"Remnants"

And once again I marvel at the fitting episode titles. And the writers' imagination. No really, I do. *cough* Okay. Topic.

Sheppard finds himself in trouble on the mainland when he wakes up and finds himself a lot tied up in the middle of the forrest. Of course, being who he is, that sharp rock in his proximity doesn't escape his notice.

On Atlantis, Mr. Woolsey is trying to balance his lunch tray with trying to push the buttons of a transporter to get back to his quarters. As fate has it (yeah, right, as if that ever happens!), a helping hand is soon found in the form of an attractive female doctor of science -- Vanessa Conrad, as she introduces herself, pretty knew to the city as she has just recently arrived on the Apollo. Woolsey appears to be quite taken with her and the two make small talk about Atlantis, the city's size, etc.

After realizing she might be keeping the good man, she quickly says her goodbyes, leaving Woolsey making his offer to call him by his firstname to the closed transporter's doors.

On the mainland, Sheppard succeeds in cutting his ropes and -- after finding his gun and radio gone -- hurries away from the sight. Back at the jumper, he gets a very unpleasant surprise. As it seems, he's not alone, oh no, and his company is up to no good. A company that will, as we already know, put our hero through, well, Hell. [One Dean Winchester would probably object loudly to this particular phrasing, considering the guy's current whereabouts, but hey! We all have to bear our burdens, right? *gg*] Company wo knows all about torture and torturing Sheppard. Company who's a, let's say "old acquaintance." And shall we all be surprised to meet him. *sigh* Right.

Woolsey, on the other hand, has a very unpleasant possibility to face as well: losing his mind and sanity, because as much as he tries to, he can't find a trace of his newly acuired friend Dr. Conrad. He even suspects alien influnces and the like, subjecting himself to tests, but the truth is a little more complicated.

Dangling over the edge of a cliff, Sheppard finally realizes as well that something very strange is going on, when something he thought he'd, uh, lost, wasn't lost at all when his "tormentor" -- all together now (those who want to know - and becaue I got almost kicked in the teeth for saying to much by the dear stepsister - highlight the following):Hello there, Mr. Koyla! -- advises him to use it to get to safety.

Dr. Conrad, in the meantime, apologizes to Woolsey for making him doubt his sanity. She isn't who she pretends to be, in fact, merely a physical manifestation of his romantic and sexual ideals, the intelligence of one of many "seed-carriers" that a civilization on the verge of extinction sent across the galaxy thousands of years ago to start anew. Obviously, it didn't work that well. The vessel lay dormant on the bottom of the ocean for a very long time, until its systems awakened by the presence of a 'jumper. The Intelligence connected with Woolsey to study him, get to know him and maybe get his help in completing its task.

On the mainland, it's pointed out to Sheppard that he needed to be kept distracted, because as a military man, he was most likely to use force against the seed-carrier's vessel, making him dangerous. Sheppard thinks that what they put him through to keep him busy was overkill. Turns out the joke is on the colonel, because it's pointed out to him, that, no, he wasn't tortured in the traditional sense of the word, that to no point had anyone control over his hallucinations. It's a little trickier than that.

In the end, as so many times before, it comes down to making a decision...


___________

Well, isn't it fascinating how fucked up the depth of the human mind/psyche can be and how we are our own best tormentor? ... Wow, I'm being deep again, aren't I? That's never a good sign. *headdesk* Oy. Ignore me, it's late and I'm very tired. ;)

While talking Stargate and on a more serious topic: RIP Mr. Don S. Davis. You'll be missed. :(


And on a more private matter: no, dear Cookie, I didn't move to Antarctica, I'm just very, very busy with what's coming up. *waves at flist* I hope you're all okay. *hugs*