly. He suppressed a snicker, sparing Sheedra the embarrassment. Her hands gripped the armrests, knuckles tinted white. Her eyes were tightly shut and he leaned over to poke her in the ribs. She emitted another squeak, this time louder. "Open your eyes, or you'll miss it." he chided kindly, returning to the controls.
Her eyes blinked open hesitantly before she leaned eagerly forward, staring out over the city and the cerulean seas below. They were moving so impossibly fast, gaining height she had once believed impossible. The shocking blue of the sky faded to a darker shade as they left the lower atmosphere. She now looked up instead, gasping at the sight all around her. "It's... so full of stars." she breathed, admiring the inky black, speckled with millions of dots of white and hot-turquoise.
Sheppard felt a sad smile tug his lips, a deep sympathy twisting around his image of her. He grew up knowing things like this, taking it all for granted. To a sheltered child like Sheedra, this was the pinnacle of beauty, something that was an everyday thing for him. He realized he wanted to make her look around with that awe-struck expression more, to tell her of his home and, just maybe, eventually show it to her. "You want to hear a story, kid?"
It took a full half-minute for Sheedra to tear her gaze away from the sight through the glass. "A story? About what?"
He felt tempted to rub his palm together with glee. "Just a well-known myth from my planet we like to call Star Wars."
---
"Wait, why didn't he kill them with his force magic?"
"What?"
"You say these stormtroopers had no ability to aim, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, why did Darth Vader use them if they did him no good?"
Sheppard silently mulled over this. Why had Darth Vader kept using the same morons if they couldn't shoot the broad side of a barn? "Um... I don't know." he answered, flinching at the clueless tone of his own voice.
"They hardly do much good then, right?"
He leaned his arms back, twining his fingers behind his head. "You read into this stuff way too much, Sheedra."
"It's just, my legends seem to make more sense that yours, sir." She boasted in a way that reminded Sheppard of McKay. She unfolded her legs, stretching them out in front of her and yawning.
"Your people have legends too?"
"Of course. All races do, I would think." She bit her lip contemplatively. "Most people like to believe in a meaning to life and existence."
"You know, you're a little too smart for a seven-year-old." he commented dryly, grinning at her. "So how about you tell me one of your stories."
Sheedra spun the chair to face him. She looked pleased with the idea and launched into a tale.
"A story passed down by the Wind Clan speaks of the enemy, the one who cause the fallout of the clan. The story goes that a traveler came to the Wind Clan's village, beaten and starving, on the verge of death. Now one was allowed to see the secret settlement, so the guards raised their arrows to strike him dead.
"The lord of the village, Tsunami, held pity for the man and ordered the arrows lowered. He was brought to the sick house and nursed back to life.
"When he was well enough to speak, Tsunami asked him his name and how he came to be so brutally attacked. The traveler replied he was called Dyne and was a merchant of the desert. He was attacked by sand thieves and left for dead. He crawled to the village.
"Tsunami could not bring himself to kill the innocent man. So he let him stay, but only with a blood oath that he would never leave the village. If someone heard of the settlement's placement, they would be wiped out. Dyne agreed.
"For ten years, Dyne kept his promise. But he grew stir-crazy, longing to see new sights. He swore he would return soon and left the main gates to the forest outside the community. In the woods was a shrine to the Gods of the Wind Clan. In the shrine was a box made of a wood called diamond oak. It was said to hold the Clan's true potential, but was forbidden to be touched, for with all the good was in the box, but also the evil.
"Dyne picked up the box, too enraptured by the glossy white wood to care for the law. But the diamond oak was slick and slipped from his fingers, breaking the sacred piece.
"Tsunami found him there, trying to put the box back together. He killed Dyne there, as he should have years ago but couldn't...."
---A Dawn in the Dusk---
"You took your time I see."
"Dr. Carson!" Sheedra greeted the man with a enthusiastic wave, running over to meet him. "I've seen the sky above the clouds, doctor." She explained excitedly, eyes filled with delight. "It's amazing."
"So you two had fun?"
"Yep. Told you I'd take care of her." Sheppard defended himself swiftly, shutting down the Jumper and joining the two near the Bay's door.
"I'm sorry for doubting you." Beckett sarcastically replied, rolling his eyes. "Now, Weir's been wanting to see you for hours."
"Damn, she's still upset?"
"That woman knows how to carry a grudge. Good luck, son." Carson patted the taller man on the shoulder, mocking the Major's 'fear' of the female leader. "Now shoo. I have to recheck Sheedra's scar. Come on, love." He twined his fingers with hers, escorting her down halls. She waved at John with her free hand. "Goodbye, Major!"
---
The infirmary's door slid open with a hiss. The foreigner walked into the room, much more confident than she had been that morning.
"Owowowow. Owww." A moan of pain from deeper in the room shoved her back into her shyer personality, making her duck behind Beckett's legs.
"What'd you do now, Rodney?"
"Just fix me, okay?" Dr. McKay sat up on the bed he had been lounging on, cradling his arm against his chest. Carson yanked the arm toward him, getting the Canadian to swear in a few words that Carson was sure weren't in a normal dictionary.
"This is a burn."
"Fantastic deduction, Watson. Fix it." he pouted at Beckett, hoping to get at least some sympathy. The plan was unsuccessful and the medical doctor was unusually rough with the aloe vera and bandage, making Rodney duck his chin away from him guiltily.
"How'd you get it anyway?"
"That's not your business!" Rodney flushed red at the question, trying not to recall his own clumsiness making him stumble and lean against the hot metal on the Ancient... thing. He had yet to figure out what it was.
"Fine, be that way. I'll make something up for the report." Carson started putting his equipment away before picking up a bag of cotton and surgical tape, rounding on Sheedra. "Come here, love. Time to change that bandage."
She walked slowly over, staring at the floor, the wall, the ceiling, anywhere but McKay. He, on the other hand, examined her like he examined reports in his scientific journals; noticing all statistics about her, noting her behavior, and observing. Carson hauled her up into a stool and began working on the cut and infection, taking off her current bandage and reapplying the medication. She took his distracted state as a chance to watch the man past him. He fascinated her. He was able to see her despite the magic. No one, not her own father, had ever been able to do that.
His eyes finally settled on hers and she squeaked yet again at being caught staring. Normally, she would have looked away but...
She had never liked the color hazel for eyes, the shade of green always too murky through the brown to appreciate. But these hazel eyes felt different. They looked so young for a man with such an age, yet at the same time, too old, with knowledge behind them that she admired before she was conscious of it being there. As she stared, the darker quality of the irises withdrew even so faintly, leaving a richer shade of green...
"Done." Beckett announced, making both Sheedra and McKay jump with surprise. She reached a hand up to feel the area above her left eye, rubbing her fingers over the cotton and the tape holding it there. She smiled up at Carson, who turned to Rodney. "Your turn."
He blinked at the sudden attention. "My turn to what?"
"Watch Sheedra, of course. It's your turn." Carson leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms and smirking smugly at the astrophysicist's surprised jaw-drop.
"M-me? Carson, you know I don't get along well with children. I always end up making them cry or something!" he whined, suddenly very aware of amber eyes watching him, looking slightly hurt.
"That's normal kids, Rodney." he shook his finger in a sagely way. "Sheedra's not loud or talkative or the least bit annoying. You'll get along fine."
Sheedra jumped down from her perch, waiting for McKay to stand. He swallowed hard, feeling nervous with that intense gaze on him. "I hope you're right, Carson." He got to his feet, looking down at the brunette girl before awkwardly leading her away.
Carson smiled ruefully, leaning on the vacant bed. "I am, Rodney. Just you wait." he pushed off, talking to no one in particular. "You'll see."
---
'Hell, what do I do?' His mind raced, jumping from idea to idea on how to handle the situation. Ignore her? No. Act casual? No. Make chit-chat? About what?!
He bit back a groan of frustration, looking back at her covertly. She was still dressed up in the ceremonial robes, he noticed. Shouldn't someone have gotten her an outfit more fitting? He pushed the thought away, trying to think of something else...
Damn, it must have been freezing in that silly silk getup, right? Not that'd he'd know, but still... "Hey," he coughed, slowly his pace until they came to a stop. "Aren't you cold in that outfit?"
She blinked, surprised at the question before looking down at herself. She just pulled the long sleeves tighter around her, looking up at Rodney. He sighed, taking that as a yes. "We have quite a few spare outfits we brought with us. You look like you could use one."
Sheedra pulled her lip into her mouth, biting down on it, contemplative. He said without shame he didn't get along well with children, so why...?
He's trying.
She nodded to him and he lead them deeper into the hallway until he found the door he was looking for. He paused, getting an idea. "Sheedra, did Carson tell you about the Ancient gene?" she shook her head. "Well, this city belonged to a race long ago we call the Ancients. They use technology that could only be used by themselves. It only works with someone who has the correct gene in their blood. Understand?"
"Yes." Sheedra confirmed, sending Rodney a small smile. "Do you have the..."
"The gene? Yes, but I had to go through an inoculation to get it." He saw the confusion sketched on her features as she frowned. He bit the insides of his mouth and sigh. "Inoculation is, in this case, getting a shot from one of Carson's needles with the gene in it. He put it in my blood."
"Oh, okay."
"I'm telling you this because I want to know if you have it." he turned back to the door panel and dismantled it, taking a few minutes to play around with the crystals before putting the lid back on. "I've changed this so it'll only open to those with the gene. Wave your hand over it and see if it works."
Sheedra gained a determined look as she stood up on her toes and fleetingly waved her palm over the box a few times. Nothing happened, and her face fell. Rodney noted this and tried to look nonchalant. "Oh well. Worth a shot. Not many people have it, so don't feel bad. Maybe Carson'll give you the gene himself." he comforted her. As he did, a little, mean voice in the back of his head asked him why the hell did he care if she was upset. She was an annoyingly kid who'd follow him around and ask stupid questions.
For once, he didn't bother arguing with that cruel side of his mind. He didn't know why he was having patience. He just was. It didn't make sense and that wasn't something he admitted lightly.
He opened the door himself and walked into the makeshift closet. Rodney sorted through a few boxes, finding mostly military equipment. As he was wondering if her even had the right closet, one box held folded up clothing in it, mostly of the main Atlantis uniform. He looked discreetly at her, trying to choose which color scheme he should give her. The red and grey civilian outfit would compliment her the most... but for some reason he pulled out the blue, a copy of his own. He tucked the tan jacket, turquoise shirt, and khaki slacks under his arm, slamming the box shut and replacing it on one of the piles.
They continued down one of the corridors, entering one of the empty quarters. He looked around, dropping the bundle into her waiting arms. "You could change in here. I'll wait outside." he hastily said, ducking out of the room and letting it slid shut behind him.
He glanced a few feet away, eye landing on a bench seat like the others scattered around the city. He sighed in relief, dropping onto it and leaned back against the wall, his head resting against it tiredly. His train of thought 'derailed', wandering at high speeds from idea to idea.
So, she was about seven, eight-ish years old it seemed. She'd need schooling if she stayed on Atlantis, which was seeming likely. Did they bring any textbooks with them? No, that was probably foolishly left on Earth, like zat guns and a psychologist. So how would they go about teaching her? Well, Elizabeth was a speech writer before 'hitting it big' in delegations, so she'd be good at teaching English. Carson was a closet biologist, so Life Science would be his domain. Sheppard was military, so he could do a bit of History- actually no. Sheedra had an impressionable young mind and no way would McKay let her be turned into (the horror) an American. He'd have to teach her World History and obviously Physical Science. What if they went back to Earth? What then? The SGC had a bad habit of sticking refugee aliens with whatever family they could and forgetting about them. Couldn't have that happen.
His thoughts ended when the door hissed open and Sheedra poked her head out, a goofy smile on her lips. "Hello? I'm done." she said, making him jump. He looked at her in the new outfit and fought down his laughter. It was far too big, the sleeves of the jacket a good foot longer than her arms. She had the belt on the khaki's tightened so the slacks would fall, and the legs of it were also much longer than even her legs, which were obviously taller than usual. The blue shirt hung to her knees as well.
He beckoned her over, not trusting his own voice. She tried to walk, but stumbled halfway to him, watching as the floor rushed up to meet her.
She stopped, less than an inch from impact, suspended in mid-air. Sheedra could feel Rodney's arm wrapped down around her stomach and up to hold her shoulder. She squeaked in surprise, gripping his sleeve with both her hands. She heard a chuckle and then was lifted and deposited on the bench he had previously occupied. He moved back into view and she could tell he was fighting down a smile. "I guess we better help you out so you don't drown, eh?"
She was Definitely unlike other children, he noticed as she stood perfectly still as he rolled up her sleeves so she had a fair chance of being able to see her own hands. She was quiet, except for her habit of squeaking, he mused as he redid the belt tie correctly, but that didn't bug him much. He folded the excess of the shirt carefully under itself and did the same to the pant legs. Sheedra looked down at herself, beaming in appreciation. "This is warmer, sir." she commented drily, getting a snicker from Rodney.
"Call me Rodney."
Her eyes lit up. "Okay. Rodney."
He let himself grin back. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
---End of Turbulent Winds---
Author's Notes:
I feel like I'm about to collapse. This is sooooo late! Sigh. I'm sorry, but my History teacher felt like he should give me a huge project on Mythology, so I couldn't get any work done on this. Hence the lateness. Then, it took me a good three days to get this to the point I even considered it halfway good enough for the internet. I saved it to my floppy disk devoted to this story.
I came home the next day and sat down to finish up. The thing broke. It gave me an error saying the file could not be opened. I shrieked in horror. Very high-pitched. (That's where I got the idea of Sheedra's squeaking habit, BTW.) So I sobbed a bit pathetically for a day.
Decided I would not like this goddamned ten year old laptop beat me. I opened the file in everything. Nada. Until I gave up and tried Notepad. I hate Notepad. But it worked. Granted it took me a good three hours to sort through the random HTML stuff it had buried the story in, but I got it! Actually, I got only half the chapter, but hey, I got something to work with. So I've finished it up and am fairly happy with it.
Anyway, about this chapter: It's the last bit of Turbulent Winds. Now I'm working the kinks out of the next book's outline. It'll be called, if all goes well, Rough Waters. So we're doing waters, like my muse Erisinia suggested. Hope you'll read that one too.
And we get some dynamic between dear Sheedra and Rodney. He'll still be a little snarky to her, but he's more... well, gentle with her than he is with anyone else. He's overprotective. He knows she's his charge and he refuses to screw up and let her get hurt in any way. Make him a bit overzealous about it.
Spoilers for next book:
1- We'll meet the oft-mentioned Wind Clan.
2- That legend Sheedra told Sheppard will come back to bite them all in the ass, I promise.
3- More character focus on Rodney, Sheedra, Sheppard, Carson, and mor focus on the plot.
4- The Wraith get cranky.
5- A link between Atlantis and Earth becomes possible.
That's what you have to look forward to in Rough Waters.
An IMPORTANT question to anyone who reviews: How much of a part should Sheedra play later in the story? She's obviously not gonna "save the world" or whatever, cause that'd make her a Mary Sue. But do you guys find her annoying or do you not mind her? Maybe you even like her a bit? Please, please, please, let me know what you think.
Thanks a million for reading!
~Dr. Zephyr Tanaka
*is ded from overwork*
~Dr. Zephyr Tanaka
