Title: Nightcrawlers
Author: lildreamer
Rating: T for gore, scary images, and violence
Pairings: There will be. (2 C my fav. ships check out my other stories)
Spoilers: There will be several references to episodes from seasons 1-3 (up to Vengeance…First Strike hasn't happened yet).
Summary: How long can any man fight the darkness before he finds it in himself?
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: Atlantis or any of its characters. If I did, Carson wouldn't be dead and Elizabeth wouldn't be leaving!
A/N: This story is set to finish by Halloween, so it will be updated almost regularly. So keep a look out for new chapters! Also, this is a bit AU because Beckett is still alive.
"It was another dangerous mission. But then, you don't bring out Atlantis' flagship team for the easy ones…"
The city was buzzing with activity, scientists and soldiers alike going about their daily routines. No one seemed to care that on earth tonight was Halloween night…except one person. A young Air Force colonel sat in the mess hall, surrounded by the innocent faces of some of the younger members of the expedition and a few Athosians as well. They were all listening to him with rapt attention as he began telling them one of his stories.
"I'd planned to take the day off and spend time with a couple of buddies. My buddies travel light and they're fun to have around. One travels in a holster, and the other travels the galaxy…
"My name is Sheppard, by the way. John Sheppard. What people call me is something else entirely. I'm a Lt. Colonel of the United States Air Force. It says so on my uniform."
"What is going on in here??" Rodney said, peeking in to see what his teammate was up to and to also grab a quick snack.
The team agreed that their leader was the best storyteller—at least when it came to these kinds of stories. They just weren't very interested in hearing them. After all, they'd lived through much worse. And he always had this habit of letting his imagination run away with him, his stories becoming his own personal fantasies.
"Rodney, can't you see I'm a little busy," the colonel replied through gritted teeth, clearly not appreciating the interruption.
"Yes, I can see that," Rodney said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He turned to leave. "Have fun."
"Whatever." Sheppard rolled his eyes at the now empty doorframe then turned back to his listeners. "Now, where was I? Oh yeah…
"The last thing I'd wanted that morning was to go on another mission, but the lady who brought it was persuasive. Most ladies are somehow."
"I heard that," Elizabeth's voice bellowed from somewhere in the hallway.
Col. Sheppard winced, his cheeks turning bright red. A wave of giggles swept through the room.
He cleared his throat and continued with the story. "I stepped through the Stargate and reviewed the facts. There weren't many. The first team who'd gone through missed one of their check-ins and never came back. Their leader's body was found near the gate. Major Lorne. Something wasn't right about the way the poor fella died and I was sent there to figure out what it was and who did it.
"My mind was buzzing with questions. Why hadn't they checked in when they were supposed to? Why was Lorne left behind? And most importantly, what happened to the rest of his team?"
Everyone was now listening intently. Although he had a habit of "spicing up" his stories, Sheppard had this way of making the stories come alive, like they'd actually happened at one time or another. Like they weren't just stories…
"I had a hunch that, before this was over, I'd be sorry I asked."