“Okay,” Ford lifted the kid, Casta up and put him down a few feet away from Rodney who was still glaring at the kids, “Okay? Okay?” he nodded to the kids before turning back to Rodney, “You got a real gift with kids. You do birthday parties? How the hell did you manage to raise Alisa into a real person?”
“Look, I have a purpose here,” Rodney snapped, “You deal with them,” he stalked away, shoving his way through the two kids, “Excuse me. Thank you.”
Ford rolled his eyes as he led the kids away from Rodney and bribed them with chocolate.
Rodney stood working, frowning at Ford’s question. How the hell had he managed to raise Alisa into a real person? He mused over this as he examined the device. He didn’t remember Alisa ever being that annoying, yes she asked a lot of questions, yes she always demanded answers from him but she had never annoyed him like the brats Ford was loading up on sugar.
Alisa had changed in the few months they’d been here. She had lost a lot of weight for one thing; it showed mostly on her face, making her resemble his wife more and more with each passing day. He discovered a few days ago she went running every morning with Ford, which he had to say surprised him. Alisa had never, under any circumstances, liked exercise; she was like him in that respect, very laid back and lethargic when it came to exerting herself but she went running every morning.
“So what are you doing?”
Rodney glanced round to where his daughter had jumped up onto the table and was swinging her legs.
“Aren’t you meant to be helping, Radek?” he asked, tapping her shoulder so she moved off the table.
Alisa shrugged, “He told me to take a break. Apparently it’s not healthy to work so long at my age.”
Rodney laughed softly at the roll of her eyes, “So shouldn’t you be relaxing?”
“I am,” Alisa leaned over and looked at the ZPM, “I’m here to see you and see what you’re up to.”
Rodney glanced round at her before turning back to the ZPM; “I’m seeing how much power is left in this thing.”
Alisa nodded pulling over a seat and settled down to watch him work, listening intently as he explained everything he was doing.
*********************************************
Rodney wasn't sure he was happy about having Alisa along on this visit back to M7G-677 but they had the shield protecting all the villages. She was excited about being off-world for the first time and since this was definitely safe, Rodney wasn’t too worried.
As they entered the village, Keras appeared and smiled at them, “Welcome back.”
“Just thought we’d pop in and see how you were doing,” John replied, “How’s the arm?”
“It is fine, Major,” the young man told him.
“Good,” John grinned, he rested his hand on the leader’s shoulder, “So what’s been happening?”
Rodney ignored John as he continued speaking to Keras instead he glanced over to where Alisa was standing with Ford; a crowd of teenagers were surrounding her, making Rodney frown. The boys were all a bit too interested in her but before he could open his mouth, Ford rested his hand on Alisa’s shoulder; the look he gave them warning them to back off.
A tugging on his pants leg made Rodney look down and he grimaced to find Cleya standing there, looking up at him with a hopeful smile.
“What?” Rodney demanded.
The girl rolled her eyes at him, spreading open her hands waiting.
“What?” he demanded again before he realised what she wanted, “I don’t have any chocolate.”
Cleya pouted, “Who has it?”
“How should I know,” Rodney waved her away, “Go away.”
The pout deepened and he saw tears well up in her eyes, making him sigh, “Stop it.”
Cleya started to sniff.
“I don’t have any chocolate,” he cried annoyed, wishing someone would come and get the brat away from him.
“Here,” a bar was pressed into his hand; Rodney looked round, smiling to find Alisa standing there.
She crouched in front of the little girl, “Hey, what’s up?”
“He’s mean,” Cleya pointed to Rodney before sticking her tongue out at him.
Alisa laughed, glancing up at her father who was frowning, “He can be,” she agreed, wiping the girl’s tears from her cheeks, “But he can also be really nice sometimes.”
Rodney rolled his eyes at his daughter when she looked up at him before he crouched down beside her in front of Cleya.
“Here,” he handed her the chocolate bar which she took, skipping away to rejoin her friends.
They stood up together looking at where the girl had gone before Alisa turned to him and gave him a smile.
“You’re a brat,” he told her. “You know that don’t you?”
Alisa leaned into him, “I learned from the best.”
“Yeah, your grandmother,” Rodney wrapped his arm around his daughter’s shoulder and kissed the top of her head, “By the way, if I catch any of those boys near you…”
“Don’t you trust me?” Alisa asked him with a small pout of her own.
Rodney frowned at her, “I don’t trust them.”
*********************************************
John watched as Rodney glared at any teenage boy who came within ten feet of his daughter. Alisa was having a great time, being on another planet as well as spending time with people her own age. Rodney didn’t need to worry anyway; Alisa had her own personal bodyguard in the form of Ford who had become the teenager’s shadow since they stepped out of the Jumper on Elizabeth’s orders.
“Come on so you can look at this thing,” John tapped Rodney’s shoulder, stopping him from calling his daughter over, “Let her stay and have some fun. Ford’s watching over her.”
Rodney grimaced before nodding, “Fine, let’s go.”
John signalled Ford they were heading back to the ruins, the young Lieutenant nodded back quickly as John steered their antsy astrophysicist towards the ruins so he could do a few tests.
Alisa glanced up from the group of girls she was talking with to see her father and John walking away. With a quick look over at Ford, she returned to her conversation. One of the girls, Hinta touched her arm.
“Come and we’ll show you the river,” she said, “There’s lots of flowers.”
Alisa shrugged, “Sure.”
The group of girls walked with her chattering away. Alisa was amused that the main topic of conversation was the ‘full-growns’.
“The one called McKay is mean,” one of the younger girls said, “Cleya told me.”
Alisa gave a soft laugh, “He’s not that mean.”
“Really?” disbelief covered the girls face.
“Yes, really,” Alisa replied, “In fact all of the…‘full-growns’ are nice people,” she stopped and smiled, looking around at the menagerie of flowers covering the river bank.
Alisa had been raised in a city; the closest she normally got to nature was the park near her school, so she moved away from the chatter which was slowing beginning to annoy her and towards the trees. Closing her eyes; she took a deep breath of the sweet scent, stepping towards it before screaming when the ground disappeared below her and she fell.
Alisa cradled her right wrist close to her as sharp pain shot up her arm; she shook her head, trying to get rid of the foggy feeling in her head. She seemed to be in some sort of underground cavern but she could barely see anything other than the circle of light that was streaming in from the hole she’d fallen through.
“Dad’s going to be mad,” she groaned to herself as she managed to pull herself to her feet. She shuddered as she saw a spider, the size of her best friend’s hamster, scuttle away.
“Alisa?” Ford’s voice filled her ears.
“Aiden, I’m down here,” she cried back, looking up to see him leaning over looking in, “Wherever here is.”
“I’m going to go get the Major and your Dad,” he yelled down, “Don’t move.”
“No chance of that,” she moaned, wincing as she jarred her wrist again.
It was about half an hour later when she could hear her father’s voice from nearby and he didn’t sound happy.
“Lissa?” he yelled down.
“I’m okay,” she called back, “Mostly. I may need to sleep with the light on for the rest of my life though.”
“Are you hurt?” Rodney called.
Alisa winced, “I’ve hurt my wrist.”
“Alisa,” John took over, “The ground around where you fell is kinda unstable. We’re going to have to get some equipment to get you out.”
“Okay,” Alisa grimaced at how weak and pathetic she sounded.
“Do you want anything?” Rodney called down to her.
“A flashlight would be nice,” Alisa replied.
“Stand back,” John called before tossing in his flashlight, Alisa grabbed it and flicked it on feeling a little better with a source of light. She stood in the circle of light and slowly moved around the cavern; the beam fell across what looked to be a leg, so Alisa moved the light up and screamed at the sight before her.
“Lissa?” Rodney yelled, worry filling his voice.
“It’s alright,” she hurriedly assured him, her voice still shaking, “It’s dead. I’m not going to sleep for the next hundred years but its dead.”
“What is?” her father yelled.
“A Wraith,” she squeaked.
“Just a few more minutes, Lissa,” Rodney soothed, “Just a few more minutes.”
Alisa nodded, even though he couldn’t see her; making sure she kept herself in the circle of light. She bounced nervously on the balls of her feet, the beam from the flashlight bouncing up and down as well. Suddenly it hit something and Alisa stopped, staring as she moved closer to the small cylindrical object.
“Dad,” she called up as she examined it, “I’ve found something.”
“Something?”
“I think it’s an Ancient device,” she called back; “You might want to have a look at it.”
“Once you’re up then I’ll investigate whatever you’ve found,” Rodney told her, “Now get back where I can see you.”
John finally arrived back with the gear to get Alisa back up. Once they’d set everything up, he stopped Rodney.
“I’ll go down and get her,” John told him.
Rodney frowned, “This is my daughter.”
“And I’ve had experience of doing this sort of rescue,” John replied, “Have you?”
Rodney frowned at him again but moved over to the entrance again.
“Lissa,” he called, “Major Sheppard is coming down to get you. Stay back, okay?”
“Okay, Dad,” she replied, sounding calmer than he was.
John made sure he was secure before he started slowly down the rope and into the cave beneath them. As he made it to the ground, he grabbed Alisa into a quick hug.
“You okay?” he asked, checking her quickly.
Alisa nodded, giving him a watery smile, “My wrist is really sore.”
John gently touched her arm, wincing at how swollen it was, “We’ll get you back to Carson.”
“Dad’ll want to see what I found,” Alisa reminded the Major.
“We can come back,” John reminded her as he fixed the harness around her, “Okay, hold onto me and we’ll be up in no time.”
Alisa nodded and keeping her hurt arm close to her chest, she held onto John, closing her eyes tightly as they ascended; she’d never been big on heights since she’d been seven and she really didn’t feel like throwing up over the man who was rescuing her.
“Lissa,” her father’s relieved voice sounded just before she felt two hands grab her and she opened her eyes to see him, “I’ve got you.”
Alisa felt her father hold onto her tightly and after he checked her just as John had Rodney started them to the Jumper. Alisa tried to say goodbye to the other kids she’d been talking to but Rodney kept her moving.
*********************************************
Carson met them as soon as the hatch to the Jumper opened, John had been watching Rodney mother-hen his daughter and wandered out behind them; waiting until Carson motioned for him to get the overbearing father away from the patient.
“So,” Carson said, once he’d x-rayed the arm, “This looks pretty nasty.”
Alisa nodded, “Hurts pretty bad too.”
“Well, it’s just a very bad sprain,” he told her.
“It didn’t feel broken,” Alisa replied, wincing as he moved it slightly.
“And you know how that feels because?” Carson asked, crossing his arms and looking interested.
“I was seven when I broke this arm,” Alisa waved her left arm; “I fell out of a tree.”
Carson shook his head, trying not to laugh, “Okay, you tell me the story while I wrap this.”
The teenager nodded, “I was seven and I’d made a wind generator for my school science project, Dad said it was very advanced for my age and I was dying to test it out. Except it was a really hot day and there was no wind. I looked up and I could see the wind moving through the tree in our back garden. Except it was a bird but I’ll get to that,” she winced as Carson wrapped the bandage tightly round her wrist, “So in my logical seven year old brain, I climbed the tree so I could test it. Unfortunately I got to the top, the bird flapped at me scaring me. I let go and I fell.”
Carson laughed suddenly, “I take it your dad went crazy.”
“He was pretty upset,” Alisa shrugged, “I spent six weeks with a cast on my arm and six months being watched like a hawk.”
Carson laughed again, “And I’m pretty sure that will happen again. There you go,” he finished wrapping her arm and fixed it in a sling, “You’ll have to wear that for a few days and take the painkillers. I’ve given you something already which might make you a little drowsy.”
Alisa nodded, “Thanks, Carson.”
“And enjoy being wrapped in cotton wool for the next few months,” he told her as he left to let Rodney know he was allowed in.
Alisa looked over as Rodney entered the room.
“Hi,” she smiled, hoping to avoid getting yelled at.
Rodney sat beside her, “At least you didn’t break anything this time, especially a prize project.”
She smiled slightly, leaning into her father’s side sighing tiredly.
“It’s just typical you finally let me out of the city and this happens,” she glanced up at him.
Rodney frowned down at her, “I was sure I told you not to go wandering.”
“They were showing me some things,” Alisa sighed tiredly, “I was looking round at the trees when suddenly…”
“You were under the ground,” Rodney finished for her.
“Uh hu,” she yawned, curling closer to him as the painkillers Carson had given her kicked in, “I’m s’rry daddy,”
Rodney stood up and moved her so she was laying down, “It’s okay, Lissa,” he covered her with a blanket, gently kissing her forehead as she fell asleep.
He stood watching her for several minutes, smiling to himself. That was how he’d raised her into a normal person because she questioned and badgered him and made him talk to her.
Because with her, he was a real person.
“Hey,” John arrived and Rodney turned.
“You wake her,” Rodney warned in a harsh whisper, “And you have no hot water for a month.”
“Just wanted to see she’s okay,” John whispered, “And I see she is.”
Rodney grinned, “Yeah.”
“Come on,” John grabbed his shoulder, “They still have some hot food in the mess. And I want something to eat.”
Rodney nodded; he took one more look at his little girl and smiled before following his friend.
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