Current Update: The second tag to "The Eye" has (finally) been uploaded. The third is forthcoming.
Authors' Notes: This is a series of Stargate Atlantis episode TAGs which are intended to explore the character development and events that must have happened but we didn't get to see. I won't continue this series through the entire Stargate Atlantis timeline - I will definitely end it prior to the introduction of the Pegasus replicators in Season 3. There may also be slight deviations from canon (partially because my SG-1 universe ends following Season 8 and does not include Seasons 9 and 10 - no Ori; partially because my SGA universe ends just after the beginning of Season 3). This universe is very Sheppard/Weir friendly.
Moving Crew
TAG to Rising, Parts One and Two
Major John Sheppard was still more or less in shock. Just a few weeks before he'd been the happy American soldier, serving his country by being a helicopter pilot near the bottom of the world. The only world he knew.
Now not only was he on a different world, but he was in a different galaxy. He had a gene which connected him to a race of aliens who had populated not only his galaxy, but most of the other galaxies that they were aware of, and allowed him to control alien technology. His government had known about this and had been fighting a war - a war other than the one in Afghanistan, where he had served prior to being transferred to the Antarctic - a war that threatened to eradicate every living thing on his world.
For him, however, the most important thing was that - for God only knew what reason - he had back something he had thought lost. He'd been exiled to Antarctica for disobeying direct orders and had lost the trust of his superiors. He didn't have much of a family, his closest friends in the military had been killed in combat - Antarctica had given him a great deal of peaceful solitude to contemplate the mess of his life. But now, here on Atlantis, he had won the trust of Doctor Elizabeth Weir. She trusted him. And he, in turn, trusted her. That was something he had thought he might never have again.
He had won the trust of Teyla as well, the leader of the Athosians who now lived as refugees in their newfound home. She was an impressive fighter, composed under pressure, ready and willing to do whatever was necessary.
He sighed and tossed the last of his luggage into the quarters that had been temporarily assigned to him. Digging into the first pack, he pulled out some of his clothes and stacked them neatly next to the Atlantian bed. Doctor Weir had told him to being preparing to put together his team. He sighed as he continued unpacking, pondering the question of his team.
He needed another soldier - someone he knew he could trust in a crisis and who would be able to read his mind when it became necessary. There were a number of people - other airmen - who were qualified. Most of them would be backup, or form a second team eventually, but for now he was focused on creating a single four-man team like those utilized by the SGC.
Ford. Ford would be perfect. He was capable, friendly and would get along with the other members of his team - people who would undoubtedly not be nearly as military, given the range of abilities from technological to interpersonal that he would require. And he was an officer, which meant putting him as next in line to command the team in case something happened to Sheppard himself - God forbid - wasn't out of the question.
Who else? He needed someone who knew the territory - someone who was capable of talking to the people in the Pegasus galaxy on their own terms and who would be able to open doors that he otherwise wouldn't be able to open. The initial response by the Athosians to Colonel Sumner and himself demonstrated the need for someone who could be a negotiator very clearly. He sighed as he sat heavily on the bed, eyeing the large box that held various tapes of college and pro football games, including ones he'd seen and many he hadn't. Teyla. She trusted him already and, as leader of the Athosians, opened all the doors that he couldn't. And she was much more experienced than he in matters of diplomacy. He was a soldier, not a diplomat.
And while he was technically capable of using the Ancient technology due to his genetic propensity for it, he didn't have a clue about how any of it actually worked - not yet - or how to go about repairing it. He would definitely need someone who did. Ford was as clueless as he was - probably even more so. Teyla had already made it clear that much of the technology of the Ancients was on a level somewhat akin to magic, so she didn't provide those skills.
He grimaced. There was really only one option for the fourth member of his team - Doctor McKay. McKay could barely hold a weapon, let alone fire one, but he was more than capable to deal with any (and every) problem they might encounter with technology. It would be some time, though, before he would consider McKay truly field-capable, if ever. Probably not ever.
He looked up and over towards the door as someone knocked. "Come in," he called, sliding the last box up against the wall with his foot.
"Working out some latent frustration?" the warm, alto voice said from the doorway. He turned towards the door and met the smiling face of Doctor Elizabeth Weir.
"Nah, I've just always hated moving." Sheppard sighed and straightened up to face his boss. "Hello, Doctor Weir." He gestured towards the boxes. "I assume you're way ahead of me."
"Actually, I haven't even started to bring my stuff out of the gate room. I haven't had time just yet." She glanced over at him. "I was thinking of delegating some of my responsibilities off to my senior staff so I could actually get started on that."
"And your senior staff consists of..."
Weir's eyes grinned at him, even if her mouth stayed only slightly quirked. "You."
"Me. Of course." Sheppard couldn't help but start smiling back. "Anything I can do to help, ma'am."
Weir rolled her eyes. "Oh please, don't call me ma'am. If you have to use a title, call me Doctor. I do prefer Elizabeth, though."
Sheppard rolled his neck slightly, working out the cramps. "Doctor it is, then. For the time being." He gestured towards her. "You were delegating?"
Weir nodded. "Would you mind taking responsibility for finding rooms for everyone, including the Athosians? I know you're going to need to clear the parts of the station as safe before moving anyone into areas outside the command area, but it needs to be done and I don't have time to do it."
"Sure, I can do that. I'll start first thing tomorrow, break my men into small teams and start going through the city, level by level." Sheppard grimaced. "It could take weeks, probably more, but we can clear out the living quarters rather quickly, assuming we don't run into trouble." He glanced up. "Do you need any help moving your luggage?" He was moving towards the door before she could respond, and she moved out of the way, gesturing down the hall.
"I've never been one to turn down help when it's offered," she smiled. "Thank you."
Sheppard was quiet. "No, Doctor, I need to thank you. For bringing me along on this mission, despite the black marks on my record. For trusting me when no one else would."
Weir laid a hand on his shoulder. "Jack O'Neill thinks very highly of you."
Sheppard snorted. "I saved his life, so he's biased. General O'Neill had to practically browbeat me into even considering your offer." He glanced over at her. "Which I'm glad he did, by the way. And I'm glad you offered. Even if we are stuck on the far side of the universe, with no reinforcements pending, no way to get home, and a potential invasion of life-sucking vampires on our front doorstep."
"Well, when you put it like that..." Sheppard tossed her a wry grin to counter her half-scowl.
"Elizabeth!" Sheppard recognized the voice - and the heavy, pounding footsteps - of a jogging Rodney McKay without turning around. "Elizabeth, look at this!" In his hands he held several pieces of Ancient technology which Sheppard didn't recognize. It was probably yet another gizmo he'd pulled out of a closet somewhere.
He stepped in front of Elizabeth, placing himself in the line of fire. "We were headed to the gate room to begin unpacking," he interrupted, breaking McKay's train of thought and momentum. "Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow. In the meantime, Doctor McKay, I have a proposition for you." The three of them fell into stride, McKay forcing his way between them and Weir and Sheppard parting to allow him space. McKay faced Sheppard and behind him, he could see a smile return to Weir's face, and he knew that she knew what he was about to ask. "Doctor, I'm putting together a team, like those used by Stargate Command, to be our primary exploration and negotiating unit. I need someone with your technological skills, and..."
McKay cut him off. "And since I'm the only one who has those skills here on Atlantis, you naturally thought about me." He glanced uncertainly between Sheppard and Weir. "There's so much to do here on Atlantis. Even something as relatively simple as this," he gestured to the equipment he carried, "could take weeks to unravel and put to use. The science teams need me."
"Ah, but Doctor McKay, if you're on the front line team, you'll get your hands on all the offworld toys first, before anyone else manages to. And, as you say, no one else has your skills, so we really need you out there." One thing Sheppard had already determined was that McKay's ego was both dangerous and useful.
"Well... I'll think about it." They trudged into the command center, the lighting dimmer than usual given the lateness of the hour, many refugees still situated throughout the room, huddled into groups of varying sizes. McKay broke away from them, headed for Peter Grodin, who waved to him as they came in. "Excuse me, Peter needs me," McKay said, then bounded up towards Grodin.
Sheppard and Weir continued walking, Weir leading him towards her bags. She leaned towards him as McKay sat down next to Grodin and they both started fiddling with the equipment. "I knew you would eventually have to ask him. Very smooth, Major."
Sheppard shot her a cocky grin. "All you have to do is know the man. And McKay is pretty easy to figure out. He'll say yes."
Weir laughed. "He has quite a personality, but he is a genius." She leaned down over one of the boxes on the floor. "Here we are." Sheppard leaned over and hefted one of the larger boxes up in his arms, then turned and laid into his civilian boss with a slightly incredulous but not unfriendly stare.
"What's in this one, your entire closet?"
For this first time since they'd met, Elizabeth Weir blushed. "Not the whole closet."
-Stargate Atlåntis-
About twenty minutes later, Sheppard and Weir had finished stacking her things in her room - the first room Sheppard had officially assigned in his new role as the city of Atlantis' retailer. It was one of the closer rooms to the gate room in the entire city - both for Elizabeth's own convenience and because it meant that he didn't have to carry her things very far that particular evening. Across from him, Elizabeth sat heavily on her bed. She looked up at him. "Thank you, very much, John."
Sheppard smiled wearily. "It's been a long day. Hell, it's been a long few weeks."
Weir shook her head in commiseration. "Tell me about it."
"Just a few weeks ago, I was serving in Antarctica, having been exiled after disobeying direct orders. I thought I would be there for a long time. And here I am, in another galaxy, fighting life-sucking aliens..."
" I'd completely forgotten that you lacked security clearance until that incident with the drone," Elizabeth stood and came close to him, resting her right hand on his right shoulder. "You've done well. You should be proud of what you've accomplished so far. And you'll do a fine job as leader of our military contingent. Of that I have absolutely no doubt."
Sheppard laughed. "Wait until we have our first disagreement before you say that. I've got issues with authority figures."
Weir grinned, tightening her grip on his shoulder. "I know that. That's one of the reasons I wanted you along. Your record bears some striking resemblances to that of another military officer, one who found his calling in the most unlikely place and went on to become a true hero."
"Oh?"
"Jack O'Neill. You remind me of him. That reassures me. He also has no compunction about disobeying orders to make sure he's doing the right thing." She winked at him. "I have no doubt we'll fight, John. Perhaps often. But that way, both of us will stay on our toes. And we'll both be better for it." She relinquished her grip on his shoulder and slid her hand down to push him back, out of her room. "Now, I'm going to get changed and get some sleep."
A mischievous glint appeared in Sheppard's eyes as he eyed her speculatively, and Weir suddenly knew that he was going to push all the boundaries. That was going to infuriate her at times, and reassure her at others, but right now it made her slightly apprehensive. "Can I stay?" he asked teasingly.
Weir couldn't help herself. She laughed. "Good night, Major." With one final step he was clear of her doorway and it closed, him on the outside, her on the inside. Then she turned back to face her room, a smile still across her face, her cheeks faintly blushed. "Flirt," she murmured.
-Stargate Atlåntis-
Sheppard let his smile lapse as Weir closed her door, although his good mood remained intact. He glanced down at the wristwatch he still wore and, deciding it wasn't too late to pay another housecall, set off towards the housing area which had been tentatively assigned to military personnel.
He liked Elizabeth Weir. He couldn't help it. She was open and friendly, a career diplomat from what he understood, but she also had something about her that drew him to her. The best way he could describe it was just simple charisma. He would enjoy working with her and being her right hand for as long as the arrangement lasted.
There was also, he readily acknowledged, an underlying physical attraction which he didn't even bother to suppress. He filed it away under something he would admire from a distance, but knew he would never pursue a relationship with the woman who was effectively his boss - although, he noted absently, the fraternization regs didn't officially prohibit relationships between military personnel and their civilian commanders. Doctor Weir was effectively outside the military chain of command.
All of this was, however, a nice distraction, but again not something he intended to pursue. John Sheppard had been attracted to many women over the course of his life - even been married once, back before Afghanistan - but he shied away from serious relationships.
He shrugged mentally, and filed his musings away. He'd revisit these topics, he was sure - Elizabeth Weir was for too attractive for him not to take notice - but there were far more important things to worry about than his libido. Such as the reason he was headed towards military housing...
He stopped at the front of the hall, seeing a group of soldiers standing about and talking quietly. "Hey guys, have any of you seen Lieutenant Ford? I'd like to talk to him before he heads off to bed, if he hasn't already."
Sergeant Bates nodded at him. "I think he's awake, sir. Want me to go get him?"
"Nah, that won't be necessary. I'll go check myself." He grinned at Markham and nodded at Stackhouse. "Up bright and early tomorrow, fellas. We've got to search through as much of this city as possible and find housing for everyone before they all start getting antsy."
"At first light, Major," Bates responded. Next to him, Stackhouse suddenly yawned.
"Oh, Christ. First light? I better go get some sleep, then," he mumbled. Sheppard clapped him on the shoulder.
"You do that. I'll see you all in the morning." Sheppard nodded once more at Bates. Bates was one of Sumner's men - they all were Sumner's men - and he suspected that the Sergeant would be the most antagonistic one of his people. He knew better than to be accepted into the fold immediately and without question - with his record, and the questions about Sumner's death, he would have to prove himself to them quickly. He had no doubts in his abilities as a soldier - this would be a test of something altogether different. His leadership abilities. He'd led men before, in Afghanistan and elsewhere, but commander of Atlantis' military contingent was a position that demanded a rank above Major. Unfortunately, they didn't have someone higher than a Major. After him, they didn't even have a Captain. The next ranking officer was Lieutenant Ford.
Speaking of which...
Sheppard knocked lightly on the door which led to Ford's housing - at least his temporary housing. A soft "come in" echoed from the doors and Sheppard tapped the door control and it slid apart, allowing him entrance. Ford jumped to his feet. "Major Sheppard, sir."
Sheppard waved him off. "Please, Lieutenant, it's too late for the formal stuff." He glanced around the room quickly, eyes darting from the bed to the floor to the desk in the corner. "Home sweet home, eh Ford?"
"Yes, sir," Ford stretched out quickly, then sat back down on the side of his bed. "You need something, Major?"
"A little of this, a little of that..." Sheppard paused. "I'm putting together an off-world team. We'd be the diplomats, soldiers, engineers, whatever, whenever, wherever, Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous of the Pegasus galaxy going out to find what we need to continue to survive out here. I wanted to offer you a spot."
Ford grinned. "Atlantis' very own SG-1, sir?"
Sheppard had skimmed through the SGC's mission reports while he was making up his mind whether or not to accept Doctor's Weir's offer to join the Atlantis expedition. "Something like that."
"I'd be honored, sir."
"Oh, cut the 'sir,' Ford. Formalities are all well and good, but I need friends and people willing to take me down a peg or two when they think I'm wrong." He stopped, wondering if he was crossing a line, then bulldozed onwards. "Ford. I'm new to this whole aliens and other planets thing. Just a few weeks ago I'd never even heard of the Stargate, and my first trip through was this one, as you well know. I need someone who can show me the ropes - subtly, of course - while I get my bearings."
Ford grinned. "You've done a fine job already, sir." Ford paused. "So you want me to tell you how to be Jack O'Neill."
Sheppard grimaced. "Weir said I was like him. I barely even know the man, I met him only twice and only really spoke to him once, and he lectured me."
Ford slouched slightly as he contemplated Sheppard. "Well, there's not a whole lot you really need to know. Jack O'Neill isn't that complex," he said. "I think I can tell you what you need to know about Jack O'Neill with three quick points."
Sheppard leaned back against the wall. "Hit me."
"The third point: he believes in his mission completely. Everyone who served at the SGC looked to O'Neill and SG-1 as the emblem of our cause. We were out there to do nothing less than save humanity. Not only Earth's people, but all humans - and our cousins, like the Jaffa and even the Tok'ra - of our galaxy. And every one of us believed that."
Sheppard cocked his head. "Tok'ra?"
Ford laughed. "Wow, you really are out of the loop! I'll catch you up sir, don't you worry about that." Sheppard tossed him an uncertain half-frown, and Ford grinned. "The second point: he does the right thing. Whether the right thing is to go undercover to uncover a mole or..." Ford paused, then continued more quietly. "Colonel O'Neill once shot his second in command. Shot her twice. Killed her. She came back to life afterwards through some seriously twisted series of events, but at the time he hadn't known she would or could. She'd been compromised by an alien entity and was threatening the base. If Colonel Carter hadn't come back, I think it might have killed O'Neill. There have been rumors about their involvement for years, but nothing has ever come of them - and after that incident, people stopped talking about it so much. He had shot her, killed her, and afterwards he just sat at her bedside, looking like a man who had lost his heart. And though it tore him apart to pull that trigger, he did it anyway. Because it was the right thing to do. None of our people at the SGC questioned his impartiality after that."
Sheppard didn't respond verbally, just stayed leaning against the wall. Ford waited for him to respond, but when Sheppard didn't he continued. "But the most important thing, what became the SGC's unofficial motto: he never, ever leaves his people behind. No matter what it might cost to bring them home."
"I can do that," Sheppard replied quietly.
"You've done it already, sir."
"I'm not Jack O'Neill, Ford. I never will be."
"I know that, sir," Ford said. "But you are John Sheppard. And if John Sheppard is the same guy as the man who refused to leave Colonel Sumner and the Athosians behind... then I'm going to enjoy serving under your command. And so will the rest of the men. Sir."
Sheppard nodded slowly. "That... I think I can do."
-Stargate Atlåntis-
Rodney McKay tore open his fourth energy bar of the night, carelessly tossing the wrapping alongside the disregarded garbage from his previous snacks. The first signs of light were trickling through the clouds and reflecting off the waves that surrounded the floating city.
He'd been awake since... well, since he'd come through the Stargate to Atlantis in the first place, hours... almost days... ago. His attention was focused on the small piece of technology in his hands - a deactivated, oval-shaped Ancient device about the size of his heart.
McKay and Grodin had gone through almost all of the computer programs they could access from the command center. About six feet on McKay's left, Grodin was hunched over his console, head down, sleeping quietly in a position that McKay was sure would result in an extremely uncomfortable back come morning. They'd found activation codes for the Stargate shield, the city's self-destruct, the city's shields, and had begun setting up subroutines that would permit them to rededicate the codes to the city's new staff and residents.
McKay chewed slowly, continuing to contemplate the device in his hands, his brain working considerably more slowly than it would have been otherwise. I hope it's something really cool, like a self-sustaining fusion reactor, or the smallest nuclear bomb I've ever seen, or a remote control for an Ancient spaceship, or a mental link to the city's systems like that command chair back in Antarctica, or an invulnerability device! He went to take another bite from his energy bar and stared down, distraught at the fact that the energy bar was gone. Reaching behind him, he rummaged through his pack for another bar.
Grodin stirred. "McKay?"
McKay tore open the wrapper. "Mmmhmm?"
"Have you slept?" Grodin's voice was groggy as he gripped the sides of his chair pulling himself upright. He groaned miserably and stood, bending his neck back to try to stretch it out.
"That's not going to work," McKay mumbled. "You've been sleeping in that position for hours."
Grodin sighed. "Did you discover anything else interesting last night?" McKay shrugged and tossed the device in his hands from one hand to the other, fumbling it slightly. "Did you do anything after I fell asleep?"
"What did you expect, I would be able to concentrate all night long, despite not having slept in days?" McKay retorted.
"And whose fault is that?"
McKay dropped the wrapper and the final half of his energy bar. "I'm going to sleep. Remember while I'm gone to follow all proper and careful scientific procedure. I'd hate to wake up in a few hours and find that you'd gone and blown up Atlantis."
"Go to bed, Rodney," Grodin said, his focus still on the control console, pointedly ignoring McKay.
McKay was already gone, pondering the device still held in his hand as he meandered down towards the rooms that were assigned for non-military personnel. Despite his fatigue, and the eventual lack of ability to concentrate, he had never been more excited in his life. For the first time he could remember, he was not only the smartest person in his working environment, but also accepted as the smartest person. He was relied upon. And though unlike the beautiful, indomitable, astrophysics virtuoso Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter he was not military, he knew that here on Atlantis, he was these people's first (and last) line of defense.
It was a little bit intimidating, but he was up for that and any other challenge that might come his way. These people were relying on him, and he would be damned if he ever let any of them down.
He might not be a professional pianist, like he'd wanted to be in his youth. But this was his second, better dream. He was ready to meet the challenges that would come. And none of them would be too much for one Doctor Rodney McKay.
In the meantime, however, he hadn't slept in at least two days, and it was definitely time to get some shuteye. He could save Atlantis - and the rest of the Pegasus galaxy - in the morning.
