It had been a couple of weeks since their team had gone off-world and John was getting anxious to get out there again. Nothing against the rest of the teams under his command but he preferred being hands on. Still, the stand down had been worth it. Rodney seemed to be doing better and was having fewer nightmares since starting his sessions with Kate, and things between them were solid. John couldn’t remember ever feeling this… safe and secure in a relationship, but he relished it now. Rodney seemed to, as well.

After the nanite debacle, Rodney and his minions had set about securing that part of the city and scouring the database for any more surprises along that vein. They had done some more exploring of the city together, too, and John marveled at everything they had come across. It had mostly been labs of various kinds that Rodney had allocated several of his minions to research.

On the whole, life was pretty great. The Athosians had settled back in after the storm, recouping some of the losses of their crop already. The away teams had had a few run ins with the Wraith but they hadn’t lost any men, so John counted that a win. They’d even managed to gain another trading partner and a couple of potential Alpha sites that needed further investigating. So when Elizabeth suggested that their team get back in the saddle again, John was more than happy to oblige.

Which was how they found themselves in a jumper being chased by darts almost as soon as they got through the gate. There were too many of them to fight off, and they’d been hit seconds after coming through. It must have damaged something, because try as he might, John couldn’t get the weapons to work. Pushing aside the knot of worry that was mostly Rodney, John focused on getting them the hell out of range, but to little avail.

“McKay?” John prodded his mate. If they were to make it out of this with their skin intact, he would need a little help.

“I’m on it,” Rodney said, already getting out of his seat.

Teyla leaned forward. “Where did they come from?”

Rodney called back, “She’s right. Darts are short range fighters. There’s probably a Hive ship around here somewhere.”

“Then we need to get out of here,” Teyla urged.

“Yes, we do,” John agreed. Checking his HUD, he grimaced.

Ford shook his head. “The stargate is the other way, sir, on the other side of the planet.”

Yes, thank you captain obvious, John thought. “Yeah, we’re taking the scenic route. McKay?!”

“I’m almost there.” A pause, which was filled with Ford once again stating the obvious by telling John about the darts on their tail, then Rodney called, “Okay, you should have weapons now.”

John frowned as he attempted to fire. Nothing. “Negative.”

“You sure?”

Rolling his eyes, John snapped, “Positive!” Of course he was sure. Why the hell would Rodney think he would lie about something like that at a time like this?

“Because I’m pretty sure I fixed it.”

“Well obviously, you didn’t,” John grunted, narrowly avoiding another hit. Crap. This wasn’t going well at all. If they didn’t reach the gate soon, they would be blown out of the sky. The jumper shook when they took a hit.

“Perhaps we can lose them in the atmosphere of the planet,” Teyla suggested.

“Two more darts on our two o’clock,” Ford pressed.

Taking a deep breath, John nodded. “McKay,” he pleaded. Come on, baby, he thought. Work some of your magic here and help me get us out of here.

“It’s not like I’m holding back on you,” Rodney groused.

A sudden burst of energy appeared on the HUD, seeming to follow them. John watched in confusion as it overtook the darts, leaving debris in its wake. “Hold on!” John yelled, hoping against hope they would survive this. The ball of energy swept over them, rocking the jumper but leaving it intact. They all stared in shock as it dissipated. John swallowed hard. That had been far too close for comfort to his liking.

“What the hell was that?” Ford asked, sounding as stunned as John felt.

“Some sort of… energy weapon,” Rodney stammered, staggering back to his seat.

“How about we find out?” John suggested, already adjusting course toward the planet. He managed to find a place near to the one village that would make it easy enough to walk to it but made sure the jumper was out of sight in case the people of this world were less than friendly.

None of the readings he was getting from the HUD indicated any weapons or any technology at all, but John had learned that looks could be deceiving. Ford scoffed as he peered through his binoculars, muttering about this being a waste of time as he wasn’t picking up any hints of tech, either.

“You picking up anything, Rodney?”

Rodney huffed. “I’m picking up everything, just nothing worth mentioning.”

“Teyla? Do these people look familiar to you?” he asked automatically.

She shot him an amused look as she reminded him that the planet had a spacegate and that her people therefore never would have been able to visit here. John bit his lips, feeling his cheeks heat. “Right,” he mumbled. He’d known that. Of course he had.

Rolling his eyes, John ignored the lieutenant’s continued grouching and headed toward the village. As soon as they were within sight, he plastered on his most ‘hey-I’m-friendly-and-harmless’ smile and was shocked when the first person to see him actually bolted off with a look of fear in his eyes. Well, that couldn’t be good. They were soon met by what seemed to be the leader of the village, which turned out to be Zara, an abbot of Proculus, which was apparently the name of this planet.

Well, he seemed friendly enough, John supposed as they sat down to talk. The man appeared genuinely surprised to find they had come from another world and that they had been saved by a weapon originating from his planet. When the abbot mentioned never having heard of the Wraith, John stared at Teyla who looked elated.

As soon as the abbot excused himself, she leaned forward and whispered, “I have never known a world not ravaged by the Wraith. If this is true, then this planet would make a wonderful sanctuary for many people.”

John couldn’t agree more. As far as Alpha sites went, Proculus sounded like an ideal spot if the Wraith truly could not get to it. The abbot returned shortly and promised to take them to meet Chaya, their head priestess, so they could discuss their situation. The walk to Chaya’s residence was long and Rodney bitched the entire way, but John simply tuned him out. There was a feeling of peace here that seemed to wash over him and he knew that Rodney was mostly just spouting his usual bluster.

Just before they entered the monastery, John reminded Rodney to be on his best behavior. He knew the man had become better at curbing his tongue, but when there was a ZPM involved, Rodney still tended to speak before thinking, and John really wanted to try to make some sort of arrangement happen.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There was something very off about this place, Rodney decided. Everyone was too happy and oblivious, and he was not at all sure whether they were for real or not. He was certain the energy ball that had saved them had come from a weapon on this planet, but the abbot seemed completely ignorant of anything. If there was one thing Rodney hated, it was not knowing something. The only thing worse was someone not wanting to know. And he really wanted to know.

The second they stepped inside the monastery, the hairs on the back of his neck wanted to stand up. The feeling only got worse when a beautifully exotic woman – even more so than Teyla, and in his book that was saying something – walked up to them and took John’s hand in both of hers. Rodney didn’t even hear her words, too distracted by the suddenly stunted sensation that was his soul bond with John. What the hell was that all about?

“You must be tired after your long journey, shall I make us some tea?” the woman – Chaya, he dug up from the recesses of his mind – asked, her eyes focused intently on his major. Rodney didn’t like it one bit, but of course, John just grinned and said, “I was hoping you would say just that.” Of course he did. Rodney crossed his arms, scowling at them. Something wasn’t right.

As they sat around a fire, sipping their tea, they talked of the Wraith. By all appearances, Chaya seemed truly puzzled and horrified by their existence, but something was setting Rodney’s alarm bells off. He just couldn’t put his finger on what. It was annoying the crap out of him. Like it was something he should know, that was just out of his reach if only he could get a little closer. Another thing that bothered him was that she still seemed to insist there were no weapons on Proculus.

When Rodney tried to argue with her, John shot him a disapproving look and told him off. “Best. Behavior, Rodney,” he reminded him.

Rodney blinked in shock. John had never talked to him quite like that before, not even when Rodney had caused them to get shot at. “This is as good as it gets, Major,” he retorted, slightly hurt by John’s reaction. Not to mention, he hated being lied to and he was one hundred percent certain Chaya was lying through her teeth.

John ignored him – ignored him! – and began to plead their case with Chaya, which of course would lead nowhere, Rodney was sure. When she excused herself to ‘talk with Athar’, Rodney rolled his eyes and scoffed. “So, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, huh?”

He glared at John who seemed the picture of ease as he laid back on the bench Chaya had been sitting on. “Exactly,” the man replied, closing his eyes. Grumbling, Rodney sat back down to wait, eyeing John worriedly. The longer they were in this place, the worse that stunted feeling seemed to get and he didn’t care for it at all. He had no idea what had caused it or how to fix it, or even if it was just something he was experiencing or if John felt it, too. He supposed he could have asked his mate, but a tiny voice in the back of his mind warned him now was not the time.

What felt like hours later, Chaya and the abbots returned. John jumped to his feet – a little too eagerly in Rodney’s opinion – and looked hopefully at her. She inclined her head. “We have conveyed your request to our divine mother, and although she does not doubt the righteousness of your mission, I’m afraid she cannot countenance any other people but hers settling here.”

John looked devastated. Rodney, who had remained seated, sighed and shook his head, feeling disgusted. “And you really had to chant all this time to come up with that?”

“McKay,” John ground out, glowering at him like it was all his fault.

Teyla got to her feet, pleading. “Is there any way to have Athar reconsider?”

Chaya turned to her, shaking her head. “Athar understands and sympathizes. The Wraith are a scourge among our stars, but she has to place the lives of her people first.”

Standing up, Rodney scowled, wishing he could figure out what the hell was really going on. “Well, I think we both knew what you were going to say long before you went in there.”

She looked away, unable to meet his eyes which just cinched the deal for him. “We prayed for Athar’s guidance,” she said quietly.

“And what did Athar say?” Rodney retorted, tired of playing this game. Why were they wasting their time with this insanity? “You’re hiding behind your religion to justify your complete and utter selfishness,” he accused.

“Rodney!” John exclaimed angrily.

He pressed on, in part because he knew he was right and also because that bundle of sensation that was John had just dimmed to nearly non-existent, and it scared the crap out of Rodney. “If Athar existed she would be ashamed of herself.” And that was a big ‘if’, if you asked him. How could any people be so selfish when people throughout this galaxy were being hunted by the Wraith?

Zara bristled. “We ask only to be left alone and in peace.”

Rodney squared his shoulders. Oh, how it galled him that they were hiding behind their so-called deity. And people thought him selfish? “So untold thousands, possibly even millions of people will die out there when they could have been saved, all in the name of Athar. How very, very peaceful of you,” he said, making no attempt to hide his scorn.

“You should be grateful to Athar,” Chaya chided, her voice breaking. She still wasn’t looking at him. Ashamed, no doubt, as well she should be!

Taking a deep breath, Rodney said, “This is a waste of time.” They could be out there trying to find the weapon or go visit another planet or something. These people wouldn’t help them no matter what they did to try to convince them otherwise. He shifted his shoulders uneasily, trying to shake that dulling sensation. The quicker they were out of here, the better.

“Athar regrets that she cannot help you,” she murmured to John.

Rodney rolled his eyes. “And I’m sure those were her exact words to you.”

John rounded on Rodney, glaring daggers at him. “That’s enough!” he barked.

Rodney gaped. He had never seen John like this before. Ever. What was happening here? Why was he behaving like this and why was the soul bond feeling like it was fading?

“Head back to the jumper,” John ordered, sending Ford to make sure Rodney did as told. Rodney felt sick as they walked to the jumper, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of everything and getting nowhere fast.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Carson! I’d like you to meet Chaya,” John said jovially. “She’s visiting us for a while.”

Carson looked up from his computer and blinked. “What’s this then?” he asked as he got to his feet. He glanced at John, wondering about how eager he seemed as he introduced them. “Chaya, it’s a pleasure to meet you, lass.”

John turned to her and grinned. “Carson’s going to see to your tests. You’ll be in great hands. Won’t she, Carson?”

Amused, if slightly puzzled, Carson smiled warmly at her. “Aye, of course. If you’ll come right over here, lass, we’ll get you started. Mac’ll take care of John while we’re at it.”

Mac, hearing his name, turned his head. “John, why don’t you have a seat over there,” he said, jerking his head to an empty bed. “I’ll be with you in just a minute.”

John seemed reluctant to leave Chaya’s side. Carson wondered what that was about. And where was Rodney anyway? He and the rest of their team would need to go through their own tests, too. Putting a gentle hand on Chaya’s elbow, Carson guided her over to a bed on the other side of the infirmary and pulled a curtain around it for privacy. “Right. Here we are then.”

He explained briefly what would be happening, and when she consented to the various tests, Carson set to work, keeping up a steady conversation as he did. When she told him of her planet and her being a priestess, Carson couldn’t help wondering why she was here. She’d made it obvious her people would not help them.

“When John told me of your city, I was curious,” Chaya explained, “He offered to show me around. I’ve never been away from my people before.”

He nodded absently as he carefully noted all her stats, took her blood, and then had her go through an MRI. They had to do this twice as the first time he tried to run the scan, she moved around too much. “Now, lass, I need you to lay very still for a bit or this won’t work,” he scolded gently as he reset the MRI and ran it again.

“Just a minute more,” he assured her, scanning the readouts with a slight frown. Well, this was odd. Her scan was showing none of the things it usually picked up with humans. “Well my dear, it seems you’re just as lovely on the inside as you are on the outside.” As odd as that was. He smiled warmly at her. “If health is synonymous with beauty…” Chaya began to sit up, looking curiously around her. “You can get up now,” Carson assured.

“How does this device do what you say it does?”

“It creates images of the tissues inside your body,” he explained, glancing down at the screen. “And they are picture perfect.” He had to school his expression to hide his concern. He had never before seen anyone have results like this, it was unheard of.

“Did you bring these machines back from your world?” She gazed at him with such intent it made Carson feel slightly uncomfortable.

“Some,” he acknowledged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Others are Lantean technology that we’re learning to use, and a few I haven’t the vaguest idea of what they do,” he confessed, earning him a secretive smile. He wondered what that was about. He had the funny feeling there was more to this lass than met the eye. “Hopefully one day I’ll meet an Ancient and ask them myself.”

They talked for a while about the Ancients, which she seemed very curious about. Even while they were talking, he was trying to figure out what her scans meant. “Are all the people of your world as healthy as you?” he asked suddenly.

“Yes,” she acknowledged.

Frowning, he shook his head. “No disease? Ailments? No one ever breaks a leg?”

“Such things are rare, but my people heal quite rapidly.” Carson blinked at her in astonishment.

Just then, John popped his head around the corner, looking almost shy and hopeful. “Are we done?”

Chaya turned to Carson. “Are we?”

Carson grinned. “Healthiest patient I’ve ever had. Off you go, love.” She hopped off the table and all but skipped over to John. Carson shook his head in amazement when John held out his arm to her and they walked out of the infirmary arm in arm. “Well,” Carson muttered under his breath, “this is new.”

Mac stepped up behind him. “Did John seem… weird, to you?” he asked quietly, his eyes on where the two had left.

Glancing at his colleague, Carson nodded. “Aye, just a wee bit. Did anything show up on the initial tests?”

“No,” Mac hummed. “I was about to start his bloodwork. I’ll run hers as well, if you like.”

“Thanks, lad. I’d like to take a closer look at her MRI. Something doesn’t seem quite right to me. Hopefully between the two of us, we’ll find some answers.”

Clasping a hand on his shoulder, Mac nodded and left to tend to his work.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Bloodwork shows no viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections,” Carson explained as Rodney and Elizabeth stared at Chaya’s charts. “MRI reveals no tumors or cancers. No heart defects of any kind. Blood pressure one-thirty over seventy.” Carson glanced sideways at them. “Total cholesterol, one-oh-seven. She’s in perfect health.”

Rodney scowled at the screen. Everything Carson was saying just added to his suspicions. Chaya was bad news, not that he was any closer to understanding why or how. Elizabeth tilted her head in confusion. “I’m… happy for her? But why did we need to see this?”

Carson raised an eyebrow at her. “Because, Doctor, she’s too healthy.”

Wait, what? “What does that mean?” Rodney asked, confused.

“There’s no trace of any diseases or congenital conditions that you typically find in pre-technological societies.”

Rodney’s mind started racing as Carson continued to explain. “But she is human?”

Carson nodded. “Aye.”

Crossing his arms tight around his chest, Rodney glared at the screen again. Okay, so human. That was no help. Damnit all, there had to be a reason why he was so convinced there was something wrong with the woman, if only he could figure out what! Elizabeth left without him being aware of it. Not until Carson put a hand on his shoulder did Rodney become aware of it. “Are you alright, lad?”

“No,” he blurted before he could think better of it. “I’m not.”

He let Carson guide him to his office and into a chair while the man leaned against his desk. “What’s going on, Rodney?”

Scrubbing his face, he sighed. “I wish I knew, Carson. All I know for sure is that something is… blocking the bond with John. It’s been feeling stunted ever since we met Chaya and I have no idea why. John’s been acting strange, too, and won’t listen to me. Hell, he’s acting like he doesn’t know me anymore. At least, not the way he does if that makes sense,” he babbled.

“Wait. Your bond feels stunted?” Carson asked, straightening up.

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” Rodney groused, frowning up at his friend as he walked around his desk.

Carson tapped his comms. “Mac? Could you do me a favor and run a DNA test on Major Sheppard? On Rodney, too.” He paused, listening. “Aye, need it done stat, if you would. And make sure to give the results only to me, don’t tell anyone you’re running them.”

Tilting his head, Rodney thought for a moment. It made sense to run the tests again, since that had been how they had discovered the gene to begin with. “You’ll let me know if you find anything?” he asked quietly. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted Mac to find something wrong with their bond or not.

Carson nodded, smiling reassuringly. “Of course, lad. The minute we have anything, I promise.”

Rubbing his hands on his thighs, Rodney sighed. “Thanks, Carson.”

“Rodney? If you have a moment, I’d like you to see something, please,” Peter called over the radio.

“I’m on my way.” He tapped his comms and got to his feet.

Before he had gotten to the door, Carson said quietly, “We’ll figure this out, lad. Don’t you worry.”

Rodney really hoped his friend was right because he was starting to feel a little lost, and that wasn’t an experience he enjoyed. When he got to the control room, Rodney got a little of his bounce back. “You got it working?” he asked Peter who was hunched over the console they had found in another part of the city. “What is it?”

Peter glanced up, indicating the console. “It appears to be some sort of internal/external biometric sensor array.”

Rodney chuffed. “See now, sadly, I understood that. Where did all those Saturday nights go?” he said sarcastically.

Rolling his eyes, Peter pointed at his screen. “These seem to be the biosignatures of everyone on Atlantis.”

Huh. He frowned, tilting his head as he tried to follow the readings. “How can you tell?” Seriously, why did the Ancients have to use so much gibberish and superfluous code? What was the point? It wasn’t even pretty code, either. “I can’t make heads or tails of that mess.”

Peter chuckled, nodding agreement. “I’ve been working on deciphering the Ancient algorithms. I suspect that this was designed primarily as an early warning system.”

As Peter continued to expand on his findings, one thing caught his attention. “Wait, hold up. You said this thing turned on after our visitor touched it?” Too healthy? And now this? That couldn’t be a coincidence.

Peter shrugged. “Which must mean she has the Ancient gene.”

That’s one hypothesis, Rodney thought. But no, that didn’t feel right. And how incredibly irksome was this whole working on a ‘feeling’ thing? He was a man of science, damnit, not emotion, but it was all he had to go on for the time being. “Or it was initialized already and only activated because it was detecting her.”

Peter shot him an incredulous look. Rodney didn’t care if he sounded paranoid. His gut told him he was right and if there was one thing he was learning from his major, it was to listen to his gut. “She could be some kind of alien and this thing knows more about her than we’ve been able to decypher,” he pressed on. Straightening, he stared straight ahead. “Someone should be keeping an eye on her,” he mused.

“Oh, Major Sheppard is,” Peter assured him calmly.

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Of course he is.” John was his, dammit, and for all that they were soulmates, he seemed to be falling all over this woman. It was almost as if he was trying to play Kirk, which really annoyed him.

Peter huffed, casting a sly look his way. “Not entirely for the reasons you think. Dr. Weir asked him to.”

“I’m sure she has,” Rodney said dryly. Anything to try to sweet talk the natives, she would do, as far as Rodney could tell. Well, anything short of becoming an arms dealer, which she had already proven resistant to. But he wouldn’t put it past her to whore someone out. Rodney flushed slightly, embarrassed that the thought had even crossed his mind. He knew he was just being bitter and was taking out his anxiety on her, even if only in his head. He knew Elizabeth would never ask anyone to do anything untoward just to further the mission.

Annoyed, he walked off, running various scenarios through his head as he went in search of Elizabeth. Maybe he could convince her to send Chaya back to Proculus. He didn’t dare radio her, not wanting to risk anyone overhearing – and by anyone, he meant John.

He ran into Teyla who gave him a peculiar look which immediately made his stomach turn. He had no idea what she was about to say, but everything in him told him he really didn’t want to hear it. Still, she was his friend, so he stopped to talk to her.

“Dr. McKay,” she said sympathetically, placing her hand on his arm. “Have you seen Major Sheppard recently?”

He squirmed. He had glimpsed him a couple of times as John gave Chaya the grand tour of Atlantis, but it had felt as if the man was actively avoiding running into him and that hurt. So he did what he did best and tried to push the pain aside. Opening his mouth to answer, his throat became too dry to speak when Teyla mentioned seeing him carrying a picnic basket. “He said something about being an ambassador and having a diplomatic picnic with Chaya out on the pier.”

Rodney’s heart skipped a couple of beats, his chest tightening as he rasped, “When?”

Teyla tilted her head, watching him closely. “About half an hour ago.”

Mental images of John and Chaya played out in his mind’s eye faster than he could keep up, which was a blessing. He tried to touch on the soul bond but where it used to be, there now was emptiness. “Thanks,” he managed, pushing past her in his hurry to find Elizabeth. He had to convince her, had to make her see.

When he finally located her, Rodney was disappointed to find her unwilling to see his view of things. She was outright dismissive of his concerns, even going so far as to suggest he was having a breakdown of some sort and he was imagining the soul bond being gone. After all, the Ancient database had said that a bond was for life and the Ancients surely could not be wrong. It was an attitude he had come across among his minions and it was one that he abhorred. After all the fiascos they had already faced, he no longer held those dratted ascended assholes up on the pedestal most people did. After a lot of talking – okay, maybe it had more been him having a bitchfest of near-epic proportions – she finally relented to at least let him sit in on their next meeting so he could monitor her. He fervently hoped that he would get something out of that, because he had the distinct impression that if he messed up this time, he would be in for it with Elizabeth. And no doubt John would have a thing or two to say about it, too.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Biting his lip, John replayed the last few moments over and over as he headed toward the transporter. He had kissed Chaya and it had been amazing. It had been a little weird at first because he couldn’t stop thinking about the fact she was an alien, but once they started… it had felt so right. Hadn’t it? Frowning, he pushed aside the tiny voice that wanted to argue and that sounded suspiciously like McKay.

Speaking of McKay, John thought as the man called after him. John stopped and turned around, feigning innocence. “Hello, Rodney. What are you doing up so late?” Why was he suddenly feeling guilty? He had done nothing wrong, he was a grown ass major, after all.

Rodney frowned, glancing over his shoulder to where John had just come from before looking at him again. “I was just, ummm,” he paused, a flash of hurt in his eyes as he changed tact. “I couldn’t sleep so I was just on my way to the control room to do a little, err, research. How about you?” he tacked on sarcastically.

John bristled, but played dumb. “No thanks.”

Crossing his arms, Rodney tilted his head. “No, I meant, what are you doing up this late?”

“I’m always up this late, Rodney,” he rebuked, not sure why he was having to explain himself to the scientist.

Shifting so his arms were clasped behind his back, Rodney seemed to steel himself. “Word of caution? The whole Captain Kirk routine is problematic, to say the least.” Was that jealousy in the man’s voice? John’s eyes tightened, trying to make sense of things, which was a lot harder than it should have been, if he were completely honest with himself.

“What ‘Kirk’ routine?” John asked harshly, getting his back up.

Rodney jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “The whole ‘romancing the alien priestess’ thing? It’s very nineteen sixty seven of you,” he said scathingly. “Actually, I’m surprised that you-”

John cut him off. “If and when anything I do becomes your business-” What the hell was McKay’s problem? And where did he get off trying to dress John down like this?

“It becomes my business,” Rodney said, his voice hard and his expression closed. “When an alien woman who clearly is not who she claims to be has the ranking military officer wrapped around her little finger!”

John glared at the man. “Don’t go there, McKay,” he warned. He wasn’t entirely sure why he was suddenly as pissed off as he was, other than the scientist seemed to be pushing all his buttons just in that moment. That, and that completely random feeling of guilt that he couldn’t place set him on edge. And there was the whole accusing his Chaya of basically being evil incarnate, if McKay’s words and demeanor were anything to go by.

Rodney looked away, blinking furiously. His voice broke when he met John’s gaze again. “I’m sorry. I know I’m not normally Mr. Sensitive, but you have got to believe me when I say there is something seriously wrong with that woman. I know it’s intangible, but I can feel it-”

John stepped into McKay’s space, looming over him as he snapped, “I said, don’t. Go. There.”

Rodney took a shaky breath, stubbornly pressing on. “It’s just a matter of time before-” he stopped and both men looked up when the door behind Rodney opened and Chaya stepped out. She took one look at them before turning around and heading back with an unreadable expression on her face.

John glowered at McKay, showing him the contempt he felt for his accusations. The other man opened his mouth to plead his case again, but John stalked away, feeling disgusted. Though the further he got, the more confused the jumble of emotions inside of him became. Maybe a run would help clear his head, he thought as he set off toward his favorite path.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rodney only half paid attention to the farce that was the negotiation meeting with Chaya. What little he could tell, things were going as badly as he had expected them to, so he focused most of his attention on the tests he was running and growing more irritated by the second. Chaya’s suddenly calling him out on what he was doing startled him enough that he admitted he was getting nothing useful.

John was irate, glaring daggers at Rodney which he could have sworn he actually felt pierce his heart. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was apologizing profusely. It all became too much for Rodney and he stood, shoving his chair back in disgust. “Oh stop apologizing, Elizabeth,” he snapped. When all eyes were on him, he challenged, “How did she know?”

“McKay!”

Sadness washed over Rodney as he looked at his mate. It was almost as if he were someone else entirely, someone he didn’t know anymore and that hurt. More than he’d ever willingly let on. “She’s an Ancient,” he said quietly, turning to Chaya again. “I’m right, aren’t I? The perfect health, the energy weapon, the fact that she has the Ancient gene,” and God knew what else, Rodney added silently. “It’s the only logical explanation.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” John asked, sounding confused.

Rodney ignored him, his focus completely on Chaya. “I just don’t understand the act. I mean, you must know that we would give anything to talk to you, to learn from you. I mean, what is it? Were you just checking us out?”

The sudden look of guilt on Chaya’s face made Rodney’s stomach turn. Had she done something to interfere with his bond with John? His knees buckled when Chaya told John that she had come to the city for him, and he sat heavily back in his chair. His head was buzzing as he listened to her explanation of why she had come here. How could she possibly have done anything to their bond? How was that even possible? That had to be it, though, right? What else could explain the sudden change? But it had to be more than that. More than merely tinkering with the bond because John had genuinely appeared unaware of their relationship.

Before he could voice any of his concerns or theories, however, Chaya walked out of the room, John hot on her heels. It took Rodney a few precious seconds to recover from the shock of seeing him so eagerly give chase after that woman, and when he finally caught up to them, it was only just in time to see Chaya turn into a glowy being and disappear through the gate.

John ran towards the hanger, heedless of the fact that both Rodney and Elizabeth called after him to stop. He tried to go after him but Carson caught his arm and he turned in surprise. “Carson, what-?”

“Lad, you need to see this for yourself,” Carson urged quietly, shoving a laptop into his hands. The non-networked laptop he had given the man, Rodney thought idly as he powered it on. Scanning the information on the screen, Rodney nearly dropped the computer, his body suddenly feeling numb with shock. He had been right. Chaya had done something to their bond. The markers that had shown their soul bond were no longer the same. Instead, John now shared a marker with someone else.

Chaya.

Rodney looked up at the sound of the gate activating and the jumper lowering itself for take off. Shoving the laptop back at Carson, he hurried to the balcony, tapping his comms. “John! You can’t go! John! Please!”

He watched in horror as the jumper slipped through the event horizon without so much as a word from John. “John, please don’t leave me,” he whispered hoarsely as he watched the gate wink out.

 

next

“Rodney?” John whispered, gently shaking his mate in an attempt to rouse him from the nightmare he was having. He got no response other than another whimper. Resting his forehead against Rodney’s shoulder, John sighed and closed his eyes, wishing he could ease his mate’s conscience, to relieve his guilt over Gall killing himself in front of him. He wished he had never decided to check out that stupid Wraith ship, that he’d taken the scientists back to Atlantis and gone back with a proper team instead. “Come on, baby, wake up. You’re safe. I’m here. Please, wake up.” He repeated the litany until the other man began to stir into wakefulness.

“John?” Rodney’s voice cracked as he clutched at John, his eyes still unfocused and full of pain. “I dreamed… I saw…” Burrowing his face into John’s neck, Rodney whimpered. “I can’t get the sight of him out of my head, John. How do I live with that?”

Shifting them so Rodney was half on top of him, John wrapped his arms around his mate and stroked his back soothingly. “I know. I’m sorry you had to see that. It’ll fade over time. Gall made that choice himself, Rodney. He-”

Rodney reared up, anger suffusing his features. “Because I wouldn’t leave him. Because he knew that I felt you get hit and I wanted to help you. Gall shot himself so I wouldn’t have to make a choice and I don’t know how to deal with that!” he shouted, voice breaking several times.

John winced. “I’m sorry, Rodney, I didn’t know, okay? This was the first time either of us got hurt since we completed our bond. I didn’t know it’d be different from when I felt you get injured during the storm.” He remembered how, after the Wraith had finally been blasted to hell, Rodney had been frantic, demanding to see where John had been shot. It wasn’t until he was satisfied that John honestly was going to be okay that the shock of watching Gall commit suicide hit the man. It didn’t really come as a surprise to him that Rodney ended up having nightmares about it, but he still wished there was something he could do to take that pain away from his mate.

Pulling the other man down again, John pressed a kiss to the top of his head and sighed. “I think it might be a good idea if you talked to Kate, baby.”

Rodney shook his head. “No,” he insisted.

Lifting his head, John frowned at his mate. “Rodney, you just experienced a pretty traumatic event even by my stoic standards. You need to talk to someone about it that can help you try to make sense of things again. And yes, I know how that sounds coming from me,” he added quickly when Rodney opened his mouth to object, “but even I’ve had my head shrunk when it was necessary, and this is necessary.”

Rodney blinked in surprise at that. “You did? When?”

Quirking a brow, John gave him a sad smile. “When I was forced to watch my best friend die in my arms. It’s why I was sent to Antarctica, so I could get my head on straight again.”

The other man’s mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ as he stared down at him. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

Shaking his head, John traced his mate’s lips with his thumb. “Don’t be. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I wasn’t meant to save him that time,” he said quietly. He might have come to terms with that, he admitted quietly to himself, but that didn’t mean the loss of Holland hurt any less for it. “Just… consider it at least? Talking to Kate, I mean?”

Rodney nodded.

Clearing his throat, John offered him a wan smile. “Good.” Glancing at his watch, he sighed. “Might as well get up and start our day. We’re off the schedule for a while as far as off-world missions go, so I figured we could do some exploring on base instead. Didn’t you say the other day that you wanted a few teams to go check out the piers that got flooded during the storm?”

Pushing himself up, Rodney sat on the edge of the bed for a while, staring at the floor as he spoke. “Yeah. I mean, who knows what stuff the Ancients left behind down there, and I’d really rather not get taken by surprise if the city’s structure was damaged by the storm. Figured it would be a good two-for-one exercise.” He glanced up at John, who reached up and cupped his cheek.

“Okay. I wish I could go down with you, but duty calls.” He pulled a face and muttered, “Stupid paperwork,” under his breath. “But I’ll send Ford to tag along to watch your back. And teams two, three, and six. That ought to be enough, right?”

Rodney pondered for a moment. “Think so. Unless you think we’d need more than a fifty/fifty ratio?”

“Nah. Just… be careful, okay?”

Rolling his eyes, Rodney leaned in for a kiss. “Of course. And you, too.” At John’s look of pseudo-innocence, Rodney poked his chest and glowered. “I know all about the session you have planned later today with Teyla. Did you really think you could keep that from me, Sheppard?”

“Aww come on, Rodney,” John all but whined. “I’m fine. The bullet grazed my arm. Training with Teyla isn’t going to do any harm. Well, no more than usual at any rate.”

Rodney huffed. “I don’t see why you feel the need to get beaten up all the time until you’re black and blue all over.”

“Hey! I am not that bad,” John protested. Okay, so maybe he was, but come on! At Rodney’s glare, John relented, raising his hands in defeat. “Alright, alright. I’ll be careful, I promise.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Oh, please. Prime.” Rodney said, rolling his eyes. “Four thousand and twenty one.”

Radek grinned. “Ahh, nice try. Not-Prime. Okay, Lieutenant Ford. Five hundred and ninety nine.” Playing Prime/Not-Prime with Rodney had become like the games his mother used to play with him whenever they went for long drives. Something to occupy the mind while doing something else. This time, however, the game was a lot more fun because so far, the young lieutenant had not gotten a single answer right. It shouldn’t be possible, but there it was.

“I don’t care if it’s a Prime number or not,” Ford groused, glaring at them over his shoulder.

“Come on,” Radek wheedled. “Yes or no.”

“No!” Ford grouched.

Radek and Rodney shared knowing grins and Radek couldn’t quite suppress a chuckle. Clearing his throat, Radek affected a more serious face. “Err, Lieutenant, would you mind being subject of research paper on statistical improbabilities?”

Ford stopped in his tracks and towered over Radek menacingly. “This is some sort of payback for guys like me beating up guys like you in highschool, right?”

Radek gulped, opening his mouth to answer but no sound would come out. Ford stalked off, leaving Radek to take a few shaky breaths. He had always thought the young man to be friendly and easy going enough, but this encounter made him wonder if he had been mistaken. Yes, both he and Rodney had teased the man, but surely not so bad to warrant that reaction. Radek knew that he and many of his fellow scientists had suffered far worse during their lives.

Shaking his head, he followed after the group to the rendezvous point, half his attention on his pad and half on Rodney as he talked to someone about their findings and then contacted Dr. Weir. Radek caught the tail end of their conversation. “It’s dark, it’s damp, and it smells bad, but from an engineering point of view, we’re good.” Rodney listened, nodding. “Heading back.”

Snapping his fingers, Rodney turned to make sure he had everyone’s attention. “Alright you clowns, listen up. I don’t often get a chance to say this so savor it: Good work, boys and girls. Let’s head home.”

Radek chuckled at his friend. It amazed him how much Rodney had changed these past few months. It used to be a rare occurrence to see the man in a good mood, let alone praise anyone he worked with, so this was truly a novelty. Checking his pad again, he frowned. “Ah, wait wait wait.”

Rodney turned to look at him. “What?”

“Ah, we are missing Johnson and Wagner,” he said, pushing up his glasses.

Rodney scanned the group, brow furrowing as he tapped his comms. “Johnson. Wagner. What’s your position?” He sighed, rolling his eyes when there was no answer for several seconds.

“We need back up! They’re coming at us!” Wagner suddenly screamed over the radio, causing everyone to jump.

“What? Where are you?” Rodney asked, instantly alert. Radek peered at his pad to check for lifesigns, but could not see anything beyond the people who were supposed to be there. His heart started to race at the thought that the Wraith may be on the city, or another one of those energy monsters. Or something worse that simply didn’t bear thinking about.

Ford pointed at Radek, demanding to know where they were and Radek pointed to their heading.

“We’re on our way,” Rodney yelled and set off at a sprint, everyone else following behind.

Stumbling, Radek stared at the body of Wagner sprawled on the floor before him. It had been years since he had seen a dead person. Not since before he had left his country, and it was something he had actively avoided since.

Rodney tapped his comms. “I need Beckett with a med team down here, stat!”

Johnson sat huddled against the wall, whimpering. When Rodney got her attention, she freaked out and started batting at an invisible foe. When she fell, Radek kneeled at her head, gently lifting it into his lap as he checked her pulse. Nothing. She was gone. Blinking owlishly up at Rodney, he whispered. “Is no use. She is gone.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Teyla smacked John across the ass with her bantos rods, causing him to rise to his toes and hiss. His head just wasn’t in it for some reason, but he stubbornly refused to give up so he shook the sting of her blow off and prowled around her. Working out had always served him well as a distraction, so he stayed the course and continued his training. Minutes ticked by and Teyla met his attacks at every turn, delivering blow after blow that John knew would leave bruises that Rodney was sure to give him hell for.

He just could not focus, no matter how hard he tried. He knew Teyla was good, and that any time in the gym with her meant he would get his ass handed to him, but this time seemed much worse than normal. Something wasn’t right. For the last couple of hours, John had had a weird… feeling… It was something to do with the soul bond, of that John was certain, because it was too reminiscent of the sensation he had had when Rodney had been injured during the Genii attack on the city. At the same time, however, it was totally different, but he couldn’t shake the certainty that it had to do with his mate.

Teyla landed several vicious blows on his arms, ass, and thighs, bringing him to his knees with swift efficiency. He tried to get away from her, but she was faster and had him pulled to her in a chokehold using the rods. He felt almost relieved because this meant the day’s torture known as training would be over. His relief was short lived, though, when he heard the disappointment in her voice. “You have not been practicing,” she scolded.

John bristled. “I have, too!”

She let him go and he got to his feet, explaining what was troubling him. As always, she listened to his concerns. “Major, I think-” she started, only for the sound of Elizabeth’s voice over the intercom to drown her words out.

“May I have everyone’s attention please. We have run into a questionable medical situation, and at Dr. Beckett’s suggestion, we have decided to put the city into a self-regulated quarantine. For at least the next couple of hours, I need everyone to stay where they are and report anyone moving freely through the halls. I hope you understand. Thank you.”

What the hell was that all about? That weird feeling increased, and John knew that whatever was going on, Rodney was in the middle of it. Damnit! Digging through his bag, he cursed under his breath. No radio. Turning to Teyla, he asked if she had brought hers. Thankfully, she had and she handed it over without a word.

“Elizabeth, what’s going on?” John demanded, unable to tone down his concern.

“We’re not sure, John.”

“Why wasn’t I informed about the situation before now?” he cut across her.

“You were off radio, Major.” Elizabeth’s voice held a warning edge to it. “And we had to make a decision quickly. This is a medical situation, John, so you were not needed. I will let you know if that changes.” When he started to protest, she added a curt, “These protocols were put in place long before we got to the city, Major. Now please, stay put and let us do our jobs.”

Growling under his breath, John reluctantly agreed to stay put, even though everything in him was telling him he needed to be out there doing something. He had no idea what use he possibly could be, but Rodney was down there and potentially in danger and that stupid whatever it was that was bugging at him was getting worse. It was beginning to feel like a combination of a mosquito buzzing around your ears and that uncomfortable sensation after a sunburn when it’s stopped hurting, only it was concentrated around the back of his head.

Half an hour went by at a maddeningly slow pace and John got antsier by the minute. Something was definitely wrong with Rodney. He radioed Elizabeth again for an update, only to be told that Peterson had left the north pier, breaching the self-regulated quarantine. John tried to argue that he and Teyla go after him, but Elizabeth was adamant they stay put. Clenching his teeth, John took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself. “Damnit, Elizabeth, I can’t just sit here!”

“John, this is still a medical situation, not a military one,” she reminded him sternly.

John honestly didn’t give a rat’s ass at that point whether it was medical or military, he just needed to be doing something. He needed to help his mate. “I don’t have time for this,” he grumbled, heading toward the door.

“Peter, shut the doors to the gym,” Elizabeth ordered, and they swung shut in his face.

“Elizabeth!” John growled. Think, John, think! “Bates! I order you to open the doors between the gym and the control tower.”

“Don’t!”

John was aware of Teyla’s presence, and he knew she was disappointed in him when he left the gym at a trot the second they had opened. He couldn’t help that at the moment, though. He had never been good at sitting on his hands when he felt he had something to offer and this time it was so much worse because his soulmate was in danger.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kimberly poured over the information scrolling down the screen, blinking rapidly to wick away the tears that wouldn’t stop coming. She wanted to scream, to lash out at the unfairness of it all. Here she was, in Atlantis, the lost city of the Ancients with all its treasures just waiting for her to discover them and she would be dead before the day was over. Precisely because of one of those ‘treasures’, and because she and Ioan had the misfortune of having run into Dumais, Rodney, and Hayes, who in turn had crossed paths with Wagner and Johnson who were now dead.

She shivered slightly as she recalled Dumais’ final moments, the paranoia and fear that had plagued her. Dumais had kept talking about ‘them’ and asking why no one could see the ghosts, claiming they were everywhere, attacking everyone.

Radek had gone over the logs of everyone’s movements and surmised Johnson and Wagner had come across the lab they were currently in. Something had infected them, and they in turn had passed whatever it was on to the rest of them.

Kimberly sighed. She wasn’t even supposed to really be on duty, but she had sweet talked Mac into giving her the all clear as long as Ioan stuck to her like glue and made sure she didn’t overdo things. This was supposed to be safe.

Ioan, she thought, her heart aching. He was the most wondrous treasure discovered since coming here, as far as she was concerned. Her soulmate. It was still so new, and there was still so much for them to figure out, and now they never would. Ioan had insisted they take things slow, at least until she was back on her feet again, so they hadn’t gone further than second base.

A gentle hand to the back of her neck made her sigh, a chuckle escaping her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, looking up at Ioan.

He shook his head, his smile falling short of reaching his eyes. “Don’t be. Trust me, I get it. This sucks,” he murmured.

She nodded, leaning into him for just a moment. Her heart rate spiked as she caught sight of the ‘ghost’ the others had described, and she barely managed to stifle her scream. Beside her, she felt Ioan stiffen and they shared a panicked look. It was happening to them and that meant they wouldn’t have much time left. She’d seen Rodney flinch a couple of times already, too. A quick glance around the room found Hayes huddled on the other side of the lab with a pinched expression.

Squaring her shoulders, she jerked her head to Hayes, her eyes on Ioan as she said quietly, “Why don’t you go check on him? I’ll be alright. I need to get back to searching for answers anyway.”

Squeezing her neck affectionately, he nodded. “Alright. I’m here if you need me, okay?”

“I know,” she assured, kissing his cheek. She watched him for a moment as he wandered off to talk to Hayes then shook her head and forced herself to focus. The clock was ticking, after all, and she would do everything in her power to try to save Ioan. She just wished that she could implement her search program, but the lab wasn’t linked to the mainframe.

How much time passed, she wasn’t sure and she was only vaguely aware of the conversations around her. So far, she had found a possible culprit that seemed like it would fit what was happening to them, but there was little information to be had on it. No cures, no further research, nothing beyond the fact that they were nanites designed to create hallucinations and cause aneurysms. It made absolutely no sense to her that the Ancients had been experimenting on something like this, and she promised herself she would dig further into it if she ever got the chance.

She studiously tried to ignore the ‘ghosts’ that were coming at her with higher frequency. When Hayes started yelling, Kimberly’s throat tightened. Spinning around, she stared in horror as Hayes fought an unseen enemy, just as the others had, and then he simply… stopped, dropping to the floor in a heap. Kimberly’s knees buckled, and Ioan was there in an instant to keep her upright. “It’s okay, I’ve got you,” he said sotto voce.

Clinging to her mate, her eyes were fixed on Rodney. His face was bloodless, his eyes wide with fright and regret. She could only imagine what must be going through his mind. Much as it sucked that both she and Ioan were infected, at least she had her mate by her side. John was somewhere on the other side of Atlantis, and there was nothing either man could do for the other.

Seconds passed, filled with Rodney’s desperate attempts to get his last thoughts out. Ford interrupted him. “How are you feeling, doc?”

Rodney met Kimberly’s eyes, looking dumbfounded as he turned to Ford. “I… I feel… I’m fine? I feel fine.”

How was that possible? Ioan’s hand clamped down on her arm, and when she looked up at him, she saw the same question in his eyes. Carson cleared his throat. “Rodney,” he said quietly. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but… why are you still alive?”

While Rodney and a few of the others went back and forth, Kimberly’s mind was racing and things started to slot into place. She was almost sure of the answer. Stepping forward, she spoke quietly, but her words seemed to cut through the chatter anyway. “I think I know why.”

Everyone’s attention was suddenly all on her. Swallowing hard, she glanced at Ioan who gave her a reassuring nod. Turning back to Rodney and Carson, she continued. “It has to be because of the ATA gene. Johnson, Wagner, Dumais, Hayes… none of them had the gene. Rodney has it. That has to be why he’s still alive. I don’t know how, but it is the only explanation I can think of.”

A discussion broke out even as her own symptoms grew worse. She clung to Ioan’s hand, praying for all she was worth that she was right so that they both could live. Minutes ticked by and she let out a breathy laugh as she hugged her mate. They both should have died by now and they were still here. Ioan dipped his head and kissed her hard, uncaring of their audience. Kimberly was all for that plan.

They were alive!

Ford was hounding Carson, demanding he be given the therapy, which struck her as odd. Everyone had received it after all, and if he didn’t have the ATA gene, that meant the therapy hadn’t taken and there was nothing more to do. It took them all a while to realize that the people that had run into either Rodney, Ioan, or herself, were still here, and that the visions of ghosts had stopped.

Carson subjected them all to more tests, and while he was doing that, Kimberly, Rodney, and Radek went back to combing through the database. They only found enough information to confirm Kimberly’s hypothesis, and to set Carson’s mind at ease. The nanites lost their potency the further they were spread, and they had already run their course. The rest of the city was safe, and the remaining group that had been infected were no longer contagious.

After Carson gave them the all clear and Elizabeth gave the green light to return to the city, Rodney smiled and with a sigh, pointed to the transporter. “Come on, let’s go home.”

Yes, home sounded good right now, she thought. With one more kiss to her mate’s lips, she silently promised herself that they would complete their bond at the earliest opportunity come hell or high water. Life was too short for anything else, in her opinion, and from the look in Ioan’s eyes, he agreed.

*~*~*~*~*

“You’re an idiot,” Rodney murmured, shaking his head at John who had just walked into his quarters. “If you hadn’t gone haring after Peterson-” Really, if John had left well enough alone, Grodin would’ve been able to corner Peterson earlier and none of the others in the city proper would have become infected with the nanites. Thankfully no one else had died, but people had gotten injured because of John’s interference.

John’s gaze flitted away briefly as he sighed, fingers raking through his hair in frustration. “I know, I know, alright. Elizabeth already read me the riot act, but really, what did you expect me to do?”

Crossing his arms, Rodney narrowed his eyes. “I expect you – the military commander – to set a good example for your men and to follow established protocol! Really, John, what were you thinking?”

Stepping closer, John sighed again, pulling Rodney into his arms. “I was thinking,” he said softly, “that my soulmate was injured. I could feel whatever it was that was going on with you, Rodney. Here,” he added, tapping the area on his head where the sensations had been concentrated.

Rodney gaped, fingers brushing against John’s. “You realize we really are going to have to run tests, right? To figure this thing out? If we’d been in the field again…”

“Right. Yeah.” John frowned, blowing out a breath, looking slightly guilty.

Rolling his eyes, Rodney groused, “Oh, stop that. Let’s try to keep the guilt trips to only one of us at a time, okay? And I’m still on my turn.”

That brought an amused grunt from John’s lips. “Yeah, okay Rodney.”

 

next

The computer dinged, alerting Kimberly to her search program getting a hit. Twisting in her seat, she cursed under her breath. Her damn leg was going to drive her up the wall soon, but at least Mac had cleared her to go back to work – as long as she stuck to desk work only. When she had maneuvered herself to where she could see the screen, she quickly scanned the readout. “Oh. My. God,” she whispered, hitting her comms. “Dr. McKay, could you come down to my lab, please?”

“What is it, Kimberly? I’m kind of busy here,” Rodney groused in her ear.

“Trust me, Rodney, you’ll want to see this. And if John is with you, you might want to bring him along.” If what she was reading was any indication, and if the satellite was still around and in working order, she was pretty sure that both Rodney and John were liable to spontaneously combust. Hell, the specs on this thing almost had her rubbing her thighs together.

A long suffering sigh followed by, “Fine. We’ll be there in ten,” had her grinning. While she waited for Rodney to show, she adjusted her search parameters a little and by the time he and John walked into her lab, she had found more information.

“What was so urgent, Kim?” Rodney grumbled.

She turned, grinning, and almost laughed at John goodnaturedly rolling his eyes at his mate. Pointing at her screen, she said, “See for yourself.” Lowering her leg from the stool it was resting on, she moved aside so both Rodney and John could take a look. It was most gratifying to hear the sounds of delight coming from both men. When they looked up, she didn’t even try to suppress the smugness she felt, so she crossed her arms and grinned. “Told you.”

Gripping Rodney’s arm, John seemed to have a hard time not letting the little boy inside him jump with joy. As toys went, a giant weapons satellite was… well… big. “Kimberly,” John said hoarsely, “is there any way to tell if it’s still out there?”

She sighed, shaking her head. “No, not from here. If the satellite still exists, it is either damaged or out of power. Or both, come to think of it. The only way to really know for sure is to go check it out in person.”

John and Rodney shared an excited look. “According to the specs, there’s a loading dock for the jumpers, John. We could fly out there.”

He bit his lip, mulling it over. “Elizabeth might not like it. It’d take us a good fifteen hours to get there, Rodney. But if it’s there… if it works…”

Kimberly cleared her throat, getting their attention. “From what I read, if it’s merely out of power, we should be able to hook it up to our naquedah generators. The power requirements are not dissimilar to that of the systems we have them on here in the city.”

Rodney bent to read for himself then nodded. “Surprisingly enough, she’s right, John. You’d have thought it’d require a ZPM just like the chair, but this seems different. Still insanely powerful of course, but we should be able to make it work.”

John nodded, reaching out to squeeze Kimberly’s shoulder. “You did good, Kimberly.”

She smiled wanly. “Thanks. If Dr. Weir okays the mission, I don’t suppose I have a chance in hell of going, do I?”

Rodney glared at her, arms crossed tight around his chest. “No.”

“But Rodney!” she whined. Damn her stupid broken leg. “I could-”

“No way, Kim. You’re not cleared for that kind of duty, and even if you were, I still wouldn’t let you go. God only knows what we’ll be faced with if and when we find it and until you are completely mobile again, you are a liability in the field. Besides, Ioan would gut me.”

She huffed, pouting. Rodney was right and she knew it, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. John patted her shoulder. “Sorry, Kimberly. Maybe next time.”

“Yeah, because there’ll be so many other weapons satellites out there,” she groused, though there was no real heat in it. Taking a breath, she tapped her finger on her desk. “Okay, so I won’t be going. You’ll still need a couple of people with you to help look it over.”

Rodney nodded, crossing his legs as he settled against the desk. “You’re right. I want you to bring Gall and Abrams up to speed and I want you to keep digging in the database. Anything you find on that thing, I want uploaded to our pads.”

“Can do,” she assured, already putting in a new search parameter. “When are you planning on leaving?”

Rodney glanced at John, who answered. “Assuming Elizabeth gives a green light, I want to be wheels up in two hours. There’s no point in delaying longer than that, but I want to give you some time to get everything prepped. And by ‘in two hours’, I mean from now, not from when Elizabeth says ‘yes’.”

Kimberly’s lips twitched, her eyes dancing with amusement. “Think you can talk her around that quickly?”

John grinned. “Watch me.”

Rodney rolled his eyes and huffed. “Alright, flyboy. Let’s go. We all have work to do,” he chided, herding John out of the lab.

Kimberly called after them, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Lifting her leg back up on the stool, she sighed, trying to get comfortable again. She was getting so tired of being in that damn cast. Hitting her comms, she paged Drs. Gall and Abrams even as she began sending the information already obtained to their pads.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Come on, John, please?” Rodney wheedled for the umpteenth time.

John sighed, closing his eyes briefly. “Rodney, do we have to do this now?” he said quietly, jerking his head to the two men behind them. He loved the man, he really did, but John had realized fairly early on that Rodney didn’t like to lose face in front of his minions and, well, Rodney really sucked at flying. He was getting better, admittedly, but John wasn’t sure that giving him a flying lesson now was the best idea.

“Oh, please, Major, just let him have a go,” Abrams exclaimed tiredly. “Or we’ll never have any peace.”

“Not that we ever do,” grumbled Gall, which made John frown. There seemed to be an underlying friction between Gall and Rodney, but Rodney declined to comment on it.

“Fine. Here, take the wheel. Just… take it easy this time, okay?” John said as he got out of the pilot’s seat so Rodney could slide in. Once the man had a handle on the controls, John took Rodney’s seat. He shook his head at how tight his mate’s posture had become, though he couldn’t help but smile at the look of excitement on his face. Okay, so maybe it was worth it to have him have a lesson on this trip, despite the audience.

John noticed Gall get up unsteadily and move to the back of the jumper to use the head. When he came back a few minutes later, John thought he looked a little green around the gills. Frowning, he was about to ask if the man was okay when Rodney tightened his grip on the controls even further. “Ease up on the controls a little,” John cautioned.

“I’m fine,” Rodney assured.

Shaking his head slightly, John contradicted him. “You’re gonna snap the damn things off in a minute. Ease up!”

“I’m just seeing what this baby can do.”

Abrams snorted. “Did you just say ‘this baby’?”

“Ah, that’s perfectly appropriate space pirate parlance,” Rodney quipped.

Quipped! Rodney! In another time and place, John thought that Rodney could have been playing in a bumper car for all the enjoyment he seemed to take in flying the jumper. “Try to fly ‘the baby’ in a straight line,” John said wryly.

“I’m flying in a straight line!” Rodney protested, frowning at him.

John huffed slightly as he pulled up the HUD. First it showed their projected course, and then their current trajectory. Quirking a brow, John murmured, “Yeah, not so much.”

“Well,” Rodney said, shrugging. “In space all motion is relative.”

From the corner of his eye, John could see Gall hunkering down in his seat looking ill. He was fanning his face and appeared to want to be anywhere but here. Half-turning in his seat, John asked, “Are you okay, Dr. Gall?”

Gall waved him off, a pinched expression on his face, claiming he got motion sickness. John bit his tongue, shooting his mate a look of disbelief. Had Gall really been Rodney’s best choice for this mission? Leaning across the console, John whispered to Rodney, “Why did you pick him for this mission?”

Rodney turned to him, waving his hand dismissively. “Because he’s one of the few people on my team that have studied Ancient weaponry. I figured that might prove useful?” Rodney said with an air of stating the obvious.

John nodded then snapped, “Don’t let go of the controls!” when he realized what Rodney had done.

Jumping in his seat, Rodney fumbled to get ahold of the controls again. “Snapping doesn’t help!” He glowered at John.

Rolling his eyes, John shook his head. “This is why parents get someone else to teach their kids how to drive.” Maybe he could have one of the Lorne brothers give lessons to Rodney instead, because John really wasn’t in the mood to let their respective tempers lead to a fight over this. At least if Rodney got mad at one of them instead of John, he would still have a chance at getting laid.

Rodney shot him a sharp look. “I am both insulted and touched by that,” he all but sneered.

Yeah, that definitely sounded like Rodney, John thought. Gall’s whispered, “Oh my God,” made him look up. For a minute, all four men simply stared out of the viewscreen at the approaching satellite. It was massive, and from the look of things, at least appeared to be in one piece. John’s stomach did a little flip when he imagined the fire power this thing would have if they ever got it up and running again. It would make any confrontation with the Wraith a lot easier to handle, and John had absolutely no doubts in his mind that the Wraith were coming.

As the satellite loomed closer, John got up. “McKay?” Eyes on the viewscreen, they switched places, neither one willing to risk any mishaps now they were so close to their goal. Leaving the scientists to whatever it was they did, John got as close as he dared for the moment. Gall confirmed the station was dead, noting again they could probably hook it up to a generator.

While he and Rodney were debating the chances of that, Abrams interrupted them. “Wait, wait… I’m picking up something on the ultra-low frequency range.”

John turned his head toward the man. “Where’s it coming from,” he asked as Abrams switched on the audio. John frowned, trying to place where he’d heard the sound before. It dawned on him at the same time as Rodney said, “The planet. It’s a distress call. A Wraith distress call.”

He and Rodney shared a long, knowing look. There was no way the Wraith could be here this soon or they would have heard about it already. Which meant that this ship had been here since the war with the Ancients over ten thousand years ago. John’s thoughts automatically began to weigh the pros and cons of checking out the distress beacon. It didn’t take him long. Whatever intel they could gain would be worth any risk, and surely no Wraith could still be living after this much time. Could it?

“Contact Atlantis,” John said quietly.

 

next

“Permission to speak freely, sir?” Ford asked as they got ready for an off-world mission.

Glancing up from where he was re-lacing his boots, John nodded. He had a feeling he knew what this was about, considering Elizabeth’s announcement had gone out the day before.

“Sir, I read the e-mail from Dr. Weir, but…” he paused, eyes shifting between John and Rodney. “What does it all mean? It’s got to be some kind of joke, right?”

Rodney snorted, and John barely managed to refrain from doing the same. Straightening, he cocked an eyebrow at his junior officer and teammate. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Teyla giving the boy a disapproving look. “Sorry, Ford, but this isn’t a joke. The soul bonds are very real, and we’re still learning what it all entails. All ATA carriers have a soulmate, though not everyone’s match is currently on Atlantis. We’re not sure what that means yet, either.”

Ford clipped his P90 to his vest with a scowl. “Even you, sir?”

John’s brow furrowed, not much liking the tone of voice the young man was using. He wasn’t entirely sure whether it was jealousy he heard or something else, but… “Yes, Ford. Even me. In fact, McKay and I are bonded,” he stated with quiet self-assurance.

Ford’s head snapped up as he stared hard at his commanding officer. “But, sir!”

“Aiden,” Teyla intervened before either John or Rodney could react. “If Major Sheppard and Dr. McKay have been graced with a bonding of the soul then that is something to celebrate. Among my people, soul bonds are a thing of legend, much like the Ancestors themselves. It is not your place to question something so precious.”

Rodney had an odd little smile on his face as he looked at Teyla. John smiled at her, feeling a surge of affection for his Athosian friend. “Thank you, Teyla.”

She inclined her head gracefully. “I am pleased for you both.”

Shifting his focus back to Ford, John hardened his features. “Now, Lieutenant, unless you have something significant to add, I would say we are done with this conversation. Soul bonds exist and they are a private matter. The regulations have been adjusted to allow for this new reality. Accept it and move on.” John paused long enough to ensure he had his lieutenant’s attention. Jerking his head to the door, he ordered, “Good. Now move out, we have a mission to attend to.”

John didn’t miss the sour look in Ford’s eyes as he saluted and have a crisp, “Yes, sir!”

Sighing, John shook his head as he watched the lieutenant walk out of the ready room. Grabbing his P90, John clipped it to his tac-vest and made to follow when Teyla placed her hand gently on his arm. He quirked an eyebrow in question, surprised by her touch.

She tilted her head and released a slow breath. “I have not had a chance to speak with you before now, but when we come back, I believe we need to have a conversation about Aiden. I feel there is something you need to know.”

John frowned and opened his mouth to ask what was going on when Rodney asked, “If it’s serious, maybe you should tell us now before we head through the gate.”

Teyla shook her head. “No. I do not believe that is necessary, but I feel that as his commanding officer, Major Sheppard needs to be aware of certain things. I trust Aiden, but I know that if I were his leader, I would wish to understand him better. As I am sure Major Sheppard would, too.”

John had no idea what Teyla was alluding to, but he trusted her judgment. “Alright. Let’s get this over with then so we can have that chat, shall we?”

Rodney grumbled all the way to the gate, but Teyla merely smiled serenely at him. Shaking his head, John firmly pushed his concerns aside and focused on the task at hand, which was trying to find a new trading partner.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Alert medical,” Ioan called out as soon as he stepped through the gate with an armful of Kimberly, the rest of their team following close behind.

Elizabeth had Chuck call for a gurney as she hurried down the steps, wincing when she noticed the other woman’s leg sporting a field brace and bloody bandages. “What happened?” she demanded.

Kimberly waved off her concern with a grimace. “Nothing. Just had a minor disagreement with a ledge and it won.”

Elizabeth blinked questioningly at Ioan who rolled his eyes and sighed, adjusting the burden in his arms. “The path we were on to the village goes through some rather rough terrain. The ledge gave out under her, and she fell several feet and broke her leg pretty bad. It took a while to reach her and get her back on the path. We headed straight home. I’m afraid you’ll have to send another team to complete the mission, Dr. Weir.”

Mac and a nurse came rushing into the gateroom, and Ioan gently placed Kimberly on it before stepping back to allow them to do their jobs. Elizabeth watched them for a moment then nodded at Ioan. “Alright. You go with her and get your medical taken care of. We’ll debrief later.”

Saluting her, Ioan was relieved to be back. He had carried Kimberly the whole way back to the gate, refusing the offers of help from his team. Jerking his head to the retreating medical team, Ioan told his men to follow. Quickening his step, he caught up with them and when he was level with the gurney, he placed a comforting hand on Kimberly’s shoulder. “You’ll be alright now. Mac’ll take good care of you, right, Mac?”

Mac grinned. “Aye, of course. Even if it does mean Carson’ll be her favorite doctor again.”

Kimberly huffed. “Trust me, Mac, if you give me the good stuff, you’ll be my favorite doctor. This hurts!”

Ioan suppressed a smile. “First broken bone?” he inquired.

“Yes,” she ground out. “And if it’s the last one I’ll ever have, it’ll be too soon.”

Ioan and Mac shared an amused glance as they rolled her into the infirmary. “Alright, Ioan, you and your team stay here. Carson’ll be along shortly to see to your post-mission medical. I need to get this girl in for surgery so we can fix her up.”

Reluctantly, Ioan nodded. Squeezing Kimberly’s hand, he stared at her. “You’ll be fine. I’ll be right here when you get back, okay?”

She gave him a tremulous smile as she squeezed him back. “Thanks, Ioan. Mac! For the love of all that is holy, please get me some painkillers,” she cried out.

Ioan watched her being taken to the OR with a heavy feeling in his gut, his mind’s eye replaying her fall over and over. For a second, he had been afraid that she had been lost to him forever, she had been so still. By the time he had made it down to her side, she had come to again and cried out, which had filled him with such stark relief he had swayed on his feet. Running a hand through his hair, Ioan sighed.

“She’ll be fine, lad,” Carson assured him as he walked up to them. He patted the bed and Ioan dutifully hopped on and subjected himself to the string of tests that were part of post-mission protocol.

Elizabeth stopped by the infirmary to do the debriefing, which surprised Ioan. He and the rest of the team were fine, after all, but Ioan appreciated the consideration she showed. The meeting didn’t take very long at all, and soon Ioan was left alone to wait for Kimberly to make it out of surgery. He watched from the observation deck, arms tight around his chest. His head knew she would be perfectly fine, but he couldn’t get rid of the knot of worry that had taken residence in his stomach.

Their first kiss had happened only a few days ago, and he was still shaken up by her fall. The thought that that kiss might have been all they’d get to share tore at him. They hadn’t talked much – hadn’t had a chance, really, between one thing and another – about their burgeoning relationship. They definitely hadn’t had the opportunity to discuss the announcement from Dr. Weir about soul bonds yet. He wanted to ask Carson about it, but he was hesitant. Not because he didn’t want to know the answer but because part of him didn’t feel right to do it without Kimberly. He very much wanted her to be his soulmate.

One of the nurses finally rolled Kimberly out of OR, and Ioan rushed over to help move her to a bed then stood aside to let the nurse check her vitals and make sure everything was as it should be. By the time she was done, Kimberly was starting to come to.

She gave him a dopey smile and reached to pat his arm awkwardly. “There’s m’hero,” she mumbled, causing Ioan to blush and the nurse to laugh. Kimberly turned to face the nurse with a frown. “He saved me, you know.”

Amused, the nurse tucked Kimberly’s arm over her chest. “I know,” she said kindly. To Ioan, she said quietly, “She needs to rest. She’ll be in and out of it for a while, so don’t be surprised if she comes out with some strange notions. You’re welcome to sit with her for now, but don’t stay too long.”

Ioan nodded. “Thank you.” He waited until the nurse was out of sight to gently take Kimberly’s hand in his. Smiling down at her, he reached out and moved a lock of hair from her forehead so it wouldn’t fall into her eyes. “Hey, you.”

Kimberly giggled. “Hi!”

Ioan’s grin widened at the open, childlike expression on her face. “You had me worried there for a while,” he admonished gently.

Her mouth puckered. “I know. ‘M sorry.”

Heedless of their surroundings, Ioan gave into the impulse and pressed his lips to her forehead. “Try not to make a habit of it,” he murmured.

She closed her eyes and hummed, leaning into his touch. “Won’t. Promise.” Her brow furrowed. “’M tired.”

“Get some sleep. I’ll stop by again later to check on you.”

“’Mkay. Bring jello?” she mumbled, already half-asleep.

Ioan chuckled. “Sure.” He watched her for a few minutes as she slept, his thumb rubbing gently back and forth over the back of her hand. He hoped he was right and that they were bonded because Ioan could not even begin to imagine not having her in his life. He promised himself he would broach the subject once she was fully coherent again. Not knowing for sure was doing his head in. With one final brush of a kiss, Ioan left her to rest.

When Ioan made his way back to the infirmary hours later, he dutifully brought Kimberly a cup of jello, as well as a cup of diced fruit. Kimberly’s face lit up when she saw him and she struggled to get into a more comfortable position. “Ioan!”

Grinning, he placed his offering on the tray by her bed and helped her into a reclining position. “Hey you. You’re looking better.”

She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. “Mac’s still my favorite doctor,” she proclaimed with a glint in her eyes.

He laughed. “I take it he has you on the good drugs, then?”

She nodded. “Better believe it.” Kimberly grinned and made grabby hands. “Jello! You’re the best. Ohhh and a fruit cup? Why, Ioan, you shouldn’t have. A girl might think you’re up to something,” she teased.

Chuckling, Ioan dutifully handed her the jello. “Actually, I am. Sort of.”

She stared up at him in surprise. “You are?” She took a bite, watching him curiously.

Blushing, Ioan scratched the back of his head. “I…” He huffed, feeling ten kinds of a fool, but he had to know. “I was wondering whether you’d talked to Carson at all about the whole soul bond thing?” he asked quietly.

Lowering the cup to her lap, she reached out to grab his hand. “No, not yet. You?”

He shook his head. “It… it didn’t feel right to do it without talking to you first. Is that weird?”’

She shrugged. “No, not really. Did you want to do it now?”

Nodding, Ioan tapped his comms. “Dr. Beckett?”

“Aye?” came a voice from around the corner, startling them both. Turning, Ioan saw the man walking toward them with an unreadable expression.

“Doc, where did you come from?” Ioan asked.

Carson waved the question off dismissively. “I was in my office. Now, what can I do for you, then, Lieutenant?”

Sharing a quick look with Kimberly, Ioan took a deep breath. “We were wondering about who our soulmate was.” Kimberly squeezed his hand lightly. He both wanted to and couldn’t quite look at her, so he kept his gaze locked on Carson.

Carson’s eyes twinkled with mischief, Ioan thought. The man cleared his throat and attempted a stern look as he crossed his arms. “Now, you two. You oughta know better than to come to me like this. Dr. Weir stated quite clearly that it was a private matter.”

“Oh,” Ioan said lamely, his stomach dropping to somewhere around his knees. That must mean it wasn’t Kimberly, then. He stared down at their hands, feeling more devastated than he would ever care to admit to.

At Carson’s chuckle, Ioan’s head snapped up. Carson schooled his face and offered them both an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, lad. I shouldn’t have done that.” He pointed between the two of them and grinned. “I think you both know the answer to your question already, but if it makes you feel better, then yes, Ioan, Kimberly is your bonded.”

Ioan laughed shakily as relief washed over him. Gazing down at Kimberly, his smile widened when he took in her obvious elation at the news. “I get to keep you?” he whispered without meaning to.

Kimberly’s look turned mischievous, her eyes dancing with delight. “You’d better. I certainly have no intention of letting you go now.”

Coughing softly, Carson murmured, “Aye, I’ll leave you two to it then, shall I? And Ioan?” Ioan looked up questioningly. “Please remember that she’s still in recovery,” Carson teased.

Holding up both hands in mock surrender, Ioan grinned. “No worries, doc. I’ll behave.”

“See that you do,” Carson murmured.

At the same time Kimberly said quietly, “Wish you wouldn’t,” earning her a warning glare from Carson.

“Now, lass!” Carson intoned with a wagging finger.

“Alright, alright. We’ll behave. Don’t worry, I remember who wields the big needles,” she quipped, causing both men to laugh.

As soon as Carson was gone, Kimberly beckoned Ioan to her. Leaning in, Ioan kissed her tenderly, savoring the knowledge that she was really his.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

For days now, Carson had been fielding requests from people who wanted to know who their soulmate was. Most of the ATA carriers had come forward, though not all. During that time, it had warmed Carson’s heart to see the reactions to the news, as more often than not, it had been well received. There had been a few occasions, like with Major Lorne, where the person receiving the name of their soulmate was met with distress, but thankfully those were in the minority.

Then there were those few who flat out refused to know who their bonded were. Kavanagh had been one marked example, adamantly proclaiming the whole idea of a soulmate was preposterous and that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with ‘that claptrap,’ as he had put it. Carson wished he could say that his outburst had been a shock to those around him, but… well, it was Kavanagh.

Staring out over the ocean, Carson sighed as he leaned on the railing of the balcony nearest the mess hall. Of course, there was one person whose absence in the long line of people requesting the name of their mate he most keenly felt. So far, one Dr. Miko Kusanagi had not come forward. He knew from Kimberly that she had no wish to know, not because she didn’t believe in the soul bond, but precisely because she did. “If it is meant to be, then it will happen,” she had told Kimberly.

Still, a part of him wished she had sought him out. It would make everything so much easier. Everywhere he looked, it seemed to him that relationships were flourishing and he had to admit that he felt a stab of jealousy. “You’d think that knowing who you’re meant to be with would make the whole matter of asking someone out simpler,” he muttered under his breath.

“Hmm, you would think, wouldn’t you?” Mac’s voice sounded from behind him, causing Carson to jump out of his skin.

“Bloody hell, Mac! When did you become so sneaky?” Carson panted, covering his chest as he tried to regulate his heartbeat.

Mac’s wry amusement was apparent as he shrugged. “Natural talent?” His eyes roamed past him, taking in the vastness of the ocean before focusing back on Carson. “Why are you waiting, Carson?”

Carson contemplated pretending that he didn’t know what Mac was talking about but quickly discarded the thought. Turning around, he once again leaned against the railing and stared out onto the large expanse of water. “I don’t want to push myself on her.”

“Bull,” was Mac’s response as he settled in next to him.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Carson nodded. “Aye, you’re probably right,” he admitted quietly. They had both read enough about the soul bonds by now to know that while the markers indicated a person had a soulmate, it did not negate free will. If Miko truly did not want Carson, she could reject him and they both would move on with their lives, though neither would be fully complete without the other.

Straightening, Mac glowered at him. Carson winced. Despite the fact the man was here, talking to him about Miko, he knew full well that he still hadn’t fully forgiven him for keeping his soulmate a secret. He hoped that one day soon, Mac could find it in him to get past it because he missed the easy friendship they used to have. Still, he knew that was all on him so he couldn’t really say much about that. “Carson, sometimes you are an idiot to the extreme. You know she is your soulmate. You know she wishes any relationship to form naturally. Obviously, you can’t un-learn about the bond, but you can respect her wish. So. Ask. Her. Out.”

Dropping his head onto his folded arms, Carson groaned. He had always been terrible at the whole dating thing. Even knowing that Miko and he shared a soul bond, he wasn’t sure he could pull it off and not send the poor girl running for the hills.

Mac nudged his arm. “Stop that,” he scolded. “Letting your insecurities rule you isn’t going to help matters and you know it. I’m serious. Ask her out on an actual date. I know the options are limited here, but you aren’t without any, and you have people who would help if you asked them.”

Carson huffed a laugh in spite of himself. “Kimberly.”

“Aye,” Mac said, grinning. “You know she’s been trying to get you both to see sense for ages. I’m pretty sure she can help cook up something special even from her sickbed, so you have no excuses.” He paused. “Or you could just try to do it on your own, you might surprise yourself.”

Carson nodded thoughtfully. They stood in silence for a while, each lost to their own thoughts until Mac got called to the infirmary. “Think about it,” the man said as he turned to leave.

“I will,” Carson promised. He remained on the balcony for a while longer, going over possible plans until he settled on a course of action. Gathering his resolve, he squared his shoulders and headed to the kitchen to see about organizing a picnic. His next stop was Major Sheppard to request the use of a jumper in the event Miko accepted his invitation. If she declined, he figured there was no harm done other than to his pride, since the food would last him a few days. Thankfully, John was more than happy to give him the use of a jumper under the premise of it being flight practice.

“Any pilot needs to get his flight time in,” John said with a wink.

Carson’s face flushed slightly as he nodded. “Aye. Thank you, Major.”

“You’re welcome. And… good luck.”

All that was left now was to ask Miko, so bidding the major good day, Carson went down to the labs. It took him a bit longer to locate the woman as she had been sent to another part of the city for maintenance of some machine or other, but when he finally found her, he almost thought better of asking her. Before he could escape, however, Miko spotted him and smiled warmly at him.

“Err.. hello, Miko,” he stammered, blushing. Breathe, Carson, he reminded himself. Just breathe. “I was wondering whether-” He swallowed hard. Why had his throat gone so dry suddenly?

“Yes?” she prodded gently. Her eyes held mild curiosity.

You can do this, Carson, he told himself firmly. Taking a steadying breath, he offered her a small smile. “I was hoping maybe you would like to go out with me? On a picnic?”

The smile that lit her face took Carson’s breath away. God, but she was beautiful. “Hai,” she whispered. “I would like that, very much.”

Carson let out a long sigh of relief. He’d finally asked her out, and Miko had said yes! “When can you go?”

She glanced at her watch and seemed to do some quick thinking. “One hour?”

“Great. Meet me in the jumper bay?”

“Hai.”

Carson nodded and left her to finish her work. Heading to his office with a bounce in his step, he thought that perhaps things might work out alright after all.

 

next

John tried to focus on debriefing Evan, but his head wasn’t really in it. Too much had happened over the last twenty-four hours for him to really process and there was the whole ‘discussion’ with Elizabeth still looming over his head. He knew he had screwed up big time when he inadvertently outed his and Rodney’s relationship, and he dreaded the fallout. He knew her options for punishments were limited, after all. He couldn’t be court marshalled, couldn’t be reassigned or fired, and neither could Rodney. But there were still plenty of other ways to reprimand them and none of them were good.

“They had guards on us at all times but no overtures were made, sir. I have to think that, considering what you’ve just told me about the Genii, they were there to make sure we didn’t try to go back to Atlantis too early,” Evan said with a speculative look.

Leaning back in his chair, John swiveled back and forth as he considered that. He nodded. “Seems plausible. Either way, I think we are done with the Manarians. Their hand in this whole fiasco means I feel absolutely no qualms about reneging on our deal.”

“Yes, sir,” Evan agreed. Clearing his throat, Evan tilted his head. “Permission to speak freely?”

John nodded, eyebrow raised in question.

“With all due respect, John, you look like hell. Why don’t you go get some rest. Ioan and I will get everyone settled back in.”

He smiled softly. “Thank you, Evan. I think I will do just that. It’s been a long, long day.” Getting to his feet, he stretched his arms over his head and groaned at the satisfying pop it produced. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Evan grinned. “Yes, sir.” He followed John out of his office.

“John? My office,” Elizabeth called as he headed toward the stairs.

He winced but did as ordered. His heart sank when he saw Rodney and Carson already there. He wondered why the doctor was present and, for a moment, concern for Rodney spiked in him. Had he been hurt worse than he had thought?

“Have a seat, Major,” Elizabeth said, pointing to the empty chair next to Rodney.

Fighting the urge to grab Rodney’s hand, John sat down and tried to mask his expression. A sidelong glance at Rodney nearly undid him, though. The poor guy looked wretched and nervous. Clearing his throat, he frowned. “Look, Elizabeth, I get that we need to talk, but maybe this could wait until after we’ve had some rest?”

She held up a hand to stop him. John’s eyes flickered to Carson as he stood behind her. What the hell was going on here? “John,” Elizabeth murmured, catching his attention again. She folded her hands on the table and leaned forward slightly, her gaze intent on his for a moment. “This can’t wait. I promise, you and Rodney can have some time soon to think over things, but this is too important to put on hold. I’m sure you’ll understand why when you hear what we have to say.”

What we have to say? What did that mean? John shared a confused look with Rodney before focusing back on her. Shifting in his seat, he attempted to appear casual, but he was feeling anything but. “Okay.”

Elizabeth nodded. Seeming to steel herself, she looked at both of them. “During his attempts to perfect the ATA gene therapy, Carson ran across some… information in the Ancient database that will have an impact on you. On all gene carriers, actually.”

“What are you talking about?” Rodney asked then looked sharply at Carson. “What is she talking about?”

“Rodney,” Elizabeth intoned patiently. John just caught the twitch of Rodney’s jaw out of the corner of his eye, but he kept his focus on Elizabeth and Carson. There was something going on here, and he wasn’t sure he liked the sound of it. With a sigh, Elizabeth glanced at her hands briefly before meeting their gaze again. “According to the data Carson found, the Ancients had… They had soulmates.”

“They had what?” Rodney cried out, incredulous. “That is the biggest load of crock I’ve ever heard. Soulmates are a fantasy. It’s something that the entertainment industry uses to sell books and movies. Soulmates aren’t real.”

“Rodney,” Carson said quietly, eyes fixed on Rodney. “She’s telling the truth, lad.”

Rodney shook his head. John wasn’t sure what to believe just then. He was inclined to agree with Rodney. Soulmates were the stuff of romance novels, not real life. Elizabeth shifted her laptop so the screen faced them. “See for yourself. Carson discovered strange markers in your genome. At first, he simply wrote it off as a quirk of Ancient genes. But as he checked the other ATA carriers, he noticed the markers came in pairs, and no pairs were alike from one to the next. According to the information he found, those markers indicate a soul bond.”

Rodney leaned forward, peering intently at the screen with his mouth agape. John shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Okay, so… what does that mean?”

“Whose results are these?” Rodney cut in before anyone could answer.

Carson coughed nervously. “Yours.” At Rodney’s narrowed eyes, he added, “Yours and Major Sheppard’s.”

Rodney turned to face him and they stared at each other wide-eyed. They were soulmates? Taking a steadying breath, John shifted his gaze to Carson. “What does that mean, exactly?” he asked quietly.

“We’re not entirely sure, to be honest. I wasn’t able to find much more on the markers than the fact that they indicate a soul bond,” Carson admitted. “There’s got to be more information on the database, but it’ll take time to sift through it all.”

Rodney settled back in his seat, and John couldn’t help but think he seemed… small. Like he had shrunk in on himself somehow. “Okay, but what does this mean for us?” Rodney asked, staring intently at Elizabeth.

She cleared her throat and cast her eyes down at her hands again briefly before meeting his gaze again. “I don’t know what it means for you as far as your… relationship goes, Rodney. That is between the two of you. As for what it means for your relative positions on the expedition… I think it’s safe to say that we will have to make some changes.”

John’s stomach turned to ice. What kinds of changes did she mean? Clenching his jaw, he squared his shoulders, but before he could argue with her one way or the other, she held up her hand and continued, “You two are far from the only soul bonded on the city. Most of the ATA carriers that came with us, whether they got the gene naturally or through the therapy, have a mate on Atlantis. If we are to function at all as a society, that means we will need to adjust.”

He nodded, relaxing slightly as he let out a long, slow breath. “Okay, yeah… So..?”

She offered him a small smile. “I’m calling a meeting tomorrow morning at nine so we can discuss the finer details. I need you both here, as well as Major Lorne, and Dr. MacTavish.”

John frowned at the wince Carson failed to hide at the mention of his colleague. He wondered what that was about. Elizabeth sighed. “Gentlemen, I suggest you get some rest. I have a feeling we will be in for some strenuous times starting tomorrow.”

Rodney scoffed and John just caught his muttered, “As if everything has been sunshine and daisies so far.”

John nodded, getting to his feet. Helping Rodney to his, he glanced at Carson and jerked his head to Rodney. “He gonna be okay or does he need to stop by the infirmary first?”

Carson shook his head. “I’ve looked at his arm already. No showers or manual labor for a while until his stitches are out, but aside from that, he’s fine,” Carson promised.

John nodded and guided Rodney to the door. The man looked dead on his feet and John wasn’t doing much better himself. “We’ll see you at nine, then.” He didn’t wait for their reply as he and Rodney made their way to the transporter in silence. Without discussion, they headed to John’s quarters, and as soon as they were behind the locked door, they wrapped their arms around each other. Holding Rodney grounded John, allowed him to think about what they had just been told.

“Do you believe them?” Rodney whispered into his neck, sending shivers down his spine.

John allowed himself a moment to let his mind wrap itself around the information before nodding. “Yeah, I think I do. Rodney…” He pulled away just far enough to be able to look the other man in the eye. “Have you ever felt anything like this?”

Searching John’s eyes, Rodney shook his head. “No, but you know my history,” he said quietly.

John smiled ruefully. “Yeah, I know. Thing is, Rodney… I’ve never felt for anyone like I do for you. How I feel… it came on so quickly, so strongly… I didn’t understand it. Hell, I still don’t, but if what Carson and Elizabeth said is true, it would explain so much.”

He frowned as he touched Rodney’s bandaged arm lightly. John sighed, remembering. “I think… I think I felt it – sort of – when he did this.” Caressing the bruise on Rodney’s jaw from Kolya’s backhand, he added, “And this. How could I have, Rodney? How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know,” Rodney murmured, eyes glistening. Blinking, he shook his head. “I’m so tired, John.”

“Stay?”

Rodney nodded. “Please. I really don’t want to be alone right now. Not after-” He gulped, unable to finish his sentence, but John understood. Rodney had seriously feared for his life, and that of Elizabeth and John. The adrenaline surge he had experienced was making him crash now, and on top of everything else, they had just had a new reality dumped on them. Yeah, John didn’t want to be alone, either. Not now.

Not ever again if he had his way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mac watched from across the infirmary as Carson rested his head in his hands and closed his eyes. He was still pissed at the man for keeping his secrets, but he was also concerned for his friend. He had had quite a blow to the head and as a result was suffering from a mild concussion. Why was he here when he should be in his quarters resting? Walking over to stand in front of Carson’s desk, he crossed his arms over his chest. “You shouldn’t be here, Carson.”

“I know.” Carson’s voice was muffled. He sounded exhausted.

Quirking a brow, Mac sighed. “Then why are you here instead of your bed?”

Lifting his head, Carson looked up at him with a drawn expression. “Because I have too much to do. Speaking of which, we have a nine o’clock meeting with Elizabeth in the morning.”

Mac blinked in surprise. “Why?”

Carson’s gaze shied away from him and his cheeks flushed, raising Mac’s suspicion. “It’s regarding the DNA markers we discovered, among other things.”

Temper flaring, Mac took a deep breath. For days, he had been keeping himself in check, processing what he had learned and trying to decide how to approach Carson. And when he had finally decided to broach the subject with him, the storm had put a halt to it. There had been no time, and when he had returned to Atlantis it was to find Carson concussed. He had intended to wait until the man felt better, but now he had brought the matter up himself and he was still avoiding the issue!

“You mean about the soul bonds?” he ground out.

Carson’s head swiveled to look at him with wide-eyed shock. “How did you know about that, lad?”

This time it was Mac’s turn to flush. “I did some research on the markers while you were on the mainland a few days ago, using the new program Kimberly’s been working on. Figured it would be a good test case for it.”

“You did what?” Carson exclaimed, wincing at the pain his own raised voice brought on. “I thought I told you to stop looking into that, Mac?”

“Aye, you did. I wasn’t exactly expecting to find much. Her program is still in beta, after all.”

“In beta?” Carson mumbled then shook his head. “Never mind that. Obviously you found out about the existence of the soul bonds, what else did you find?”

Taking a deep breath, Mac stared at the ceiling while counting to ten before meeting Carson’s gaze again. “I found out a fair bit. Including the fact that you withheld the fact that I have a soulmate and who that person is!” Mac ended on a roar, slamming his palms on the man’s desk as he leaned toward him, glaring. “How could you, Carson?! I thought we were friends.” His voice broke on the last word.

Carson blanched, and he had to swallow several times before he found his voice again, eyes glistening with emotion. “I’m sorry, lad. I didn’t really know what to do, and when I talked to Elizabeth, she thought it was best if we kept it between us for the time being.”

Disgusted, Mac pushed off from the desk and paced around the room, his fingers laced behind his head. He gave a mirthless laugh as he shook his head. “Right. Because withholding something as important as a soul bond is always the right thing to do. Seriously, Carson, what were you thinking? Both of you? This is about our lives. It throws everything we thought we knew into a different perspective. Everything!”

Scrubbing his face, Carson groaned. “I know, Mac. I know, alright. I’ve been carrying this knowledge for weeks now and I still don’t know how to handle it.” Sighing, Carson added, “Please, Mac. What did you find out about the soul bonds? I’d like to have all the information I can get before the meeting with Elizabeth tomorrow.”

With a huff, Mac stalked around Carson’s desk, pulled the man’s laptop to him and pulled up the folder he had secured on the system. “Read for yourself,” he said curtly as he made his way to the door. Pausing, he glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t know how long it’ll be before I can forgive you for this Carson.”

Carson shot him a sorrowful look. “I know, lad. For what it’s worth, I am very sorry.”

Mac nodded. “I know.” With that, he left in search of his own quarters.

The following morning, Mac was one of the first to arrive for the meeting. He was exhausted, not having slept very well after his confrontation with Carson the night before. Though he was trying to kick the habit, he carefully doctored a cup of coffee and took a seat. He needed the boost of caffeine today.

Elizabeth greeted him with a smile as she took her usual seat, soon followed by Carson who looked as tired as Mac felt, and Evan who seemed a little confused. Mac shot him a small smile, unable to muster more for the heavy feeling that settled in his stomach. From the look of him, Evan had no clue what this meeting was about, and Mac didn’t relish what he was certain would follow.

John and Rodney straggled in last, closing the door behind them. Mac tilted his head slightly as he took in their body language. They gravitated toward each other even more so than normal. Both men looked beyond worn out, yet there was something nearly palpable between them that had Mac sitting up a little straighter. They knew they were soulmates. That had to be it. It would explain so much, knowing Rodney as he did.

Elizabeth cleared her throat. “Alright, gentlemen. I think we can begin.”

Throughout the explanation of the soul bond discoveries, Mac kept a furtive eye on the others, though most of his focus was on his major. He was unsurprised to see the color drain from Evan’s face upon hearing that all ATA carriers had a soul bond. What did surprise him was the way both Rodney and John seemed to come to attention when Carson talked about the things a soul bond did. They shared a knowing look between them that confirmed Mac’s suspicions.

Once Carson had relayed all the information that Mac had managed to find, Elizabeth took up the mantle again, meeting each man’s eyes in turn. “Well, gentlemen. As you’ve heard, we’ve had some pretty amazing discoveries already and I’m sure there’s bound to be more, if you’ll pardon the pun. However, my main concern is the people of this expedition. It seems obvious to me that the regulations we’ve been working under can no longer apply, considering the fact that our military commander and our CSO are bonded. That said, how are we to change them without losing what structure we currently have?”

Mac thought Evan looked a little piqued, yet the man did his best to try to come up with suggestions. Something that made Mac proud of him even as he worried for him. They bounced ideas around for a while, agreeing that the fraternization regs had to go, even for those of the expedition who weren’t bonded. They couldn’t have two sets of rules if they were to make it in Pegasus.

Carson stared down at his hands. “That’s all well and good, but how are we going to get word out there?”

Mac cleared his throat, sitting up so he could lean on the table. “I was thinking about that, actually. We have to let people know about the soul bonds. That’s a given. To do otherwise is cruel,” he said with a sidelong glance at Carson, who flushed but remained silent. “That said,” Mac continued, “I feel that a soul bond is an extremely personal matter. I suggest that we make the general idea public, and if people wish to know who their soulmates are, they need to come to talk to Carson. Only when both bonded express an interest in finding out who their mate is, will that information be released. I think it’s the only fair thing to do.”

Elizabeth nodded, but before she could say anything Rodney chimed in, “That’s actually a good idea. Carson, we need to take all the results offline so no one can try to hack into your system to find out. I really don’t think it’s a good idea for it to be public. There’s too much room for abuse that way, and I refuse to allow that to happen. If Elizabeth’s agreeable, I’ll stop by the infirmary after we’re done, pull everything off the servers, and set you up with a non-networked laptop for all of this.”

“Excellent idea, Rodney,” Elizabeth said with a smile, though it faltered when she looked at him and John. “That leaves one more thing. How do you want to tackle the soul bond issue? I know it’s currently just a few people in the know, but given your positions in the city, I doubt it will remain a secret for long.”

John and Rodney shared a look as they reached for each other and held hands. John looked Elizabeth square in the eye. “We’ve talked about it and think it’s best if we become the ‘poster boys’ of this shindig, so to speak. Like you said, there’s really no hiding it for us in the long run, and at least this way we can set an example for everyone else,” John said quietly.

Mac glanced at Evan who was staring at his CO with an unreadable look. Mac didn’t think it was negative in any way, at least not toward John or Rodney, but Mac wasn’t so sure about that in relation to Evan himself.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Alright, that settles it, then,” Elizabeth concluded. “I will have a city-wide announcement ready later today and post it to the server, though I’ll hold off on doing so until Rodney tells me all the DNA results have been secured.” Rodney nodded, already taking notes on his pad even as she continued. “Now, unless there was anything else that you feel should be addressed? No? Then I think we’re done here. Better get busy, gentlemen.”

Evan nodded, still feeling slightly nauseated as he made his way out of her office on auto-pilot. He was vaguely aware of Mac calling after him but waved him off. He needed to be alone to think. All through the meeting, his thoughts had been spinning out of control and it had been all he could do to follow along with the discussion.

How he ended up on the east pier, Evan had no clue. He had absolutely no memory of making his way through the city. Sliding down against the wall, he stared out over the ocean and let his thoughts drift. He had a soulmate. Evan’s ATA gene was natural, so he’d had the marker his whole life. Ioan, too.

Evan’s thoughts kept circling back to his Jim. Had Jim been his soulmate? Their love had been so strong, and Evan had always been so sure of the man. Jim had been the love of his life, so surely… Evan pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them, burying his face between them and let the tears flow. The thought of Jim having been his mate somehow made the loss of him come to the forefront and he felt it keenly. Evan wasn’t sure he really wanted the answer. He thought he already knew the answer and it was lying in a grave back on Earth. Yet a tiny voice in the back of his mind kept nudging him with ‘what if?’

What if it hadn’t been Jim?

What if he had a soulmate, but he was one of those who didn’t have their bonded on the city?

What if he did?

What if? What if? What if?

A shiver roused Evan from his thoughts as the wind picked up. A quick glance at the sky told him he had been out here longer than he had intended. He was certain to be in trouble for dereliction of duty as he was supposed to be taking care of drills, but he found he didn’t care. He got stiffly to his feet, wiping his hands on his fatigues before scrubbing his face and taking a deep, calming breath. He needed to know. One way or the other. There was nothing for it.

When he made his way to the infirmary he made a beeline for Carson’s office, ignoring the friendly greetings of the nurses as he passed them. Thankfully, the man was alone in his office. He knocked and Carson looked up, flinching slightly when he saw who it was. “Ah. Major Lorne,” he said with a sigh.

Stepping into the little room, Evan let his eyes roam, unable to meet the man’s gaze. “I…” He cleared his throat and tried again. “I was wondering about… about my soulmate.”

Carson looked helplessly around. “Ah, lad,” he said softly. “I don’t think-”

A hand on his shoulder startled Evan and he spun around, surprised to see Mac smiling sadly at him. “It’s alright, Carson. I’ll handle this.”

Evan frowned, wondering what Mac meant. He barely registered Carson’s, “Aye, if you’re sure, lad,” as Mac guided him to his own office and into a chair.

“Mac?” Evan asked shakily with a sudden feeling of trepidation.

Mac kneeled in front of him and took both Evan’s hands in his. Taking a deep breath, he stared into Evan’s eyes and whispered, “I’m sorry, love. I-” Closing his eyes briefly, Mac huffed and tried again. “Evan, I’m your soulmate.”

For a second, Evan thought his heart was torn in two and he couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Blinking rapidly, Mac’s words echoed through his brain: I’m your soulmate.

“But…” No more words would come, even though his mind was racing. Spiraling further and further downward until he had to get away. Had to get air. He had to-

Shaking his head, he jumped to his feet, knocking Mac off-balance as he all but ran out of the infirmary. No. No, it wasn’t possible. It wasn’t right. Jim had been his soulmate. He had to have been. If it was Mac, then what had his love for Jim meant? What did that say about Evan?

“Evan?!” Mac called over the comms. Evan ignored him, tearing the earpiece away from him before shutting it off. Throwing himself onto his bed, he curled up into a ball, silently begging Jim’s forgiveness.

He must have dozed off because the next thing Evan became aware of was Ioan running a hand over his back just like their mom used to do when they were kids and they’d been upset. When Evan turned his face toward him, Ioan smiled sadly at him. “Oh, Ev,” he murmured.

Never had Evan been so glad to be stationed with his brother as he was in that moment. It didn’t matter that they were both grown men in the military and living on another planet in another galaxy. No, in that moment, they were just Evan and Ioan, brothers and best friends as Evan filled Ioan in on everything and sharing his inner turmoil over it all. No one knew Evan better than Ioan did, understood how he worked. When he needed to just vent his spleen and when he needed a talking to. This time, he got a little bit of both as he had known he would.

“It’ll be alright, Ev,” Ioan promised. “Just… give it time. Give yourself time. Mac’s a good guy. He understands.”

Evan rolled his eyes, huffing as he wrapped his arms around his knees again. “I know he is, but after-”

Ioan shook his head. “Who do you think called me to come check on you, doofus?”

Shocked, Evan turned to his brother, who sat grinning at him.

“And he took Major Sheppard aside and explained what was going on with you. No details, but enough to make sure the major rearranged the schedule and covered the drills. You were officially taken off duty for the day.”

Evan gaped. “Mac did that?” he asked quietly.

Ioan nodded. “Yes, he did.”

Dropping his chin on his knees, Evan stared out of his window, mumbling, “I don’t think I deserve him.”

“Seems like he disagrees with that, and so do I, for that matter.”

He glanced back at his brother with a wan smile. “What? No digs?”

“Nope. Not this time. I told you before, Ev, it’s about time you found someone again. You deserve love in your life. Now you have Mac. Go for it, I say.”

“Thanks, Ioan.”

“You’re welcome. You gonna be okay now?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just need some time to think. Sort stuff out for myself.”

Ioan nodded and hugged him. “You know where to find me,” he said as he left Evan alone to his thoughts which were a lot more hopeful than they had been earlier. His brother was right. If this whole soulmate thing was true then he did have Mac.

He sat staring out over the ocean for a while before putting his earpiece in again and tapping the comms. “Mac?” he said softly.

“Evan!” Mac sounded relieved, which sent a pang of guilt through Evan.

“Hey,” he said stupidly. “I was wondering… have you got a minute?” He bit his lip nervously, though he didn’t have to wait long for his answer.

“I’ll be right there.”

 

next

“This plan of yours had better work, Rodney,” John muttered as he ran through the city toward grounding station three. He was beginning to think that maybe they should have had one more person stay behind to help out, but it did him no good to worry about that now. Besides, Ford, Carson, and Teyla were still inbound with the last Athosians, so if push came to shove, he could always get one of them to lend a hand.

Slowing to a walk, he regulated his breathing as he checked his watch. Damn, that had taken longer than he would have liked, but at least he was here. When he opened the door, he paused, momentarily stunned by the sheer power of the storm, and it wasn’t even hitting the city yet. “Yeah, Rodney had better be right about this, or we are in deep trouble,” he murmured, stepping to the railing to look out over the ocean. The storm was moving pretty fast.

Tapping his comms, John had to shout to be heard over the roaring wind. “I’m here!”

“I told you to contact me when you got to the first one, Major,” Rodney scolded over the radio.

What the hell? Who did he think he was? Roadrunner? Speedy Gonzalez? “I am at the first one, Rodney!”

“Oh. Sorry. I’m already done.”

Of course he was. He had taken the station closest to the labs. John rolled his eyes. “Oh great, good for you.”

“Me, too,” chimed Elizabeth.

“Good for everyone!” John groused, throwing his hands up. Great. Well, he was here. Now what was he supposed to do?

“Where are you now?” Rodney asked.

“I’m at the damned grounding station!” John said, starting to get irritated. Hadn’t they already covered that?

“No no no no, not you, I meant Elizabeth.”

“I’m in the transporter,” she replied.

John closed his eyes briefly to fight the urge to remind the scientist they were on a tight schedule. John listened as Elizabeth bumped into Rodney. He took a deep breath. “Glad everybody’s having such a good time, now what do I do?”

“There should be a keypad on the console of the station,” came Rodney’s voice.

Keypad on the console of the station. Okay. Should be easy enough to find. Scanning the walls, he saw nothing so he moved toward the pillar in the middle of the space he was in. Keypad. Okay, now what? “Got it.”

“Punch in the Ancient equivalent of oh-three-one-five-four-seven.”

Silently thanking Dr. Jackson for the information packet he had sent along on the Ancients, including everything he had managed to translate, John did as he was told. Well, it seemed to be doing something, at least.

“That do it?” Rodney asked.

John watched closely as he put in the last digit and sighed in relief when the grounding station disconnected. “Yep!”

“Good.” Rodney sounded pleased. “Three down, one to go. They all seem to have the same separation code, so err, get to the next one, repeat the procedure and we’ll meet you in the control room.”

“Roger that,” John said, already running again. He had to make it to that fourth station in time. This was going to work, he was sure of it now. It had to. He was over halfway to it when Lieutenant Mills called over the comms, “Dr. Weir, there’s been some sort of an attack on Manara. We have an Athosian party incoming with wounded.”

What the hell? That didn’t sound right. The hairs on the back of John’s neck wanted to stand up. He had had a bad feeling about the deal he had made with Smeadon. Could this be it? Had they attacked his people?

“Apparently there’s wounded incoming,” Elizabeth said, sounding worried.

John stopped running, conflicting needs warring in him. “That doesn’t make any sense. They said it was Wraith related?” He hadn’t heard that, but he had to ask. For all he knew, they had contacted Elizabeth on a different channel and filled her in.

Her, “We’ll ask them ourselves in a second, hold on,” had his stomach sink a little, then it dropped to his feet when he overheard a scuffle and the conversation that followed. “What the hell?”

“Dr. Elizabeth Weir, I presume,” said a man. “And you must be Dr. Rodney McKay.”

John’s heart skipped a beat when he recognized the voice that answered tersely, “Yes, that is him.”

That was Sora. The Genii had invaded the city.

The male voice spoke again. “Where is Major Sheppard?”

John wondered why their leader was so interested specifically in him? The voice didn’t sound familiar at all, so he was pretty sure he hadn’t had dealings with the man before.

Deciding the grounding station would have to wait, John changed course and headed to the jumper bay instead, since it was closer than the armory. He needed weapons and any tactical advantage he could get his hands on. As he ran, he promised himself that after this whole mess was over with, he would create some bolt-holes with arsenal, in case anyone else in Pegasus got it into their heads to invade them. There was no doubt in John’s mind that he would have the chance to do that. There was no way the Genii were getting his city. Failure was not an option, John thought. Not today.

He firmly pushed his fears for Rodney and Elizabeth aside. He had to focus or he would be of no use to them. John reminded himself as he stepped into jumper one that Rodney had been in the field with him many times now and had learned to hold his own. He had to trust that. Have faith in Rodney’s abilities or he would lose it.

Tapping the comms as he started rummaging through the inventory of the jumper, John called, “Jumper two, this is Sheppard.” Nothing. John frowned and tried again. “Jumper two, do you copy?”

“This is Ford, sir. We decided to wait out the storm in the jumper.”

Ah, hell. “You’re still on the mainland?” So much for backup.

“Yes, sir.”

Sighing heavily, John reassessed what he would need as he filled Ford in on the situation. The young lieutenant wanted to come to the city right then and seemed prepared to risk everyone’s lives to do it, but thankfully both Carson and Teyla had better sense. John wasn’t sure whether to commend the boy on his eagerness, or smack him upside the head for being too gung-ho and risking lives – especially civilians.

“It’s okay, Lieutenant. Just get here as soon as you can, I could use a little backup,” John assured him. He sincerely hoped that Ford wouldn’t do anything foolish. Grabbing the LSD, John scanned it to see if anyone was nearby. Clear. Good. The Genii had Rodney and Elizabeth, so the most likely place for them to be would be the control tower. He would start there and take out as many people as he could.

“-give him what he needs. He needs the C-4, all the medical supplies, and the Wraith data device. Just give it to him. None of that is worth dying for,” came Rodney’s voice over the comms.

“Thank you, Rodney,” John whispered. “Good thinking. Now stay safe and don’t do anything stupid until I can get to you.” He hurried off to the armory. He had some C-4 to hide.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Step away from the console!” the leader of the Genii raiding party, Kolya, said, voice soft and hard all at once.

Rodney’s stomach twisted. He had a feeling that this man was very, very dangerous. “I was leaning. I was just leaning!” he said hurriedly as he straightened up. Please let John have gotten the message. Please.

He couldn’t believe this was happening. Not now, not ever. Atlantis was supposed to be safe. They had the IDC’s to prevent anyone from coming in. How the hell had the Genii gotten ahold of one, much less gotten the correct code? Was whoever they had taken it from still alive, or had they killed them? Rodney’s mind kept spinning on all the possibilities while Elizabeth tried to argue with Kolya. Tried to buy time, but it was of no use. Kolya had the upperhand and he knew it.

Elizabeth was taken away, forced to show them where the Wraith data device was being kept, leaving Rodney with Kolya. His stomach turned to ice at the speculative look in the other man’s eyes. Squaring his shoulders, Rodney shored up his nerve as best he could and met the man’s gaze.

“Why are you here?” Kolya asked quietly.

“To my understanding, I’m being held hostage,” Rodney replied, heart thudding in his chest.

“No. I mean what are you doing here. On Atlantis. Why did some of you stay behind?”

“Oh.” Crap. He sucked at lying, but he knew he had to try. “Err, tie up some loose ends.”

Raising an eyebrow, Kolya wondered, “Oh? Like what?”

“Make sure everyone got out okay,” Rodney bluffed. Oh crap, oh crap, he wasn’t buying it. He could see it in his narrowed eyes.

“Isn’t that the work of someone less important?” Kolya ventured, his voice growing softer with each question.

Rodney huffed, putting up all the false bravado he could muster. “You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” He swallowed hard.

“You have a plan, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

“I got lots of plans about lots of things,” Rodney tried, knowing it was futile. Oh man, what was he going to do? He wasn’t brave like John, or as smooth a talker as Elizabeth.

Kolya’s stare turned ice cold. “I’m interested in the plan you have to save the city.”

“I never said anything about saving anything.” Rodney’s heart raced, his palms were sweaty, and he knew he was in serious trouble. His stomach dropped when Kolya gave a little smile and stepped into his space.

Grasping Rodney’s shoulder, Kolya murmured, “Not yet.”

Rodney’s eyes widened when he saw Kolya give a little nod to one of his men. He heard a knife being unsheathed and he began to hyperventilate. Oh crap, he was a dead man, he just knew it. What would John do?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I will ask you one more time, Dr. McKay. What are your plans to save this city?” Kolya’s voice sent shivers through Rodney’s spine, and for not-fun reasons. The man was silk-on-steel and Rodney was terrified of him.

The knife against his arm cut a little deeper still. Each time he had been asked, the Genii soldier slid the knife further into his flesh. A small part of Rodney’s brain marveled at the amount of skill he had with it. Minimal blood loss and, as far as he could tell, little damage – yet – but Rodney was certain that he would not remain so lucky much longer. He cried out, tears brimming his eyes as he tried to struggle against the hands that held him. He wasn’t strong enough for this. Not brave enough. Oh God, but he hurt.

“The plan, Doctor,” Kolya insisted.

Closing his eyes, Rodney silently begged John’s forgiveness as he told Kolya everything.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

John’s stomach lurched and his heart constricted, though it was more like an echo of something than anything else, causing him to stumble. Steadying himself with a hand against the wall, John frowned, wondering what the hell was going on. Never in his life had he felt anything like this before and he had no words to describe it. It was over almost as soon as it began, and in its wake, John felt dread.

Rodney. Something had happened to Rodney. He was sure of it. Taking a deep breath, he forced the burgeoning panic down and started to run. The C4 was hidden and with a little luck Kolya would contact him soon via the radio he had left behind in the crate the C4 had been in. John had Genii to hunt. He figured the Wraith data device the Genii wanted was the least important to the expedition’s mission. They had taken everything they could from it so it was basically useless to them now. The medicine, however, they would need so he headed toward the infirmary with the intent of preventing them from raiding it all.

He was halfway there when the radio activated. “This is Commander Kolya.”

Nope. Definitely not familiar, John thought. “Kolya, that’s a hard name to pronounce. Is that a first name?” John replied glibly. It took some effort, but he couldn’t afford to let the man know he was rattled. “My name is Major John Sheppard, and I have hidden the C4 where you will never – I repeat, never – find it. Now, when I get confirmation that the prisoners have been safely released and allowed to gate off Atlantis, I will help you find it.” The C4 would be a small price to pay to guarantee Rodney’s safety, and Elizabeth’s.

“Your offer is very generous, Major.”

Damn straight it was. He would just as happily kill every single Genii on his city, but he could not risk Rodney and Elizabeth’s lives. “Yes, it is.”

“However, Dr. McKay recently shared with me there’s a plan in action to save the city.”

John’s stomach dropped. “He did?” He couldn’t believe Rodney would have just given the information up willingly, which meant that he had been tortured. Questions tried to bubble to the surface but he ruthlessly pushed them down. Focus. He had to focus.

“He did. My understanding is there’s one final grounding station that needs to be deactivated. Uncouple the grounding rods at station four, assist with the reactivation of the shield, and you and your friends can leave here, unharmed.”

What? That didn’t make any sense! Why would the Genii want to remain on Atlantis? They’d never be able to use it, they didn’t have the gene. They had to know that. “Wait a minute, I thought all you wanted was C4 and a jumper?”

Kolya sounded amused. “Why raid a city when you can seize it, Major?” John ground his teeth. “Atlantis will be ours or the ocean’s,” Kolya added with conviction. “You choose.”

Great. Just great. John weighed his options for a moment. There really wasn’t much choice. If Kolya could be trusted to keep his word, then saving the city was his best shot at getting Rodney and Elizabeth out of here. With the city saved, they would at least stand a chance at getting it back. Something that would be impossible if he allowed the city to weather the storm without the shield. John hoped Rodney was okay. “Hold on, Rodney. I’m coming,” he promised as he altered course and headed to grounding station four.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kolya stalked out of Elizabeth’s office with Elizabeth and Sora following close behind. Rodney met Elizabeth’s gaze, but she shook her head. Swallowing hard, Rodney nodded. He hadn’t believed her appeal would work, but he couldn’t help feeling disappointed all the same. Rodney listened closely as the men on the radio reported to Kolya. Elizabeth squeezed his good arm gently but before he could wonder what she was trying to say, he heard Kolya give the order to use lethal force if necessary.

Rodney’s eyes widened. No! No, that wasn’t right. He had promised he would let them go unharmed, though a not-so tiny voice in the back of his mind reminded him that that had been a lie from the start. After all, he had been harmed already, hadn’t he. He clutched his arm a little tighter to his chest reflexively.

Sora seemed just as shocked at the order, and she protested. The cold look Kolya gave her made Rodney’s throat tighten. A silent mantra began to play in his head, willing John to be safe. To be careful. God, but he hated the Genii. He really did.

“He’s stopped. He’s not at the control panel anymore,” came over the radio.

Rodney’s breath quickened. Come on, John, he thought. What was he doing? If he wasn’t at the panel that had to mean he was aware of the soldiers close by. Right? He shared a panicked look with Elizabeth, who seemed to be holding on to her stoicism by a thread. Mind racing, he tried to think of anything that might stall the Genii. That would keep John safe. Blinking, he stepped forward without meaning to. “Those control panels are pretty fragile,” he said quickly. “You might not want to-,” he cut off when one of the soldiers grabbed his wounded arm, pressing hard. “Ow!”

Breathing hard, he squeezed his eyes shut a moment, jaw clenching as he fought to remain as calm as he could. Not an easy task, since he could feel his distress increasing by the second. Rodney’s knees nearly gave out when John’s voice sounded over the Genii radio. “Let me tell you what you did wrong here, Kolya!” John! He was okay, right? This had to mean he was okay. He sounded pissed.

“A: you lost two of your men.” Rodney glanced at Kolya who seemed shocked, though that was rapidly disappearing and being replaced by anger as John continued, “B: you damaged the switch before I could separate the grounding rods. Which I’m sure you’re gonna get an earful from McKay for!”

Rodney’s lips twitched in spite of himself at hearing John’s confidence in him. Weird as it was, it helped bolster him. Then the rest of what he had said sunk in and he had to stomp down on the despair that tried to overtake him. Without that grounding station deactivated, the plan was doomed to fail. His mind started to race, automatically trying to come up with a contingency plan.

“And C: you lost all of what little credibility you had with me!” Oh yeah, John was pissed. Unfortunately, so was Kolya, and between the two, Rodney was not at all sure what the outcome might be. He shared a worried look with Elizabeth as Kolya stalked around the control room like a predator about to pounce its cornered prey. Rodney definitely didn’t care for that feeling – or the comparison and knowledge that he was the prey.

Squaring his shoulders, Rodney attempted to divert Kolya’s attention. “Do you have any idea how big of a setback that is? I may not be able to activate the shields, I can’t possibly-” he paused when two soldiers grabbed him, trying to yank him back from Kolya. “Get off of me,” Rodney ground out, starting to get mad himself. Elizabeth stood quietly a couple of paces away, not making any move to help. He wasn’t sure what to make of that.

Kolya picked up the radio. “You killed two of my men.”

“I guess we’re even.”

Kolya’s eyes blazed and his voice turned colder than Rodney had heard yet. “I don’t like even,” Kolya said as he pulled out his gun and aimed it at Elizabeth. Oh God, no. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening.

“I’m not finished yet!” came John’s voice.

“Neither am I,” was Kolya’s icy reply. “Say goodbye to Dr. Weir.”

Rodney’s breath caught in his throat. What was he supposed to do now?

“The city has a self-destruct button. If you hurt her, I’ll activate it! Nobody’ll get Atlantis!” John threatened. Rodney watched Kolya’s reaction carefully, but the man didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.

“Even if it exists, Major, you need at least two senior personnel to activate it, and I’m about to take one of them out of the equation.”

Elizabeth’s mouth opened several times, but nothing came out. Rodney’s mind worked frantically to think of a way out of this. A way to save her.

“Kolya!” John shouted, but the man ignored him. “Kolya!! I’ll give you a ship! I’ll fly you out of here myself!” No, John couldn’t. Kolya would kill him, Rodney was certain. The thought of that made Rodney’s stomach turn worse than it already was at the thought of having to watch Elizabeth get killed in front of him. “Kolyaaaaa!!! Kolya, don’t do this!”

“How is this going to help you get what you want?” Elizabeth asked.

“Sheppard put you in this position, not me,” Kolya ground out.

Shaking, Rodney stepped in front of Elizabeth. Heart hammering in his throat, he tried to stare the other man down. “You can’t do this. This is crazy. You need her.” Yeah, but what he was doing was crazier. Was he insane to step into the line of fire?

Sora piped up. “She’s right, Commander.”

Okay, good. Maybe he’d listen to her, because Rodney wasn’t sure the man would listen to him. Thinking quickly, he gave one last ditch effort, putting as much bluster as he could manage into his voice. “I’m not kidding. There are codes required to activate the shield. Codes that only she knows. You can’t do this without her!” Kolya’s gaze turned to flint and his gun hand twitched. Gulping, Rodney held up his hands and added, “You can’t do this without me, either. I mean… we’re a package deal.” Oh, he was going to die. He was going to die and it would be his own damn fault.

He started to babble. “You take us out of the equation andandand you don’t have an endgame!” The silence in the room grew unbearable and Rodney realized the term wouldn’t mean anything to the Genii. Scrambling, he tried again. “Granted, that’s a chess term. I’m… I’m…” Taking a deep breath, he tried again, talking faster as he went. “My point is, we’re the only ones that can fix the grounding stations. We’re the only ones that can activate the shield. We’re the only ones that can solve problems I can’t even think of yet! You kill either one of us, and you don’t get what you want! That’s how important we are.” Rodney hated hearing the fear in his voice. The tears that were threatening to to spill at the thought of leaving John behind.

“Rodney,” Elizabeth said quietly from behind him. “Rodney, he gets it.”

It took Rodney a moment to realize that while he had been rambling, Kolya had lowered his gun. The stark relief he felt at the threat of death being lifted – temporary though that might be – had Rodney nearly collapsing in on himself. He’d done it. He had saved Elizabeth and himself, and John was still out there.

“I appreciate y-” Elizabeth started, but Sora cut across her harshly. “You’re an asset we need to complete this mission.”

As she stormed out of the room, Rodney turned toward Elizabeth to make sure she was alright. “You stood in front of a gun for me,” she said quietly.

Turning his head slightly, he muttered, “Don’t thank me just yet. We have two and a half hours until the storm hits and unless our luck changes drastically the city is going to be obliterated.” He was going to be sick, he just knew it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Report, Sergeant,” Ioan ordered when he went to relieve Bates of duty.

Bates shook his head, eyes darting to the Manarians several feet away. “No activity, sir. They seem to be content to just stand there and watch us. A few of the Athosians wanted to go hunting, but Halling convinced them otherwise.”

Ioan nodded. “When I explained to him why we were concerned, he didn’t seem particularly surprised. I think there’s some history there, but he wasn’t very forthcoming.”

Bates frowned. “History? Then why did they suggest trade with the Manarians?”

Ioan shrugged. “Better the devil you know, maybe? I don’t know. Could just be it’s a personal matter for Halling, not an Athosian one. Like I said, he wasn’t very forthcoming.”

Bates nodded, casting a suspicious look at the guard. “Still don’t like it, sir.”

Ioan huffed. “None of us do, Sarge. Go get some rest.”

“Yes, sir,” Bates said, saluting smartly before heading toward his tent.

Sighing, Ioan took up position and focused on the task at hand, pushing his worries about Atlantis aside. He knew the storm was due to hit in a couple of hours and they had no hope of news before at least another hour after that, and that was being overly optimistic, Kimberly had told him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Major Sheppard. How is this for credibility? Weir is dead.”

Anger roiled in John’s gut. He’d failed Elizabeth, and now she was gone and it was his fault. Pressing the Genii comm to his mouth, he ground out, “I. Will. Kill. You.”

“Maybe. Stay out of my way or McKay will join her.”

Rodney! John’s stomach threatened to revolt at the thought of Kolya laying a hand on him. Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths in an attempt to squash the sudden helplessness that washed over him. If Rodney died… No. He couldn’t think on that. The only way to save Rodney was to take the Genii out. Nodding to himself, he set off running with grim determination.

He made his way carefully through the city, keeping a sharp eye on the LSD. He had to be smart about this. Going in guns blazing, however appealing that sounded just then, would only get Rodney killed, and losing him was not an option. A few corridors down, John noticed a small cluster of blips on the screen moving toward him from a level below. Slowing his pace, he approached them soundlessly until he was right above them. Dropping a couple of smoke bombs, he silently set about creating an ambush.

He could hear one of the Genii giving them directions to his location. Damn, that meant they had figured out how to use the city’s scanners. Well, maybe he could use that against them. For now, he needed to take out this group and they were headed his way fast. Scrambling up the rafters, John got into position and waited. It didn’t take very long at all before a group of four Genii stood under him. He grinned darkly as he listened to their confusion, knowing the scanners would show him in the same room.

Very carefully, he set his sights on the first one and, after taking a slow breath, opened fire. The room filled with the sound of gunfire and their shouts, which were abruptly ended in short order. Four down, however many left to go, John thought as he climbed down. Checking the LSD again, he allowed himself a brief respite. “What would McKay do?” he muttered to himself. When it hit him, he almost wanted to laugh it was so simple. With renewed vigor, John made his way to the naquedah generator that powered the control room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Teyla, I’m scared.”

Kneeling down beside the young boy who had been on his first hunting party when the storm hit, she took his hands in hers and smiled reassuringly up at him. “We are safe here, Degan. The storm will pass and we will see our people again,” she promised gently.

He shook his head, his eyes wide with fear. “We’ll get blown away!”

“We will not. Dr. Beckett has made the jumper heavier. No wind can lift us if we do not wish it to.”

“But-” Degan started, only to stare open-mouthed out of the window. Teyla turned her head to look and got to her feet instantly. The sky had cleared, the sun was shining, and the wind had stopped almost completely. Was it over?

Aiden and Carson both moved to the back where Aiden slapped the button to lower the ramp. They all three stepped outside in disbelief. Never had she experienced a storm so fierce, only to have it die down so abruptly.

Aiden exhaled sharply. “We’re in the eye.”

Teyla looked at him in confusion, then at Carson as he agreed with him. “The eye?” she asked.

“Dead center of the storm,” Carson explained, his eyes scanning the sky above. “The storm swirls around it, twenty to forty kilometer-wide area.”

She nodded. “Then this calm will not last.”

Turning to her, Carson inclined his head. “No, it won’t. In fact, in about ten minutes it’s going to get very ugly again.”

Aiden spun on his heel and began to push Carson back into the jumper. Teyla watched in astonishment as he said, “Come on, we have to help the major.”

Carson put a restraining hand on Aiden’s shoulder. “Aye. We can take off, but landing’s going to be twice as hard, believe me. What if the storm’s reached Atlantis?”

She watched to two face off, unsure which – if any – side she should take. She knew nothing of weather like this and these men seemed to have more experience with it. To her, they both had valid points, yet she could not deny wanting to assist the major. Aiden forced Carson inside and into his seat even as the man protested vehemently that attempting to fly was insane.

“This is a spaceship,” Aiden reminded him. “We can fly up and over.”

“Oh, straight up and down,” Carson said incredulously.

“Yes, straight up and down,” Aiden said firmly. “We have to help the major, doc.”

“I’m a bloody medical doctor,” Carson argued. “Not a bloody magician!”

“You can do it,” Aiden assured, though Teyla sensed he was not as confident as he wanted to appear.

Carson turned helplessly to her. “Teyla?” he pleaded.

“If we can help, then we must.” If Aiden said they could avoid the storm entirely during the eye, then she had to believe him. She had to have faith that Carson could fly them to Atlantis in one piece. She chanced a quick glance over her shoulders to the three young Athosians and flashed them a smile. They were staring at them with wide eyes. She hoped she would be able to keep them safe.

Carson flung his seat around and began his pre-flight, anxiety pouring off the man in waves. “Oh crap,” he mumbled as they took off. Placing a steadying hand on his shoulder, she offered what support she could to her friend. She hoped the major, Rodney, and Elizabeth were alright. At least now they were on their way to lend assistance.

The flight to the city was shorter than she had ever known before. Carson had managed to land them safely in the city, if barely. The winds had barreled at them and Carson’s own fears did not help their approach. However, they were in the jumper bay, all in one piece. She and Aiden scouted the immediate vicinity and once it was cleared, went back to the jumper where Carson was waiting with the young ones. As Aiden offered Carson a gun, she warned the others to stay inside the jumper and to be still. It was the only thing she could think of to keep them out of harm’s way.

“Remember how you’re always saying you’re not military and you don’t have to take orders?” Aiden groused.

Carson nodded. “Aye.”

“Well, now you do. Follow me.” Aiden ordered gruffly, an air of pomposity practically shimmering around him.

Teyla frowned at the lieutenant. She and Aiden had been on the same team for months now. She liked him. He appeared to have a ready smile, and he had not yet been jaded by the Pegasus galaxy as so many of its inhabitants had. She had found him to be easy-going while on missions, quick to obey orders, as well as to take suggestions from her when it came to dealing with the people of this galaxy. Yet now, she saw an entirely different side to him and it was one she could not reconcile with the boy she had come to know. When this was all over, she intended to have a word with Major Sheppard about their youngest teammate, because his current attitude would not do.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Really, really dangerous!

Don’t touch!

Mckay.

John eyed the sign Rodney had left on top of the generator with trepidation, weighing the pros and cons of going through with his plan. If this worked the way he hoped, then the most he would get from the scientist was a lecture. If something went wrong though, then this could end up being his worst decision yet. Swallowing hard, he stared the generator down as if it held the answers. “Okay, Sheppard. Quit it. This will work, and when it does, you have to haul ass to the control room before the Genii reinforcements gate in.”

He mentally went over everything he had read about the naquadah generators, but he had to admit he hadn’t paid as much attention as he probably should have. Still he hoped he was remembering correctly as he gripped the top and twisted, lifting the cap off. The generator died instantly and John sighed in relief. Okay, next step, he thought as he double-timed it to the control room.

It filled John with satisfaction to hear the communications between the Genii as they tried to figure out what he had done. The scanners were down, so he was free to move about the city without risk of discovery, which was a very good thing considering what he was about to do. Stepping into the transporter he took a deep breath. John hit the pad just off from the control room, very glad that the process was virtually soundless.

John crept closer, keeping his eyes and ears peeled as he went. He didn’t need their radios now to hear their conversation. He just had to stay out of sight until just the right moment.

“How many can we expect?” Sora asked.

John ducked a little further behind the console as she walked by it. “A full complement. Sixty, or more,” came the answer from a Genii John didn’t recognize. “I don’t know how we were expected to take a facility this size with any less,” the man said as the gate activated. He got up and walked to the balcony.

“We’re supposed to be a raid. The retrieval was rightfully ours,” Sora offered curtly. John thought she sounded disapproving. Interesting. “With me,” she said as she headed down the stairs to meet the reinforcements. Two Genii followed her, leaving the guy on the balcony alone.

Good. This was his chance, then. “Reinforcements are arriving now, Commander,” the man relayed.

“Have them secure Stargate operations and report back to me.” Sorry to disappoint, Kolya, John thought as he noiselessly made his way toward the soldier.

“Yes Commander,” the man said and turned around. Right into John’s right hook. He went down instantly and John had to move quickly to catch him in order to avoid anyone hearing the racket.

Once the man was on the floor, John slipped over to the dialing device and activated the shield, inputting a personal code to prevent it being lifted without his explicit permission. There would be no more Genii coming onto his city. Before he could escape unseen, Sora spun to yell at her accomplice and spotted him. “Get him!”

Crap. Jumping to his feet, John ran across to the other side of the control room, firing as he went. He thought he killed at least one more, and wounded a few others, but he was too busy evading bullets himself to pay too close attention to his marks. He all but dove into the transporter, randomly hitting a spot on the map in order to get away. John listened to Sora update Kolya on the situation. The thrill of knowing the blow he had dealt them shot through John, but he pushed it down. Yes, he had won a battle, but the war was still going and it was one he had to win.

Taking care to avoid running into more Genii, John decided to take out more generators, figuring the less power the Genii had to work with, the better for him. If nothing else, it would keep them busy, and if they did as he hoped and sent guards, they would be easy pickings. John was evading a couple of Genii when Kolya’s icy rage piped into his ear. “Major Sheppard, I have a proposition for you.”

Crap! If that patrol overheard him, he would be in trouble. The LSD showed him he was way too close to another group of Genii to risk a firefight. Doubling back, John decided to go down a few levels. “Kolya. I’m having a hard time keeping up. What’s the score again?” He had to keep the man on edge. If Kolya was unbalanced enough, he might be able to surprise him.

“My men have informed me that not only have you disabled some crucial generators, but you have stolen key components which make it impossible for them to be restored.”

“Yeah, I did that.” Keep talking, Kolya, John thought. The man had to slip up sometime, and John was determined to catch him at it.

“There are two flaws in your plan.”

John snorted. Probably more than two if he were honest, but he was working with what he had, which wasn’t much. “Always open to constructive criticism,” John quipped.

“One: the assumption that I would believe you would rather destroy the city than have it fall to us, is childish.”

“That doesn’t sound like me,” John retorted as he continued down several flights of stairs.

“Second: if and when I determine Atlantis unsalvageable, Drs. Weir and McKay become obsolete.”

John stopped so suddenly he nearly tripped down the last step. “Weir’s alive?” His heart pounded in his chest.

“Dr. McKay was able to make a strong case for keeping her alive.”

John smiled in spite of himself. Way to go, Rodney. “Let me talk to her,” he demanded, needing to be absolutely sure Kolya was speaking the truth this time.

“Sheppard, we’re both here,” came Elizabeth’s voice, and John breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s good to hear your voice.” He closed his eyes briefly, mentally reordering what he knew now that Elizabeth was alive.

“Yeah, it’s good to hear you, too,” she replied before Kolya came back on the line.

“We have less than one hour before the storm hits full force. If the power is not returned to grounding station four within the next ten minutes, Dr. Weir dies.”

John blinked. How could he be sure Kolya’s threat was real this time. He had bluffed before, could he be doing so now, John wondered? “Again, you mean?”

“Her death will buy you another ten minutes, after which, should the power still be out, Dr. McKay dies.”

John’s gut clenched with fear as he checked his watch, tallying how long it would take him to get back to the generator. He could not risk Rodney. He couldn’t. The very thought of being the cause of Rodney’s death… it was worse than when he had been unable to rescue Holland and forced to watch his friend die. That incident had nearly unglued John. Losing Rodney would be the end of him, he was certain.

Kolya continued, “We will then leave with what we can and the city will be destroyed.”

John shook his head. “But that’s not enough time!” He had to try, but there was no way he would make it from where he was at without cutting it real close.

“If you don’t mind destroying Atlantis, stay where you are for the next twenty minutes. Starting now,” Kolya challenged.

Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap! John raced down the stairs, putting everything he had in getting to his destination on time, praying he wouldn’t run into any patrols. He made it to the generator with less than a minute to spare. Dropping to his knees, he grabbed the cable and reattached it to the machine before fumbling in his bag for the missing piece. He was about to put it in the generator when a voice behind him ordered him to stop.

“You have got to be kidding me,” John muttered under his breath. He didn’t have time for this shit. Raising his hands in the air, he took slow, steadying breaths to keep his temper in check. If he didn’t get the power back on, like now, Elizabeth would die. “Look. Your boss wanted me to turn this thing back on, so I think we should do as he says,” he tried, knowing it was probably a wasted effort.

Sure enough… “Be quiet.”

Great. Now what was he going to do? Hanging his head, he listened with fading hope as the man reported to Sora and was told to keep him there until she got there. At least they were under orders to keep him alive, which was something.

“I don’t mean to be a bad prisoner or anything, but Kolya’s going to kill one of my people if I don’t get this thing turned back on in time, so…” John gritted his teeth. If it came down to it, he would take the chance and try to activate it anyway, even if it meant getting shot.

“Turn. Around.”

Taking a steadying breath, John weighed his options. On his knees as he was, he was vulnerable. On his feet, he could try to overpower them or at the very least get out of their line of fire. He stood up slowly and did as ordered. It took him a second to register what he was seeing. A grin spread on his lips. Things had just taken a turn for the better. “You turn around,” he said casually.

The two Genii shared a confused look. “What?”

John half-shrugged, hands still in the air. “Well, if I have to turn around, you should turn around.”

They stared stupidly at him for all of three seconds before Ford stunned them and they dropped to the ground. About time they got here, John thought. “What the hell took you so long?” he asked no one in particular even as he turned his attention back to the generator.

“Well there’s the storm, you know, and-” Ford began, but John cut him off.

“Just… hold that thought,” he muttered as he checked he had the top aligned correctly and pushed down. His knees shook with relief when the generator lit up. Checking his watch, he ran a hand over his face. He had made it, just in the nick of time.

Right. They had to move fast now. Rodney would no doubt have the grounding station working again soon, which meant that the corridors would not be a good place to be. John filled Ford, Teyla, and Carson in on what had been going on, all the way from Rodney’s plan to save the city, to what had happened with the Genii up until they had found him. Well, he gave them the CliffsNotes version as they headed to the control tower. There was no time for details.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

John was alive. Elizabeth was still here, and for the moment, they were both safe. Rodney had to keep reminding himself of that as he sat hunched over the console. He had tried as hard as he could to stall, but they were running out of time. The storm was going to hit any moment, but if he could just give John a little more time… Just one more chance to come and save the day. Rodney was absolutely terrified of Kolya. Back at the grounding station when Kolya had gotten word of what John had done with the gate shield, Rodney had been certain that that would be it for him. The man had been deranged and Rodney believed the only reason he hadn’t killed Rodney that instant was because it took him too long to decide whether to strangle him or throw him into the ocean.

Rodney’s heart was alternately in his throat or somewhere around his toes, depending on where Kolya was in relation to him. Elizabeth hovered over his shoulder, whispering in his ear. “We have to keep stalling. Sheppard is still out there.”

Yes, thank you, he was aware of that. All too aware. Still, she hissed, “If you activate it now, he’ll-”

Kolya called from the window. “Now, McKay.”

“It’s done,” Rodney said, ignoring Elizabeth, as well as the sickening feeling in his gut. Squaring his shoulders, he shot her a meaningful look. “Dr. Weir, I need to enter codes now.”

She blinked in confusion, so he willed her to understand. Straightening, she gave the tiniest of head bobs. “Yes, of course.” She rattled off a set of numbers which Rodney typed in as judiciously as possible before prompting her for more. They were all nonsense, anyway, but the Genii didn’t know that. It was the only thing he could think of to do, and it would hopefully work toward convincing Kolya when the shield failed. Which it would, only by virtue of Rodney having set it up to do so. There was a slim chance his desperate plan would work, but he had to take it.

One of the Genii shouted, “A massive wave is approaching. Without the shield…”

Kolya roared, “McKay!”

Okay, Rodney. Breathe. He just had to stay calm. Had to play his part. He could do this. Eyes roving the readouts the console was spitting out, Rodney reported, “We’re starting to get hits to the northern pier. Reverting power to the corridor… now.” He punched the button which made a sorrowful noise, but nothing happened. Okay, so far, so good, Rodney thought. He took a steadying breath and hit it again. “Now!” Again the noise and again nothing. A third time. And a fourth. “Okay, this is a problem,” he said, turning to Kolya who stalked over to his console.

Kolya growled, “What?”

Steeling himself, Rodney pushed through. He was in no doubt that he would pay for his little charade even if Kolya believed him. All the more if he did not. “I told you this was a longshot from the beginning.”

“We already have serious flooding on the north and west piers,” came the Genii who had warned of the approaching wave.

Rodney felt as if his heart was about to race out of his chest and his palms were starting to sweat. “Look, it’s no use. The corridors just can’t handle this kind of raw power.” Please, oh please, let them buy it. Let them cut their losses and just leave while there’s still time, Rodney thought.

Elizabeth sounded genuinely concerned, which was good. “Is there any power getting to the shield generator?”

Rodney shook his head. “Not enough. Minimal amounts, nowhere near enough.” He avoided Kolya’s eyes, focusing on his screen as he pretended to attempt to find a way around it.

Kolya loomed over the console, cold fury in his voice. “You said this would work!”

Gathering every bit of the arrogance and anger he was most known for, Rodney faced the man. “I don’t know if you noticed or not, but I’m an extremely arrogant man who tends to think all his plans will work.” Kolya didn’t disappoint in his reaction as he backhanded Rodney, nearly knocking him out of his chair. Yeah, he had known something like that was coming. Didn’t make it hurt any less, though, he thought.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Open the stargate,” Kolya ordered. “Start evacuating the remaining men.”

“You’re making the right decision,” Elizabeth said.

John’s relief was short lived as Kolya’s next words filtered down to them. “You’re coming with us.”

Oh, hell no. He glanced around the pillar he was hiding behind and tried to decide the best course of action. Carson and Teyla should have been there already, which meant something had happened to them and it would be up to him and Ford to stage a rescue on their own. Genii were leaving the city with their loot in tow. John took small pleasure in knowing that they were not taking any C4, but he was certain Carson would be less than happy knowing his already limited medical supplies were now severely diminished.

He only half paid attention to what was happening above them, only dimly aware of Kolya and Rodney arguing. He wished he could tell Rodney to shut up and not make the man any madder than he already was. John was still reeling slightly from when Kolya had hurt Rodney. He had no idea what had actually happened up there, but he had heard the impact and he had… felt that same feeling from before again. That weird echo-y twisting of his stomach and tightening of his heart. Not nearly as bad as it had been then, but enough to take him by surprise. He had to figure out what that was about, but it would have to be later.

Turning to Ford, he indicated where he wanted the man to go as he told him to protect Elizabeth. Rodney was his. John would trust no other to save the man at this point. Stepping out from behind the pillar, John shot at the men trying to get through the gate. The one holding Elizabeth let her go in an attempt to flee, but Ford took care of him. Kolya had Rodney in his grip, using him as a shield as he backed them slowly toward the gate. Forcing his breath to remain steady, John took careful aim. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Kolya grinned, certain of his victory as he took another step backward, forcing Rodney to arch slightly as Kolya tightened the pressure on his wounded arm.

“I will shoot you if you don’t let him go,” John said, only somewhat surprised at how calm he sounded.

“And risk hurting Dr. McKay?” Kolya challenged.

John briefly met Rodney’s eyes who seemed to be silently begging him to get it over with. To save him. It tore at John to see the fear in his lover’s eyes. John stepped forward, securing his sight. “I’m not aiming at him,” he assured, his attention once more laser focused on Kolya. When the man took another step back, John pulled the trigger and Kolya released Rodney even as he fell through the event horizon.

Rodney was on all fours, shaking and panting as John rushed over to him. He dropped to his knees, letting the gun slip from his hands as he reached to cradle Rodney’s face in them instead. He stared intently into Rodney’s eyes for a moment, whispering, “You’re okay. I’m here, Rodney. You’re okay, you’re okay,” before crashing his lips to Rodney’s. Rodney wrapped his arms around him and John did the same, holding onto him for dear life. Nothing mattered except Rodney.

That was, until Elizabeth placed her hand on his shoulder and shook him. “John,” she urged. “John!”

Reluctantly, they separated and he glanced up at Elizabeth who watched them with an unreadable expression. John’s stomach dropped when he realized what he had just done, certain they were in even more trouble, but Elizabeth shook her head. “We can discuss this later. For now, let’s try to save the city first.”

“Right. Yes. Of course,” Rodney rambled as he got to his feet and ran up the stairs, John following close behind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Carson, come on. Faster, we have to make it to the control room in time,” Teyla urged as she and Sora carried him between them. He and Teyla had gone to the jumper bay to retrieve the three Athosian stragglers they had left there, and they were supposed to have gone to help the major rescue Elizabeth and Rodney. Instead, Sora had knocked Carson out briefly and he had woken to see Teyla and the Genii girl fighting.

When Kolya’s order to evacuate came over the radio, Teyla had used the distraction and pinned Sora to the wall, telling her plainly that she was going to get those hunters to safety. Sora could either help or die in the corridors of Atlantis. Sora had opted for helping, which is how they found their way stumbling to the control room.

“Aye, lass, I’m trying,” he assured. He frowned slightly when he realized he was slurring his words.

Together, they hobbled into the room and Elizabeth yelled, “Rodney, go!”

Carson limped over to the console, needing to hold onto it to stay upright. Oh, but his head hurt. Carson wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, vaguely remembering the plan Major Sheppard had laid out, but he wasn’t sure it was working. He did notice Major Sheppard hovering at Rodney’s side with a look of concern.

Rodney glanced up and nodded to him. “Carson.”

“Rodney,” Carson replied, wondering what that was about.

“Just in time to see how this ends, huh?”

Aye, he supposed he was, at that. Carson sent up a quiet prayer to whoever was listening that Rodney’s crazy plan would work. “Now!” exclaimed Rodney, punching a button. Carson turned to look out the window and joined the collective sigh of relief when he saw the shield go up just in time to block the massive wave that surely would have swallowed the city whole.

“Nice work, Rodney,” Elizabeth said with a smile.

Rodney leaned heavily on the console, head drooping, but he glanced up at her. “Did you ever doubt me?”

Her lips twisted briefly. “Yes. Several times,” she admitted.

“Oh…” Rodney nodded, but before he could do or say anything else, Major Sheppard enveloped him in a hug.

Carson’s eyes widened at the unexpected, not to mention unusual, display. His gaze met Elizabeth’s and she nodded. Yeah, they would definitely need to have a talk about the regulations, and soon. Life on Atlantis was about to change.

 

next

“It shouldn’t be too difficult,” Rodney noted as they headed toward the transporter. “Radek found some artifacts that require a stronger gene than what any of us has to make them work. At least, that’s his guess, since not even Miko or Carson could make it do anything. They’re both certain it is Ancient, though.”

“Yeah, okay. Been awhile since I had to play lightswitch,” John said, amused. “I’ve already cleared a block of time this morning.” He was actually looking forward to spending time in the labs. Aside from the fact that it meant being near Rodney, he enjoyed hanging out with the geeks. Some people thought it strange, but he didn’t care. Not even Rodney knew that John could have been in Mensa, and while Rodney had read his file and was aware of John’s masters in math, he still hadn’t quite caught on to the fact that he liked math. It was one of John’s guilty pleasures to secretly correct the scientists’ math behind their backs. It amused him greatly to have them return from a break and find their work changed for the better and no one being the wiser. It was almost a sport to him.

Rodney shot him a pleased smile that warmed John’s insides. He looked so unguarded in that moment that it took some effort for John to not drag him into a closet or empty room and kiss the man senseless. They were rounding the corner to Rodney’s lab when Teyla called from behind them. “Major Sheppard!”

Both Rodney and John turned, surprised to find their friend and teammate trotting down the corridor toward them. When she reached them, she offered them each a smile. “Teyla, everything okay?” John asked, wondering why she had sought him out rather than radio him.

“Dr. McKay, Major Sheppard. I apologize. I tried to catch you in the mess hall but you had already left by the time I got there,” she explained.

Sharing a look of confusion with Rodney, John murmured, “Okaaaaay. So what’s going on?”

Taking a steadying breath, Teyla focused on John. “I was hoping you would be willing to fly me to the mainland.”

Tilting his head, John took a moment to observe his friend. Even after months since the debacle with the transmitter and everything that had happened, her relationship with her people was still strained. She loved them dearly, fought for them every single day, but the fact that she had chosen to remain on Atlantis and had stood by Elizabeth, rather than side with her people and leave had cost her a great deal.

Casting a sideways look at Rodney, he nodded. “Sure, Teyla. You don’t mind, do you, Rodney?”

Rodney blinked at him in surprise. “What? Mind? No, no, of course not. Radek can wait, it isn’t like he doesn’t have ten other projects that need his attention. Go! Say hello to Jinto for me.”

Teyla’s relief was plain to see, as was her genuine amusement and pleasure at Rodney’s inclusion of Jinto. The boy held a special place in their hearts since that time he had gotten lost in the city and released the energy being the Ancients had captured. John wasn’t entirely sure how that had ended up making Rodney warm to the boy, but it had. Teyla inclined her head gratefully. “Thank you. I will meet you in the jumper bay in fifteen minutes?”

“I’ll be there,” John assured, smiling. They watched her leave, and as soon as she was out of sight, John grabbed Rodney’s arm and pulled him into an empty lab, the door immediately locking behind them.

“You sure you’re alright with me ditching?” John met his gaze searchingly. He didn’t doubt that Rodney was as concerned for Teyla as he was, or that he hadn’t been truthful in saying it was okay, but a part of him still needed the reassurance.

“Of course. I mean, if it had been anyone else, I would have told them what they could do with their request, but this was Teyla. She doesn’t get to spend nearly as much time with her people. You really think I’d get in the way of her actually going?” Rodney asked incredulously.

Cupping Rodney’s face in his hands, John pressed a gentle kiss to the man’s lips. “No, I don’t. But I’m not the only pilot and I did promise to help out today.”

Huffing, Rodney crossed his arms as he gave him a narrow look. “John Sheppard, just what do you take me for? Teyla came to you for help. She asked you. Teyla rarely if ever asks anyone anything for herself, and she’s always there for us. I might not be very good at this whole ‘friends’ thing and new to the whole ‘team’ thing, but Teyla is both and that counts for something.” He frowned, suddenly seeming unsure. “Right?”

John grinned. “You’re absolutely right. I am sorry though, was looking forward to hanging out in the labs today.”

Rodney surprised him by fisting his shirt and pulling him in for a searing kiss that left John kind of dizzy. With a look of satisfaction on his face, Rodney whispered roughly, “I know, me too. Now get the hell out of here before we make a liar out of you.”

John’s lips twitched in amusement. “Sir, yes, sir,” he mumbled, causing Rodney to blush. The sudden gleam in his eyes nearly made John reconsider, but the door suddenly opening was enough to douse his arousal. That was going to be something they would have to explore at some point, he promised himself as he hurried to the jumper bay.

When he got to the jumper, Teyla was already loading things she had traded for on behalf of her people. It wasn’t much and it didn’t take them long to finish the task. John couldn’t help but wonder whether this was a normal haul for her or not. Once in the air, Teyla busied herself rearranging the wares while John only half paid attention to flying. After a few minutes, John prodded cautiously, “You haven’t been to the mainland for a while. How is everybody settling in?”

Leaning on the console next to him, Teyla smiled tentatively. “Halling believes the first crops will have a good yield.”

Okay… not exactly the kind of answer he had hoped for. He knew evasion when he saw it and debated whether to call her out on it. Deciding to leave it for now, he asked instead, “Do they still miss home?” He carefully kept his eyes on his flying in order to give her space.

“There is…” Teyla hesitated, then sighed. “Still talk of returning. Even though I’ve told them the Wraith have scorched Athos bare in revenge for our resistance.”

John’s heart went out to his friend. He could hear the longing for the place she had lived her whole life. Hear how much she missed her people. Her friends, and those she considered family. “Well, maybe given time, this will start to feel like home,” he offered hopefully with a sideways glance at Teyla before checking their course.

Teyla’s worried, “Do you see that?” had him looking up. It took him a moment for what his eyes were seeing to compute. What in the world was that? “That can’t be a storm. It stretches across the whole horizon,” he mumbled in disbelief.

Teyla frowned, sounding awed. “I’ve never seen something like that from so high.”

He couldn’t help but smile a little at her amazement. He had to remind himself that the Athosians didn’t have flight capability, and that flying was still new to Teyla and her people. For John, it was old hat, even if the jumpers were nothing like any aircraft he’d flown on Earth. Still, he was pretty awed himself at what he was seeing now. “I’ve seen a lot of things from this altitude, but nothing like that,” he admitted.

Hitting the comms, John said, “Atlantis base, this is jumper one. We’re gonna change our heading to investigate a storm.”

Weir’s voice crackled in response. “Major, this is …. copy that…. breaking up.”

John shared a concerned look with Teyla as she slipped into the co-pilot’s seat. “Atlantis, I said we’re going to investigate a storm. It looks to be headed your way, so we’re going to do a little weather forecasting. Sheppard out.”

Figuring the best way to get a clear idea of the scale of the storm was to see it from above, John took them into low orbit. He blinked at the scope of the storm. The damned thing took up most of the viewscreen from up here.That could not be a good thing.

Teyla’s concern seeped into his already growing alarm. “Do all storms look like this from above?” She sounded almost hopeful.

He hated to burst that bubble. He shook his head, eyes fixed on the storm. “No.” Pulling up the HUD, he scanned the readings. Dread filled him as he eyed the darkening sky ahead. “This one’s supposed to cover twenty percent of the planet,” he said incredulously. That couldn’t possibly be right, could it?

Taking a steadying breath, Teyla tried to read the HUD. “Is it headed toward the mainland?”

“It’s tracking right toward the settlement,” he confirmed. Oh yeah, that was very, very bad news. There was no way that the Athosians would be able to make it through a storm that big in one piece. Crap. Taking in the readings that continued to pour in, John’s stomach plummeted.

“And after that?” asked Teyla, sounding resigned.

Glancing at her, John swallowed. “Straight to Atlantis.” Taking a few last readings in order to give the scientists a more complete picture, John turned to Teyla. “We have to get back to the city. Warn them so we can prepare.” Teyla opened her mouth, but John went on. “As soon as we have more information, I’m sending out every jumper to collect your people. We’ll keep them safe, Teyla.”

She nodded jerkily, her eyes fixed on the viewscreen.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Alright, people. Listen up. I want everyone with the gene to man a jumper. I don’t care if you’re an expert pilot or not. Your job is to head to the mainland and help the Athosians with their evacuation. We have four hours to get this done, so let’s go!” Evan ordered.

Ioan nodded. Turning to Teyla, he touched her arm. “You can ride with me,” he said softly. Evan would be one of the few gene carriers staying behind on the city, since Sheppard was off-world looking for a place they could bunker down for the duration of this storm, and someone had to organize the evacuation from the city.

Teyla inclined her head and followed him. Taking a seat next to Ioan, she swallowed hard, her face a mask of worry. Going over his pre-flight, Ioan cleared his throat. “They’ll be alright, Teyla. We’ll have them all out of there before the storm hits.”

She offered him a wan smile. “Thank you, Lieutenant. I’m sure we will. I just…” she trailed off with a shrug.

Flashing a comforting smile, he dipped his head. “I know. I get it, believe me. And please, call me Ioan, okay?”

“Thank you. Ioan.”

“Alright, here we go. It’s already pretty windy, so it might get a little bumpy before we get to the mainland,” he cautioned.

It took them almost twenty minutes to have every one of the jumpers flown over and parked at a safe distance. Teyla immediately went to find Halling and Ioan saw them argue briefly before Teyla came rushing back. “We need to do what we can to secure the settlement, and take that which cannot be safely left behind with us. Halling if spreading word of the evacuation, but he says there are several hunting parties out at the moment. He is not sure they all can be reached in time.”

Everyone set to work, though some with less grace than others. Ioan shook his head at Carson’s grumbling about not having the right boots for this kind of work. Carson had already been on the mainland in order to inoculate several babies when news of the storm had arrived, and he was not keen to be drawn away from his duties. Ioan really liked the man, but there were those times when he felt the good doctor got a little too one-track minded. Still, a few quick words from Teyla set him to rights.

Ioan was hot and sweaty by the time they had everything as ready as they were going to be, and the wind had picked up considerably. Ioan ordered everyone else to head back to the city. “Carson, I need you to stay here and wait with Teyla for the last stragglers. According to Halling, there are still three people missing.”

“But I should go see to my staff,” he protested.

“Carson, Mac has everything well in hand. Your people are trained well and know what to do. I need you here in case one of the hunters is injured. They should have been back by now.”

Running his fingers through his hair, Carson nodded. “Right. Okay.”

“I’m leaving Lieutenant Ford with you, just in case. Come back as soon as you can and let me know if you run into any trouble.”

“Will do. Good luck, lad.”

“You, too, doc. Teyla.” Ioan hurried off after a quick word with Ford. Ioan had a few months on the guy, but even so, he bristled at the order to stay and babysit the others, though once Ioan repeated the order, a look of determination came over the man. Ioan shook his head as he made his way to the jumper. Ford was overall a likeable guy, but one thing that bugged Ioan was how uppity he got when he thought he was in charge. He almost felt sorry for Carson and Teyla, but they would just have to deal.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rodney’s head was starting to throb. Massaging his temples, he peered at his screen, hoping a solution would come to him. All he had to do was the impossible, as usual, and save the city from this massively huge storm from hell so that the expedition wouldn’t be completely stranded and at the mercy of the Manarians. No pressure there. Breathing in deeply through his nose, he murmured to himself, “Come on, McKay. Focus. Like Sheppard said, this city has survived thousands of years. You can not let it be destroyed now, especially not by something as stupid as a bit of wind.” Okay, a lot of very, very powerful wind.

He and his team had been at it for hours already. Well, those of his minions he hadn’t set to begin evacuation procedures, at least. Tapping his earpiece, he grumbled, “Simpson, status.”

Simpson promptly relayed where they were at, informing Rodney they were almost done battening down the hatches and had corralled all non-essential personnel toward the gate room. As soon as he signed off, Rodney drained his cold coffee with a grimace. Scrubbing his face with his hands, he sighed.

“You know, in Czech Republic we don’t have to deal with hurricanes,” Radek piped up from the other desk.

Rolling his eyes, Rodney huffed as he prodded at his pad. “Yeah well, we don’t get that many in Canada, either. Except one called Hazel.”

“Hazel?”

“Hm, yeah, about forty years ago,” Rodney replied distractedly. There just had to be an answer to their problem. There had to be.

“That’s interesting.”

“Not really,” Rodney murmured.

Radek paced in front of his desk. “No, not really,” he admitted.

Mind only minimally on the conversation, Rodney added, “I was once almost struck by lightning.”

Radek came to a halt. “Lightning?”

Rodney froze, then jumped to his feet, sharing a look of excited hope with his colleague and friend. “That just might do it.”

They hurried off to talk to Elizabeth to tell her of their tentative plan. If they could get the grounding stations offline, they should be able to reroute the power from any lightning strikes to the shields. There was a slim chance they would be able to pull it off and survive, he was sure. A better chance they would save the city but die in the process, he thought, but he was wise enough to not voice that. He certainly was willing to do what it took, and he was positive that he could improve the odds of their survival with just a little more time. So between them, Radek and Rodney explained what they had just come up with and got the okay.

Snapping his fingers, Rodney said, “Okay, Right. To the grounding stations, then,” he said to Radek, who shook his head.

“No, I think we should do the power distribution station first,” he corrected.

Ah, yes, of course. Rodney should have thought of that himself. “Ah, good point. Good call,” he praised. Not something he got to do very often around his minions. Radek was one of the few people he knew that could keep up with him. Miko and Kimberly coming very close after him. They also happened to be some of the few people who understood how Rodney worked and were able to handle his abrasiveness.

As Radek headed to the stairs, Rodney followed. “I tend to get ahead of myself,” he mused.

Radek chuckled. “Yes, you do. Now we must hurry, or else we run out of time.”

It took them a little longer than Rodney would have preferred to get done, but he insisted they double check everything. They would only get one shot at this, so they couldn’t afford to screw up. The only thing left to do was to uncouple the grounding stations, which Rodney figured that he, Elizabeth, and John should be able to handle alone.

Tapping his earpiece, he called John. “We’re done, Major.”

“Alright. Head back to the gateroom. I want all non-essential personnel off-world stat. We have one jumper still inbound, but other than that, we’re good to go. Let’s not push the envelope too much, timewise.”

“Copy that. Meet you there.” Rodney replied, jerking his head to Radek. “C’mon. Time to get you to safety.”

Radek shot him a bemused look. “You sure you wish to stay? I could do this, too, you know. Is not difficult.”

Shaking his head, Rodney led the way to the transporter. “No, I’m staying here. If anything were to go wrong, I want to be here to try to fix it.” And he would never leave John to deal with this himself. He couldn’t stand the idea of being safely on Manar, knowing what John was facing here. He knew himself well enough to realize that his own imagination would be his worst enemy. No, best he stay close to his major and do whatever he could to keep both him and the city safe.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Rodney stood next to John on the balcony, overseeing the evacuation. “This feels wrong, somehow,” he said quietly.

Frowning, John turned to him. “Wrong, how?”

“Hm? Oh, not wrong in the sense that the plan isn’t going to work. I’m sure it will,” he said, waving off John’s concerned look. “No, I meant wrong to have to abandon the city after everything we’ve been through. Even if it is only for a couple of days.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Once the last person had gone through the gate, it deactivated and Rodney straightened. “Right. Let’s head to the labs so we can get started.” He stared into John’s eyes for a moment, drawing strength. John nodded, smiling softly.

Time to get to work.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Evan’s gut itched, which was never a good sign. John had taken him aside before Evan had stepped through the gate and informed him of the ‘agreement’ he had come to with Smeadon. Evan hadn’t liked the sound of it at all, and he could tell that John, too, felt something was off. They didn’t have much choice, however, so they would hold up their end of the bargain.

He glanced around, taking in the Manarian guards around their camp, which they had been allowed to put up a mile west of the gate. Yeah, something was definitely not quite right, he just had no idea what. “Ioan, Bates,” he called out, jerking his head. When the two men were in front of him, he stepped a little closer and lowered his voice so no one could overhear. “Bates, I want you to gather some men and set up a perimeter, work in shifts so that we have it covered at all times until we can go home. Something is up and I do not trust the Manarians. You take first shift, Ioan, you take second, I’ll do third.”

Both men nodded, and Bates left to do as ordered. Evan kept a sharp eye out and was pleased to see that Bates took care to have security tight, but not too obvious. It wouldn’t do to invite problems by being blatant in their suspicions, after all.

“What brought this on?” Ioan asked quietly.

Shaking his head, Evan sighed. “Something Sheppard said, mostly.” He conveyed Sheppard’s thoughts about Smeadon not having been on the up and up, then added, “Coupled with those guards…” He trailed off upon seeing the look of comprehension on his brother’s face.

“Alright. I’ll make sure everyone knows to be on alert, including the civilians. No wandering to town for any reason. Keep everyone in the camp, just in case,” Ioan murmured, eyes roaming the area. Evan nodded his approval. Ioan looked at his brother, worried. “Do you think they’ll manage it?”

Evan cocked an eyebrow. “What? Save the city? Yeah, I think they just might. I hope, anyway. We’ll find out in a day or so, I guess. No sense in fretting about it when we can’t do anything to help them. Focus on the here and now, and go from there.”

“Right,” Ioan agreed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rodney bent over his computer, pulling up the schematics on Atlantis and putting it on the large screen. His mind half on double-checking the information on the grounding stations codes, half on trying to explain what they would be doing and how it would work. “There are dozens, possibly hundreds of lightning rods placed strategically around the city.”

“Wait a sec,” John said suddenly, startling Rodney.

“What?” asked Rodney.

“Why?”

Confused, Rodney looked at him. “Why, what?” What was he on about now? Rodney scrambled to refocus completely on his major.

John leaned against the desk. “Why are there hundreds of lightning rods on the city? Wouldn’t the shield protect against lightning?”

Rodney stared at John, wondering whether he was being serious, because really? “Yes,” he said, shaking his head in bafflement. “Yes, it would. But running the shield all the time is only good for one thing: draining power.”

John inclined his head. “Right,” he said, though to Rodney it almost sounded more like a question.

He blinked at John, not quite able to comprehend why they were having this conversation. Now, or ever! Surely John should be able to figure this all out for himself, he wasn’t that stupid, he was sure. Taking a steadying breath, Rodney had to work hard to keep his tone level and to not scrub his face in frustration. “You are aware that there’s a time element to what we’re doing here? Right?”

Rolling his eyes, John stepped closer. “Yes, it’s been brought to my attention,” he snarked.

Gathering his thoughts, Rodney took a steadying breath and attempted to explain his intentions again. This time, making sure he was using small words, so the major could understand it, even if it made Rodney roll his eyes at him. “Like I was saying, there are lightning rods – a lot of them – placed all over the city. Now, as it stands right now, all the energy they capture is routed into four main grounding stations. In turn, those stations ground all that energy into the ocean below us.”

Rodney watched John’s face closely, pleased to see that he was grasping it finally. “So,” said John with a slight frown. “Instead of sending the electricity into the ground-,”

Grinning, Rodney pointed his fingers at John. “We use it to power the shield.”

“How?” asked Elizabeth, who seemed unsure this would work.

Oh, come on, people! This wasn’t rocket science, why was it so difficult for them to follow along? Turning to her, Rodney attempted to expand on what he had already said, his hands ‘speaking’ as much as his mouth, as he tended to do when he was agitated. “By directing it right down the corridors of Atlantis and into the shield generators.” Really, the whole thing was very clever if Rodney said so himself.

Elizabeth looked dubious. “The city can handle this?”

“Yes,” Rodney answered emphatically, then added, “theoretically.” Well, it should! Radek and he had been over it several times, and everything indicated their idea should work.

John tilted his head, brow furrowed. “Like ‘dinosaurs turned into birds’ theoretical, or ‘theory of relativity’ theoretical?”

Rodney blinked at him. “What?” Where did the man come up with this stuff? And what did it matter? “Err, somewhere between,” he replied absently, his mind already spinning back to the matter at hand. Turning back to his computer, he started typing. “Elizabeth, you take grounding station two, I’ll take grounding station one, and Major, you take grounding stations three and four.”

They both nodded, then John shook his head, looking mildly confused. “Whoa whoa whoa, wait a second. Where are grounding stations three and four?”

Rodney pointed out the two furthest away on the map. “Here, and here.”

“And we are..?”

“Here, yes,” Rodney said, pointing to the approximate middle of the city, wondering why it mattered. “I need to get done quickly so I can start working on the subroutines, and Elizabeth was complaining about her knee the other day,” he explained. See, he knew how to be courteous and considerate. He wasn’t going to make her walk any more than he had to. Perfect gentleman, here. Besides, John was military for crying out loud, and in great shape. The exercise would be good for him.

Elizabeth didn’t quite manage to hide her smile as she shrugged. John, however, balked slightly. “Wait a second. Are these things even close to a transporter?”

“Err, yes? Elizabeth’s is.”

John tilted his head. “And mine?”

“It’s a… brisk walk away,” Rodney hedged, not quite able to meet John’s eyes.

Narrowing his eyes, John asked, “And by brisk you mean far?”

“By walk, I mean ‘run’,” Rodney admitted. Seriously, he ran all the time. For fun! This should be a cakewalk for the man.

John slowly nodded. “Okay,” he said softly, making Rodney wonder what was going through his mind.

“You’ll need to radio once you get to your first station.”

John nodded again and sighed, turning to go. “Alright, let’s do it.”

Rodney headed toward his grounding station, mentally going over everything they would need to do in order for his plans to succeed. God, but he hoped they would.

 

next

“Hello, Kate,” Mac said as he looked up from his pad. “What brings you to the infirmary?”

She smiled, handing him a folder. “Actually, I need you or Carson to sign off on a script for one of my patients, since they’re on medication for a chronic condition as well.”

Taking the folder from her, he walked into his office and sat down to read it, Kate following behind and sitting opposite him. “Right,” he murmured, grabbing a pen to scribble a note and handing the folder back to her. “What you have shouldn’t interact with the prescription he’s already on, but all the same I would prefer if he popped by for a check up.”

Kate nodded. “Of course. I’ll pass it along.” Mac’s laptop beeped. Quirking a brow, she glanced at it. “Something important?”

Mac shrugged. “Not particularly. Kimberly is working on a search program for the Ancient database and I’m testing it out for her. It was just letting me know it hit results.”

“Ah. Yes, I imagine it would make life a lot easier for the departments if the database were easier to navigate. I’ve heard Dr. McKay offer his opinion often enough on the state of it,” she said, grinning.

Mac chuckled. “Aye, he has.” Leaning back in his chair, he eyed her carefully. “So how are you doing, Kate?”

Kate’s eyebrows rose further, her smile bemused now. “Shrinking the shrink?” she quipped. “I’m doing alright. I’m still getting used to having the Ancient technology work for me, to be honest. I find it slightly disconcerting to be able to lock a door by merely thinking about it, for example. Don’t get me wrong, it comes in handy at times, but with my line of work, you can’t help but ponder on what some of the consequences could be under certain circumstances.”

Narrowing his eyes, Mac leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. “Do you think that’s something we need to worry about?” Mac knew that Kate referred to the potential of the control being used against someone. As thorough as the screening had been for the expedition, he was well aware that there were some things that couldn’t always be caught until it was too late. Mac certainly hoped that they never would have to deal with any form of abuse among their people. They had more than enough to deal with in the day-to-day life in Pegasus, in his opinion, without adding that to the mix.

Kate inclined her head slightly. “It’s something I’ll always be wary of. I’ve seen too much not to, truth be told.”

Sighing, Mac nodded in understanding. “Aye, I know.” The laptop chimed again and Mac smiled apologetically.

Kate got to her feet. “I’ll let you get back to work. It sounds like you’ve got some reading to do,” she said easily.

“You let us know if something happens, won’t you?” Mac understood patient/doctor confidentiality, but there were things that he felt needed addressing ASAP if they ever cropped up.

“Of course, Mac. And that goes for you, too.”

“But of course.” Mac agreed readily. “It’s our duty to see to the health and safety of the expedition, after all. In every capacity.”

“So it is.” Kate smiled as she came around the desk and patted his shoulder. “Hope you find whatever it is you were looking for,” she said with a tilt of her head toward the screen.

He grinned. “Thanks. I’ll see you later, okay?”

With a nod of acknowledgement she headed out the door, leaving Mac to pore over his findings. He was rather glad that Carson was out on the mainland today because he had put Kimberly’s program to work looking for anything related to the DNA markers they had discovered, despite Carson’s insistence they stop looking. As he read over the results, his stomach flipped and his mind started to race. The markers were indicators of a soul bond? How was that even possible! Yet it seemed like that was the case.

Needing to confirm what he had read, Mac pulled up the results of the tests again and began to compile a list of matches. It took him a couple of hours to complete it, and, as he read over the names, it dawned on him that the list was incomplete. Every single ATA-carrier was on it – with or without a match in the system – except for Mac and one other.

Evan Lorne.

Mac’s heart beat wildly as he searched for their results. He frowned when he found them in a folder Carson had created and which included at least one of the logs that Mac’s search had brought up. Hand shaking, he clicked open the files and stared at his screen. They were a match. Evan was his soulmate, whatever that meant.

Worse, Carson had known and he had kept it from them. He had asked for Mac’s help, even. Stunned, Mac cupped his hands, covering his nose and mouth, eyes fixed on the markers. He couldn’t have looked away if he wanted to. His mind was spinning like mad on what this might mean for him. For Evan – especially for Evan. Growing up, he had heard people talk of soulmates, of course, but it had always been an over-romanticized notion to him. Something that simply meant two people feeling a profound love for each other, but this? This implied there was so much more to it than that.

Mac felt uneasy, almost unwilling as he minimized the screen when the search chimed again. Pulling up the latest logs, he started reading. The leaden feeling in his stomach got worse the more he read, eventually feeling more like molten lava than lead. The log contained the findings of a researcher into the soulbond, showing some of the core attributes of soulmates.

On the whole, it seemed as the two bonded were – and for some reason Mary Poppins popped in his head – ‘practically perfect in every way’. On some levels, they provided a yin/yang balance, on others, they were equally matched. They would always be drawn to each other and, though they could certainly find love outside of a soulbond if for some reason they never met their mate, they would never be complete without them.

Once a soul bond had been connected and fully consummated, they would gain a sense of each other much like one would with Ancient tech. You would know they were near, if they were hurt, and when they died, it was devastating to the mate left behind. Often, they would follow soon after, but there were a few cases mentioned where the surviving mate lived on, though it didn’t mention details.

Pushing away from his desk, Mac stumbled to his feet and began pacing his office. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real! Yet Mac couldn’t deny that he could feel the truth of it down to his bones. Scrubbing his face, he stared at the back of his laptop.

Evan was his soulmate, and Carson had known. Those were the two things Mac kept coming back to, unable to truly reconcile either. He was beyond pissed with Carson for the lack of honesty – or even outright betrayal – for keeping something as important as this from him. Why had the man not told him? Why had he insisted on stopping the search for further information? It didn’t make sense to him, and it hurt him on a level he couldn’t even begin to name.

And then there was Evan. What was Mac supposed to do now? How on Earth could he tell Evan they were soulmates after learning about Jim? He wasn’t naïve enough to believe that it wouldn’t mess with Evan’s head and heart to learn that the love of his life was not the mate of his soul. Yet how could he not tell? Keeping it from Evan would put him just as much at fault as Carson. Mac couldn’t see how either scenario would be a good thing for them. It would be a blow to Evan no matter what he ended up doing, and he wasn’t entirely certain their relationship, if one could call it that yet, could stand that sort of trial. Even if they were mates.

“Oh, fuck me,” he muttered desperately, lodging his fingers in his hair as he stared up at the ceiling.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So,” Ioan said quietly while he waited for Kimberly to be done for the day. Casting a furtive glance around the room to ensure no one was within earshot, Ioan added, “It’s movie night tonight.”

Kimberly’s mouth twitched. “You don’t say?” She was falling hard for Ioan, she knew that, but she couldn’t resist teasing him.

The glare that came her way was mild at best and it had her stifling a chuckle. “They’re showing The Wizard of Oz. I thought maybe we could go see it together?”

Kimberly cast him a sideways look, taking in the faux-casual stance he was trying to convey, but she could see the underlying tension by the way his fingers twitched against his thigh. Like he was trying to keep from touching her. It made her smile. “Another date?” she whispered.

Ioan nodded, chewing the inside of his lip. She tapped her chin. “Which version?” she asked, attempting to keep a straight face.

“The Judy Garland one. Mitchell insisted,” Ioan said, sounding amused.

Grinning, she leaned against her desk. “Did he? Well, well, well, fancy that. Alright, then. The Wizard of Oz, it is.” She had the sense to not add ‘it’s a date’. “What time does it start?”

Checking his watch, Ioan shrugged. “About an hour and a half from now, so we’ll have time to grab a bite to eat beforehand.”

Turning back to what she was doing, she nodded. “Guess I’d better hurry up then. I would like to change into something not uniform-ish, if that’s okay with you.”

She could tell he was grinning as he stepped back. “Okay. I’ll leave you to it. Mess hall in fifteen?”

Kimberly nodded. “I’ll see you then.” She looked up to watch Ioan leave. She really was in trouble with him. Ioan appeared to be everything she’d ever wanted in a guy. Handsome, intelligent, loyal, brave, to name a few. And he seemed as taken with her as she was with him. She had never felt such a connection with anyone before, not that she had had a ton of boyfriends. She had been busy with either her studies or work, after all, but she wasn’t a virgin either.

Sighing, she shook her head at herself. It was all well and good, but the fact that they worked together bothered her. Not so much from her own sense of mores on the issue, but because of the regulations they had to work under. Still, she couldn’t wish for things to be different because if either of them hadn’t worked for the SGA, they would never have met at all. And life without Ioan in it seemed to be unfathomable to her already and they hadn’t even so much as kissed yet.

Hurrying through the process of logging out and putting the few things away that needed to be, she made it back to her apartment with just enough time to change into her favorite blue jeans and black knit sweater. Suppressing the nervous flutters in her stomach as she entered the mess hall, she scanned the room for Ioan. Kimberly frowned, feeling a little disappointed when she couldn’t find him.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump, and she turned to find Ioan standing behind her, grinning. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I bumped into Evan on my way down and got held up. You ready to grab a bite?”

Eyeing him carefully, she tilted her head. “Everything alright with Evan?”

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Ioan nodded. “Yeah, he just needed to check on something for tomorrow’s mission is all.”

Good. She was glad. She had seen Mac earlier and he had seemed upset, though he refused to talk to her about it. She had gone to check on what he thought of her program now that he had used it for a couple of days. She always liked to have other people check on things like that, because while she knew how something was supposed to work and found it easy to use a program she had created, she had realized early on in her career that the same could not be said for someone not as skilled with computers. Which is why she had given access to Mac, Major Sheppard, and Elizabeth for them to give her input.

Putting on her brightest smile to cover her worry for her friend, she nodded. “Then let’s eat, shall we? We can’t be late for the movie,” she added with a wink as she made her way to the line. They spent dinner talking, mostly about her new search program and Ioan’s upcoming mission to a potential trade world. They were so engrossed, they almost didn’t make it to the makeshift theater on time. The theater was basically a large room that had a blank wall and enough space to place several rows of chairs. Not the most comfortable of ways to watch a movie, but it gave a bit of normalcy and nostalgia that everyone was willing to put up with.

Sliding into their seats, Kimberly noticed Carson and Miko a couple of rows in front of them. Good for them, she thought. As the music started, she leaned into Ioan and whispered in his ear, “I have a feeling we’re not the only ones here on a date.”

Ioan shivered, turning to look at her questioningly. Jerking her head to indicate Carson and Miko, she grinned up at Ioan. “Carson’s been in love with Miko for ages, and she him. They just keep tap dancing around each other. Looks like one of them finally asked the other out.”

There was an unreadable look in Ioan’s eye as he shook his head. “I’m not so sure. I heard Carson talk about the movie at lunch. Miko overheard him and asked about it. She said something about loving old movies and when Carson suggested they go together the man all but stumbled all over himself to reassure her there was no hidden agenda.”

Kimberly groaned, closing her eyes as she rested her forehead against Ioan’s shoulder. “Please tell me you’re joking,” she mumbled.

Briefly reaching up to touch her cheek, Ioan chuckled softly. “Sorry.”

Straightening, Kimberly sighed and shrugged with a ‘well, what can you do?’ look at Ioan. Their eyes met and it took all her willpower not to lean in and kiss him there and then. Oh, how she wanted to feel his lips against hers. Ioan, too, appeared to be struggling before shaking his head and clearing his throat. “Movie?” he asked hoarsely.

Shifting, she sat as close to him as she dared without it being inappropriate and tried to pay attention to the movie. Maybe she could convince Ioan to come to her apartment afterward, and they could finally have that kiss. Or even more.

 

next

“So how are you going to explain this one to Elizabeth?” Rodney wondered as they trudged back toward the gate. “I mean, you just basically offered the Genii weapons, John, and with how you always seem to imitate Kirk, I’m really surprised you have never heard of a little something called the ‘Prime Directive.’”

John snorted, shaking his head. “Oh, please. The only person I know that’s anything like the characters from Star Trek is Beckett. I am nothing like Kirk.”

“Ha! Says the man who flirts with every alien person he comes across. Case in point, Sera.”

“Sora,” John corrected him.

“See! See! That’s exactly what I mean,” Rodney argued, snapping his fingers before jabbing one in John’s chest. “Anyway, so not the point right now. The point is, it is a bad idea to give weapons and technology to a people less advanced than yourself. Every episode where they do that in Star Trek is evidence of it.”

Shaking his head, John began dialing the gate. “Rodney, we’re not in Star Trek. And they don’t want to have the C4 to use as weapons, they’re going to use it to clear fields.”

Folding his arms over his P90, Rodney shot him an incredulous look. “Please, tell me you are not that gullible.” Seriously, he had to be joking, right? There was just no way that John would be stupid enough to believe what the Genii seemed to be selling – and Rodney wasn’t talking about tava beans. He still felt a small pang of disappointment that it hadn’t been javabeans. His supply of coffee was running dangerously low.

Sounding calm and with a look of extreme patience, John met his eyes. “They will get the C4, enough to clear a few fields, and along with the C4 will be a few Marines to ensure that is all it’ll be used for, because they will be the ones that have the detonators. And to make sure we get our Marines back the way we sent them out, I’ll be sending along a cloaked jumper for back up.”

Rodney blinked. “You don’t trust them.”

“I don’t trust them,” John intoned quietly with a slight dip of the head.

“But then, why-?” He was confused, head swiveling between John and back toward the village where Teyla and Ford were staying behind for the harvest festival. Teyla’s reaction to the invitation had been more than enough incentive for Rodney to not want to hang around, but now he began to wonder if he should have stayed with them. Were they safe?

Pulling Rodney toward the gate, John explained, “It’s a simple quid pro quo, Rodney. They have something we need, we have something they want. We scratch their back and hopefully, they will scratch ours. Or as the case may be, they’ll give us a large share of their crop. And that is exactly what I’ll tell Elizabeth, too.”

Rodney felt oddly proud as they stepped through the gate. Once back in Atlantis, he grinned at John. “You know, you’re a lot more devious than you look.”

John snorted. “Thanks? But let’s just keep that between you and me, okay? Our little secret.”

“What will be your little secret?” Elizabeth asked with a curious grin.

Eyes widened, Rodney scrambled to think of an excuse, but John beat him to the punch. “Well if I told you that, it wouldn’t be a secret anymore, now would it?”

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing them. Folding her arms, she tried to keep from smiling. “Fair enough. So where’s the rest of your team, Major?”

John and Rodney shared a glance, then John jerked his head toward her office. As soon as they were inside, he started to explain what had happened, but once the words ‘give them some C4’ passed his lips, Elizabeth held up her hand. “Rodney, would you mind stepping outside for a moment. I need a word alone with Major Sheppard.”

Her eyes were hard and never left John, who gazed steadily back at her, though he did cast a brief, reassuring smile at Rodney. After a moment’s hesitation, Rodney cleared his throat and with one last look over his shoulder, he left the office. As soon as the door closed behind him, he could hear Elizabeth’s raised voice, “Give them C4? Major, what were you thinking?”

Rodney wanted to cringe but he held his head up, daring anyone to say anything. Grodin gave him a sympathetic look as he walked past him. Sighing, Rodney headed down the stairs, figuring he might as well swing by the mess hall for a snack. He had a feeling Elizabeth and John would be a little while.

Ioan fell into step as he walked toward the transporter. “Everything alright?” he asked quietly.

Shrugging, Rodney hit the control panel as soon as he was inside, sending them near the mess hall. “I don’t think Elizabeth’s too keen on Major Sheppard’s negotiation skills.”

Rodney told Ioan what had happened over coffee, and, when he was done, Ioan barked a laugh. “So he basically just violated the Prime Directive?”

Snapping his fingers, Rodney grinned with satisfaction. “See! That’s exactly what I told him, too! I think we need to give him a refresher course on all things Trek because the man is obviously way too much like Kirk and he doesn’t even realize it.”

Ioan laughed, twisting his empty cup back and forth. “Well, that shouldn’t be a problem. I think Teal’c made sure to add the entirety of Star Trek to the library, so we could totally have a themed movie night for the next few weeks.”

“Oh, I’m all for that. Seriously, the man needs to be better educated.”

“I do, huh?” John drawled from behind Rodney, causing him to jump.

Blushing slightly, Rodney put up a faux-confident front. “Major! Yes, you really do. Ioan’s already said he’ll help me-,” he started.

Ioan threw up his hands, interrupting him. “Hey, you leave me out of this. I have no desire to be on KP duty for the next two months – or worse.”

Rodney narrowed his eyes at Ioan, who grinned back unabashed. “Traitor,” Rodney hissed under his breath. “Just you remember who’s in charge of your hot water.”

“Relax, Lieutenant. I’ll let you off the hook. This time,” John said, amusement clear in his voice. “Well, Rodney, you ready to head back?”

Eyes widening, Rodney got to his feet. “Did she okay the deal?”

“Yes, Rodney,” John said patiently, “she okayed the deal, now come on. We gotta go or we’ll miss the whole harvest party.”

And wouldn’t that be a shame, Rodney thought. Casting a wary eye at John, Rodney wasn’t entirely sure the man was serious or not, but decided to just go with it. It was usually best, he’d found, to pretend he understood what people were doing and why, even if he didn’t have a clue. Though lately, he found himself actually wanting to understand the inner workings of one Major Sheppard.

As they made their way back to the gate, John led them away from the path they had been told to use. After about half an hour of walking, Rodney was certain they were lost. It had taken him that long to figure it out because he had been focusing on his handheld out of long habit. Looking up, he shook his head. “You have no idea which way to go, do you?” he asked, somewhat amused. It had become apparent over time that while John had a great sense of direction when flying, he was less able to figure out where to go when on foot.

John looked a little affronted as he always did upon being reminded of that particular failing. “I’m just trying to get my bearings.”

Rodney’s mouth twisted as he suppressed a smirk. “Translation: I’m lost.” He tried to keep his amusement out of his voice, he really did. Barely stifling a chuckle, Rodney flailed his arm in the general direction of the village – at least, he thought it was the direction of the village. “They were very clear on which route to take,” he reminded John.

“I prefer a straight line,” he grumped, stubbornly continuing along their path.

Rodney huffed softly. “Of course, because everything’s a shortcut in Sheppard’s world,” he murmured, peering at his handheld again. “Huh.” Well that was decidedly odd. “Okay, here it is again,” he muttered, frowning at the spike in energy he was reading.

“What?” John came to a halt, eyeing him expectantly.

Glancing up, Rodney pointed ahead. “I’m picking up a strange reading from right over there.” A barn? That just made no sense.

“Define ‘strange’,” John cut through Rodney’s thoughts.

Rodney blinked stupidly at him. “You don’t know what ‘strange’ means?” Seriously?”

Rolling his eyes, John pressed, “I know what ‘strange’ means, Rodney.”

“Weird, freakish, off,” Rodney spoke over him, even as John continued, “I’m just trying to determine whether it’s worth getting off the route back to the village.”

Waving his handheld, Rodney gave him an exasperated look. “It’s a radioactive reading and we’re in Amish world. Your call.” And the fact he was even putting the words ‘Amish’ and ‘radioactive’ in the same sentence was enough to weird Rodney out. There was something really ‘off’ about these people, he decided. Shaking his head, he added, “We’re lost anyway, what difference does it make?”

“I am not lost,” John insisted, squaring his shoulders a little. Rodney watched John’s face closely, wondering who the man was trying to fool. It was both an endearing and decidedly frustrating aspect of Sheppard, Rodney decided even as John said, “Alright. Let’s check it out.”

Yeah, Rodney was so not surprised by that. Sighing, he followed John. He had the sinking feeling their day was about to take a turn for the worse.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Major Sheppard took Ioan and Evan aside, leaving their teams to prepare for the mission, and met their eyes in turn. “I need for you to stay under the radar. Do not announce your presence until you hear from me. Is that clear?”

Ioan and Evan shared a glance, then both nodded. “Yes, sir.” It wouldn’t do to give their hand away too quickly to the Genii, Evan knew. Not after the briefing they had just had about them holding half of AR-1 hostage – and that was after them having threatened to kill the entire team outright. Allies, they were not. However, the Genii were the closest thing they had in Pegasus to a potential aid in taking out the Wraith and they were definitely determined to wipe them out, as evidenced by this little trip to blow up one of the Hive ships with one of the prototype nuclear bombs the Genii had created.

“Good. Evan, you’ll follow me on to the Hive ship.”

“Comms as usual? Ears only?” Evan asked, just to make sure.

“Affirmative,” Sheppard acknowledged. “Ioan, I want you to stay on the Genii homeworld and keep an eye on things. Once the mission is over, I fully expect them to double cross us, so when I say, you decloak immediately and be ready to fire a warning shot.”

Evan inclined his head. “Yes, sir. We have your six, sir.”

“Excellent. Alright, let’s move out,” Major Sheppard ordered, heading to jumper one.

Before Ioan could walk away, Evan grabbed his arm, frowning. “Be careful out there. I really don’t like the sound of those people,” he urged. He didn’t much care for the idea of leaving his little brother behind on that planet, but he trusted him to do his job, and he knew Sheppard was right.

Ioan smiled reassuringly. “Of course, Ev. As long as you’re careful, too. I’m not the one searching out a Hive ship.”

Flashing Ioan a grin, he let go. “You know me, Ioan. I don’t go looking for trouble.”

Ioan huffed. “Yeah, but it always seems to find you anyway,” he retorted.

Evan smiled at the old, familiar exchange. “Go on. Before we’re both reprimanded.”

With a brief salute and a laugh Ioan went to join his team in jumper two, while Evan went to jumper three. Going through the motions of pre-flight – not that the jumpers had a whole lot to do in that regard, not compared to Earth vessels at any rate – Evan allowed himself a moment to marvel at everything they had discovered since coming to Atlantis. He would readily admit that the jumpers were by far his favorite part.

Timing their departure carefully, they made it through the gate without being detected by the Genii. His scanners showed no signs of life in the immediate vicinity of the stargate, which was all the better. They also showed the Genii underground complex Major Sheppard had mentioned. Evan glanced to the left where he knew Ioan and his team were, even though he couldn’t see them.

They listened as Sheppard, who had his comms open so they could all hear, and a Genii called Cowan went over the plan again. Cowan insisted on coming along, stating that he had memorized the layout of the Hive ship and that he would not trust the Lanteans to do their part without him present.

Evan’s jaw twitched in annoyance at the disdain and distrust evident in the man’s voice and he shared a determined look with his team as they listened to Sheppard and the rest of AR-1 returned to their jumper with Cowan and another Genii in tow, and as soon as they were on board, the gate began to spin. Checking that everything was still as it should be, Evan prepared to follow them. No one had spoken, aside from a terse, “Have a seat,” from Sheppard.

Once they arrived on the other side, Evan scowled when they heard one of the Genii – Cowan, Evan thought – say, “How many of these ships do you have?” Evan didn’t care for the man’s tone at all. It sounded almost proprietary to his ears, and judging by Sheppard’s curt, “Just the one,” Evan thought he felt the same.

“Alright. Same as last time. Through the front door,” came Sheppard’s voice not long after. Evan checked his screen, adjusting his course slightly to match the major’s and followed him inside, straight through the main entrance. It still baffled Evan that the Wraith had no security in that respect, but then he supposed they probably never had to deal with anyone with the technology or the brass to just go waltzing into a Hive ship before.

Evan and his men watched as the other team disembarked, and John turned to Ford. “Okay. Hold down the fort,” he said with a brief glance to where he knew jumper three to be.

That was another thing that never ceased to amaze Evan. Because of how strong his gene was, John could sense Ancient technology like the jumpers when they were within a certain range. “That’s one thing we really should test one of these days,” he muttered quietly to himself.

“What was that, Major?” Stevenson asked from the co-pilot’s seat.

Evan shook his head. “Nothing. Keep an eye on things. I want to be ready in case they need our help.”

“Yes, sir,” echoed quietly through the jumper as his team acknowledged his order.

They sat in silence as they listened to the other team make their way through the Hive ship. Evan’s stomach flipped at Teyla’s, “These people were cocooned for later feeding.” He shuddered at the mental image that brought forth. He wasn’t sure whether it was a curse or a blessing that he didn’t have an actual visual.

“We don’t have time for this.” Cowan again, thought Evan.

“They could be your people for all you know,” John ground out, disgust clear in his voice. He ordered Teyla to take care of this, which Evan thought likely meant trying to save whomever they had found. Sheppard and McKay went with Cowan. With a jerk of the head Evan had Stevenson monitor Teyla while he remained focused on the others.

Cowan’s, “This is it, but the ship’s plans I memorized did not include how to operate this door,” had Evan paying even closer attention. There was a pause, and then Sheppard’s, “Trying to blow this door’ll make too much noise.” Damn, that couldn’t be good. But Sheppard had said to stay cloaked unless ordered, so all he could do was listen.

McKay’s, “Hm. So, find another way. Okay,” made Evan smile. Back in the mountain, Evan hadn’t much cared for the man. In truth, he hadn’t really known him, but he had heard stories about him and none had been good. The few times he had had dealings with him, McKay’s abrasive behaviour had confirmed the rumors and Evan had decided to steer clear of the man as much as possible.

Ioan, on the other hand, had had more opportunity to spend time with McKay and genuinely liked him. Something that at the time had positively baffled Evan. Now, though, he could see why his brother had taken to the man. Though he supposed it helped that Mac always spoke highly of McKay, and his opinion carried more weight than Evan would ever admit to anyone aside from his brother.

Evan was vaguely aware of Teyla and the other Genii arguing when gunfire erupted. Evan and Stevenson shared a look of horror, then exhaled in relief when they heard Teyla’s consternation over the radio. She didn’t sound hurt, just shocked and pissed. A dangerous combination with her, Evan had learned. Teyla’s voice came over the comms, “Major, we have been discovered.”

A piercing alarm sounded. Outside, Ford straightened, his gun ready. Evan held up a hand when his team made to head out. “Not yet,” he said, hating the thought as much as they did. Sheppard’s voice chimed, “We gotta get outta here. Ford, we’re on our way, hold tight.”

His team breathed as one. While Sheppard had spoken to Ford, the message had been for them. The next few minutes seemed to crawl by as they waited for them to return to the jumper. Thankfully, there were no more sounds of gunfire, and before too long, they came running toward them. Evan wondered where the other Genii was, but wasted no time following John out of the Hive and back to the planet.

As Sheppard had predicted, the minute they had set foot on the Genii homeworld again, Cowan turned on them. Soldiers poured out of the surrounding area, armed to the teeth and trigger-happy. Stevenson huffed. “Well didn’t see that one a mile off, eh?”

The others chuckled. None of them were particularly worried as Cowan attempted to bully AR-1 into giving up their weapons, the jumper, and their C-4. Evan noticed how Teyla seemed to bristle at the betrayal of the Genii. “This is what your father died for? In the name of a people who would lie and steal from those they would call friends?” he heard her say.

“Yeah, well, I lied, too,” Sheppard said. “Jumpers two and three, execute.”

Evan decloaked at once, relieved to see Ioan do the same. He had to admit, it was rather rewarding to see the Genii startle at the sudden appearance of two jumpers hovering close by.

“You didn’t really think we had one ship, did you?” John asked Cowan. Evan snorted at the murderous look that earned Sheppard. John continued,” Tell your people to get back, nobody gets hurt.” When Cowan didn’t budge, the major straightened. “Jumper two, prepare to fire on my mark.”

Evan could just see his brother in the other cockpit. Their eyes met and he gave him a terse nod. Either the Genii would back off, or things were about to get dicey. Sheppard raised his hand to give the order, but paused when Cowan took a step forward. “Wait!”

Stevenson grunted. When Evan glanced at him, he merely shrugged. “The guy’s a coward.”

They could hear Cowan’s warning to Sheppard. “You do not want to make an enemy of the Genii.” Evan hummed in agreement with John’s assurance that it went both ways.

Once AR-1 was back in their jumper, John said, “Time to go home, gentlemen.”

With one last glance at the crowd they were leaving behind, Evan had the terrible feeling that they had not seen the last of the Genii. He really hoped he was wrong, because he didn’t think the Genii were a people who took defeat lightly, and they looked as if they could carry a grudge for a very, very long time.

 

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“No. No. No! A thousand times no! How many times do I need to tell you, Kavanagh, I don’t want you anywhere near the power distribution systems! The last time you touched them, you nearly blew up the city!” Rodney yelled, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. “God, why did the stupid therapy have to take on you?” he muttered under his breath, then raised his voice again. “You’re a menace, and I do not have the time to babysit you to ensure the safety of this city, so just do as you are told like a good little minion and save us all the trouble of having to fix your screw ups. Again.”

Rodney was vaguely aware of the other scientists huddled in groups as he reamed Kavanagh for once again attempting to go behind his back because the idiot thought he knew better than Rodney did. These were the moments Rodney fervently wished he could just space the man, since rotating him back to Earth was not an option. Eyes narrowing, Rodney pointed an accusing finger at Kavanagh. “As I recall, you were happy enough to try to save your own ass when my team and I were stuck in the gate. So it really astounds me that your sense of self-preservation seems to have disappeared.”

Kavanagh, red-faced, fuming, and mouth working soundlessly, glared back at Rodney. Finally, he ground out through his teeth, “I did not sign up for this expedition to become a glorified plumber!”

Not even bothering to hide his contempt for the man, Rodney crossed his arms and shot him a smug look. “Maybe not, but I am the CSO, not you, and I decide who gets to work on which projects. The desalination tanks need going over thoroughly, and you and Simpson get to do the honors. And for the record, I don’t hear him complain about it, so why should you?”

When Kavanagh opened his mouth, Rodney held up a hand to stop him. “No. I don’t want to hear any more of your whining. Now, I hear that you were offered a one-way trip to a nice, solitary planet. I’m sure Chuck can be convinced to dial the address if you continue to go against my orders, putting the entire expedition at risk.” Pausing just long enough to ensure Kavanagh got the point, he continued. “No? Okay then. Do the job I tell you to do. Now.”

Rodney ignored the mutterings of the other scientists while he stood watching Kavanagh grab his gear in a huff. Simpson rolled his eyes as Kavanagh stomped past him on his way out the door. With one hard look around the room, the others scurried off to tend to their own duties, leaving Rodney alone in the lab. At least, he thought he was alone, right up until someone cleared their throat behind him.

Spinning around, Rodney flushed when John stepped into the room, the door sliding shut behind him as he stalked toward him. Crowding Rodney against the opposite wall, John claimed his lips in a hard, brief kiss that stole the breath right out of Rodney. He was panting when John pulled away only to pepper his jaw with kisses. Nipping at his lobe, John whispered, “That should not have been as hot as it was.”

Clutching at John’s shoulders, Rodney chuckled hoarsely. “Hot, huh?”

John pulled back, grinning, eyes dancing. “Oh yeah.”

Rolling his eyes, Rodney huffed. “I swear to God, those kids were easier to deal with than Kavanagh. And that is saying something!”

John laughed, cupping his cheek. “Coming from you, yeah, it is.”

A snort escaped him before he could stop himself. Clearing his throat, he pushed John back a little, needing some space. Anyone could walk in, after all, and they had promised each other to be careful. John gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself,” he muttered, mussing his hair.

“Yes, well, no one ever said flyboys were known for their restraint, now did they?” Rodney teased, folding his arms as he watched him fondly.

A funny little smile played on John’s lips. “Funny you should mention flying,” he said playfully. At Rodney’s quirked brow, John continued, “I actually came by to see whether you still wanted to have flying lessons before our mission tomorrow. What do you say?”

Eyes widening, Rodney dropped his arms to his side. “What? Now?”

John shrugged. “I’ve got time, and you did say you didn’t have anything major on your plate today.”

Bouncing on the balls of his feet, Rodney grinned. “Really?”

Laughing, John nodded. “Yes, Rodney, really. Now, are you coming or not?”

In answer, Rodney grabbed John’s arm and manhandled him to the door. “Not yet, but soon,” he said sotto voce, blushing when he caught the glint in John’s eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Glancing over at Rodney, John bit his lip. The man was fully engrossed in his pad, taking in readings of the planet they were visiting. Shifting slightly in his seat, John tried to focus on his flying. Try being the operative word, because his thoughts kept circling back to the previous day. He wished Ford and Teyla weren’t sitting right behind them so he could tease McKay about joining the mile-high club. Though that would have been a case of the pot calling the kettle black, since his own ticket for that got punched at the same time Rodney’s did. Not that the man had believed him when he had told him.

“There’s some interesting power readings here,” Rodney muttered distractedly.

“Interesting, how?” John asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Huh? Oh. No ZedPM’s, unfortunately, but they’re more advanced than any civilization we’ve come across so far, judging by these,” Rodney said, pointing to the readouts on his pad. “Curious to see what’s down there.”

John had to admit that he was, too. From what he could tell of the landscape as he tried to find a good landing spot for the jumper, they seemed to be near to Earth’s industrial age. It never ceased to amaze John, the things they came across on their missions.

“Major, it seems as if they are aware of our arrival,” Teyla said quietly, pointing toward movement coming toward the plaza he was headed for.

“Great. A welcoming committee,” Rodney grumbled.

Ford chimed in, “Aww come on, McKay. They seem friendly enough.”

If by friendly, Ford meant they hadn’t fired on them yet, then John supposed the lieutenant had a point. John wasn’t going to ignore the fact that the man walking toward them was surrounded by men who had their weapons at the ready. Not hostile, but they were definitely prepared.

John cleared his throat. “Alright, kids, let’s remember to play nice with others, okay?” He was only half-teasing as he side-eyed Rodney, who scowled down at his pad, jabbing at the screen with more vehemence than John thought was strictly necessary.

Putting on his most charming ‘I’m harmless, honest!’ smile, John exited the jumper with the others close behind. “Hey folks,” he said, adding a jaunty little wave for good measure. “Hope it’s alright if I park here. If not, I can move to a better spot.”

The leader – at least, John was pretty sure the man was the leader – seemed amused as he inclined his head. “Welcome to Hoff. I am Chancellor Druhin, leader of our people.”

Grin widening, John introduced his team as usual, explaining that they were peaceful explorers. The Chancellor seemed to assess them for a moment, then nodded. “You are welcome to stay as our guests. I believe there is much our people can offer each other. Please, if you would follow me?”

It was apparent to John that the man was used to being obeyed. He turned and headed toward one of the larger buildings off the plaza, his entourage in tow. With one look to his team, John set to follow them. He knew he needn’t remind Rodney to be careful anymore, especially since they were in an urban setting. Ford and Teyla would both be on alert, too, just in case the Hoffans proved to be less welcoming than they appeared.

They spent the rest of that day and the next as guests of the Chancellor, after contacting Atlantis to let Elizabeth know what was going on. As missions went, this one was going okay. The Chancellor seemed to be willing to discuss possible trade options, which was always a plus in John’s book. They were currently on a guided tour of the facility where Rodney had gotten the energy readings from and John was doing his best to pay attention as the Chancellor explained, “Reliable power generation is one of our greatest concerns.”

John and Rodney shared a look. “With this project we soon hope to convert and utilize the intense heat trapped beneath the surface of our planet,” Druhin went on.

“Geothermal energy,” Rodney muttered, frowning. John could tell that Rodney wasn’t overly impressed with what he was seeing as they were shown into a room full of machines. Rodney didn’t disappoint, either. At least not in showing his disbelief as John had known he would. “Using this? Do you have any idea how complex geothermal energy is?”

John took a steadying breath, briefly closing his eyes. God love the man, but there were times that John wished he would learn when to keep his mouth shut in order not to offend potential allies. Now obviously being one of those times. “McKay,” he cautioned.

“I mean-,” Rodney started, then seemed to catch the warning in John’s voice and he turned around, looking slightly abashed. One of these days, John thought, Rodney would learn to better mind his manners. At least, he hoped he would. Though John couldn’t deny that the other man’s antics were entertaining at times, and probably more often than was healthy in the long run.

Clearing his throat, Rodney cast a furtive glance at John, then addressed Druhin. “Oh, err… I’m sure it’ll work like a charm.”

John looked at Druhin just in time to notice the look of disbelief on his face, though he didn’t say anything about it. Maybe Druhin had a few scientists of his own who weren’t that stellar in the interpersonal department, John thought. Hoping to smooth things over, John flashed him a brief smile. “Looks like you’re accomplishing great things here, Chancellor.”

Druhin nodded in acknowledgement. “Since the last culling we have worked diligently to rebuild our society.”

Teyla frowned slightly in worry. “Are you not concerned that your actions will attract the attention of the Wraith?”

“Yes,” Druhin said with a benevolent little smile, sticking his hands into his pockets as he turned to Teyla. “But we refuse to let that stop us from striving to reach our potential. To do otherwise would simply mean victory for them.”

The man sounded like he was explaining something so basic a child would understand. It was a little irritating, but John could sort of see his point. He didn’t much like the thought of giving up, either. It just wasn’t a word that was in his personal vocabulary, really.

“However, we are currently working on a viable defense,” Druhin said, side-eyeing John to gauge his reaction.

John’s attention was well and truly grabbed with the word ‘defense’, though. Straightening slightly, he faced the Chancellor. “Defense? Really?” He glanced back at Rodney who stepped up to John’s side. “We’ve been here two days before you mention that?” John asked, quirking a brow. He tried to keep any sense of challenge out of his voice, but he wasn’t sure how successful he was.

The Chancellor leaned against the door, shrugging unapologetically. “I had to learn that you could be trusted.”

John gave a quiet huff, as did Rodney. John supposed he couldn’t really fault the man that, but still! A defense against the Wraith? His mind was already spinning on what possible weapon the Hoffans could have devised to fight the Wraith. From what he had seen thus far, he doubted they would have anything capable of surface-to-air attacks.

Ford apparently was just as doubtful. “You’re talking about some kind of defensive weapon?”

Druhin seemed to be gloating a little as he answered slyly. “You could call it that. Something that we hope will protect us from the next Wraith culling.”

Rodney tilted his head, looking speculatively at the Chancellor. “So you’re expecting it to happen again.”

The man nodded. “Of course. But if the Wraith return as they have historically, they won’t be here for at least another fifty years.”

John cringed. Crap. Yeah, he was pretty certain that that timetable was out the window. Rodney shot him a knowing glare, muttering, “Fifty years, you say?”

Trying not to look too guilty, John took a deep breath. “How about that weapon?”

Druhin headed off even as he began to explain what they were working on. John and Rodney lagged behind and with every step they took, John’s stomach fell just a little lower. Especially when Rodney admonished him. “You haven’t told him we practically woke the Wraith from hibernation, have you?”

John swallowed hard past the lump of guilt stuck in his throat. “No, I haven’t. I really… haven’t had the chance,” he hedged, knowing it for the lie it was.

“We’ve been here for two days!” Rodney whispered reprovingly.

Cringing again, John gave a half-shrug. “More like a day-and-a-half.” Okay, and now he was definitely trying to grasp at straws. God, he needed an antacid or something, the way his stomach was starting to churn. He very much doubted the Hoffans would thank him for the knowledge of the Wraith awakening, especially since it was at his own hand.

“Major!” John flinched. It was never a good sign when Rodney used his title in that tone. “They’re not expecting the Wraith for another fifty. Years. We have to let them know they could show up at any time now,” Rodney continued, staring hard at John.

Heart beating nearly in his throat, John half-turned as they kept walking, his voice pitched low as he swept an arm out toward the Chancellor. “If you’re so eager, why don’t you tell them?!” The scowl that earned him was deserved, John knew, and he regretted his outburst the moment it had left his lips. Neither man spoke further as they hurried to catch up to the rest of the group, John praying all the way that coming clean wouldn’t mean losing a potential ally and having to fight their way back to the jumper.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mac scowled down at his laptop, his fingers hitting the keyboard harder than was wise due to his frustration. “Mac?” Evan asked, placing a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. Mac jumped, startled.

“Bloody hell, Ev, you nearly scared me to death,” Mac said, pulling his earbuds out, the sound of Aerosmith pouring out of them until Mac hurriedly turned the music off.

Chuckling, Evan squeezed his shoulder. “Sorry, you were in your own little world and you didn’t react when I called your name just now.” Brow furrowing, Evan leaned against the desk. “What’s going on? You seem upset.”

Mac huffed. “Aye, you could say that. You haven’t heard yet, then?”

Eyes wide, Evan shook his head. “Heard what? I’ve only just got back from off-world.”

Leaning back in his chair, Mac briefly stared at the ceiling as he tried to regroup. Scrubbing his face, he met Evan’s eyes. “You know about the mission AR-1 is on? Well, apparently the major has volunteered us to help them with a drug that they hope will keep the Wraith from feeding on them.”

Crossing his arms, Evan nodded. “That’s good, though, isn’t it? If they have a way to-” he started, but Mac cut him off.

“No, it’s not. I was here when Sheppard explained everything to Carson. They’ve been working on this thing for over a hundred and fifty years, Evan. Even if, and I stress ‘if’, such a thing were feasible, it wouldn’t be right. Carson’s gone over their findings and sent a sample of the drug here. I’ve looked at it, and there’s just something about it that doesn’t sit right. I mean, it looks good on the surface, but… I’ve tried to tell Carson, but he’s got blinders on. He sees the pure science of it and isn’t…”

Mac let out a growl. “They’re talking about testing it already.”

Evan shifted, watching Mac carefully. “Testing? How are they going to do that?”

Mac gave a gruesome smile. “Oh, this is where things get really bad, if you ask me. The Hoffans have a so-called volunteer for the ‘procedure’. They’re going to give him the drug, and then turn around and, for all intents and purposes, give the man to our friend ‘Steve’, as Major Sheppard has dubbed him.”

Evan straightened in shock. “They’re going to what?”

“You heard me.” Mac seemed to deflate. “First, do no harm. That’s a code we as doctors have to go by. This just isn’t right, Ev. I can’t see this ending well. I just can’t.”

Evan kneeled down beside Mac, resting one hand on his chair, the other cupping Mac’s neck. “Have you spoken to Dr. Weir about this?”

Mac closed his eyes and sighed. “Aye. I’ve gone on record, not that it did any good.”

“Then there’s little more you can do. Sometimes, following orders, it’s…” Evan trailed off with an awkward shrug, but Mac understood what he wasn’t saying. He wholeheartedly agreed.

Chuck’s voice came over the com a few hours later. “Dr. MacTavish to the gateroom. Bring a medical team for off-world travel.”

Mac tapped his com. “Chuck, any idea what we’re walking into? Do we need hazmat?”

“No need for hazmat, doc,” Chuck assured. “We just got a call from Lieutenant Ford. Apparently, the Hoffans pushed ahead on the drug and it’s backfired. They’re facing a pandemic among the population. Lieutenant Ford said to bring extra oxygen.”

Rubbing his eyes, Mac nodded. “Copy that. We’re on our way.”

It was a testament to Carson’s people that the medical team was through the gate not fifteen minutes later. Evan’s team was escorting the medical team. Apparently they had volunteered. The thought made Mac smile despite the situation they found themselves in. When they arrived at the hospital, Mac was more than touched by Evan’s support, he was bloody grateful. He had thought he was prepared for what he would be facing, but one look at the overcrowded rooms filled with people in various stages of dying… He had worked in the medical field for several years now. Had even worked for Médecins Sans Frontières for a year, something that he had believed adequate preparation for the Atlantis expedition, but this?

“Good God,” Evan murmured as he stood next to Mac.

Shaking his head, he shared a brief look with Evan. “Right. I’ll go find Carson. You and the rest of the team see what you can do to relieve the staff.”

Evan nodded, then went on his way after a quick squeeze of Mac’s shoulder. Trying to ignore the numerous death rattles, he went in search of Carson so he could be brought up to speed. Carson was trying to administer oxygen to a patient, but by the time Mac had rounded the bed the patient had perished. Taking a steadying breath, Carson glanced up at Mac with such a look of brokenness that Mac didn’t have it in him to say ‘I told you so’ to his friend. Instead, he asked, “What do you need?”

Carson offered a wan smile, then brought him up to speed, and before long both doctors were hip-deep in trying to save lives. Though, in truth, it was more a matter of easing people’s suffering, because no matter what they tried, they could find no cure. Nothing to even slow down the onslaught of death once the side effects of the drugs had the patients in its grasp.

Every so often, Evan checked in with Mac, offering support in whatever way he could. Making sure he remembered to eat and drink so he would not end up collapsing from exhaustion. They all worked for hours without pause, aside from necessities, and still it seemed there was no stemming the tide of the dying.

At one point, Mac realized that he hadn’t seen Carson in a while. “Hey, Ev, have you seen where Carson went?”

“Yeah, I think he got called to check on that lady doctor he worked with.” Evan pointed in the general direction of where he thought Carson had gone to.

Allowing himself a moment, Mac moved close to Evan, touching his shoulder. The contact helped ground him and he offered the other man a weak smile. “Thank you for coming. It means a lot to have you here like this.”

Reaching up, Evan patted Mac’s hand. “You’re welcome,” he said simply.

With a nod, Mac walked off, once again in search of his friend. Mac’s steps faltered when he discovered Carson at the bedside of the pretty blond doctor. Even with his back to Mac, Carson looked utterly devastated. A closer look told Mac why. Perna had passed away, and the weight of the guilt his friend felt for her death was painfully obvious.

Kneeling next to Carson, Mac placed a gentle hand on the man’s back and said quietly, “I’m so sorry, Carson.”

Seemingly unable to speak, Carson nodded jerkily as he stared at the woman’s face. Mac wasn’t sure what his friend’s feelings for the woman had been, but it didn’t really matter. Carson felt her loss keenly, and that was all that mattered. They sat by her bed for several minutes, letting the rest of the world pass by. The death rattles that had so shaken Mac upon first arriving had drifted to background noise – something that Mac tried not to think too much on.

It was Carson that roused first, carefully placing Perna’s hand down so she almost looked as if she was peacefully sleeping. Carson cleared his throat, scrubbing at his face before turning to face Mac. “Thanks.”

Mac gave him a small smile. “No need.”

Nodding, Carson got to his feet and glanced around with grief and determination clear on his face. Mac thought it would be a long, long time before the events of this day would stop haunting his friend.

“Right,” said Carson gruffly. “I think we’re done here.”

Quirking a brow, Mac silently asked if Carson was sure. People were still dying all around them, more sick coming in every minute. Carson set his jaw. “It’s time to go home. These people have made up their minds and there isn’t anything we can do for them. Not anymore.”

“Alright. I’ll pass the word,” Mac said, and putting deed to word he went to find his major.

 

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