jadesfire: Bright yellow flower (Happy - Teyla/Shep fun)
jadesfire ([personal profile] jadesfire) wrote2008-09-19 08:01 pm
Entry tags:

Artword fic: Subject to Interpretation

This is my under-the-wire entry for [livejournal.com profile] artword challenge 013: Dual.



Title: Subject to Interpretation
Author: [livejournal.com profile] jadesfire2808
Artist: [livejournal.com profile] danceswithgary
Challenge: 013: Dual
Word Count: ~10,900
Spoilers: Set directly after 'Missing', but before 'The Seer'.
Rating/Warnings: PG/None
Notes: The story is in multiple parts since a)it got a little longer than I'd intended and b)the pictures tell big parts of the story, so this way, no one accidentally spoils themselves. The last sentence of each part is a hyperlink to the next.

Huge thanks to [livejournal.com profile] crystalshard, [livejournal.com profile] donutsweeper, [livejournal.com profile] rustydog and especially [livejournal.com profile] miss_zedem for beta-assistance.

I can't thank [livejournal.com profile] danceswithgary enough, not only for the incredible artwork, but her enormous patience with this hopelessly blocked writer. The pictures were a huge inspiration to keep going when the words wouldn't come.

Summary: Teyla had long since abandoned the idea that she might be able to understand the motivations of the Ancestors. All she could do was accept and hope that something could be made of what they had left behind.

Sample art:

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There was nothing left outside the city. The world was barren, all swirling sand over hard rock, the heat and wind creating endless cycles of movement. Above them, twin suns shone through the open window brightly enough to make Teyla squint, and she turned away, blinking to clear her vision.

Behind her, Rodney was still typing away on his laptop, while the rest of the science team were intent on their consoles. By the door, John was giving instructions to the small team of marines they'd brought with them while Ronon leaned against the wall, idly twirling his gun as he listened. He glanced over, catching Teyla's eye and giving her a curious look. She shrugged. There wasn't exactly much she could do either, and she felt some of Ronon's restlessness.

John finished with his orders, nodding the marines off before turning to Teyla.

"You alright to stay here for a bit?"

"I told you," Rodney said, without looking up, "I have scanned this city twelve ways from Sunday and there's nothing here. What's going to attack us? Terrifying dust bunnies? Vicious grains of sand?"

"Just because the scanners can't find anything dangerous, doesn't mean it's not out there." John checked his gun. Again. "And I kind of get the feeling that Colonel Carter would rather I erred on the side of caution. We're going to be here a couple days. Let's be sure it's only us here, shall we?"

"Really, Colonel, we will be fine." Looking up from her work, Ester Almunia, one of the computing team, gave him a slight smile. "I'm sure Teyla could be doing something more useful than watching us type."

"Even so." Ignoring the nods of agreement from the rest of the scientists, John kept his eyes on Teyla. "Radio check every fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Yes, John." Trying not to smile too much, Teyla nodded. "I am sure everything will be fine."

"Yeah. Well. Just make sure they don't break anything." John nodded back, letting Rodney's sarcastic look pass right through him as usual.

Ronon pushed off the wall as John passed, also giving Teyla a nod. "Have fun," he said, before disappearing through the door.

Sighing just a little, Teyla turned to Rodney, who was already absorbed in his work again. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

He gave her a distracted glance. "Er. What? Oh. Sorry." Blinking a little, he shook his head. "Not right now. Unless you know how to decrypt an Ancient database that's been locked up tighter than Fort Knox." Seeing her blank expression, he added, "It's an Earth thing. Really...secure..." His fingers were twitching, his mind obviously already absorbed in his lines of code again, the strings of letters and numbers that meant nothing to Teyla.

On the other side of the room, Ester Almunia looked up. "Actually, you could help me, I think." She pushed her hair off her forehead, blinking in surprise as it fell back into her eyes. Teyla had seen her make the same gesture a hundred times before, always the annoyed little frown and always the air of slight surprise that it hadn't worked. She might have only been on Atlantis for a few months, but she already seemed to have adopted the slightly distracted air that Teyla associated with all the computer programmers, as well as teaching what Rodney insisted on calling 'Computing for Dummies'. For all his scorn, Teyla had found it useful and Ester to be an intelligent, if somewhat distant teacher.

"What do you need?" Rodney asked, before Teyla could even open her mouth, and he had at least the grace to look a little chagrined when she shot him a sidelong look. "I mean, what are you working on?"

"I think some portions of this match the database we have in Atlantis, but everything is so badly connected that the only place I can plug my tablet in is here, while the only place I can get the display up is over there." She gestured to the other side of the room, then ignored Rodney to look at Teyla. "If you read the first lines out to me, I can start comparing them."

"Fine," Rodney said, and this time Teyla closed her mouth with an audible snap and glared at him until he gave a nervous cough. "Sorry."

"I will be happy to help," she said with pointed calm, unclipping her rifle and laying it on one of the storage boxes. "Although my knowledge of the Ancestral language is somewhat limited."

"As long as you can read the letters, that's all the help I need. Most of it's still encoded anyway." Ester smiled as Teyla went over to join her, rolling her eyes a little as Rodney put in,

"Just you ladies try to keep it down, if that's not too much to ask. The rest of us are trying to work as well." He'd already turned back to his laptop, and Teyla let herself return Ester's slightly exasperated smile.

"Please," she said, gesturing to the console. "Show me what you need me to do."




They broke after an hour or so, Ester heating some water on the small stove, and Rodney producing some coffee from the bottom of his backpack.

"Real coffee," he said, passing it over. "If we're going to be here over-night, we're going to need actual caffeine, not that godawful instant stuff."

"Thanks, Doctor McKay."

Teyla watched them brewing the coffee, reminded of the tea ceremonies of her own people, so much more complex and no less ingrained than the steps Ester and Rodney were following. She settled herself back against the wall, savoring the familiar smell in the unfamiliar city. This place had unsettled and excited her in equal proportions since they'd arrived, so similar to Atlantis, and yet so different. She closed here eyes, seeing again the ruined towers and broken buildings. It was terrible to think that anywhere like Atlantis could have suffered this fate, abandoned and ruined, although according to Rodney, the Ancestors had deliberately left this city out here. As for why, well. Teyla had long since abandoned the idea that she might be able to understand the motivations of the Ancestors. All she could do was accept and hope that something could be made of what they had left behind.

"Here."

Teyla jumped a little as Ester handed her a mug of steaming coffee, sitting on the crate next to her and taking a long mouthful of her own drink. The rest of the science team already seemed to have dispersed and the room was filling with the scent.

"Thank you." It was strong and bitter, the way Rodney liked it and Teyla had become accustomed to.

"Doctor McKay makes stronger coffee than my mother," Ester said, pulling a face, and making Teyla smile.

"Even Doctor Zelenka has complained of it, I believe," she said, taking another cautious sip. "We do not have anything that tastes like this among my people, so it is hard for me to make comparisons."

"Every country on Earth makes coffee differently, and every family has their own way of doing it." Shifting a little, Ester wrapped her hands around her cup. "Get Evrim in linguistics to make you some Turkish coffee sometime. It's nothing like this. My mother's Spanish and makes it pretty much like Doctor McKay then adds four sugars."

"My mother," Teyla began, then broke off as the words stuck in her throat. Jennifer had warned her to expect mood changes, but the reality of it was so frustrating. She swallowed a little, then took a sip of coffee to compose herself. "My mother used to make tea from Hardlewood bark. It smelled like rotting vegetables and my father would only let her make it outside." It was strange, sharing such a personal memory with this woman she hardly knew, but Ester's eyes were gentle and understanding, so different to her usual distraction.

She smiled gently. "Did it taste good?"

"No." The word came out choked, but Teyla managed to smile back. "It was foul, but it cured children's sicknesses faster than any other remedy. Mostly, I suspect, so that she would stop making them drink it." She gave a silent huff of laughter, reaching up to brush at her eyes. For all that she thought of her parents every day, it had been a long time since the grief had come back to her this strongly.

To her surprise, Ester reached over and gently gripped one of her hands. "Maybe you could make it in Atlantis one day."

"Oh yes, that sounds perfect." Rodney had wandered back over, ostensibly to refill his cup, and although his words were cutting, he was looking at Teyla with something that approached gentleness. For Rodney. "We really want the mess hall to smell of decaying vegetable matter."

"There's plenty of open space in Atlantis," Ester shot back, glaring at him as her hand on Teyla's tightened.

While Rodney could still exasperate her like no one else, Teyla had long since passed the point where he could offend her, and she squeezed back gently in reassurance to Ester, understanding Rodney's words for what they were.

"I will collect some bark when I next see a Hardlewood tree," she said. "You may find that it contains even more of your caffeine than coffee does. It certainly helped the sick to get out of bed quickly."

"Probably to get away from the smell." Rodney tilted his head a little. "You know, if you give me a description, I could see if the Ancient database has the location of any planets where it grows. If you want." He looked awkward and uncomfortable, moving his cup back and forth as he spoke and spilling a little coffee on his fingers.

Teyla managed to smile rather than release the emotion that was blocking her throat, and she forced herself to take a deep breath before nodding slightly. "Thank you, Rodney. I would like that very much."

He cleared his throat. "Yes. Well. Can't stand around here gossiping all day. Some of us are doing potentially life-changing work here, you know." He seemed to suddenly become aware of the coffee on his fingers, making a great show of trying to get them clean as he returned to his laptop.

Ester had released her hand at some point, and she was looking at Teyla, half-curious, half-sympathetic. "I was sorry to hear what happened to your people," she said softly.

"I do not yet know what happened to them." Teyla was still watching Rodney, the awkward angle of his shoulders as he tried to type and drink coffee at the same time. "But I will find out."

"Of course."

Receiving sympathy from those she hardly knew had become commonplace over the last few days, and Teyla had learned to take it graciously, however much it hurt. Still, there was a moment of awkward silence before Ester spoke, her tone artificially bright.

"I guess we should get back to work."

"I suppose so." Teyla put her mug on the crate next to the cooling pot, and was just getting to her feet when her radio beeped.

"Teyla? It's Sheppard."

She touched a hand to her radio. "Yes, Colonel."

"I need you and Rodney to come down here. We found something."

Rodney had looked up from his computer, expression tense. Frowning, Teyla held his eye as she said, "Very well. Where are you?"

"We're in what's left of the next tower, third level."

"Got it." Rodney clicked his radio off, his eyes clouded and thoughtful. "Anyone else in here armed?"

The question made the other look up, glancing nervously at each other.

"I have a side arm," Ester said, fumbling in her bag for it.

"Me too." One of the linguists, a blond man barely taller than Teyla lifted his hand.

"Well, you two just became the official first, and last, line of defense." As usual, Rodney was making no attempt to be comforting, and Teyla tried to give the two nervous-looking scientists a reassuring look.

"Lock the door once we have left," she said. "And radio us if there are any problems." Rodney was already at the door, and Teyla had to hurry to catch him up. She glanced over her shoulder as they left, nodding to Ester, who had laid her gun on the console in front of her and was looking decidedly uncomfortable. Teyla hadn't really thought that there was any kind of threat in this dead city, unless it was still inhabited by the spirits of the Ancestors somehow, but from the tension in John's voice she was starting to revise that opinion and wonder if leaving the others alone was a wise decision after all.

There was no time to dwell on it, though, as she and Rodney half-ran through the corridors, slipping on sand and breathing the stale, hot air. It wasn't a long distance, but Teyla was perspiring heavily by the time they got there, and Rodney was red-faced and panting.

"If they were going to find something mysterious," he grumbled, "why couldn't they have done it on the same floor as us? It's probably nothing anyway."

"I do not believe the Colonel would have had us leave the others if it was nothing," Teyla said carefully.

"Oh, that's reassuring."

John and Ronon were waiting for them outside a set of closed doors, both of them tense and alert. Ronon spun towards them as they rounded the corner, his gun half-raised before he saw who it was.

"Geez," Rodney skidded to a stop on the sand-strewn floor, raising his hands as though surrendering. "Don't shoot the cavalry."

Teyla was watching John, who was still gripping his P90 as though he was going to have to use it, and looking at her intently. The steadiness of his gaze unsettled her.

"John?" she asked cautiously, slowing as she tried to get her breath back. "What has happened?"

Instead of answering the question, he pressed his lips together, then said, "Are you sensing anything now?" The words were clipped, abrupt, and it took Teyla a moment to realize what he was asking.

"Wraith?" When the only answer she got was a continuation of that steady gaze, she looked away, trying to focus her senses. "No," she said after a moment. "There is nothing."

"You're sure?" he pressed, and Teyla frowned. John did not usually doubt her word. Something had disturbed him. Something serious. But there was no need for him to take his discomfort out on her.

"There is nothing," she repeated, more firmly this time.

"Sheppard?" Rodney sounded irritated and impatient. "If you dragged us all the way over here to ask us things you could have used the radio for..."

"I thought you should see this." John's voice was quiet and tight, and he held Teyla's eyes for a moment longer before waving his hand over the door control next to him.

At first glance, the room beyond didn't look any different to all the other rooms they'd checked. A wave of stale air washed over them as they peered into the darkness, the dryness catching in Teyla's throat. Nothing happened as John crossed over the threshold, and that was unusual. Once they'd connected the Naquadah generator, lights had come on for him here just as they did in Atlantis. Still unable to see much beyond the doorway, Teyla flicked on the light of her gun and stepped inside.

She blinked as the room lit up, just to a gentle glow, but still bright enough to see by. And she understood why John had wanted them to come down here.

[identity profile] 2bluaeryn.livejournal.com 2008-09-20 10:54 pm (UTC)(link)
You will be continuing this,right? Very interesting so far.

[identity profile] jadesfire2808.livejournal.com 2008-09-21 07:12 am (UTC)(link)
It is continued! If you click the last sentence, it's a hyperlink to the next part, and so on. There are four parts altogether.

Thanks - really glad you're enjoying it!

[identity profile] 2bluaeryn.livejournal.com 2008-09-20 10:54 pm (UTC)(link)
You will be continuing this,right? Very interesting so far.

[identity profile] jadesfire2808.livejournal.com 2008-09-21 07:12 am (UTC)(link)
It is continued! If you click the last sentence, it's a hyperlink to the next part, and so on. There are four parts altogether.

Thanks - really glad you're enjoying it!