Aberrant: StarGate Atlantis - Empty Rooms

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

The doors swished open with silent efficiency, not even dust to mark the thousands of years since they'd last performed their duty of ingress and egress. The rooms beyond it would have been opulent by the standards of the city's new inhabitants; indeed they were large and elegant, creating a welcoming space for those that might wander through. Inoae wandered there now, but she felt only the echoing emptiness of the space and wondered why she was here. Hadn't she been somewhere else just a moment ago? There'd been a man, one who had told her his name several times now, but he'd left so she had left too. And now she was here.

She walked slowly through the first few rooms; they were large and she stayed close to the walls as if she might get lost in the center. Off of the larger rooms were smaller areas with large raised areas covered in a soft, shiny cloth. They made her smile and she didn't know why, but she liked the feel of the cloth. There was another room off of the largest room with the raised, cloth-covered section; it wasn't as big as the first rooms, but it had a balcony that looked out on the ocean and standing in the sunlight from the windows along that wall made her feel almost safe. She didn't know if she was allowed to be here or who would come for her and take her back the dim, cold world she'd always lived in, but some part of her decided that this patch of sunlight in empty rooms was worth whatever punishment might come later. For the first time since she'd been brought back to Atlantis, Inoae smiled.

15 minutes ago in the mess hall....

"Well, good to see you've got your appetite back; Lt. Kenning said you barely ate yesterday." Ford grinned at his charge and scooped up her tray with his own. "How about some dessert? I'll grab us both something, I think they have chocolate cake out today."

He'd given up trying to parrot his way through Ancient after she she'd cringed away from a simple question about any siblings she had....at least, that's what he'd meant to ask. He still wasn't sure what he'd gotten wrong, but the girl still jumped if he made any sudden moves around her. She seemed to get English well enough for simple directions; this time she just blinked at him and waited. He was pretty sure that meant she had no clue what he'd just said. Well, everyone likes chocolate cake. Maybe I'll actually get a smile out of her...the stare is getting a bit creepy.

So armed with good intentions, the Lt. bussed their trays and snagged the two largest pieces of cake and forks.....and nearly dropped it all when he turned back to find an empty seat waiting for him. A quick survey of the room revealed a dozen Expedition personnel and no pretty blonde, slightly crazy, Lantean. Cussing under his breath, he radioed in to Captain Bates, "Captain, this is Lt. Ford....The Lantean girl is missing."

"What?" Damn, that man could freeze fire if he put his mind to it.

"Uh, the Lantean girl. We were in the mess hall and I went to grab us some cake." I am in so much shit. Where the hell did she go? He was stalking through the halls, making quick checks of the rooms with unlocked doors. "She, uh, she was gone when I got back. I'm looking for her now, she couldn't have gone far."

"Damnit, Lieutenant, what part of 'keep your eyes on her' didn't you understand?"

"Sorry, sir."

There was an annoyed sigh from over the radio, "The sq- the scientists have gotten the internal sensors working. I'll see if they scan for the girl and direct you to her location. Bates out."

I am so on KP duty for the next week. The next month. If I'm lucky. Where the hell did she go? He'd made it to the stairs of the floor and back around nearly to the mess hall when his radio crackled again. "Ford, this is Bates. How long has she been missing?"

"Five minutes, ten at the most, sir."

"Are you certain, Lieutenant?"

"Sir? Yes sir. We were in the mess hall. Along with about a dozen other personnel."

He could hear bits and pieces of excited conversation around Captain Bates when the radio crackled on again, "Lieutenant, make your way to the Control Room. You and Sgt. Moreau are being sent to retrieve the Lantean."

"Yes...sir? Where is she?"

"About four miles from your current position in one of the unexplored areas of the city."

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

Yseult's radio squawking woke her up. Bates, being the asshole he was, had scheduled her for the night shift, so she was getting rested for the monotony of watching a crazy - senile, maybe? - Lantean sleep. At least, she didn't have to listen to Inoae talk. Usually.

She was intent on ignoring the radio, but its squawking was insistent. Fuck! Off-duty means Off-Duty.Her hand reached out and grabbed the radio, pulling it close. "Off-duty. Call back when Atlantis is sinking again," she muttered, tossing the radio onto the ground with a muted clatter.

"The Lantean is missing. You're officially back on duty, now, Sergeant," Captain Douchebag stated, sounding irredeemably smug about it.

Yseult muttered a stream of curses as she half crawled out of bed, looking for the radio. "What the fuck?! Tell it to Ford, it's his shift."

"Trust me, he knows." Yseult could picture Bates' face pucker with the irritation in his voice and the stick up his ass. "You're going to help him retrieve her."

"What? He can't take a little walk and get her himself? It's not like she's a whale and she couldn't have gotten far. If Ford needs someone to hold his hand, call Lt. Kenning."

"Sorry, Sergeant," Bates said, not sounding sorry at all, "but Lt. Kenning just came off shift, so you'll have to do the hand holding. Meet Ford in the Control Room." There was a distinct pause, followed by a satisfied, "That's an order."

And this is what my boot tastes like after traveling up your colon. "Yes. Sir... On my way."

"One more thing, Sergeant. The scientists got the internal sensors working." Then why are you calling me, vous gros connard? "The Lantean is about four miles away from your current position in one of the unexplored areas of the city. Watch your step, I understand the main tower has a lot of stairs." How the fuck did she get so far...

Captian Bates should have spontaneously combusted from the fury of a thousand suns directed his way. Being an utter prick, he didn't.

Yseult rolled over in bed, frowning in genuine surprise when she saw the other occupant. "What the Hell are you still doing here? I told you to leave when we were done. I don't cuddle." She slide a strong leg up, dug a foot into Markham's back, and shoved him tumbling from her bed. "Sleep in your own fucking quarters, Markham, I have to go back to work."

Rolling from bed, fatigue dripping from her like water as her blood started flowing with wakefulness, Yseult got dressed in a fresh set of BDUs, urban camouflage and a flak vest. Markham had been satisfactory in bed and had helped relieve some pent up tension.

Smoking a quick cigarette, Yseult reorganized her pack, keeping her load light. She wouldn't need her Barret for this, but extra climbing gear, markers and tape to indicate routes, and some C4 to bypass solid obstructions would be useful. That beady-eyed McKay had said something about areas of Atlantis being damaged. With my luck, I'll probably have to swim through some flooded sections.

Ten minutes later, Yseult stalked into the Control Room, eyes throwing glacial daggers. Ford straightened up seeing her, giving her his easy smile.

"Hey, Yse, thanks for-"

"Don't 'Hey, Yse' me, Ford. How the bloody Hell did you lose her for that long?" Her regard was scatching, icy eyes calling him nineteen kinds of idiot in two languages. Sure, he had been fun their last night in the Milky Way, but she was on duty now - thanks to him - and that counted only for so much.

"I had my eyes off her for five minutes. Ten, tops, Moreau. Honest. I have no idea how she got all the way there." Ford's smile wilted.

"Riiiight. Merde. So, what? She used her voodoo Lantean powers and just passed through the goddamn walls? Nevermind, let's go." Yseult turned around and called up to the Control Room, "Can the squints see if we have any damaged areas to pass through, or are we looking for the Lost Lantean blind?"

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

Peter Grodin, a scientist Weir had pretty much assigned to being in charge of the Control Room, came down the stairs and passed one of the Life Signs Detectors to Yseult. "This is the best we've got for right now. It should show you the structural layout around you, and give you a heads-up when you're getting close to her. So far we know that there's a few hallways that are damaged in the most direct path to her location, but we haven't figured out yet how to tell the sensors to tell us if a door is locked or not."

He motioned back up to where a half-dozen scientists were clustered around laptops and the Atlantis database main screen. "We'll be keeping an eye out from here, and trying to direct you as best as we can, but it's going to be a long hike."

Weir leaned over the railing, her worry about the Lantean evident, "Good luck, you two. Bring her back as safely as you can , and find out how she got over there. If she's advanced enough to start showing Ascension powers, we need to know that."

Yseult could hear Captain Bates muttering as he strode through the Gateroom, "That's all we need, a crazy Lantean with superhuman powers. Wonderful." He shot Ford a look that made Yseult's glare seem like a child's pout in comparison and handed Yse a medkit, "There's sedatives in here." He glanced up at Weir and added dryly, "And the doc already cleared them, they're not going to hurt the precious little Ancient."

He glanced between the two of them, "Bring her back here, Sargent."

Ford winced at the obvious snub, sighed and headed towards the tower's main stairwell. "Let's get this over with."

Elsewhere in Atlantis......

She'd crawled up onto one of the raised areas in the largest of the empty rooms that had one. It was soft on top and she stretched out, thinking how it was like the place the people here had told her to stay in when it got dark. It felt nice, but it made staying awake difficult. Sometimes, when she was with Ghost or Silence, they'd put cloth on the floor for her so when she did fail and fall asleep, it would be a little warmer and she wouldn't be as sore when she was woken up. Not often, but sometimes.

The memory made her frown. She really shouldn't be here; she was supposed to be with Darkness. Why hadn't they come for her yet? Did the Keeper not want her anymore? The thought made her shake and curl up in fear. She hadn't meant to be taken away. She kept telling them that she needed to go back, that this wasn't where she was supposed to be, but no one listened to her. And when they did, they told her strange things, things that didn't make sense or couldn't be true.

She burrowed under the cloth, shaking and hiding from the sunlight and the tangled, broken thoughts in her mind, waiting to be found and punished. The empty rooms swallowed up her cries and offered nothing in return.

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

Moving at double-time, the irritated sergeant and the disgraced lieutenant hustled down the central spire of Atlantis. Yseult was already getting sick to the bloody stairs and Ford had the unfortunate luck to be the only one around for her to take it out on.

"Look, I'm sorry, Moreau," Ford apologized for the fifth time, silently impressed and a little envious of Yseult's athletic ability. They had descended thirty levels so far and she wasn't even breathing hard yet. "Maybe she used her Lantean powers on me or something. The Ancients were supposed to have all sorts of... of superpowers. Maybe she... turned invisible or something and-"

"Flew? Used her I'm-a-cute-blonde-smiling-at-an-idiot powers? Bah!" She glanced over a shoulder at Ford, lagging a little behind, her icy gaze eying him up and down. "At least you still have you looks, cuz your soldiering leaves a lot to be desired. When we get back, you try to make me forget this day by reminding me about our last night in the Milky Way."

Ford blushed and stayed silent for the next ten levels, on a larger level which spread out into the six spokes making up the rest of Atlantis. "At least, you didn't have to go as far down as when you had to find Dr. Jenings-Izumi-" Ford tried to say, looking on the bright side.

"Don't even!" Yseult cut him off, not seeing the bright side. While Ford surreptitiously tried to catch his breath, Yseult radioed up to the Control Room and looked at the Life Signs Detector. "Grodin, we're at the split. Which spoke-pier-whatever you call it is the wench on? I have North, South, East, West, South-East, and South-West."

"The internal sensors seem to indicate Inoae is located on the East Pier, Sergeant Moreau." Grodin's tone was slightly disapproving.

"You better hope we don't have to backtrack an entire spoke, Grodin, else you're joining Ford on the shitlist." Not seeing Grodin mouth an emphatic, 'bitch', Yseult put a hand on Ford's shoulder and roughly turned him the right direction. "Rest-time is over, Ford. Get moving."

"I outrank you, you know," Ford said, trying not to sound petulant, but walking in right direction, if not at double-time, still at a brisk pace.

"And yet, I'm more annoyed."

Referencing the Life Signs Detector more frequently now, they made decent progress, passing through several halls and rooms. One large open room, golden sunlight filtering through the windows, caught Yseult's attention. "Not bad, might be able to turn this into a gym..." They descended several more levels in the course of their easterly progress, but at least the doors they came to obligingly opened... Until one didn't.

"Hmm, looking at the Detector, it looks clear on the other side," Yseult said.

Ford contacted the Control Room. "Control Room, can you over-ride the lock, here?"

"Sorry Lieutenant, the electrical systems in that section are on the fritz, but it does clear to us too."

Ford and Yseult looked at each and shrugged. "We're going to try to bypass it." Yseult tried to pry the door open with her hands, then grudgingly asked for Ford's help, but they couldn't get a proper grip. The door was so closely fitted that they could use a crowbar either.

"Fuck it. Door, meet our good friend, C4." Ford hustled down the hallway to the first branching point while Yseult carefully packed the plastique explosive around their impediment. Done, she loped down the hall after Ford, bracing her back on the opposite side of the branching hallway and nodded at Ford.

With a small beep, Ford clicked the detonator. A second later, there was a muffled whomp, followed by the screeching of metal on metal, then a rising whooshing sound that seemed to be getting closer. Yseult and Ford peeked around the corner, eyes widening at the torrent of water rushing towards.

"Shit!" "Putain de bordel!"

"Run! Run! Left, right, right, left, up the stairs," Yseult cried, taking her own directions. Ford didn't hesitate in following, running full out and radioing the Control Room. "Got a situation here, can you get an intervening door closed? Now?!"

The wave of water hit the far wall with a reverberating bang, then split down the T-intersection, half the torrent chasing them. The water was nipping at their heels after the second right when it died off with a final surge that soaked them up to the knees.

"Okay, we see what the problem is now," came a reply from the Control Room. "That section had been completely flooded, with equalized pressure, so the sensors weren't seeing the water. On the plus side, with the breach you've made, the pressure is uneven so we can see the flooded areas now. If you continue the way you're going, you can go up three levels, then pass over the flooded sections. The doors should open now, without the pressure of the water against them."

"That really wasn't that bad was it, Moreau?" Ford had a hopeful grin on his face.

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

Three more flooded hallways, a broken bridge, and too many stairwells to count found the two Atlantis team members finally in the correct tower; on their Life Signs Detector a third white dot blipped with an indicator of the number of floors between her and them.

"We're in the right tower now," Ford radioed in. "It looks like she's about halfway up."

"Sorry about that before, Leuitenant. These maps are still a little difficult to read." Grobin sounded genuinely contrite, but that didn't change the forty-five minute detoured they'd just gotten out of. They trudged up the last set of stairs, emerging into a well-lit and spacious hallway with doors spaced widely and evenly down each side; at the end of the corridor the sun was setting over the ocean horizon.

Their elusive blip was off to the right, towards the end of the hallway.

Inside, the Regina was dimly aware that she'd fallen asleep. It was quiet, which probably meant that she was alone; there was cloth over her which probably meant that she was Ghost or Silence right now. But that's not right....I was with Pain. No, with Darkness....?

She blinked under the cloth but made no move to emerge from her impromptu cocoon.

I remember the ocean.

The thought was sudden and unfamiliar, but she did remember the ocean: how it smelled like salt and fish and how you had to wash your hair if it got wet or it would get stiff and sticky. She hadn't been off the hiveship...ever. There was only the hiveship, and the Keeper and Ghost and the others. But I remember the ocean and someone laughing.

She pulled the cloth tighter around her, as if she could squeeze the answers to her strange thoughts from it, and thought about the ocean.

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

Clothing drying in itchy patches, soaked from wading through another flooded section, Yseult gave Ford a narrow-eyed glare as she pulled out the sedatives, then jammed them back into a harness pocket. "The only reason why I not sending our lost Lantean straight to dreamland is that I don't want to have to carry her back- Fuck!" Yseult exclaimed, pounding her thigh in annoyance. "How did the crazy bitch even get here?!"

"Well, if we just walk down a bit, we can ask her..." Ford suggested, trailing off under Yseult's icy regard.

"You haven't spent much time talking with her, have you?"

"I talk to her all the time on my shift, and-"

"And?"

"Well, okay, it's hard understanding her most of the time. But she's not stupid."

"Never said she was stupid, said she was fucking nuts. Okay, okay, lets go and get this over with. Be ready this time, Ford, don't let her she super Lantean powers give you the slip." Suiting actions to words, Yseult began stalking down the halfway, making an effort to make her footsteps obvious, hoping Fou McBlonde wouldn't flit off in another panic.

Ford's lips twisted, but he followed. After a moment, he stifled a smile, wondering what kinds of powers Inoae might have. Wonder if she flies, that would be so cool. The Ancients had telekinesis, right? Flying is just using telekinesis on yourself...Would give Bates fits, too.

Walking down the hall, the two of them saw the side rooms, open and airy, completely devoid of dust and debris. The fresh wind, rich with the tang of salt, blowing in from the open balcony gave the area a clean atmosphere, fading sunlight painting the ocean in shades of gold and rose. However Inoae had gotten here, Yseult could understand why - a trace of her irritability eased from her shoulders.

Reaching the last room on the right, Yseult peeked in and paused, frowning. On one of the raised sections, under the silky cloth, was a humped figured, the cloth pulled close, the sheen rippling with her slight trembles. She looked like nothing so much as a child hiding under the blankets from monsters. That there really were monsters only added to the image.

Yseult could remember doing the same thing - a blanket was a thin shield. For the first time, she tried to empathize with what Inoae had endured, for who knows how many years. She couldn't - she would've killed anyone who had done what they did to Inoae to her, or died in the attempt.

"Aww, Yse, look at her. Can't we just leave for a few more minutes? A few more minutes won't matter, and we're gonna have to rest ourselves before heading back anyway," Ford not-quite-pleaded.

Yseult took a deep breath, then shook her head. "No. If she got here that quick, she had more than enough time to tuck herself under the covers. Besides, with her still wanting to run back to the Wraith, she's too much of a security risk at the moment." Her frown deepened as she glanced at Ford. "You know that."

Walking up to the raised section and the hump the Life Signs Detector indicated was Inoae (hopefully), Yseult made no attempt at stealth. "Come on, ma belle," Yseult said, keeping her voice low and calm as she leaned across the yielding surface - sort of like memory-foam - and grabbed a handful of the satiny sheet. With a flourish, she yanked it back, revealing the huddling figure beneath. "Rise and shine. Time for you to go back."

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

Click to reveal..

Understanding English:1d10=9, 1d10=8, 1d10=10, 1d10=1, 1d10=6, 1d10=2 4 suxx

Inoae let out a startled shriek, caught between memories and nightmares as Yseult yanked the blankets from her. She didn't try to pull the covers back but she did roll away from the muscled Canadian soldier, huddling miserably at the head of the bed.

"Great, now she's terrified of you," Ford reproved Yse; he stepped up to the bed and held out a hand to the blonde. "C'mon, it's time to go back to the tower. We still haven't had our cake, remember?"

The girls stared at both of them, eyes wide and red-rimmed from crying. "Ay-Aydan." She frowned and tried again, the snippets of thought in her mind attempting to form into something intelligeable. "Aydan F-ford. Cake. Chocolate cake. With frosting."

She smiled for the barest second, like sun from behind the clouds, and then nodded solemnly. "Yes, I would like to be having cake thank you. I wait in the chair for the cake I would like to be having." She nodded again as she went over the words in her mind, apparantly oblivious to the change in location and the loss of most of the afternoon. She looked between the two soldiers and added, "There is being enough cake for Sar Gent Mor-o, yes?"

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

"Yeah, there's even enough cake for mean Sargent Moreau," Ford said, giving Yseult a small grin while helping Inoae to her feet.

Yseult rolled her eyes, looking around at the area. If she had known the Loco Lantean had such a sweet tooth, she would've brought a bag of Skittles to lure her back to the Tower. At this rate, after napping for a few hours and getting hopped on sugar, Inoae was probably going to be bouncing off the walls tonight and that salop Bates was going to insist she still had to take her shift.

"Oh, yes, magnifique, can't wait for cake," Yseult snorted. She stalked over to the balcony, leaning on the railing and looking out over the ocean. Her voice drifted back to them. "In case you've forgotten Ford, it took us hours to get here and we still don't even know how she got here or if she'll flit off again.."

Yseult spun around, back against the railing, eyes locking on Inoae. "How did you get here, you crazy bi- I mean, Inoae? Comment avez-vous venu ici?"

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

Click to reveal..

English/French roll:1d10=8, 1d10=9, 1d10=2, 1d10=3, 1d10=5, 1d10=9
3 suxx

She ignored the question at first, but Ford made a face that she was pretty sure meant he wanted her to answer Sar Gent Mor-o who was also sometimes called Y-so. She sighed.

"I am being the Regina. I am not In- not being that other person. I am here...I..." she seemed lost for a moment, hunting for a word or a memory. "I am walking to be here." She nodded again, "Yes, I am walking to be here."

Ford's expression change, his tone unbelieving, "You walked here? Just walked? What, did you go through the walls or something? It took us hours to get here!"

She started back a little at his outburst and looked between the two of them, the frightened doe again. "I-I am walking to be here. I am not allowed to be in the...the...the places of being in control. I am to be here." She frowned and shook her head, "No, not here. Home. I am to being with Darkness."

She pulled back into herself, staring at the floor as her vision blurred with tears. "Please," she whispered, "please. I am to being with Darkness. Or-or with Ghost. The Keeper, she will send for me and she will being angry when I am not being where she put me. Please, let me be going home. The Regina should being with her Keeper." She pulled her knees to her chest and rocked herself, "Please. She will be so angry with me. She will give me t-to them."

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

Yseult's hand went to her head, massaging her temples, becoming more inclined by the moment to simply sedating the addled girl and being done with it. Only needing to find out how she got here in the first place stopped her. Mon Dieu! I am wishing that I can be anywhere else. Fuck Bates up the ass with a piece of splintered balsa wood.

She stalked back to Inoae, kneeling in front of the girl and tilting her head up with calloused fingers. Face only inches away, she keep her voice low and emphatic. She was furious, but not with the poor girl - well, perhaps a little.

"Listen, ma fille - Regina, that is what... what Darkness and Ghost and Keeper are calling you, it is not your name. Your name, it is Inoae. Inoae," Yseult repeated, driving the point home with a pair of stiff fingers to the chest. "The Keeper, she will not be angry with you, I promise, she will be angry at us. Quel domage pour elle. We will not let her and them have you, I am swearing. The place you call home, it is a lie told you so often, you think it truth."

These Wraith, they are even worst than the Snakes, from the little I am knowing. Damn them for this.

"Come! Get up!" Ignoring her feeble protests, Yseult hauled Inoae inexorably to her feet, wiping the tears from her face with a thumb.

"Yseult, careful, not so rough," Ford extolled, putting a restraining hand on Yseult's shoulder.

"Enough! She is wanting to act the child, she is being treated as the child." Yseult shook Ford off then forcefully marched Inoae into the hall, so she could get a good view of the open balcony and several of the rooms. "Look up, Inoae. Look. Look." When Inoae tried to bury her chin in her chest, Yseult once again took it in her hands and tilted it up, slowly turning Inoae around, making her sure she got an encompassing view of the area.

"This place, it is more home for you than whatever these Wraiths are claiming." Yseult took Inoae's slender shoulders in her hands, crouching slightly and facing her directly after her enforced view. "Now, you are saying you are walking here. Why? Why here, Inoae?"

Ford inhaled with a hiss breath, not sure how Inoae was going to respond to the direct approach, but pretty sure it wasn't going to be good.

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

Click to reveal..

English:1d10=1, 1d10=7, 1d10=10, 1d10=8, 1d10=6, 1d10=5
4 suxx

Originally Posted By: Sgt. Yseult Moreau

"Listen, ma fille - Regina, that is what... what Darkness and Ghost and Keeper are calling you, it is not your name. Your name, it is Inoae. Inoae," Yseult repeated, driving the point home with a pair of stiff fingers to the chest. "The Keeper, she will not be angry with you, I promise, she will be angry at us. Quel domage pour elle. We will not let her and them have you, I am swearing. The place you call home, it is a lie told you so often, you think it truth."

Yseult could feel Inoae's muscles tense under her hand and her entire frame begin to shake. She wanted to protest, she knew she should, but in the face of Yse's forceful personality Inoae's own broken will wilted.

Quote:

"Come! Get up!" Ignoring her feeble protests, Yseult hauled Inoae inexorably to her feet, wiping the tears from her face with a thumb.

The gentle gesture, if only gentle in comparison, clicked into place in Inoae's mind; this was familiar, the switch from cruel and angry to gentle. It had been longer than her memory was since such conditioning had been employed with her, but it passed through the endless time of abuse and insanity to take deep root in her mind. Yseult could be kind, but she also could be cruel. She was strong and Inoae was weak. She was in control and Inoae was to be controlled by her. The Lantean girl's panicked look and near-sobbing breaths slowly subsided into a calm acceptance. She knew her place again; she understood. These people had taken her from the Keeper. They were stronger than her, so they took what they wanted from her; that was very much Wraith even if these people were human. Understanding them now from that perspective, the roles and truths of the people around her finally settled into place. This "Atlantis Expedition" was a hive. Dr. Weir was their queen and she had made Sar Gent Y-so Mor-o Inoae's Keeper; if her new Keeper said now that she was 'Inoae', it was the Keeper's perogative to call her as she pleased. So she would be 'Inoae' now and no longer 'Regina'. Aydan Ford was one of this Keeper's males; she had seen several with her new Keeper and understood now why they were there. She wondered if Keeper Sar Gent Y-so Mor-o would give her to those males as her other Keeper had.

She glanced at Aydan Ford, watching him with a startlingly frank appraisal. He did not seem as strong as Ghost, or as cruel as Pain, or as intelligent as Darkness, but he was kind. It would not be so bad, she decided; she would miss Ghost and Darkness and Silence and Shadow and a little bit miss the others, but her life was not hers. It belonged to her Keeper.

Quote:

"Enough! She is wanting to act the child, she is being treated as the child." Yseult shook Ford off then forcefully marched Inoae into the hall, so she could get a good view of the open balcony and several of the rooms. "Look up, Inoae. Look. Look." When Inoae tried to bury her chin in her chest, Yseult once again took it in her hands and tilted it up, slowly turning Inoae around, making her sure she got an encompassing view of the area.

"This place, it is more home for you than whatever these Wraiths are claiming." Yseult took Inoae's slender shoulders in her hands, crouching slightly and facing her directly after her enforced view. "Now, you are saying you are walking here. Why? Why here, Inoae?"

The question startled her out of her reverie and she looked around the rooms once again. She looked up and then back to Keeper Sar Gent Y-so Mor-o. "This...this is being home now?"

"This is...is where I am to be. I am not to being in the tower of authority. I am to being here." Her brow creased and she looked up to her new Keeper. "Am I not to being here? Is this not to being home?"

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

Unaware of the paths Inoae's fractured mind took, Yseult still muffled a grunt behind tight lips witnessing her reaction to her confrontation. She had been expecting whining tears, unwilling sulkiness, maybe a flare of anger or frustration that she couldn't remember why she came here, not this, this resigned acceptance.

She wanted to yell at her, straighten her spine with fire, but was annoyingly concerned all Inoae would do was wilt, or worst, take it as her due. Inoae's large eyes, a vivid hue of hazel, looking up at her, mildly questioning, made her sigh. Over Inoae's head, she glanced at Ford, his eyes wide and a bit worried. Did Weir bring a fuckin' shrink with the expedition? Not that I think they do any good.

"Damn, she's really messed up," Ford mouthed.

"No shit," Yseult silently replied.

"Um, Inoae, isn't this - nevermind. Inoae, would you liking this to be your home? That might be possible." Unlikely. "But it's being pretty far from our base - from the tower... of authority." Yseult put on a pensive expression then forced a friendly smile to her lips. "Hmm, how about this? We will be going back to the Tower and we will ask Weir if this can be your home, if you are wishing, okay, Inoae?"

Keep smiling at the Crazy, Yse. Only several more hours of hauling Crazy's ass back to the Tower and then she's someone else's problem. Unless she knows where the express route it and didn't just go through the walls. Yseult gently turned Inoae around and gave her a light push in the small of the back to get the blonde moving. "Come, show us the way back to the Tower, I'm sure your way was better than ours."

Ford fell in on Inoae's side, giving her his engaging grin, linking an arm through hers. "Besides, the chocolate cake is back there. I'm sure once we get the hallways cleaned up and repaired, Dr. Weir won't have a problem with you making your quarters here, if you want, Inoae. Inoae, that's a pretty name."

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

Click to reveal..

Language check: 1d10=1, 1d10=10, 1d10=1, 1d10=7, 1d10=1, 1d10=2 3 suxx

Inoae smiled at Ford, that sunshine in her more accessible now that she knew her place and her Keeper had said that she would speak to the queen about a place for them to stay that was large enough for the Keeper, her males, and Inoae!

She fairly tugged Ford along the hallway, always careful not to step too far ahead of her Keeper, and led them out of the suite of rooms and down to the center of the hallway. There was a door to their left that was out of sequence with the other doors lining the hall; it swished open with silent efficiency to reveal a closet-sized room. Inoae pulled Ford in with her and waited for Yseult to join them; once the door shut, a panel opposite the door slid up to reveal an overhead map of the city and a side menu with several rows of Atlantean writing.

The slip of a woman touched several lines in sequence, causing the map to center in on the central spire and eventually on the floor that currently housed the mess hall. She tapped a glowing starburst pattern in the lower right-hand corner and then promptly turned back around and walked out the door again. From inside, Ford and Yseult could faintly hear the sounds of clinking plates and conversation.

Their radios squawked with a, "How the hell did you to get over there?" from Bates, quickly followed by, "And I told you to bring the Lantean back to the Control Room, not the mess hall."

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

In the small room, Ford and Yseult shared a confused look then peeked outside. It was the Mess Hall. There had been no lurch of an elevator starting, no flash of light, no nothing. They had been one place and suddenly they were in another. Yseult's and Ford's disbelieving looks changed to grins.

"Merdeux fuck! The crazy little bitch found the damned stairs." Yseult gave Ford a high-five.

"That's going to make getting around Atlantis a hell of a lot easier, eh, Yse?" Ford agreed, then clicked the send button on the radio. "Captain Bates, Inoae just showed us how the Lanteans got around on Atlantis. They have transporters! Or something. That's what all those little closets are. And uh, about the Mess Hall, we sorta promised Inoae chocolate cake when we got back, so..."

The silence was pointed and when Bates came back on, he sounded grudgingly accepting. "Fine. You have ten-" There was a murmur of a female voice in the background, then a growled amendment of, "twenty minutes, then bring the Lantean to the Control Room."

"Roger." Ford smiled at Yseult than began to follow Inoae, who was making her way to the food counter. "Can you grab us a table, Yse, while I join Inoae in line?"

"Sure." Yseult was actually in a good mood. No more having to walk endless flight of stairs with slow-ass squints in tow.

Yseult got a table and Ford got Inoae and chocolate cake, giving almost everyone he passed an excited whisper of, "Stairs, we've found the stairs!"

The three of them ate their cake, engaging in a crash course explaining the transporter room - or at least indicating what symbols meant where, using a napkin and marker. Yseult's and Ford's suddenly good mood must have rubbed off on Inoae, for the slip of a girl was smiling eagerly, not weepy or miserable at all.

When they were finished, the three of them entered the same closet they had arrived by, several others in the Mess gathering around the door to see what was going to happen. With the direction of Inoae and the scrawled upon napkin, Yseult tapped the touchscreen, then pressed the starburst pattern. The doors slid close and those outside could see a flash of light around the seams of the door.

Elsewhere, doors slid open, Yseult, Ford, and Inoae, coming out on the upper level of the Control Room, behind Weir and Bates, who were looking down on Gate Room floor.

"We're over here," Yseult said, mocking amusement in her voice as she pointed a thumb over her shoulder at where they had come from. "Closet-porter, the only way to travel."

[Dawn OOC]

Bates was already walking toward them, but Weir's soft, "Captain," pulled him up. He fumed silently as Weir walked over to Inoae and looked down at her. She knew that the girl was probably only a little shorter than her, or the same height, but the girl appeared smaller. It was the way she carried herself - all hunched over all the time. Weir really wanted to straighten her up, but knew her efforts would be wasted. "Are you alright?" she asked the Lantan girl.

Inoae looked to Yseult and then nodded. Weir noted the gesture but didn't remark on it. "Good," she said, glancing at the two military personnel. "You guys alright after your hike?"

"I think I need to change clothes, ma'am," Ford said. "We kinda got soaked while walking around down there."

"Sounds like those days are over. Show me how these things work," she instructed.

"Me, too," McKay said quickly, appearing almost magically with the datapad in his arm.

"We'll have to show everyone soon," Weir said, smiling. "Lead on, Inoae." She added in her improving Lantan, "Show us how the small-room-movers work. How do you say them in Lantan?"

[Teagan Shae Ammer]

Click to reveal..

1d10=5, 1d10=4, 1d10=8, 1d10=5, 1d10=10, 1d10=3
3 suxx

The young woman shied behind Yseult when she was directly addressed by Weir, but at a nod from the sergeant she murmured, "'porter." She frowned and shook her head, her expression tight with concentration. "People mover. P-p-porter." She pursed her lips and muttered in something that sounded a lot like Lantean, but darker and sharper, more dangerous, and then sighed in defeat. "'porter."

Once they reached the "porter" door, she stepped aside to let the others enter first; the doors swished shut and she tapped a button on the revealed panel. Symbols appeared on the screen and the map zoomed in on the hallway she and her Keeper and her Keeper's male had left a little while before. She touched the starburst and then motioned for everyone to leave the 'porter. "Done."

[Sgt. Yseult Moreau]

"Porter," Yseult agreed, giving Inoae a nod, who returned it with a proud grin. Yseult was finding it a bit odd how Inoae kept looking at her, almost as if she was asking for permission, or hid behind her whenever someone looked at her, but whatever. The blond girl was seriously messed up.

Yseult refrained from patting her on the head and instead led Weir and company out of the Porter and down the hallway where she had found Inoae, in the East Pylon, lips bent slightly in something that might almost have been a smirk. "This is going to make exploring the city considerably less tedious, though the squints are going to have to make sure they can notice flooded areas so someone doesn't port into one." Her brows lowered, lips turning into a slight frown as something occurred to her. "They're also going to have to locate the Porter System in the city computers, so we can lock it down in case of a security breach."

Inoae was nearly quivering at her side, making Yseult sigh and rub her head. "Right. Dr. Weir, we found Inoae here, soome kind of... residence-type area," Yseult gestured at the airy hallway and open rooms branching off from it. "I figure she came here for some reason based on the scrabbled eggs that are her memories. I gave her my word that when we got back I'd ask you if she could make this area her quarters." Yseult stepped a bit closer to Weir, dropping her voice some. "If nothing else, it'll get her away from the Control Room in case she tries to run back to those pasty-skinned fucks and her movement could be restricted once the squints have remote control of the Porter System."

[Dawn OOC]

Weir looked at Yseult, visibly considering the Sargeant's words before shaking her head. "No, I want her closer to the Main Tower." She watched the girl for a moment, then smiled a little. "Sgt. Moreau, she seems rather fond of you. Find her some quarters close to you where we can keep an eye on her."

Turning, she addressed the room. "This is an exciting discovery. McKay, let's see if we can get lockdown control of them, as a security precaution." She walked out with McKay as he was discussing the possibilities, leaving Yseult to consider her new fate - and puppy.