Title: Remember Atlantis
Author: stella_pegasi
Rating: K+
Genres: Action/Adventure, Hurt/comfort, Angst, Whump, Romance
Word Count: Chapter 4: 3,963
Spoilers: No blatant spoilers…some mention of events related to Stargate overall.
Warnings: Language
Characters: John Sheppard, ?
Summary: Colonel John Sheppard wakes up after suffering a serious injury to find the memories he holds aren't real. Or are they? Now, he has to determine which reality is really his.
Disclaimer: I do not own them; I would have treated them better.
Author's Notes: Events in this story do relate back to another story I wrote called Another Life. If you have read that story, you will recognize the common thread. However, it is not necessary to read that story first. However, Remember Atlantis will serve as a spoiler for Another Life.
Chapter 4: Moves the story along, revealing some new details.
Remember Atlantis
By stella_pegasi
Chapter Four Revealed
"Take Atlantis, sir? Do you have any idea how they plan on doing that?" Lorne asked in a clipped, military tone. He was no longer sitting comfortably. He and Teldy, sat up, ramrod straight, when they heard a threat spoken against Atlantis, even if it was uttered by friendly voices.
"Not at this moment, major; we're continuing to investigate, however." Landry looked at Mitchell who picked up the conversation.
"Major, I think we could use you and a team of your most qualified SO's right now. We certainly have a number of teams here, but as General Landry told you, many of our personnel are known to the Lucian Alliance and its allies. We really need some fresh faces who can slide under the radar."
Lorne nodded, "Sir. I have put a team together and was just going over it with the colonel's team and Mr. Woolsey. We are now working out the details for Atlantis' security while we are gone. I am planning on bringing Major Teldy with me, so I will leave Captain Waters in command."
Landry smiled, "Excellent. Sheppard spoke to me about Waters. In fact, the paperwork is being processed for his promotion now. Let's go ahead and promote him; I want a higher rank in command there with all of you on Earth. With Waters' record, he's a shoo-in; besides O'Neill likes him. Major, please inform Captain Waters, he is now Major Waters, on my orders. You have appropriate rank insignias there?" Lorne answered no. Landry continued, "Then we'll throw some through the gate for you" nodding to someone off-camera to take care of that, "…tell him, celebrations when Colonel Sheppard returns."
"Yes, sir," Lorne was smiling; he liked the new Major Waters as well. He also realized that he was beginning to like General Landry more than he already did.
"OK, boys and girls, currently it is 1940 hours, and we still have intel to gather. Barrett is going to continue investigating who's running the Trust, and see if we can get a location where they might have taken Sheppard. Lorne, get your people together; let's plan on you gating to the SGC at 0800 tomorrow morning, unless we find out something tonight. Let's move, people; Landry, out."
Lorne sent Teldy to the gate room for the insignias, and he called Waters to the conference room.
Teyla asked, "Does he know he is to be promoted?"
Lorne started to smile, then a sober expression crossed his face, "No. Colonel Sheppard wanted to surprise him. He doesn't think he's up for promotion until next year."
Captain Waters arrived a few minutes after Teldy returned with the small box holding the gold oak leaf insignias. The captain halted by the open doors, waiting to enter the conference room. Woolsey motioned for him to enter.
Waters acknowledged Woolsey and addressed Major Lorne, "You wanted to see me, sir."
"Yes, I did…Major Waters." It took a second for Waters to comprehend, but when he did, he flashed a subdued smile. He, as everyone on Atlantis, was more concerned about Colonel Sheppard than themselves.
"Sir, I…" He faltered, then came to attention; "Thank you, sir."
"You need to thank Colonel Sheppard when he returns; he's the one who made this happen. Your promotion was already in the works; it just got bumped up because of the situation. Captain Preston Waters, by orders of General Landry, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Major in the United States Air Force. You will take the formal oath in a ceremony to be held after Colonel Sheppard's return." Lorne took the box containing the gold oak leaves from Major Teldy and handed them to Waters.
"Congratulations, major. Now have seat, we have work to do.
~ooOOOoo~
The darkness was slowly turning to light. He wasn't certain where he was. A low rumbling sound reverberated in his ears, but he couldn't distinguish its source. Slowly opening his eyes, he was drawn toward brighter light spilling from his left. Though his vision was blurry, he realized he was looking through a window. Outside, a storm was raging; heavy rain was pelting the window pane, intense bolts of lighting streaked across the sky. Now recognizing the sound he had heard as thunder, he closed his eyes, giving in to the hypnotic sound of the rain. He was drifting into the darkness once more until he heard a soft, anxious, and familiar voice.
"John…John; are you awake?"
He felt a soft hand on his face, caressing his cheek. Opening his eyes, he was looking into Isabella's dark green, red rimmed eyes. He tried to speak, but only managed a croaking sound. He attempted to say her name again, "Bel…Bella?
She was silent, laying her head on his shoulder, her body trembling with hushed sobs. Without looking, she groped along the bed rail for the call device. Raising her head slightly, she called the nurses' station, barely able to say, "Come, please; he's awake."
Seconds later, Melanie and two other nurses rushed into the room. Melanie turned John's head from looking at Isabella to look at her. "Colonel, welcome back again. You really had us worried this time. Do you know where you are?" He moved his head slightly. "Not good enough, you have to tell me."
"Hos...hospi…tal."
"Yes, you are still in the hospital in DC. Do you know her?' Melanie indicated Isabella.
"Yeah….Bella…"
"Good, colonel, very good. Dr. Beckett should be here in moments, he was in the hospital already."
"Wha…what…happen?" John reached out, grabbing Melanie's arm.
"Colonel…you had a…." She stopped as Dr. Beckett walked into the room. "I'll let Dr. Beckett tell you, colonel."
"Hey, laddie, welcome back to us. You gave us quite a scare. Do you remember anything leading up to when you blacked out?" Beckett pulled out a little penlight and began to check John's pupils.
"Angry…I was angry…" John turned his head and closed his eyes. A headache beginning to strike drumbeats in his head. Isabella was holding his left hand; he squeezed her small hand gently for the reassurance he felt with her there.
"Yes, you were angry, John. That was my fault; I allowed Dr. Warren to spend too much time with you, forcing you to remember this dream that has you so confused. Your brain, already fragile became overtaxed, and you lapsed into a light coma. I'll continue to allow Dr. Warren to meet with you; however, the sessions will be much shorter.
John shifted on the bed, trying to sit up, but a sharp pain ripped through his side. He fell back onto the bed, wincing with pain. Isabella cried out, and quickly attempted to soothe him.
"John, please lie still. You were badly injured when you tried to break through the window. You suffered serious cuts on your arms and legs, but the wounds have healed well. Your most serious injuries are from the broken ribs. It's going to take time for you to recover."
He looked at her, "How….long…have…have I've…been out?"
Beckett answered, "Fortunately, not as long as the last time. This time your coma lasted only ten days. Now, I am going to insist you get some rest. Isabella will be here, as she has been, day and night. She'll let us know if you need anything. I am going to have Melanie get you something for pain. Get some rest; I'll check on you in a little while."
~ooOOOoo~
As the clock in the SGC gate room struck 0800 hours, the stargate engaged, and the Atlantis team arrived on Earth. Master Sergeant Walter Harriman greeted them.
"Majors, Dr. McKay, Dr. Beckett, Mr. Dex, Ms. Emmagan, welcome to the SGC; the general is waiting for you in the conference room. The rest of you, please follow Airman Jenkins; we have arranged for quarters for you while you're on base. Breakfast is being served in the mess, if you desire. The general has issued stand down orders for you, for the moment."
Lorne nodded to Captain Isaacs, who led the SGA team toward the corridor door. Lorne and the others followed the master sergeant to the mezzanine level. As they reached the top of the staircase, they saw General Landry and Colonel Mitchell, already seated at the long conference table. Sitting at the right of the general was a tall, brown-haired man dressed in a black suit, white shirt, and black tie. Lorne's first impression was if the man had a pair of black sunglasses, he could star in Men in Black III. Lorne chuckled to himself. He met Barrett when he was a member of an SG team; the NID agent was sort of a "man in black."
"Do you people have anything yet?" McKay hurriedly asked, as he reached the top of the stairs.
"Good morning to you, too, Dr. McKay." The general had a sarcastic look on his face, but a sparkle in his eyes. He loved to torment McKay as much as the rest of them. McKay's started to give a snarky retort, but the general continued.
"Actually, we do have a bit more information; just not as much as we would prefer. For those of you who don't know him, this is Special Agent Barrett of NID. Malcolm?"
"Sorry we are meeting under such circumstances, but we have made a bit of progress. Two of my agents were following Colonel Sheppard's projected route between here and Breckinridge. They located a witness who said a dark red car with four men in it pulled up to his convenience store for gas. He provided a decent description of the car. There were three men, who exited the car and came into the store. He told my men, they were friendly, casually dressed, very relaxed. The odd thing was that one of them remained with the car at all times, so he deduced, they must have a child with them." Barrett pushed a picture from the store's security camera toward McKay and Lorne.
"They were still there when a customer, who was having trouble with one of the pumps, came in asking for assistance. He went out to see what was wrong with the pump. That's when one of the guys opened right rear passenger door, and the owner saw there was another man in the car. He got good a look at the man, who appeared to be sleeping. He could have sworn the guy's hands were cuffed. One of the three men noticed he was looking at the guy. The store owner said the man pulled his jacket open and flashed a badge, and mouthed the word 'prisoner'. So he didn't think anything more about it."
"Is this the car, sir?" Lorne asked. The photo he was holding showed a new American sedan, with three men standing around it. Two of the men's faces were very clear in the photo. Barrett nodded
"This photo was captured from a surveillance tape?" McKay asked.
"Yes, we were lucky. This guy still has a videotape surveillance system. He has enough tapes for a two week rotation. In case he has shoplifters and gas thieves, he likes to look back to see if they've been hitting him more than once." He motioned to a sergeant who was sitting at a computer console across the room.
On the monitor, the tape began as the car pulled up, and the three men got out. One started fueling the car; one headed into the store; the other stood by the open rear left passenger door. As the minutes passed, the men came and went, always leaving someone at the rear of the car. The store owner appeared on-screen, working on one of the pumps. Shortly after he appeared, all three men were back at the car. As one of the men opened the door where the 'sleeping' man was sitting, there was an audible gasp from Rodney and Teyla. There was no mistaking the dark, spiky hair. The unconscious man in the back seat was Colonel John Sheppard.
~ooOOOoo~
She was restless. She wasn't home very often, yet she rarely experienced trouble sleeping when she was. Sighing, she rose from her comfortable bed, walking through the open glass doors onto her balcony. The warm soft breezes, carrying the fragrant bouquet of the vivid flowers scattered in containers across the balcony deck, were always soothing to her. The warmth and beauty that surrounded her, coupled with the calming sound of the ocean waves crashing onto the beach below the bluff, normally made her feel peaceful, happy to be home.
Turning her face to the night sky, she smiled as she gazed at the familiar triad moons on their journey across the darkened expanse. The smaller moon, always lagging behind the larger twin moons, completed the triangle that gave the moons their name. The blackness of the sky only served as a backdrop for the majestic Soraya nebula. The fiery nebula's splotches of orange, gold, green, magenta, and blue were surrounded by thousands of glittery stars. She sometimes wondered if sprites had sprinkled shards of shiny crystals across the sky.
Leaning against the balcony balustrade, she attempted to shake the nagging feeling that someone was trying to get her attention. It was what had awakened her, and was preventing her from going back to sleep. It was if someone was calling her name. She thought maybe her restlessness was from being in the fresh air, instead of being in a pressurized ship with its constant temperature and low rumble of the engines, barely audible, unless it ceased to operate, creating a deafening silence. She stood looking out over the cove, emptying her mind of thought. She only wanted to absorb the beauty around her. As she began to relax, she felt a soft voice enter her consciousness.
"Isabella."
She closed her eyes; instead of feeling apprehensive, she felt calmness flow over her. She answered with her thoughts.
"Who are you? You've been trying to get my attention. Why?"
"I expected you to be direct and to the point. My name is Teer, and I am an Ascended Ancient. I am here because I need your help."
"You need my help? What would an ascended being need with my help?"
"Yes, I do need your help, Isabella. I need for you to assist me, because he is in danger. I cannot provide the assistance that he needs."
"He; who is he? Who are you talking about?"
"You already know, Isabella."
Isabella swiftly replied, "I don't have any idea what you are talk…" her voice caught, "oh." Her heart was pounding, her breathing rapid and shallow. "John? You're talking about John."
"Yes, John; he is in grave danger. I am forbidden to assist him, for the others are observing me. They will know if I go to him. They have refused my request to protect him this time. However, they are not monitoring you; you can reach out to him. You can tell him what he needs to know to stay alive."
"First, I need some answers. How do you know I am aware of John?"
"Among the Ascended, there is interference, and there is fate, Isabella. There are forces guiding you and John along the same path. You are destined to meet."
"I dream about him, but you know that, don't you? I keep hearing in my head that he is my destiny, and that we will meet soon. When will that be, Teer? Please, tell me; I need to know."
"All that I can tell you is that you will meet soon."
Isabella took a deep breath, exasperated at hearing the same word, soon. However, she knew that she could never refuse to help him, "Teer, what do I need to do? I don't even know where he is, who he really is. How would he know me, even if I could find him?"
"Isabella, he will know you as you will know him. John dreams of you, as you dream of him; in fact, he is dreaming of you now."
Isabella gripped the railing tightly as she felt her heart begin to race faster. "He dreams of me?"
"Yes, but John has been kidnapped. His consciousness has been placed in a virtual reality, while his kidnappers attempt to extract information from his sub-conscious. He is in grave danger, for his mind is very strong. He is resisting, and his captors are becoming impatient. As I said before, the others will not allow me to warn him, but you can. I will guide your mind to his. Will you help me; will you help him?
Without hesitation, Isabella answered, "Yes, I will help."
"You will only have a short time with him before I will have to withdraw you. If I leave you with him too long, they will discover us. It would be best for you to lie down while I instruct you on what to tell him, and while I send you to him."
Isabella turned toward her bedroom. As she approached her bed, her thoughts centered on one thing. John dreamed of her as well.
~ooOOOoo~
Edward Banks didn't like this particular part of the arrangement the Trust had made. The compound they were using was a major outpost for the Lucian Alliance. Edward was unhappy that the Alliance felt that because they provided the ship to get them to this decadent planet, as well as provide the space for them to work on Sheppard, they were in control of the operation. Being summoned before the Alliance commander was not one of his favorite things. He found the Alliance to be arrogant. Banks felt they were nothing more than thugs that scavenged the leftovers of the Goa'uld Empire. Banks considered himself superior to the Lucian Alliance, but he couldn't argue that they had the technology to help the Trust. Until the Trust found a way to wrestle control from them, and that, as far as Banks was concerned, was only a matter of time.
The commander of the Alliance compound on Nemor, or as Banks called the planet, the hell pit, was a tall, slender man by the name of Geron. His second was a very powerfully built woman named Dresa. Banks thought of the two, Dresa was the more dangerous. Dresa, leaning against the doorframe, had been watching him for the last fifteen minutes, as he sat in the 'greeting' room waiting for Geron to appear. She didn't speak, even when he attempted to engage her in conversation.
Dresa was dressed in the requisite brown leather pants and jacket that the Alliance had adopted as their uniform. Banks had to admit that while she stood at least five inches taller than him, and probably outweighed him by thirty pounds, all muscle he suspected; she looked quite pleasurable. Her long black hair hung straight down her back. Her dark, slightly oval eyes and aquiline nose, gave her an exotic look. Banks decided to while away the minutes waiting for Geron thinking of ways to make Dresa beg him to take her.
He was still engrossed in his daydreams when Geron entered the room, taking a seat in the large, carved wooden chair that sat prominently in the room. He crossed his long legs, sending a menacing look toward Banks. Dresa crossed the room, perching on one of the wide arms of the enormous chair.
Geron whispered to Dresa for a moment, then turned his attention to Banks. "Mr. Banks, I understand that your captive is quite obstinate. Have you been able to gather any information about Atlantis from him?" The Alliance commander's eyebrow raised high above his right eye, clearly indicating his doubts about Bank's answer.
Banks felt the bile rise in the back of his throat. He tempered the urge to draw his weapon, and put an end to the despicable smirk plastered across the commander's face. He answered the commander, attempting to keep the venom from his voice.
"We knew from the beginning that Sheppard was going to be difficult. His imprinting of Atlantis is so strong, that it is difficult to overcome. We also know that he has experienced a virtual environment before. He may be able to discern the difference."
"I thought this Ancient machine that you found was able to overcome that?"
"We suspected that the device should be able to accomplish that. The fact is, there's very little information about how the machine truly operates. Myles, our Ancient tech expert, only has the synthetic gene, and is unsure if his gene was strong enough to initialize the device fully."
"Can you not use Sheppard to activate the device? From what I have been told, the Ancient gene he carries is natural and quite powerful."
Yes, he does have an extremely strong gene. However, he has been kept unconscious so that we can keep his mind occupied while we mine for the information we are seeking. Myles believes he needs to be conscious before his gene can fully initialize the device, but of course, we don't know for certain."
"Then wake him up and force him to activate the device."
"If we do, then he will be aware of what is happening to him. If that happens, we will likely have serious difficulty getting him to accept the virtual reality." Banks was becoming nervous. He might think himself superior to these mercenaries, but he was well-aware of their viciousness.
Geron rose from the ornate chair, closing the gap between himself and Banks. "Then, I suggest, Mr. Banks that you figure this problem out. If you fail, then we will take over and acquire the information. However, we can. Dresa here is a master at extracting information; however, some of her subjects are in, shall we say, pitiful shape when she is done." Geron leaned down into the Earthman's face. "The Alliance will have Atlantis. I am unconcerned about the number of lives it costs to acquire her, even yours."
Banks nodded, and quickly turned to leave. As he reached the door, Geron called after him.
"Banks, I want results by tomorrow morning. If you have not delivered the information to us by then, we will take care of Colonel Sheppard ourselves."
Banks didn't look back; he scurried away from the greeting room. He desired to distance as himself as far as possible from the Lucian Alliance.
~ooOOOoo~
John was awake. He had been lying quietly, thinking about his situation, for nearly an hour. He had no desire to interact with anyone. Isabella had curled her petite body up in one of the wingback chairs, and was sleeping. It wasn't until Melanie came into the room, to check his vital signs, that anyone realized he was awake.
"Colonel, you're awake. How do you feel?" She asked softly, as she glanced at his vitals on the monitor sitting was next to his bed.
He decided to lie, "I feel fine. My head feels much clearer now, not as muddled as when I woke up earlier."
"That is very good news, colonel. Are you hungry?" He nodded. "Well, I am going to get you some food, and then we'll see about getting you a shower if you are up to it. That will make you feel even better."
Melanie left, and John allowed his eyes to drift toward Isabella. She must have been awakened by their voices. She was stirring, and had lifted her head to look in his direction. As Isabella smiled at him, he heard a soft voice in his head. "She is coming."
What do you think about Chapter 4? For those of you who were wondering about Isabella, well...you know a little more...
I'd love to hear from you!
