New Fic: Lying Down With Dogs (Stargate Atlantis)

[grav_ity]

wildwest_lantis

AN: This story was inspired by Melyanna, whose ability to weave alternate universes continues to amaze me, and by Saché, who loves Jonas more than is strictly reasonable. I started writing it in the summer of 2007, and here we are.

There was an episode of Doctor Quinn that involved her getting kidnapped by the Dog Soldiers. It scared the crap out of me when I was little. This story is sort of the Wild West Atlantis version of those events, and accordingly the Dog Soldiers are not portrayed in a historically accurate fashion. This is because they are NOT the historical Dog Soldiers. The bad guy is Anubis, after all, who is an Egyptian deity. That said, I am very well aware of the historical missteps, and I would like to assure you all that I mean NOTHING derogatory by them.

This story is also a very, very loose adaptation of “Redemption”, the SG-1 episode, but only if you half close both eyes and turn your head to a certain angle.

After “The Seige”, almost EVERYONE has bullet holes and Carson’s office had burned down. I had TOTALLY FORGOTTEN that, and Miera saved me. For purposes of the story, Carson is working out a new office, and living in the apartment above the office next door (which belongs to Janet, who lives somewhere else) while he waits for his new house to be built. Stupid Wraith and their burning down buildings I need!

Working within the AU timeline, this takes places shortly after “The Seige”, in June. Enough time has passed that Caldwell is back on his feet, if only just.

Rating: Teen (allusions to rape and torture)

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine at all.

Summary: A refugee comes to Atlantis with a warning…and a secret.

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Prologue

Jack sensed that something was amiss as soon as he and Jonas led their horses into the encampment.

This was the first time in months that the two Indian Agents had visited the Reservation. The past winter had been hard and long, as blizzard after blizzard buried the town, cutting it off from even its closest neighbours. The spring run-off had been torrential, and several of the rivers near the town had flooded. Between the weather and the Wraith siege early in June, Jack had been so busy being the Deputy Mayor that he had not had any time to wear his other hat. On this visit, Jack had resolved to apologize for this long absence and see how the Indians had fared through the spring.

But the Reservation was too quiet. The children that usually ran out to greet them never came. All around them, tent flaps were closed. The women usually brought their work outside so they could talk and help one another, but they were nowhere to be seen. A few young men stood around a tent that Jack knew belonged to the Medicine Man, but aside from that, it was as though the village had been deserted.

Jack looked over at his assistant. Jonas was new enough to the job that he still thought of every trip to the Reservation as an adventure. So far, Jonas hadn’t dealt with anything too extreme, whereas Jack had seen his charges through malaria, bad rations and resentment about relocation. Jonas still thought the government were the good guys. Jack had an uncomfortable feeling that the young man’s idealism would not survive the summer.

As Jack and Jonas reached the centre of the camp, a tent flap opened. Kasuf, the chief, and a young boy stepped out to greet them. Kasuf’s face was lined by years of life outdoors and by grief for his wife, daughter, and a way of life he saw disappearing before his very eyes. Today, there was a more immediate strain around his eyes. Jack became even more concerned.

His thoughts ran first to Skaara, the chief’s son and Daniel Jackson’s brother by marriage, but the young warrior appeared at his father’s shoulder a moment later, and though his eyes were tight as well, seeing him made Jack breathe a little easier. Even Jonas’ face had darkened now, and tense lines ran down his shoulders.

“My friends!” Kasuf said by way of greeting, “It is good that you have come. There is something that you must see.”

Newcomers were often surprised by the level of English speaking on the reservation. Even the oldest women and the youngest children had a good command of the language. Jack never commented on it in his reports, having long since learned when to leave things out of official documentation, even though he knew very well that it was Daniel Jackson’s love for his wife that had inspired such excellent teaching. The first time Jonas heard a small child ask for something with perfect grammar, he had raised an eyebrow, but he too had remained silent on the matter. He was a quick study of human nature, and Jack was impressed at how quickly his partner was earning the trust of Kasuf and his people.

Kasuf gestured, and the Indian Agents turned their horses over to the young boy. They followed Kasuf towards the Medicine Man’s tent. As they drew near, Jack smelled burning herbs and wood. Whoever was inside was receiving the Medicine Man’s full attention, something not to be taken lightly. The young men moved out of the way, and Kasuf held the tent flap open for Jack and Jonas to enter.

At first, Jack saw nothing while his eyes adjusted from the bright sun to the darkened interior. He squinted through the heavy air, his eyes drawn automatically to the fire in the centre of the enclosure, and then made out the figure that lay beside it. He began to sweat in the heat.

The woman lay on a bedroll, a woven blanket covering her from neck to knees. Her arms laid bare by her sides, were covered in scrapes of blood and bruises. Her feet were uncovered, and Jack could see that they were worn raw and bleeding, with scratches making a mess of her legs. Jonas moved closer as his eyes cleared, and Jack followed him.

The fire flared as the Medicine Man threw a handful of sweet smelling herbs into the flames. Jonas gasped, seeing at last why the villagers were so nervous.

Jack’s heart sank. The woman’s hair was matted with dirt and blood, but even the meager light had irrevocably revealed its fiery colour.

This woman was no Indian.

Chapter 1