Fic: Chase the Morning {5/37}
Chapter Four: Owls
Date: April 27, 5 A.I [2005]
Location: Atlantis Base, Colorado
It had been nearly a month since Jess and Anora had arrived in Atlantis, and they were definitely starting to go stir-crazy. They had taken to going on late-night walks around the city, at first just to familiarize themselves with the inhabited parts of the Atlantis, but now just to enjoy the calming silence that filled the halls at night. The dome covering Atlantis seemed to have its own artificial sun- and moon-cycles that reflected those of the ones above the water’s surface. During the day, it was generally a comfortable seventy-six degrees Fahrenheit, but during the night it cooled to about sixty, so Jess generally wore a light jacket.
The night shift had gotten used to their pre-dawn wanderings and had taken to leaving a thermos of black tea in the mess hall for them. On their part, Jess and Anora had left small thank-you notes, and on one memorable occasion, had made two pies with some fresh berries brought back from the mainland, as the surface was jokingly called.
With thermos in hand, Jess wandered past the Engineering and Physics labs, but for once no one was working late, or early, for that matter. She smiled, hoping that everyone was getting the rest they deserved so greatly. There had been problems with the Ancient electrical systems, even with the aid of the five powerful and compact generators salvaged from Denver and farther afield. They weren’t exactly sure of the range of the Jumpers, but the little crafts seemed to have an almost inexhaustible power supply, but they didn’t want to run out at an inopportune time. The farthest they’d been was Nevada, but only the upper part.
The Wraith patrols had grown less frequent, perhaps because of the amount of “meat” lost in the area and of soldiers killed. In the month that Jess had been in Atlantis, four more people had been rescued- four civilians, including an ex-Army man-turned-FBI Agent. The other three civilians had been a great surprise, especially for McKay, since they consisted of his sister, her husband, and their young daughter. According to their reports, it seemed that the Wraith were starting to get annoyed with the Lanteans, and were planning on changing their delivery routes pretty soon.
Despite that, the Lanteans continued with everyday life, going on patrols and collecting crops from overgrown fields and orchards. There was a special hunting detail as well; they used traps to get their prey, setting them up along isolated game trails. It was mostly small game, but occasionally they found a rogue cow, goat, or sheep. Those they either killed or stunned with purloined Wraith stunners and transported them to hidden grazing grounds deep in the woods. The sheep and goats were of course easier to manage than the cows, but the Lanteans had retro-fitted a jumper for transport.
Jess passed by a somewhat secluded balcony and was surprised to see Radek standing there, looking out over the city. He was just staring off into space, his glasses reflecting the muted lights from the other buildings around him. The doors slid open as Jess neared them, letting in the cool night air. She walked out onto the balcony, the soft soles of her shoes making small noises as she moved.
Radek didn’t acknowledge her presence right away, but merely leaned against the balcony railing, his arms crossed as he supported himself.
‘Thought you’d be in bed by now,’ Jess said finally, leaning her left hip against the railing near him. The Czech shrugged and then turned his head to look at her.
‘What about you? You’re not asleep either, I see.’ He replied, a half-smile on his lips. Jess returned the smile, glancing down at the floor momentarily. Anora was sleeping, but Jess hadn’t been able to. She caught Radek looking at the thermos and spoke, opening the canister as she did so.
‘It’s black tea. The night crew usually leaves us a thermos of it in the mess hall. Would you like some? It’s still hot.’
‘Thank you, but no.’ Radek replied, his nose wrinkling momentarily. ‘I’m not too fond of tea.’
‘Hmm.’ Jess turned so that she was facing the railing head-on and sipped at her tea, enjoying the flavor of said brew. She looked up towards the top of the dome and then sighed softly, frowning.
‘Something wrong?’ Radek inquired. Jess shook her head, looking back out to the middle distance once more.
‘Not really. It’s just that I’m used to seeing stars at night, and we haven’t been cooped up in one spot for this long before. I guess I’m too much of a wanderer than I’d care to admit.’
‘We all are, but think of it this way: if the Wraith hadn’t come, none of us would’ve probably met in our old lives. I’d still be in Prague, and you in Texas.’
‘I guess you’re right,’ Jess conceded. ‘Life without Rodney McKay in it. Hmm. I’d almost started to forget what that was like.’
Radek laughed, his formerly pensive mood brightening. Jess joined in, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she giggled. ‘Somehow, I think it’s time for bed.’ She said after calming down a little.
‘I’ll walk you to your quarters.’ Radek said, his voice still carrying a trace of laughter. Jess quirked an eyebrow but didn’t say anything as they re-entered Atlantis, travelling in companionable silence.
Date: April 27, 5 A.I [2005]
Location: Atlantis Base, Colorado
It had been nearly a month since Jess and Anora had arrived in Atlantis, and they were definitely starting to go stir-crazy. They had taken to going on late-night walks around the city, at first just to familiarize themselves with the inhabited parts of the Atlantis, but now just to enjoy the calming silence that filled the halls at night. The dome covering Atlantis seemed to have its own artificial sun- and moon-cycles that reflected those of the ones above the water’s surface. During the day, it was generally a comfortable seventy-six degrees Fahrenheit, but during the night it cooled to about sixty, so Jess generally wore a light jacket.
The night shift had gotten used to their pre-dawn wanderings and had taken to leaving a thermos of black tea in the mess hall for them. On their part, Jess and Anora had left small thank-you notes, and on one memorable occasion, had made two pies with some fresh berries brought back from the mainland, as the surface was jokingly called.
With thermos in hand, Jess wandered past the Engineering and Physics labs, but for once no one was working late, or early, for that matter. She smiled, hoping that everyone was getting the rest they deserved so greatly. There had been problems with the Ancient electrical systems, even with the aid of the five powerful and compact generators salvaged from Denver and farther afield. They weren’t exactly sure of the range of the Jumpers, but the little crafts seemed to have an almost inexhaustible power supply, but they didn’t want to run out at an inopportune time. The farthest they’d been was Nevada, but only the upper part.
The Wraith patrols had grown less frequent, perhaps because of the amount of “meat” lost in the area and of soldiers killed. In the month that Jess had been in Atlantis, four more people had been rescued- four civilians, including an ex-Army man-turned-FBI Agent. The other three civilians had been a great surprise, especially for McKay, since they consisted of his sister, her husband, and their young daughter. According to their reports, it seemed that the Wraith were starting to get annoyed with the Lanteans, and were planning on changing their delivery routes pretty soon.
Despite that, the Lanteans continued with everyday life, going on patrols and collecting crops from overgrown fields and orchards. There was a special hunting detail as well; they used traps to get their prey, setting them up along isolated game trails. It was mostly small game, but occasionally they found a rogue cow, goat, or sheep. Those they either killed or stunned with purloined Wraith stunners and transported them to hidden grazing grounds deep in the woods. The sheep and goats were of course easier to manage than the cows, but the Lanteans had retro-fitted a jumper for transport.
Jess passed by a somewhat secluded balcony and was surprised to see Radek standing there, looking out over the city. He was just staring off into space, his glasses reflecting the muted lights from the other buildings around him. The doors slid open as Jess neared them, letting in the cool night air. She walked out onto the balcony, the soft soles of her shoes making small noises as she moved.
Radek didn’t acknowledge her presence right away, but merely leaned against the balcony railing, his arms crossed as he supported himself.
‘Thought you’d be in bed by now,’ Jess said finally, leaning her left hip against the railing near him. The Czech shrugged and then turned his head to look at her.
‘What about you? You’re not asleep either, I see.’ He replied, a half-smile on his lips. Jess returned the smile, glancing down at the floor momentarily. Anora was sleeping, but Jess hadn’t been able to. She caught Radek looking at the thermos and spoke, opening the canister as she did so.
‘It’s black tea. The night crew usually leaves us a thermos of it in the mess hall. Would you like some? It’s still hot.’
‘Thank you, but no.’ Radek replied, his nose wrinkling momentarily. ‘I’m not too fond of tea.’
‘Hmm.’ Jess turned so that she was facing the railing head-on and sipped at her tea, enjoying the flavor of said brew. She looked up towards the top of the dome and then sighed softly, frowning.
‘Something wrong?’ Radek inquired. Jess shook her head, looking back out to the middle distance once more.
‘Not really. It’s just that I’m used to seeing stars at night, and we haven’t been cooped up in one spot for this long before. I guess I’m too much of a wanderer than I’d care to admit.’
‘We all are, but think of it this way: if the Wraith hadn’t come, none of us would’ve probably met in our old lives. I’d still be in Prague, and you in Texas.’
‘I guess you’re right,’ Jess conceded. ‘Life without Rodney McKay in it. Hmm. I’d almost started to forget what that was like.’
Radek laughed, his formerly pensive mood brightening. Jess joined in, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she giggled. ‘Somehow, I think it’s time for bed.’ She said after calming down a little.
‘I’ll walk you to your quarters.’ Radek said, his voice still carrying a trace of laughter. Jess quirked an eyebrow but didn’t say anything as they re-entered Atlantis, travelling in companionable silence.