Imagine: The List
Fic posted by members of Vo's Imaginings YahooGroup

Story Notes:
I'm moving this to list only status because i'm not fond of how it ended on me. i think it was good until the wedding and then the ending kinda crapped out so i'm leaving it on here and only here.

The older woman looked down at the guards. "Our heir, through that stupid curse, has now lived two full lives and is in his third. If he doesn't get found this life, we have lost him for good and will have to live life under his brother. None of us like that idea." They all nodded. "All we know is that he has maintained as a male. We know that he is reborn on the human world. We know that the curse means he does not have any memories of us." She sat down, looking at the guards. "You are our last, best hope. Last life we nearly got him but he was killed before we could."

"Will he have any of the physical markings?" one asked.

"No, everything of ours has been covered. As yours will be when you're reborn so you can find him." They stared at her. "You must be. It is the only way to find him. Most humans don't believe we're not evil. They would kill you once you exposed yourself. We've arranged to send you to lives where you can search easily. Lives where he might run into you even. With the way he was before, it's more than possible. It will be made so you are about your same age. I hope one of you succeed. We need our heir to ascend before his brother makes everyone everywhere suffer." She waved a hand. "You know how to test him?" They all nodded. "Then I hope you find him and perhaps he'll pick some of you as his own."

They left her to mourn her nephew being gone. The other priests moved them to their new lives.

***

John Sheppard woke up. He hated being 13, but now he knew why he wasn't like the others around his own age. He checked to make sure his door was locked then looked at himself. He took off the small ring he could feel restricting him for the first time. The small, teenage penis turned into a tentacle and he stared. "That's definitely not like the others," he muttered. He put it back on and decided he'd process for now. Then he'd deal with things in the morning. When he could think about tentacles without giggling.

***

John met up with Cam Mitchell for the first time right before Atlantis, staring at him. Cam stared back but shrugged a bit. "So I heard you're going on the great suicide mission," Cam said dryly.

"It needs to be done."

"I know that feeling." He walked them off. "They'll be pissed," he sighed quietly.

"We're protecting him as well as everyone else. We need to do it."

"We do," he agreed. "She might not see it that way."

"With his former nature, it's a good bet he's doing something military," John said. "He'd probably be drawn to here."

"He might be." Cam shrugged. "I don't know. Others of us are in law enforcement or federal service." He took him to see the head guy, again. Jack looked up. "Sir."

"Boys." He let them shut the door. "I haven't seen a single hair of him that I know of."

"Will they penalize us for doing this?" John asked. "It has to be done and we're better suited than most others."

"That's why I'm here," Jack admitted. "I'm much too old but you two, I think he'll understand." He stared at them. "I've had our geeks doing a subtle search for people who we could recruit that aren't military. I figure he's among that group but he hasn't shown up yet."

"We're sure someone didn't screw things up and make him female?" John asked. "You remember when he was younger and that one blessing went wrong? It turned everyone mauve for six months."

Jack smirked. "I remember laughing my butt off because I was off on maneuvers and got missed." He leaned back in his chair. "I do think, and this is personal opinion, he's younger than you two. I have the feeling he's about early-twenties instead of later twenties like you two."

"Which might actually play into getting him somewhere safer," Cam pointed out. "What sort of areas can't we search?"

"I don't know. We should be able to search anywhere," Jack said. "I've been looking for hints overseas but if we're all in this area he has to be somewhere close by." He stared at them. "I doubt he'll fault you two, or me, for doing this since everyone had to be protected. I know in my gut he'd be pleased." Both younger guards relaxed. "Keep an ear out. Sheppard, we'll tell you if there's anything new coming up."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. We need you there. You're one of the few who can handle it. Otherwise I wouldn't have asked."

John nodded. "I get that it's important. I agree, it is. Too important to mess it up." He shrugged. "We'll figure it out I guess." He left, going to do his own searching. Cam joined him later, sitting down against his back, mimicking his position and calmness. They searched out from their area. He wasn't in their immediate vicinity. Or else more of the guards would have migrated there. The ones on the east coast had done this many times. They caught a slight tingle and searched that way. They felt him. They almost made contact with his mind but it was disorganized. He was going into a battle. They hopped up and headed for the general together. He was busy but they gave him dirty looks until he excused himself. "He's on the west coast, sir."

"He's about to go into his first real battle," Cam added. "Within days."

Sheppard nodded. "He was making plans."

Jack smiled. "Any idea where on the west coast? Directly on the ocean, high or low?"

"Lower, just off the coast," Cam said.

"I'd say southern California but I can't pinpoint it exactly either." He noticed the other general listening and pulled their boss away. "He was angry, sir. Really pissed. Kinda scared but he was letting his anger run it," he said quietly.

"I also got the feeling of 'soon it'd be over with and I can go'," Cam warned.

"There's no training grounds out that way," Jack said.

Cam shook his head. "He's not."

"But he is thinking in terms of plans, patrols...."

"It's something to go on," Jack said. "Good job, boys. Let me add that to our searches." He clapped them both on the shoulder then went to tell their researchers. They had to find the kid before he died doing something noble. He came back to his meeting. He had no idea what sort of battle was going to happen in lower California with teenagers.

***

John walked into the lab on the second day on Atlantis, staring at the scientists. "Guys, none of you have eaten or slept in a day. Unless we're all going to die, we can't have you that tired because then we'll all going to die." They grimaced. "So set up a rotation of who's up and who's napping." Rodney McKay, head scientist, did that and shooed them off to rest for a while. He waited until they were alone to stare at him. "Giant brains are wonderful but you have to sleep too." McKay stiffened. John closed the doors around them then stared at him. "We were told your people were all but mythical now," he said quietly.

Rodney stared. "You're...."

"On search but this is too important and our heir would die too," he said quietly.

"I thought I got that feeling from Mitchell," he complained quietly.

John smirked. "Yeah, probably." He moved closer. "Big Brained One," he said in his native language, which translated as their species name. Rodney shivered. "We'll do what we can to make sure we all make it." He patted him on the back. "If you need help, let me know. Some of us studied the stories of your people as a great myth."

"I'm one of the last left," he said. He looked at him. "Prove it."

"Here?" John asked with a teasing grin. "Where just anyone could come in?" He moved closer, brushing his stomach against Rodney's shoulder, letting him feel the protective barrier he wore. Rodney shivered. "Carson is a healer. I got that off him."

"He is. He knows about the alternative systems." He kept his hands from drifting toward his stomach. "Is he military?"

"No. Cam and I think we spotted him in the dream realm. He was shining a bright, angry light and was going to hit a battle within days." Rodney moaned. "Jack knows."

"He is?"

"Yeah. From the last round of search."

"I never realized that."

"Maybe because you never wanted to check out his tentacle," he said in his ear. It got him swatted and he laughed, smirking at him. "Or not." He stepped back. "If you need us, call."

"I will. Is it going to bother you being up here?"

"No. It's too necessary and it's protecting him too. He probably won't. If he does, well, I'm still his guard."

"True." He patted him on the wrist. "I need to get back to work."

"Of course you do and I'll be around. Just yell." He walked off, leaving the lab's doors open.
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