Amy's Fanfic - Beta (Part 11)

[zan]

Part XI

"The bravest thing you can do when you are not brave is to profess courage and act accordingly," – Corra Harris

When Dr. Elizabeth Weir entered the conference room, she was surprised to see several people she hadn't specifically invited. Sheppard, Freya, Teyla, and Zelenka were there, but also Drs. Heightmeyer and Beckett (This seems a little awkward to me. Don't know how you could change it, unless you call everyone by their first name and you've been calling John by his last name the entire story.).

"Is there something I'm missing?" she asked, looking from face to face.

Freya cleared her throat, timidly, saying, "I asked Drs. Beckett and Heightmeyer here to, well, (either change the commas to elipses or delete everything prior to this and just start with "There's something...") there's something you need to know about me. And they can probably explain it better than I can, since I'm still doing my thesis on it."

Elizabeth watched in mild surprise as Sheppard reached over to place his hand on Freya's in a comforting gesture. "I'm not certain I follow you," Elizabeth stated. "This is to be a debriefing about the findings on M3R-994. Unless Ms. McAllister's condition is linked to something on the planet . . ." She let her voice trail off, expecting someone to take up the thread of conversation, which, as usual, someone did. (Sounds a little weird. Maybe "waiting for an explanation.")

"I am not certain precisely how it relates to the planet, but Ms. McAllister has demonstrated to Kate and myself a unique talent," Carson began.

"Why don't we quit dancing around and get down to business," Sheppard growled (I have never heard him growl. Ronon, yes. John?). "Freya's a telepath. She reads minds, nothing to it."

Freya chuckled. "I'm not sure I'd put it that way, Colonel," she said.

Elizabeth looked at the two medical professionals, and they both shrugged.

"I've run every test known for verification, and she passes," Kate said, clearly still in a state of disbelief. "Different readers, different patterns. She can name every card in a deck as long as someone is actually looking at them."

"What does that mean, precisely?" Weir asked Freya.

"I can't tell the future, or predict cards. You want to see someone weigh statistics, ask Brendan. John. What I can do is tell what someone is thinking, at least at the levels they are aware of thought. I can't just go into someone else's head and pull stuff out at random," the young lady said, not meeting anyone's eyes. "It's one of the things that is blacked out on my file, Dr. Weir. The other items are all pertaining to matters of national security. I've pretty much been working for the NSA since I was finally released from Brookridge."

Elizabeth sat for a while, digesting the bombshell she'd just been handed, and decided to try and pull things back to the original topic up for discussion. "I still don't see how any talents Ms. McAllister has relate to the discovery of an unknown energy signal on M3R-994," she said.

"How it relates, ma'am, is that the planet in question is populated," Freya replied.

At her words, Radek exploded. "That is not possible. The readings show no signs of area ever being developed, and no artificial structures."

:How do I explain this,: Freya thought to herself as she gave Sheppard a plaintive look. Sheppard squeezed her hand, and then, realizing what he had done, carefully moved his hand a few careful inches from hers.

"I've worked with Freya before, and the one thing that those experiences taught me is to never question what she says she hears with that inner ear of hers. Besides, I'm with her on the populated planet theory," Sheppard began, trying for levity (Err...how is that supposed to be funny? It may be me, but I'm just not seeing it. Sorry.). "I know that she has a talent, a gift, as some would say, for hearing thoughts. But that means it's that much easier to go into a state of sensory overload, which was exactly the condition she was in when I sent for the jumper."

Carson nodded as if Sheppard had explained something that was bothering him, but otherwise said nothing.

"What we have is some unidentified life form that does not show up on the ancient scanners. I had a hand device (This just sounds like the Go'auld hand device on first glance. Maybe just call them scanners? I dunno.) with me, as did Rodney, though I believe he was looking more for the energy signature. And the Jumper's systems didn't show anything either," Sheppard continued. "What that means, I don't know. I just know I've seen my partner in similar situations, and we may be on to something."

"So what you're saying, Colonel, is that some unidentified entity was toying with Ms. McAllister's mind?" Weir asked.

"Well, it didn't seem to be very focused, but I started picking up whispers almost as soon as we went through the gate, and it got stronger the closer we got to the reading. Maybe it's the dream eaters home or something," Freya said.

"I, too, sensed a presence to the planet. It was not Wraith," Teyla seconded.

Elizabeth threw her hands up in a gesture of defeat. "Fine, the planet MAY be inhabited. Radek, what can you tell me about Dr. McKay's preliminary report?"

Freya did her best to listen to the scientist's responses on the unknown energy signature, but she kept finding it hard to concentrate. It wasn't until she heard Sheppard's murmur of "Bingo" that she snapped to attention.

The group were looking at some aerial photographs of the site where the energy signature appeared to be centered; a low, flat hillside covered with grass and the occaisional mossy boulder.

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked.

Sheppard had a half-focused look on his face, like he was looking at the picture, but mentally comparing it. "I've seen patterns like that before."

"Computer analysis revealed no patterns," Radek said, confused.

"Is this a copy?" Sheppard asked, and at Radek's confirmation, took the photo and a black marker and shaded in a couple of what seemed to be small ridges to make them stand out more against the background. "Now what do you see?"

"An artifact," Zelenka said, dismissively.

Freya looked at Sheppard, wondering what he'd seen, and where. The man was eidetic, which, while immensely valuable tracking people down, it wasn't always easy to follow his train of thought. She looked again at the picture, blinked, and saw it.

"Concentric circles," Freya murmured in wonder.

"Show me," Weir demanded.

John reached out with a fingertip to tap a spot on the image. "The centerpoint is roughly here, but the stones are small and mostly grown over, so only small areas can be picked out easily," he said, indicating the ridges he'd shaded. "Now, you'd need to measure things to see if I'm right, but I'd love to come in with infrared around sunset and see what lights up."

"Do it," Elizabeth said. "If you're right, Sheppard, then your new teammate just proved herself."

Freya spoke up, hesitantly. "I'd like to go with him back there," she said.

"Are you sure you're well enough for that?" the older woman questioned.

Steeling herself, Freya gave the only answer she could, "I have to find out what's there."

Weir nodded, reluctantly, and then stood, dismissing the meeting. Zelenka then cornered Sheppard to argue with him about the supposed circles, and Freya began to walk back to her rooms (Room, singular, unless I'm mistaken. We don't really see multiple rooms. Maybe Cadman's room, but even that looked like one room.).