Kindred

“Well as soon as I submit this you’ll be our newest civilian. I would like to formally welcome you to Atlantis, Amelia Calen. Our Chief Scientist is Dr. Rodney McKay and his second is Dr. Radek Zelenka. Given your circumstances do you have any questions?”

I knew the questions she really wanted, her own; her eyes are begging me to tell her what I know. They have some of the same rules and even stricter regulations; I can’t be held responsible for people breaking them. I offered her my sincerest smile.

“No ma’am.”

She smiled in return.

“Very well Ms. Calen. I’ll turn you over to Carson, he wanted a word with you; I trust you know your way to the infirmary?”

I nodded and she waved me off. I climbed to my feet and headed out of her office. I could feel that familiar buzz in the back of my mind; this city was speaking to me too. I took in the bodies moving about in the control room, Chuck, well he seemed to be in any Atlantis I’ve come across; I don’t think one would flow without him. I made my way down the corridors, each lighting up with dancing colors—I wonder if their McKay would freak out and say it’s wasting power. It isn’t though.

“Hey.”

I smiled up at the man who appeared next to me; he does that often, coming out of no where.

“Hello Specialist Dex.”

He smiled down at me and nodded a greeting.

“Where are you headed?”

“Are you avoiding Lieutenant-Colonel Sheppard or Teyla of Athos?”

He let out a deep laugh and shrugged—he was avoiding Teyla.

“If you must know I’m headed towards the infirmary, Dr. Beckett requires my presence. Are you going to accompany me? I think he means to question what he found out with my blood work.”

“Sure.”

We continued onward, falling into our habit of speaking to each other of anything and everything. We finally made our way to the infirmary; we could hear loud voices coming from Dr. Beckett’s office. I knew that voice, actually I think everyone could identify that voice. Dex walked forward, knocking rather loudly on the doors. They slid open seconds later, a sheepish looking Dr. Beckett stood next to a red faced Dr. McKay. The latter’s eyes went directly to me, staring at me, trying to figure me out. I knew he had questions, questions Elizabeth Weir would never permit answered—at least now without my permission. Even then she would tell them it wasn’t her place to tell.

“Ah, Amelia love, do come in, Rodney was leaving.”

McKay spluttered and tore his gaze from me, forcing it on Dr. Beckett.

“Carson you’re hiding something and it involves her”—his hand waved in my direction—“I will find out what it is.”

“Dr. McKay, I know the moment you find out the answers to your unasked questions you will wish you remained ignorant of what I am hiding. I am alien to this entire universe, let it remain so. I had parents, parents who loved me relentlessly; in fact it was my father’s love that sent me here. If I could find a way back, I would have done so days ago. However, I know that I would return to nothing but destruction, and to go back would have made my father’s sacrifice done so in vain. I will not do that to him.”

He moved to speak and I held up my hand. His eyes locked onto my own, narrowing.

“I am not finished speaking. If you require the truth then so be it, but you will come to me for answers, and since you seem to have trouble being in my presence I find that what you so desperately seek will remain lost to you.”

His mouth gaped; I hadn’t meant to sound so cruel, especially to him.

“Rodney, I think it best that you go along now.”

He left without a word. Turned on his heel and left; Dr. Beckett’s shoulders slumped a little as he sat back down in his chair. I stepped further into the room, Dex following close behind. I noticed Dr. Beckett give an odd look in his direction.

“He knows everything actually.”

He nodded, a small smile flashing across his face.

“Very well then; so Amelia, I’m sure you know why I’ve asked you here.”

I grinned.

“You realized exactly whose genes I possess.”

“Aye, and while I find it odd, I can’t find it unbelievable. You truly do not wish to tell?”

I felt a hand on my shoulder, roughly pushing me sideways. I stumbled from the rough shove, catching myself on a crate—there are no crates in lab 5. I glanced around, I didn’t recognize anything. I took a moment to gather my wits, the flash-drive was still tightly clutched in my left hand, I had my knife in my thigh holster—no gun. The room I was in was spacious, cavernous even. I glanced around, from what I could tell it was storage of some sort. I turned around and found myself staring at, well myself. Or rather my reflection, but behind it I could still see the grim faces of McKay and Zelenka.

I noticed Ronon step into their space, he mouthed something I couldn’t make out and the Doctors stepped aside. He had a stool in his hands, he looked directly at me—I was still frozen in place, I couldn’t move—then swung the stool in front of him. As their image began to shatter and flutter in pieces I realized what they had just done. I reached towards the mirror in front of me, touching only solidity. The tears I was forced to hold in, I could no longer keep from falling.

Despite the wetness on my cheeks I steeled myself, I was told to find a Jack O’Neil or a Sam Carter. I knew I would be looking for people I would not recognize. I searched the room for a door, finding one I headed towards it. I glanced up as I reached for the handle, a camera, someone would notice my presence and come searching for me. The hallway outside of the room let me know that whoever finds me wouldn’t know to determine if I was friendly or not.

I had the inkling to head to my right, so I did. I turned corner after corner, finding a staircase I took them up. Two flights up I exited the stairwell and found myself in another long stretch of corridor. I heard yelling coming from one of the rooms, a door was left open just a jar and I peeked in. A woman with blonde hair was arguing with a short, semi-stocky, balding man with glasses. I wiped my face and squared my shoulders and knocked on the door. Their voices faltered before quieting and footsteps rushed to the door.

“Daniel, I swear, how many ti—you’re not Daniel.”

She had on an Air Force uniform, I glanced at her nametag—Carter. Perhaps she was Sam’s wife.

“No ma’am. I am looking for a Jack O’Neil or a Sam Carter.”

The man behind her laughed and she gave me a flat stare. Then her eyes widened after a few moments of starting at me—almost as if she recognized me, that’s impossible.

“I’m Sam, Samantha Carter, what can I do for you?”

I raised my eyebrow—Sam was a woman here? That’s beside the point right now. I stretched out the hand with the flash-drive and she took it.

“This explains everything. I’m not sure what’s on it, but Dr. McKay was precise in making sure that O’Neil or Carter were the ones to see what’s on it.”

She glanced at me while she moved away, placing the drive into one of the many computers on the tables around the room.

“You know Rodney McKay? I’m sorry, I just came back from Atlantis a month or so ago and you don’t seem familiar at all.”

A voice I will never hear again broke through the tiny speakers. We all turned to the computer screen and there was McKay, uniform pristine, no wrinkles, not a hair out of place and he looked unnerved as he stared just a little to the left of the camera.

“I hope that the person or persons watching this are O’Neil and or Carter. You’ve come across Amelia Calen Sh—she is a member of the Atlantis mission. She is not from the one you currently hold, she is from an alternate universe or reality, whichever term you prefer. This should not be hard for you all to comprehend. Our Atlantis is strictly a military based operation, no civilians were permitted travel. She should be sent to your Atlantis and placed under your Rodney McKay’s direction.”