Notes: This story is basically a missing episode between "Runner" and "Duet", centering on my favorite character, Lt. Ford. Ronon won't play an important role, simply because he isn't member of the team yet (and I admit that I'm not fond of him). There are a number of allusions in the first chapter which will be explained in the course of the story, so don't panic if you don't understand something.

Feedback: Desired of course

Pairings: Sheppard/Weir and Ford/OFC

Rating: Rated for good measure (ok and for langviolsex)

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis and probably never will.

Ok, and now I proudly present:

Myths of Reality:

Chapter 1: Encounters

Superiority, the first myth of reality;
Those who feel superior will fall to
their underestimated foes!

The nature of Reality, Gith database

Somewhere in the Pegasus Galaxy

The conference room of Predator seemed even more hideous to Belbe than usual, probably because Commander Gix was present. True, Predator was a Wraith ship, so the disgusting design and the presence of Wraith should be a fairly normal thing, but still Gix's attendance sent shivers through her spine.

The Commander was unusually tall for a Wraith and extremely gangly, which made him appear more comical than threatening at the first glance. However, he was an excellent fighter, extremely sadistic - even for Wraith standards - and simply loved it to feed on the most powerful human beings in the galaxy. To combine pleasure and business, the gourmet had become the prime Wraith bounty hunter, eliminating those who had defied the Wraith Empire too often.

Usually Belbe and her human companions provided the necessary information for these hunts, due to the fact that Wraith simply weren't suited for gathering information. Few humans would even consider talking to someone who enjoyed eating them and torture often resulted only in the death of the questioned. In her ten years of working for Gix, Belbe had created an extremely effective network of informants, monitoring most of the inhabited worlds in this galaxy. Some of her spies knew her real identity, others were bribed or simply owned her a favor.

Currently, her task was to find a certain fascinating individual, who had the dangerous habit of killing every Wraith he encountered. It had been challenging, but after a few weeks of methodical work, she had obtained the required information. The unsettling voice of her commanding officer interrupted her private thoughts and Belbe decided to concentrate on the briefing again, even a small fault like not listening to a meeting was like ringing a dinner bell when Gix was around.

"The human managed to escape out of a cruiser single-handedly." the commander said, disapproval written on his face. "It is unknown how he evaded our security measures, but it is a fact that he killed six of our brethren in the process. He is certainly a special member of his pathetic species and I want to know what made him that formidable. It had been difficult but we have found him, now all left to do is bring him here. Necroshade Belbe will give you the details!"

Belbe noted with delight that Gix had mentioned her title; after all it had taken her years of hard work to acquire it. Necroshades were the absolute elite, the second highest rank a human could possibly reach when working for the Wraith. They were outstanding soldiers, as evasive as shadows and as inevitable as death.

She stood up and started to deliver her report: "Thank you Commander Gix, your trust honors me. I managed to gather several facts about our target, which might become useful. According to my sources, his name is Lieutenant Aiden Ford, a former member of the very same humans who controlled the City of the Ancients until a few months ago."

Several hisses interrupted her at this point, emanated by the other non-Wraith in the room. Her species was probably the only sentient one in the Galaxy who hated the Ancients more than the Wraith. But now wasn't the time to gloat at the destruction of her enemies' legacy, hence she continued her briefing.

"Out of unknown reasons Ford is trying to eliminate as many of our brethren as possible. Of course, he needs a save planet as a base of operation, probably an uninhabited one with access to the Gate. Fortunately, he visited a village recently to organize some supplies and one of my informants glimpsed the symbols that will lead us to his hideout. The only possible combination leads to the planet Arborea, which we will reach in about 20 minutes.

Once arrived, we will split into four teams; one will guard the Gate, while the other three will search the area. Remember that we want him alive, so use stunners and don't aim on vital areas with your CMGs. Any questions?"

"Yes, Necroshade!" a young human soldier said, "Why don't we just use the Gate? It would cut of any possible escape route and we could have reached Arborea much sooner."

Gix answered this question, a dangerous look on his face: "The Necroshade and I have decided to use Predator because the human probably keeps an eye on the gate. If we would pass through he will likely attack us immediately which would make capturing him much more difficult.

So we have decided to launch an attack from the orbit, using our teleportation technology to start a surprise attack. Now, quit asking stupid questions and prepare everything! I want to attack as soon as we arrive!"

When Belbe left the room to gather her equipment, she felt the Wraith's eyes linger on her and wondered whether he knew her secret.

- - - - -

Lieutenant Ford's former quarter, Atlantis:

Colonel John Sheppard stood on one of Atlantis' many balconies, watching the sea below, completely lost in thoughts. The disastrous result of his last mission still haunted the Colonel. He had read the mission report at least thirty times, searching for something he could have done to help his friend, but had found nothing to sooth his burning guilt. In his opinion, Ford's addiction to the enzyme was the result of his many failures: He had failed to find him soon enough, failed to keep him in Atlantis and failed to get him back. John was determined to bring his second-in-command back at all cost, not only to help the kid but also to mollify his conscience.

"John?" a tentative voice behind him asked, "What are you doing here?"

Sheppard cursed his rotten luck, why of all people in the city had Dr. Weir found him? Any other person could be fooled by a clever remark and his trademark smile but he feared that Elizabeth would see through any bluff he tried. She was like a damned psychologist sometimes, only much sexier than the average shrink.

Truth be told, he didn't know exactly why he was here, due to it having been a sudden impulse, which had led him into these rooms. He guessed that it had been a mixture of nostalgia and remorse but couldn't be sure, simply because it's difficult to psychoanalyze yourself. Nevertheless, since he had entered the impersonal and rather chaotic quarter - apparently the siege hadn't left the Lieutenant time to clean up behind him - his mind was swimming with memories of his lost second-in-command. John had come to the conclusion that he had treated the kid more than a subordinate than a friend and added this mistake to his failure list.

But now he should think of an excuse that would satisfy Weir without revealing too much about his real motivation. He decided to tell at least part of the truth and turned around to face his would be dialogue partner, who frowned so much that her eyebrows were dangerously close to vanish in her hairline.

"I just wanted to get away from Caldwell for some time" the Colonel said matter-of-factly, "And I assumed that this would be the last place he would go. You probably know that we had another row yesterday."

"The word "row" doesn't even begin to cover that incident!" Elizabeth replied, "I have heard that you would have attacked Caldwell if Teyla hadn't held you back. You really should keep your temper in check in his presence, considering the fact that he wants to replace you as military leader of this expedition."

"That bastard accused me of being irresponsible and incompetent because I didn't kill Ford the last time we met!" John snapped, "He really expects me to murder a friend in cold blood, simply because Captain Kirk considers him a threat!"

"I agree that his fear of Lieutenant Ford is exaggerated, but John please get a grip!" Weir echoed, "It won't help Aiden at all if you get yourself degraded and besides I prefer to work with you instead of Caldwell. By the way I know that that's not the whole story: If you only wanted to avoid the Colonel there would have been dozens of places you could have gone! I just want to say that if you want to talk about it, you can come to me anytime."

"Thanks, but no, thanks," Sheppard replied, "I'll better get ready for the mission, McKay is already thrilled to examine the ruins we found on P3X475. I don't want to ruin his mood by keeping him waiting."

"One more thing, John" the expedition leader said, turning to leave, "You know that you're not allowed to enter the private rooms of your subordinates without their permission?"

"Of course, but I also know that you won't complain as long as I don't enter your quarter without permission." the Colonel echoed, a mischievous smile on his face, "By the by, why exactly do you prefer me over Caldwell?"

"I though that would be obvious," Elizabeth stated, chuckling, "If you were on my place, who would you prefer? A middle aged, balding harasser, who can't cope with failure, or a young, humorous pretty boy with an incredible sexy smile?"

Watching Weir leave, John felt completely different than before; the burning guilt had been replaced by the warm, glowing feeling of euphoria. He actually hummed to himself when he headed towards the Control Room, confident that not even McKay's antics could ruin his mood today.

- - - - -

Ford's hideout on Arborea - or Jungle Planet as he called it:

A Wraith closed in on the unarmed Lieutenant, cutting of any means of escape. With nowhere left to run, Ford chose to fight, relying on the strength the enzyme gave him. However, his opponent evaded the blows and lifted the young man up by the throat. Unable to defend himself, Sheppard's former second-in-command could only watch in horror as the Wraith plunged his claw into his chest and started to feed on him. The last thing Ford saw was that Teyla, McKay and Sheppard stood behind the Wraith, watching the gruesome spectacle impassively. The agony reached its peak when the last bit of his life force was sucked away and he awoke with a start.

Panting heavily, the Lieutenant checked his chest, regaining some of his composure when he felt only smooth skin. Nevertheless he still felt disoriented and nauseous, struck by the pure intensity of the nightmare. What was even more unsettling was that he dreamed the very same dream every night since the encounter with Sheppard on the Radiation Planet. The memory rekindled the anger he felt at his former team, which had betrayed him and forced him to enter a Wraith ship.

McKay had actually tried to kill him and the Major had intended to drag him back to Atlantis, so they could strip him of the power the enzyme granted him. He could only speculate about their motivation, though he suspected that the scientist had simply been afraid of him. After all, McKay had always been an eccentric, hypochondrias and incredibly bothersome coward; it made sense that he feared real strength.

Sheppard was a completely different matter however; Ford suspected that his ex-commanding officer was jealous of what had become of him. He probably wanted his old second-in-command back, the humble, witty Aiden Ford, who was always there to watch someone's back. Once the Lieutenant had seen Sheppard as a friend but now he had come to realize that he had been but a tool for the older man. Now, the Major feared to loose control of his puppet and all his you-have-a-problem-and-I-want-to-help-you talk was only a pretense to get him back in line.

Discarding the train of thought, he lifted himself from his makeshift bed and walked over to the other side of the small cave he used as shelter. Swiftly, he extracted the enzyme bottle from his equipment, taking a slightly higher dose than usual. Instantly his anger and the remaining confusion vanished, leaving a feeling of raw power behind. The sensation it caused was arguably the best effect of the Wraith serum, even better than the near invulnerability and super human strength. He savored the feeling for a few seconds, before grapping his jacket and weapons, intending to leave his hideout to find some breakfast.

The easy access to food was one of the advantages the Jungle Planet had to offer, it virtually bristled with life. Since arriving on the planet, Aiden had never seen the sky for a huge jungle covered most of the surface, reducing the sunlight to an eerie green glow with its canopy. The thick foliage rendered Wraith darts and Puddle Jumper useless, so anyone who wanted to catch him would have to search the jungle on foot. The Lieutenant was quite sure that he was more than capable to avoid or defeat anyone who entered his realm due to both his extraordinary fighting skills and the considerable weapon arsenal he had collected since leaving Atlantis.

An odd sound got his attention and only a few seconds later a Wraith teleport beam broke through the foliage, causing a Wraith and several armored humans to materialize around 50 meters to his left. Cursing under his breath, Aiden took cover in the brushwood, hoping to avoid confrontation until he knew how many other enemies where around. Fortunately, the raiding party didn't seem to have noticed him, enabling their target to retreat without getting into a fight.

Once he had put some distance between himself and his would-be captors, Ford paused and considered his options. He was sure that the intruders were looking for him, after all, the planet was unoccupied and Wraith weren't known for their fondness for nature. Even more unsettling was that they had just teleported right into his hideout what suggested that a Wraith ship was nearby, maybe even a hive ship. Though such a rich source of enzyme was tempting, Aiden knew that he could not battle that many Wraith and decided to flee the planet as soon as possible.

Of course, the Wraith and their human lackeys would guard his only escape route, the Stargate, carefully but they would expect him to hide somewhere in the jungle. A direct attack on the Gate might give him the advantage he needed provided that he could arrive there unnoticed. When he had reached the gate, he would dial a planet he had visited recently and shoot everyone who tried to follow him through. This strategy was simple and not very innovative but it had worked every time he had tried it and innovation was overrated anyway.

Very carefully, he made his way towards the Gate, pausing several times to make sure that no one followed him. Twice he spotted a patrol and had to redirect his route, resisting the urge to simply kill the intruders which would be a grave tactical error. The fact that the majority of his enemies were humans confused the Lieutenant. The Wraith saw humans as cattle and not as allies and he also couldn't imagine anyone who would be reckless enough to work for them. Still, there was something familiar about the clothing and the armor of the soldiers; he just couldn't put his finger on it.

It took him about half an hour to finally reach the Gate which was guarded by two Wraith and three human soldiers. Aiden noticed that while the Wraith guards carried stunners, their human companions used weapons he had never seen before. They vaguely resembled a futuristic version of a P90 and probably weren't designed to merely stun their victims. He decided to take out the humans first for he couldn't be sure that the enzyme would protect him against their weapons. Once they were neutralized the Wraith would be powerless to stop him and perhaps he would even have time to refill his enzyme supply. The Lieutenant allowed himself a small simile before launching several Wraith stunners at his targets. His shots downed two of the three humans and their last standing companion followed swiftly. Silently congratulating himself for his excellent plan, Ford not even tried to evade the stunners the Wraith guards fired at him. Instead, he killed one with a salve of his P90 and stunned the other, feeling not more than a prickling sensation when one of their shots found aim. Then he left his cover and approached the half-conscious Wraith, while extracting a knife out of his uniform.

"You really thought that you would get me with such a pathetic strategy?" he taunted his foe, placing the knife on the Wraith's right arm, "Any heroic last words? No? Good, after all I don't want to waste my time by listening to futile treats!"

Without further hesitation, he slit open his prisoner's arm and replenished his enzyme reserves before pressing a 9 mil to the Wraith's temple and pulling the trigger twice. After taking another dose of the precious liquid he dialed the Gate only to be interrupted by a stunner missing him by millimeters. He did not turn around to face his attackers but followed his original plan and ran into the event horizon.

- - - - -

P3X475 (Ruin Planet)

It turned out that John's euphoria was much more short-lived than he had thought. They had arrived on P3X475 15 minutes ago and already he was bored to death. Eons ago a huge city had been located on a plateau above the Stargate but now all that remained of this ancient metropolis were a gigantic field of overgrown ruins. The only interesting aspect of this huge amount of stones was that the Ancients once lived here, so there was a chance that valuable technology was buried here.

McKay searched the debris, constantly muttering to himself about how promising and interesting a certain find was, while Teyla and the Colonel watched his back, though John considered this security measures exaggerated due to the lack of sentient life on this planet. He also doubted that a few Ancient trinkets were worth the effort and the scientist's monologue made the procedure even more infuriating.

"Could you please work quietly for a moment, Rodney?" the irritated soldier said, "Your babbling is getting on my nerves!"

"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry if I have disturbed your definitely highly important thoughts with my dispensable work," the astrophysicist snapped, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I'm only searching for artifacts that might save us from the Wraith, but of course that's not nearly relevant enough to distract Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard from his taxing guard duty!"

John ignored the irony, arguing with McKay would only result in staying even longer on this planet. "Apology accepted," he replied with a smirk, "Have you at least found something useful?"

"Yes, I have found this really fascinating device," the scientist replied, presenting a rather unimpressive artifact about the size of a fist, "It reminds me of the personal shield generator I activated when we had just arrived in Atlantis. What puzzles me that it has no own energy supply though its outer skin suggests that it is able to absorb energy. I have no idea what might be its purpose, it could be a different type of the shield or something that needs great amounts of energy to work properly. I'll know more once I have examined it in Atlant….."

McKay's lecture was cut short by the unmistakable sound of a dialing Stargate, which caused Teyla and John to run towards the edge of the plateau, an excellent vantage point above the Gate. While Sheppard fumbled with his binoculars the Gate opened and a familiar looking figure materialized.

"Colonel." Teyla said, confirming his suspicion. "It's Aiden! And I think someone chases him!"

With his binoculars finally in place, it took John only a few seconds to analyze the situation that unfolded beneath him. Ford had taken cover behind the remains of a wall and immediately opened fire when two humans stepped through the event horizon. One of them was hit by various bullets and went down while the other one raised his arm protectively in front of his chest. To John's and, judging from the expression of stunned disbelief on the Lieutenant's face, also Ford's surprise, a glowing field of energy deflected the attack.

In the next seconds several things happened at once: The human scrambled for cover while further enemies materialized including a towering Wraith. Ford apparently realized that he was overmatched and ran towards the ruins, dodging the stunners his attackers sent after him.

Sheppard decided that he had seen enough and faced his team again. "Ford is in trouble and obviously trying to hide somewhere in the remains of the city. He's lucky that we are here and willing to save his butt. We'll find him, rescue him and bring him back to Atlantis whether he wants it or not! Now let's get moving he'll enter the ruins west of here!"

"You can't be serious! Last time he wanted to kill me!" McKay protested only to be interrupted by Teyla.

"Aiden needs help although he doesn't realize it! It's our duty as his friends to help him and I'm sure that he would do the same thing for you. Besides, we're here to protect you this time so I doubt he'll try to kill you again."

The astrophysicist didn't look convinced at all but followed his comrades hesitantly, mumbling something about being a dead man.

- - - - -

Later, somewhere in the ruins

"That is pointless and probably will get us killed!" McKay said for about the hundredth time, "You have absolutely no idea where Ford could be and the fact that a Wraith and his human henchmen are nearby only makes it more dangerous to remain here! Why can't you accept that there is nothing we can do for Ford and that we should get away from this planet as fast as possible?"

"If you don't stop bitching around," John snarled, "I'll shoot you right here simply to shut you up! I don't expect you to understand this, but I feel responsible for the kid and I certainly won't leave him here! Now SHUT UP and concentrate on finding Ford!"

The scientist's angry retorted was stifled by Teyla's yelp and the distinct sound of someone hitting the ground. Cursing McKay, Sheppard realized that the Athosian had been oblivious to their little discussion and had disappeared from view. Apparently someone had ambushed her while he had argued with Rodney and subdued her. Silently he moved towards Teyla's last position, hoping to surprise whoever threatened her. The identity of the attacker became obvious when a familiar and slightly confused voice spoke:

"Teyla? What are you doing here?"

"That was not the greeting I expected from you, Aiden" Teyla replied, sounding annoyed, "Would you mind to stop aiming at me before we continue talking?"

In the meantime John had caught up to the Athosian and quickly considered his options. Teyla laid on her back while Ford aimed with his P90 on her, taking no notice of the Colonel's arrival. He could either attack Ford to rescue his team member or he could try to reason with his former second-in-command. He chose to remain hidden and leave the talking to Teyla, ready to interfere should the situation get out of hand. McKay seemed to guess his intentions for the scientist remained unusually quiet and even managed not to attract the Lieutenant's attention.

To John's relief, Ford lowered his gun and pulled Teyla back to her feet. "Sorry about that," he said, "I didn't expect to encounter anyone on this planet who doesn't want to kill me. But you still haven't answered my question!"

"We were searching the ruins for artifacts when you came through the Gate," the Athosian echoed, "We thought you needed help so we started looking for you. Somehow I got separated from Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay and walked right into your ambush."

The moment Teyla said his name John knew that it had been a mistake for Ford stiffened and began checking his surroundings. It took him only a few seconds to realize that someone was behind him and to guess who it could be. He turned around to face his former CO a dangerous look on his face.

"Hello Major," the Lieutenant said, his features twisted in a scowl. "How nice of you to join us so I can finally pay you back for this bullet of yours!"

"I told you it was a bad idea," McKay cried out, "But no, you had to search for him and now we're as good as dead!"

John ignored him and took a closer look at Ford instead while contemplating his answer. His former second-in-command looked much more battered than the last time they had met. Makeshift bandages were tied around his leg and left arm, though nothing indicated that Ford still felt the pain the injuries caused. He also looked thinner and exhausted but his outrageously risky escape plan didn't seem to have caused permanent damage. Sheppard also noticed that the Aiden's head was bare which was surprising considering the Lieutenant's fondness of caps.

"It's Colonel now, Lieutenant," he stated, "And it's good to see you alive. I must admit that I was worried that you wouldn't make it out of this dart!"

"The Wraiths are only half as dangerous if you are immune to their stunners," Ford replied, looking quite pleased with himself. "But now you should give me a reason not to kill you for your betrayal!"

"Aiden," Teyla interrupted, "We only want to help you. The enzyme may strengthen you but it makes you dependant on killing Wraith. They already hunt you and without help you won't evade them forever. Be reasonable and come with us to Atlantis where you will be safe!"

Ford didn't look convinced but John guessed that at least a part of him wanted to believe them. So he decided to come to Teyla's aid:

"She's right, Ford! If you come with us voluntarily I'm sure that Dr. Weir will welcome you back with open arms. That's your chance of regaining everyone's trust! Everything could be as it was; I would even get you back into my team! All you have to do is to come with us!"

"I KNEW it!" the Lieutenant snapped, "That's all you care about! You only want to get me back in line so I can do the donkeywork for you! Do you really think I would enjoy being your puny second-in-command again? I cannot believe that I once considered you a friend! I was so damned loyal that if you had ordered me to lick your boots, I would have done it! I was so naïve and pathetic! But now I see through your lies! You're jealous and afraid of what I have become so you'd love it to strip me of my new power! Now, I'll make sure that your constant meddling will stop once and for all! Consider it the payback for the bullet you drove through my leg!"

Sheppard watched in horror as Aiden raised his P90 and aimed directly at the Colonel's heart, a mad determination on his face.