Wreckage
Time Frame: Mid third season; after Common Ground but before The Return
A/N: This story includes my OC, Toni Beck. The background with her, Sheppard, and the team can be found under my profile. Thank you to all those who encouraged me to write more. I really appreciate the feedback!
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TEASER:
He unlatched the helmet and took a deep breath of the stale air. Moving down the dimly lit hall, John Sheppard felt himself stagger. The floor seemed to tilt. He reached out for the cold metal of the wall as a searing pain stabbed behind his right eye. A groan escaped his throat when he tilted his head to one side. The pain spread down his back and arms, flaring at each of his joints. Pins and needles attacked his hands and feet. When John tried to move down the hall his sciatic nerve blazed.
John heard Teyla cry out further down the hall. Biting down on his lip and pushing past the pain, he moved toward her. She lay on the floor just around the corner. Her hands pressed to her head as she panted. "John. What is…happening?"
He had a pretty good idea. "Rodney! What the hell did you just do?!"
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Wreckage – Chapter 1
A fine sweat broke out on Rodney McKay's brow. His hands felt clammy and his heart pounded heavily in his chest. His whole body tensed in the heat of battle. ''Come on, you bastard, die!"
"You're going to have to do better than that."
The mocking laughter of his opponent only made the scientist redouble his efforts. His guns blazed and the battlefield finally began to clear. ''Ha! Take that!"
With a blinding flash and a loud explosion the screen in front of McKay turned red. ''What!?"
''You're dead." Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard threw his game controller on to the desk. ''That's two beers you owe me, Rodney."
''I thought I was doing so much better." Rodney whined, tossing his controller down beside the other.
''John, have you seen... Rodney!" Toni Beck, the expedition's marine biologist came rushing into the room. ''Just the man I want to see."
''Hey.'' John frowned. ''You're supposed to say that to me, not him."
''Don't worry. You'll hear that from me later." She winked.
The Colonel and Toni had been seeing one another for over six months. Balancing their personal life and their professional lives took a little time, but things were working out rather well.
''Rodney,'' Toni put an arm around his shoulder. ''I could really use your help. In fact, I'm pretty sure you're the only one who can help me."
''I think I may be sick." John mumbled into his hand.
Toni turned to him as if Rodney wasn't even there. ''Did I overdo it? I laid that on a little too thick, huh?"
''Oh yeah, I need hip-waders over here." Sheppard smiled.
''Hello? I'm right here." McKay rolled his eyes.
''I'm teasing." She smiled sweetly at the scientist.
''I'm not."
''John!" She turned back to Rodney. ''Honestly. I do need your help."
''With?" Rodney looked disgusted but it was all an act.
''Networking the survey buoys from Earth with the database in my lab. I think if I can get all of the data and video feed to flow together I can track everything much better."
''Sure. I suppose. It should be easy enough to do." McKay nodded.
''Great! This will make my life so much easier." She smiled. Toni looked at the game on the computer screen. Pointing at one of towers of the game environment, she whispered in Rodney's ear. "Look out. He hides up there with a sniper riffle every time."
With a squeal, she quickly scurried away from John's grasping hands and ran from the room before he could get a hold of her for giving away the secret.
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''How's it going?" Doctor Elizabeth Weir entered the marine lab.
Since her arrival on Atlantis, Toni had been studying the sea life and the impact it could have on the expedition. She worked from a lab they'd found in the lower areas of Atlantis, where it had access to an observation room on the underside of the city. In recent weeks, they had placed several sensors in the water for gathering data.
When the alternate universe "Rod" McKay was among them for a time, he made mention of derelict Ancient ship they had located underwater in his universe. He said the computer core had given them a lot of valuable intelligence on the Wraith. Of course, saying it had a ZPM got everyone's attention, too.
Dangling the carrot of such intelligence got the expedition the survey buoys they'd wanted. Still, while searching, Toni gathered all the data and logged all of the marine life she could.
"Things are moving little slower than I'd like, but I'm getting some great information flowing in." Toni turned toward Elizabeth. She pointed to a bank of monitors on the wall. Each one displayed a different underwater view. ''Rodney did a great job hooking my sensors into the database. I can even identify the fish as they come into view."
''I understand you've found some resembling halibut? John is already asking the kitchens to get extra potatoes so we can have fresh fish and chips."
Toni laughed. It was a running joke between them ever since the first day they'd met.
"These are beautiful. What are they?" Elizabeth pointed to one screen with bright blue and yellow fish swimming in tight schools.
"I think they're some sort of balistapus undulatus, a eh, triggerfish. There is a seamount that juts to the surface so there's a wide variety of life there."
Toni studied Elizabeth for a moment. She seemed tired and a little distracted. ''But you didn't come all the way down here for a status report."
"No, not really." She smiled wearily and wrapped her arms around herself. "Just looking for a place to hide out for a while. I have some sticky political reports to write and I just don't want to deal with any more of it right now. Do you mind terribly?"
Toni grinned at Elizabeth. "Not a problem. I can be a procrastinator's paradise. You've come down to check the progress on the Northern Current Survey Project. Right?"
"Precisely."
"Good." Toni motioned to the mini-fridge in the corner. "Grab a drink and I'll give you a tour."
"Thanks." Elizabeth got herself a bottle of water and sat down in front of the monitors. Watching the schools of fish swim with the current was relaxing. A pink bumpy crab moved across a stone in search of food.
Looking at the stone more closely, Elizabeth realized it wasn't a stone at all. It looked remarkably like part of a ship. ''Toni, what is that?"
"It's a crab." Toni came over to stand beside her. She looked more closely at the surface the crab crawled along. ''Is that?"
''Part of a ship?" Elizabeth finished.
''Sure does look like it." Toni checked the readout for that camera. ''I think we need to take a look at this."
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''Colonel," Weir called as the team emerged from the shimmering surface of the gate. ''How did it go?"
"Just peachy." John answered without enthusiasm. "Everything is set for the trade next week."
''Good, because you and the team need to join us in the conference room as soon as you're cleared. We've found something you need to see." She smiled.
They made their way to the conference room in a matter of minutes. Weir, Toni and Zelenka were crowded around a computer screen when they came in.
''So." John stepped up behind them. ''Whatcha got?"
''That was fast." Elizabeth commented. ''Please have a seat."
''We found something." Toni smiled widely. ''I'm not positive at this point…we have to go down and get closer readings…but I think it's a wreckage from the war."
''A battleship? Seriously?" Sheppard leaned forward on his elbows, his eyes lighting up. ''What kind of condition?"
''We're not sure." Zelenka brought up another screen showing a scan and the vague images of the sea floor. ''These images are as detailed as we can get from here. There's hardly any energy reading at all."
''It's hard to tell what kind of condition it's in or how much of it is buried beneath the reef. There could be ten thousand years of growth over it." Toni added. ''This area is on the upper slope of a seamount. So where it rests is relatively shallow... only around 360 feet."
''Only?" Rodney scoffed.
''It's well in the range of the jumpers." Toni added hopefully.
''You want to go check it out." Ronon stated.
''Oh yeah." She nodded.
"So when do we leave?" Sheppard leaned back in his chair.
TBC
