To Dream, To Fly by catescorner
Hm, my plot bunnies seem to have gone a bit hyper on me! These one shots between Lorne and Sheppard are getting to be quite the habit.
This one doesn't come from an episode as such, so it can be read as it stands in its own right. Having said that, you could say it follows on from Right Place, Right Time. With that in mind, Evan is now on Atlantis, and John's first mission is to train him to fly the Jumpers.
Of course, with John as his flight instructor, you just know there'll be some fun along the way. So buckle up, stock up on your inflight treats, and let Flyboy Airlines take you on their first flight.
To Dream, To Fly
In Evan Lorne's wide, delighted eyes, a lifetime of birthdays and Christmases had just come at once. Docked into their berths, all around him, were row upon row of spaceships that he was able to fly.
They weren't as sleek, or as beautifully aesthetic, as the F302s, but that was a churlish quibble. His pilot's soul, ahead of his artist's eye, was still captivated by these perfectly named PuddleJumpers. And thanks to a genetic quirk that he couldn't begin to understand, and was still getting used to, he had the privilege to fly them.
For a pilot, any pilot, this was a dream come true. Evan Lorne lived to fly – all the excitement for this discovery, and what he saw before him, summed up now in one, awestruck word.
"Wow!"
Remembering that he'd reacted, just the same way, when he'd first seen them, John Sheppard grinned. He'd been looking forward to this moment since his new XO's arrival, and it had been worth the wait. The pure joy on Evan Lorne's face was all he'd hoped for.
"Yeah, they're pretty neat, Major. And a dream to fly," he agreed, patting Evan's shoulder, while dryly imagining the fortune he'd make if he could bottle, and sell, the energy he could feel beneath it. From one pilot to another, it was instantly contagious, leading to his next, rather redundant question.
"Wanna find out for yourself?"
It was a good thing he'd left his hand on that shoulder. He'd have been eating his XO's dust otherwise. Even then, John still needed to use every inch of his longer legged stride to keep up with him – bypassing protocols, and waving for Evan to enter the Jumper first, so he could enjoy his next reaction
Still wide eyes shone with delight. Hands blessed with a pilot's soul ran gently along its bulkheads. Then they came to the cockpit and, to John's amused approval, it brought the best reaction of all. Consoles full of irresistibly pressable buttons, already glowing in response to their unseen connection. And like a kid let loose in a candy store, Evan Lorne wanted to touch every one of them.
As his hand hovered over the closest, John couldn't resist some fun at his new second's expense. With that dryly wicked sense of humour, he knew Evan Lorne would appreciate it.
"That's the ejector seat."
Hm, maybe not. That glare could stop a Wraith dead in its tracks. Do the same, hopefully, to McKay in full rant. Send Kavanagh running back to his mother.
All good things to know, John thought through a proud smile. Especially if it got rid of Kavanagh. Back to the present, though, and the more serious matter of guiding his XO through his first flight.
"Now, you won't have flown anything like this before, Evan. It's all done through your mind, and the ATA gene," he continued, waving Evan into the pilot's seat, and quickly explaining the sensations that were still so alien to him. "It's okay, it's just like accessing your quarters. Just relax, let your mind make the connection."
Smiling through a still uncertain frown, Evan nodded, settled further into his seat, and closed his eyes. Gradually, the frown disappeared and the smile took over, with the wonder of what he was feeling. There was no pain, or the unsettling twinges he'd felt when he'd first entered his new quarters – more the subtlest tug of an unused part of his mind coming to life again, giving it more power than he'd ever imagined.
Still watching him, remembering his first time, John smiled too as he gave Evan a more serious run down of the controls, and the technology, that now lay at his command.
"Okay, Major, basics first. They're your manual controls for navigation, life support, and this panel here activates your drones."
"Yes, sir. I heard you had a close call with one of those," Evan nodded, smiling back at him – his turn now, for some gentle teasing, as John settled into the seat beside him and fastened his harness. "I think I'd better get a grip of the basics first, before we go out on shooting practice."
"Thank you, Major, I'd appreciate that," John shot back through his own, suspiciously twitchy glare. Met with bright eyed innocence that even he'd struggle to beat, he then pointed towards the ceiling. "Okay, Major, slow and easy. Just think upward thoughts, and take us out for a nice spin round the city…"
"…without scratching the paintwork," Evan finished for him with another mischievous grin – one that grew wider, matching his CO's, as Jumper One soared smoothly towards the bay's exit shaft.
Clearing the main tower, paintwork thankfully intact, he then banked them gently away from the city – catching his breath again, all flippancy forgotten, as its full size, and sheer beauty, came into view.
"Whoa, will you look at that?" he breathed, oblivious this time to the quiet amusement beside him.
Thank God these things have auto pilot, John thought dryly, or we'd be in serious trouble, and – well, I really don't think I need to tell him what happened when I saw this view for the first time.
But then he found that sharing the ATA gene with his new second in command had its downsides. In times of crisis and enemy attack, reading his mind would be a lifesaving advantage, but right now? Not so much.
"So, uh… Colonel? Are we go yet for that loop the loop?"