Finding Home (SGA | Ronon Dex)

Chapter 3

Darkness surrounded her. Nicki's eyes blinked open slowly as she took in her surroundings. Darkness enveloped the room she was in—minimal light brightened it, showing her no windows and an imposing door.

"Honey?" Her father's voice croaked from nearby.

She turned her stiff neck to see him further down the wall on her left. Her head pounded, likely from whatever sedative she'd been shot with.

"What happened?" She whispered.

"They knocked Teal'c out and grabbed us." He grimaced as he pushed against the wall to sit up more.

"How long?"

"I've been awake for a couple hours but I think we've been here for almost a day."

Nicki gently shook her head. It felt so heavy and dizzy as she tried to sit up. "Drugs?"

"Yeah," he grimaced again. "I think they gave you more than they meant to. One of the guards seemed nervous that you were still asleep."

She bit her lip trying to ignore the pain as she pushed her body even more into a sitting position. "What do they want?"

"Doesn't matter. You don't know anything." He gave her that steely look she knew meant she should obey without question.

"I—" her voice trailed off as the door was pushed open.

A large man, dressed in the usual Jaffa armor, stepped in. Behind him stood another man, weapon pointed at her.

"Is it breakfast time already?" Her father quipped. "I was wondering if we had made a wrong choice in our accommodations, but this is turning out better than I expected." He gave both soldiers a cheeky grin.

The first soldier studied Jack O'Neill for a moment before stepping over to Nicki. Roughly, he grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the door.

"Hey!" Jack yelled. "She doesn't know anything! I do!"

"Then you best be ready when we return. Or she'll experience worse." He kicked Jack back toward the wall and continued dragging Nicki out of the room.

As her body was roughly jostled down the hallway, she prepared her mind. "Think happy thoughts," she mumbled to herself.

She chanted in her mind as they pulled her into another dark room and strapped her down to a table. As they used their version of a cattle prod to send jolts of electricity through her body, she gasped for breath and...

Sat up in her bed. As in her dream, her lungs screamed for oxygen.

"Nicki?" A hand touched her shoulder and before she could register whose hand, she had twisted the person around into a chokehold.

"Nick, it's me." Lorne patted at her arm, trying to speak calmly even though he was starting to run out of air.

Her brain, still fuzzy from sleep, registered the warm light of Atlantis' sun. The quiet lapping waves, and the gentle hum of the city that her Ancient gene had tapped into.

Lorne was getting ready to elbow her, when she dropped her arms and pushed him away.

"I'm sorry." She said quickly. Her eyes still darted around the room frantically. She was waiting for it to disappear and find herself back in the torture room.

He coughed and shook his head. "I didn't mean to startle you." He spoke calmly and stayed perfectly still. Arms rested at his side with his hands open, not fisted. He stood as unthreatening as possible.