CFMWH#7: I Never Told You What I Do For A Living
Title: Can't Find My Way Home
Rating: PG for now
By: Jendavis
Spoilers: SGA: The Last Man, FF: Serenity
Pairing: Eventual Jayne Cobb/ Ronon Dex
Genre: Crossover
Warnings: None for this chapter.
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue, don't take this too seriously.
Summary: Timelines diverge by converging.
Previous: 1. Man of Steel 2. Keys to the World 3. Lost 4. Gone Away 5. House is Not a Home 6. Still Standing
7. I Never Told You What I Do For A Living
There was dirt below his feet as he ran, surveying the landscape and assigning meaning to landmarks as he passed. It was an old habit, but one that had become more useful in the recent months.
Ronon kept the camp within the horizon, though. Tomorrow, he'd stray past the camp's sightlines, but not yet. He didn't have his bearings, and his legs, if he was honest with himself, were reluctant to carry him too far out. He still didn't have the energy.
He did, however, gave the camp a wide berth. It was easier to see everyone from a distance. From here, he couldn't read the defeat on their faces the way he could when he passed too close. It kept him from thinking too hard on the fact that there were fewer than there should have been.
He ran onward, between the tree line and the river, slowing only to make note of where the banks narrowed. It would be a good place to install a fishing weir.
Even if their supplies held out, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to start finding food sources. The gardens behind the camp had been planted as soon as they'd selected the location for the alpha site, but passing by them now, he could tell there was nothing ready for harvest. People needed to work, to regain some control over their situation. Fishing wouldn't take the ammunition that hunting would.
Deciding to run it past Lorne when he got back, he began his circuitous route back to camp. For the first time in what felt like ages, he had a plan.
---
Ronon sat himself under the shade of a large tree near the gate. Hacking the branches he'd gathered into rough stakes, he listened idly to the conversations that came over the radio. They were more rare and sporadic, now, than they'd been on Atlantis, and the constant chatter of voices in his ear weren't as annoying as they'd once been.
The security team assigned to the gate had seemed a little curious about the people Ronon had told them about, but there wasn't much for them to go on, so their conversation had petered out some time ago. Compared to the discussions on the radio, they were silent by comparison.
At least, that was the case until McKay dialed in to the open channel and heard that a couple of strangers now had their gate address. His voice was an angry hiss as he complained to Lorne.
"Less than two days ago, we lost Atlantis. In much the same fashion, I might add," McKay was saying. "And I'm sorry, but I don't see where Ronon gets to make decisions that affect the entire camp!"
"Chill, McKay," Lorne responded. "Zelenka says they're good people, and Ronon trusts them."
"Yeah, well. Don't you think that's a little strange? I mean, it took him how long to become comfortable with us? He's not exactly the outgoing type."
"We've got a security team on the gate, ready for anything. It's just two people. Tactically, it would have been better for them to attack yesterday, when they weren't outnumbered."
Ronon wanted to jump in, to argue, but he remained silent. It's not like he expected McKay to be reasonable, really, even after his apologies yesterday.
Besides. Part of him had to admit that it was a stupid move. Careless. And the argument on the radio was evidently starting to make the security team twitchy. If someone didn't step in, tempers were likely to flare, sometime soon.
Teyla could have calmed everyone down, of that, Ronon was sure. If they'd done a better job tracking Michael down, if they hadn't failed so utterly, she'd probably be doing just that right now.
If we'd found her, a lot of things would be better, now.
Instead, he forced himself to reassess the threat that Jayne and River posed. Not much of one. They seemed to be good people. River was a little unusual, but after the past few days, she had her reasons. Jayne seemed to be the soldiering type. That, he understood.
Ronon was almost finished stockpiling stakes- he'd been sitting there for a long while, now, and still there was no sign of gate activity. No sign of River or Jayne. He watched the gate for a while, as if he needed to look to be sure. He ignored the niggling thought that the wraith had might have returned and turned Jayne and River into two people he'd almost known.
And if the wraith found the address...
As if waiting for that thought to cross his mind, the gate began to initialize.
---
She'd been hummin' to herself ever since they'd put the valley behind them, but when River first saw the gate, she went silent and wide-eyed.
It wasn't like it usually was, when she looked at things and saw more to 'em than everyone else did. She was starin' because she actually hadn't seen nothin' like it before. She was awestruck. For once, Jayne could relate.
Didn't mean he didn't have to go first, though. Wasn't no chance of her goin' through otherwise, that much'd been apparent right off. Ain't a trick, he thought, over and over so River could hear, probably said it out loud, too, but he wasn't sure.
Two steps and a blink later, he was on a different planet, raising his eyes to find soldiers pointing guns at him.
Half a breath later, he spotted Ronon, signaling the others to lower their weapons, and looking, oddly enough, relieved to see him. Like maybe he'd been expectin' someone else. It wasn't an expression he was used to seein' on the face of someone who wasn't crew. Odd, but it didn't bear thinkin' on right now.
Taking a few steps forward, he looked over his shoulder to the water-that-wasn't-wet. Worst-case scenario, she wouldn't come through, and he'd have to go back for her. Irritating, but there wasn't no way 'round it.
Another moment passed, but then River stepped slowly through the gate, her head tilting this way an' that as she found the new world around her. New people, sunlight comin' in from a different direction. All of it.
Her eyes narrowed when she saw the guns, and she dropped her pack. It was all the warning she gave.
The first soldier was disarmed and falling to the ground, and by the time she attacked the second, it was the bar on Beaumonde. It was that bad day they lost Wash, all over again, and there was something he knew he should say, but he couldn't remember the words, just that they were weird. Something about chickens laughing? Was that it? Something Simon'd made him promise to remember…
He almost had it, but there was a blast, and River was falling to the ground.
Ronon lowered his gun, studying Jayne cautiously, like he might raise it again if he didn't like what he was about to hear. Didn't matter, anyway. Jayne had two guns trained on him and he knew it. "Don't do anything stupid. She's just stunned, and you damned well better hope ours are, too." At that, one of the uniformed soldiers knelt, checking the pulses of the fallen.
Jayne was relieved to find that they were alive, but he wasn't going to play it like that. Not right now, with a gun in his face. It was irritatin'.
There was a voice from his right, and he turned to see the man from yesterday. Lorne. "What the hell was that?"
Zhe zhen shi ge kuai le de jin zhan. Jayne raised his hands, allowed one of the soldiers to grab his sidearm form the holster. Pretended not to be annoyed that they found the other two as well.
"This is all a misunderstandin'. She got spooked, is all." And probably had cause to, what with your weapons pointed our way, he didn't add. "We ain't here tryin' to cause problems."
Ronon looked skeptical, like he was ready to take aim again. Jayne looked over to River, lying on the ground, and figured makin' a deal would be the fastest way out of this. "Might want to get some restraints on her 'fore she comes to. Don't know how she'll take to wakin' up with guns in her face."
Lorne and Ronon exchanged quick glances, but if there was a signal there, Jayne couldn't read it. "You're serious, aren't you?" Lorne said, pulling a bewildered face, and raised his hand to his radio. "We got three down. One stunned, we're going to need to restrain her. Two, ah, were."
"Knocked out by a girl, sir," one of the soldiers added helpfully, trying not to smirk over his gun.
"Keller, you get that?" Lorne nodded, quirking a brow in River's direction as he listened to the response. "Right."
After surveying the scene a moment longer, Lorne sighed. "Okay. Look. I'm going to assume this is all a misunderstanding, for now. We'll get yours and ours over to the infirmary, and then you're going to explain to us what that was all about."
---
Jayne carried both his pack and River's as they headed towards the camp. The two soldiers were moving under their own power by the time the medics came out, but River was bound to a field stretcher, arms and ankles tied down to the sides with thin plastic strips that were probably sturdier than they looked.
And if she wakes up, decidin' she don't like what she finds, it ain't like these're my people. Told 'em about the restraints, so it ain't like I didn't give 'em fair warning.
It wasn't the best of outcomes, but it wasn't cause for overmuch concern, neither. The restraints didn't look like much, and Jayne had to admit, it didn't actually look like anyone meant her any harm. And if they did, well, it wasn't like her instincts were likely to let them get too far.
Jayne was the only one that knew it, but he kept watch on her face, as they headed towards the camp, all the same. Lorne led him into the tent after the medics, and Ronon followed, standing near the entrance like he'd been assigned the post.
'Course, her wakin' up and killin' everyone might complicate things more'n they need to be.
If he was relieved that they let him keep her in their sights while the doctor or someone checked her out, he didn't notice it. Didn't think about it, really, until he actually looked at the doctor.
Wo de tian a.
Kaylee's face was peering up at him with distant concern in her eyes, moving a little to get his attention. "I'm sorry, are you okay?"
"I'm uh. You." Jayne blinked, but the strangeness didn't go away.
A few moments more, though, and the differences became apparent. The doctor was harder around the edges. Thinner around the mouth, like she didn't smile enough.
Uncanny, but it ain't her. Get yourself together, man.
Jayne shook his head, trying to knock his brain in its casing a little, jar it back to now, some sort of coherency.
"You look a lot like a dead friend of ours," was all his stupid brain supplied, still spinnin' too much cover with a better response.
"Oh!" The doctor started, eyes darting over in Ronon's direction, or maybe she was looking at the exit. "I'm…sorry?"
No one said anything for a long moment, and Jayne didn't need to check the other faces in the room to read their confusion.
"Well, this is ruttin' awkward," Jayne decided, scratching at his chin. It worked, at least a little bit. The doctor smiled back at him, thin-lipped and terrified, and turned her attention to River.
Lorne's voice was quiet, measured when he spoke. "She was acting normal before you came through?"
"Normal as she ever is, which ain't much. But look. She ain't. She's dangerous, but she ain't evil. Won't have you hurtin' her none over it, so's if it comes down to it, I'd just assume leave with her 'fore she wakes up." He turned, keeping his eyes steady on Lorne's face. He needed to know if it was going to be a problem.
But as usual, his timing was off. The sheets were rustling, and Jayne turned back to find River stirring. Before he could speak or move, the doctor was leaning down again towards the cot. Shit.
He sat, frozen, as River opened irritated eyes to find Kaylee's ghost leaning over her.
There was that stillness again, only this time, it wasn't just him that was hangin' on the next moment. River's reaction was going to be everything, was going to define how this all played out.
Of course, River didn't react the way he expected her to. She just blinked a few times before looking at the doctor with one eye squinted shut.
"Who are you?" she asked, and Jayne let out of a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. It was curiosity, not frightened disbelief, shadin' her voice.
"I'm Jennifer Keller." If River had actually seen the resemblance, she wasn't showing it, and time began to move at the right pace again as the doctor continued. "You were knocked out, scared a lot of people, and I'm here to make sure you're okay. How are you feeling?"
"Tingly." Attempting to shift her position, it was then that River realized she couldn't move her arms. Jayne could sense the panic threaten to rise.
"River," he said, moving out of the chair towards the cot, wary of the others as he drew near. "It's okay. You attacked some folk. Like on Beaumonde. But they're okay, you didn't hurt anyone. They were just doing their job," he glanced up to Lorne for confirmation, too quickly to see if he actually had it. "You mind tellin' us what the hell was goin' through your head?"
"Confused. Tension, everywhere. You all." She shook her head, closing her eyes. "I'm. I shimmered through space again. It's unsettling. I." Her eyes focused again on Keller again. "I didn't hurt anyone?"
"Yes, they're fine. Headaches, but yours is going to be worse in a few minutes, I'm afraid. Sorry about that. It's a side effect of the stunner." She cast a distasteful glance towards the corner of the tent where Ronon stood.
Smart move, choosing River's side, Jayne thought.
The tent flap opened then, and the man who'd been fussin' over water filters the other day stepped through. "Lorne, what is-"
"I still don't know what's going on," Lorne cut him off, irritably, glaring expectantly at Jayne. "And I'm thinking we should get to that."
Jayne looked up from River to see four sets of eyes on him, and he sighed. Best get on with it, then.
"Uh. Okay. Well, she's a super genius, as well as a government trained killing machine who's had a ruttin' awful week," and can read your mind, he didn't add, "but she's not quite as loose in the head as she used to be."
River smiled, raising her eyebrows as if that would enable her to see everyone's faces better. "I'm also a really good dancer."
Time slowed down again, in the space before the response.
"These are the people you entrusted our gate address to?"
"Shut up, McKay," Lorne sighed, and told Keller to cut the restraints.
---
Everyone fell silent, not knowing how to proceed from there, and then they turned their attention back to Jayne.
"Look. Things are real messed up in our part of the 'verse. She was smart. Got singled out. Kidnapped and messed with. Her brother stole her back from the Alliance, got her out of there, but the damage was already done. When she's threatened, she freaks out."
Jayne wasn't sure that it was the entire truth, but it was the most expedient one.
"It was a security squad," McKay squawked.
"First time through the gate? Might've upset her." Ronon offered, only shrugging when McKay sneered, clearly thinking it was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard.
Seriously, Ronon, Jayne thought. How d'you listen to that guy all day without wantin' to beat some sense into him?
Lorne seemed to be considering it, though. Either Ronon's suggestion, or Jayne's, from the looks of it. "What alliance are you talking about?"
"The Alliance. Right. Uh." Jayne tried to figure out where to start unravelin' that ball o' twine.
"The unified government. They're a little bit fascist," River explained to the tent ceiling. Jayne figured it was near enough the truth, and let it ride.
"Lorne?" Keller gestured towards the tent entrance, and the two of them, along with McKay, walked outside to discuss whatever they needed to discuss.
Ronon stepped closer to the cot, into River's sightline. "You okay?"
"I feel different. But well. Better." She tried to shift again, her face turning away. "Thanks for stopping me."
If Jayne was surprised to hear it, Ronon looked like he'd been hit with his own stunner. His hand went up under his hair, grabbing at the back of his neck as he cocked his head. "Ah. Right. You're welcome. And. Y'know. Sorry it had to happen."
Jayne wanted to get Ronon alone, see what intel he could gather, but didn't have the time, because Keller and Lorne were coming back in.
Lorne scratched at his eyebrow like he didn't know where to begin, but wanted to end it as quickly as possible. He drew near the cot. "Look. River. You planning on attacking any more of my men?"
"I wasn't planning on attacking them the first time. It just. Washed over. I'm sorry."
"Okay, here's the deal." Lorne decided, heaving another tired sigh. "Partially because we're really nice people, but mostly because, well, we don't have the facilities to hold you, we're going to spring you. But I would take it as a kindness if you didn't pick any more fights."
"Aye aye, Captain."
---
They'd all gone to the tent where the food was and sat down, but it was clear that River was more interested in the rest of the camp than she was in eating, and Jayne wasn't the only one that noticed.
Ronon, once he was done eating, nudged Jayne while looking across at Lorne, who was starting to look irritated again.
"Want me to show her around? Figure you two gotta…" he waved his hand vaguely as he trailed off.
"Fine by me," Lorne said, and River brightened measurably, her attention suddenly zeroing in on Jayne with a hopeful look on her face.
She's askin' permission. Huh.
"Yeah, sure," Jayne said, like it was something that happened all the time, and watched her stand up, ready to follow Ronon out.
Distraction gone, Lorne seemed to relax. "Ronon's not wrong. Figure we've got a lot of ground to cover, so I'm going to just… Yeah. As you know, our base was destroyed. When Earth can't make contact, they'll have a ship come pick us up, and we'll figure out where to go from there. At the earliest, it will be a little over a month, but it could be longer. You're welcome to come back with us, if you don't feel like trying your luck here."
"Is Ronon going?"
"You'd have to ask him. You don't have to decide now, I just wanted to make sure you know the option's there."
"Shiny."
Lorne blinked, but understood the assent. "So. Ah. At the risk of sounding undiplomatic, I know your ship got hit, and that you're apparently from the future or something. But beyond that?"
"Right. Well. The ship, Serenity's her name. Owned and operated by Captain Mal Reynolds, and I run. Ran security." Ran a lot of cons on security as well, but that ain't here nor there. "She was kidnapped by the Alliance, 'til her brother went and rescued her. He was a doctor, took care of her and the rest of us."
Lorne nodded, having heard all this. "Am I to understand that she requires psychological help?"
"Probably, but I don't even know the half of what's going on with her." Jayne wished he had some other answer, some convincing lie, but there wasn't any good way 'round the truth. "She really has been getting better. Came out of the last few days like it was nothing, but maybe it ain't hit her yet. Maybe it did, earlier. But I can't honestly say."
Looking out into the center of the encampment, he could see Ronon walking slowly, apparently giving River the lead in the expedition. "Anyhow. Figure, we're here now, an' apparently there ain't no way we're gettin' home, less you all got time travel figured out?"
"No. Barely understand how the gates work, truth be told."
"Figured."
Lorne snorted. "How so?"
"If we're from the future and ain't got it, don't make no sense to think you all do."
"Fair enough." Lorne was grinning, though. It was a good sign.
"Okay. Ronon told me a little about what y'all been up against. Sounds like a hell of a lot, an' you probably got a lot of other things to worry 'bout besides two strangers with a busted up ship. Appreciate you sendin' your man out to look at it, but the fact is, we're still stuck."
Jayne took a breath. Tried to remember how Zoe handled negotiations. Wished he could remember somethin' more useful than outright beggin'.
"Our crew's dead and we're grounded. Me an' River ain't got a lot of options, but. I'm old hand with fightin', huntin', a little bit of farmin' and such." Can steal from, con and screw over anyone you want. "Odd jobs. Figure I might be able to chip in if'n you could use me. And River might not look like much, but she has a way of comin' in handy at the oddest times. You let us stay on until we get our bearings with all this, an' we'll chip in wherever you can use us."
Lorne nodded, like he'd known the proposal was coming, and had already made up his mind. "Deal," he offered his hand, and they shook on it.
Negotiations thus completed, Lorne slouched back in his seat a little, a little more at ease. More open like. Friendly. "If you don't mind me saying it, you seem to be handling all this very well."
Jayne hadn't thought about it, there just hadn't been the time. "Been to all sorts of different planets, and this ain't the only unpleasantness anyone's seen in the 'verse. This trip. Planet. It's just further out, or back or whatever. But seems to have the same people's anywhere else, for the most part."
"Most part?"
"Exceptin' the wraith. Still ain't got my head 'round them yet."
"Takes a while, believe me."
Jayne shrugged. "So, they trying to take over your planet? What's their deal?"
"They feed on humans. We're food to them. So far, they haven't been able to make it all the way out to Earth, but it's always been a concern."
Jayne considered this for a moment, thinking about all the displays at the ports, the museums and freak show containers of faked alien corpses. "Huh. Where I'm from, Earth stopped being' a concern hundreds of years back, an' we still ain't seen no aliens. Wonder why that is."
"You should ask Zelenka. Or McKay."
"That bein' the choice, I'm choosin' Zelenka. Seems…" he broke off. Probably ain't smart to go 'round insulting the folk before you know the score 'tween 'em.
Lorne laughed, though, and it was enough for Jayne to decide that he was probably a likeable enough guy. "You wouldn't be the first."
---
"So you go through the gate all the time?" They'd finished circling the settlement, and River looked to be contemplating the path leading away from the camp.
"Yeah."
She nodded, pulling a strand of wind-blown hair out of her mouth with a distasteful expression. "Aren't you worried about not arriving where you're supposed to be?"
"I'm usually more worried about not getting to the gate."
"The destination isn't as much the question as the leaving…"
If it was a question or a statement, Ronon couldn't tell, but figured it was better to agree either way. "Sure."
And there it was again. That uncomfortable suspicion that made him feel guilty for having it.
She's just strange. Not an enemy. Get over it.
There wasn't really much else to see. They'd already done one full circuit of the camp, and it Lorne hadn't come on the radio to say that he and Jayne were done talking.
Ronon, perhaps a little too late, realized that he had no idea at all what a girl like River would be interested in. There wasn't really much around by way of distraction.
"Want to go see what Zelenka's up to?"
"Yes. I would like very much to do that," she replied, mimicking Zelenka's accent perfectly. It was better than Chuck's imitation, and Ronon laughed, entertaining the notion of setting up a competition between the two of them, but-
But Chuck isn't around any more.
River seemed to sense the change in mood, and was quiet on the way over to the tent the scientists had taken over. What kind of science they were doing, he didn't bother to ask. It looked to be the usual kind, where Zelenka and McKay scribbled out each other's equations and argued.
"No, Rodney, because if you are assuming these gravitational effects on an unstable wormhole-"
"Hey," Ronon interrupted, stepping inside. "Showin' River around, you guys busy?"
"I am," McKay said. "But Zelenka keeps interrupting me."
"Consider it peer review," Zelenka replied, waving River inside. "Come in. I take it that all is now well?"
"Yeah. Keller sprung her. Lorne's talking to Jayne right now, so."
"I see," he said, edging around the worktable and talking over his shoulder at McKay, who was again busy scrawling on the whiteboard that someone had set up. "You know, Rodney, it might be of some use to talk to someone with practical time travel experience," he teased, smirking at the eye roll he couldn't have seen. "I trust nothing more than a few headaches have gone around since last I saw you?"
River nodded distractedly, apparently busy examining some of the gear laid out on the worktable, and Zelenka noticed her interest. "Ah, I see you have found…" he trailed off, glancing at Ronon warily.
It struck Ronon that maybe he shouldn't have brought her here. He'd already apparently overstepped his bounds giving them the gate address. There was a chance that Ancient technology was a topic that was similarly off limits.
Zelenka, though, with his usual casualness, made the decision for him.
"Ah, yes," he said, gingerly picking up the small device in question. The casing was open, and several wires trailed from it to another computer. "This was found, well. It doesn't matter." He removed two of the wires and pressed the casing back together loosely before handing it carefully to River.
It was only when it started to glow that Ronon recognized it as one of the personal shields they'd been trying to reverse engineer.
"Oh my," was all Zelenka said. River stared at it, her grin wide, not yet understanding what it meant.
Ronon raised a hand to his radio. "Lorne. We're in the lab, you should probably come see this."
---
"What did they do this time?" Lorne growled, leading Jayne into the tent, where he found River and the others staring at a glowing green thing.
"Nothing, yet." McKay said. "Just seems that the universe is trying to get in the way of some useful research once again."
"Shut up, McKay," was, as had become usual, Lorne's response. "So, this mean she's a carrier?"
"I'm just holding it," River answered, confused. "I haven't carried it anywhere."
"What he means is that you carry the gene that is required to operate certain pieces of technology," Zelenka explained. "First off, I need you to think about turning it off."
River gave him a quizzical glare, but the shield's green glow went quickly dark.
"Okay, good," Zelenka smiled, reaching out for the device and replacing it on the table. "Wonderful."
"You realize that you've just blown our chances of getting good readings on an uninitialized device," McKay grumbled, turning back to his whiteboard.
"But you know what this means-" Lorne started, only to be interrupted.
"Yes, yes. The force is extremely strong with this one. It's Sheppard all over again. Now, if you don't mind, how about discussing the rest of the exposition elsewhere? Some of us have work to do."
Jayne backed out of the tent and let the others pass before his curiosity got the better of him. "So. What's going on?"
"River can operate Ancient technology."
"Old stuff?"
"Ancient as in technology built by a people we call the Ancients."
"The people who built the gates," Ronon clarified. "Don't worry, it's probably a good thing."
"As long as you don't get into stuff you shouldn't," Lorne said ominously, but Zelenka, apparently of a different opinion, was still smiling excitedly.
"She can make things glow green. Cool, but so what?"
"That isn't the limit of Ancient technology," Zelenka offered. "And when we can, we should test you for the gene as well. But anyway, for example, if we found a chair-"
"What?"
"The chair. There was. It is a chair that operates several of the controls for Atlantis. Our. Yes. Well. There isn't one here, but if there was one that was operable, she would be able to fire drones just by thinking about it."
"Drones?"
"Missiles. Impressive ones, which can destroy an orbiting Wraith ship."
Jayne thought on that for a minute. "So," he began, "You're tellin' me that she can blow up ships with her brain?"
"Yes. Possibly. Essentially."
Ain't ruttin' fair, Jayne thought. She's already been able to kill people with her brain for years.
"What?" Lorne spoke so sharply that Jayne froze, sure that he'd spoken aloud. His non-telekinetic brain was spinning so hard, trying to come up with an explanation that sounded reasonable, that for a moment, he didn't realize Lorne was talking into his radio.
"Christ, it never ends," he grumbled, addressing the group this time.
"What is it?" Ronon asked, frozen but for his fingers, which wavered over the gun at his side like he was preparing to fight.
"Todd," was all Lorne growled by way of explanation. "Zelenka, I need you to find quarters for these two-"
"There's space in my tent," Ronon offered, already turning away. "Last one on the southern side, across from the armory."
"Yes, of course," Zelenka still sounded friendly, but there was a new tension there, wariness, as he gestured for Jayne and River to follow.
8. Scary Eyes
Rating: PG for now
By: Jendavis
Spoilers: SGA: The Last Man, FF: Serenity
Pairing: Eventual Jayne Cobb/ Ronon Dex
Genre: Crossover
Warnings: None for this chapter.
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue, don't take this too seriously.
Summary: Timelines diverge by converging.
Previous: 1. Man of Steel 2. Keys to the World 3. Lost 4. Gone Away 5. House is Not a Home 6. Still Standing
7. I Never Told You What I Do For A Living
There was dirt below his feet as he ran, surveying the landscape and assigning meaning to landmarks as he passed. It was an old habit, but one that had become more useful in the recent months.
Ronon kept the camp within the horizon, though. Tomorrow, he'd stray past the camp's sightlines, but not yet. He didn't have his bearings, and his legs, if he was honest with himself, were reluctant to carry him too far out. He still didn't have the energy.
He did, however, gave the camp a wide berth. It was easier to see everyone from a distance. From here, he couldn't read the defeat on their faces the way he could when he passed too close. It kept him from thinking too hard on the fact that there were fewer than there should have been.
He ran onward, between the tree line and the river, slowing only to make note of where the banks narrowed. It would be a good place to install a fishing weir.
Even if their supplies held out, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to start finding food sources. The gardens behind the camp had been planted as soon as they'd selected the location for the alpha site, but passing by them now, he could tell there was nothing ready for harvest. People needed to work, to regain some control over their situation. Fishing wouldn't take the ammunition that hunting would.
Deciding to run it past Lorne when he got back, he began his circuitous route back to camp. For the first time in what felt like ages, he had a plan.
---
Ronon sat himself under the shade of a large tree near the gate. Hacking the branches he'd gathered into rough stakes, he listened idly to the conversations that came over the radio. They were more rare and sporadic, now, than they'd been on Atlantis, and the constant chatter of voices in his ear weren't as annoying as they'd once been.
The security team assigned to the gate had seemed a little curious about the people Ronon had told them about, but there wasn't much for them to go on, so their conversation had petered out some time ago. Compared to the discussions on the radio, they were silent by comparison.
At least, that was the case until McKay dialed in to the open channel and heard that a couple of strangers now had their gate address. His voice was an angry hiss as he complained to Lorne.
"Less than two days ago, we lost Atlantis. In much the same fashion, I might add," McKay was saying. "And I'm sorry, but I don't see where Ronon gets to make decisions that affect the entire camp!"
"Chill, McKay," Lorne responded. "Zelenka says they're good people, and Ronon trusts them."
"Yeah, well. Don't you think that's a little strange? I mean, it took him how long to become comfortable with us? He's not exactly the outgoing type."
"We've got a security team on the gate, ready for anything. It's just two people. Tactically, it would have been better for them to attack yesterday, when they weren't outnumbered."
Ronon wanted to jump in, to argue, but he remained silent. It's not like he expected McKay to be reasonable, really, even after his apologies yesterday.
Besides. Part of him had to admit that it was a stupid move. Careless. And the argument on the radio was evidently starting to make the security team twitchy. If someone didn't step in, tempers were likely to flare, sometime soon.
Teyla could have calmed everyone down, of that, Ronon was sure. If they'd done a better job tracking Michael down, if they hadn't failed so utterly, she'd probably be doing just that right now.
If we'd found her, a lot of things would be better, now.
Instead, he forced himself to reassess the threat that Jayne and River posed. Not much of one. They seemed to be good people. River was a little unusual, but after the past few days, she had her reasons. Jayne seemed to be the soldiering type. That, he understood.
Ronon was almost finished stockpiling stakes- he'd been sitting there for a long while, now, and still there was no sign of gate activity. No sign of River or Jayne. He watched the gate for a while, as if he needed to look to be sure. He ignored the niggling thought that the wraith had might have returned and turned Jayne and River into two people he'd almost known.
And if the wraith found the address...
As if waiting for that thought to cross his mind, the gate began to initialize.
---
She'd been hummin' to herself ever since they'd put the valley behind them, but when River first saw the gate, she went silent and wide-eyed.
It wasn't like it usually was, when she looked at things and saw more to 'em than everyone else did. She was starin' because she actually hadn't seen nothin' like it before. She was awestruck. For once, Jayne could relate.
Didn't mean he didn't have to go first, though. Wasn't no chance of her goin' through otherwise, that much'd been apparent right off. Ain't a trick, he thought, over and over so River could hear, probably said it out loud, too, but he wasn't sure.
Two steps and a blink later, he was on a different planet, raising his eyes to find soldiers pointing guns at him.
Half a breath later, he spotted Ronon, signaling the others to lower their weapons, and looking, oddly enough, relieved to see him. Like maybe he'd been expectin' someone else. It wasn't an expression he was used to seein' on the face of someone who wasn't crew. Odd, but it didn't bear thinkin' on right now.
Taking a few steps forward, he looked over his shoulder to the water-that-wasn't-wet. Worst-case scenario, she wouldn't come through, and he'd have to go back for her. Irritating, but there wasn't no way 'round it.
Another moment passed, but then River stepped slowly through the gate, her head tilting this way an' that as she found the new world around her. New people, sunlight comin' in from a different direction. All of it.
Her eyes narrowed when she saw the guns, and she dropped her pack. It was all the warning she gave.
The first soldier was disarmed and falling to the ground, and by the time she attacked the second, it was the bar on Beaumonde. It was that bad day they lost Wash, all over again, and there was something he knew he should say, but he couldn't remember the words, just that they were weird. Something about chickens laughing? Was that it? Something Simon'd made him promise to remember…
He almost had it, but there was a blast, and River was falling to the ground.
Ronon lowered his gun, studying Jayne cautiously, like he might raise it again if he didn't like what he was about to hear. Didn't matter, anyway. Jayne had two guns trained on him and he knew it. "Don't do anything stupid. She's just stunned, and you damned well better hope ours are, too." At that, one of the uniformed soldiers knelt, checking the pulses of the fallen.
Jayne was relieved to find that they were alive, but he wasn't going to play it like that. Not right now, with a gun in his face. It was irritatin'.
There was a voice from his right, and he turned to see the man from yesterday. Lorne. "What the hell was that?"
Zhe zhen shi ge kuai le de jin zhan. Jayne raised his hands, allowed one of the soldiers to grab his sidearm form the holster. Pretended not to be annoyed that they found the other two as well.
"This is all a misunderstandin'. She got spooked, is all." And probably had cause to, what with your weapons pointed our way, he didn't add. "We ain't here tryin' to cause problems."
Ronon looked skeptical, like he was ready to take aim again. Jayne looked over to River, lying on the ground, and figured makin' a deal would be the fastest way out of this. "Might want to get some restraints on her 'fore she comes to. Don't know how she'll take to wakin' up with guns in her face."
Lorne and Ronon exchanged quick glances, but if there was a signal there, Jayne couldn't read it. "You're serious, aren't you?" Lorne said, pulling a bewildered face, and raised his hand to his radio. "We got three down. One stunned, we're going to need to restrain her. Two, ah, were."
"Knocked out by a girl, sir," one of the soldiers added helpfully, trying not to smirk over his gun.
"Keller, you get that?" Lorne nodded, quirking a brow in River's direction as he listened to the response. "Right."
After surveying the scene a moment longer, Lorne sighed. "Okay. Look. I'm going to assume this is all a misunderstanding, for now. We'll get yours and ours over to the infirmary, and then you're going to explain to us what that was all about."
---
Jayne carried both his pack and River's as they headed towards the camp. The two soldiers were moving under their own power by the time the medics came out, but River was bound to a field stretcher, arms and ankles tied down to the sides with thin plastic strips that were probably sturdier than they looked.
And if she wakes up, decidin' she don't like what she finds, it ain't like these're my people. Told 'em about the restraints, so it ain't like I didn't give 'em fair warning.
It wasn't the best of outcomes, but it wasn't cause for overmuch concern, neither. The restraints didn't look like much, and Jayne had to admit, it didn't actually look like anyone meant her any harm. And if they did, well, it wasn't like her instincts were likely to let them get too far.
Jayne was the only one that knew it, but he kept watch on her face, as they headed towards the camp, all the same. Lorne led him into the tent after the medics, and Ronon followed, standing near the entrance like he'd been assigned the post.
'Course, her wakin' up and killin' everyone might complicate things more'n they need to be.
If he was relieved that they let him keep her in their sights while the doctor or someone checked her out, he didn't notice it. Didn't think about it, really, until he actually looked at the doctor.
Wo de tian a.
Kaylee's face was peering up at him with distant concern in her eyes, moving a little to get his attention. "I'm sorry, are you okay?"
"I'm uh. You." Jayne blinked, but the strangeness didn't go away.
A few moments more, though, and the differences became apparent. The doctor was harder around the edges. Thinner around the mouth, like she didn't smile enough.
Uncanny, but it ain't her. Get yourself together, man.
Jayne shook his head, trying to knock his brain in its casing a little, jar it back to now, some sort of coherency.
"You look a lot like a dead friend of ours," was all his stupid brain supplied, still spinnin' too much cover with a better response.
"Oh!" The doctor started, eyes darting over in Ronon's direction, or maybe she was looking at the exit. "I'm…sorry?"
No one said anything for a long moment, and Jayne didn't need to check the other faces in the room to read their confusion.
"Well, this is ruttin' awkward," Jayne decided, scratching at his chin. It worked, at least a little bit. The doctor smiled back at him, thin-lipped and terrified, and turned her attention to River.
Lorne's voice was quiet, measured when he spoke. "She was acting normal before you came through?"
"Normal as she ever is, which ain't much. But look. She ain't. She's dangerous, but she ain't evil. Won't have you hurtin' her none over it, so's if it comes down to it, I'd just assume leave with her 'fore she wakes up." He turned, keeping his eyes steady on Lorne's face. He needed to know if it was going to be a problem.
But as usual, his timing was off. The sheets were rustling, and Jayne turned back to find River stirring. Before he could speak or move, the doctor was leaning down again towards the cot. Shit.
He sat, frozen, as River opened irritated eyes to find Kaylee's ghost leaning over her.
There was that stillness again, only this time, it wasn't just him that was hangin' on the next moment. River's reaction was going to be everything, was going to define how this all played out.
Of course, River didn't react the way he expected her to. She just blinked a few times before looking at the doctor with one eye squinted shut.
"Who are you?" she asked, and Jayne let out of a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. It was curiosity, not frightened disbelief, shadin' her voice.
"I'm Jennifer Keller." If River had actually seen the resemblance, she wasn't showing it, and time began to move at the right pace again as the doctor continued. "You were knocked out, scared a lot of people, and I'm here to make sure you're okay. How are you feeling?"
"Tingly." Attempting to shift her position, it was then that River realized she couldn't move her arms. Jayne could sense the panic threaten to rise.
"River," he said, moving out of the chair towards the cot, wary of the others as he drew near. "It's okay. You attacked some folk. Like on Beaumonde. But they're okay, you didn't hurt anyone. They were just doing their job," he glanced up to Lorne for confirmation, too quickly to see if he actually had it. "You mind tellin' us what the hell was goin' through your head?"
"Confused. Tension, everywhere. You all." She shook her head, closing her eyes. "I'm. I shimmered through space again. It's unsettling. I." Her eyes focused again on Keller again. "I didn't hurt anyone?"
"Yes, they're fine. Headaches, but yours is going to be worse in a few minutes, I'm afraid. Sorry about that. It's a side effect of the stunner." She cast a distasteful glance towards the corner of the tent where Ronon stood.
Smart move, choosing River's side, Jayne thought.
The tent flap opened then, and the man who'd been fussin' over water filters the other day stepped through. "Lorne, what is-"
"I still don't know what's going on," Lorne cut him off, irritably, glaring expectantly at Jayne. "And I'm thinking we should get to that."
Jayne looked up from River to see four sets of eyes on him, and he sighed. Best get on with it, then.
"Uh. Okay. Well, she's a super genius, as well as a government trained killing machine who's had a ruttin' awful week," and can read your mind, he didn't add, "but she's not quite as loose in the head as she used to be."
River smiled, raising her eyebrows as if that would enable her to see everyone's faces better. "I'm also a really good dancer."
Time slowed down again, in the space before the response.
"These are the people you entrusted our gate address to?"
"Shut up, McKay," Lorne sighed, and told Keller to cut the restraints.
---
Everyone fell silent, not knowing how to proceed from there, and then they turned their attention back to Jayne.
"Look. Things are real messed up in our part of the 'verse. She was smart. Got singled out. Kidnapped and messed with. Her brother stole her back from the Alliance, got her out of there, but the damage was already done. When she's threatened, she freaks out."
Jayne wasn't sure that it was the entire truth, but it was the most expedient one.
"It was a security squad," McKay squawked.
"First time through the gate? Might've upset her." Ronon offered, only shrugging when McKay sneered, clearly thinking it was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard.
Seriously, Ronon, Jayne thought. How d'you listen to that guy all day without wantin' to beat some sense into him?
Lorne seemed to be considering it, though. Either Ronon's suggestion, or Jayne's, from the looks of it. "What alliance are you talking about?"
"The Alliance. Right. Uh." Jayne tried to figure out where to start unravelin' that ball o' twine.
"The unified government. They're a little bit fascist," River explained to the tent ceiling. Jayne figured it was near enough the truth, and let it ride.
"Lorne?" Keller gestured towards the tent entrance, and the two of them, along with McKay, walked outside to discuss whatever they needed to discuss.
Ronon stepped closer to the cot, into River's sightline. "You okay?"
"I feel different. But well. Better." She tried to shift again, her face turning away. "Thanks for stopping me."
If Jayne was surprised to hear it, Ronon looked like he'd been hit with his own stunner. His hand went up under his hair, grabbing at the back of his neck as he cocked his head. "Ah. Right. You're welcome. And. Y'know. Sorry it had to happen."
Jayne wanted to get Ronon alone, see what intel he could gather, but didn't have the time, because Keller and Lorne were coming back in.
Lorne scratched at his eyebrow like he didn't know where to begin, but wanted to end it as quickly as possible. He drew near the cot. "Look. River. You planning on attacking any more of my men?"
"I wasn't planning on attacking them the first time. It just. Washed over. I'm sorry."
"Okay, here's the deal." Lorne decided, heaving another tired sigh. "Partially because we're really nice people, but mostly because, well, we don't have the facilities to hold you, we're going to spring you. But I would take it as a kindness if you didn't pick any more fights."
"Aye aye, Captain."
---
They'd all gone to the tent where the food was and sat down, but it was clear that River was more interested in the rest of the camp than she was in eating, and Jayne wasn't the only one that noticed.
Ronon, once he was done eating, nudged Jayne while looking across at Lorne, who was starting to look irritated again.
"Want me to show her around? Figure you two gotta…" he waved his hand vaguely as he trailed off.
"Fine by me," Lorne said, and River brightened measurably, her attention suddenly zeroing in on Jayne with a hopeful look on her face.
She's askin' permission. Huh.
"Yeah, sure," Jayne said, like it was something that happened all the time, and watched her stand up, ready to follow Ronon out.
Distraction gone, Lorne seemed to relax. "Ronon's not wrong. Figure we've got a lot of ground to cover, so I'm going to just… Yeah. As you know, our base was destroyed. When Earth can't make contact, they'll have a ship come pick us up, and we'll figure out where to go from there. At the earliest, it will be a little over a month, but it could be longer. You're welcome to come back with us, if you don't feel like trying your luck here."
"Is Ronon going?"
"You'd have to ask him. You don't have to decide now, I just wanted to make sure you know the option's there."
"Shiny."
Lorne blinked, but understood the assent. "So. Ah. At the risk of sounding undiplomatic, I know your ship got hit, and that you're apparently from the future or something. But beyond that?"
"Right. Well. The ship, Serenity's her name. Owned and operated by Captain Mal Reynolds, and I run. Ran security." Ran a lot of cons on security as well, but that ain't here nor there. "She was kidnapped by the Alliance, 'til her brother went and rescued her. He was a doctor, took care of her and the rest of us."
Lorne nodded, having heard all this. "Am I to understand that she requires psychological help?"
"Probably, but I don't even know the half of what's going on with her." Jayne wished he had some other answer, some convincing lie, but there wasn't any good way 'round the truth. "She really has been getting better. Came out of the last few days like it was nothing, but maybe it ain't hit her yet. Maybe it did, earlier. But I can't honestly say."
Looking out into the center of the encampment, he could see Ronon walking slowly, apparently giving River the lead in the expedition. "Anyhow. Figure, we're here now, an' apparently there ain't no way we're gettin' home, less you all got time travel figured out?"
"No. Barely understand how the gates work, truth be told."
"Figured."
Lorne snorted. "How so?"
"If we're from the future and ain't got it, don't make no sense to think you all do."
"Fair enough." Lorne was grinning, though. It was a good sign.
"Okay. Ronon told me a little about what y'all been up against. Sounds like a hell of a lot, an' you probably got a lot of other things to worry 'bout besides two strangers with a busted up ship. Appreciate you sendin' your man out to look at it, but the fact is, we're still stuck."
Jayne took a breath. Tried to remember how Zoe handled negotiations. Wished he could remember somethin' more useful than outright beggin'.
"Our crew's dead and we're grounded. Me an' River ain't got a lot of options, but. I'm old hand with fightin', huntin', a little bit of farmin' and such." Can steal from, con and screw over anyone you want. "Odd jobs. Figure I might be able to chip in if'n you could use me. And River might not look like much, but she has a way of comin' in handy at the oddest times. You let us stay on until we get our bearings with all this, an' we'll chip in wherever you can use us."
Lorne nodded, like he'd known the proposal was coming, and had already made up his mind. "Deal," he offered his hand, and they shook on it.
Negotiations thus completed, Lorne slouched back in his seat a little, a little more at ease. More open like. Friendly. "If you don't mind me saying it, you seem to be handling all this very well."
Jayne hadn't thought about it, there just hadn't been the time. "Been to all sorts of different planets, and this ain't the only unpleasantness anyone's seen in the 'verse. This trip. Planet. It's just further out, or back or whatever. But seems to have the same people's anywhere else, for the most part."
"Most part?"
"Exceptin' the wraith. Still ain't got my head 'round them yet."
"Takes a while, believe me."
Jayne shrugged. "So, they trying to take over your planet? What's their deal?"
"They feed on humans. We're food to them. So far, they haven't been able to make it all the way out to Earth, but it's always been a concern."
Jayne considered this for a moment, thinking about all the displays at the ports, the museums and freak show containers of faked alien corpses. "Huh. Where I'm from, Earth stopped being' a concern hundreds of years back, an' we still ain't seen no aliens. Wonder why that is."
"You should ask Zelenka. Or McKay."
"That bein' the choice, I'm choosin' Zelenka. Seems…" he broke off. Probably ain't smart to go 'round insulting the folk before you know the score 'tween 'em.
Lorne laughed, though, and it was enough for Jayne to decide that he was probably a likeable enough guy. "You wouldn't be the first."
---
"So you go through the gate all the time?" They'd finished circling the settlement, and River looked to be contemplating the path leading away from the camp.
"Yeah."
She nodded, pulling a strand of wind-blown hair out of her mouth with a distasteful expression. "Aren't you worried about not arriving where you're supposed to be?"
"I'm usually more worried about not getting to the gate."
"The destination isn't as much the question as the leaving…"
If it was a question or a statement, Ronon couldn't tell, but figured it was better to agree either way. "Sure."
And there it was again. That uncomfortable suspicion that made him feel guilty for having it.
She's just strange. Not an enemy. Get over it.
There wasn't really much else to see. They'd already done one full circuit of the camp, and it Lorne hadn't come on the radio to say that he and Jayne were done talking.
Ronon, perhaps a little too late, realized that he had no idea at all what a girl like River would be interested in. There wasn't really much around by way of distraction.
"Want to go see what Zelenka's up to?"
"Yes. I would like very much to do that," she replied, mimicking Zelenka's accent perfectly. It was better than Chuck's imitation, and Ronon laughed, entertaining the notion of setting up a competition between the two of them, but-
But Chuck isn't around any more.
River seemed to sense the change in mood, and was quiet on the way over to the tent the scientists had taken over. What kind of science they were doing, he didn't bother to ask. It looked to be the usual kind, where Zelenka and McKay scribbled out each other's equations and argued.
"No, Rodney, because if you are assuming these gravitational effects on an unstable wormhole-"
"Hey," Ronon interrupted, stepping inside. "Showin' River around, you guys busy?"
"I am," McKay said. "But Zelenka keeps interrupting me."
"Consider it peer review," Zelenka replied, waving River inside. "Come in. I take it that all is now well?"
"Yeah. Keller sprung her. Lorne's talking to Jayne right now, so."
"I see," he said, edging around the worktable and talking over his shoulder at McKay, who was again busy scrawling on the whiteboard that someone had set up. "You know, Rodney, it might be of some use to talk to someone with practical time travel experience," he teased, smirking at the eye roll he couldn't have seen. "I trust nothing more than a few headaches have gone around since last I saw you?"
River nodded distractedly, apparently busy examining some of the gear laid out on the worktable, and Zelenka noticed her interest. "Ah, I see you have found…" he trailed off, glancing at Ronon warily.
It struck Ronon that maybe he shouldn't have brought her here. He'd already apparently overstepped his bounds giving them the gate address. There was a chance that Ancient technology was a topic that was similarly off limits.
Zelenka, though, with his usual casualness, made the decision for him.
"Ah, yes," he said, gingerly picking up the small device in question. The casing was open, and several wires trailed from it to another computer. "This was found, well. It doesn't matter." He removed two of the wires and pressed the casing back together loosely before handing it carefully to River.
It was only when it started to glow that Ronon recognized it as one of the personal shields they'd been trying to reverse engineer.
"Oh my," was all Zelenka said. River stared at it, her grin wide, not yet understanding what it meant.
Ronon raised a hand to his radio. "Lorne. We're in the lab, you should probably come see this."
---
"What did they do this time?" Lorne growled, leading Jayne into the tent, where he found River and the others staring at a glowing green thing.
"Nothing, yet." McKay said. "Just seems that the universe is trying to get in the way of some useful research once again."
"Shut up, McKay," was, as had become usual, Lorne's response. "So, this mean she's a carrier?"
"I'm just holding it," River answered, confused. "I haven't carried it anywhere."
"What he means is that you carry the gene that is required to operate certain pieces of technology," Zelenka explained. "First off, I need you to think about turning it off."
River gave him a quizzical glare, but the shield's green glow went quickly dark.
"Okay, good," Zelenka smiled, reaching out for the device and replacing it on the table. "Wonderful."
"You realize that you've just blown our chances of getting good readings on an uninitialized device," McKay grumbled, turning back to his whiteboard.
"But you know what this means-" Lorne started, only to be interrupted.
"Yes, yes. The force is extremely strong with this one. It's Sheppard all over again. Now, if you don't mind, how about discussing the rest of the exposition elsewhere? Some of us have work to do."
Jayne backed out of the tent and let the others pass before his curiosity got the better of him. "So. What's going on?"
"River can operate Ancient technology."
"Old stuff?"
"Ancient as in technology built by a people we call the Ancients."
"The people who built the gates," Ronon clarified. "Don't worry, it's probably a good thing."
"As long as you don't get into stuff you shouldn't," Lorne said ominously, but Zelenka, apparently of a different opinion, was still smiling excitedly.
"She can make things glow green. Cool, but so what?"
"That isn't the limit of Ancient technology," Zelenka offered. "And when we can, we should test you for the gene as well. But anyway, for example, if we found a chair-"
"What?"
"The chair. There was. It is a chair that operates several of the controls for Atlantis. Our. Yes. Well. There isn't one here, but if there was one that was operable, she would be able to fire drones just by thinking about it."
"Drones?"
"Missiles. Impressive ones, which can destroy an orbiting Wraith ship."
Jayne thought on that for a minute. "So," he began, "You're tellin' me that she can blow up ships with her brain?"
"Yes. Possibly. Essentially."
Ain't ruttin' fair, Jayne thought. She's already been able to kill people with her brain for years.
"What?" Lorne spoke so sharply that Jayne froze, sure that he'd spoken aloud. His non-telekinetic brain was spinning so hard, trying to come up with an explanation that sounded reasonable, that for a moment, he didn't realize Lorne was talking into his radio.
"Christ, it never ends," he grumbled, addressing the group this time.
"What is it?" Ronon asked, frozen but for his fingers, which wavered over the gun at his side like he was preparing to fight.
"Todd," was all Lorne growled by way of explanation. "Zelenka, I need you to find quarters for these two-"
"There's space in my tent," Ronon offered, already turning away. "Last one on the southern side, across from the armory."
"Yes, of course," Zelenka still sounded friendly, but there was a new tension there, wariness, as he gestured for Jayne and River to follow.
8. Scary Eyes