Author's Note: Alright, if you haven't yet seen or heard of Sanctuary, go here: and you can watch the first four webisodes. This was intended to be a Sanctuary fic, but Sanctuary isn't a category on here.
"You wanted to see me?"
Sam looked up briefly from the report she was reading before turning her attention back to the screen and closing the program. "Yes, thank you, John. Please have a seat," she said, shutting her laptop and folding her arms over top of it.
John Sheppard quirked an eyebrow skeptically at the request, (normally whatever issue needed to be addressed didn't require that he take a seat) but he obliged, sitting down lightly in the seat across from her, as though prepared to jump up if needed.
"I'm afraid I've got some disturbing news," Sam began. She withdrew a thin manila folder from one of her desk drawers and pulled a glossy sheet of paper from it, handing it to her 2IC.
John frowned as he observed the image in his hands. It was hard to tell at first because it was so damaged, but it appeared to be a picture of a crashed Wraith dart. "Is that what I think it is?"
"I'm afraid so," Sam confirmed. "That photo was taken by some tourists just outside of Cambridge, England. Some NID agents were sent down to seal off the area and assess the damage, but… there's no one inside."
John's head shot up in disbelief. "Are you telling me there might be a Wraith loose on Earth?"
Sam sighed. "I'm afraid so." She paused for a moment to allow John to respond, but he didn't, so she continued. "Now, the IOA claims they may have a lead," she explained as she withdrew another sheet of paper from the folder and handed it to John. He studied it with furrowed eyebrows as she spoke. "A Dr. Helen Magnus. Apparently the English government had a run in with her in the past and they think she may be of assistance. Unfortunately… this is all the information they were able to gather on her."
John frowned. It appeared the only useful information on the page was the address of her current day job in a hospital in London. Most of the other information, including her home address and date of birth were marked: unknown. Even the box where her picture should have been was left blank.
"I'm sending you and your team to investigate. I'm authorizing you to do whatever necessary, but we need to track this thing down."
"Yes, ma'am," John replied. Sam nodded in respect and he left to go prep his team.
V
After gating to Earth, the team had caught a plane to Cambridge where they had a rendezvous with Agent Barrett to be briefed on the situation, and then they were on their way to London.
The four-man team swept into the hospital complex, earning a few strange looks from some nurses on duty. Ronon was especially fidgety at the idea of a Wraith running around, possibly anywhere, and it took some extra convincing for him to conceal his stunner.
John led the team straight to the front desk and showed his ID.
"Hi," he greeted, offering a friendly smile and pocketing his ID as quickly as he had whipped it out. "John Sheppard. United States Air Force."
"We need to speak with a Dr. Helen Magnus," Rodney snapped, handing over the paper they'd been given.
The woman behind the desk frowned and squinted at the paper for a moment before handing it back. "Never heard of her."
John looked perplexed as he accepted the paper.
"What do you mean you've never heard of her!" Rodney demanded. "She works here!"
The woman sighed deeply and slid her reading glasses off her nose so she could eye the men more properly. "Look, sir. I'm telling you, I've never heard of a Dr. Magnus. Perhaps you've got the wrong place."
Rodney was about to retort when they heard a voice behind them.
"Excuse me. Did you say Dr. Magnus?"
The team turned to face the owner of the voice with equally bewildered expressions. He was a young man with glasses, and his lab coat was casually slipped over a striped polo and jeans. John politely excused himself and maneuvered his way through Ronon and Teyla to stand in front of the man, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Yes…" he said, in answer to his question. "Who are you?"
The man, looking equally suspicious, offered his hand for John to shake. "Dr. Will Zimmerman."
"How do you know Dr. Magnus?" Ronon cut in rudely.
Will looked up at the large man standing in front of the counter, his muscular arms crossed in front of him and his face expressionless. He looked normal enough except for the long dreadlocks that hung down his back; a strange contrast with the gray, striped business suit he seemed to have been forcibly fitted into.
"I, um… work with her," Will responded, keeping a wary eye on the man's large hands, as though any second they might reach for a weapon. His eyes next fell on John's insignia. "Just out of curiosity, what does the United States Air Force want with Magnus?"
John exchanged glances with Rodney and sighed. "Well, I'm afraid that's classified. Do you think we could speak with her?"
Will frowned. "She's out of the office right now, but if you tell me what's so important I may be able to set an appointment."
John was beginning to grow impatient, and he inhaled deeply to prevent an outburst. "Isn't there any way we can contact her? Phone number? Email? An address, maybe?"
There was a silence while Will studied the team, obviously uneasy about the situation. Finally he gave in with a sigh. "Alright fine. Come with me."
He led them to a small office that seemed much bigger than it was simply because of the lack of furniture and the fact that the walls had been stripped bare. It seemed that whoever occupied the office had been packing things up. Will dumped his clipboard on a desk and sat down behind it.
"Um… you can go ahead and sit if you want," he offered, waving towards a couple of sad looking chairs propped up against the wall. "I don't really have many chairs…"
"No problem," Sheppard assured with a warm smile. "McKay, you want to…" he began, but the scientist glared at him so he decided not to bother with the invitation. He knew Teyla and Ronon certainly weren't going to sit down.
"Sorry about the mess," Will went on, as though he hadn't noticed the exchange. He was shoving some have empty cardboard boxes over to the edge of the desk so he might be able to see his guests. "Just been packing up." His gaze feel on Rodney and his eyebrows creased in interest for a moment. "That's funny. You look a lot like someone I used to know," he said.
Rodney frowned, unsure how to respond. "Really?" he said, feigning interest.
Will seemed to have moved on from the topic because he was no longer paying attention, but continuing to sort through papers that were still strewn on his desk, having yet to be organized. Finally, he had managed to unbury a phone and had lifted it from its cradle.
"Just so you know," he said as he tried to remember the correct number. "Helen doesn't exactly take too kindly to military officers."
Rodney looked somewhat worried by this statement, but John simply continued to grin. "Well, that's alright. You can tell her we're friendly."
Rodney rolled his eyes and Ronon glared sideways at him, as though to contradict the statement. Teyla quickly came to the rescue.
"Yes," she said, agreeing with John. "We only wish to speak with her. It is a matter of great importance."
Will sighed and began to dial, holding the phone close to his ear. Meanwhile, John nudged his companions and they filed out of the tiny room so they were huddled in the doorway, granting both themselves and the doctor some privacy.
John sighed to start out the conversation and all exchanged looks of anticipation.
"You know," Rodney began in a low voice, so as not to be overheard. "If we're going to get this woman to tell us anything we're probably going to have to give her security clearance."
"Hey, Helen?" They heard Will's voice from inside the room as he began his phone conversation.
John nodded. "I know. Look, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but Carter authorized us to use whatever means necessary and if this Magnus woman can tell us anything, we're going to need it."
"Yeah but how do we know she can tell us anything?"
"Or if she will?"
"We don't," John replied.
"Yeah, they're from the Air Force."
He continued. "But from what I've heard this is just her area of expertise. Now I'm not sure what that means exactly but its all we have to go on, so I say we go with it."
"I don't know. They say it's important."
Ronon crossed his arms and leaned against the wall as though growing impatient. "I don't like it."
John frowned. "Look," he snapped, addressing the group. "Let's all just put on our happy faces and try to act friendly." He glared for an extra moment at Rodney and Ronon before stepping back into the room just as Will hung up the phone.
Will waited until they were all present before he spoke, albeit in a bit of a weary tone. "She's agreed to meet with one of you."
"What!" Rodney snapped before anyone could stop him. John put his hand up to hold off any further argument.
"Fine. When would she like to meet?"
V
Leaving his team in the motel room after insisting they didn't accompany him in case it was a trap, John stepped out of the lobby into the cold, dark streets of the New City where rain was still pouring down hard. It really was such a depressing place; even the newer, less creepy parts of it. John wondered vaguely if the sun ever shone here.
He stepped out from under the cover of the building's overhang, allowing the rain drops to pound off his head as he searched the line of cars for the one that had been described to him. Finally, he located the black Sedan and jogged over to it, knocking lightly on the window to signal his presence before entering the quiet enclosure.
To his surprise, the woman sitting on the opposite end of the car didn't even look up as he stepped in, dripping pools of water from his shoes and jacket. She seemed to be completely engulfed in the tiny book she was reading. John couldn't make out the title, but from what he could see it had very tiny lettering and very few pictures.
The woman seemed somewhat out of place in the suburban setting. She wore a long, black trench coat and black hat that gave her a sort of mysterious image, which was only reinforced by the long dark hair that seemed to shadow her face.
John waited for a moment while he caught his breath, deciding to let her be the first to speak. He did hope he was in the right vehicle.
"You're Sheppard?" she finally said, pursing her lips and not looking up from the withered pages of the novel. John noticed she had an interesting accent, unlike the rest of the town's residents. He couldn't exactly place it. Was it British? Maybe with something else mixed in?
"Yes," he finally answered. All his confidence seemed to have left him, and somehow he felt intimidated by this woman. He began to scan the interior of the vehicle, and did a double take as he took in the large, dark shape that made up the driver.
"And how, may I ask, did you come to seek my assistance?"
John gulped as he turned to face her once more. He noted that she asked 'how,' not 'why.'
"Well, let me tell you; it wasn't easy. We were told you might be able to help us with a little situation of ours."
"Your situation being?"
John bit his lip. This was the part where he'd have to decide whether or not it was worth the risk.
"Classified, I presume?" Helen asked, still sounding uninterested. She looked up now, and John could swear her face looked familiar but he couldn't place it… "Yet I'm sure you wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of tracking me down if you were reluctant to provide me with information."
John didn't answer. She smiled knowingly and returned to her book. After an uncomfortably long silence, John finally gave in with a sigh.
"Alright, let's just say a very dangerous prisoner of ours has somehow managed to escape and find his way over here," John explained, trying to avoid giving away too much of anything.
"Not surprising," Helen said, bookmarking her page and looking up at John. "But I fail to see how this concerns me."
"Actually, I'm not really sure. Maybe you could help me with that," John suggested, turning the tables in his favor. After all, he wasn't the only one withholding information.
Helen raised an eyebrow. "My government failed to tell you what it is I do for a living?"
"Oh, they failed to tell us much of anything."
Helen grinned. She hadn't expected them to. She had had but one encounter with them in the past and that was during an incident with some escaped waregoats.
"Then perhaps you could give me a description of this escaped prisoner of yours?" she suggested. "Then I may have a better idea of what you're looking for."
John thought for a minute, and now he thought about it, he didn't even know the identity of the alleged Wraith. But most of the Wraith they'd encountered did tend to look quite similar… He shrugged. "Oh, well, he's tall… White hair. A little pale. You may notice some strange markings…"
Helen's eyes went wide and she turned more fully to face him. "On his face?"
John pointed his finger at her ecstatically. "That's the one!"
Helen was grinning now. "So the government has been in possession of abnormals after all."
John frowned. Perhaps he had said too much. "I'm sorry. Ab-what?" he tried. But Magnus was not easily fooled.
"Don't play at that. You know full well what I'm talking about."
John didn't respond, but before he was even given the chance, Helen had thrust out her arm, offering him something. He looked down and raised an eyebrow at the tiny white business card that bore the word SANCTUARY along with some other small print.
"We'll continue this discussion later; in a more secure location, perhaps?"
John gave her a puzzled look and took the token. As his hand made contact, the tiny gateway wrung shut and the words FOR ALL appeared at the bottom. John looked up, as though to ask for an explanation, but Helen was already engulfed in her book again.
He slowly stepped out of the car, back into the pouring rain and watched as the black Sedan drove off. The business card clutched safely in his hand, he sighed. Boy, did he have a story to tell the team.
V
The next evening, the team sat silently (except for Rodney, who was blabbering away about the ridiculousness of this plan) in the old rental car as it made its way slowly through the dark and abandoned streets of the Old City. John ignored him, staring with scrutiny at the road ahead.
Finally, they reached their destination and John announced it with, "Well, kids, here we are…"
The passengers stared with mixtures of doubt and disgust at the towering structure before them.
"Are you certain?" Teyla asked in disbelief.
John took another look at the building and nodded, remembering the strange woman he had met the night before. "Yup."
The car pulled slowly up to the closed iron gates and John was beginning to wonder how they'd get in when the entrance way creaked open, and they hesitantly made their way to the front of the creepy mansion.
After knocking several times, they let themselves in. Inside was a long hallway with marble flooring. Fortunately, it was lit with more than just old torches, as John had expected. They wandered in, looking about aimlessly as their footsteps echoed off the walls.
"Hello!" John called.
Suddenly, a hulking figure in a tux rounded the corner carrying a tray of assorted teas and Rodney screamed and jumped back in surprise. Ronon reacted immediately; pulling out the gun he'd been concealing since his arrival and pointing it at the creature's forehead.
The tray was knocked over and it clattered to the floor. Bigfoot roared and crouched over, bearing his teeth and claws. A moment later, another figure, smaller, had rounded the corner and stood beside him, pointing a gun much like Ronon's at the intruders.
"What the hell is that thing!" Rodney demanded, his eyes glued to the creature before him and his voice trembling with fear.
The tension was broken by the clicking of stilettos on marble flooring. "That thing," came the familiar voice of Helen Magnus as she appeared behind her comrades. "is my butler. And I'd appreciate if you didn't point your weapons at him."
John tried to calm his breath and motioned for Ronon to put down his gun. "Now, Ronon, there's no need for violence," he reasoned, and Ronon reluctantly lowered his weapon.
Ashley's gun, however, did not waver.
"Mom, who are these guys?" she demanded.
"Our guests," Helen replied distastefully.
John waved and tried to keep up a friendly smile. So much for getting off to a good start, he thought.
"Come," Helen ordered impatiently, and she was striding down the lengthy corridor. Ashley finally lowered her gun, but kept it handy. She "politely" allowed the guests to go first and she took up the rear, prepared to draw her weapon again if need be. Bigfoot huffed and stayed behind to pick up the broken china.
The team was led up two or three levels in a rickety old-fashioned lift and down another series of corridors past rooms unknown. These levels, John observed, seemed much more high-tech then the ground floor. They held light conversation as they went along their tour.
"So, what exactly is this place?" John queried, since for once Rodney was too nervous to speak.
"This," Helen explained. "Is the Sanctuary. Board and shelter to all manner of abnormals."
Teyla raised an eyebrow. "What are Abnormals?"
"A polite term used for those of us highly evolved or otherwise deformed human beings. Some may call them monsters." Rodney swallowed a lump in his throat as the doctor continued her explanation. "My butler is only one of the many residents that reside here; including, if I am not mistaken, your old friend."
Helen grinned as the team exchanged nervous glances. They reached an automatic door and Helen laid her hand upon a scanner to open it.
Inside was a huge, open, laboratory-like room. An assortment of colorful and unidentifiable, (even to Rodney) machines and equipment hung from the ceiling, as though to be controlled by remote. But that was not the strangest part of the room.
Lining the walls of the circular enclosure were what appeared to be numerous large, glass tanks. One, the closest to them, was filled with murky green water and something seemed to be swimming around in it. John wandered over to it and his team followed in pursuit, examining the contents of the many enclosures.
John stared for several long moments at his reflection in the glass before he was met with a pair of beady black eyes, and he backed away just in time to see the head and torso of some kind of merperson before it darted out of sight.
A rather high-pitched scream was heard and John whirled around to find Rodney cowering behind Ronon, a man with two faces laughing at him from behind the glass.
Ronon frowned at the display and spun around ferociously. "Where's the Wraith?" he demanded to know.
Helen was not intimidated by his tone though, and simply shrugged. "Very well," she said casually, and walked the short distance to one of the glass tanks, standing before it. "See for yourselves."
Ronon jogged over to where she was standing, closely followed by Teyla, John and Rodney. They almost groaned in irritation as they recognized the occupant.
John sighed. "Todd."
V
"We discovered him deep within the forest during a ware-hunt," Helen explained. She was sitting behind the desk of her cozy office, sipping hot tea. "He was badly injured, but I managed to make the necessary repairs. His physiology is really quite fascinating."
"Well, sure if you call terrifying, life-sucking, space-vampire fascinating!" Rodney said, huddling closer to the fire. Teyla grinned and patted his arm reassuringly.
"Clearly you don't know my mother," Ashley mumbled from where she sat in the corner. Helen ignored this comment.
"Did you say space vampire?"
John and Rodney exchanged glances. "Well… technically…"
"So you guys are from outer space?" Will asked, having recently joined the group.
John bit his lip. He was still unsure how much to tell this people, and whether or not they could be trusted, but they did need to earn their trust. "Well, yes and no…" he said. This earned a few raised eyebrows and he hurried to continue. "I mean, we are from Earth originally. Us two, not them," he said, waving a hand at the two aliens. "We're just living in a place, far, far away…"
There was a moment of silence before anyone responded.
"Cool," Ashley said, as though encountering aliens was as normal to her as finding her favorite flavor of ice cream.
Helen looked not surprised, but rather disappointed. "Of course the government would concern itself with problems in other galaxies before concerning themselves with those here."
John frowned. "Actually, we didn't even know that these things…" Bigfoot grunted as he leaned over to refill empty teacups. John quickly corrected himself. "…people… existed until now."
"So wait," Will cut in as Bigfoot stomped out of the room. "You're telling me that this thing… this Wraith…"
"Is an alien," John finished for him.
"So, what is he doing here?"
"Look, I don't know!" Rodney answered quickly. The question had in fact been bothering him since they arrived. It was quite obvious that Todd stole the information while he was in Atlantis, but why would anyone fly a lone Wraith dart to Earth? He supposed after forming an alliance with humans, Todd wasn't exactly too popular with the Wraith so he'd have no reason and no means of gathering support. He probably came hoping to find a food supply, but then his dart crashed. "Look, the point is," Rodney continued. "He's a very dangerous alien, and it is imperative that he be returned to a proper confinement as quickly as possible."
Helen stared down at the contents of her cup. She did not seem convinced. "And what crime did he commit?"
The team was taken slightly aback by this question.
"Well, I don't know! Pick one!"
"I have taken the time to get to know this man you call, Todd," Helen explained. "He is no monster. You choose to imprison him because of what he is, not what he's done."
John was silent, for he had no comeback.
"I assure you, he is perfectly content here."
"Well, I'm sure he is," John said sarcastically. "But just wait until he gets hungry."
"I have taken his dietary requirement into consideration," Helen responded casually as she sipped her tea.
Teyla couldn't believe her ears. "You provide humans victims?"
Helen looked offended at the accusation. "Don't be ridiculous! I would only ever offer myself as a food source."
John blanched in disbelief. "You let him feed on you?"
"He takes only what he needs, which for someone in my condition, makes little difference."
"Someone in your condition?" Rodney questioned. "What, are you dying or something?" John glared at him, but he couldn't think of any other reason why someone would willingly allow a Wraith to feed on them.
Helen only grinned. "Quite the opposite, Dr. McKay. My lifespan is in fact more then ten times your own. So you see, 2, 3, even 15 of your years adds up to no more then a lost day for myself."
Rodney gawked in surprise. He wanted to argue the plausibility of a human living that long, but from what he'd seen so far, he decided anything was possible.
"But there is more to be concerned of then just the loss of life!" Teyla argued. "The Wraith release a toxin when they feed! If the accumulation of feedings does not kill you, you will become addicted to the enzyme. We have seen it before."
"Ah, yes. The enzyme," Helen said calmly. "I discovered it during my initial analysis. It turns out my ailment, like with many other foreign toxins, protects me from its effects."
"Ok, so let me get this straight," John snapped, beginning to become frustrated with the ridiculousness of these claims. "You're ok with letting this thing feed on you? Because I don't care how little it affects you in the long run, I've been through that before and it is not pleasant."
"It is nothing I cannot bare."
"Alright, I've had enough of this," Ronon growled, stepping away from his darkened corner of the room. "We're taking him back with us."
Helen narrowed her eyes at the large Satedan. "And what kind of treatment can he expect? That of an animal, or of a prisoner?"
Ronon snarled and leaned menacingly over the desk, evoking little to no reaction. But he didn't care. He was losing his patience. "He can expect to be treated like what he is."
"Ronon," John warned, and the man slowly eased away from the desk. Helen returned to her tea as though nothing had happened.
"Ultimately, the decision is not up to either of us. It is for Todd to decide."
"What, are you crazy!" Rodney shouted before he could stop himself.
"Rodney," Sheppard said, turning to face his other misbehaving friend.
"What!" Rodney demanded, turning to face him. "John, he's a Wraith! We can't just let him stay here! What if he were to escape?"
"You concern yourself with the actions of a single Wraith, but you don't stop to concern yourself with the potential consequences if any of my other patients were to escape?" Helen questioned. "They are equally as dangerous."
"Yeah, well they're not our problem!"
"Ah, I see. That's how I expected you'd feel. Except with that attitude, why should we trust you? You obviously don't have our best interests at heart."
Rodney frowned, and John decided to intervene before any more conflict could take place.
"You're right," he said, surprising his three teammates into looking at him. Helen threaded her fingers together and leaned forward with a grin, resting her chin on them as though he had finally peaked her interest. "Why should you trust us?" John shrugged as though he didn't know the answer himself but continued, stepping a few paces closer. "But if you want to see for yourselves what the Wraith truly are, then come back with us, and we'd be glad to show you."
Will and Ashley were surprised by this offer, and looked to Helen for a reaction. She was still grinning and staring up at John. She did not doubt what he said was true, but she was curious about this place they were from and what other wonders it might hold. She shrugged, as if to accept a challenge. "When do we leave?"
V
A little over twenty four hours later, Helen, Ashley and Will, along with Sheppard and his team, stood in front of the Stargate, ready to embark. Bigfoot had been ordered to stay behind and watch over the Sanctuary. Hopefully they wouldn't be gone for too long.
Helen beamed with excitement as the gate locked into place and kawooshed open. Will jumped several feet back in shock, and Ashley simply stood with her arms crossed impatiently, glaring up at it. Inside, she was probably impressed, but she would never dignify an outside reaction.
"Alright, kids," John said as the rest of his team started up the ramp. "Let's go."
They wandered up the gate and, while Ashley marched straight through, Helen and Will stopped to marvel at the sight. John grinned. For someone whose wisdom and attitude had intimidated him so much back at the Sanctuary, it was surprising how much Helen Magnus resembled a small child who had just seen a magic trick
Eyes twinkling, she reached up and delicately punctured the shimmering blue event horizon with the tip of her long finger, watching with amazement as ripples fluctuated outward from the spot she had touched. She turned to John.
"Can it really transport us to other galaxies?"
"Guess we'll see," he said, and stepped through.
V
Sam was down the steps by the time the wormhole disengaged, and she observed the newcomers with interest as she approached them.
"Welcome back," she greeted, but Ronon was already storming off. He seemed to do that a lot in her company, so she simply shrugged and turned back to the group, anxious to meet the woman who had apparently caused them so much trouble.
Standing next to Teyla was a young, blonde woman, even shorter then the Athosian by a small margin. She was dressed entirely in black leather and had a gun strapped to her leg, (she had refused to go unarmed). Her eyes wandered the city with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.
The next newcomer stood next to Rodney. It appeared the man had stumbled somewhat coming through the gate and was looking around wildly.
Finally, her eyes found the woman she was looking for, and she approached her.
"You must be Dr. Magnus," she said, holding out her hand.
Helen managed to tear her eyes from the many things to look at and turned to face the woman who was talking to her. Sam creased her forehead in confusion as she was met with very familiar facial features, but pushed the thought aside. Helen shook the offered hand gently, wearing an equally suspicious expression for a moment.
"Are you the leader of these people?" she asked.
"Yes," Rodney barked, just as Sam had opened her mouth to reply. "Dr. Helen Magnus, meet Colonel Samantha Carter, commander of this expedition."
Helen smiled in greeting. She was impressed that these people would choose a woman as their military leader. "Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Colonel."
Sam smiled, annoyed Rodney felt the need to introduce her. She turned to the other two members of the group. "Sorry, I didn't catch your names."
"Oh!" The man hurried over and extended his hand, which she shook kindly. "Will Zimmerman."
Sam turned to the other woman, who gave a somewhat forced smile and said, "Ashley."
Sam returned the smile, hoping hers appeared more welcoming. She decided not to proceed straight to the issue at hand. It was always good to appeal to your audience first. "Well," she said, clapping her hands together to end the awkward silence. "Care for the grand tour?"
Helen smiled more widely, for this had been what she was waiting for. "Of course."
Sam smiled back and turned to John. "John," she said, nodding in his direction. He nodded back as he started off in the direction of the locker rooms with Teyla and Rodney.
"Catch up with you later," he said, and Sam could hear Rodney start to bicker as they made their exit.
Sam extended her arm to indicate to her guests the direction in which they were to walk and she began the tour.
V
After the tour, Ashley sat perched on a stack of mats in the small gym, watching Teyla spar with some marines. To her mother, this whole "explore new worlds and discover new species" thing may be absolutely fascinating, but for her, it was unbelievably boring. Even after the oh so exciting guided tour, Ashley had been confined to certain sections of the city, since she'd rather explore then accompany Dr. Zimmerman and her mother while they learned more about Atlantis and, specifically, Wraith physiology.
Teyla was good, she decided, and Ashley loved a challenge. She waited until the marines had given up and limped from the room, thanking Teyla for the lessons before she hopped down from the mats and said, "My turn."
Teyla looked up in confusion from her task of packing up to see Ashley walking over to the rack of sparring sticks and selecting her weapons. She raised an eyebrow.
"You wish to spar?"
Ashley shucked off her leather jacket and joined the Athosian on the mats, twirling two sticks at her sides. "Yeah, sure. Let's go."
Ashley had never done this before, but she gave herself credit for being a quick learner, and she'd studied Teyla's techniques while she was fighting. Even if she did get beat up, (which, Ashley reminded herself, was not going to happen) it'd be better then sitting around with nothing to do for another ten hours. She was growing restless.
Teyla grinned at the woman's enthusiasm. "Very well." She redeposited her bag against the wall and returned to the mat, holding her weapons steadily at her side. She could tell her opponent was just waiting to hit something by the way she bounced up and down on the soles of her feet and constantly swung her sticks about. She would not give her that satisfaction.
Teyla made a small head movement to indicate she was ready, and almost immediately Ashley had rushed at her, striking out violently at her opponent. Teyla was not surprised by the speed and ferocity at which the woman attacked. She had observed these qualities in her prior to their match.
Ashley had also noted when she was observing the way in which Teyla moved and conducted her attacks. The Athosian was very swift and graceful in comparison to Ashley, but they were the perfect match for each other.
Teyla blocked some of Ashley's strikes and spun out of the way of others, conducting a counter attack on one spin and meeting the resistance of Ashley's own weapon, which quickly propelled her away and got back to swinging.
V
Meanwhile, Helen and Will had joined Sheppard, Carter, McKay, and another scientist with some strange name neither could remember, (Z something) in McKay's lab. They were being given some background information on the Wraith.
"These," Rodney indicated the sixty or so bleeping red dots on the screen. "Are all planets that have been wiped out by the Wraith. The blue ones are the planets designated Wraith culling sites."
Helen frowned. "I am not saying that I support nor tolerate these actions, but to them we are no more then a food source," she said, turning away from the images on the screen. "How is our treatment of animals any different?"
Rodney rolled his eyes, too dignified to participate in such an argument. John looked to Sam for answers.
"That's different," Sam argued. "We have the power to fight back. Are we just supposed to sit here and let them slaughter humans throughout the galaxy just because our actions may be somewhat hypocritical?"
Helen glared back at the woman who had an uncanny resemblance to herself and quickly procured a comeback. "I am here in defense of one individual, not an entire race of people, Colonel, and unless I am provided with evidence of crimes committed by this individual, your statistics mean nothing to me. I will not judge his character nor will I determine his civil rights based on the general accusations of an entire species. He cannot help what he is."
Sam sealed her lips and inhaled deeply so as not to completely lose her patience. Man, this woman was stubborn. How was she to convince her that no matter how human like or polite he might seem, Todd could not be trusted. The only evidence she had for this claim was that he was a Wraith. Explaining that he robbed them of information while he was a prisoner to them would probably not make the most convincing argument either. After all, he never actually killed anyone. Not of their people at least.
Just as the tension was beginning to grow in the room and John and Will were getting similar ideas of coughing to break the silence, Carter's radio came to life and Sam kept her glare pinned on Magnus as she listened to the message.
"Colonel, we just received a message from Stargate Command. You better get up here."
V
In the control room, all stared in disbelief at the information that was being relayed to them. Apparently, there had been an incident at the Sanctuary while the gang was away. Some men had broken into the complex and Todd was now missing. Bigfoot had managed to capture one of the intruders, who was later identified as an ex-NID agent. John was unsure how they got the information, but it made sense that they would be after a Wraith prisoner. After all, they thought they were doing what was best for Earth.
Helen was furious, and hurried at once to locate her daughter.
V
"Ashley!"
Helen seemed to take little notice to the fact that her daughter was locked in a tangle of sticks with Teyla, and both were struggling to maintain their positions.
"Yeah, mom?" Ashley responded, her voice shaky with irritation and exertion.
Teyla used this moment of weakness to pull back and swipe Ashley's feet out from under her. Ashley groaned in pain as she lay on her back, not even bothering to get up after the crushing defeat caused by the moment of distraction. Helen still seemed unfazed, and she continued in a commanding tone of voice.
"There has been an incident. We must return to the Sanctuary immediately."
Ashley groaned again as her mother swept from the room. She began to roll onto her side, but Teyla offered a hand and she looked at it suspiciously for a moment before she accepted, allowing the strong warrior to haul her to her feet.
Teyla grinned, similar beads of sweat trickling down her own forehead. "Thank you," she said, and strode from the room to see what was going on.
Ashley rose her eyebrow, unsure what she had just been thanked for, but shrugged it off and jogged after her.
After quickly changing and rearming herself, Ashley located her mother, Will and the rest of Sheppard's team along with Carter in the gate room.
"What made you decide to join us?" Helen asked Sam as Ashley took up position between Will and Ronon and began to twirl her gun anxiously, exchanging glares with the large alien who happened to be doing the same thing.
"I have the most experience with ex-NID agents," Sam explained. "You could use my help to track them down." She turned to Helen then and gave her a questioning look. "What about you?" Sam could understand why Magnus would want to return to the Sanctuary and make sure everything was ok, but there didn't seem to be much point in her going after the agents. Their team could handle it.
Helen's answer though, was explanation enough. "I don't like intruders in my house."
V
After gating back to Earth, the team was beamed aboard the Prometheus, which was orbiting the planet, and then beamed back down into London. Helen and her team returned immediately to the Sanctuary to assess damage and collect weapons. The damage was minimal, except for a few broken vases here and there, but nothing important. Sheppard's team met up with them later after being briefed on the situation at the SGC. Now in her leather outfit as well, Helen led them to the armory where they, joined by Bigfoot began to stock up.
"Do we have a lead?" Helen queried while she loaded a gun the size of a mini refrigerator.
Rodney stared wide-eyed at the weapon while Sam responded. "It took a while, but with the help of Ronon we managed to get some information out of our prisoner, and were able to pinpoint their location. It's in a warehouse just south of here, but we need to hurry. We think they're preparing to catch a plane out of here any time now."
Helen nodded and passed a small handgun to her protégé, who caught it clumsily. "Try not to shoot anyone before we get there," she ordered, and turned to her daughter. "Ashley, I want you to ride ahead."
Ashley nodded and took off. The team looked questioningly at the two remaining people. "We will follow you," Helen explained, and took off with Bigfoot. John took a moment to process what all was happening before jogging after them.
All loaded into vehicles. Ashley was riding ahead on a motorcycle, John and the others took the rental, and Helen and the rest of her team followed closely behind them, Bigfoot at the wheel. But since John was driving and Teyla had called shotgun, Sam chose to ride along with them in the passenger seat, rather then be squeezed in the back between Rodney and Ronon.
They arrived at the said warehouse in record time and unloaded, all crouching cautiously behind some dumpsters and wire fencing. Helen and her team positioned themselves on one side, while the Atlantis team took up the other side.
Ashley peeked around the edge of the dumpster, and came back signaling there were two guards stationed outside the building, one on either side. Will ducked down to allow the two women to communicate, and Helen began going over the plan in squiggly hand gestures that were difficult to decipher.
Meanwhile, Carter had extracted an extendable scope and was peeking over the top of the dumpster. She drew the device back in and returned it to her vest pocket, reporting in military sign language that see saw two guards stationed outside. John nodded and turned to the team, formulating a plan in the same manner. When he turned back to Carter for confirmation, however, she was making slashing hand gestures across her throat. John gave her a perplexed look and she quickly began to communicate her version of the plan. Ronon's eyes darted back and forth between the two military officers, trying to follow. He had never been good at deciphering military code, and as the tension grew within their silent argument, their hand gestures were becoming more and more complex. He looked to Rodney and Teyla for assistance, but they appeared equally confused.
Ashley cut her mother off mid-plan and began to make her own suggestions, but Helen stopped her before she got to the good part with a firm "no" in their code. Ashley began to protest but her mother was already signing her own plan, and making it clear that this was the way they were going to do it. Will felt like he was caught between two tornados, and even went as far as to cover his head before Ashley finally gave in with a frustrated sigh.
Helen grinned and turned to execute her plan, but nearly collided straight into Sam as she made to do the same thing. The two women huffed and sat back on their haunches, waiting for the other to move out of the way but neither did, and Sam did not feel like having an argument right now. She knew Helen would never give in.
"Fine," she hissed. "We'll do it your way."
Sam leaned against the dumpster, feeling beaten, and allowed Helen and the Bigfoot to pass. Then John and Ronon passed by her in the other direction to follow Ashley and Will. Finally, Sam, Teyla and Rodney hurried off in the direction Magnus had gone.
The group made a silent run for their second postings, (Ashley and Ronon huddled behind something, John and Will behind something else, and on the other side Sam paired with Helen and Rodney and Teyla with Bigfoot.). Sam and Helen gave their teams the "ready" signal and received nods of confirmation. They nodded to each other once before they gave the "move" signal and they went through with their plan.
Ronon shot up from behind the barrel and took out the guard on the right with his stunner. Sam was quick to follow and took out the second guard with one shot from her handgun.
As soon as the two guards were taken care of, the large group sprung from hiding and sprinted all at once, weapons at the ready, for the entrance to the warehouse. Bigfoot broke the door down and Sam and John stormed in side by side, shouting "freeze!" There only appeared to be two or three men in the room, all occupied with moving boxes around when the team dispersed throughout the large room and slammed them against the walls.
Will and Teyla had sprinted to the other side of the warehouse, where a large door had been swung open. They searched the outside area, weapons raised and Teyla shouted, "They are here!"
The rest of the group joined them just in time to see a tall, White-haired man being shoved roughly into the backseat of a vehicle before it screeched off. John let out a howl of frustration and began sprinting back towards the other side where their cars were parked, Sam close on his heels, yelling over her shoulder at whoever was listening, "Stay with them!" Rodney raised his arms as if to question the fairness of it, but the others had already sprinted off, leaving him to the task.
By the time they were all back at the cars, Ashley had already jumped on her bike and was kicking off. "Ashley!" Helen called, out of concern for her daughter, but Ashley had already sped off and Helen huffed in frustration and jumped into the car.
And then the chase was on. Sam was holding onto her handlebar for dear life as Bigfoot raced the car through the streets of town, dodging sharp obstacles and going through countless stop signs and red lights as he went.
Sheppard tried to keep up, but he wasn't as skilled in the art of reckless driving and they became blocked in by the wall of crashed cars the black Sedan had left in its trail. There was no way of getting out, and John gave a frustrated groan as he stepped into the street and watched the line of cars speed off into the distance, leaving them in the dust.
Ashley peered over her shoulder to see her mother's car swerving down the road, gaining on them. Behind that was a pile up of cars, including Sheppard's. Ashley could feel beads of sweat forming at her hairline as adrenaline pumped through her system. Damn, she wished she had had the chance to put her helmet on. But she pushed the thought aside and sped up, coming up beside her quarry.
She pulled out her gun and shot several times at the window, enough to shatter the glass and make the car swerve away a few feet, but it quickly pulled back into formation and was about to ram her bike but she leapt from it onto the roof of the car with a resounding thud. She held tightly to the edge as she watched her bike flip over and over in the distance, becoming absolutely totaled. She screamed in frustration and pulled herself forward.
The man in the passenger seat with the shattered window stuck his head out and aimed his gun at Ashley but before he could register her position, she had thrust her foot downward and hit him square in the face, causing him to drop his gun. She was about to swing into the passenger seat, but the car made a sharp turn and she was thrown over the edge, tumbling down the road and watching the car speed off.
Helen saw this and clenched her teeth together. "Open the sun roof," she ordered.
"What!" Sam demanded, hyperventilating in her seat.
Helen was grabbing her gun out from behind her. "Now!"
Sam didn't question further. She quickly released her hold on the safety bar long enough to jab the button and then grabbed hold of it again.
As the sun roof slowly eased itself open, Helen unbuckled her seat belt and stood up in the moving vehicle so her upper half was sticking out of the top of the car. She aimed her weapon. "Keep the car steady, Stewart."
"Stewart" did as he was told to the best of his ability. Sam spun around, trying to see what was happening. Will was cowering in the backseat, staring wide-eyed at the armed doctor.
"What if you miss!" Sam shouted.
Helen licked her lips and closed one eye, getting her precision as accurate as possible. "I won't miss," she said, just loud enough for them to hear her, and pulled back on the trigger.
An energy blast shot out of the weapon and the car's back wheel exploded, causing the car to jolt and spin around in ten circles before crashing into a street light and coming to a stop in a smoking heap.
V
Later, all were gathered in Helen's infirmary listening to Sam as she explained what had happened. Helen was cheerfully wrapping her daughter's broken arm, relieved that there had been such little damage, (though Ashley was still pissed about her bike).
All went quiet as Todd made his entrance, Bigfoot as his escort. Ronon glared but did not whip out a weapon for once. The others just stopped what they were doing and stared expectantly.
"I would like to thank you, Doctor," he said in a low voice, looking at the ground. "…For your kindness."
Helen smiled. She understood why he had to go back. He had other obligations, and he would never be left alone if he stayed here. But Helen had made them agree that Todd would not be treated as a prisoner if they took him back, and in turn Todd would continue to assist Dr. McKay in their war against the replicators.
"You will always be welcome here," she promised, and Todd almost smiled before he was herded out along with Rodney, Teyla and Ronon.
Sam and John turned to say their good byes. "Well," John said, reaching out to shake Helen's hand once more. "It's been nice working with you."
Helen smiled in agreement. "I hope we meet again some time."
John didn't know whether this comment was meant to frighten him, but the tiny wave Helen offered as he stepped out the door told him he probably should be afraid. Sam smiled knowingly and followed him out. Who knew? Perhaps they would meet again some day.
After they were gone, Helen turned back to her daughter and finished bandaging her up. Will sighed and flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Never a dull day is there?"
Helen only grinned as she snipped the bandage and rolled up the supplies.
"Welp," Ashley said, sliding off the bed. "I'm gonna go shoot some ghouls. Anyone wanna come?"
Will looked at her as though she was joking for a moment, and then sat up and grabbed his jacket. "Nope, I'm good," he said. "I'm gonna go hit the sack."
Helen watched as Will and Ashley left the room, each headed for their separate locations, and smiled to herself. "Never a dull day."