Blood Sea
A natural disaster is threatening Atlantis. With the help of Lt. Colonel Sheppard and his team, the new marine biologist learns how different working in the Pegasus will be. Sheppard/OC
Time Frame: Early Season Three
General Disclaimers: Don't own them. Just borrowing for a little fun.
Author's Note: I wrote this some time ago, and finally decided to post. There's a series of stories which follow, including the development of my original character, the relationships she builds with the members of the expedition and the series storyline. Some are missing scene and tag stories. Some are stand alone tales. If there's interest, I may post those as well. Comments are welcome!
BLOOD SEA
"Is there anything else before we wrap this up?" Dr. Elizabeth Weir looked around the table at her senior staff.
"That's everything on today's agenda." Her aide nodded.
"I'm going to be training that new marine biologist in the jumper today." Colonel Sheppard fiddled with the stylus to his computer.
"You mean the brunette with great…"
"Rodney!" Sheppard snapped.
"What?" McKay sat back, looking indignant. "How do you know what I was going to say? I could have been commenting on her credentials."
"But you weren't."
"Okay, true." Rodney conceded. "Usually, I go for blondes, but she's seriously hot."
"Gentlemen." Weir gave them both a glare, but there wasn't much force behind it. She turned her attention back to the Colonel. "John, I read the initial profile of Dr. Beck. It states the ATA gene is rather strong in her. But still, is it wise to go straight to jumper flight lessons?"
"Actually, she's been logging time in the simulators from the moment she got here." Major Lorne added. "It's only been a couple days, but she's flying through them. No pun intend."
"Alright then." She tuned to Sheppard with a smile as she stood from the table. "Have fun."
They all stood as well, gathering their things to leave the meeting. Rodney didn't quite wait until she was out of earshot though, before he began whining. "Sure. I get to analyze the abnormal power consumption of the recyclers with Zelenka and you get to go cruising with the new girl."
Neither of them saw the grin on Elizabeth's face.
o0o0o0o
Toni Beck stepped forward as the jumper bay doors opened. She looked around with awe. Being here still felt so surreal. Only four months ago she was working for a survey team in the Puget Sound of Washington. Then she found that one little box that lit up when she touched it. It was innocently tangled in holdfast of a bull kelp sample. When the Air Force showed up in her lab, it shocked her. The following hours of interviews and days of 'protective custody' scared the crap out of her. But the offer that followed, that was amazing… and now, she was in a whole other galaxy.
"Still getting used to it all?"
She jumped slightly, not hearing anyone approach.
"Sorry," Sheppard smiled. "Didn't mean to startle you."
"It's okay. I was just…thinking." She managed to but her lip and smile at the same time. "When does the 'wow' factor wear off?"
"If you're lucky, it doesn't."
"I like that answer." She turned back to the open ceiling bay doors and the blue sky above. "Because this is incredibly cool."
"That it is." She was short, about Teyla's height, with long hair tied back loosely from her face. He couldn't help his eyes from following the line of her upturned face, down her neck to the ample curves under the black tee. He caught himself before he got distracted further. "Should we get started, Doctor?"
"Toni." Her gaze swung back around to him. "Please."
"Toni." John motioned to the jumper. "After you."
They settled into the jumper, Sheppard in the pilot's seat. He began to explain what the day would hold. "I'm going to fly us out, let you take a look at everything. We'll swap spots and I'll walk you through some exercises. When you're ready we'll head up."
"I'd rather go down."
It was out of her mouth before the filters in her brain could stop it. She couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up at the incredulous expression on the Colonel's face. "Um, into the water, I mean."
"Ah," He looked sideways. Oh crap, she would lick her lips at that moment. Focus, John. "We'll get to that. But I want to make sure you can handle the jumper in the atmosphere and in orbit before we go underwater."
"Whatever you say, Colonel. I'm just anxious to try, that's all."
"John." He corrected. Then he couldn't help himself. "Besides, you'll get the chance to go down soon enough."
He brought the ship out of the city, rising into the blue morning sky. Just for the chance to see the look on her face, he circled around so the entire city filled their view. She didn't disappoint. Toni leaned forward, eyes wide. She laughed, "I can't believe I'm really here. It's amazing, all of it."
"Glad you like it. Good location. Great view. Easy commute. Some of the neighbors are a pain…" John joked.
"Yeah, it sucks when the neighbors let their dogs crap in your yard." Toni agreed, deadpan. They shared a chuckle.
As the morning progressed, John was pleasantly surprised at her skills. The time spent in the simulators must have been beneficial. "You're doing good. Sure you've never flown before?"
"Only with an Xbox." Toni focused as she followed the route he laid out for her to follow. "I used to get a real kick out of it whenever we were choppered out to a ship or a rig platform. Closest I ever got. Put me in a submersible, though, and I can navigate a reef or a wreckage with my eyes closed."
"Well, once you get up to speed in one of these, there's plenty of water."
"It funny," Toni brought the jumper about. "We still have vast areas of the ocean unexplored on our own planet, and it's so difficult." A broad grin crossed her face. "Now I'm here. I'm so excited. I love having the chance to study all of this, especially without having to deal with red tape and grant reviewers. Hell, we might even find Lantea's version of cod for some really good fish and chips."
"Really? I love a good fish fry."
"Me too. Throw in some cold beer and a Sunday game…"
"Perfect." John's mouth practically watered at the thought. "Wait a minute. Game?"
"Yeah, it was a family tradition. Sundays at my parent's always involved either a fish fry or a barbeque followed by everyone screaming at the tv during the football game."
"Fun. If you find the fish, I have every game from last season on dvd." John offered.
"That sounds like a hell of a plan." Toni shifted a little in the pilot's seat, finishing the route he'd laid out for her to fly. "Okay, what now?"
Much later that day they landed back in the jumper bay. They stayed out nearly two hours longer than he had scheduled. Toni continued to urge Sheppard to show her more, push her further. She was eager to learn and a quick study. Besides, they were both enjoying the company.
As the rear hatch of the jumper lowered, Toni could be heard laughing hysterically. John smiled, enjoying making her laugh. Granted he began the day looking forward to giving her a flight lesson, but his expectations were not terribly high. Her laid back intelligence and proficiency during the lesson surprised him. Of course, learning that she liked cheesy horror flicks, surfing and football didn't hurt either.
"Nice to know you're having such a wonderful time while everything around here is going to hell." McKay met them at the base of the jumper.
"Um," her laughter died as she looked between both men. Granted, she heard plenty about Dr. McKay from the scientists on his team, but he looked pissed.
"According to you things are always going to hell, McKay." Sheppard waved a dismissing hand. "What's different now?" His day was going too well for something to dampen it now.
"Zelenka and I went over the data from Atlantis' recyclers and we have a serious problem."
"Why are you bringing this to me? And now of all times?" John cut him off. "Brief Elizabeth."
Rodney caught the Colonel's sideways glance at the woman standing just a few feet behind him and to his left. "Oh yes, well…" he stammered. "She doesn't seem to understand the severity of the situation…um," he noticed the new marine biologist absently checking out Sheppard's ass. "She said to brief everyone in the morning meeting."
"Well then," Sheppard physically turned him around by the shoulders, pushing him toward the door. "You can tell me all about in the morning."
"Yeah, but I…" McKay turned back to face the Colonel's hardest stare. "Fine. Fine, it may be too late by then. Suit yourself."
John watch the scientist stomp off for a moment before he felt Toni step up beside him. "Sorry about that. McKay has a tendency to think everything is going to cause the world to end. Fortunately, when it really is, he's pretty good at pulling a hail-Mary."
"I've heard."
"Oh, yeah. From who?"
"Dr. Bronson." Toni chuckled. "Or as Dr. McKay calls him…Dr. Benson, Bronstone, Bretton…what-ever-your-name-is."
He laughed. "Nice to know you're getting accurate intel. Hungry? I know a great spot with a mean meatloaf."
o0o0o0o
"So nice to see you could make the meeting on time," Rodney sneered, "considering your hot date yesterday."
"What date?" Sheppard plopped into the chair at the conference table. "I didn't have a date."
"Really?" Major Lorne tried not to smile. "Because you and the new doctor looked pretty cozy in the mess last night."
"We were talking. Besides, I wouldn't take a date to the mess."
"You had a date?" Elizabeth strolled into the room.
"It wasn't a date."
"Looked like a date." Lorne mumbled.
"It wasn't a date."
"I think it's great that you went out on a date." Elizabeth grinned.
"It. Was. Not. A. Date." John ground out through clenched teeth. "I thought we were here because McKay found a problem."
"Ah, yes." Rodney eagerly took the opportunity. "We found the reason the city's desalinators are drawing more power than they should. There's an algae, a particularly stubborn algae, causing the system to bog down. When we manually lowered the power back down to normal levels, the desalination rate dropped below nine percent."
"Meaning?" Weir asked.
"Meaning if we don't want to use up all our extra power, we're going to run out of fresh water within the week, maybe ten days. We have to find a way to deal with this algae."
"Not algae. It's sperm." They all looked to the door where Dr. Toni Beck walked in beside Zelenka.
"What?" Rodney practically squeaked.
"I hope you don't mind, Dr. Weir." Zelenka explained. "Since this is Dr. Beck's area of expertise, I informed her of our findings."
"That's fine," Elizabeth agreed. "Please sit down and explain."
"I took a look at the samples collected. To the naked eye, it does resemble a filmy algae, but it's the result of a spawning. It's sperm, but I would need to do a little more digging before I can tell you from what. Initial guess would be a type of scyphozoan."
"A jellyfish." Zelenka offered.
"Lots of them." Toni did her best not to let her eyes linger too long over the Colonel sitting across from her.
"So what do we do about it?" Elizabeth leaned forward in her chair.
"Well," Toni was reluctant to give a definitive answer. She'd been informed of the problem less than an hour ago. Besides, she'd been here less than a week. At this point there were more questions than answers. "If – and this is a big if – they behave like jellyfish on Earth, the spawning will only last a few days. Of course, we would have to factor in currents and water temperature. If this has been going on for five days, as Dr. Zelenka indicated, then possibly another five days to a week. Honestly, Dr. Weir, that is a total guess. I just don't have the information to offer anything solid."
"Fair enough." Weir understood.
"And what exactly will it take to get the right information?"
Toni tried to remember McKay tone was just him, and ignored the rude inflection. "Help getting information from the Ancient database to start. Also, if I can get a fresh sample straight from the sea rather than from the desalination system, I may be able to tell how fresh it is. That, along with an analysis of the current, will give me an indication of where the spawn occurred and if it's still taking place."
"Good." Elizabeth nodded. "Dr. Zelenka, please help her with the access to the database."
"I'll have a detail take her down to an area where she can get a sample of the water." John offered.
"And I'll expect to be brief within twenty-four hours. In the meantime, Rodney, please find a median between power consumption and fresh water needs. I'll inform everyone to conserve water until further notice. Hopefully, all of this will blow over in a few days, but I want a better idea of what we're dealing with."
o0o0o0o
"You didn't have to do this yourself, you know." Toni carried a case with several sterile containers.
"Yeah, well. It's better than the paperwork waiting for me on my desk." Sheppard grinned over his shoulder at her. Her had insisted on carrying the cased of equipment she'd gathered. They were traveling down a corridor deep in the city.
"Gee, nice to know helping me out rates so high on your list." She commented, deadpan. "Right above paperwork. Thanks."
"That's not what I meant." He stopped, turning to face her. "Honestly, I…" The corner of Toni's lip twitched as she tried desperately not to smile. "Alright, fine. You got me."
"The look on your face," She chuckled. "Priceless."
"Happy you find me amusing."
"In more ways than one." She giggled.
He definitely liked the sound of her laughter. Throughout dinner the night before he told nearly every funny Atlantis story he could, just to hear it. So what if he insisted in the meeting that dinner last night was not a date. It wasn't. Still, he hoped it laid the ground work for one.
They stopped at a heavy looking bulkhead door. "This is it." With a wave of his hand, the door opened. Outside, a walkway opened to a sheltered part of the sea. "Holy shit."
The water was a deep red. It appeared thick, opaque. "Like blood." Toni breathed. "It must be concentrated here because of city catching the current. I didn't see anything like this when I was looking out at the ocean this morning. John, hand me that case please."
They began opening sample containers. She set up drop lines, marking the containers for depths and times. It only took a few minutes. Toni rapidly packaged everything up as soon as she was finished. "I need to get this under the scope right away." She looked up at John with worry in her eyes. "McKay may be right. This could be a serious problem."
"Okay," He picked up the heavier case and followed her back into the corridor. "What's got you spooked."
"I've never seen anything like this. It's far more condensed than the sample that Zelenka brought me earlier… which tells me it's getting worse." They continued through the city to the nearest transporter. "Can you have someone go out in a jumper and look for the flow? If it's getting this thick, there has to be a way to track it to the source."
"I'll help you get to the lab, and then organize a search. Is there anything else you might need? Extra help?"
"I'll call McKay or Zelenka if I need anything. For now, though, I need to get these samples into the cooler and begin the analysis."
As soon as they entered her lab, she moved with practiced precision. It dawned on him that he'd never actually seen her lab. There were the normal equipment consoles, both Atlantian from Earth. John did take notice of the iPod speakers and the French press on the counter. A Monty Python Holy Grail poster hung on one wall and a notebook with a rather naughty rendition of Tinker Bell on the cover sat near by. Over her chair hung a Seahawks sweatshirt. "Nice to see you're making yourself at home."
"Hmm?" Toni looked up from the refrigeration unit. He picked up the sweatshirt. "Oh, yeah. I asked if I could bring a Coke machine with me, but that got shot down."
John laughed. "That would take some doing."
"Well, a girl's got to have her caffeine. So, until I can get some decent soda, I'll have to deal with coffee and M&Ms."
"Well, the coffee here kinda sucks. Wait. You have M&Ms?"
"And good coffee." She smiled wickedly. "After all this is dealt with, I might – just might – let you try to get the location of the secret hiding place out of me."
He stepped closer, drawn in by the flirtatious glint in her eyes. "Now that sounds like I fun challenge."
Toni leaned in even closer. He smells so good. She had to tilt her head back to look into his eyes. "Yes it does. But, you need to leave now before you distract me further."
"Will do." John really, really wanted to touch her. He settled for brushing a long piece of dark hair over her shoulder. "I'll be back."
"Better be." She could get lost in those eyes.
"Okay, I'm leaving now." John backed up slowly. "Walking out the door." He turned. "One foot in front of the other."
o0o0o0o
"Colonel Sheppard." The voice came over the jumper's com. "We've checked the designated area to the west and we haven't seen anything."
"Fine." He responded. "Go ahead and go back to Atlantis. Be sure to take all of the readings back and let Dr. Beck know when you've downloaded them."
"Yes sir." The com shut down.
"You picking up anything?" He asked both McKay and Teyla.
"There's definitely a concentration of the … the stuff . . . and I'm picking up a fair amount of electrical activity in the water." Rodney rapidly scrolled through the screens on his laptop.
"John." Teyla stood between them, pointing to an area further south. "There."
As they flew closer, John whistled. It looked like an oil slick – only of blood.
"Gross." Rodney looked up from his computer. "It looks like those old pictures of high volume whaling operations."
"How big is it?"
"Um, big." McKay looked up from the readouts. "Really big. Miles big."
"Perhaps we should get this information to Dr. Beck." Teyla looked on to the red sea with concern.
"Yeah." John activated the com again. "Elizabeth?"
"Yes, John." Her voice filled the jumper. "Have you found something?"
"Sure did. I think we need to patch Toni in on this."
"I'm here."
"We found a huge slick of the stuff about three hundred kilometers south east of the city. It's at least two kilometers wide and four long. I'm not getting any reading on how deep it goes." Rodney reported.
"That's huge." Toni began speaking very quickly. "Please take recordings of air temperature and water surface temperature – both in the center of the swarm and in front of it, in clear water. Any weather readings as well. Can you tell if there's anything living? I mean, anything fully grown?"
"Not that I can tell." McKay replied. "Although, there's an electrical field around it and the readings are bouncing all over the place."
"If they behave like scyphozoan from home, they may surface at night."
"John," Elizabeth cut in. "Once you've gotten the information Dr. Beck requested, head back. I think it may be prudent to up the time of our next briefing."
"Agreed." He looked over at McKay who nodded that he was finished. "We're on our way back."
o0o0o0o
"It's definitely a scyphozoan type swarm, but the numbers are astronomical." Dr. Beck stood in front of the display. They all looked at the magnified view of the water sample. "See the larger ones, here and here. That's planula, jellyfish in their larva stage. There's millions, no, probably billions of them."
"That's very bad. Worse than we thought." Radek piped in. "It explains why the desalination machines are having such a difficult time."
"Explain to me why it's worse." John leaned forward.
"In their larva stage, the planula will float on the currents until they come into contact with a smooth, stable surface. At that point, they will attach themselves – rather stubbornly I might add – and grow until they look more like a sea anemone. Then they mature, release, and join the ocean currents again." Toni explained.
"And we're a perfect smooth, stable surface." Rodney through his stylus on the table.
"Yes," Toni continued. "We sit in the current flow of the slick. By the time it reaches us, the planula will be developed. They will coat every surface touching the water. I can't even calculate how thick."
"Can we raise the shields?" Ronon sat in one of the chairs at the edge of the room.
"Yes," Rodney tapped a few calculations into his computer. "It should hold them at bay, but we don't know how long we'll have to keep the shields up."
"The slick will spread the longer it flows. Besides, we don't know if they're finished spawning yet." Toni ran her hands through her hair.
"Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine." John muttered sarcastically.
"We could go out at dusk, to do a night investigation. If behavior is similar, they should come closer to the surface to spawn. In the meantime, Radek and I will continue digging through the Ancient database for any information that might help. I really think this is linked to the storm you experienced last year." Toni offered.
Elizabeth nodded, then asked. "How so?"
"It caused a cascade effect. The storm stirred up the shallows, releasing nutrients, which caused a population explosion in microscopic life…" Toni began.
"Which caused a rich environment for smaller fish, and the larger animals that fed on them, and so on. I understand." Elizabeth finished. "If this is a phenomenon caused by the storm, then the Ancients may indeed have documented it."
"I'll raise the shields, but I think we need to limit water usage to absolute minimums just to be safe." McKay stood up.
"I agree." Weir stood as well. "Plan on taking a jumper out tonight. Please let me know as soon as you have any news."
The meeting broke up and everyone headed to their assigned projects. Toni gathered up her tablet and left with Radek, but not before John put a hand on the small of her back. "I'll have a jumper ready and come get you before dusk."
"Thanks."
He didn't realize he was watching her walk away until Ronon mocked his head-tilted pose. "I heard you hooked up with someone."
"What?" Sheppard turned to his friend.
"Her." Ronon motioned to the marine biologist disappearing around the corner.
"We haven't 'hooked up'…if it's any business of yours." John scoffed. He started down the hall.
Ronon fell into step beside him. "Too bad."
"What?! Why is everyone suddenly so interested in my love life?"
"You have a new love in your life?" Teyla joined them from behind.
"No."
"He's denying that he hooked up with Dr. Beck." Ronon teased.
The Athosian's eyebrows rose. "Truly? I had heard the two of you shared a lengthy evening meal. Does that not constitute a 'date'?"
"Who the hell have you two been talking to? It wasn't a date." John spun on his heels.
The two of them looked like the cats that ate the canaries. They were enjoying making him uncomfortable way too much. "I'm just saying if you can get a date, you should." Ronon tried not to grin, but wasn't very successful.
"I think what Ronon is trying to say is, you deserve whatever happiness you can find."
"No, I mean he should bed her."
John just stood there, in shock. He started to say something. Stopped. Started again. And stopped again. Finally his face crunched up in frustration. "Go back to work." He growled and stormed off.
"Too easy." Ronon laughed.
o0o0o0o
"How goes the search?" Sheppard entered the marine bio lab.
"Slow." Toni stretched her arms over head, arching her sore back. "My analysis of the samples has shown some interesting results, though. This has been going on for at least a week and I don't think we're to the height of spawn yet either."
"That could be a problem."
"Yeah. Also, the larva are real buggers. Take a look at this." She pulled a flat metal bar out of one of the sample containers. Across its length were dozens of red slimy dots. Toni handed him a small knife. "Scrape them off."
John ran the knife over the larvae. The outer, slimy part slipped off, but they still stayed fast to the metal. He chose one, and scraped harder. It eventually came off, but it took effort. "Okay, you're right. They're tough."
"They're only a few hours old." Toni took the sample back, putting it away. "Imagine a solid layer of that stuff, only a thousand times larger, covering every millimeter of city exposed to the water."
The Colonel pursed his lips, frowning. "Okay. That's bad."
"Yep. Here's what I don't get." She leaned against the counter, crossing her arms. "Why would the Ancients build a floating city without a means to remove the barnacles off the bottom. It's not like the ol' girl can be put in dry-dock."
"You're right. They seem to have thought of a way to deal with everything else. Maybe Rodney can find something too." He put his hand near her left hip, leaning in a little closer. "You can talk to him about it when we fly out. We leave in thirty minutes."
"Alright." She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. She'd been staring down a microscope all day. "I'll get my stuff together."
"Have you taken a break at all today?" John lightly placed his hand on her back.
"No." Toni rolled her head, stretching her neck.
"What about lunch?"
"No time."
"Grab your stuff." He gentle shoved her away from the counter. "Hurry up. 'Cause we're going to swing by the mess a grab a couple sandwiches. You can eat in the jumper."
"But…"
"Don't argue with me. You need to eat. You could go all hypoglycemic on me," John stood over her, trying to look stern. "I don't want you fainting."
"You'd prefer me swooning?" Pink flowered across her cheeks. Toni stared hard at the floor. "I'm sorry. Sometimes the filter between my brain and my mouth malfunctions."
"That's okay." He smiled, leaning closer to speak quietly in her ear. "Especially if it makes you blush like that."
Their faces stayed dangerously close, and their eyes remained locked. Neither wanted to pull away, but they both knew now was not the time. Toni's eyes fell to his mouth. Alarms went off in John's head. Bad time! Not now! Still, she was so close. Right here.
John drew closer, thrilled when she met him half way. As his lips covered hers, his hands cupped her face, and drifted into her hair. He felt her lean into him. Her fingers dig into his hips. The kiss deepened. His arms wrapped around her small frame, pulling her close.
A high pitch beep made them both jump. It came from a timer on her desk. A nervous giggle bubbled from Toni's throat. She rested her forehead on his chest, as she reached out with one hand and slapped off the offending device. "Timing sucks, huh?"
His fingers made lazy circles on the small of her back. "Today anyway."
"Hmm. Well, in that case, we'd better get busy so we can get this mess cleaned up by tomorrow."
"Yet another good plan." He briefly kissed her again. "But, we are still getting you some food."
"Okay, I'm hurrying…" Toni pulled away and began to pack up her things.
o0o0o0o
"Ah, Dr. Beck." Rodney called out as they approached the jumper. "I have something I think you'll be interested in."
"Please." She held up a hand to stop him. "There are so many doctors around here. I would really prefer it if you just called me Toni."
"Oh. Okay. Anyway, look at this." He led her to the side of the jumper, where a large cylindrical case was mounted to the side. "I've had the jumper fitted with this pod that will lower into the water to take more detailed readings and even video. Sort of an underwater MALP."
"Nice. I didn't know we had a submersible ROV."
"Neither did I." John stepped up beside them.
"Actually, it's designed for use in heavy atmosphere, but it should work in this case too." Rodney explained.
"Good thinking, Rodney." Sheppard slapped him on the shoulder before entering the ship. "Let's get moving boys and girls! We're burning daylight!"
Once Rodney, Teyla, Ronon and Toni were seated, the jumper rose smoothly out of the bay. As they headed across the sea, John reached down into his pack and pulled out a sandwich, tossing it behind him to Toni. "Eat."
She caught it. As she tore it open, Toni glanced up at Ronon who sat across from her watching with an oddly amused look on his face. So she asked, "Is he always this much of a nag?"
"Hey!"
"Usually." Ronon answered.
Toni smiled at the Satedan before taking a bite of the turkey sandwich, and chewing thoughtfully, wondering what they would find.
"So you just study fish?" He asked.
"Not just fish. Pretty much anything that lives underwater. My specialty, though, is with sharks."
"Really?" Rodney turned in his chair. "You actually swim with those things?"
Toni smiled at the look of horror on McKay's face. "Yep, just me in wet suit."
"I do not understand." Teyla also turned to the conversation.
"Jaws. Big mean fish with lots of teeth." John tossed out, like it would help.
"They're a predatory fish that are such efficient hunters –"
"Killers" Rodney interjected.
"Hunters…that they haven't evolved much in a million years. Some grow to be more than twenty feet long. I once saw a white take a thirty pound bite out of a side of beef we were using for bait."
"You swim with these things?" Ronon's eyebrow rose.
"Sometimes."
"Why?"
"Mainly to study them. They're at the top of the food chain, so if there's something wrong with them, the whole ecosystem can be off. Plus, we try to know more about their behavior. They attack about a hundred people a year."
"They sound formidable." Teyla commented.
"I have great dive footage from year before last. I'll show you if you're interested."
"Oh! Let's watch Jaws first, so they get the real terror behind it." Sheppard called out. "I'm sure someone has a copy."
Toni laughed. "Oh, god, I hate to admit this…but I do."
"Perfect. Next movie night, Jaws it is." The HUD popped up in front of him. "We're here."
Toni jumped up to get a better view of the ocean outside. The water was thick and red. Under the failing light it appeared luminescent. It glowed with a light that rolled and changed, alive.
"You ever seen anything like this before?" Sheppard asked, looking up at Toni.
"No. Can you lower us down a bit more? Maybe get a better angle to see?"
"For you? Sure."
Ronon and Teyla, who both noticed the casual hand she had placed on the Colonel's shoulder when she stood, shared a knowing look. Yeah, it had definitely been a date.
"What is that?" Rodney asked. "Some sort of bioluminescence?"
"Seems to be." Toni muttered. She leaned forward between them, resting her hands on the counsel just above the DHD. "But red is incredibly rare, at home at least. The light spectrum is usually in the blues. Look at how far it spreads. There. John, can the jumper shine a light over there?" As an answer, a bright flood light hit the water where she was pointing. "Thanks."
"I didn't do that."
"What?" Both Toni and Rodney turned to him.
"Honest. Wasn't me." He pointed to her hands. "It was you."
"Dr. Beck." Teyla stood, motioning to the lit area. At the surface, they could see the jellyfish. Their diameter was at least two meters. They swirled around each other, appearing like a ballet out from a Disney movie. As the five of them watched, hundreds more became visible. "It's really quite beautiful." Teyla commented quietly.
"Yeah," Rodney scoffed, "If they weren't going to kill us."
"Not going to happen. Let's get the ROV in the water." Toni stated, then turned to Teyla. "And they are beautiful."
A few minutes later Rodney and Toni were rapidly pulling data from the ROV. The video played, showing jellies so thick that it was difficult to tell where one ended and another began. Red cloudy substance floated between them.
"Physically, they seem similar to the medusa phase of box jellyfish. But there's something else. They're emitting a charge, almost like an electric eel's electrocytes. Perhaps they use an electrical charge instead of a toxin. No, that's not right. I identified toxins in the sample I took at the city." Toni talked, pretty much to herself. "I wonder. If they are able to produce a charge using something similar to an electrocyte, then could they be neutralized? Never mind. It wouldn't help. I don't think. Perhaps, if they…"
"Wait. Wait." Rodney snapped his fingers. "You may be on to something. They are producing a low level electrical field, even though they're not actively shocking prey. Right? So maybe the larvae are too. If they are, then perhaps we could negatively charge the outside of Atlantis – maybe with a rapid cycle recognition system – to repel them."
"Hold on. You ran a bunch of power through the city back during the storm and we had to evacuate everyone." John stopped him.
"No. No. No. It would be very low, no one would even notice. The technology is used back home all the time."
"I get it." Toni exclaimed. "Like the pads on the soda machines!" Rodney nodded, but Sheppard gave her a 'huh?' look. "Ever get the huge 32 ouncers from the gas station? Well the button that pours the soda only works if you touch it with your finger or your knuckle. If you try to use your keys or the straw, they won't work. They continually cycle a charge back and forth, changing positive to negative and back again, until something it's set up to recognize – you – make it more difficult to do so. Then it activates. At least I think that's the way it works."
"Close enough. Anyway," Rodney continued. "If we can emit a current that will repel the larvae when they touch the city, they won't be able to adhere."
"Rodney, will the ROV administer its own field? Can we test your theory here?" John wondered.
"Sure. But only if I would have set it up to do that before we left. It's too late now."
"Can the jumper?" Ronon asked.
"Probably."
John baulked. "But do we want to risk covering it in that stuff? I tried to scrape one of those things off a little tiny piece a metal in Toni's lab and it was tough."
"If we went to the rear of the jellies, up current, there wouldn't be any planula. It should be safe even if they're spawning." Toni smiled. She really wanted to go below the surface.
The Colonel looked at Rodney, who agreed. "Okay, kids. Pull the ROV up. We're going in." John turned forward in the pilot's seat again.
The jumper moved to the rear of the swarm and lowered into the water. From below the surface the light from the jumper made the jellies glisten as they moved around each other. Their tentacles danced around, bright red and milky white. It looked choreographed.
"Wow." Toni breathed. "They're amazing."
"Look how deep they go." John leaned forward. The jellies disappeared into the depths, as far down as they could see.
"You're sure we're safe down here?" McKay looked pensive.
"I don't see why not. But just to be safe, why don't you test your theory so we can get out of here."
"Sounds like a plan," Toni agreed. "Rodney, keep the current low. We only want to repel them, not hurt them."
McKay began rapidly tapping away on his computer. "Okay, that should do it. I'm going to dial things up nice and slow. Why don't you, ah, get us a little closer so we can tell if this is working."
Sheppard eased the jumper forward. The jellies brushed against the hull, allowing them a very close view of the long curling tentacles and translucent bodies.
"Turning up the juice." McKay commented.
The jellies became more active, pushing away from the jumper.
"It appears to be working." Teyla looked over McKay's shoulder.
Suddenly there were more crowding into the space around them. Their whole view became thick. It was impossible to tell how many.
"Maybe not." Ronon stated.
"I'll turn it up a bit more." Rodney increased the current.
The jumper jerked.
"Maybe you should turn it off, Rodney." Toni began to worry.
"Done."
They waited a tense moment. "Nothing's changing." John looked around. "I think it's time we got out of here."
"Yeah." Toni agreed. When nothing happened right away, she grew even more worried. "John?"
"It's a little sluggish. Hold on a second." The Jumper rose, but took many of the jellies with it. As they broke the surface, the large creatures slowly began to drop off. It took a while, but they all eventually fell free. "That's better."
"So much for that idea." Toni plopped into her seat. "Still, we've got a lot of data."
"Perhaps the jumper is just not designed for use in this way." Teyla offered in way of support.
Toni ran her hands through her long hair in frustration. "Dammit. This whole thing is pissing me off. You know what though? I just can't get past the idea that there must be some system we don't know about on Atlantis. Anytime you put something in the water for a long period of time it collects 'stuff' – barnacles, worms, coral, plant life. Why would they build a floating city without a way to clean it off?"
"Maybe you just have to know what to ask." Ronon stated absently.
"What?" She turned to him.
"You might be on to something." Sheppard turned around. "Atlantis has pretty much shown us what we're looking for – IF we know what it is we're looking for. It's like the jumper. You knew you wanted a flood light and it turned it on."
Rodney snapped his fingers. "We've been looking through the database - a long and arduous process when you don't know what you're looking for - but what if we HAVE been asking the wrong question. We've been looking for information on these jellyfish, even though we have know idea what the Ancients called them…and, of course, how to flush the desalination systems. What if we have to just find how the city keeps itself clean?"
"Hell, I don't even know if there's a marine lab. The one I've been working out of is a science lab, but you would think a marine lab would have tanks and direct access to the water. There are way too many questions. I don't even know where to begin."
"Didn't you and Zelenka find a number of labs that had their own databases, independent of the main system?" Sheppard piloted them back toward the city.
"Yeah, well, sort of." McKay confirmed. "They were in the main system, but they were so buried we never would have found them if it weren't for the labs being found first."
"Sounds like you should be looking for a lab." Ronon stretched. He really preferred having something to do, compared to all of this waiting.
John thought about their options. "When we get back, Rodney you go brief Elizabeth and then look for a maintenance program…something the city would use to clean up. Toni and I will do some digging through the survey team reports. Maybe we can find a lab."
o0o0o0o
The hallways of the lower west pier were dimly lit and still smelled musty. Upon returning to Atlantis, John pulled all the survey team reports looking for anything that may sound like a marine lab. After hours of quickly skimming the data for certain parameters, they had five possible locations. Now, they were on their way to check out the second one after having no luck with the first.
"You sure you don't want to do this in the morning?" He walked beside her, noticing her tilting her head like her neck hurt.
"Yeah, I'm sure." A brief smile crossed Toni's face. "Besides, I'm too wound up to actually sleep. We might as well put the nervous energy to good use."
"By walking halfway across the city in the dark." John scoffed.
"I know. I can think of much better ways to work off nervous energy in the dark, too."
He laughed. "I did not say that!"
"No, I did. But you thought it." She returned the laugh.
John's chuckle faded away. He stopped, and waited for her to turn towards him. "Yeah, I did."
Toni wondered why he went suddenly serious. "What?"
"I was thinking…um, seeing that…Have dinner with me."
"We had dinner last night."
"No," He had to spit this out before his tongue got in the way. "When this is all done, have a real dinner with me."
"Like a date?" She smiled at his sudden awkwardness. He almost looked nervous. "I'd like that. A lot."
"Really?" John smiled. "Well, okay. I'll make plans."
"You do that." Toni tugged on his vest. "We should get moving, though. Don't you think?"
"In a minute." John took her hand, pulling her closer. He wanted to kiss her again. Needed to. As she leaned into him, hand rising to his shoulder, John knew she wanted it as well.
This kiss was slower, wetter… their mouths, tongues, exploring one another without rush or interruption. Toni felt his hands in her hair and she pulled him as close as she could. Small noises of pleasure escaped her throat. With difficulty, John pulled away enough to speak.
"Timing still sucks." His lips spoke, brushing hers.
"It's not tomorrow yet." Toni smiled.
John kissed her deeply once more before pulling away completely. "We better get moving." His hands slid down her arms. He wound his fingers through hers. Toni nodded her agreement. Letting go of one hand, he kept the other firmly in his grasp.
A few minutes later, John checked the handheld scanner. They took a side corridor for a ways and stopped before a wide double door. "This should be it."
The room was long and narrow, perhaps fifty feet long and sixteen feet wide. One of the long walls was covered in columnar tanks, eight of them. Two held water. Two center tables were covered in equipment and a third table looked like a shallow sink, with a drain at one end.
"This looks promising." John circled the room, stopping at a console opposite the tanks. Touching it, the unit lit up. Several more lights in the room lit up as well.
"Can you tell what it's for?" Toni stepped to his side.
"No." He shook his head.
"Oh, whoa." She wandered away from him to the far tank. John came over to where she knelt next to the glass. A fine film of silt looking material covered the bottom of the tank and the skeleton at the bottom. "The bones of head and the dorsal look almost like a dolphin fish."
"Like Flipper, dolphin?"
Toni smiled, "Like yummy Mahi-Mahi dolphin."
"Seriously? Then you think we're in the right place?"
"Yeah, maybe."
"Rodney? Sheppard here." He tapped his com.
"What? Yes? I'm up!" Came the response. Toni tried to cover her chuckle.
"Shake out the cobwebs, McKay. We need you down here. We found a marine lab."
o0o0o0o
"Good news," Rodney looked through the display in front of the console. "You've definitely found a marine lab."
"We figured that, Rodney." John waited impatiently.
"I should be able to interface one of our computers in a few minutes."
Toni studied a few lit symbols on the walls. "I really do need to learn ancient. I stumble through Latin, how bad could it be." She touched one of the lights. A panel on the floor moved aside.
"What did you do?" Rodney looked up from his computer.
"I don't know." She stepped closer and looked down the shaft. A platform from below rose to floor level. "John?"
He moved to her side. "A lift of some sort. This wasn't in the survey report. McKay, what do think?"
"Not a clue."
"Okay, then." He flipped on the light of his P-90. "I'll check it out."
He stepped onto the lift. It immediately began to lower. Toni peeked over the edge and watched the white light on his gun disappear among the dim blue lights on the shaft walls. It looked as if it went thirty or forty feet down.
After a few tense moments, they heard his voice over the com. "McKay, keep working on computer. Toni, come on down. It's all clear and you need to see this."
The lift rose back to her level, empty now. She stepped on to it and it began the decent. At the bottom, John stood with a huge grin plastered across his face. He held out a hand, which she took. He led her into the dark room. There was no furniture, no counters, or coverings on the walls.
"What is this place?"
"Look." John stepped closer to the wall, shining his light through it.
"Glass." Toni ran her hand over the smooth cold surface. "We're underwater."
"Mm-hmm." He pointed down. "The floor is see-through too." Walking to a single waist high column. "These are the only controls." He touched it, and it lit up. Across the bottom a series of lights looked familiar. He ran a finger slowly from left to right. A bluish glow lit the water outside.
"Oh, shit." Toni muttered.
He turned around. One whole side of the observation room was covered in thick red polyps. With the water lit, they could see the mass of them clinging to the bottom of the city. It was thicker than she thought it should be. Off in the distance, the cloud of red in the sea stretched as far as she could see.
"Dr. Beck." Rodney's voice called down. "Uh, Toni, there's something up here you should see."
"Come on," John stepped on to the platform, guiding Toni to join him.
At the top, Rodney motioned her to the console. "Does this make any sense to you?"
She read through the data for a moment, looking up with excitement. "Yeah. This is good, Rodney." She grabbed the shocked scientist and kissed his cheek. "This is great."
McKay looked over at Sheppard, incredibly flustered. The Colonel had to laugh. "Chill out, McKay." He set his gun down and hopped up on the counter. "This could be a while."
o0o0o0o
Sheppard yawned as his turned the corner into the recently found marine lab. He'd nearly dozed off while Toni and Rodney argued over the information found in the lab's computer. That's when he decided the coffee would be good. He returned with a thermos full.
Rodney wasn't anywhere to be seen.
Toni sat at the consol, her head resting in her hand, and her eyes closed. John smiled to himself. She was sound asleep. Setting the coffee down quietly, he sat down beside her. Her long hair had fallen loose about her face.
John reached out and lightly touched her face. "Hey, sleepyhead."
She jumped a bit as her eyes flew open. Then a warm smile crossed her face. "Hey."
"You fell asleep. Guess it's a good thing I brought you coffee." He handed her a mug.
Taking a deep breath and a long sip, Toni smiled. "My hero."
"You sure you don't want to get some rest? Finish this up in the morning?"
"Nope. Got to get it settled by tomorrow, remember?"
"I hate to tell you this," John ran his hand down her back. "It's been 'tomorrow' for three hours already. Get some sleep. It'll wait."
"I'm close. Really close. Besides, I have coffee now."
"Toni."
"We've all pulled all-nighters , John. I'm fine, really." She watched him chew his lower lip. "What has you so concerned?"
"You look tired."
"I am, but there's way too much to do." She studied his face. It looked as if he was trying to get something out, like there was something he wanted to say. "Come on, what is it?
"When was the last time you slept?"
"About three minutes ago." Toni tried to joke, but he frowned at her. "A while."
"I ran into Lorne when I went for coffee. He said you weren't quite adjusted to our clock yet. When did you last sleep?"
"It's been, um, thirty hours, give or take. Really, I'm okay. Look, let me show you what we found…"
o0o0o0o
"This is awfully early, John." Elizabeth entered the control room.
He yawned and nodded.
"Have you been up all night?"
"Yep. Toni thinks she has the answer though."
"Well, let's get in there." Elizabeth led him into the conference room where Toni, Zelenka and Rodney were rapidly going over their plan. "Care to share?"
"Ah, yes." Rodney turned. "We're going to turn up the heat."
"What?" Elizabeth sat down.
"After we located the lab last night, I was able to find a wealth of helpful information. I was able to confirm that the severity of this swarm is indeed linked to the storm from last year. The jellies' reproduction volume is directly linked to the nutrient rich water, and several other factors. The steady warm temperature is the primary factor that brought us to this idea."
"The city has a system that regulates the ambient temperature directly through the materials in the walls." Radek input.
"And it's effective outside as well as in." Rodney smiled. "So we're going to turn up the temperature out there."
"But you said the warm water was beneficial for their reproduction." Weir turned the marine biologist. She also noted the dark circles under the other woman's eyes.
"It is, but it's a matter of balance. We're not interested in wiping out the planula, just making Atlantis an undesirable place to attach. We ran the experiment in my lab and in only took raising the temperature of the surface by seventeen degrees before the larva dropped off. After that, a fluctuating temperature of five degrees was sufficient to keep them from attaching." Toni explained.
"What will it take to implement this plan?"
"Surprisingly little," Rodney smiled. "It's only a minor adjustment to the environmental controls."
"And you're sure this will work?"
"Of course." - "As sure as we can be." - "Pretty sure." McKay, Zelenka and Beck all answered at once.
"Then let's do this." Weir agreed.
o0o0o0o
Twenty five minutes later, a small group gathered in the underwater observation room below the marine lab. The sun had just come up and it filtered through the water, showing the spongy red larva covering much of the exposed surface.
"This view gives quite a different perspective." Elizabeth looked through an area of the glass free of larva.
"I figured from down here we would be able to see how well things are working." John offered. He looked over to Toni who looked dead on her feet.
Teyla followed his gaze, noting the dazed look on the scientist's face. She moved closer to the other woman. "I am certain this will work."
"I hope so."
"Initiating external temperature increase." McKay's voice rang over the coms.
"How long will it take for the effects to be seen?" Weir asked.
"It's working." Ronon mumbled. He leaned against the glass, slightly away from the others. He tapped the glass with a finger.
Toni moved to his side. He was right, the anchored planula were dropping free. It was not a fast reaction, but there was a definite positive response. All around them, bits of red began to fall free from the city like snowfall. "Oh, thank god."
"How does it look from down there?" Radek's voice asked. "We cannot see a change in the sensors."
"Yet," Toni added. "We can see it from down here. They are definitely falling free. There's a great deal we can see, so it may take a little while. But, it's working."
"Fantastic." Elizabeth smiled. "Rodney, please keep me updated as the sensors and systems come back on line."
"Okay." John moved to Toni's side, placing a palm on her lower back. "Now that this is all done, I'm getting you to bed." She nodded absently. He caught the other three smirking at him. "To sleep. You guys are awful."
As the platform rose he heard Teyla shout a 'goodnight'. Toni chuckled quietly. John put an arm around her shoulder. "Are you going to argue with me again about getting some sleep?"
"Not this time."
"Good," John led her out of lab towards the transporter. They walked silently to her quarters. The sun had just come up and Atlantis was just waking up. At her door, he leaned against the wall and smiled. "You go ahead and get as much sleep as you need."
"But it's tomorrow." She flirted despite her exhaustion.
"That's right, and I have plans to make." John kissed her lightly. "G'night."
o0o0o0o
Toni rolled over, stretching as her eyes opened. She'd slept hard, it barely felt like she'd moved. Looking to her right, she noticed a small handheld leaning against a thermos and coffee cup. She reached up and grabbed the handheld.
The screen came to life, showing a hand written note. 'Enjoy the coffee, read the report, and I'll be there in an hour.'
Toni smiled. She looked at the clock. Seven and a half hours. That was the longest she'd slept without waking up since she'd left Earth. Pouring herself a cup of coffee, Toni scrolled through the report. It took just over five hours but Atlantis was clear of the planula. It also appeared that the temperature fluctuation was working. McKay had dropped the shields and they were no longer attaching to the city. He expected all the systems to be cleaned out within the next twenty-four hours.
When she finished her coffee, she looked at the clock…just enough time for a shower and to get ready. She laid out a chocolate brown stretchy blouse and her favorite pair of jeans.
She was just putting the small silver hoops in her ears when the door chimed. Answering the door, Toni couldn't help grinning. John leaned against the door frame, freshly shaven and smelling really good. "Morning. Well, evening, really."
"You know," she teased. "I don't know whether to be grateful for the coffee, or creeped out that you broke in here while I was sleeping."
"Hmm. Well, I had to come up with a good reason to come in. Had to check if you snore, you know."
"Really?" Her eyebrows shot up. "And do I?"
"Like a chainsaw." He lied. "Kinda sexy, actually." Oh yeah, I like the sound of her laugh. He held out an arm to her. "If you'll come with me, I've made a few plans."
His grin was infectious. Toni slipped a hand into his arm. "Can't wait."
o0o0o0o
"Can I open them yet?"
"No."
"Please."
"No."
"Now?"
"No."
"How about now?"
"No!"
Toni laughed, but dutifully kept her eyes closed as promised. They had headed out in a jumper. A few moments ago John made her promise to close her eyes and keep them closed until he said to open them.
"Now?"
"No, not yet. Don't make me lock you in the back."
"Fine."
"Don't go all pouty. We're nearly there." John brought the ship down, lowering the rear hatch. "Give me your hand." He stood up. "Keep your eyes closed."
"But…"
"You promised." He was enjoying this. "I'd hate to take you back without showing you the surprise."
"Okay, okay." She wound her fingers in his. He led her out of the jumper. She felt soft earth under her feet. There was salt water on the air. Waves crashing. Toni felt her smile widen. Wood crackled in a fire somewhere nearby. He stepped close and she could feel his breath on her face.
Toni stepped into his arms, head tilted up and eyes still closed. John leaned forward, almost kissing her, but pulled away as she instinctively leaned forward. John moved to her neck, pulling away again as she moved toward his mouth. "Now you're teasing me," she whined.
"Not really." John kissed her, burying his hands in her long dark hair. She wore it lose and it felt like silk. His mouth trailed down to her neck, and she moaned delightfully. "Open your eyes."
She did. Instead of looking around, Toni felt herself trapped in his gaze. The intensity she saw there made her stomach clinch and her knee weaken. Her senses were on edge. The scent of him, the warmth of his hands, of his body, was intoxicating.
"Surprise." John smiled against her mouth before kissing her again.
"I'm liking this surprise so far." Toni purred as his mouth found the sensitive spot just behind her ear.
"You haven't even looked around yet." John gestured over his shoulder.
They were on a beach, the surf crashing on the shore. Nearby, roared a bon fire. A blanket was spread out on the sand. "Oooh, very romantic, Colonel." Toni grinned and started to move towards the fire.
"Wait." He gabbed her hand and pulled her down to sit on the jumper ramp beside him. "The shoes have to come off. The sand here is amazing." He quickly unzipped his boots.
She kicked off her shoes and socks then moved to the fire. The white sand was warm and smooth. Her toes wriggled down. Toni felt his arms wrap around her from behind. "It really is lovely here, John."
"And we still have nearly an hour before the sun goes down. It's amazing then."
"How'd you know about this place?"
"A hunting team stumbled upon it a while back. The surfing here is great."
"I bet." Toni looked out over the waves, not too daunting, but big enough to be fun.
"Wine?"
"Yeah, thanks." He moved away from her, leaving her back cold and exposed. Toni sat down on the blanket. He handed her a glass and sat hip to hip with her. The wine was dry with a rich complicated flavor. She looked at him sideways. "It's very good. Um…I have a question for you."
"Shoot."
"I'm going to be pretty blunt. And, there's no right or wrong answer. Okay?" She could see him steeling himself, like expecting a physical blow. Oh, yeah, action guy, not a words guy. "Seeing that we are going to have to work together no matter what, I just want to know now… so there's no misunderstandings…" He tensed even more. "Are we going to have sex just to kill time or are we actually interested in seeing where this will go?"
It took everything in her power not to grin as the expression on his face went from worried, to confused, to worried and to confused again. John's mouth moved, but nothing came out. She couldn't take it, the corner of her mouth twitched and her eyes sparkled. John gaped, "You're messing with me."
"No." But she laughed when she said it.
"Yes, you are."
"Okay, here's the deal," she put her glass down and crawled over to him. To his surprise, she straddled his lap. "I would normally never just throw this out there like this, but Atlantis is too damn small for a bunch of bullshit drama and I desperately want to get you naked."
"Well…" he chuckled, running his hands up her thighs.
"And if I'm going to keep my head straight about this, I need to know if we here to see where this goes, or if we're just having fun and killing time." Toni kissed the look of shock off his face.
Her kiss wasn't nervous or forced, and when John pulled her closer, he ran his hands up her bare back under her shirt. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders. A delightful noise escaped her throat. John felt like she fit perfectly in his arms.
"Toni." He pushed her back slightly by the waist. Her eyes were heavy with desire. Moisture clung to her lips and pink flushed her face. She was beautiful. "I don't want to just kill time."
A brilliant smile lit her face. "Me neither." She wriggled her hips against him. "So would it be too forward for me to tell you to get out of these clothes…like right now?"
"Naw, I think it's a great plan."
o0o0o0o
Sheppard grabbed a cup of coffee and headed over to the table where his team talked over breakfast. All conversation stopped as soon as he stepped up. He turned one of the chairs around, straddling it. "Good morning, campers!"
All three just stared. He knew he was grinning like an idiot. He had good reason to be.
"I take it your evening with Dr. Beck went well?" Teyla politely asked.
"Very well, actually."
"Like we couldn't tell that from the stupid smile plastered all over your face." Rodney rolled his eyes. "Did you even bother to go to sleep?"
"Well, eventually I couldn't exactly help myself…for a few minutes anyway." The Colonel didn't bother hiding the smirk. Ronon laughed, reaching over to slap his friend's shoulder.
"Oh, fine. Just wonderful." McKay shook his head. "Are you going to stay this smug all day? Or can I come back once it's worn off?"
"I don't know." John grinned. "I'm thinking this is might hang on for quite a while."
"Great." Rodney muttered behind his coffee mug.
"So you will be spending more time with her?" Teyla couldn't help her own smile. She was happy for her friend.
"Mm-hmm." He remembered something. "Oh yeah! Movie night. Toni's providing the movie and I'm going to try to scrape up fixings for pizza. She said if I could get the ingredients, she'll make a couple."
"Like real pizza?" That got Rodney's attention.
"Hand tossed."
Sheppard turned to see Toni stepping up to join them. She stood beside him, but didn't sit. John's empty hand drifted from his own leg to the back of her knee. He looked up to her smiling face, noting her hair was still damp.
"Really? So, you – ah – know how to cook too." McKay's interest peaked…good food being one of his weaknesses.
"Quite well, I'm told. I can readily get my hands on the ingredients for the dough and veggies. We've got decent cheese, not great, but I can work with it. I just need to get my hands on some pepperoni and sausage." Having inside information to Rodney's favorites helped. Toni went for the kill. "If John can swing a little something extra in the delivery, I may even get Walter back on Earth to get me the ingredients for my Death By Chocolate cake. I gave up the recipe with the promise of him owing me a favor."
"Death By Chocolate cake…" The scientist practically drooled. "Seriously?"
"A diabetic coma in every slice." She laughed.
"Well, in that case, I look forward to you joining our little cinema night." McKay grinned as his stood up. "I've got to, ah, check on the diagnostics I started last night. Um, Toni, please take my chair."
"Thanks." She moved to John's left and sat down.
"You deliver on that cake and Rodney will be eating out of your hands forever." John chuckled.
"Careful, he might take a finger or two if you're not careful." Ronon took a bite fruit.
"Yes," Teyla agreed. "Rodney does enjoy his food."
"He's a pig." They all looked at Ronon, considering he was talking through his last mouthful of food. "What? He never stops eating. I'm done."
"Shall we go ,then?"
"Go?" John prompted.
"Ronon has agreed to got to the mainland with me today." Teyla explained. The big man just shrugged and stood up. "We'll leave the two of you, then. John, we shall see you this afternoon."
"Okay, have fun."
Left alone at the table, John and Toni sipped their coffee in silence for a moment. They kept sharing knowing looks. He leaned a little closer to her, lowering his voice. "You know what I thinking?"
"No, but if I did would I be blushing?" She whispered back with an evil grin.
"You might be flushed." He tipped his head. "Actually, I was thinking that it's going to be really hard to get up from this table without kissing you."
"But we agreed not to draw too much attention…"
"I know we did. So, I'll have to drop by your lab later to make up for it."
"Mmm." She drew her lower lip between her teeth. "Good plan."
End.
If you've read this far...thanks, and I hope you enjoyed it!