Cast Between Worlds
Chapter 4; Leaving
Antarctic Air Space
"Permission to breach international Air Space has been granted."
A voice announced to Harry as they passed into the military no-go zone that had been erected over the Ancient Outpost under the Antarctic ice shelf. It had been a compromise so that the team inside was truly an international one but America had gotten permission for the Vipers to fly in the airspace since flying elsewhere ran the risk of being caught on video by the public."Roger, control." Harry replied before switching to the Outposts frequency listed on his computer. "Antarctic outpost, this is Viper flight entering grid seven-alpha for exercises. Request flight information for all immediate areas."
There was a brief pause before a decidedly British voice came across the speakers. "Viper control, clearance received, heavy inbound through grid eighteen-delta and General's transport helicopter inbound through grid four-charlie. Keep clear of heavy transport."
"Roger control. Thanks. Viper flight out." Harry was about to switch to the interflight radio even though he knew the others had listened to everything he had said when the voice came back online with an annoyed tone.
"Viper Flight this is International Antarctic Control requesting confirmation that your weapons systems are offline."
Harry frowned viciously. They knew very well that they couldn't be completely switched off for exercises, how else could they dummy target each other."Negative, IAC." Harry told them. "Weapons are cold but systems are online for exercise."
Harry had the distinct feeling that he heard satisfaction in the controller's voice as he came back. "Roger, Viper Leader. We understand, permission for exercises are confirmed."
"What was that all about?" Iain asked him over the closed frequency after Harry had acknowledge the permission.
"I don't know, just some higher-up wanting to seem important probably." Harry suggested. "Let's just forget it and give those in IAC something to watch on their screens. Target defence simulations. Two and three are on attack, target is emergency runway seven-alpha. Lock for five seconds wins."
It was a simple run. Harry and Alex would defend an ice field that was an emergency runway about ten miles west of the outpost and Iain and Clare had to get a target lock on a bombing run without getting locked onto in the meantime. It sounded easy for either team before you realised that the Vipers were incredibly fast and agile and very hard to lock onto unless they were straightening for a bombing run. So it was a game of nerves and dodging.
"Confirmed, Viper Leader."
Iain told him. "Breaking formation, game start in two minutes.""Good Luck two and three." Harry told them before changing frequency to allow Clare and Iain a private line to plot their strategy. He watched two of his trailing Vipers sink down out of formation and turn north and wiggled his own Viper to signal Alex to come up on his side. Alex did as ordered and they flew wing tip to wing tip until they saw something.
Harry stayed at around mid-altitude knowing that Iain could chose either a low run or a high one. While he waited for something to happen he listened to the General's helicopter log in near to the outpost and was amused to recognise Captain Sheppard's codename though he had the vague impression that he had read that he wasn't a Captain any longer. He did note with a grin that it was the newly promoted General O'Neil that he was transporting. Colonel O'Neil had been promoted after he risked his life in the Antarctic three months ago during the attack from Anubis.
Harry noted a blip on the radar and smirked at Iain's attempt to come in low on the north hoping that Harry would expect him to run high and Harry tilted his nose down before noticing another radar blip on the East. A diversion then but who was the one doing the bombing run. "Jasp," Harry directed at Alex. "Take on the higher, I'll take the lower."
He received a double click in confirmation and the two split as Alex climbed vertically to get over the top of the other Viper whilst Harry dove down to gain speed and lock onto Iain. He only just got a lock when his own systems went crazy saying that somebody had locked onto him. He jerked around in his seat trying to spot where Clare had snuck up on him from but couldn't find it.
He frowned and flipped on the Flight screen which would tell him what everyone was doing which he had turned off the screen to so he didn't cheat but none of them had a target lock. "Shit," He swore. "This is Viper Leader. I've got a lock on me. Exercise scrubbed." He span in the opposite direction but the beeping just continued. "All Vipers report."
"There's nothing on our screens."
Clare told him using her altitude to her advantage."All inbound craft this is IAC, we have two rogue drones that can seek a target on their own. Land immediately and shut down your engines."
The voice had changed into a rather formal one. "This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill.""Oh really!" Harry grouched before he levelled off to find out where the drone was. "This is Viper leader, missile inbound, repeat missile inbound." Harry switched on his inter-flight radio to continue. "Viper Flight, bug out and land ASAP."
"Are you sure?"
Iain argued."Viper two, that's an order." Harry told him.
"Roger Storm, bugging out."
Iain didn't sound at all pleased.Harry could hear with half of his attention that the helicopter, closer to the outpost, was being targeted by the other. In an instant he made a decision, he'd have to shoot down the other one. "IAC this is Viper Flight, I've got one on me, give me permission for weapons hot and I'll try and take down the other before it hits the heli."
Silence. Damn politics. He cursed, he knew that they were supposed to get permission for the International command before giving that permission but that didn't take into account two alien missiles and nobody down there wanted to take the responsibility of giving it without authorisation. He started for where the helicopter was but lost his patience as soon as he saw it on the screen. He dived for the ground as he selected his Hellfires and brought them online and got a satisfying beep that told him that they had locked onto to the golden drone.
"This is Viper Flight executing flight control override, weapons are hot, target locked, firing. Shit!" Harry lost his verbal control just as he fired two missiles. He span the ship in a barrel roll that nearly lodged him into a snow drift as a drone flew at him from the side. He'd forgotten about his own drone. Harry noticed three things in an instant. The first was the golden streak that passed not half a metre from his cockpit window as he dodged it, the second was the exploding missiles as they impacted and destroyed the second drone and the last thing as he levelled out was that the helicopter was stationary on the ground with two figures staring at him.
All this happened in an instant and he was forced to accelerate and dodge through the valleys surrounding the outpost.
"This is IAC, we're working on shutting it down."
Somebody told him just as he spun around a mountain and pitched the ship over another in an attempt to get the drone to impact the rock instead of him. "We suggest landing and shutting down.""Negative," Harry told them.
"Viper flight, please explain."
Somebody told him."Negative." Harry repeated without emotion and didn't care that he was being rude as it was taking everything he had to stay one step ahead of the drone since it was far more agile than him. He angled low over an ice drift and glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the drone fly straight into the ice and snow. He sighed as he levelled off but got a shock of his life when he caught a streak of gold that tore straight up and through his right wing. It had travelled through the snow and come up under him.
"This is Viper Flight, Mayday, mayday, mayday. The drone came right up through the ground and it's taken my right wing controls with it." Harry told him all the while looking up at the drone as it arced around for another run. He tried to reboot the wing control but even though the wings was still connected it wasn't responding in his position half extended. The other wing was fully extended and the aerodynamics didn't like the combination. "Do something with that thing before it attacks me again!"
He sprung his flares and radar decoys as he attempted to gain some speed but his engine was bleeding its coolant rapidly through a burnt out pipe and it was running ridiculously hot.
He glanced up and almost cheered as the drone shut down from its glowing shape and fell into a dead drop onto the snow. "This is Viper One, missile is dead. Shutting down number two engine."
"Viper Flight, can you land safely?"
Harry recognised General O'Neil's voice."Maybe." Harry answered truthfully.
"Can you eject?"
O'Neil asked him.Harry pondered it but with a glance at his core readout and his position in relation to the outpost and more importantly the people in there. He sighed. "Negative Sir, my core is near critical, if the Viper doesn't land smoothly she'll explode and I can't get clear of the outpost in time."
"Put her down nice and smooth somewhere then and I'll come pick you up personally."
"Roger." Harry killed the link before angling for a nice smooth glacier, he dropped his speed to a hundred knots since any slower would shut down the air coolers currently stopping him from exploding. He was nearing the ground when the Viper shuddered and he nearly flipped completely. He glanced to the side just in time to see his right wing fully extend before ripping off entirely. The plane inverted before Harry could stop it. "Mayday, wings gone, going in." Harry didn't have a chance to say any more before the plane struck the glacier on the left wing before flipping onto the right. He shut down his engine just as the plane skidded sideways. His head impacted the side window as the plane came to an abrupt stop and he blacked out.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
He knew he hadn't been out long when he woke to hear helicopter rotors nearby and with a groan he punched the cockpit release and watched through bloodied eyes as the shade created by the shield vanished and sun bled onto him. He groaned as somebody pried at his harness and released him from the chair.
"You ok there, Captain?" O'Neil asked him. "Anything broken?"
"Apart from the plane you mean?" Harry joked ignoring the fact he was talking to a General.
"Apart from the plane." O'Neil chuckled.
"My pride." Harry groaned and distinctly heard another person's laugh. "And the nose of whoever fired that thing at me."
"Tell me about it." Sheppard's voice told him. "We owe you I think."
"You think? We definitely owe you." O'Neil told them both. "Come on, let's get you to the outpost. Is this thing safe?"
"The lights off?" Harry mumbled, beginning to lose his vocal functions.
"Yeah," Sheppard told him.
"Then yeah, core's off." Harry let them hoist him out of the cockpit and let them carry him closer to where he could hear the helicopter.
"Let's get in the air, Major." O'Neil told Sheppard. Harry let his eyes close and fell into a blissful sleep.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
He vaguely caught another glimpse of the helicopters ceiling whilst in flight after somebody had wiped the blood out of his eyes. Then another glimpse of corridors and of an elevator, all between bouts of unconsciousness. But the final time he woke up was to see four hovering faces. Two were familiar as Major Sheppard and Colonel O'Neil but the other two were blanks to him and he vaguely wondered if hitting his head had knocked out some memories but he finally concluded that he simply hadn't met them yet.
"What do you think then, doctor?" The woman he didn't recognise asked the other man he didn't recognise.
"He'll be right as rain in a few hours, just a concussion." The Doctor spoke up in a very strong Scottish accent that Harry recognised from around Hogwarts.
"Can you hear us all right?" The woman asked him.
"I can hear you fine, just don't have a clue who you two are." Harry forced himself up onto his elbows on the hard medical bay bed and looked around taking in the fact that he was still in his flight suit and O'Neil and Sheppard were still in their flight suits.
"This is Doctor Weir, the leader here and this is Doctor Becket." O'Neil introduced them, "And I'm guessing you've met the Major before then."
"Classified." Harry smirked but he saw the understanding in the General's face. Harry noticed that Sheppard was rocking on the balls of his feet slightly. "What?" Harry snapped.
Sheppard gave him a cheeky look before speaking. "Doctor Becket here's the one that shot at us." Harry spun his head to look at the Scottish Doctor. "I spared his nose just for you."
"What!?" Becket cried.
"He said he was going to break the nose of who ever shot him down." Sheppard supplied helpfully ignoring Weir's recriminatory look. "Just being informative."
Harry chuckled slightly before looking over at the man in question. "Congratulations."
The four came up short in shock at his words. "Eh?" Was Becket's rather intellectual response.
"You're the first person to ever shoot down a Viper, a thirty-six million dollar aircraft." Harry was happy with his revenge as the man went completely white and collapsed in a chair muttering about experiments and advanced technology.
"Damn, why didn't I think of that one?" Sheppard smirked and Harry dropped back onto the bed with a groan.
"How's my bird?" Harry asked the General.
"Not good at the moment, it's being shipped back to Kodiak but it'll be months before she'll fly again." O'Neil told him and paused so that Harry could let that sink in before continuing. "Your flight team set down in the Falklands without problem and I'll let you call them as soon as possible. You've got guts kid, I'll give you that."
"I just leap in, Sir." Harry sighed.
"Hey, a Sir. That's a start." The General laughed. "Well whatever you do you might just have saved me and Major Sheppard."
"I didn't, the missile on you went dead just before I shot it down. My scanners read it." Harry explained. "You shut down your engines just in time."
"Even so, it's the thought that counts." The General assured him. "I'll get somebody to bring in a camera and a phone link so you can talk to your flight team and then I want you to get some rest."
"Yes, Sir." Harry replied before shutting his eyes to wait.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
Colorado Springs
He'd had a ten minute chat with Iain, Clare and Alex to let them know what had happened and they were obviously saddened that it would be so long before he could come back to flying with them. He spent two days under the ice in Antarctica recovering to Doctor Becket's satisfaction and the doctor grew on Harry despite the whole issue of shooting him down. Harry teased him constantly about it and it always riled the man up. He'd also endeared himself to a rather over-zealous scientist by the name of Rodney McKay after he was forced into a rather technologically advanced chair that had been the cause of the drones attacking him. The chair had lit up for him and he had been able to do almost anything that the scientist wanted and since it wasn't contradictory to the doctors orders to take it easy he found himself spending most of the day in the chair.
Becket had asked him how he could sit in it for so long but Harry had admitted that the chair was just as comfortable as his one in the Viper and he was used to spending twenty-four periods in that one.
Harry found himself at home a week later and bored out of his mind. He hadn't been back to Colorado Springs in long months and his flat had a rather sterilised look to it since he had a cleaner that came in once every two weeks for an hour to clean up though it was rather useless since most of the furniture was under dust sheets. The girl next door came in every once in a while to water his few plants and air the apartment. She was his age and whenever he was back they always got together to talk about their respective careers and the teacher always had the most to say though she never minded that he didn't say much about himself.
They weren't romantic since he wasn't interested in girls and although he had had one fling in flight training he hadn't really had the time recently. He dumped his gear on the bed after stripping the dust sheet off of the top. He pulled sheets out of the cupboard so he could make up the bed but just ended up dumping the lot on the pillows for later. If he was back he was at least going to try to enjoy himself.
He changed quickly from his Air Force fatigues and into baggy jeans and the old fashioned leather flight jackets that he liked to wear that actually worked to hide the fact he was a pilot since most wouldn't wear one. His one however didn't have any badges on it, just the air force logo.
He grabbed his cell phone, wallet and keys before locking up his flat and walking the ten or so steps to reach Jessica's door. He noted the cardboard and paper flowers that covered her door, testimony of gifts from her eight year old students, and after finding the doorbell on the frame he rang it without imagination. He moved one of the flowers to cover the peephole so she couldn't see who he was.
"You know, Jessica, this peephole would actually be useful if you could see through it!" A male voice spoke from behind the door.
"What!?" Jessica cried making Harry smile slightly. "I used it when you arrived just ten minutes ago! Just open the door."
Harry was almost laughing as the door swung inwards and a man he didn't recognised looked at him carefully. "Can I help?"
"Uh…yeah, could you tell the lady of the house that her date's back in town?" He smirked at the man's frown before hearing the screech from his best friend.
"Harry!" He was almost bowled over as the petite woman flew herself onto him in a hug. Harry hugged her back. "You covered my peephole again!"
"I know." Harry winked at the man still holding the door open. "I don't think your doorman is quite pleased in this show, Jessica, how about we take it into my flat."
"Oh, Harry! Don't be so mean!" She backed off and slapped him on the arm. "Josh, ignore this prat. He's not my date, he's a rather annoying next door neighbour."
"Oh, you wound me!" Harry grabbed at his chest. "Can I come in or do I have to stand in my own hallway?"
"Oh, right. Yeah." Jessica spun and grabbed Josh's hand and tugged him into the flat. Harry followed and shut the door before looking around slowly.
"I didn't think anyone lived next door." Josh put in suspiciously with a matching glare at Harry who just grinned at him.
"I think I hit a nerve, Jessy-love." Harry grinned.
"Stop that already, Harry. You're making him worry." Jessica glared at him but she still had a smile on her face.
Harry danced to the side and pecked her on the cheek like he always did. "Oh, but it's so much fun and I've been so bored."
Jessica just swatted at him and rolled her eyes before turning to Josh who Harry assumed was the boyfriend if his reaction to Harry's faked flirting was anything to go by. "Harry this is Josh, my boyfriend. Josh this is Harry, my next door neighbour and even though the twit is never here and is as annoying as hell in helping me keep boyfriends he is unfortunately my best friend."
"Yeah, seriously, you don't have to feel threatened by me, I'm more likely to go after you than Jessy here." Harry gave Josh a serious look even as Jessica snorted in amusement. "So, how have you been, Jessy?"
"Oh great!" Jessica told him as she bounced into the kitchen for something. Harry raised an eyebrow at Josh who just gave him an amused look in return. She bounced back in with her handbag. "Come on, we have to go out for dinner now!"
"I was hoping you'd say that." Harry smiled at her complacently as he shrugged apologetically at Josh in case he'd disturbed something.
"Don't worry. She was going to cook." Josh told him.
"Hey! He speaks." Harry laughed before smirking at Jessica. "I know, her idea of cooking is worse than her children's."
"Don't you two start ganging up on me already!" Jessica glared before linking her left arm through Josh's and her right through Harry's and pulled them out the door and down the road to where she and Harry always went.
Harry ordered food and drinks at the bar before finding the two sitting close to each other in one of the private stalls. Harry stretched slightly as he sat. "So, Harry?" Josh started. "What do you do?"
"He's Air Force." Jessica said before Harry could speak.
"Am I not allowed to speak anymore?" Harry teased. "Was I that bad with the faked flirting earlier?"
"Nah, you just always try to dodge it." Jessica smirked at him.
"What sort of thing do you do?" Josh asked.
Harry sighed. "That's why I avoid it." Harry glared lightly at his best friend before turning to Josh. He waited as their drinks were put on the table and he took a quick swig of beer. "Most of what I do is classified. In fact everything after flight school is closed."
"Oh right." Josh said.
"Oh you can be more forthcoming than that, Harry." Jessica reprimanded. "He just doesn't like talking about himself. He flies jets and test flights, but he's listed as one of the best combat pilots in the world."
Harry rolled his eyes and took another swig of his drink. "What do you do, Josh?"
"He's…" Harry reached over and placed his hand over her mouth to stop her from talking. He smirked over at Josh before raising an eyebrow.
"I'm a detective. My son's in her class but he lives with his mother. We're separated." Josh told him correctly pre-empting Harry's next question about how they met.
"Ew!" Harry yanked his hand back. "That's is just gross, I don't want you licking my hand. I don't know where that's been."
Josh snorted into his drink and began to choke but met Harry's amused look with a glare. "How long are you back for, Harry?" Jessica asked just as their food arrived.
"No idea, till they send me new orders." Harry told her truthfully.
"What happened to the last one?" Josh asked.
Harry winced and Jessica saw it. "Spill it, Harry!" She ordered. Harry swallowed his piece of sausage before muttering something. "What was that, speak up?"
"Yes mum." Harry smirked. "I got shot down." His smirked turn victorious as she opened and shut her mouth a few times. "Hey, I shut her up. That'll look better on my record then any medal."
"You can't be serious? Please say you're joking!" Jessica gasped out.
"Nope, no joke." Harry reached up and pulled back his fringe and showed her the rather ragged cut that was slowly healing.
"How'd you do that?" Josh asked.
"Banged my head on the side of the cockpit and my mic. shattered and cut my head. Got a nasty concussion too." Harry explained.
"How'd you get shot down? I didn't know there was any fighting recently." Jessica told him. Harry winced knowing that she kept an eye on everything to do with the Air Force in case he showed up anywhere and so she knew if he could be in any fights.
"Actually it was when a base lost control of an experimental missile. It targeted my ship and blew my wing off." Harry admitted sheepishly. "It wasn't that bad, just my shoddy landing."
"Oh, I'll wring your neck one of these days, Harry." Harry gave her a small smile of gratitude at her concern. "Anyway at least your home for a while."
"Yup, my plane will be dead for at least eight months but they'll find me something on the ground for a while." Harry told her honestly. They chatted while they ate and then for a few drinks before Harry drifted off to talk to a guy at the bar that had been staring at him for most of the night. He sent Jessica and Josh a wink before leading the guy onto the dance floor for a few dances.
They joined him but as always Harry left with just Jessica and this time Josh. They wandered back in a chain with Jessica between them and up to their flats. Harry, however got a shock when he found two uniformed police officers waiting for him. "Are they some of yours?" Harry raised his eyebrows at Josh accusatorily while feeling rather tipsy from the night out.
"Nope." Josh told him. Harry turned back to the two police officers and raised his eyebrows.
"It's very nice of you to guard my door for me but can I actually do something for you?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.
"We've got a telegram for Captain Harry Potter, USAF." One of the said. "Is that you?"
"Not till tomorrow, ten at the earliest preferably." Harry said before turning and planting his head onto the wall and beginning to hit his head lightly against it.
"Sorry sir, but we have orders to deliver it to you personally. Tonight." Harry glanced up at them and Jessica pulled him to face the two again.
"Who's orders?"
"General O'Neil, Sir." The first told him though it was obvious that he didn't know who that was. Harry just groaned before fishing out his wallet and presenting it to the men to rummage through for his driving licence and Military ID. They checked them both to their own pictures before presenting the telegram to Harry. "Good night, Sir."
"Oh I wish." Harry grumbled.
"Harry, be nice!" Jessica reprimanded.
Harry looked over his shoulder. "Thank you!" He yelled at the police officers retreating backs. "I should of shot them."
"What's that?" Josh asked.
Harry glanced down at his hand and the folded and sealed envelope held there. "My new orders."
"What!?" Jessica gasped. "Already! You've only been back five hours."
"I know, sorry." Harry was sobering fast as he always did. "You wanna come in while I read this, then if I have to leave tonight I can say bye."
"Sure." Jessica let him open the door before going through.
"You're welcome too, Josh." Harry said before wandering off to his own room as Jessica helped herself to anything that might have lasted the six months since he last visit. He sat on the bed with a groan before opening the Envelope.
Basically it told Harry that he had been reassigned to a long term off-world mission starting from Cheyenne mountain. He'd be picked up at seven o'clock the next morning and would have the chance once the mission was explained to refuse. The note explained that General O'Neil would ensure that he got a good alternative if he didn't want to but to hear it out. Another note made him frown though. Obviously the General knew he had no next of kin.
Harry dropped the letter into his bag that he hadn't even had a chance to unpack before walking back into his front room. "What did it say?" Jessica asked.
"Classified." Harry sighed. "I leave tomorrow morning and I wont be back for a very long time if I accept it."
"Do you normally get a choice to accept it?" Josh asked.
"Not unless it's very risky." Harry answered honestly.
"Oh." Was Josh's rather abrupt answer.
Harry turned to the man. "Can you give me five minutes with Jessica?" He nodded and walked off to the bathroom. "Jessy-love, I need to ask you a favour."
"Yeah, I'll water your plants." Jessica told him.
Harry laughed. "No, that's not it. He reached out and grabbed her chin and lifted it up. You know I don't have family right?" She nodded. "Well I need to put down a next of kin in case something happens of if they want to contact someone about me. Can I put you down?"
She nodded before hugging him. Harry let her cry on his shoulder. "Do I have to do anything?"
"Nah, I just put your name down and that's it but if you change address you need to call the Air Force and tell them, I'll leave the details for you though in case you need to." Harry smiled at her. "I'm sorry I've gotta leave so soon, you know I'd stay longer if I could."
"I know, but I've really missed you. I've wanted you to meet Josh for months because I think he's going to ask me to marry him." Jessica told him. Harry jerked his head up towards the bathroom door at that.
"Really?" Harry smiled.
"Yeah, well I think so." Jessica told him. "I was hoping to get your opinion first though before I said yes."
"Oh, Jessy-love, it doesn't matter what I think. If you love him then you should follow your heart." Harry told her. "But if it helps I think he's a good guy, worth working on."
She smiled at him gratefully. "I hoped you'd get to know him a bit though."
"I know and I'm sorry." Harry told her. "I don't know when I'm getting back though so don't wait for me or for mail from me."
She nodded and Harry hugged her again as he moved to sit beside her. He settled back against the arm and she leaned on him. Josh joined them and sat on the other end and eventually Harry managed to pass Jessica over to him with a relieved smile.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
The next morning
Harry was on the pavement at exactly seven the next morning wearing his air force uniform. The instructions had told him that he was only allowed one personal item so he had put in his leather jacket but apart from that his bag was rather empty since he had been told that if he took the job he'd get a new uniform.
A humvee pulled up at the kerb and an Air Force Lieutenant got out and saluted him crisply and asked him if he was Captain Potter. He nodded and handed his single bag across, he glanced behind him and up to Jessica's window and sent a mock salute up at the figure he could just make out. He'd hoped that she wouldn't be up to see him off but he hadn't been that lucky.
He got into the passenger seat and they were soon driving Northwest out of the city and to the hidden mountain complex where the Stargate was hidden.
It was an hour drive but as they pulled into the car park he was glad it was over, the lieutenant hadn't been one for small talk. Harry noticed one thing as he made his way through the tunnels and down into the ground following the man, the place was a beehive of activity. The lower he got the more equipment had been stacked into every nook and cranny and was being wrapped for transport. He reached a corridor full of people and was led through a side door and into a control room. He stared without being able to help it at the giant ring that could transport people across the galaxy.
"Captain Potter? This way please." The Lieutenant interrupted him. Harry sent him a cold stare before allowing himself to be led up a spiral staircase and into a conference room above it. "Wait here, Sir."
He was tempted to make a sarcastic comment but decided that it wouldn't be appreciated in a place like this so he chose to retain his cold exterior that he wore ninety percent of the time. "Glad you could make it." General O'Neil smiled at him as he came out of the office at the far end. "Most people stare out the window though."
"I've seen stranger things, Sir." Harry pointed out before glancing sideways through the window. "Though not by much."
"I thought so." The General smirked. "You've met Doctor Weir before and Major Carter but you haven't met Colonel Sumner."
"Colonel, Major, Doctor." Harry greeted in order of superiority though he only put the Doctor last because she wouldn't know the difference.
"Please take a seat." O'Neil ordered. Harry took the end seat opposite the General while the Doctor, Major and Colonel took the seats around the General. "You've been asked to come here because we'd like you to join a mission of great importance. We're going to send a expeditionary force through the Stargate to the Pegasus Galaxy and we'd like you to go along."
"We really don't need another officer along for the ride, Sir." The Marine Colonel came close to glaring at Harry but Harry's cold expression wasn't fazed by it.
"We've been over this Colonel and Captain Potter wouldn't be along for the ride. He'll be able to pull his weight." O'Neil told him and Harry almost smirked. At least the General thought highly of him though Harry had tried to save his life. "Do you accept?"
Harry was about to when Weir spoke up. "We should warn you that this might be a one way mission, everyone has been given the choice to refuse and it is completely voluntarily but where we are going is very dangerous."
"So is this world, Doctor Weir." Harry told her. "Depending on where you go. General, I accept."
"Thought you would. Colonel, I assume you have work to do?" O'Neil dismissed the Marine with a complete lack of subtlety. The man left the room rather crisply. "Don't worry, Captain. Doctor Weir has overriding authority on this mission."
"I'm not worried about him, Sir." Harry admitted.
"Right." O'Neil smirked. "Perhaps we can get onto details since time is running out. On this mission only Doctor Weir has the clearance for your abilities but not full clearance." Harry glanced sharply at the Major since the last time he had checked she hadn't been cleared for his weather abilities, then again the General hadn't been cleared for either that or the Wizarding world either then. "The Major has been cleared as well but she isn't going. Though neither know what I am talking about."
"And you've been enjoying that ever since we got our clearance." Weir told him sharply.
"I'll let you explain, Captain." O'Neil told him. "Though not full clearance for any reason."
"Right, Sir." Harry nodded. "I can manipulate the composition of air with the purpose of charging it to create large scale systems."
"You can't tell me you understood that, Carter." Harry glanced from the General to the Major but could see through her look that she had. He turned to the Doctor who obviously didn't.
"I can create weather systems." Harry told her simply.
"What kind?" Weir asked.
Harry glanced at O'Neil who took over. "Doctor Weir, do you happen to remember the storm that broke over Brazil a year ago?"
"Yes." The doctor answered automatically before looking at Harry. "You can create storms that big?"
"I created that one, Doctor." Harry admitted.
"That's amazing!" Carter gushed. "I wondered how you had high level clearance when I met you on Kodiak but I couldn't find out what for."
"His clearance is still actually higher than either of yours." O'Neil admitted before raising his hands when both gave him hard stares. "Out of my hands. Captain, you are cleared to tell others of your ability in emergency situations but other than that you must have Doctor Weir permission before speaking of it. You're not to speak of anything else."
"Understood, Sir." Harry nodded. "I plan on forgetting about it for the time being."
"I thought you might like this mission, especially since your plane is down." O'Neil told him.
"Thank you, Sir." Harry nodded.
"Don't thank me, the Pentagon wanted you on this mission since it's conception but they didn't want to lose one of the Vipers." O'Neil told him. "You'd best go get ready. The lieutenant will show you to your gear. Dismissed."
"Yes, Sir." He stood and saluted. "Major, Doctor." He nodded at the three before turning and walking back down the stairs to the control room.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
With a backpack full of his gear and fully kitted out for combat with a P-90 hanging from his front he walked into the embarkation room. He glanced around at everyone and spotted Doctor McKay ordering scientists around and Doctor Becket doing the same with medical supplies. Another man was standing on his own at the back of the room just watching everything in amusement and Harry walked over to him.
"Major Sheppard." Harry greeted with a small salute.
"Captain Potter." Sheppard looked relieved. "Thank god, I thought I was going to have to let Marines watch my back!"
"I noticed there seems to be a lot of Marines here." Harry agreed.
"Hand picked by Colonel Sumner." Sheppard told him.
"Joy." Harry mused. "Seems that sitting in that chair got us both in this situation then."
"It worked for you too then?" Sheppard asked.
"Yup." Harry sighed. "And since Doctor Becket over there shot me down I'm stuck here." He raised his voice at the end just as Becket walked passed them and the man jumped to look at him.
"Captain Potter!" Becket went red. "When are you going to let me live that down?" It seemed the room had all stopped to look at them both.
"When my plane flies again." Harry told him though he had a distinct twinkle in his eyes.
"Captain Potter! Don't disrupt the scientists. We have too much work to do here already without you interfering!" Harry's eyes turned cold again as Colonel Sumner walked into the room with a Lieutenant next to him. Harry decided he liked the other kid better since he looked to be Harry's age. Becket drifted off and Harry turned to face the Colonel. "I've read both your files and I'm against either of you being here. I understand that we need Major Sheppard here to run the chair but we only need one so I don't see why we need you, Captain."
There was a question in the order. "That would be classified, Colonel." There was a sharp edge to Harry tone. "And so is most of my file so you shouldn't judge me on the bit you can get into, Sir."
The Sir part was rather delayed. "I have clearance for every detail of this mission, Captain."
"Not high enough, Sir." Harry told him. "Only Doctor Weir has high enough clearance to know why I am here."
"Just remember who gives the orders around here." The Colonel told them both.
"That would be Doctor Weir then?" Sheppard smirked. The Colonel walked off as Harry chuckled. The Lieutenant lingered for a moment as he eyed to the two before he walked off.
"Thanks." Harry nodded. "I was about to lose my patience."
"No problem, what's this with Weir's clearance." Sheppard asked subtly.
"Sorry, Major." Harry sighed. "Only Weir has high enough clearance for that."
"So she has the highest clearance, so she knows about our missions?" Sheppard asked.
"I don't know if she has black ops clearance, and most of my file is still closed to her." Harry admitted.
"You mean your clearance is still higher than hers?" Sheppard asked with a raised eyebrow. Harry nodded. "Sucks to be you." Harry nodded again before turning his attention to the gate.
It was another half an hour before everyone was gathered and Doctor Weir finally walked into the room and turned to face them all. "Can I have everyone's attention, please? All right, here we go. We are about to try to make a connection. We have been unable to predict exactly how much power this is going to take, and we may get only the one chance at this. So if we are able to achieve a stable wormhole, we're not going to risk shutting the gate down. We'll send in the MALP robot probe, check for viability, and go. Everything in one shot." She paused as she looked over all of them.
Harry glanced at Sheppard with a small twitch of the lips sharing the fact that even though the situation involved intergalactic travel they had been in the same situations before. Being dropped into unknown territory with no chance of a pickup until they had completed the mission and gotten to a safe zone.
"Now every one of you volunteered for this mission, and you represent over a dozen countries." Harry glanced around at the arms of all of the members of the team wearing small flag badges on their left upper arms of all nationalities. Harry's had two side by side, the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes side by side. Weir continued. "You are the world's best and brightest, and in light of the adventure we are about to embark on, you're also the bravest. I hope we all return one day having discovered a whole new realm for humanity to explore, but as all of you know, we may never be able to return home. I'd like to offer you all one last chance to withdraw your participation." She paused expectantly but nobody so much as twitched. Weir smiled broadly before she looked up at the control room window. "Begin the dialling sequence."
"How long have you know about this?" Sheppard asked him as the inner ring of the gate began to spin.
"Since just after Brazil." Harry told him. "You?"
"Since I took the General to the outpost."
Harry snorted. "Oh, you are so in for it." Harry chuckled realising that the man didn't know anything about the Goa'uld or any of the other races out there expect what he might have been able to cram into the last week or so.
The gate exploded outwards and Harry who hadn't actually seen it before flinched but more because the pressure in the room rapidly changed and stung his senses. He almost had to grip his head as a headache settled in and he released a small growl. Sheppard stared at him but Weir who had moved to near the two military men spoke first.
"Captain Potter, are you ok?" She asked.
"I'm fine Doctor Weir, just sensitive to pressure changes." He caught her eye and she nodded to show she understood before turning back to the gate. Harry made a mental note to be prepared for it the next time. Harry and Sheppard moved forwards to near the front of the column as the MALP went through the portal.
"MALP shows viable life support."
Somebody from the control told them."Let's go, people. We don't know how much power we've got." Colonel Sumner announced as he readied his P-90. "Security teams one and two, you're up first. All the personnel will follow on our signal. Once on the other side, keep moving, clear the debarkation area. On my lead!"
"Hold on Colonel!" Weir ordered and struggled to put on her backpack though it was considerably lighter than Harry's and Sheppard's were. Harry reached over and hoisted it squarely onto her shoulders. "We go through together."
Sumner stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Fair enough." The two headed through and vanished.
"Well no time like the present." Sheppard sighed before stepping up onto the ramp with Harry on one side and the Marine Lieutenant on the other.
"All clear."
Sumner's voice came back through the portal onto their ear pieces. "It looks good.""What's it feel like?" Sheppard asked the Marine Lieutenant.
"Hurts like hell." He replied with a serious face before leaping backwards through the portal. Harry shook his head before bringing his P-90 to bear and stepping through with Sheppard at his side.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
Atlantis
Harry appeared in a dark room. Low lights lit the area but even as they watched more came to life as if reacting to the explorers in front of them. Harry held his left hand out in front of him with a frown. The air was perfectly clean but something was bugging at him. He walked forwards towards where Weir was standing staring around her at the room and the dozens of people flooding through the wormhole along with equipment.
"Teams one and two, secure the immediate area." Sumner ordered his Marines. Harry walked with the woman in charge for a while even as he saw Sheppard moving further into the front and towards a set of stairs up to a second floor. "Everyone else, find an open space and park it until instructed otherwise." At the moment the military were in control and the scientists were simply along for the ride until they could safely be unleashed.
Harry aimed up at the ceiling suddenly as he felt something wrong around him. His weather control spread out in response to his shock. Harry registered the static charge in the air as his abilities tried to get loose. "We've got a low static charge building!" One of the scientists by the MALP told them.
Weir surprised Harry by looking straight at him to find him looking up at the ceiling along his P-90. He angled the gun down at the ground at met her gaze with a glazed expression. "I don't like this." Harry told her quietly before bottling his ability up carefully.
"The charge disappeared." The scientist was obviously relieved and Harry smiled slightly at her.
"Sorry." Harry apologised though he didn't really mean it.
"What don't you like?" Weir asked.
"The air outside." Harry told her. "I can sense it, there is barely any oxygen and a lot of water."
"What does that mean? A storm?" Weir asked quietly. Harry glanced around, everyone was too busy with their own things, Sheppard was wandering up to the second level and Colonel Sumner was directing exploration teams.
"No, we're under water. A long way underwater." Harry winced.
Weir's eyes widened slightly before she ran off. Harry hoped that she had the sense not to go blurting that out until she had something more than Harry's words as proof. He knew it was true but Weir couldn't exactly say that Harry's weather control abilities had told him that.
Harry caught up to Sheppard and Weir nearing the control room on the second floor. "Who's doing that?" Weir asked referring to the consoles and other devices around the room that were coming to life. She'd obviously put his comment to one side for the time being.
Harry pressed his cheek microphone. "Colonel Sumner, any signs of alien activity?" He asked.
"Security teams? Any alien contact?"
They all hear Sumner ask from below them."Negative Sir."
Came the first answer."Team four, negative, Colonel."
Harry listened to the last report before tapping his own microphone twice to show that he had heard and not to waste the Colonel's time by relaying it pointlessly."The lights are coming on by themselves." Sheppard pointed out logically.
"That's everyone." Colonel Sumner reported to Weir as he joined them at the top of the stairs.
Weir grabbed her radio from her pocket and thumbed it on. "General O'Neill? Atlantis base offers greetings from the Pegasus Galaxy. You may cut power to the gate."
Harry stayed near the top of the stairs as the rest slowly made their way down and even though he saw the bottle of champagne come through the wormhole he ignored it in favour of shutting his eyes and concentrating on his powers. With the water surrounding the city of Atlantis he could easily make out the mass of air that filled its corridors. It was massive.
He felt Sheppard grab his arm before he noticed that the room had slowly come back to life as teams spread out to explore the immediate area though this time with scientists to accompany them. Weir entered the control room from the opposite side without her bag which she had obviously dumped somewhere and already Harry could hear the reports from the exploration teams with the scientists chatting happily and trying to get Doctor Weir's attention.
Sheppard brushed against a console and it lit up with a sharp whine. "I didn't touch anything!" He held up his hands in surrender as everyone turned to look at him and Harry snorted with amusement.
"Relax, Major." Weir assured him with a small smile. "It's like the entire complex is sensing our presence and coming to life."
"This has got to be the control room. This is obviously their version of a DHD." McKay told them.
"Oh, obviously." Sheppard said rather sarcastically though only Harry saw his actual confusion.
"He means a Dial-Home-Device." Harry told him in a whisper from next to his shoulder. "It controls the gate."
"Oh." Sheppard cast him a grateful look but was obviously shocked that Harry had realised that he didn't know what it was.
Harry shrugged before turning his attention back to the 'egg-heads' in the room. McKay moved across the room oblivious to anybody else. "This device could be power control systems, possibly a computer interface. Something…"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Weir interrupted before he could continue. "Why don't you find out?"
"Right." McKay nodded and once again nobody else existed.
"Doctor Weir, this is Colonel Sumner."
A voice came over the military radio. The scientists were on a separate frequency but Doctor Weir carried both. "Can you come down and meet me, please? We're three levels down from you.""Right away." Weir spoke into the radio before glancing at both Harry and Sheppard who both shrugged to say that neither had a clue. Weir smirked at them both though they didn't know that it because they had looked like identical twins in that moment. Both had messy black hair and similar lithe builds and a coiled tension beneath the surface that warned anybody smart not to toy with them. Their only main differences were their eyes since Sheppard had brown eyes and Harry a glittering green one. Also Harry only came up to Sheppard's shoulder in height and was in fact shorter than Weir who was rather tall.
Harry and Sheppard walked down through the complex and after Harry spoke to the Colonel again on the radio they found him standing in what looked to me private rooms with a large window that looked out over the city. Harry ignored the others with a small gulp and made his way to the window.
"We've only been able to secure a small fraction of the place. It's huge." Sumner told them all and Harry had to agree. He could see a long section of the city spread out in front of him in what seemed to be a jetty like structure and it was at least two miles long. Harry frowned as he realised that they were so much higher than any of it that they were probably in the centre of the structure which meant that they were standing in the middle of an absolutely huge structure though it wasn't as large as cities on Earth.
"So it might really be the lost city of Atlantis?" Weir asked without looking closely at what was surrounding them. Harry however didn't mind having his theories proven. They were in fact underwater. He traced the glass with his finger tips and frowned. There was a layer of air around the outside of the glass that wasn't mixing with the water.
"I'd say that is a good bet." Sumner nodded though Harry didn't see him.
"Oh, my God!" Weir suddenly dashed to the window and stared at the water. "We're underwater!"
"Told you so." Harry muttered though only Weir and possibly Sheppard on his other side heard him. Weir gave him a harsh glare before turning to listen to Sumner.
"I'd say we're under several hundred feet of ocean. If we can't dial out this could be a problem." Sumner announced.
"There's a shield surrounding the buildings." Harry announced loud enough for all to hear.
"You can't possibly know that." Sumner argued.
"With all due respect, Sir. But how else do you explain the fact that these buildings are totally dry inside after several thousand years under this much water." Harry told them but caught Weir's eyes to tell her that this wasn't the reason he had used to come to that conclusion.
"This was built by the Ancients after all. A Shield isn't completely out of the question." Weir nodded just as McKay dashed into the room looking slightly out of breath.
"Colonel, Doctor Weir." He caught their attention even though his loud entrance already had.
"We're underwater." Sheppard announced though Harry couldn't work out whether he was simply stating it or prompting McKay's words.
"Yes, I was just trying to tell you. Fortunately, some sort of a force field is holding back the... w- water." Harry grinned at the Colonel in victory and bounced on the balls of his feet a few times. "Oh, that is impressive, isn't it? Uh, Doctor Beckett has found something you should see."
McKay spun on his heels with a vague 'come hither' gesture and Weir and Sumner followed him. Harry frowned slightly looking back out of the window and down at the city below him. He tapped the glass again though his senses weren't focusing on the window but at the lack of air in the furthest section of city that he could see. Instead their was just a continuation of the high water mixture atmosphere. It was flooded.
"Are you alright?" Sheppard asked him and Harry jumped and swung his P-90 on the man before instantly releasing it with both hands to show he wasn't going to fire.
"Sorry, I got distracted." Harry told him.
"You do that a lot." Sheppard pointed out.
"Don't worry, I wont let you down in a fight." Harry told him rather harshly and saw the man tense up ever so slightly. "Perhaps we should go, Sir."
The glimmer of amusement that had been in Sheppard's eyes when Harry had rounded on him with his gun vanished completely at the Sir and he nodded before heading out of the room. The group was long gone and Harry glanced at his watch to see that he'd probably wasted a good five minutes staring out of the window.
He grabbed his radio and switched it to the scientist's frequency. "McKay?"
"Captain?"
McKay answered and Harry ignored the irritated tone."If your highness is too busy to do it himself perhaps you'll point me in the right direction of somebody that can check the integrity of those shields." Harry asked with faked sweetness.
"Grodin? Did you hear that?"
McKay asked."Yeah, Rodney. I'm on it."
Grodin, a computer wizz, told them."I'll meet you in the control room." Harry announced over the radio before turning to Sheppard. "Perhaps you should catch up to the others, Sir?"
Sheppard frowned at him but the sudden tense atmosphere between the two made Sheppard take up the offer and disappear down the corridors as Harry climbed the stairs to the control room. Harry knew he shouldn't be that harsh but he didn't like it when people questioned his ability to hold his own and it had hit rather harshly when the man that had seen him fail and get his friend killed accused him of being distracted even if he had been. It made him remember that Sheppard was his senior officer and that Harry was supposed to take orders from him and not befriend him. Having friends in the military just got them killed or at least made it hurt all the more if they did die. He'd even taken that mantra to heart with Iain, Alex and Clare. Though they were friendly Harry only went out with them off duty when it was a formal affair or if they were actually celebrating something and he had kept his cold mask up for most of it though he was in fact friendlier with them than any other.
He knew that his record declared him as a loner and liable to refuse other's aid but that would just stop people risking their lives for him and getting hurt.
"What have you got, Grodin?" Harry asked as he entered the control room to see several rather pale scientists looking at him.
"The shields are weakening and power levels over the whole city are beginning to fall. Rapidly." Grodin told him.
"And the shields are collapsing in the outer areas and the city is flooding?" Harry asked and received a nod. Harry touched his cheek microphone, his military radio and spoke. "Colonel Sumner, Doctor Weir, we have a problem. Power rates are dropping like stones and the shields in the outer reaches are collapsing. You need to get up here five minutes ago. Potter out."
He turned to see Grodin ordering scientists to find the generators that they had brought with them and find a place to plug them into the city. "It won't help for long, Captain, but it might buy us some time." Grodin told him with a shrug.
"What are you talking about?" McKay came at a run and Harry moved out of the way to let the scientists talk quickly in their own language about the problem. Harry noticed Doctor Beckett looking rather nervous off to the side as McKay started typing on his laptop like he had a very tight deadline which Harry supposed that he did.
"Please tell me this isn't my fault?" Beckett asked with a panicked look. Really the man worried too much.
"No." Was McKay's rather blunt response. "From what we've been able to ascertain, this city is powered by three Zero Point Modules. Two are entirely depleted, and the third is reaching maximum entropy. When it does, it'll die too, and nothing can reverse that."
"Just tell me the bottom line." Sumner told him.
"The force field holding back the ocean has collapsed to its minimum sustainable levels." He gestured to his screen but Harry had already seen the damage. "Look, you can see here and here, where the shields have already failed and the city's flooded. It could've happened years ago. This section is likely more protected because of the Stargate."
"What if it fails completely?" Sheppard asked.
"It's a matter of when, not if." McKay countered.
"Colonel Sumner, you need to order your search teams to stop exploring the city immediately." Weir announced.
"All security teams fall back to the gate room immediately." Sumner announced into the radio.
"It's not going to be good enough." McKay pointed out.
"How much time do with have?" Harry asked not seeing the point in all these whats and ifs.
"It's hard to say, maybe hours, maybe days if we minimize power expenditure." McKay told him directly.
"What about our own power generators?" Beckett asked.
"We're working on that, but even with our most advanced naquadah power generators, the equations are coming up far short." McKay sighed.
"We need a few Ion Cores." Harry spoke up and McKay gave him a withering glance since the scientist knew that they might work. They were the most powerful generators in the world.
"Unfortunately we're a few million light years too far away for those." McKay told him. Harry shrugged.
"So we need to find more ZPMs." Weir deduced with a sigh.
"How do we do that if we can't search the city?" Sumner asked.
"If there were more here, we'd be able to sense them." McKay told them confidently.
"We can use the Stargate can't we?" Harry asked knowing that it was possible.
"There is nowhere near enough power left to open a wormhole back to Earth." McKay countered.
"What about somewhere in this Galaxy?" Sheppard asked realising what Harry had meant.
"That's relatively easy." McKay muttered to himself before standing and walking to the DHD console. "Fortunately, some Ancient technology still uses good old-fashioned push buttons, so we've been able to access the Stargate control system and a library of known gate addresses in the database."
"That's not all, look at this." Grodin pushed a button and out in the gate room a yellow shield came to life over the Stargate.
"Using power." McKay muttered over and over and Harry would have grinned if the situation wasn't so dire. Grodin turned it off again with a sheepish look.
"Well, at least we don't have to deal with any uninvited guests. Colonel, assemble a team. We need safe harbour, or better still, another power source." Weir ordered with a look at the colonel.
"Lieutenant Ford, gather security teams one and two. Everyone gear up." Sumner ordered through the radio and Harry watched out of the window as everyone came to life. The Colonel turned and left the room heading for the Stargate.
"Major, I'd like you to go along." Weir requested more than ordered. Harry turned on her with a frown. "Captain, I need an officer to stay here otherwise I'll lose control of the security teams."
Harry turned to Sheppard for help. "Yes ma'am." Was all that Sheppard said before holding Harry's gaze which turned extremely cold as his features went emotionless. Sheppard obviously didn't trust him in combat.
"Understood, Sir." Harry turned on his heel and walked passed the scientists and out of the room. He stood on the walkway that led to what seemed to be an office as the Stargate activated and one by one the twelve members of teams one and two as well as Major Sheppard and Colonel Sumner disappeared through the event horizon.
"Captain Potter?" Harry gave the Doctor a cursory glance before staring back at the others. "Harry?"
This time Harry did look at the woman though his expression gave away nothing about his emotions. "Doctor Weir?"
"Please, call me Elizabeth. I've already asked Colonel Sumner to do the same, I am not so used to military formality as you." Harry didn't respond so she continued. "I'm sorry I didn't send you out but I need military personnel here that I know and trust."
"I'm not here to baby sit the Marines," Harry told her. "I'm here because I can be used as an effective weapon against massive numbers of enemy forces."
That's what his record stated anyway though in slightly more diplomatic terms. "I can understand that but I don't know any of the Marines here at the moment and I need to be sure that they will take my orders." Weir told him.
"How do you know that I will take your orders?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I know your record says that you can be a bit cavalier with orders but you only do it when the situation demands it. You are the same as John in that respect." Weir told him using Sheppard's first name. "I trust that you'll follow my orders when I need you to but I don't want to alienate you from the others to do it. I can see that things aren't perfect between you and John and I'm not going to ask about the history involved."
Harry frowned at her slightly before wiping the expression from his face. "I've read your files about your mission in Brazil. About you and John going against your orders and infiltrating the enemies base without authorisation." She held up a hand to stall his protests and continued. "I know that you were only doing it because you believed that somebody in Command was passing on information to the Rebels and you were right and you risked your life to rescue an ally even though you didn't manage it. For that I trust your judgement."
"You trust me based on that?" Harry asked her. "Then you should know that I failed in that mission. I made the wrong decision in making Major Sheppard wait for reinforcements. I failed the person I was supposed to rescue and I nearly destroyed half of Brazil. Was there anything else you needed, ma'am?"
She gaped at him for a moment having never thought that he felt that way about the mission. In the records she had read about him and the Major she had gotten the impression that the mission was a complete success and that the death of the single captive was an acceptable loss even if not to her standards. Eventually she noticed that he was waiting patiently for her. "Can you gather the Marines and ensure that they have everything they need in case we need to evacuate?"
"Yes ma'am." Harry nodded before stepping passed her and into the control room sending a cold look at McKay who had obviously been listening to the conversation. He wondered vaguely who else had heard. Probably most of the scientists in the control room.
It wasn't his problem. He snapped on his cheek microphone and spoke bluntly. "All NCOs, Captain Potter. I need to see all of you in front of the Stargate immediately."
He spent fifteen minutes talking to the non commissioned officers about what could be left behind and what had to be taken before dismissing them to their individual teams to carry out their packing and readying for evacuation. He caught Doctor Weir watching him from the control room as the Sergeants moved away from him. It wasn't his fault that she thought far to highly of him and that Sheppard thought too little of him but it didn't make his life here any less difficult because of it.
He helped the soldiers and scientists pack away the vital equipment that they'd have to take through with them until the Stargate activated. They cleared the area even as the shield came up over the gate.
"Atlantis Base, please come in."
The voice wasn't panicky so Harry assumed they were just reporting in. He glanced up to the control room but they were staring at him and the Doctor was nowhere to be seen. He sighed and he pressed his cheek microphone."Doctor Weir is currently unavailable, do you have a report?"
"Captain Potter."
The voice acknowledged him. "The team has met up with the indigenous people and have been invited back to their camp.""Camp?" Harry asked. "What was their technological level?"
"Not sure Sir, we didn't see any weapons or technology but they seemed less advanced."
The man told him."Understood, keep in contact. Potter out."
The Stargate shut down with a sharp retort and Harry watched as the shield died away before switching to the scientist's frequency since Weir obviously wasn't monitoring the military one. "Doctor Weir, off world team reports meeting friendly indigenous people and being invited to their camp."
"Thank you, Captain Potter."
The line went dead but Harry didn't miss the tense way she had said his name as if she was covering from almost saying his first name. Oh, how he wished Jessica was here.Harry spent most of the next half a day making sure that the base personnel were prepared to clear Atlantis at short notice and most of their equipment was ready to go near to the gate. He'd just received a report from Lieutenant Ford to tell him that they were exploring a ruined Ancient city and ten minutes later was walking into the room where that had first seen the water from.
He kept quiet as Grodin consulted a PDA with a solemn look. "There." He pointed through the window just as a shock wave rippled through the water and an explosion of large bubbles rushed to the surface. Weir sighed explosively. Grodin turned and saw Harry and nodded at him before strolling passed and presumably back to where McKay was panicking.
"Is there anything you can do?" Weir asked him with a rather desperate, yet resigned, look.
"It's possible that I could increase the internal pressure to match the outside one but to do that I would have to pull in all the air from the surrounding parts of the city and create a vacuum there." Harry told her. "It's only theoretical but even if I had the strength to, it was kill anyone in the area that I increased the pressure in even if I could create enough pressure to hold up the walls when the shield fails."
She sighed at him. "It would mean sacrificing the rest of the city."
"For only the gate room and control room." Harry told her. "It wouldn't be worth it and would be pointless anyway since I could never maintain it long enough for you to find a ZPM."
Weir nodded resolutely just as the entire structure shook violently. "It seems we're out of time." They both rushed back to the control room even through the shaking structure.
"The city is sacrificing parts of itself in order to maintain these main areas, but catastrophic failure is inevitable." McKay told them as soon as they entered.
"Not in my wildest dreams did I hope to find the Lost City of the Ancients, so completely untouched, so pristine, and we have no choice but to walk away from this?" She was obviously pleading for some sort of miracle.
"In order to save it." McKay assured her.
"To save it for whom? We don't have enough power to send a message. As far as Earth is concerned, we're just going to be missing, presumed lost." Weir countered.
"We'll be back." McKay told her sternly. "We'll find a power source somewhere in Pegasus."
"We have yet to hear from Colonel Sumner. We have no idea what's out there." Weir pointed out.
"It'll be better than drowning, Doctor Weir." Harry pointed out logically and she sighed before turning to the balcony. Harry made his way down the steps listening to her voice over the radio.
"Attention all personnel. This is Weir." She spoke into both radios at the same time. "Stand by for immediate evacuation. Dial the gate!"
The room shook again violently and Harry was one of the only ones that kept his balance partly because the air here, even alien as it was, was still working for him and it buffered him from the shaking ground. "You heard the Doctor!" Harry yelled over the rumbling. "Marines, get these scientists up and get their equipment moving. When that gate opens I want you through it or you'll have me to answer to!"
They glanced at him before hurrying to gather the scientists into manageable groups with only the equipment that could be carried ready to go. Harry watched as the gate began to dial again and then as another sequence, a faster one, overtook the gate. "Incoming Wormhole!" Grodin announced through his radio on his chest pocket.
"Defensive positions!" Harry ordered and he and the Marines took positions between the scientists and the gate even as the non military men backed away into corners to avoid any fire. Harry hunkered down next to a Sergeant behind a raised section of flooring that led to the Stargate. He aimed along his P-90 even as the shield came up and the wormhole opened under it.
"Lieutenant Ford's identification code!"
Grodin announced and a second later the shield shut down. Sheppard was the first through but the two behind him made Harry and the Sergeant straighten slightly and take better aim."Friendlies, Captain!" Sheppard told him and Harry lowered his P-90, a motion copied around him.
"Major Sheppard, who are all of these people?" Weir asked as she came up to them. Already at least two dozen refugees had stepped through the event horizon being led in by members of teams one and two. Harry nodded to the Marines around him and they helped to lead them away.
"Survivors from the settlement. We were attacked. Sumner and several of our men were taken." Sheppard told her just before the room gave a colossal lurch that nearly sent the refugees onto the ground. "What is going on?"
"We are in no position to help anyone right now." Weir told him hurriedly.
"What the hell's going on?" Sheppard demanded.
"We were trying to abandon the city before we all drowned, Sir." Harry told him bluntly with a glance at the new refugees.
"Going back there is a really bad idea." Sheppard pointed out with a wave at the newly closed Stargate.
"Major Sheppard," Weir started. "The shield is about to fail, and the ocean is about to come crashing down on us. Do you have any better place for us to go?"
"Jinto?" Sheppard turned to a boy hanging at his shoulder who had so far being eyeing Harry's cold expression with something akin to fear. "Do you have another address we can gate to?"
"Yes, many." The boy told Sheppard with a nod.
"He's just a boy." Weir commented. Harry mused that if she knew all the things Harry had done at the fourteen year old's age she wouldn't be thinking that. Sheppard, it seemed, didn't care for her words either and dragged the boy up the stairs just as another lurch sent them all over the place. Harry grabbed Weir's arm to stop her from falling.
"The shield is collapsing!" McKay's yell carried down to them before Sheppard could get even half way up the stairs with Jinto.
Another lurch sent everyone down to their knees though Harry remained standing with his hands holding Doctor Weir up. He closed his eyes just as Grodin announced that he was dialling a random address.
"No! Wait!" Harry yelled making Weir look at him in confusion before she and the others felt the increased gravity half holding them to the floor. The air buffered around Harry slightly to keep him up and the room shook violently but instead of vibrations it was now obvious that they were moving.
"We're moving!" Weir announced with awe in her voice. Light flooded through the top windows as the central tower of the city burst through the surface and as Harry gasped at the feeling of open air around the city again he loosened his grip on Weir just enough that when she spun to look up at the window a lurch sent her falling to the ground. Harry braced himself against the sudden increased velocity as the city, no longer held down by the water began to reach out into the air. Even if he wasn't buffered by the air he knew he could probably have kept to his feet since he was a Jet pilot and used to changing G-Forces and direction. Sheppard wasn't a jet pilot and neither were any of the others on the team and they weren't that lucky.
They came to a slow stop and Harry gave Weir a hand to her feet before she went up the stairs. Harry turned to the awed Marines and almost chuckled at the look on Ford's face when he realised that Harry was alone in his ability to ride out that experience standing. "Let's get these people stowed away, Lieutenant Ford. Set up a perimeter but don't explore more than two floors below us. Get them comfortable but not permanent."
Ford nodded at him. "Understood, Sir."
Harry followed the direction Weir had taken up to the control room. He was just in time to hear McKay reporting to Weir. "The last Zero Point Module is depleted, but limited power returned, now that our generators don't have to hold back an ocean. Life support systems are working, but the planet's atmosphere is breathable. Not withstanding the inevitable allergens." He said the last part rather bitterly.
"So now could our naquadah generators supply enough power to the shield for defensive purposes?" Weir asked.
"Not even close." McKay shook his head.
Harry butted in. "Doctor, Major." He greeted them both. "Lieutenant Ford and the Marines are setting up a perimeter two floors below us and getting the refugees stowed away with the equipment until we can man a proper floor by floor sweep and find more long time accommodation for them."
Weir nodded at him but Sheppard just turned on McKay. "When can you tell me where the Wraith took Colonel Sumner and the others?"
"Even with the six symbols Lieutenant Ford provided, there are still hundreds of permutations." McKay told him. Harry wondered how in ten minutes Ford had managed to get the symbols to McKay. Probably through the Major.
"Seven hundred and twenty." Sheppard told him bluntly.
"Yes, I knew that of course." McKay spoke. "I'm just surprised that you did."
"Take away the coordinates you can't get a lock on, and that's your one. And when you find it, send a MALP." Sheppard ordered. McKay frowned but walked off to do as asked.
"Major. A word." Weir spoke simply before motioning for Harry to follow them to a window that looked out at the horizon. Before they could walk up to it though for privacy the whole window snapped back and opened out onto rather wet balcony. They glanced at each other before stepping out. The door shut behind them.
Harry grinned in relief as the fresh breeze swept over him and when he looked down again Weir was offering him a small smile. Harry wiped the happy expression off of his face and put his emotionless mask back into place. She turned away from him and leant against the railing.
"Let me guess. You're not going to let me rescue our people." Sheppard offered as he too leant against the railing.
"Major. You don't even know if they're alive." Weir pointed out.
"You don't leave people in the hands of the enemy, and the fact we are having this conversation in private let's me know that you know damn well that it's wrong. And it will totally undermine your leadership. So as ranking military officer, I…" Sheppard was cut off as Weir held up a hand.
"All right, just shut up and listen to me for a moment, all right?" Weir glanced at Harry but he didn't offer her any help. He was all for rescuing their people. "Come on, what do we know about the Wraith? One of the few things we do know is that they are the enemy that defeated the Ancients. When we first began to use the Stargate we found on Earth, we got ourselves into serious trouble. Why?"
"I don't need a history lesson." Sheppard told her smartly. He probably didn't actually know.
"Because the people in charge didn't consider the ramifications before they acted." Weir told him.
"They took our people. How am I supposed to react?" Sheppard glared at her.
"And we are defenceless! You said so yourself!" Weir argued. "How do you know going off on some half-assed rescue mission isn't going to bring them all right back here to our doorstep?"
"Maybe it will but it's the right thing to do." Sheppard countered. "Why? Because it is."
Harry frowned at his response. "I agree with the Major." He told her. "If we're going to hide from the wraith we may as well just concentrate on making a wormhole back to Earth and leaving again. Because we are going to end up fighting them."
"You don't know that." Weir countered.
"We have people in the enemies hands, with identification codes to our shields." Harry told her. "We have no idea what the wraith are capable of."
"Our people wouldn't give out the identification codes." Weir countered and even Sheppard seemed to agree with her.
"I know of at least half a dozen ways to make the Major give up the codes if I wanted to." Harry told her. "We don't know what powers the Wraith have."
Sheppard frowned at him but Harry just continued. "I've been a captive before Doctor as the Major well knows. I might have gotten out before anything serious could be found out but that was against humans, not the race that defeated the Ancients."
"I just need more information." Weir was starting to look panicked. "I mean, who knows maybe we can negotiate a peaceful…"
"Peaceful?" Sheppard interrupted her. "Are you kidding? We were only there for a couple of hours before the wraith showed up."
"Is it possible that they came because of you?" Weir pointed out. "And one of these people you brought back here with you tipped them off?"
"It's possible." Sheppard admitted.
"See that is exactly the snap decision that I was referring to." Weir argued.
"They are not all bad people." Sheppard told her. "And you know if we're going to stick around here, we need friends."
"Okay, I see your point. Now you see mine. I will not authorize a rescue mission unless I'm sure there is at least a remote chance of success." Weir told him. "I'm not sending more good people, including you, to their deaths."
"Okay." Sheppard seemed to deflate before he walked back inside with a rather defeated look on his face.
Harry grabbed Weir by the arm as she turned to follow him. "You need an advantage, what about me?"
"We have no idea what kind of situation you'd be going into. I can't risk sending you in as a weapon." Weir told him.
"I might not be as old as Colonel Sumner or the Major and I might be new at going through the gate but I can look after myself, Doctor." Harry snapped. "I've been in more wars then you know existed in the last ten years. You need an advantage over the wraith and I'm exactly the thing for it."
"I'm not just going to use you as a weapon of war, Harry." Weir countered.
Harry's eyes turned evil as a dark look spread over them that made Weir shudder. "I am a weapon, Doctor Weir. I have been since I was born. The US just put more teeth on me. Don't treat me like a precious commodity."
"You're still a human being." Weir pointed out.
Harry smirked victoriously. "And so are our people in the Wraiths hands. None of them are any less important than you, me or the Major." Harry told her. "You know what we did in Black Ops, this is what we are trained for." He turned his back on her and walked into the building and down the corridors to find Ford and oversee the expansion of their 'safe zone.'
It was almost half an hour later that the two, Harry and Lieutenant Ford, walked into the control room to find a half smiling Major Sheppard and an irritated Doctor Weir waiting for them.
"What is it, Doctor Weir?" Harry asked still wielding his P-90 even though the Major had stowed his since he had simply been standing around the safe zone. That was what Harry and Ford had been doing, working their way down the floors making sure that they were one hundred percent safe for the Athosians to settle into with everything they had brought with them. The scientists had also been setting up their own rooms as well as the off duty security teams. Mainly the ones that had encountered the Wraith. Doctor Beckett was still busy setting up his new infirmary in the first large room that Harry and Ford had put a 'safe' sticker on.
"Lieutenant Ford is coming with me to rescue the captives." Major Sheppard announced though the look on his face made it clear that he wanted Harry to come too but Weir had countered him again. Harry rose his eyebrows up at Weir yet again.
"The Major has discovered that the ships in the upper hanger are capable of stealth." Weir sighed.
"They're invisible." Sheppard told them with a grin.
"And what exactly is your plan once you've flown into the middle of the Wraith's base, Sir?" Harry asked. Sheppard lost his grin.
"I'll have to work it out as I go along." Sheppard told him.
"If you're going to wing it then I should be going as well. Lieutenant Ford isn't trained in covert missions." Harry pointed out.
"I've had basic covert training." Ford retorted before adding the 'Sir' once he realised he was close to being rude.
"I don't mean any offence but myself and Major Sheppard are the ones with high level Covert operations experience. We're the two best choices." Harry turned to Weir. "You can't make me baby sit the Marines again. Not when I'm needed elsewhere."
Ford looked ready to argue the use of the term baby sit but after seeing the ease in which Harry organised a three team complete sweep of the city he had to agree that the Captain's skills were being wasted. "I understand that, Captain, but if something goes wrong I'll already have lost Colonel Sumner and Major Sheppard. I can't afford to lose you as well and as you have already pointed out, Lieutenant Ford doesn't have as much experience as you."
"That's just politics." Harry argued. "My going gives the mission a better chance of success and Lieutenant Ford knows it."
The Lieutenant nodded to show that he agreed though he was going by their different ranks and not by any practical knowledge. "Sorry, Captain, but I do partly agree with Doctor Weir. If this goes pear-shaped we need you here to lead the Marines."
If Harry wasn't being told that by a Major he would have growled. "For the record I am against this, Sir."
"I know you are." Sheppard sighed, he knew from Brazil that the Captain didn't like sitting on the sidelines while people could be hurt even at risk to his own life. He had put his own risk to the side and saved him and the General even though it got him shot down. Sheppard had to wonder what it was in Harry's past that made him that way.
"If this is all then I have Marines to baby sit." Harry waited to be dismissed by both Sheppard and Weir before he gave them all his best wishes and spun on his heel. He hoped that he found some hostile alien down in the city that he could shoot the hell out of and hated the fact that they hadn't found a sparring room or shooting range yet. Maybe one of the off duty Marines would offer to spar with him.
Harry spent most of the day searching through the corridors and rooms of the top half of the control tower, the largest structure in the city. Harry found several recreational rooms that he made sure that Grodin, who had been assigned to his teams, recorded accurately on his laptop as they made an extensive map of the area. They also found a room with beds that looked like an infirmary and Harry sent a message to Beckett to inform him of it and soon the man was setting up his equipment there. They found a canteen room with a large balcony along one side and tables and chairs attached to the floors as well as three floors of small rooms and bathrooms that were obviously evidence of accommodation.
It was set out like the SGC on earth though with a bit more style. The Stargate at the top with control room and meeting rooms and then laboratories and the infirmary below it followed by accommodation, recreational rooms and a canteen.
"Do you think you can securely lock it?" Harry asked McKay as he led him to a door that led to the lower half of the tower.
The man gave him a scathing look before opening the door and glancing at the stairs beyond. "This is the only way down to the lower floors?" McKay asked him.
"Yup." Harry told him. "We've got kitchens, accommodation, an infirmary, recreational rooms, labs and even storage up here."
"Looks like it's designed to be cut off from the rest of the city." McKay commented.
"That's what I thought, if you can securely lock that door then we don't need as many Marines to stand watch all the time." Harry told him, he'd been up for forty-eight hours now but hadn't wanted to rest until he was sure that everything was secure. Major Sheppard who was still on the rescue mission would have gotten some sleep but Harry knew that most of the Marines here had only had catnaps throughout the day and only when off duty.
"Looks like it was designed to. It shouldn't take me long." McKay assured him, for once not being sarcastic seeing that Harry was so tired and had been in a foul mood since Sheppard and Ford had gone off to rescue their people without him. Harry waited as McKay, Grodin and two other scientists that Harry hadn't learnt the names of yet went to work on the door. Harry leaned against a wall and glanced at the Sergeant and two Marines that were part of this team.
"Maybe you should go and rest up, Captain." Sergeant Markham suggested.
"Once we're secure, Sergeant." Harry pointed out.
"We're done here." McKay told him with a grin.
"Already?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. McKay was obviously offended and went to argue. "Ok, ok. I get it."
"Good."
"Doctor Weir?" Harry asked into his military radio. There was a brief second before Weir asked him what was happening. "We've locked the only door down to the lower levels so we're shut up nice and tight."
"Excellent, that'll make things easier."
She told him. "Get some rest, Captain.""Once we've swept the area once more." Harry told her before changing his tone. "Teams three and four start an area sweep from the bottom. Teams one and two start at the very top and work your way down." He turned to the Sergeant with a sigh. "Stay here. We'll convert these rooms into a barracks for four and have two on watch here at all times on twenty minute reports to the control room."
"But the door is locked." McKay pointed out.
"I'm sure you'll sleep easier knowing that it is being watched." Harry pointed out. McKay nodded. "Go find yourself a room and get moved in." Harry told the scientists who he knew had had no more than a few hours sleep.
"I'll send team two down with supplies to make a defensive position as soon as the sweep is done. Then you are off for twelve hours minimum." Harry told the Sergeant and his two men knowing that out of all of the Marines they had had the least sleep.
"Understood Sir." The Sergeant told him though it was obvious he wanted to say the same to Harry.
"I will, Sergeant don't worry." Harry gave the man a small grin before moving to meet up with team three who were heading slowly up from this floor checking every room and corridor.
Harry finally found his single bag of luggage in a storage room two floors below the Stargate and on the same floor as the recreational rooms. He'd already been assigned a room and it was obvious that Weir had had a hand in it's choice. While it wasn't as large as the other four in this area that would go to Doctor Weir, Colonel Sumner and Major Sheppard, it had a whole side wall that slid up into the ceiling onto a four metre wide balcony that would be perfect for drilling his own martial arts skills or just relaxing and listening to the wind. Obviously Doctor Weir had gathered from his earlier words that he didn't like being cooped up.
On the same corner of the tower floor would be the other three highest members of the party. Across the hall in the other four rooms would be Doctors Beckett and McKay as well as Lieutenant Ford and probably one of the other Marine Lieutenants. The rest of the floor was recreational rooms including a rather well padded sparring room.
His own room was a simple four metre square room with a single bed that Harry pushed up to one side and two small doors leading to a bathroom and closet. The rooms on this level were obviously meant for Ancients of importance. He dumped his gear into his closet and his leather jacket onto a chair that sat beside a desk before emptying the rest of his bag. Even though he was only allowed one personal item, his jacket, he had been permitted to bring anything small related to his own training.
He'd learned martial arts from Michael's father who had been a Master in several forms and had been given twin Sai for his sixteenth birthday and even once he had left for America he had trained as much as possible. The two short dagger like blades were extremely useful on missions since they killed just as easily as a gun but much quieter and could also be used as projectiles. His beloved Sai, with Michael's family insignia on them, were unfortunately locked away in a trunk in the storage room along with the rest of the expedition's weaponry. How the people at the SGC had gotten back to his flat to retrieve them on General O'Neill's orders in time to leave was beyond him. Probably with a helicopter.
To keep up his training he had two pairs of wooden rattan sticks of about the same length as his Sai but slightly wider to make them the same weight. He could keep them in his room with him and spar with them if he found somebody either willing to learn or well versed in martial arts. He'd have to talk Doctor Weir into letting him keep his Sai in his room. They were close combat weapons after all and he could always use one of the armoury boxes to keep them locked up.
There were three crystals on the inside of the door. The top opened the door while the bottom closed it and the middle locked it from the inside. With nobody on the inside to lock the door it could be opened by anyone from the outside using the two crystals on the outside wall but as long as Harry could lock the door with him inside then he was happy.
After locking the door and opening the windows with a similar set of crystals he stripped down to his boxers and after putting his military radio on standby so it wouldn't waste power he slipped onto the bed regardless of the fact that there were no sheets or bedding and fell asleep proving just how tired he was since he knew that with a rescue operation taking place he shouldn't have such an easy time falling into a slumber.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
Atlantis - Harry's room
Harry awoke with a jolt from his memory of watching Michael being shot by the rebel troops. He had always had trouble with his nightmares though they didn't make him cry out anymore, they just made him toss and turn in his sleep. They were as normal as dreams to him now. He glared around feebly at the room trying to find out what had awoken him so rudely before a set of knocks alerted him to the fact that somebody was at the door.
"What!?" Harry yelled out as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.
"Captain Potter, it's Sergeant Markham!" Harry groaned and cast an eye at his watch. Harry looked down at his state of undress and quickly pulled on some trousers before unlocking the door and leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed over his bare chest.
"I've had six hours sleep, Sergeant. What is it?" Harry asked.
"Doctor Weir thought you'd like to know that Major Sheppard and Lieutenant Ford have returned and are in the infirmary." Harry put his weight back on his own feet at the words before spinning and grabbing a change of clothes. "She told me to tell you that Major Sheppard will be sleeping through most of the day and that you are in charge of the Marines."
Harry glanced up at him. "Colonel Sumner?"
The Marine flinched slightly. "He didn't make it, Sir."
"I really am sorry, Sergeant. I know how much the Colonel was respected by you all." Harry sighed and walked towards the slightly younger man. Harry had seen entire platoons come to a stand still after a good leader had been wounded or killed. "Tell all of the men that they can always come speak to me if they need to."
"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir." The Sergeant nodded.
"Thank you, Sergeant." Harry dismissed the man before heading in to take a shower glad that the Ancients had been humanoid and the bathroom was almost identical to the ones on Earth if not a bit high tech. Now that he was up there was no chance that he could get back to sleep. He'd take a shower, change and then go check on all of the military men in Atlantis. Make sure that they were all set up for the duration.
In fact he spent the day talking to each individual Marine, learning their names quite effectively. He also checked that the outpost on the lowest floor was well set up and that a temporary barracks was in place both there and nearer to the Gateroom and then finally checked the armoury to make sure that everything was put away correctly which he had had no doubt that it would have been since the Marines he had with him were all very good at their jobs.
A single box was labelled 'Cpt Potter - personal' and Harry made sure that it was kept separate so that he could talk to Doctor Weir about it later. He was walking through the Athosians' designated accommodation when a small boy ran out and nearly bowled him over.
"Jinto, wasn't it?" Harry asked as he steadied the fourteen year old.
"Yes, Mr…" Jinto frowned.
"Just Captain or Potter will be fine." Harry told him. "You shouldn't run around the corridors so blindly. We don't know enough about this place and you might get yourself hurt."
"He won't, I promise you." An older voice spoke up from behind him and Harry turned to face an older Athosian that hadn't been here before the rescue operation. He was wearing a bandage identical to the Earth ones and Harry assumed he had hurt his leg in the attack. "My name is Halling. I am Jinto's father."
"It's a pleasure, Halling. My name is Potter." Harry told him and shook his offered hand.
"Is that a family name or a given one?" Halling frowned slightly in confusion.
"It is my family name, my given name is Harry but all of our team call me Potter." Harry shrugged. "I suppose you could call me whichever."
"Harry then." Harry shrugged again with a smile.
"Please, don't let me get in your way." Harry told him before stepping to the side. Jinto ran passed him and clutched at Halling's arm and offered Harry a weak smile.
Harry spent the rest of the light hours memorising every room and corridor of the tower that they had claimed as a base and making plans with the NCOs for duty rosters to guard the Gateroom, the doorway down to the city and a posted guard at the Armoury as long as the Athosians were around.
It was evening before Harry got a call on his radio requesting his presence in the canteen. Harry sighed, he'd heard that Weir had ordered a gathering of all members of the expedition and the Athosians so that they could get to know each other and celebrate their friendship but Harry had had no intention of turning up. Partly because he didn't like gatherings like this and partly because there were Marines on duty and he didn't feel right leaving them to go to a party after they had recently lost their Commanding Officer.
He wandered through the crowd until he spotted Doctor Weir talking to a few Athosians as well as McKay and Beckett. He headed over to them.
"Doctors." He nodded to the three before nodding at the Athosians.
"Please, I've already told John to call me Elizabeth." Weir told him. Harry sighed and assented for the time being not wanting to add to the tense air. "I haven't seen you all day."
"I was making sure of our position and finalising the armoury and duty roster for the Marines." Harry lost any hint of a smile. "I'm afraid it will take time for them to accept Major Sheppard as their commanding officer."
"Will they eventually?" Weir asked him.
"Probably. Lieutenant Ford's clear liking of the Major will help things along though." Harry assured her.
"But they are happy taking orders from you?" Weir asked.
Harry shrugged. "I don't know about happy but they will." Harry chatted inanely with Weir, Beckett and McKay for a while as well as with a few Athosians that came over to chat to Weir but in the end he excused himself and headed over to where he could see Major Sheppard talking to Lieutenant Ford only realising that Weir followed him when she touched him on the arm and handed him a metal beaker of liquid.
"Major, Lieutenant." She spoke up making the two turn to see them. "I thought the occasion merited opening this. Compliments of General O'Neill." She handed them a cup each and held onto the fourth herself.
Harry tilted it to see it in the light but swallowed a gulp with the others anyway. "Congratulations on your rescue, Major, Lieutenant." Harry told him and nodded at both him and Ford to show that he meant it.
"You did good, John." Weir admitted with a smile.
"I don't know about that." Sheppard sighed.
"There was no way you could have saved Colonel Sumner." Weir told him. Harry glanced at Sheppard knowing that there was something else in that story that he hadn't shared with anyone else in the same way that Harry hadn't shared everything on mission reports.
"I have to live with it." Sheppard told them all and Harry realised that Sheppard had fired the killing shot. "I'm beginning to think you're right. I have made things much worse. I haven't made us many more friends out there."
"No?" Weir raised an eyebrow. "Look around you."
Harry glanced at the assembled Athosians with a small grin. An Athosian woman spoke up from Harry's side and he jumped around slightly in shock. "I agree, Major Sheppard." She pulled Sheppard towards her and Harry thought they were going to kiss for a moment before she touched their foreheads together like Harry had seen the Athosians do a few times over the course of the day. Ford was laughing. "You have earned both my friendship and that of my people. With our help you will make many more friends."
Harry couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the Major's shocked face and everyone looked at him. "Sorry, Teyla." Weir spoke up. "This is Captain Harry Potter. Harry this is Teyla Imagon."
"It's a pleasure." Harry nodded in greeting and she smiled back at him. Harry turned to Weir. "I wanted to ask for your permission to move my personal weapons to my own rooms."
"Personal weaponry?" Sheppard frowned.
"Sai." Harry told him.
"What are they?" Sheppard asked.
"Martial Arts weapons." Harry told him before glancing back at Weir. "They won't do me any good if I have to sign them out every time I want to practice."
"Ok Harry, but make sure they stay locked up when you are not using them." Weir told him.
"Of course." Harry turned to move away but Teyla stalled him.
"I do not understand what these Sai are." She told him.
"They are short daggers used in martial arts…close combat fighting." Harry corrected himself to explain to her more clearly.
"Are you well versed in martial arts?" She asked him with a strange glint in her eyes.
"By Earth standards I suppose I am." Harry told her.
"I would be honoured to practice with you at some point. I have not had a challenging partner in some time and even though Major Sheppard has expressed a wish to learn I do not believe he will present a challenge." Harry almost laughed at Sheppard's face.
"I would appreciate that. Perhaps we can meet in the training room on the next floor up at six tomorrow morning."
"Very well." Teyla nodded.
Harry turned back to the group to say goodnight before taking his leave. "Lieutenant Ford, Major Sheppard, Doctor Weir. I'll see you all in the morning."
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Weir watched with Sheppard and Ford as the Captain walked away. "Are most as distant as Captain Potter on your world?" Teyla asked suddenly and they all looked at her. Ford excused himself not wanting to get involved.
"He has a bad history." Weir told her.
"What could have happened?" Teyla asked. She had picked up the tenseness in his appearance whenever he was introduced to somebody and the way he had refused to call Sheppard or Weir by their first names regardless of Weir's use of his own.
"That's part of the problem, neither of us know. Part of his record is hidden from us. Kept secret." Weir told her. Teyla nodded in understanding before she too split off to tend to the other Athosians.
"I know a little." Sheppard spoke up quietly. Weir glanced at her. "Did you read what happened in Brazil?"
"His last Black Ops mission?" Weir asked. "Where you and he went against orders to report your movements and he got himself captured to find out who the spy in the pentagon was. I was told he received a medal for his actions but when I talked to him earlier he snapped at me and told me the mission was a complete failure."
Sheppard sighed. "I watched him get captured because it was part of the plan and then I called for support from the local response unit. We couldn't get in when a huge storm tore through the rainforest. We saw three tornados completely obliterating the rebel base." Sheppard turned to stare out at the water. "We traced our original route through the forest the next morning in the hopes of his escape and we found him carrying a British pilot's body through the jungle even with a bullet wound in his leg and evidence of heavy torture."
"But why would that cause such a cold mannerism?" Weir asked. If anything it showed extremely high qualities.
"We'd heard rumours that a British Pilot was being held ransom and part of Harry's mission was to rescue him. In the end the pilot was shot as part of Harry's torture." Sheppard sighed. "The pilot's name was Michael Greyley. He and Captain Potter were friends ever since they were in a British Military academy together and he was very close to Greyley's family."
"I see." Weir saw a lot more than Sheppard realised, she put together the fact that Greyley's death and Harry's subsequent devastation had created the storm and she realised why her and Major Sheppard's words had gotten such a cold reaction. He thought that they didn't trust his abilities in a fight because to Sheppard he had failed and to her he couldn't control his abilities in a fire fight.
"He changed drastically from as cheerful as a Black Ops soldier can get before his capture to a very cold person. According to General O'Neill it's all over his file." Sheppard sighed.
"We'll just have to befriend him then." Weir told him. "Even if he doesn't want friends. We're out here on our own and we can't afford anybody to fall through the cracks."
Sheppard nodded briskly and made to leave in the hopes of catching the Captain up. Weir grabbed his arm. "Have you given any thought to your team yet?"
"My team?" Sheppard frowned.
"You are the ranking officer now." Weir pointed out.
"I'll give it some thought." Sheppard nodded before giving her a grin and downing the rest of his champagne.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
End Chapter
