"Excuse me?" Carson was still having trouble taking in the scene before him, "Could somebody please explain what the bloody hell is going on here, unless I’m having a very sick and twisted dream. If that’s the case, I’d appreciate the opportunity to wake up right now."
"Amarante…" John said softly, still gazing at her.
Elizabeth inclined her head, "…I can’t explain…I don’t really even believe in that sort of thing…"
"What sort of thing!?" the Doctor waved his arms in a dramatic manner, "If I don’t start getting answers, I’m sedating the pair of you!"
Weir looked back at him, "Carson, what do we presume is the reason for humans having the Ancient gene?"
He looked rather confused, "…Any number of factors, really. Several theories. We don’t know enough about the Ancients on Earth to prove anything. Descendants of interbreeding with humans, genetic manipulation…just the result of evolving on the same planet has been put forward."
"What about reincarnation?" she questioned.
Carson frowned, "…Did you hit your head when you fell?"
"No."
"With all due respect, Doctor, I think maybe you ought to speak to Doctor Heightmeyer…"
"She’s not kidding, Doc, seriously, what do you think?" John pressed.
"Did I just walk into a psychic convention or something? Last time I heard this was a scientific expedition," McKay uttered, completely thrown by the situation.
"Explain how I know who both the women on that recording are," John grimaced, "Were," he corrected himself.
"Name them," Rodney shot back, expecting a pause for the Major to quick think some names.
"Amarante and Serenity."
"You seem awfully certain about that."
"I am."
"You’re saying that you’re Amarante?" Carson pressed, addressing Elizabeth.
She nodded, slowly, "…I can remember being her…I have her memories…its like…I don’t know…but when I saw her, the pain started, and when Major Sheppard caught me, she…I…whichever one of us, it was like being thrown back in time. I knew who I really was and I knew who he was."
"Who the heck is Amarante?" Rodney demanded.
John glanced back at him, "…The dead woman at the feet of the Ancient," he said softy, "…She’s human."
"How do you know all this?"
"Because I knew her."
"How?"
Elizabeth turned a faint shade of red, "…I…we…" she shook off her embarrassment, "We were lovers," she stated. She blinked, "They," she amended, "They were lovers.
-
"…And you fly this ship…using your mind?" Amarante frowned.
Nikomedes nodded, "Partly. Only the others like me can use the technology…but they aren’t around," he smiled, "and we are."
"…If only my people knew about this…they’re still trying to figure out what governs the soul…" an hushed exclamation escaped her as she stood and tried to peer further into the dark sky ahead around them.
He paused, studying her for a moment, "…That wasn’t your language," he stated.
She guiltily glanced back at him, "…No."
"That was the language of those who are settled where they call Rome."
Amarante nodded, "Yes."
He leant back in his seat, "Why do you know their words? How, even?"
She turned to sit back down, "Promise you won’t be angry with me?"
"Promise," he answered, not liking the fact that she had to ask such a thing.
Amarante was silent for several seconds, wondering how to phrase her words, "…I…I often sat in the back of the room whilst my younger brother was being educated. Their language is being taught to many of our young people to make relations easier. I didn’t learn as much as he did…but I learnt enough to…"
"To what?"
She looked up at him, brushing her dark fringe from her eyes, "To take up the profession many of our women have, when I was sure you would leave."
Nikomedes stared, "You were going to become a courtesan!?"
"You are angry."
"You expect me not to be!?"
"Nik, I-"
"You have the respect of your people, why, why would you want to do such a thing? And live among foreigners for a start. You said that was little more than being a slave."
Amarante shook her head, "It is not what I have heard. Their women…are much like our women in society…except for the few free women, like I would have been. Educated and free to behave in a manner their women are not. I could have done things I could never have imagined, in disgrace in Athens."
"You would have been little more than a prostitute," he muttered.
"…Perhaps. But in time…I could have learnt and seen things I would never have been permitted to. I wouldn’t have been a wife, banished to a sewing room."
"You would have been somebody’s mistress."
"If I would have to sell my body to enable the use of my mind, then I would have done so," she didn’t seem as repulsed by the idea as he was.
"How could you even think of-" he began.
"It’s easy for you," her voice remained calm, "You have access to all this wonderful knowledge, your people are so far advanced; you have seen and done things that seem like magic to my people. You take it for granted. I would rather have been a wanted woman in Rome than a disgraced daughter in Athens," Amarante’s eyes never left her lover’s as he stood and moved across to her chair, suddenly embracing her possessively.
"You’ve got me now. And I’m never letting you go," Nikomedes whispered, arms tightly around her.
She managed the barest of nods and a hint of a smile. She loved him without question, trusted him with her life…but she couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that had haunted her ever since she had caught sight of the white clad woman in the clear chamber.
-
"I gathered that," Carson mumbled in a wry tone. He folded his arms, "Are we sure you two aren’t being manipulated by some outside alien influence?"
Elizabeth was about to form some sort of reply when McKay shot another question at John;
"Okay, so say we believe you. If Elizabeth really is the woman in the recording, who are you?"
"Who was he," Beckett countered, "…This is going to get a wee bit confusing…"
"…Nik…" Weir uttered.
"…Nikomedes…" John nodded.
"And he was…?" Rodney asked.
"An Ancient."
"…Play the recording," Elizabeth said, sitting up in her bed.
"After how you reacted last time?" Carson and John replied, in unison.
"Audio only."
"Elizabeth-" Sheppard started.
"Please," she looked up at him, "Humour me."
Beckett reluctantly nodded when John remained silent, "Do it," he stated.
McKay shook his head in dismay, rewinding the recording part of the way, "If anyone passes out or goes haywire on us-"
"Rodney, please," Elizabeth employed.
He hit ‘play’ and kept the camera screen from their line of vision.
‘- defend Atlantis. Let this be a lesson to anybody who tries to reclaim our city before those destined to do so arrive. We will not tolerate betrayal, especially amongst our own kind, and certainly not from the primitives of Earth. We will destroy any others who attempt to reawaken the city before our descendants take on the task. This woman may have been a pawn in a more ambitious scheme; we will never know. But she and her accomplice have been dealt with. She will not be the last to die if such an attempt is made again."
Elizabeth glanced up at John, eyes narrowing as she took in his glazed over state, "…John?"
"Nik!" she cried out, unshed tears in her eyes as a golden energy blast hit her, sending her flying backward.
"Mara! No! How can you do this!? She hasn’t harmed you! No! Amarante! NO!" he screamed, running for her, too late as she hit the floor, silently, "Oh…gods…" escaped him as a choke of a sob.
"Finally you are right, Nikomedes. We are gods. You could have had such power. Yet you chose to remain with this…creature."
He knelt beside the body of his love, "…Amarante?" he called softly.
She didn’t move. Didn’t so much as twitch.
"…You didn’t have to do this…she was helpless…" he glared up at the woman, disgusted with the glowing aura she retained in her old form, a sign of her superiority, and her Ascension, "She was helpless and you just…"
"You should never have brought her here."
"You call yourself a god!?"
"We are what we are."
Nikomedes held the still form of Amarante tightly to him, "…I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…"
"John? John!"
"Major!"
He stumbled back a pace, steadying himself against the bed, startled when Elizabeth gently took a hold of his wrist.
"What is it?" she whispered.
John turned to face her, unable to look her in the eye, "…It was my fault…it was all my fault…"
She stubbornly shook her head, "I refuse to believe that," Elizabeth stood, "Is it okay if we have some time to…talk about…what’s happened. Away from here. We’ll come back. I promise."
Carson nodded, getting more confused by the second, "Aye. I have full scans of yourself and Major Sheppard. I just ask that you return when I ask and that Doctor McKay help me search the room where you found this recording."
"Why?" Rodney blinked.
"So I can check for any mind-altering technology."
John nodded, "…Go for it."
"Rodney, please assist Carson," Elizabeth requested. She started from the room, "John?"
He followed her, not certain whether he was more Nikomedes or John Sheppard at that moment.