A small figure walked through the halls of the old university, most everything inside held a layer of dust, no matter how hard she tried to keep on top of cleaning it. Library shelves holding hundreds of electronic books and articles lay in a peaceful slumber as their sole caretaker kept them safe. From the lecture halls to the medical labs and rooms the place had become a sanctuary to someone who had called it home before large sections had been destroyed and left in ruin.
She placed the tablets back into their proper place on the shelves, pushing back a strand of silver hair as she did. She had things to do today, and just sitting around putting things away had not been one of them. However, when a ship falls from the sky for the first time in ten years one tends to push aside plans.
Her name was Forrest Atla, she and her partner Castiel were the ones who called the university ruins home. After the devastating Wraith attack left the entire planet in ruins, the surviving population had fled North to the capital city. That alone proved to be a very unwise move. Seeing as the battle for food and supplies caused them to be at one another's throats. That small population grew smaller and smaller. Forrest had no idea how many were actually left.
She had been living on the campus when the Wraith attacked. She was in her final year of medical school, only four or five months till she was officially certified. It was bittersweet, having everything she had worked so hard for torn away. Yet she had managed to keep her spirits up. Using the now deserted university as her own personal school. Cas was ten years older than her and had managed to help her learn more specialized medical knowledge. Even if she did not have much to practice on.
She plopped down onto the large couch inside the main common hall, sitting with her back to the sunlight that filtered down from the large blast hole in the domed ceiling. Stretching her arms behind her head and closing her eyes. The morning had brought an interesting development. A ship had come from above, much different than the ones that had come and destroyed everything ten years prior. Castiel and herself had watched the ship go down, prompting Cas to head out to get a look. She figured he would be back anytime if he had done nothing stupid.
*I'm gonna be in trouble..* The words floated into her head, along with a gentle stream of emotions. A nervous excitement. All in her head. She stood upright from her chair, turning to look at the hole overhead *Castiel what do you mean trouble? What did you find?* She called back, her concern evident *The downed ship had humans, I found them, quite an interesting bunch if I say so myself* The sense of pride evident in the voice *Why are you in trouble then?* She was just starting to be able to hear him as he made his approach *Well.. one seemed to have been hurt in the crash. I could not do a very good assessment there as they were very uneasy. Did not want to risk causing more pain and getting shot at..Soo I may or may not have brought him back..*
Forrest spun around as Castiel glided down from the ceiling. She could see quickly he had someone in his jaws and darted off towards the edge of the room. Quickly grabbing a hold of one of the still functioning medical beds "Castiel you have got to be fucking kidding me!" At that point in time, she was speaking out loud as she moved the bed over and into the large open floor. Castiel slowly setting himself down on the ground as he moved his head over the bed, gently setting the man onto it. *I knew we could not help him where he was* The dragon now shrinking back down to the size of a large tiger, looking at Forrest "We have no idea who these people are Cas, what about the others? Hmm? How did they respond to you taking him?!" She had already begun to work, pulling the strange black vest off of the unconscious body that had been brought to her *they may have shot at me* She paused, looking at Castiel who simply looked at her with large blue eyes. He had no shame in what he had done "Well. You better damn well hope they don't come here looking for a fight over this." She said as she began to try and figure out what sort of case Cas had brought her "Okay you brought him here, what do you know?" She said looking up at her partner *he was awake when I got to look at him. I would say pretty bad concussion. Right shoulder is either dislocated or broken in some way. Could not get the best feel as that made him fight back a little. I could not get any more than that without bringing him here*
Forrest nodded, "I take it you knocked him out to get him here?" She said looking down at the man on the bed, his breathing was stable, nothing drastic yet *no, he passed out once I had picked him up* Shaking her head, she looked back at the dragon "I wonder why? Well since you got us into this mess, go get him prepped and in the scanner. Let me know for sure what you find, then bring him over to med lab C12. Considering we do not have much for power, that one has the most lighting.." She trailed off, looking down again "Maybe make sure he is properly sedated too. Not just passing out each time he wakes to see you" The dragon seemed to smirk, as he stayed upright on his hind legs. He gently began to push the bed around, heading off for another part of the university. She simply shook her head. "All Shall be helped" she muttered before turning around and heading towards the medical labs to prep.
Within half an hour, Castiel had returned with the bed, the man now hooked to a few monitors and an IV drip. He pushed the bed into med lab C12, were Forrest was ready to work. Her silver hair now in a tight bun as she put a mask over her face "Okay Cas, run me by what you found again" she said as she took control of the bed. Moving it to the light she had managed to get. Mirrors had their uses for them and to bounce sunlight around was the main one. The Dragon walked over to one of the cabinets, pulling a much larger face mask down and looping it over his ears *Dislocated shoulder, Concussion was not as severe as I first thought but still bad. Two broken ribs, much worse than I thought to be honest. Broken off and pointed downward, narrowly missing the right lung and heart* Forrest paused, holding the tools in her hand her glare could have killed "You picking him up could have killed him then and there Cas" The dragon shook his head. Taking his place across the table *But I didn't, and now we have a chance to make sure he does not die. Plus, it will be good practice for you! Last time you worked on a live human was what? Ten years ago* She ignored him on the last part, Looking down at the man on the table, holding her tools "Did you catch a name at all Cas?" The dragon picking up a few other tools in his claws *I think so, the others were calling out Carson when I started to leave with him* She simply nodded, looking down again "well Carson, let's see if Cas and I can fix you up"
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"How exactly are we even sure it flew this way?" McKay called from where he stood, looking up at the rubble they were attempting to scale. Ronon was near the top, scrambling up the large stone chunks as Sheppard hopped over a large gap in the stones. "It flew this way, what else do you want me to do? You said it yourself the scanners can't pick anything up" He half jumped up the rest of the way, with Ronon grabbing the back of his vest and pulling him up the last few feet "Thanks" Sheppard looked back down at McKay "Now hurry up, the more time you sit here and bitch about things the farther we fall behind them" He stood up, ignoring the eye roll he had just received as he turned to look at the city they had now managed to get to.
The white buildings were toppled, and some still seemed to be in the process of crumbling down. The streets nothing but rubble, as the plant life began to take over leaving the entire area patches of green and white stone. Behind him, Ronon had grabbed on to McKay, hauling him up the rest of the distance. He looked into the city, sitting for a moment on the stone "They were advanced. Honestly, I might even say farther along than most of Earth." He quickly stood up and walked over to join the other two. "My biggest worry is how many more of those dragon things are there? They can change their size for Christ's sake. We have no idea how small they can make themselves." Ronon and Sheppard just looked back at him, "Well Rodney we have to go find out I guess" Sheppard said as he began to make his way down the city side of the wall and into the streets. Ronon looked at McKay "the Smaller they are, the easier they are to kill you know" before following Sheppard down the rubble. Leaving Mckay shaking his head and following.
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Forrest and Castiel sat peacefully in their small little home. It had been one of the old client recovery rooms and had the best options when it came to a safe place to rest. The window letting the now setting sunlight the room, as the pair sat curled in a large chair. Castiel resting his body on one of the long beds they had moved in when they first started to set up their home. "So let's see, shoulder back in place. Not too hard, you have had to pop mine in place before" She said as she sipped the hot tea in her hand. *yes, you learned to pick out shoes with better grip from that* The dragon looking up at her as she rolled her eyes "Two fused ribs. Not something I have done often, but have done in the past. Fused back together properly and no organ damage. I can say, I have done more complex bone fuses before" At this point in time, she glanced over at where Carson lay. While not sedated, he was still out. He had no problems during the surgery, and now was recovering nicely. *I think he will have a bruised liver, did not show up on the scans, but based off of how the other injuries layout. Odds are in favor of a bruise*
Forrest laughed a little "Well, if you want to try and run another scan to prove it, feel free" setting her mug down, and standing from her chair. She walked over to the bed, quickly glancing at all the monitors. She had so many questions for him. He was not one of the things that destroyed her people. He was different. His hair was black, a color not seen among her people. Silver, gold, and some shades of red were all that occurred. She was so curious, as she looked down at the white bandage wrapped around his chest. Sadly, the conditions she had to work in were not exactly sterile. Normally wrapping a stitched wound was not needed. But nowadays the risk of infection was a thing, and she did not want to take the risk. She touched his arm lightly, looking at the IV. *Cas could you bring me over a blanket?* She called out in her mind in hopes of not waking him up quite yet. The dragon did not speak but crawled off the bed and over to the stack of clean blankets they kept. Picking one up he walked over to the other side of the bed. He handed Forrest one corner, and the pair easily unfolded the blanket over Carson's body laying it gently over. *Winter is almost here, the temps will be dropping down and the rain will come* She looked at the dragon *I know Cas* He seemed to pause, as he looked down at their guest * and if he is stuck with us?* She looked up at him "Then he is stuck with us" Winter was not an easy time. Never had been. While the snows of the North did not come this far south, but the damp air did not make it much different.
She had no idea how she would explain what or who she was.. or how Castiel existed alongside her. Castiel was what her people called a Mute Dragon. A sub-breed bred for medical work. Their breeding allows for them to learn faster and use their claws and hands in a much more refined manner. They are gentle in nature and are normally used to keep those they work on calm. They are called Mute for a reason, as at birth the dragons are surgically altered. Their vocal cords rendered useless causing the dragons to make no natural noises. The theory that if they are silent, they can work much better, and cause fewer problems. At least.. for those native to the planet and it's dragons. Castiel had bonded to Forrest when she was just two years old. Some dragons will only hatch for a partner of their choosing, some will live many years before their partner is found. Cas had 10 years on her, and that extra experience and training had probably been one of the main reasons they had survived as long as they had. Not all dragons bonded to humans, and vice versa. But the dragons worked alongside them bonded or not. It was how their society had thrived. While dragons died attempting to fight against the aliens that had rained down on them, they were not taken. Dragons watched as the humans they had worked with for eons were destroyed. It was hard, losing. Forrest maintained a good relationship with the dragons of the city, knowing very well they would aid her as needed. As she had done for them.
Lost in her own thoughts as she sat next to the bed, she did not notice the light movement in his hands as he began to stir. Carson was slowly waking up, his eyes slowly opening as he took a deep breath. His body hurt, which was to be expected. His eyes drifted down to his arm, able to make out some kind of IV as the light sounds of some kind of monitor began to fill his ears. He could not really tell where he was, as he looked slowly around the room. The first thing he saw was Castiel. His eyes grew wide, as he shifted a bit more in the bed. Castiel looking over instantly at the movement *Forrest he is awake* She stood instantly as he kept attempting to scoot away from Castiel. "Get the hell away from me!" *you didn't tell me he sounded this weird..* Forrest moved more into his field of vision, Castiel not giving her any response "Carson, its okay. He will not hurt you" But he only seemed to spook more, as he looked at Forrest "Who the hell are you?!" *Cas, go get some sedatives ready.. we may need them* The dragon nodding his head before moving away from the bed and out of the room "My name is Forrest Atla, Castiel brought you to me when he found you hurt" She explained standing next to the bed looking him over "Please calm down, you are only about an hour out of surgery and I would like to not have to go back in and fix something" Carson looked at her, "You performed a bloody surgery on me?!" *Cas hurry up please* "Yes, you had two broken upper ribs. They had broken downward and were angled towards your lungs and heart. Thankfully Castiel was able to carry you here properly. If no one else had known and tried to move you too much you would be dead" It shut him up, as he looked at her. She seemed to be human, and right now was a better face than the damn dragon. He let his head fall back onto the upright bed. "How did you know my name?" Forrest let out a slight sigh of relief as the man seemed to somewhat calm down enough. "Castiel said he had heard the others with you yelling it when he took you. He figured it was your name." She explained as she began to move the cables and tubes he had managed to move back into place. "I'm sorry he simply took you. He should have come and gotten me. He owes you and your friends an apology." Carson was struggling to really wrap his head around what was currently happening to him "So.. the dragon is Castiel?" She smiled slightly "Yes, he is." Pausing as Castiel walked back into the room *Don't think we will need the sedatives, leave them on the table* He did not respond but did as told as he walked over to her side. Sitting down his head level with hers *please tell him I am sorry, given the circumstances I did what I felt would save him* "He says he is sorry for what happened. He could not tell for sure how bad you were without getting you here." Carson looked at the girl and the dragon, "Wait.. so you can communicate? How ?" *his people obviously have nothing like this* Castiel's voice echoed in her head, *don't start* "Yes, we have a mental link that allows a telepathic form of communication."
Carson looked straightforward "That's a new one.." he muttered as he glanced towards the window, able to see the now fleeting sun. "The others.. are they okay out there?" He had no idea what was out there, or how much danger the others would be in trying to find him. "Yes, they should not run into anyone in this city if they came this way after you. I am the only one here in Southios." It was a lot to take in, honestly. But at this point in time, he could feel the temp dropping in the room, and he was in the safest place he could be in given the situation. "Well, Forrest, I am Dr. Carson Beckett, I should say thank you for fixing me up" Forrest seemed to perk up "You're a doctor as well? It's nice to meet you. I sadly don't hold the official title, I was a few months out from it when the cities were destroyed." She explained as she pulled one of her larger chairs closer to the bed. Cas hopping back over to lay out on the bed. "Well, Forrest can you tell me what all you well, did?" He was curious, looking down at the bandage on his chest. "It was nothing too insane, thankfully. Your shoulder was easy to pop back into place. I took the broken rib sections and fused them back onto the main part of the bone. Other than a light mark on the bone itself, you should not be able to even tell you broke them" She now had him curious, as he listened "You fused them? How so?" Forrest was a bit confused, but reminded herself they may have different medical practices where he is from "Fusing of bones is often done with catastrophic breaks. Compounds and internal fractures. We take the bone fragment and using a.. torch pretty much it is able to melt the bone down in a way that allows them to be placed back together. The fusing connects all aspects of the bone, then hardens and holds." She explained as she sat next to him. "That's fascinating, so all I really have to recover from is the incisions?" "Pretty much, that and the nasty concussion you have. But you don't seem to be having too much of a problem with those" He smiled a little "well, at least someone who knows what they are doing found me it seems" he watched Castiel, the dragon was so strange to him. Not just because it was a dragon but because it seemed to have medical training "I did not offend him at all did I?" Forrest shook her head. "Nope, if he has a problem with it he can get over it. He got himself into this mess with your friends." He laughed a little, only to wince as his ribs ached from the movement. "Well, that's fine I guess." Forrest smiled, he seemed like a nice enough person. Deep down she was realizing that maybe.. these people could be her way out of here. They had always talked about trying to leave someday if a ship ever came by again. Now one had, and maybe it was there way out.
Castiel perked up, his head lifting as he seemed to look out the window. She looked at him "What is it Cas?" She said as she stood from her chair. *I think I hear his friends, they are outside the University somewhere* Forrest nodded, as she looked back to Carson "He thinks he hears your friends." He smiled "That's great, they were most likely looking for me." She nodded "Well Castiel, normally I make you clean up your own messes, but right now I do not want to risk them killing you over this little mishap." She said as she moved to the door to the room "Stay here with him. Carson, he does understand what you are saying. Just sit tight" She did not wait for a response as she dipped out of the room, heading for the entrance to the university.