Elizabeth sat going over the reports from the latest planets visited by her teams, every so often she took a sip of coffee as she concentrated on finishing this as fast as possible. A gentle knock on the door made Elizabeth look up from her work to find the youngest member of the expedition standing nervously in the doorway.
“Alisa,” Elizabeth greeted the teenager with a smile, “What can I do for you?”
The young woman slid into the office and took a seat for all of three seconds before jumping up to pace the room.
“Alisa,” Elizabeth stated softly, “As much as I enjoy your company, I do have a lot of work I need to do. So spit it out.”
“I’m leaving Atlantis to go to college,” Alisa declared before dropping back onto the seat across from her, “Dr Weir?” she asked when the woman didn’t say anything.
Elizabeth let out a long breath, “Of all the things you could have said, I will admit I didn’t expect that. Have you told your father yet?”
“No,” Alisa shrugged before confessing, “I’m working my way up to that.”
Elizabeth shook her head, “That’s probably not the best idea but it is your decision. I’m assuming you have something already sorted.”
“When I was on Earth after Carson...” Alisa swallowed and trailed off for a second, “JD and I talked about it, he then talked with General O’Neill who’s organised for me to go to the college of my choice, where my best friend is going and got JD in as well. I will have friends, I will have intellectual stimulation and I will have my bodyguard. My dad has nothing to worry about.”
Elizabeth smiled, “And yet you’ve still not told him.”
Alisa stood outside her father’s lab wringing her hands, she could do this. He’d be happy she was out of danger. She hoped.
Taking a deep breath Alisa walked into the lion’s den and grimaced to find it empty, “Oh come on. The one time I need you to be here and you disappear.”
With an annoyed huff she left the room and headed to the mess to see if maybe her father was there.
He wasn’t.
She couldn’t believe the one time she actually wanted to talk to him she couldn’t.
“Alisa, report to the conference room,” Chuck’s voice came over her radio.
Sighing annoyed Alisa hit her own radio, “I’m on my way,” Grabbing her jacket, Alisa headed out of her room wondering why she was wanted.
“Alisa,” Rodney greeted his daughter when she wandered into the room.
“Hi,” she smiled, looking around curiously as the entire team stood around with Elizabeth, “What’s up?”
“We’ve lost touch with Taranans,” Elizabeth told her, “Your father thought you might like to join them in going to see what happened to them.”
“Cool,” Alisa noted before grimacing, “Hold on, Norina – right?”
“You are correct,” Teyla smiled, remembering the teenagers dislike of the Taranan scientist.
Alisa shrugged, “I suppose I can handle her for a few hours. Great.”
“Then go get ready,” Elizabeth ordered them, “Alisa, a word please?”
As the team trooped out Alisa waited back, she turned to the expedition’s leader waiting.
“This will give you a chance to talk to your father,” Elizabeth told Alisa, “Do you know how you’re going to break the news to him yet?”
Alisa shook her head, “I have no idea. How do I bring it up?”
“From what I know of your father,” Elizabeth said with a smile, “Feed him first.”
*********************************************
“They’ve got a lot done in the short time they’ve been here,” Rodney noted as they walked towards the buildings.
“They are hard-working people,” Teyla noted, “I’ve made several trips to assist them in getting settled.”
“This is Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard from Atlantis calling anyone in the Taranan settlement,” John called over his radio, “Please respond.”
They waited for a few seconds but there was no reply and no sign of anything from the settlement. Alisa chewed on her lower lip worriedly beginning to think that she probably couldn’t have come with them on this mission.
John shrugged, “I thought I’d give it a shot. Alright, let’s go.”
They continued onwards and as they reached the village the team had their weapons drawn with Alisa in the middle.
“Anybody home?” John called as they entered one of the buildings cautiously.
“It looks like they abandoned the place,” Rodney noted, looking around keeping his daughter close to him.
Ronon shrugged, “Maybe they found somewhere better to live.”
“But they left everything behind,” Teyla said as she studied the room, “Why would they do that?”
“Let’s get these work stations powered up,” John told them, “Maybe we can figure out where these people went.”
Alisa moved to the computer as Rodney activated the life signs detector which started to beep straight away.
“I have something,” Rodney told them, “A single life sign.”
“Where is it?” Teyla asked first.
Rodney checked the detector aware of his daughter at his side, “It’s...ah...below us,” adjusting the sensor to show the vertical perspective, as Alisa gave a low whistle Rodney looked up at his team, “Quite a way below us.”
“You’re not kidding,” Alisa murmured.
“They built underground?” John asked.
Teyla shook her head, “No. One of the previous civilisations that lived here was similar to the Genii, living below the surface to avoid detection by the Wraith. They left behind several underground passages but the Taranans didn’t utilise them.”
“Yeah, well, someone is,” Rodney noted.
“How do we get there?” John asked, readying his weapon again before following Teyla as she led the way.
“We’re going into the sewer system?” Alisa asked her father as she was moved into the middle of the group again.
“Seems that way,” Rodney replied.
Alisa scratched her neck nervously, “Do you remember what happened the last time I was underground?”
Alisa slid down the rope, relieved when John caught her and moved her to one side so Ronon could come down too. Once he was sure they were all done John turned to his friend who was staring at the life signs detector.
“Rodney?”
Rodney pointed straight ahead, John started forward in the direction his friend had given knowing that the teenager they had with them would be placed in the centre of the group once more. Teyla found a door and curiously pulled it open to see what was inside.
“Wait,” she called, moving out of the way to allow Ronon to open the door wider.
“Woah,” Ronon gasped.
“Eww,” Alisa grimaced as she saw what seemed to be dark red skin with what appeared to be veins through it.
“What is that?” Ronon demanded.
Alisa shuddered, “Extremely gross.”
“Looks like a cocoon of some sort,” Teyla noted looking around to the rest of the team.
Ronon peered at it but stayed where he was, “What’s inside it?”
“Personally,” Alisa said, “I’m hoping a big, harmless butterfly. Who’s with me on that?”
John cautiously walked closer to the cocoon and shown his light at it revealing it had been ripped open and was now empty.
“Well,” he grimaced, “Whatever it was, it’s not inside anymore.”
Elizabeth contacted them as they continued further through the tunnels; they gave her the quick lowdown on what had happened. Despite the assurance that they were fine and could handle everything Elizabeth decided to send in a team of marines as back-up.
“It’s a hell of a complex down here,” John noted as they continued taking turns left and right following Rodney and his life signs detector.
“It’s like a maze,” Ronon noted.
“We’re closer,” Rodney told them as he followed the detector.
John glanced back at him, “How far?”
“Forty metres,” Rodney told them, “It’s stopped moving, so we’re gaining ground on it.”
“Alright, good,” John turned back to look at them, “Look, if it makes any sudden moves I want you to make sure that,” he stopped and frowned looking around, “Where’s Ronon?”
“He was here a minute ago,” Alisa told them, looking around nervously.
“Ronon?” John called.
“In here,” Ronon called to them.
They hurried back along the tunnel to see what Ronon had found, as they reached the door Ronon moved back and held Alisa back.
“You’re not seeing this,” he told the girl who nodded nervously.
“Oh my God!!” Rodney gasped in horror
“Taranans,” Teyla whispered with equal horror.
Rodney and John squatted down to look at the bodies more closely.
“Wounds on their neck,” John murmured, seeing each had a similar bloody injury, “All of them. Does this look familiar?”
“It looks disturbingly familiar,” Rodney breathed looking at his friend.
“You don’t think...” John trailed off with a grimace.
Rodney and John stared at each other in horror, John moved to talk to Ronon finding only Teyla and Alisa.
“Ronon?” John said annoyed before cursing.
“Ronon?” Teyla called.
“In here.” Ronon’s voice came from another room.
They headed to where he was Alisa preparing to wait outside again but Ronon motioned her in.
“You can see this?” Ronon told the teenager.
“That’s what you think,” Alisa muttered as the team walked into the room.
In the middle of the room a table sat with a large container on it. Suspended in a green liquid inside was a very familiar sight.
“Oh, no,” John groaned.
“Iratus bug,” Rodney said.
John winced, “I hate those things.”
“That explains why the wounds looked so familiar,” Rodney mused; he felt his daughter press against his side and rested his arm around her comfortingly.
“What is it doing here?” Teyla mused, “Iratus bugs are not indigenous to this planet.”
Ronon shrugged, “Somebody brought it here?”
“Let’s hope it’s the only bug they brought,” Rodney murmured, he could see Alisa practically attached to Ronon.
“So,” John spoke up, “Some kind of a Wraith experiment?”
Rodney rolled his eyes, “Well, I doubt the Taranans did this to themselves.”
“I do not sense any Wraith in this settlement,” Teyla assured them.
“Oh, our little friend is on the move,” Rodney said as he checked the life signs detector, “It’s headed right for us.”
“How fast?” John demanded, readying himself
“Very fast.”
*********************************************
Alisa gripped the gun tightly in her hands, still shaking from the creatures they’d encountered and the knowledge that Michael was the one behind them. After their first encounter with the reason she was never watching a horror movie ever again, Ronon had pressed a gun into her hands. Rodney hadn’t looked too pleased but said nothing, he knew she’d been receiving lessons along with every other member of the science team on how to defend themselves and as much as he disliked her needing to know how to use the weapon he wasn’t arguing against her having the protection just now.
As they ran towards the Stargate the life signs detector started to beep and Rodney skidded to a halt, “Wait!”
“What is it?” Teyla asked, catching Alisa’s arm as they skidded to a halt.
“Life signs up ahead,” Rodney told them.
“Colonel Sheppard?” Teyla asked hopefully, “Ronon?”
An inhuman roar sounded from all around them and Alisa winced, “Doesn’t sound like it.”
Rodney and Teyla readied their weapons, as the life signs detector started to beep faster.
Rodney checked it and winced, “Life signs behind us, too. It’s closing in fast. Oh boy!”
Teyla pulled Alisa so that they formed a triangle with their backs to one another; Alisa was shaking as she held the hand gun tightly with both hands.
“We’re surrounded,” Rodney called.
As the growling moved closer, Teyla suddenly dropped to the ground as she was hit by a wraith stunner.
“Teyla,” Alisa cried.
Rodney grabbed her arm, “No, stay focussed.”
Alisa nodded before crying out again as her father was struck leaving her alone. Continuing to look around Alisa saw Michael stalk towards her just before her vision was filled with blue light before it went black.
Alisa gasped panicked as she woke up.
“Hey,” John soothed, catching her, “You’re safe, you’re okay.”
“What happened?” Alisa breathed fearfully, “Where’s Dad?”
“He’s getting checked out by the doc,” John assured her, “Same with Teyla and Ronon. We’re all fine.”
“Good,” she closed her eyes relieved, “Good. How did we get out of there?”
John smirked, “We stole a Wraith dart and beamed you guys up.”
“Cool,” Alisa breathed, leaning back against the pillows, “I’m not going to miss days like this when I leave.”
“Miss what when you what?” John asked.
Alisa froze; she hadn’t meant anyone else to know before she told her father, looking up at John she saw curiosity in his eyes and gave him a weak smile.
“Alisa,” John said firmly, “What are you talking about?”
“You have to promise you won’t tell anyone,” Alisa told him, “Not until I’ve managed to tell my dad.”
“I promise,” John said softly.
“I’m going to college,” Alisa told him, “It’s all organised and I start next semester.”
“Wow,” John looked stunned, “You always said you would never want to leave.”
Alisa shrugged, “Things change, John. It had to happen at some point.”
Three days past and Alisa still hadn’t managed to tell her father her news. It didn’t help that John and Elizabeth kept prodded her to tell him. The thing was Alisa didn’t know how she was going to tell him but she also knew she couldn’t put it off any longer.
“Dad,” Alisa slid into his lab where he was sitting tapping away at his computer.
“Lissa,” he smiled at her motioning her over, “Good, I wanted to talk to you.”
“I wanted to talk to you,” she pulled a seat over.
Rodney squeezed her shoulder, “Well, Radek and I have been talking about turning a few projects over to you...”
“Dad!”
“I know you might feel a bit overwhelmed at first....”
“Dad!!”
Rodney was on a roll though, “Lissa, I think this will be good for you.”
“DAD!!!” Alisa yelled cutting him off, “Can you listen to me?”
Rodney looked at her confused, “What’s wrong, Lissa.”
Alisa took a deep breath now she had her father’s full attention, “Dad, I...I...”
“Spit it out, Lissa,” Rodney told her.
“I’m leaving Atlantis.”
Alisa von LE McMurray
Kapitel Bemerkung: Thanks to Stonedtoad for betaing.
The next chapter is with Toad right now so it will be up very soon. Once again, episode dialogue is from Gateworld.
Enjoy
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