Fic: Lying Down With Dogs
Oct. 1st, 2009 11:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grav_ityMeta and Prologue
Chapter One
Jonas was reasonably sure that his horse sensed something was wrong with its master. The path between the Reservation and the main road from Colorado Springs to Atlantis had not fared well during the spring floods, and Jonas was forced to hold his mount to a walk. He’d left Jack back at the village making arrangements to move the woman into town, while he rode back to Atlantis to warn Dr. Beckett that there was an incoming patient.
Realistically, Jonas knew that there was only so much Carson could do to prepare. The doctor kept everything stocked and well organized, and needed only a moment to prepare himself even for something as complicated and dangerous as an amputation. Jonas hoped that no such measures were needed today, but the sheer number of injuries he had seen on his rather cursory examination of the woman made him anxious to do something helpful.
Finally, Jonas turned his horse on to the main road and set his heels to its flanks. Jack was well behind him, and moving slowly, so there was no need for haste, but Jonas couldn’t help setting a quick pace. He urged his mount to a canter, and set off for Atlantis.
xxx
Shortly after meeting Skaara for the first time, Jack had accepted the young man’s invitation to go on a canoe trek. Jack had thought that a little active field work would help him understand his new assignment. This somewhat uncharacteristically optimistic enthusiasm had lasted until approximately halfway through the first portage. He had never said anything to his young friend about the painful experience, by he always managed to concoct an excuse to get out of repeating it.
The injured woman was much lighter than a fully loaded canoe, but such care had to be taken in the bearing of her that she was more unwieldy. Jack’s horse dragged a travois behind it, but the path was too uneven to utilize it.
“Skaara?” Jack said, as he took the woman from the younger man’s arms for his turn to carry her, “What wouldn’t your father tell me? Where did this woman come from?”
“We do not know exactly, O’Neill.” Try as he might, Skaara could never fully master the name. Jack found it oddly endearing. “We found her two days ago at the bottom of Raven Gorge. I think she had fallen into it.”
“That would explain a lot.” Jack grunted as he navigated the wash.
“We know also that she had run for some time.” Skaara continued. “She wore no shoes when we found her. You have seen her feet.”
“Skaara, I know all of this.” Jack caught his friend’s eyes. “What had your people so scared? And how could someone be running so fast they don’t see Raven Gorge until they fall into it?”
Skaara tore his eyes away and spoke quietly, “She must have escaped from the Dog Soldiers.”
Jack’s blood ran cold. The idea that Anubis’ gang could be so close to town was very unpleasant. The Genii could be reasoned with and, in a pinch, bought off. The Wraith were still smarting from their losses during the Siege, and had fled into the mountains pursued by the army. But Anubis was another matter all together. He and his men, mostly runaway slaves blackmailed into service, roamed the wilderness like the pack of dogs they were named for. They were vicious and completely without mercy.
“How do you know?” Jack asked, certain that Skaara would not speak of Anubis without being certain.
Skaara came over and gently lifted the dirt and blood matted red hair from the woman’s torn collar. Jack had to strain his neck to see, but there was no mistaking it. On the back of the woman’s neck was a thin vertical white line, a scar given to her by Anubis himself.
“Only the highest ranking members of the gang wear this sign.” Jack said, his voice dull with disbelief.
“Dog Soldiers do not initiate women into their ranks. She bears no mark upon her forehead.” Skaara said, his voice full of certainty. “And she is one of your people. There must be another reason.”
“You spend too much time with Daniel.” Jack said, more out of habit than anything else.
“Father says it is better than spending too much time with you!”
Jack smiled for the first time in hours. Skaara led the horse over the final fallen log, and pulled the travois into line behind it. Jack set the woman down, and they carefully tucked the blanket along the sides of the sled. Skaara held the horse while Jack mounted, and reached up to clasp his friend’s hand.
“We will fix the trail, O’Neill.” Skaara said. “What happens next will be trouble for all of us.”
“I think you’re right.”
“Father says we must heal first and then judge. Will you tell your doctor that?” Skaara said.
“You’ve met Carson, Skaara. Do you really think he will let her suffer?”
Skaara inclined his head. Jack squeezed his friend’s hand tightly, nodded, and, with a light flick of the reigns, began the long walk home.
xxx
In almost every case when Dr. Carson Beckett treated a patient, he did so with very little warning. The few times he had advance knowledge were almost worse: instead of just reacting and practicing his craft, he had to wait, endlessly recataloguing his available materials and hoping desperately that what he had would be sufficient. The siege had been one of these times and, faced with another period of waiting, Carson was reminded of how much he hated it.
Jonas was not helping. The young agent had provided Carson with a somewhat fragmentary list of injuries to anticipate treating. His memory was never cause for debate, but his lack of medical expertise left a great deal of his descriptions wanting. He had then insisted on waiting in Carson’s newly reconstructed office, and Jonas Quinn was not a peaceful waiter. He paced between the windows. He fiddled with equipment. That he did not pepper Carson with endless questions was a small mercy, but not enough to prevent the doctor from banishing him to the chairs out front that stood in place of a porch.
“And try not to alert the entire town to the fact that we’re about to have a medical emergency!” Carson demanded of Jonas’ retreating back.
Jonas paused for a moment on the threshold, realizing the importance of the doctor’s words, and schooled his face into some semblance of its normal sunny expression. He took a seat on the bench, and looked out across the main street of the town. It was early enough that not too many people were abroad. He and Jack had left for the Reservation before dawn, and since he had returned almost immediately, it was not yet noon. Vala Mal Doran could be seen moving around her open air kitchen, but few customers sat at her tables. Weir’s Mercantile stood open and a few people loitered on the steps.
A sudden burst of laugher and the crowd of children chasing a hoop down the street reminded Jonas that Daniel had let the school out for this week so his older students could help with the planting. For his youngest students, and for those who lived in town, this constituted a holiday and the sunny weather ensured that all of them were enjoying it. Jonas smiled in spite of himself. Daniel himself waved from where he sat lingering over his coffee at Miss Mal Doran’s, then stood up and walked over.
“You’re back early.” Daniel said by way of greeting.
“Yes.” Jonas said, wondering why Jack hadn’t given him some sort of guidance about what to say in the face of inevitable questions.
“Problems?” Daniel’s concern for the people on the Reservation was definitely something that Jack should have taken into account. Jonas paused for one moment too long. “Skaara? Kasuf? Why are you at Beckett’s? Where is Jack?”
“Daniel, please!” Jonas finally snapped into action. “Not so loud. There’s…a woman. She was injured. Skaara found her and Jack is bringing her into town. We don’t know much more.”
Daniel scuffed his boots in the dirt, and leaned on one of the posts that used to support the railing. “How long until Jack gets here?”
“He’ll be using a travois, and they would have had to carry her to the road, the path’s so bad.” Jonas said. “But they didn’t leave too long after I did, I think.”
Daniel’s eyes went to the road and followed it out of town towards Colorado Springs. The road was not visible for very long after it passed the last house, swallowed up almost immediately by trees and the rocks of the mountains.
“He’s not coming on the road, Daniel.” Jonas said softly. “He’s not going to parade the poor woman through town.”
“It’s that bad?”
“I really think it is.”
The two men waited in silence while Atlantis bustled on around them. Miss Mal Doran’s café filled with patrons as men came for their lunches. The mercantile steps were now crowded with children playing with tops and eating penny candy. Next door, Janet Fraiser came on to her mildly scorched front porch and watched them, a puzzled look on her face. Jonas could not hold her gaze.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Jack stepped out the door from inside Carson’s office.
“Jack--?” Jonas began.
“I used the back door.” Jack said shortly and gestured to Daniel. “What’s he doing here?”
“Come on, Jack.” Daniel said. “You’re supposed to be at the Reservation, and instead I see Jonas at Beckett’s all morning?”
“Stupid school holidays.”
“How is she?” Jonas asked.
“Beckett is beginning his examination now.” Jack fumbled in his pocket, and withdrew a necklace. “I should go put this with her things. It fell off on the road, and I put it in my pocket.”
“Wait!” said Daniel.
“What?” Jack said.
“That’s hers?” Daniel asked.
“Of course,” Jack said. “Where else would I get a necklace?”
“Let me see it.”
“Daniel—”
“Let me see it!” Daniel repeated with uncharacteristic vehemence.
Surprised, Jack handed the necklace over. It had a simple silver chain, finally broken by everything its wearer had endured, and the charm on it was a small book with a feather on top of it.
“Sarah.” Daniel breathed.
“What?” Jack said.
“Her name is Sarah,” Daniel explained. “Sarah Gardiner.”
Chapter 2
Chapter One
Jonas was reasonably sure that his horse sensed something was wrong with its master. The path between the Reservation and the main road from Colorado Springs to Atlantis had not fared well during the spring floods, and Jonas was forced to hold his mount to a walk. He’d left Jack back at the village making arrangements to move the woman into town, while he rode back to Atlantis to warn Dr. Beckett that there was an incoming patient.
Realistically, Jonas knew that there was only so much Carson could do to prepare. The doctor kept everything stocked and well organized, and needed only a moment to prepare himself even for something as complicated and dangerous as an amputation. Jonas hoped that no such measures were needed today, but the sheer number of injuries he had seen on his rather cursory examination of the woman made him anxious to do something helpful.
Finally, Jonas turned his horse on to the main road and set his heels to its flanks. Jack was well behind him, and moving slowly, so there was no need for haste, but Jonas couldn’t help setting a quick pace. He urged his mount to a canter, and set off for Atlantis.
xxx
Shortly after meeting Skaara for the first time, Jack had accepted the young man’s invitation to go on a canoe trek. Jack had thought that a little active field work would help him understand his new assignment. This somewhat uncharacteristically optimistic enthusiasm had lasted until approximately halfway through the first portage. He had never said anything to his young friend about the painful experience, by he always managed to concoct an excuse to get out of repeating it.
The injured woman was much lighter than a fully loaded canoe, but such care had to be taken in the bearing of her that she was more unwieldy. Jack’s horse dragged a travois behind it, but the path was too uneven to utilize it.
“Skaara?” Jack said, as he took the woman from the younger man’s arms for his turn to carry her, “What wouldn’t your father tell me? Where did this woman come from?”
“We do not know exactly, O’Neill.” Try as he might, Skaara could never fully master the name. Jack found it oddly endearing. “We found her two days ago at the bottom of Raven Gorge. I think she had fallen into it.”
“That would explain a lot.” Jack grunted as he navigated the wash.
“We know also that she had run for some time.” Skaara continued. “She wore no shoes when we found her. You have seen her feet.”
“Skaara, I know all of this.” Jack caught his friend’s eyes. “What had your people so scared? And how could someone be running so fast they don’t see Raven Gorge until they fall into it?”
Skaara tore his eyes away and spoke quietly, “She must have escaped from the Dog Soldiers.”
Jack’s blood ran cold. The idea that Anubis’ gang could be so close to town was very unpleasant. The Genii could be reasoned with and, in a pinch, bought off. The Wraith were still smarting from their losses during the Siege, and had fled into the mountains pursued by the army. But Anubis was another matter all together. He and his men, mostly runaway slaves blackmailed into service, roamed the wilderness like the pack of dogs they were named for. They were vicious and completely without mercy.
“How do you know?” Jack asked, certain that Skaara would not speak of Anubis without being certain.
Skaara came over and gently lifted the dirt and blood matted red hair from the woman’s torn collar. Jack had to strain his neck to see, but there was no mistaking it. On the back of the woman’s neck was a thin vertical white line, a scar given to her by Anubis himself.
“Only the highest ranking members of the gang wear this sign.” Jack said, his voice dull with disbelief.
“Dog Soldiers do not initiate women into their ranks. She bears no mark upon her forehead.” Skaara said, his voice full of certainty. “And she is one of your people. There must be another reason.”
“You spend too much time with Daniel.” Jack said, more out of habit than anything else.
“Father says it is better than spending too much time with you!”
Jack smiled for the first time in hours. Skaara led the horse over the final fallen log, and pulled the travois into line behind it. Jack set the woman down, and they carefully tucked the blanket along the sides of the sled. Skaara held the horse while Jack mounted, and reached up to clasp his friend’s hand.
“We will fix the trail, O’Neill.” Skaara said. “What happens next will be trouble for all of us.”
“I think you’re right.”
“Father says we must heal first and then judge. Will you tell your doctor that?” Skaara said.
“You’ve met Carson, Skaara. Do you really think he will let her suffer?”
Skaara inclined his head. Jack squeezed his friend’s hand tightly, nodded, and, with a light flick of the reigns, began the long walk home.
xxx
In almost every case when Dr. Carson Beckett treated a patient, he did so with very little warning. The few times he had advance knowledge were almost worse: instead of just reacting and practicing his craft, he had to wait, endlessly recataloguing his available materials and hoping desperately that what he had would be sufficient. The siege had been one of these times and, faced with another period of waiting, Carson was reminded of how much he hated it.
Jonas was not helping. The young agent had provided Carson with a somewhat fragmentary list of injuries to anticipate treating. His memory was never cause for debate, but his lack of medical expertise left a great deal of his descriptions wanting. He had then insisted on waiting in Carson’s newly reconstructed office, and Jonas Quinn was not a peaceful waiter. He paced between the windows. He fiddled with equipment. That he did not pepper Carson with endless questions was a small mercy, but not enough to prevent the doctor from banishing him to the chairs out front that stood in place of a porch.
“And try not to alert the entire town to the fact that we’re about to have a medical emergency!” Carson demanded of Jonas’ retreating back.
Jonas paused for a moment on the threshold, realizing the importance of the doctor’s words, and schooled his face into some semblance of its normal sunny expression. He took a seat on the bench, and looked out across the main street of the town. It was early enough that not too many people were abroad. He and Jack had left for the Reservation before dawn, and since he had returned almost immediately, it was not yet noon. Vala Mal Doran could be seen moving around her open air kitchen, but few customers sat at her tables. Weir’s Mercantile stood open and a few people loitered on the steps.
A sudden burst of laugher and the crowd of children chasing a hoop down the street reminded Jonas that Daniel had let the school out for this week so his older students could help with the planting. For his youngest students, and for those who lived in town, this constituted a holiday and the sunny weather ensured that all of them were enjoying it. Jonas smiled in spite of himself. Daniel himself waved from where he sat lingering over his coffee at Miss Mal Doran’s, then stood up and walked over.
“You’re back early.” Daniel said by way of greeting.
“Yes.” Jonas said, wondering why Jack hadn’t given him some sort of guidance about what to say in the face of inevitable questions.
“Problems?” Daniel’s concern for the people on the Reservation was definitely something that Jack should have taken into account. Jonas paused for one moment too long. “Skaara? Kasuf? Why are you at Beckett’s? Where is Jack?”
“Daniel, please!” Jonas finally snapped into action. “Not so loud. There’s…a woman. She was injured. Skaara found her and Jack is bringing her into town. We don’t know much more.”
Daniel scuffed his boots in the dirt, and leaned on one of the posts that used to support the railing. “How long until Jack gets here?”
“He’ll be using a travois, and they would have had to carry her to the road, the path’s so bad.” Jonas said. “But they didn’t leave too long after I did, I think.”
Daniel’s eyes went to the road and followed it out of town towards Colorado Springs. The road was not visible for very long after it passed the last house, swallowed up almost immediately by trees and the rocks of the mountains.
“He’s not coming on the road, Daniel.” Jonas said softly. “He’s not going to parade the poor woman through town.”
“It’s that bad?”
“I really think it is.”
The two men waited in silence while Atlantis bustled on around them. Miss Mal Doran’s café filled with patrons as men came for their lunches. The mercantile steps were now crowded with children playing with tops and eating penny candy. Next door, Janet Fraiser came on to her mildly scorched front porch and watched them, a puzzled look on her face. Jonas could not hold her gaze.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Jack stepped out the door from inside Carson’s office.
“Jack--?” Jonas began.
“I used the back door.” Jack said shortly and gestured to Daniel. “What’s he doing here?”
“Come on, Jack.” Daniel said. “You’re supposed to be at the Reservation, and instead I see Jonas at Beckett’s all morning?”
“Stupid school holidays.”
“How is she?” Jonas asked.
“Beckett is beginning his examination now.” Jack fumbled in his pocket, and withdrew a necklace. “I should go put this with her things. It fell off on the road, and I put it in my pocket.”
“Wait!” said Daniel.
“What?” Jack said.
“That’s hers?” Daniel asked.
“Of course,” Jack said. “Where else would I get a necklace?”
“Let me see it.”
“Daniel—”
“Let me see it!” Daniel repeated with uncharacteristic vehemence.
Surprised, Jack handed the necklace over. It had a simple silver chain, finally broken by everything its wearer had endured, and the charm on it was a small book with a feather on top of it.
“Sarah.” Daniel breathed.
“What?” Jack said.
“Her name is Sarah,” Daniel explained. “Sarah Gardiner.”
Chapter 2
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-10-01 06:24 pm (UTC)See, I consider Sarah a blond. And Sora too. But some consider them redheads (Erin Chambers is definitely a redhead, but I thought she just went almost all blond for Atlantis). Oh well.
This is feeling very Ren Words and Deeds so far. Though I strongly
have strong confirmtationsuspect that .... certain aspects won't parallel. ;-)no subject
Date: 2009-10-01 06:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-01 09:58 pm (UTC)The plot thickens!
no subject
Date: 2009-10-02 12:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-02 01:42 am (UTC)