Chapter 4

Two weeks ago...

"Incoming puddle jumper!" Chuck announced. Then he sighed. "That's not really the same, is it?" he asked no-one in particular. For years now he had been the one who was in charge of stargate travellers, but these days the only thing of interest was the odd passing whale. And today a single incoming puddle jumper.

It was a real come-down in the world of adventure they called home. And of course he wasn't too fond of the knowledge that not too far away was another stargate – an active stargate – while theirs was just a pretty piece of useless room-decoration.

Another thing that he didn't like was that from his position in the control-room, he had been able to observe everything going on in Atlantis. The gate-room and control-room had been the hub of activity; the heart of everything.

He sighed again. Today had been one of the most exciting days in two weeks, and the only thing that had happened had been Colonel Sheppard taking a jumper to fetch General O'Neill for his formal visit from the SGC. As far as Chuck was concerned, the SGC wasn't too bad a bunch of people. Too bad even they had to answer to the IOA. The IOA was just a bunch of politicians: what did they know about living in the light of the stargate?

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The jumper slid effortlessly into its bay. Those gathered to greet the General now stepped forward, forming a ragged bunch. John rolled his eyes as he watched them through the front of the puddle jumper. At least the marines formed a nice line, but the rest of them simply stood where they liked.

Finally the jumper came to a halt and the aft hatch opened. John grinned that crooked grin of his at the group in the bay, then turned to exit.

"This way, General," he indicated as he walked through the jumper. Together the two of them exited and walked around the side of the jumper.

Woolsey was the first – as official leader of the expedition – to greet Jack O'Neill.

"Welcome to Atlantis," the bald man greeted.

"Always a pleasure," O'Neill formally greeted. If John remembered correctly, Woolsey and O'Neill had spent a few hours together on Atlantis: all of them very nervous hours.

"Welcome back, O'Neill," Weir said, shaking his hand. O'Neill grinned and answered with a little nod of his head.

"You look as lovely as ever, Doctor."

Elisabeth smiled. "Thank you." She gestured at Rodney. "You remember Doctor McKay?"

"How can I forget?" O'Neill said as he shook the scientist's hand.

"Yes, well, always a pleasure," Rodney replied, flustered. Then it was his turn to gesture. "You've met Sitnalta," he said, indicating his lover.

"The lady with the puppy," Jack O'Neill grinned, holding out his hand. But instead of shaking it, Sitnalta hugged the older man. While holding on to him, she whispered something in his ear that John could not hear. When she stepped back he grinned at her. "I promised you, didn't I?"

Rodney looked grumpily at them. "See, there it is again. They whisper together and then she smiles at him with all that adoration," he grumbled.

John leaned over to his friend. "They're probably planning something you would rather not know about," he told Rodney.

"It's probably nothing to worry about," a new voice said. Everyone turned to see Colonel Carter walking towards them. With her were Teal'c and Doctor Daniel Jackson.

"I've brought some friends," O'Neill announced. A round of welcome passed. Everyone knew Sam Carter, as she had been expedition-leader a year ago. Daniel and Rodney were friends – kind of – and Ronon and Teal'c had formed a bond some time ago.

Half an hour later Jack, Sam, Elizabeth, Woolsey and John were gathered around the big table in the conference room. Ronon had taken Teal'c on an obscure tour of Atlantis. Teyla had joined them, probably to keep the peace. Rodney and Sitnalta had gone with Daniel to the lab.

"This isn't just a nice social visit," Jack began. "I've come to warn you that the IOA has something planned for Atlantis."

"What kind of plans?" Woolsey asked.

"We're not completely sure," Sam Carter answered. She leaned forward. "But they now have all this technology literally sitting on their doorstep. You can't expect them to just leave it sitting here."

"We had been expecting something like this," Elizabeth said. "Actually it surprises me that they have left us alone for so long."

"Well, your time is running out." Jack leaned back in his seat. "They're just clearing all those they intend to send here. I guess you have a couple of weeks before they arrive."

For a moment everyone was quiet. John thought about all those empty towers of Atlantis – towers they would never be able to visit with their limited numbers. Yet did they really want people running around the city that had no concern for it? While they had been in the Pegasus galaxy, they had respected the city and looked after it. Their whole existence had depended on the wellbeing – if you can call it that – of Atlantis. But now the city was back on earth and no one had to worry about the integrity of the city.

Yet it would be absurd for the IOA to destroy the city, wouldn't it? It would be in everyone's best interest to learn the science without damaging anything.

"Well, I suppose it would have been wishful thinking to assume we had any claim to Atlantis," Woolsey finally said, but John could see just the tiniest suggestion of pain in his voice. Of all of them, it had been Woolsey that had grown the most on Atlantis. Only a year ago he had been a stuck-up paper-pusher with the idea of changing Atlantis and the Atlantis-mission into a rule-abiding, neat community.

Instead Atlantis had changed Woolsey. Though still a bit stuck-up, he had relaxed considerably and learned to enjoy life – especially the kind of life found on Atlantis. BA – Before Atlantis – Woolsey had been a sad specimen of a man, only worth pitying. Now, AA – After Atlantis – he was someone even Ronon could respect – perhaps not listen to, but respect.

"You have to admit," Jack replied, "with the Atlantis technology we might be able to finally defend the earth from anything out there."

"Meanwhile the Wraith is having a field day in the Pegasus Galaxy," John grumbled. For a few days now he had been thinking about that: he, personally, more than anyone else, had been responsible for waking the Wraith. Ever since, Atlantis had been the main line of defence in the Pegasus galaxy against the Wraith. Now Atlantis was gone and the Wraith could do whatever they wanted to the Pegasus galaxy.

Besides, if the Wraith were to have any prospects of coming after earth again, they would only know of it when the Wraith entered the Milkyway galaxy. That was one prospect that frightened John, especially as they had no way of knowing how many of the Wraith had intercepted the beacon announcing the location of earth.

"Yes, well," Jack drawled, "it seems the IOA isn't very concerned about that." He frowned slightly. Suddenly John remembered the first time he had met General O'Neill. He had been flying the General to Antarctica. On the way there the two of them had only spoken a few words, up until the moment Beckett had nearly shot them down. That had been the one defining moment in John's life. Not even when he had sat down on the chair and everyone had realised he had the ATA gene, had he been as astonished as when that drone had tried to kill him.

And then, afterwards, when he had asked O'Neill if he would go to Atlantis, he had answered that he thought someone that didn't want to step through the stargate was crazy. He suddenly realised that Jack really cared about the people in the Pegasus galaxy – he understood the dilemma the Atlantis team found themselves in. But, like them, he could do little about it. This warning was the only thing he could do to give them a heads-up about the future the IOA had planned for them.