Allopatric Speciation
Green.
Moira O'Meara lost herself in the dazzling green depths, the intensity of the color. She stared, transfixed by the brilliance, the warmth and passion emanating from each emerald orb. She leaned closer, closer, shifting her body. A soft sigh escaped her lips as another flush of pleasure cascaded along her body.
John Sheppard smiled, prone beneath her. He shifted his hips, thrust upwards as the pleasure rippled along his body. His gaze bore into hers, challenging, inviting all at once.
Moira caught his hands, pinned them back against the bed, to either side of his head as she moved yet again, a gyrating motion that set them both to enjoyable murmurs. She leaned close, her loose hair a brown curtain veiling them both as she kissed him. Lips claiming his, moving in rhythm to her body as she lifted yet again, then slid down as he filled her.
The knocking on the door froze Moira in place. She tensed. Every muscle tightened, causing John to groan in renewed pleasure as he thrust into her again. At the same time he prolonged the kiss, his mouth capturing hers, tongue gliding between her lips.
Moira turned her head quickly towards the door, breaking the passionate kiss. Her hair flew forward, spilling down to the swells of her breasts as she sat up, inadvertently causing another spasm of circling pleasure.
"Ignore it," John urged. He caressed her bare thighs as she straddled him.
"Moira?" a voice called. More knocking.
"Evan," she recognized. Her brown eyes widened in surprise, alarm. She glanced at John. "It must be important."
"As important as this?" he retorted. Shifting under her again, but she lifted up and freed him.
"Give me a minute, Evan! I'll be right there!" she called, sliding off John. He watched her hastily pull on a blue t-shirt and khaki pants. Approving of the lack of underwear he smiled.
"I'll take care of this," John offered. "Ma–" he started, voice becoming louder.
Moira whirled, pounced on him and covered his mouth with her hand. "John! Ssh! What happened to being discreet?" she scolded in a whisper.
He moved her hand off his mouth to reply. "I'll make an exception in this case."
"Moira?" Evan called again, staring at the door. Perplexed.
"I'm just coming!" she called, freeing herself.
"Funny...so was I," John quipped. He stifled his laughter under her glare.
Moira threw his black t-shirt at him, then threw the covers over him entirely. She hastened to the door, ran her fingers through her disheveled hair. She glanced behind her, making certain John was covered, concealed. She opened the door. "Evan? You're back." She eyed his olive BDUs and TAC vest.
He quirked a brow. "Obviously. Are you all right?"
She nodded, brushed a strand of hair from her flushed face, ignored the frustrated longings of her body. Ignored the fact that John was in her bed, naked, hiding under the covers. "Yes...I wasn't feeling well so I decided to take a quick nap." Hearing a muffled laugh behind her she continued, louder, "But I am feeling better now. What is it?"
"We found something on MP3XY2. I think you should take a look at it," he explained, glancing up and down at her unkempt appearance. Past her to the rumpled bed. Blankets wildly askew.
"All right. Give me ten minutes and I will meet you in the biology lab," she offered. Smiled. Closed the door. Sighed. She stepped to the bed. "That was close. Too close. John?" She yanked the covers down to reveal his handsome face set in a grin.
"By the way, Moira, I do like the no underwear look," he teased. Laughed as she threw his pants at him.
"Get dressed, colonel. I wonder what Evan found. It must be something unusual, maybe a new species or another ancient life form," she mused, sitting on the bed to retrieve her underwear.
John sat up, caught her, pulled her down to him. "Can't it wait? Give me five minutes, Moira," he urged. Paused, considered. Smiled. "All right, maybe ten. I can't deliver my best under this rush but I will do my very best so we are both satisfied."
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Twenty minutes later Moira all but ran into the biology lab. She slowed to a fast walk, smoothing down her clothes, feeling her underwear in place. She tightened the ponytail holder securing her hair. "Evan? What did you find?"
He turned, separated himself from the group of scientists all clustered around a table. "What took you so long?" he chastised.
She smiled at the phrase, having used it often to tease John, but replied, "I was detained. Delayed. Um...so, what did you find?" she repeated, shoving aside pleasant, erotic memories.
"This." He shooed away the scientists. "We found this on MP3XY2. It's an ice planet, full-on winter. We managed to pry this from the ice and snow."
Moira stared, nearing the table. An elongated skull, still sparkling with bits of ice stared back at her. A pool of water was forming beneath it. She gingerly touched it, ran her hand over the broad cranium. The huge eye sockets. The small jaw. The large, misshapen teeth. "It's...it's vaguely human...but not quite...not..." she hesitated.
"At first I thought it was one of the denizens of Miocene Park, because of the long canines. See?" He pointed to the tusk-like protrusions. "But the shape of the skull suggests a primate, doesn't it?"
She nodded, turned the skull slowly. "I would agree, judging by the shape of the head, the brain capacity. But look...these back molars. The hinge of the jaw...they appear human. Deformed, or underdeveloped but close to human."
"Except the only unusual humans or pre-humans we've encountered were much smaller. Miocene Park," he reminded.
"Pleistocene Park," John corrected, joining them. "At ease, major," he waved away protocol. "What is this?"
"The thing is, sir, Moira, there are over a hundred more of them. All jammed together in the same area." Evan glanced at John, then at Moira.
"More? There are more of them?" she asked, meeting his gaze, startled. "Skulls or complete skeletons?" She could feel John standing right behind her as she touched Evan's arm.
"Both. We couldn't dig out a complete skeleton in the time allotted us. I figured this would suffice for now."
"Is it...was it human?" John corrected. Eyed the strange skull over Moira's shoulder.
"Possibly. At the very least we can say it was humanoid...or wait...wait!" She dashed to her desk, hastily rifled through pages. Produced a composite sketch. "Look! It resembles the drawing, Evan! The one you made from my descriptions! It looks like one of those cave creatures from the waterfall planet! John, do you remember?"
"Ah...M1K436," John said, smiling suggestively at her. "How did it end up on MP3XY2? Or was it the other way around?"
"That's a good question," she agreed, ignoring his salacious expression, the memories of their almost-erotic encounter. "Evan, you said there were more?"
"Hundreds, Moira. In a mass grave about ten klicks from the Stargate. You will have to see."
"No." John's one word dissipated their enthusiasm. "I see no reason to expend resources or a trip to Hoth to hunt for Wampas."
Moira smiled at the reference, frowned at his refusal. "John...colonel...John..." she floundered, causing a smile to tug at his lips. "Colonel Sheppard, this could be important! Those creatures–"
"We don't even know what those creatures are, Moira, oh, Doctor O'Meara," he argued smoothly, teasing her at the same time. "If they were even human."
"This might be a good way to find out, sir," Evan suggested, siding with Moira. "She can examine the site and see more examples."
"We'll need to find tissue samples, if possible,"she agreed. "It's possible some flesh or DNA could be extracted, preserved in the extreme cold. Carson could test the bone marrow to determine if the enzyme still exists in their systems, providing another link to the creatures on the waterfall planet. They could be the same species or a sub-species, or a whole new population that evolved in the harsher environment in response to–"
John held up a hand, thwarting her rising enthusiasm, speculation. "No. I see no reason at this time. Work with what you have here." Having decided he turned and strolled out of the lab.
"Well...I guess that's that...so we... Moira?"
Moira was shaking her head, staring after John. "No. We can't just ignore this, Evan! I can talk him round...maybe..." Doubt as she recalled his stubbornness. She hastened after him, rushing to catch up to his long strides. "John! Colonel!" she called, reaching him at the end of the hall. "I don't think we should ignore–"
He turned to her as a group of people passed. "Neither do I, but we are not sending a team there.
Any team."
"Why not? Aren't you at all curious about these creatures? How they got onto another planet in the first place? If they were sentient enough to use the Stargate? If these two populations are related, or somehow evolved independently of one another? John, we may be looking at an example of allopatric speciation!"
"Fascinating as that is..." he drolly observed, smirking, brows knitting together in puzzlement, "I will not send a–"
"John! Allopatric speciation! A new species evolving due to geographic isolation from the originating species over a long period of time, reacting to a new environment and developing new behaviors and physiognomies to compensate for the new stresses and–"
"Whoa, whoa," he held up a hand again, but Moira was in full flow now.
"And new ecosystems," she continued. "Assuming that these two disparate populations are even related, even remotely, even possibly human or pre-human or something entirely new in the Pegasus galaxy! And how did so many die on that ice planet, seemingly all at once?" She gasped, caught John's arm. "John! You could have turned into one of those for all we know! If the enzyme is present in any of the–"
"Moira!" he snapped, trying to interject, to halt her rushing words. "More reason to shelve this expedition now. We have more pressing needs than a field mission to an inhospitable world. I won't expend manpower or resources for an esoteric excursion just to satisfy your scientific curiosity."
"It could be important, John!" she argued. "Will you for once forget the goal of military applications and just approve a mission for the pure scientific–"
"As I recall last time I did that we ended up in a jungle with Ford. Remember?" He smiled.
"I certainly won't forget it. Besides," he added, cutting off her protest, "I don't like the cold."
"John! You don't have to go! Evan can lead his team back there!"
"Go study the skull," he reiterated. Folded his arms across his chest. Waited. She sighed, whirled, headed back for the lab. "Oh, Moira," he called merrily, staring at her retreating form, "I do prefer the no underwear look. Remember that for next time, please." He smirked as she whirled to glare at him.
"Shut up, John!" She turned and headed back for the lab as his laughter chased her up the hall.
Evan frowned as she strode towards him, expression frustrated, infuriated. "No go, I take it," he noted, shrugged.
"No! But we can find a way round him," she vowed. Smiled. "Doctor Weir. Being a civilian she will be more amenable to scientific inquiry. And Carson will need those samples to make any kind of verification."
"True, but–"
"Weir's in charge, isn't she?" Moira insisted, hoisting the skull into her arms. "It will just be like show and tell. Come on!" She headed out of the lab. "Let me do the talking," she advised over her shoulder as Evan followed. "I'll handle the hypothesis. You handle the charm."
He laughed. "As always, Moira."
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John twirled the sticks he held, circled his opponent warily. "So...Teyla not back from the mainland yet?"
Ronon Dex shook his head, hoisting his own sticks with a dramatic flourish. "No. There's some elaborate Athosian ceremony involving the birth of a child and a blessing."
"Not really your idea of a good time?" John quipped, swinging his fighting sticks to hit Ronon.
He blocked the blow easily, deflected it like an afterthought. Smiled. "No. I'd rather do this."
"Good choice. Those Athosians like long, talky ceremonies," John agreed. He swung again.
Stick hit stick in a quick, circling combat. Faster. Harder. Finally Ronon twisted, blocked, and hit John squarely in the side. John staggered back from the blow. "Sorry," he smirked. "Is that why you're not attending?"
John paused, probed his side. Straightened. Twirled the two sticks again. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking," he caustically noted. "And yes. That's why."
"Oh."
The sticks clattered, whirled. Striking each other with increasing precision, increasing speed. John ducked low, twisted, blocked high. Hit Ronon in the leg. The Satedan stepped back, grunted in surprise.
"Why? You think I should be there?" asked John. "That's more an Elizabeth job." Then, as an afterthought. "Oh, sorry."
Ronon grinned at the insincerity, shrugged. Swung the sticks. "I'm fine, by the way. No...you seem to be pre-occupied here. On Atlantis."
John nearly missed blocking a blow to the head. He side-stepped, swung, circled. "There's a lot of paperwork when I'm not on a mission," he explained, the sticks moving fast, faster. "I like to leave it until the last minute."
"That's not what I meant," Ronon smirked. He blocked several attacks as they shifted their feet, their arms. Back and forth across the exercise room, circling , switching in an elaborate dance. Until John inflicted a blow on Ronon's arm, making him drop the stick.
John smiled. "Now who's pre-occupied?" he taunted.
Ronon scowled, picked up the fallen stick. "You are," he countered gruffly. "By some mysterious and unknown...paperwork."
John's gaze narrowed at the way he said the words, the silent insinuation. Implying something else. Someone else. He swung the sticks in front of him, crisscrossing them in a showy display of speed, if not skill. He kept silent.
"What's her name?" Ronon asked bluntly. He thrust his two sticks between John's, catching both of them and slamming them to the floor. Caught off-guard John slipped, fell onto his back, groaned in protest.
Ronon laughed, held out a hand. John hesitated, eying his friend but reached up to him. Ronon hauled him to his feet.
"You've got the wrong end of the stick," John argued, rubbing his lower back.
"Really? Which end?" He turned the stick in his hand back and forth, examining it.
"It's a...oh never mind," John replied, shaking his head at Ronon's literal comprehension.
"That serious, huh?" he jested.
John frowned, a sarcastic retort on his lips when the intercom pinged. "Colonel Sheppard, please report to the medical bay," intoned the Scottish voice of Carson Beckett.
"Ah. Saved by the bell. This time," John warned. Setting his sticks aside he headed for the doorway.
"What bell?" Ronon asked, brow furrowed in puzzlement.
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Elizabeth Weir looked away from her computer screen to see Moira and Evan entering her office. "I take it this concerns MP3XY2?" she surmised, as Moira set the large skull on a pile of reports and data files. The empty eye sockets stared sightlessly at her.
Moira smiled, glanced at Evan. "Yes, Doctor Weir. I believe these remains may be similar, if not identical to the creatures we encountered on M1K436."
"The creatures that might have been human once. The creatures infected with the enzyme," Elizabeth clarified.
"Yes," Moira agreed. "I've spoken with Carson. If we could recover tissue samples we could learn a great deal about the enzyme's affects. How it works. How it became so virulent to create these mutations. If this is afflicting two separate populations it could spread further."
"I see. Major?" Elizabeth's gaze fell upon the so far silent soldier.
"I think this warrants a second look, ma'am. Not because we found one, but hundreds. As Moira said, an entire population. Interred all together, in one area. Whether by natural or unnatural means," Evan stated. Glanced at Moira.
"The cold of the planet may have had an adverse affect on the enzyme," Moira reasoned. "This could be a clue to its chemical composition. Maybe even a cure could be discovered for Lieutenant Ford. Or a way to ameliorate the deadly affects of the Hoffan serum on humans. The implications of the–"
"Have you spoken to Colonel Sheppard about this?" Elizabeth interrupted.
"Yes, ma'am, we–" Evan began.
"Discussed it at length," Moira smoothly intercepted, a slight jab from her elbow reaching Evan's ribs, "otherwise we wouldn't be here now. Of course he dismissed the scientific value of the findings but agreed it bore further inquiry." Which was true, to a point, but Moira did not clarify.
"I agree," Elizabeth stated. "Major, take a Jumper and your team to do a quick sampling. If you can find any viable specimens proceed. Radio in with us in two hours with your findings."
"Thank you, Doctor Weir." Moira smiled. "I'll go grab a kit from Carson. Meet you at the Jumper bay, Evan."
"I'll have my team assembled in twenty minutes, ma'am," Evan assured, sensing the necessity of speed. He followed Moira out of the office.
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"You called, doc?" John sauntered into the infirmary, having stopped by his quarters to change into a clean shirt, then to grab a bite to eat. Taking his time as the summons did not seem dire. Curious he glanced round, noted the empty beds. No injuries. No accidents. No illnesses.
Carson nodded. "Aye. I think you'll find this interesting, colonel. Take a look." He gestured at the microscope perched on a table.
John was puzzled. Nevertheless he peered through the twin lenses. Saw cells moving on a slide. Yellowish ones attacking, absorbing red ones. The oozing fluids caught in a battle, swirling, reminiscent of the circling attack he had been engaged in with Ronon. "Yes...that's very...interesting...wow..." He stepped back, brows furrowed in quizzical annoyance. "Thanks for sharing, Carson."
Carson smiled. "It's a wee sample I managed to scrape from the interior of the skull. I will need more to prove it conclusively."
"To prove what?"
"The enzyme levels nearly match your own. When you first ingested the plant, not when you returned. I extrapolated backwards. You see what that means?"
"Yeah, you worked backwards from what you knew to what you didn't," John snidely commented, but then realized, "Wait. The creatures are identical to the ones on M1K436."
"No," Carson replied, ignoring the sarcasm. "Nearly so, but these have an even greater genetic mutation. Judging by the skull this enzyme saturation changed them on a molecular level. Not only did it infect their bloodstream, their glands, but it significantly altered their brain chemistry. With enough exposure and ingestion the same could have happened to you, John. I still need more samples to confirm, but the potential applications to the–"
"I'm afraid you won't be getting those samples, Carson. Keep working on–"
"Really? I gave Moira a kit, just in case, but you may be right. The remains may have been frozen far too long or exposed to the elements for years to obtain any viable–"
"Moira? When was this?" John asked, surprised. Suspicious.
"Oh, about ten minutes ago, colonel. Colonel?" Carson stared after John's rapidly retreating form. Long strides taking him out of the infirmary in record time.
"Major Lorne, report! Major Lorne!" John snapped into his earpiece. He stalked into the control room. "Sargent, locate Major Lorne!"
"I'm afraid you just missed him, John," Elizabeth called from her office. "They just left."
John looked up but Elizabeth had retreated into her office from the balcony. In quick strides he was up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He stepped to her desk. Glared at the skull sitting there. "You authorized this?" He calmed himself at her puzzled gaze. "Sorry."
"Yes. Major Lorne said he had discussed it with you."
"And I refused the mission. By any chance did Doctor O'Meara do the talking?"
Elizabeth smiled. "Yes, in fact she did most of it. She was quite compelling. I'm sorry, John, I just assumed they had cleared it with you first. They are due to report back in two hours."
"Good. I'll be waiting," he said tightly. Turning on his heels he headed to the control room, pursing his lips together to keep the swear words from escaping.
"Oh, John!" He paused, turned back to her. "Could you get this skull off my desk?"
********************************************************************
Moira stared as the Jumper cleared the 'Gate and swooped over the snowy landscape. She adjusted her sunglasses against the glare of sunlight. Bouncing off the snow the affect was nearly blinding, a wash of white on white with glittering sparks of crystals. The cockpit viewport tinted accordingly, turning the scene to a more eye-friendly shade of gray. "It is Hoth," she murmured.
Evan smiled. "Nearly so. We'll take an overview from here, then set down. To your left."
She looked, removing her sunglasses. A shallow indent on the snowy landscape was littered iwth skeletons. Hundreds. Extending for several feet. Starkly cream-colored against the snow. She balked at the sight. "It looks like a mass grave...a...a killing field."
"It reminded me of a mammoth pit," Evan agreed. "We'll go beyond, then back." He flew the ship smoothly over the remains. "As far as I can tell most of the planet is covered in ice and snow. Wasn't Earth like that at one time?"
"Yes. Snowball Earth. A theory about the geological evolution of the planet before life had even formed on it."
"Snowball Earth?" asked Aaron Josephes from the seat behind her. The young marine shook his head. "Is that for real?"
Moira glanced at him, smiled. "Yes, Aaron. It is a radical new theory about the Earth's early development. A calamitous freeze that encompassed the entire globe around six hundred fifty million years ago. Massive glaciers descended from the poles to cover the oceans, then the continents which at that time were grouped closer around the equator."
"An extreme Ice Age, caused by the greenhouse affect, only in reverse," Thomas Kavanaugh continued the explanation. "Instead of warming the climate it had the opposite affect, cooling it severely. The atmosphere of methane and carbon dioxide was removed drastically, resulting in the deep freeze."
"The only life at that time on Earth was in the oceans. Cyanobacteria. Blue-green algae that had evolved to rely on photosynthesis to survive. But this planet's air is breathable, isn't it?" she asked, gazing back down at the whiteness beneath them.
"Yes," Evan said, shaking his head at all the scientific discussion. "It's more like the last Ice Age in that regard."
"It's immense!" she commented, as the expanse stretched and stretched. The off-white bones stuck out awkwardly from the smooth snow and ice.
Beyond the shallow valley ice glittered flatly. The land abruptly rose in a series of rocks and caverns. Dark openings surrounded by walls of sheer ice.
"Could anything live in there, Moira?" Aaron asked worriedly. His fingers played over the comforting solidity of his P90. "More of those...things?"
"Or what killed them," Thomas grimly suggested. His gaze was on the blank data screen in his hands.
"It is possible. Animals can adapt to the cold. So can people. Or other life forms," she answered. Uncertain.
The Jumper turned slowly, flew in an arc back towards the shallow valley. Choosing carefully Evan settled the vehicle onto the ground. Ice and snow puffed around the ship. "We checked," Evan assured, unbuckling himself from the seat. "The land is solid beneath us. More than likely several feet of permafrost. Just be careful when we reach the edge of the valley."
She smiled, unbuckled. Pulled on a blue parka, gloves, grabbed the sample kit. "I just need a few viable specimens."
"No life form readings," Thomas stated. "No technology. Quite a bit of static electricity. The stratosphere is quite dense."
"All right, let's move out. Josephes, take the six. Kavanaugh, keep an eye on those readings, just in case. O'Meara, with me."
The air was cold. As the hatch opened the thin atmosphere seemed to suck all the accumulated warmth from the vehicle. Took the breath from their mouths. A stillness hung on the quiet surroundings. Nothing stirred, except the top layer of snow when a breeze whistled.
Moira stepped after Evan, walking in his footsteps as he trampled down the snow. Reaching the slight incline of the valley he paused, stepped aside. She knelt in the snow, stared for a moment. The sheer immensity of the remains spreading before her was overwhelming. "So many..." She brushed snow off the nearest bones. "What could have happened?"
Evan shook his head. "I don't know. But it must have been swift. Brutal." His keen gaze swept the valley, the white distances.
Moira tried to dislodge a twisted leg bone, but it was held fast in the ice. "Evan, help me."
Evan glanced at Aaron. The lieutenant shook his head. Nothing was in sight. Evan knelt, setting his gun aside. "This one?"
"Yes. Or here." Moira tugged as Evan pulled. An audible crack split the air as the bone snapped. It sounded like a gunshot. Aaron tightened his hold on his weapon. Thomas started, dropping his scanner. It disappeared into the snow. Cursing he bent to retrieve it.
"Find anything useful?" Evan asked.
"Maybe. Hold the kit," Moira instructed.
Evan opened the plastic bin, waited as Moira took out a scalpel. She dug at the broken bone, scraping the interior.
"There's no tissue that I can see. Maybe further in...maybe buried under the...damn! It's as solid as a rock." She forced the blade along the bone. "Here."
"We could just take the bone itself," Evan suggested as she procured a sample, dropped it into the bin. Sealed it shut.
"Oh. I guess." She wrapped the broken bone in plastic, set it in the case. "Let me try another one." She scooted down the incline, dug through snow and ice to search out a likely candidate.
Her breath caught in her throat as she cleared more snow. "Oh my...it can't...it can't be..."
"Moira? What have you found?" Concerned Evan joined her.
"This is not a mass grave. Well, it is...but it was a killing field!"
"How can you be sure?"
"These grooves." She ran her hand down the slotted marks on an elongated arm bone. "These were made by weapons. High-powered weapons. Hold on."
"Major Lorne!" Thomas tramped to them, taking big steps across the snow. "I'm detecting an energy reading. Very faint. Very weak. From the north." He pointed.
"That wasn't here before," Evan commented. "Can you pinpoint the exact location?"
"Not yet. It's very weak. There's a great amount of interference. But I will try."
"Life signs?" Hearing Moira grunt he turned back to see her prying into another bone with the scalpel. She lifted the object from the bone.
"Not yet. No." Thomas frowned, fiddling with his equipment.
"Evan! Is this a bullet?" She turned, dropped the misshapen object into the kit.
Evan eyed it. "It's a bullet, all right. From a P90." He glanced at his own weapon, lying starkly in the snow. He snapped the lid closed, grabbed his gun. Stood.
"A P90? Your..." She stared at his weapon. "But how–"
"You tell me. I think we just landed ourselves a proper mission, Moira. Finish up here. We need to report our findings."
"Evan, what if we...I think we caused this," she accused.
He met her anxious gaze. "All the more reason to find out exactly what happened." He turned, headed up the incline. "Kavanaugh?"
"The signal's gone, major. I'll keep trying to pick it up again. We should do a scan of the whole planet, just in case."
"All right. Let's head back. Moira?"
She stood, climbed the slope. "It's eerie," she stated, carrying the kit. She glanced back at the silent bones. The white land. The white sky. "I keep expecting..."
"Someone to appear? I know. I feel it too," he agreed quietly. "I don't like it. Here."
Moira stared at the 9mm gun he offered. "No. I don't–"
"You do now. Just in case. Keep it in your coat," he suggested. "Safety's on."
"Good to know." Distastefully she took the weapon. Slipped it into the inner pocket of her parka. She followed the men back to the Jumper. Once inside she stowed the kit, stuffed her gloves into the parka's pockets.
Evan moved to the front of the ship, stomping snow off his boots. He dialed the 'Gate. "Here we go." He glanced back at his team, then ahead. "This is Major Lorne, checking in from MP3XY2. Atlantis, are you receiving?" A pause. "Atlantis, do you copy?"
"Major Lorne." John's voice came over the transmission, clear as crystal. And just as cutting. His anger was palpable. "Return to Atlantis immediately."
"Oh oh," Evan muttered, glanced at Moira. Out loud he said, "Colonel Sheppard, we have made some startling discoveries."
"As have I, major. Return to Atlantis now. That is a direct order."
"Yes, sir. Returning to–"
"Wait." Moira leaned on the console. "John, we can't leave yet. We have made some incredible discoveries. We might be responsible for this! We have to find–"
"I was talking to Major Lorne. Major, are you disobeying a direct order?"
"No, sir. Returning now." He shut off the transmission before Moira could protest. "Strap in, people. Looks like our trip is finished."
"I'm sorry, Evan," Moira apologized as the Jumper began to rise. "I should have realized. I mean, I didn't want to get you into any serious trouble. Into any trouble! I'll explain–"
What the hell is Colonel Sheppard's problem today? It's like he got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning," Evan grumbled, flying the ship towards the event horizon.
Moira looked at her hands to hide her suppressed laugh. "Something like that." She sobered. "Look, Evan I will explain–"
"No. I made the decision. I'll take the blame. I agree with you that this is too important to ignore. And now we have an energy signal. That should at least whet his appetite."
"But I–"
"I'll do the talking, Moira. You just lay on the charm."
She smiled. "Okay, major."