Chapter 4
Richard Woolsey watched the event horizon flash into being and nodded at Chuck, who sent their welcome to the Daedalus. He sighed, his heart heavy. The upcoming memorial service loomed large in his mind. It meant saying a final goodbye to a man he'd come to respect and like. It meant they'd given up and accepted the reality that he had died in that crash, that he wasn't coming back, a crooked grin on his face when he exited the wormhole. It also meant they'd have a new military leader in the form of Colonel Caldwell when it was over. Not that he didn't respect Caldwell, the man was a good soldier. He was just…he just wasn't Sheppard. For all his faults, Woolsey had never met a braver man or one that always seemed to be able to snatch victory from what should have been defeat, until his last mission that was. The fact that Sheppard had been smarter than he let on had been a surprise to him, a pleasant one. No one knew that the two men used to have long conversations about so many things, theology, history, literature. Things that he hadn't expected a career military man to be so interested in. And that was a fact that Sheppard had taken exception to, claiming that being military didn't mean you couldn't be well read and smart. A stereotype Woolsey hadn't even realized he'd fed into. After all, Colonel Carter was brilliant and she was military. He'd realized that he'd thought of her as the exception, not the rule.
His musings were interrupted when the members of SG-1, the expected crew of the Daedalus and his own away team stepped out of the puddle. He automatically did a head count and was relieved to find all his men standing before him. Even on easy missions such as this, he worried about his people. He frowned as he realized they were two short. He opened his mouth to ask where they were, when a stranger finally stepped out, followed immediately by General O'Neill. The stranger had a disgruntled look on his face and he found it hard to believe that this man was related to John. He moved forward to welcome both his people and the visitors he'd been waiting on.
"Welcome to Atlantis everyone. I wish it were under different circumstances." He shook everyone's hand until he reached the man that had to be John's brother. "Mr. Sheppard? I'm Richard Woolsey, the leader of the Atlantis expedition." The other man lost his disgruntled look and smiled widely at him. Still, Richard didn't see any resemblance.
"Mr. Woolsey, how nice to meet you. I hope my presence here isn't going to be too much of an imposition? And please, call me Dave." Woolsey thought he heard a choking sound coming from somewhere off to the left.
Ignoring it for the moment, Richard smiled in return as he had his hand firmly shaken. "Not at all, not at all. I'm just glad you were able to make it." His smile faded. "As I said, I wish it were under different circumstances. Your brother will be sorely missed here."
"So I've been told. So, Mr. Woolsey...":
"Richard, please."
Dave smiled again, his charm in full force. "So, Richard, how long have you been in charge here?"
"Just under two years."
"And doing a wonderful job, I'm sure."
At one time in the past, Woolsey would've puffed up a little at the compliment. Two years of trying to stay alive and keep his people that way, had changed him. He blinked a little, not sure how to respond. "Yes, well, it's a team effort. Something your brother taught me almost minutes after I stepped foot here for the first time."
"Yes, but still, a team needs a strong leader."
"You're right, they do. And they had that in John." Woolsey was beginning to feel a little like he needed a shower and he wasn't sure why. The man had been nothing but pleasant to him but something about John's brother rubbed him the wrong way. He turned to the man standing next to him. "General O'Neill, good to see you again."
"You too Woolsey." They shared a sad smile as they remembered being captured by the replicators and how Sheppard's team had risked everything to save them, against orders. O'Neill looked around. "I would have expected the others to be here to greet us."
"They would have been but Teyla is in the infirmary and neither Ronon nor Dr. McKay will leave her side."
"Is she okay?" Lorne had overheard the comment and was now worried.
"Dr. Beckett and Dr. Keller both believe she will be fine. The stress of the last two months finally caught up with her. They're keeping her for observation. She was a little dehydrated and hasn't been eating well but she should be released later this afternoon, in time for dinner."
"Permission to leave to go visit her?"
"Of course, Major Lorne. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you." Lorne had become part of the select circle of people surrounding Colonel Sheppard, more family than friends.
Lorne handed the suit bag he'd been carrying off to Walters and said a hurried goodbye to everyone as he left the room. Dave had followed the conversation with interest. He thought he recognized one of the names mentioned and had a vague recollection of the man who had attended his father's funeral with John. A man who looked nothing like he belonged to the military and his brother had quickly called him a civilian contractor, but it had felt like a lie. However, at the time, Dave had been more concerned with why John had bothered to show up at the wake than who the man with him was.
Woolsey turned back to his visitor. "I'll have someone escort you to the quarters we've put aside for your visit Mr. Sheppard."
"Richard?" Dave tilted an eyebrow and smiled at him.
"Sorry, Dave. After you've had a chance to get refreshed, we're planning on everyone eating dinner together. The mess crew has worked hard to put together a special dinner to welcome you."
"That's very kind of you."
"Actually, it's very kind of them. I didn't need to ask. When they heard you were going to be invited here, they began planning in hopes that you would make it. You'll be able to try some of the local dishes as well as those from Earth." He didn't miss the look of distaste that quickly flashed over Dave's face before it was masked. He nodded to one of the security guards who eagerly stepped forward. Sgt. Henderson would get some alone time with his C.O.'s brother, see what he was like and then fill everyone in later.
"Mr. Sheppard, if you'll come this way?"
"Of course." Dave held out his hand again and Woolsey took it, masking his own distaste. "I'll see you at dinner Richard?"
"You will."
Dave turned to follow the guard to his quarters, never once looking for his luggage, expecting someone would bring it for him. Never once thanking those who had brought him here. Walters sighed and reached out to take the suitcase from Mitchell. The man didn't want to give it up, wanting nothing more than to leave both pieces here on the floor, until Sheppard's brother had to come find it. Walters shook his head and pulled at it again, whispering. "For the Colonel." Mitchell met his eyes and finally nodded, relinquishing his hold on it. Walters nodded back and left the gate room, following in the others wake.
"Well." Woolsey stopped, not sure what to say.
"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up." O'Neill said.
"We have quarters set up for each of you. Avery and Stevenson will show you the way." Woolsey watched as everyone quietly followed the two men from the room. He turned to make his way back to his office, his footsteps slow and heavy. When he reached the control room, Chuck cleared his throat and he stopped.
"What's the Colonel's brother like sir?" He hadn't been close enough to hear the conversations, only able to watch the interactions and he wasn't sure if he was interpreting what he'd seen correctly. No one who'd arrived with the man seemed to want to be near him and all of the man's attention had been focused on Woolsey. Not the usual reaction of someone seeing Atlantis for the first time.
"He seemed very…congenial." Was all Woolsey would say as he continued on his way.
~,~,~,~
Dave stood in the doorway of his quarters, stunned at how spartan it was. He turned to the man accompanying him and spoke his first words to him. "Is this the best that they can do?" His tone made it very evident he was not happy.
"Yes sir, this is one of the best quarters in the city. To open or close the door, you simply swipe your hand over this box on the wall." He demonstrated and the door closed. He swiped again and the door opened.
"Hmmph." Dave walked in and inspected the rest of it. At least it had its own bathroom. He turned around to dismiss the man when his luggage finally showed up. "Make sure my suit doesn't have any wrinkles in it. If it does, have someone press it. You can leave the suitcase on the bed." He turned away, not seeing the disbelief on both men's faces. Walters' eyes narrowed and he moved into the room, unceremoniously dumping both pieces on the bed before turning to leave. He'd be damned if he would become the man's personal valet, not even for the Colonel. Although, he suspected that if the Colonel had been here, he would have knocked his brother on his ass. He stomped out of the room without a word. He swiped a hand over the controls and the door hissed closed once again, leaving Sheppard on one side and the two officers on the other.
"Henderson, stay here and guard the room. Don't let that man wander around the city without supervision. Dinner's at 1800 hours, bring him to the mess hall then."
"Yes sir." His response was somewhat subdued. The two men looked at each other, then Walters shook his head and left. Henderson turned his back to the room and took a parade stance, no longer happy that he'd been given the honor of escorting his C.O.'s brother. He knew Sheppard wasn't the C.O., not any more. They'd all been informed that Caldwell would be taking that position and he knew things wouldn't be the same again. The thought saddened him.
Inside the room, Dave looked from the luggage flung haphazardly on the bed to the door. He'd be having a word with Richard when they met for dinner. With a snort, he pulled the suit bag off the bed and opened it. Pulling the suit out, he searched for a closet, finding none. Grumbling, he located a hook on the wall and placed the hanger on it. He looked it over and was pleased to see it had traveled well. He wanted to make a good impression at the service and wrinkles would be unacceptable. He was just glad he wouldn't have to try to figure out how to remove them in this god forsaken place. He couldn't believe his brother had lived here for six years. He couldn't imagine being stuck here for six days. He sat on the lone chair in the room and contemplated how his day had gone. He'd left the office late Friday night and had been up early Saturday morning, determined to get his work done and get on with his weekend. A knock at his door and three hours later, he was in another galaxy, in possession of information that few people had.
He sighed, knowing he would need to deal with the other piece of information he was now in possession of. His brother was dead. John was dead. He'd never see him again. The thought actually saddened him. They'd never really been close, even as kids, but after their mother died, they'd drifted even further apart as John's disinterest in the business had left Dave as the favored son. A position he'd been more than happy to be in. When John had joined the Air Force over their father's strenuous objections, he'd sided with his father over his brother. Their interactions were rare over the years, the only time the rift seemed like it would heal was when John had married Nancy. Both Sheppard's had approved of his choice. Her family was well off and well placed. An excellent merger. When the marriage had fallen apart after such a short time, they'd both blamed John and had kept in closer touch with her than they had with him.
He stood up and paced the room. He didn't want to be here. He was tired of people comparing him to John, with him always seeming to come out the worse. No, he wasn't like his brother. He was a responsible businessman and a pillar of the community, not some hare brained flyboy who flitted around the world, neglecting his duties. Leaving Dave to bear the brunt of the work when Patrick Sheppard's health had started to fail, conveniently forgetting he hadn't been bothered by John's absence when their father was fine. He'd sent messages through the military but they never seemed to find him. Now, he knew why. He'd heard about how the expedition had been unable to get back to Earth. How'd they'd spent the first year fighting an almost invincible enemy and having to make off world deals with aliens to get enough food to survive. His lip curled. It was all very uncivilized and now he was right in the middle of it.
He looked at his watch and was surprised at how much time had passed during his retrospective. He stood up as he realized it was time to get ready for dinner. He stepped into the bathroom, moderately surprised at how large the shower was. He hoped there'd be enough hot water. He stripped and stepped into the shower, wasting a few minutes figuring out the controls. The water was as hot as he'd hoped and he tried to wash away the frustration of the day. He wanted to be at his best when dining with Richard and that doctor guy. Cultivating a relationship with both of them could be advantageous to his company. Finishing up, he turned off the water and draped the towel someone had provided him with, around his hips. He'd placed his shaving kit on the sink earlier and now opened it, pulling out his razor and shaving cream. Both he and John had heavy beards, something they'd gotten from their mother's side of the family. Dave sometimes shaved twice in a day, always wanting to look his best. John, on the other hand, always seemed to be walking around with a scruffy face, driving his father and brother to distraction. He shaved quickly and efficiently. Done, he admired his reflection in the mirror.
Leaving the bathroom, he began to dress. The suit would be for the memorial service but he'd brought some nice dress slacks and shirts. Once dressed, he smoothed out the pants and slipped on his dress shoes. He looked around for a full length mirror and found nothing. He sighed and looked at his watch. He assumed someone would be along soon to escort him to the dinner, not knowing his room was being guarded. He paced for a few minutes, not sure what to do and not liking it at all, when a knock came on his door. He moved to it, remembering to wave his hand over the box on the wall to open it. It hissed open to reveal Richard waiting for him. Gone was the dress uniform he'd been wearing earlier. Now he was dressed in a suit and tie, making Dave feel underdressed.
"Hello Dave, I've come to show you to the mess hall where we'll be dining tonight."
"Mess hall?" He was startled, somehow he'd expected they'd be dining somewhere more suitable than a cafeteria.
"Yes, if you'll follow me?" Woolsey turned and Dave followed, surprised when the man who'd shown him to his room, stepped into place behind them, his gun held across his chest.
"Is a guard really necessary Richard?"
"It's just a precaution Dave, all non-military visitors are assigned a guard, both for their safety and ours."
"Yours?"
"We've had visitors whose motives were not what they seemed."
"Ah. Well, you have nothing to worry about from me."
"That's good to hear."
Dave remembered he had something he wanted to talk with Richard about and now that he knew where they were going to be dining, this would probably be his only opportunity. Clearing his voice he said quietly, so the man following several paces behind them wouldn't hear. "Look, Richard, I don't mean to complain, but I thought I should let you know something."
"Yes, Dave?"
"Earlier, the man you sent to bring my luggage was quite rude to me."
"Really?" Woolsey was surprised. Everyone on base had been eager to meet John's brother and had just about fallen all over themselves trying to find a way to meet the man.
"Yes, I asked him to make sure my suit wasn't wrinkled but he just dropped the bags on the bed and left without a word." Dave said conspiratorially, sure Richard would be as aghast as he was at the man's actions.
Woolsey was aghast, just not for the reason Dave thought he would be. He fumed at the idea of one of the Colonel's men being treated like that but called on his years as a diplomat to make sure none of his anger showed. Dear lord, he thought, this was going to be a long weekend. If the Colonel were here, he would have been embarrassed by his brother, angry at his presumed self-worth. When he was sure he could speak in an even tone he said what was on his mind.
"You're not much like your brother, are you?"
