"Okay, that's definitely an Ascended trait."
"They are gathered around the computers," remarked Radek, causing Rodney to turn. Sure enough, several of the dinosaurs were focused on the information scrolling across the Ancient screens. They couldn't possibly comprehend what they were seeing, could they? It was most likely the equivalent of a dog watching television. Wasn't it?
"Teyla?" Rodney said again, this time more quietly.
"My contact with them is tenuous," she replied without opening her eyes. "This is unlike anything I have ever encountered. It is not a hive mind, as the Wraith have, for they are very much individuals. Rather, it is a completely different way of comprehending their world and their place in it. While I cannot explain it, it is clear that they are extremely intelligent-possibly more so than we are, in some respects."
As if the rest of this mission wasn't difficult enough to believe already. "We wouldn't know it from the way they've been behaving like animals," Rodney objected.
"How can you define their actions as `animal'?" Geisler demanded.
Oh, here we go. "If they're so intelligent, where's their civilization'? Buildings, clothes, books, art?"
"Where is theAscended's civilization? What of their works of art?" Geisler retorted.
"These beings," Teyla said, "exist in a richly woven tapestry of life. That is more manifest to them than anything taken from the living world and fashioned into dead things. That is why they find the jumpers so curious, for they sense no con nection to the life force that embraces them."
"Yes, fine, the noble savage and all that," Rodney said. "Until, of course, a T. rex comes along and they have to defend themselves. I'm assuming they use that mind-freeze trick, but what I'd really like to know is whether they evolved that ability naturally or the Ancients had a hand in it. And if so, how?"
Ignoring him, Teyla continued, speaking in what even Rodney recognized as unbridled wonder. "I have always thought of my people as deeply spiritual, but compared to these… We have faith in something greater. They understand it."
"And so do I, having recently had a near miss with Ascension." As much as Rodney wanted to be patient with his Athosian teammate, they really didn't have time for the Hare Krishna thing.
Teyla shook her head. "This is unrelated to Ascension. It is…" For a moment, she had to search for words. "The empathy we felt from the microceratops on Atlantis was barely a glimpse. They are capable of control over so much." Locked in a surreal staring contest with the raptor leader, apparently conversing with it-Him'? Her'?-she only continued after a protracted pause. "Beyond a vague genetic memory of the Ancients, they have no concept of what a human is. Even so, they comprehend our basic emotions. They are aware that some of us regard them and their world with respect and fascination, but they are also well aware of our… savagery."
Rodney wanted to burst out laughing at that, given the video footage he'd seen of the T. rex, but then he recalled that humans were nothing more than a branch from the same evolutionary tree that had produced monkeys. He glanced at Radek, who had pursed his lips in a guilty-as-charged look, and right at that moment Rodney had the distinct impression that something was lightly rummaging through his mind. He tried to shake it off, but his eyes were drawn across to where two of the raptors were staring at him, unblinking. Calm places, wide-open fields, communing with nature… preferably pollen free… certainly not thinking about any expertise in blowing up things… especially not entire planets.
Breaking her long gaze, Teyla glanced over at the Marines, who finally were showing some ability to move. "They will show us no mercy if we take any action to threaten the balance of their world. We cannot and will never be able to find a place here, and so they do not wish us to remain. I believe we should leave as soon as possible."
Feeling distinctly queasy, Rodney wasn't inclined to argue for a change. He saw no good reason to antagonize questionably intelligent but evidently well-armed beings zealously maintaining some kind of primeval utopia. "Fine. I've downloaded plenty of information from the database here. I'll be able to examine it more carefully back on Atlantis, but it's safe to say I have the gist of what Lilith and her compatriots did here. Let's head out."
"I do not wish to burst any bubbles, but it will not be quite that simple." Radek rubbed his chin. "So far we have been unable to shut down the force field around the Stargate. It may take several more hours to accomplish this, if it is even possible, and we will have no way of knowing whether or not we have succeeded because we cannot contact the security team at the gate."
"I will try to convey our concerns." Teyla faced the head raptor again and closed her eyes.
Doing his best to project a sense of serenity, Rodney edged around a couple of the animals as he gathered up his data devices. Lorne climbed slowly to his feet and instructed the Marines in a low voice to carry Ronon out to one of the jumpers.
It occurred to Rodney that his teammate's condition might be cause for some concern. "Uh, Teyla? Not to interrupt, but do you have any idea why Ronon is still out?"
Her task-or at least her attempt-presumably finished, Teyla answered, "I believe his initial reaction to the crea tures was stronger than the others. They have assured me that he will wake in a short time. We must proceed to the gate-now."
Well, if a giant lizard said it, it had to be true. More importantly, Teyla's expression bore a distinct don't argue air.
Although Rodney wasn't certain just what he was meant to do with the force field at the gate when all the applicable equipment was inside said force field, he followed the Marines out of the lab for lack of any better ideas. The raptors trailed along behind, two of them flanking an embarrassingly euphoric Geisler, who kept reaching out to touch their forearms and backs. Surprisingly, they didn't seem the least bit bothered by his pestering, but Rodney didn't trust them to stay that way if it continued. "Would you knock it off?" he muttered. Either Geisler didn't hear, or he pretended not to.
"He does not threaten them," Teyla said. "They sense his genuine delight and wonder, and that inspires in them a measure of regard for him."
At the very least, it was still discomforting. Rodney chose to ignore the man in favor of stepping aboard Jumper Three and focusing on the preflight procedure. Settling into the pilot's seat, he powered up the craft and turned to ask Teyla to offer their goodbyes to the raptors-only to find two of the beasts stooped over in the rear cabin, gazing unblinkingly at him.
"Holy-" When his suddenly racing heartbeat returned to something close to normal, Rodney glared past them at his teammate. "At the risk of sounding entirely too much like Sheppard, what the hell, Teyla?"
"They insist on accompanying us to the gate," she replied, a layer of steel behind her placid expression. "Would you prefer to risk angering them with a refusal to cooperate?"
"When you put it that way…" Rodney forced a smile, trying desperately to think inoffensive thoughts. Don't think of an elephant… "Ah, welcome aboard."
Radek came forward to sit in the copilot's seat, while Teyla and Geisler crouched beside the two raptors, the paleontologist still grinning like an idiot. The rest of the Marines piled into Jumper Two with Lorne, which certainly looked like the wisest choice for all concerned. Sighing, Rodney closed the hatch and eased Jumper Three off the ground.
The Atlantean puddle jumper, in all other respects a nearly ideal vehicle, obviously had not been designed for dinosaur use. The two raptors, including the one Rodney thought of as the boss, took up most of the cabin all by themselves, and their rather pungent scent gave the air scrubbers a considerable test. Rodney was sure he could feel their breath on the back of his neck as he guided the jumper toward the continent that hosted the Stargate.