Stargate Universe: Ascension

Chapter 11

     Things were very hazy at first, but that had to be expected since his eyes were closed for a little over three years. Colonel Young's head wasn't too kind either, as he stepped out of the stasis chamber with what felt like the mother of all hangovers. His eyes were still trying to focus and were taking their sweet time doing so, which left Young to reach around the room trying to find something to grab onto so he wouldn't fall over. A few seconds later, he felt someone grab his hand.

     "Rush?" he called out.

     There was no response.

     "Eli?" he then called out, hoping for the best.

     "Good morning, Colonel Young." A voice called back.

     "I can't see you." Young confessed. "But you have no idea how great it is to hear your voice."

     "How are you feeling?" Eli asked.

    "My vision is very blurry and I haven't felt this bad since I woke up the night after my bachelor party." Young admitted. "How long have we been under?"

     "According to Destiny you were snoozing for three years, four months and change." Eli answered.

     "Now that's what I call a power nap." Young said as he chuckled out loud.

     "Let me walk you to the infirmary." Eli offered. "TJ is waiting for you."

     "TJ's awake?" Young asked.

     "I woke her up first just in case there were medical issues." Eli answered.

     "Did you have any medical issues with the stasis pod?" Young asked.

     "We'll talk about that after TJ looks you over." Eli said as he started to help Colonel Young walk into the hall way.

     "Slow down there whipper snapper." Young said as he was having trouble walking. His legs felt sore and tight as if he had just been working out for the last several hours.

      It took close to twenty minutes for Young to walk to the infirmary, but the longer they were walking the less his legs hurt as they were finally getting stretched out. The moment Eli walked in with Colonel Young, TJ came running over to help him to one of the beds in the infirmary. "How are you feeling, Sir?" she asked.

     "Hungover." Young said as he laid down on the bed.

    "That's apparently a normal response." TJ said as she stuck him with a needle, giving him an injection into his right arm. "Just relax and you'll feel better very soon."

     "All right." Young said as he knew better than to talk back. Before he knew it he was asleep again. A few hours had passed before Young opened his eyes again. This time the fog had disappeared and he was finally able to see again. "That's much better." He said as he sat up. He still felt a little woozy, but was able to get back to his feet. Eli and TJ were still in the infirmary with him. "What's up?"

     "Well," Eli started, "We just wanted to talk before waking anyone else up."

    "All right," Young said as he wiped some crust from his eyes. "Is it all right if we do this over lunch? I'm starving."

     They went to the mess, but the only thing that hadn't gone bad in the last three years was the military rations they had left for the trip to the other galaxy. At the moment, Young was not in the mood to be picky as he ate the food happily. "What's going on here?" he suddenly asked.

    "I just thought it would be good to talk before getting everyone else up." Eli said. "Especially before Rush woke up."

     Young paused for a moment. "What exactly is the problem?"

     "I have no idea." TJ replied. "Eli wanted to wait for you to wake up to talk about it."

    "When Dr. Rush gets up." Eli said as he found it hard to find the words. "He'll be the only one who will notice that the last stasis pod was not repaired."

      Young paused for a moment and then laughed. "That's impossible."

     "He'll bring it to your attention and I wanted to talk to you before he did." Eli continued. "I wanted you to know about it before he tried to turn you against me."

     "My brain must be frozen from the sleep because I'm just not getting it." Young stated as he put down his fork. "If you didn't fix the last stasis pod, then what happened?"

     "I died three weeks after you went under." Eli answered.

     "That's not funny, Eli." Young said as he wasn't in the mood for jokes.

     "This is the part that's going to upset Rush." Eli said as he pulled out a small disc and placed it on the table.

     "What's that?" TJ asked.

    "It's one of Dr. Jackson's Stargate lecture videos." Eli replied. "This particular lecture is about the history of the ancients and how they built the Stargates."

     "I remember that one." Young said as he smiled. "I fell asleep ten minutes into it."

     "So you never watched the part about ascension?" Eli asked.

     Young paused for a moment. "Dr. Jackson talks about ascension in that video?"

     "That's why Rush kept it." Eli answered. "I had all the time in the world on my hands so I started snooping around everyone's stuff and I came across this video."

     "Rush wants to ascend?" Young guessed.

     "He did because he thought he would be able to visit his wife again if he joined the ancients." Eli answered.

     "What are you trying to tell us, Eli?" TJ asked.

     "I ascended." Eli confessed.

     Colonel Young paused for a moment. "You're serious about this?"

     "I am." Eli replied. "Colonel Telford can confirm that for you if you want."

     "How exactly can he do that?" Young asked.

     "I paid a few visits to Stargate command." Eli answered. "I dropped in on earth a few times after I ascended."

     "You could do that?" Young asked, as Eli had his full attention.

    "Not only that, but Rush was right… I could travel back in time and watch and look at things that no one could see." Eli answered. "Basically, I know a lot more now than I ever did before." he pointed to Colonel Young's glass. "You want another glass of water?"

     Young paused for a moment. "Shouldn't we ration it off until we re-supply?"

    "Nope." Eli said as he grabbed his glass and Colonel Young's and walked over to the wall near their table. Eli hit a few buttons and a small hatched opened. He placed the glasses in there and they both filled with water.

    Colonel Young hopped up from his seat and looked at the hatch. "What is that?" he asked with sincere surprise.

     "It's the water filtration system." Eli replied. "Destiny collects hydrogen and oxygen particles while flying in hyperspace and then uses them to create water here on the ship."

     "This has been here all along?" Young asked.

     "It was broken." Eli admitted. "I fixed it before you woke up."

     "How did you even know it was there?" Young asked.

     "I had help." Eli answered. "And that's all I'm allowed to say."

     "You've been fixing the ship?" Young then asked.

     "Right now the ship is working at eighty-five percent efficiency." Eli said with a cocky smile on his face. "I've kept myself very busy."

   Young drained the entire glass of water in a matter of seconds. "All right, I think I've heard enough."

     "Eli." TJ finally said as she jumped into the conversation. "If you died, how did you come back?"

     "I was brought back by the ancients." Eli confessed. "They wanted me to return here to take care of Destiny. They didn't like the idea of Rush being in charge."

     Young laughed out loud. "Now that makes sense." He turned to TJ. "How many can we wake up next?"

     "Only a few at a time." TJ answered. "Just in case there are issues."

    "All right." Young said as he paused for a moment. "I want you to wake up Scott, Greer and Camile."

     "What about Rush?" Eli asked.

     "We'll let him sleep in." Young replied.

     TJ quickly left to get the infirmary ready for the new patients to arrive. Eli walked with Young back to the Stasis chambers.

     "You know, they're not very happy with you." Eli said all of a sudden.

     "Stargate command?" Young asked.

     "No." Eli replied. "The ancients."

     Young stopped walking. "Why not?"

     "They felt you were a little mean to Rush." Eli said as he was hiding his own disapproval behind the ancients. "Especially the way you left him on that planet to die."

     "Did you read my personnel files?" Young asked.

   "I told you, I ascended." Eli explained. "That means I could travel back and forth in time undetected. I didn't read about the incident, I witnessed it with my own eyes."

     "Eli…" Young said as he tried to think of something to say.

     "Don't start." Eli said as he held up a hand. "I already told you, I know everything."

     "Everything?" Young asked.

     "Right down to the schematics of this ship." Eli answered.

     Young paused for a moment. "In my defence, I've regretted that incident greatly."

     "I know." Eli replied. "Just don't do it again. No one gets left behind from now on."

   "Deal." Young said as he patted Eli on the back and they resumed walking to the Stasis chambers.