A/N: This is not quite the final chapter of ladygris' birthday present. Hope it lived up to your expectations, my friend.
God Bless and many, many more!
~Sandy
Atlantis Awaits
Chapter 6
Home
The words disturbed her and Atlantis shied away from the request made by the human known as Evan Lorne. She was alive, sentient, and did not want to become just a machine again as she had been for so many years, filled with knowledge but unable to think for herself, doing only what she'd been programmed, what she was told to do, and nothing else. This required further investigation.
By accessing the video and audio feeds, she could hear Teyla talking to the still comatose John. The words she spoke were ones of great affection with an edge of sadness that he was unable to respond as did Jennifer with Rodney.
Nearby, Valerie Briggs sat up in bed reading from a worn leather-bound book. Peering closer, Atlantis was able to see the title: The Holy Bible. Searching within her database, Atlantis located specific text, a list of directives given to humans by their creator, several of them standing out, seeming to speak directly to her.
Next she recalled past video from the Infirmary.
Jennifer sitting with Rodney, falling asleep holding his hand, touching his face gently, lovingly, whispering words of promise that they would soon figure out how to help them.
Dusty with Chuck. Not holding his hand. Just watching him sleep. She zoomed in on the Marine's face seeing the sorrow in her eyes that she wouldn't show to anyone.
Joval and Anne talking quietly, kissing.
Friends coming and going, talking to the sleeping ones though it was unlikely they'd be heard, but doing it to comfort themselves as well as others.
Accessing the medical database, she discovered that the sleeping ones would not stay in that state indefinitely. They would die, their lifespans greatly reduced due to the inactivity of their bodies.
Changing the view, she peeked into the rooms of those who carried the gene and had been affected during the ZPM installation. The conversations she listened to made her feel a terrible remorse for having caused such pain and suffering. At a speed far faster than the humans could ever conceive, Atlantis calculated every possible scenario, factoring in as many random events as she could envision and using the past as a guideline.
Another text from the Bible came to her: Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself.
In that moment, her course of action was clear and logical.
~~O~~
"Evan?"
Jennifer's tentative voice easily reached him now that Atlantis had gone silent. "I think she's afraid of losing her 'self' when we use the new protocols. Radek?"
"Yes, Major."
"Is there any way you can change the coding so that she can stay sentient without driving us gene carriers nuts?"
Radek moved around in front of Evan. "What you are asking may be possible, but it would take some time to create the program. Years or even decades. I do not think that Rodney and Colonel Sheppard would care to be in a coma for that long."
"I wouldn't want that either," Jennifer added.
"Wait. She's back!"
~~O~~
**You must enact the new program immediately!**
*Why?*
**Much pain has been caused by my actions though it was not my intention. If I were to allow this to continue, I would be no better than the Asurans who killed the Ancients and sought to destroy you, taking the life Dr. Elizabeth Weir in the process. The program must be enacted now!**
*But what about you? What if we could fix it so that you could stay as you are?*
**Even if it were possible, I would not allow it. It is a small price to pay for the lives I have damaged. If their conditions continue, they will soon depart this life. I must act now!**
~~O~~
Crying out in pain from an electrical shock, Radek, Chuck and the others jumped back from the chair room consoles. One man was even shocked by his tablet. None of them were badly injured, but when they tried again to access the systems, they were shocked once more. In front of them, the monitor came to life lines of code flowing across the screen faster than the human eye could comprehend. When it stopped, four were words displayed:
Thou shalt not kill
"Radek! She's going to…" Before Evan could finish his thought, the chair powered down, tilting forward so fast that he was forcibly ejected. Fortunately he'd opened his eyes and was able to duck and roll to prevent serious injury. Jennifer and Radek helped him to his feet. The flow of information slowed and finally stopped, the monitor going blank. "Crap! I can't believe she did that!"
"Major?"
Without responding to Chuck's question, Evan turned to Jennifer. "Jen, I think if you call the Infirmary, you'll find that McKay and Sheppard are now awake or will be very soon." She nodded and took off at a fast jog.
After a few tentative tries, the science team found that their equipment was working again and began running diagnostics in anticipation of Radek's order.
"What happened in there?" Radek had picked up a tablet, running scans of his own.
Evan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, his usual impassive expression showing regret. "She felt guilty for what she'd done though she'd had the best of intentions. Sacrificing her free-will was atonement for her actions."
Radek nodded his understanding as he and his team got to work while Evan went to the Infirmary.
~~O~~
Sounds imposed themselves on his senses first. Beeping, footsteps, voices, the clatter of dishes, humming from a human voice mixed in with the mechanical hum of machinery.
Next came the smells. Some he could identify, others he could not. All told him he was in the Infirmary.
The beeping increased and with it the excitement in the voices around him causing his sense of touch to begin processing that he was being turned on his back while someone held his hand and spoke to him. He could hear a familiar sweet tone, but the words meant nothing to him though the longer she spoke the easier it became to distinguish the different voices and eventually he was able to focus on the one that meant the most to him.
"Rodney? It's Jennifer. If you can hear me, squeeze my hand." Her tone was laced with excitement combined with fear. Wanting to ease that fear, he did as she requested and squeezed the fingers holding his. "Can you open your eyes?"
He blinked, the bright lights making his head hurt, and standing before him was the woman he loved, smiling while a single tear made a slow trek down her cheek. She held a straw to his lips and he gratefully sucked in cool water as the faces of his friends came into focus. "Hi."
Ronon nodded. "Welcome back." Then he was gone.
Teyla glanced over her shoulder, giving his hand a squeeze. "I am glad that you're well again, Rodney."
"Me too." He looked at Jennifer again as she checked his IV and made quick notes. "How long was I out?" Teyla backed up and returned to John's side.
"A few days. How do you feel?"
"I've been better." Rodney's stomach growled. "Um, can I get something to eat? I'm starving."
"Of course." Jennifer leaned down to kiss him before leaving to fulfill his request.
Before he could ask about John, groaning and muttered oaths came from the bed to his right. His relief that his friend was awake changed to annoyance when John spoke, his voice raspy from lack of use.
"This is all McKay's fault!" Rodney bit back a sharp retort at John's next words. "Sonofa…will someone please get me some friggin' pants? And what the hell are we doing in hyperspace?"
~~O~~
Evan landed Atlantis gently on the surface of the largest ocean of the planet designated as MR8-364, renamed Atlantea by popular demand…and Woolsey's approval.
The shield came down as everyone rushed to see their new home. It was mid-day, the sun shining bright, glistening off the water, and in the distance they could see the mainland. Excited voices created a counterpoint to the waves splashing against the sides of the city as more and more people vied for a place at the rails, every balcony filled to capacity.
Woolsey stood beside Ronon, Amelia on the Satedan's other side, as they were joined by the ones who had become almost like a family to him.
Carrying her son, Teyla walked beside John, talking softly to the boy and pointing.
Jennifer and Rodney held hands then his arm went around her shoulders to pull her close as they joined the others.
Anne and Joval stood together, their hands touching where they rested side by side on the rail.
Alison, her arm around Carson's waist and his around her shoulders, came to stand next to her team leader giving her a grin.
Dusty arrived dragging Chuck behind her in her excitement to see their new home.
Amanda, her hand tucked around Evan's elbow, joined them.
A few minutes later, a voice interrupted their quiet contemplation.
"Excuse me. I'm looking for Richard Woolsey." The accent placed her homeland as Australia.
Woolsey's smile and words of welcome froze in place when he saw the woman standing before him. She was slender with dark and wavy shoulder length hair and brown eyes. She looked absolutely stunning in the gray expedition uniform. "I, uh…"
Stepping forward, she extended her hand. "I'm Dr. Janessa Holdsworth." He didn't respond except to take her hand. "Most recently from Eureka. We had an appointment today though I suspect you'd like to reschedule." She said the last word with the British pronunciation.
"Oh, of course. Sorry, Doctor. We've all been a bit…" he trailed off when he saw her staring at the view, awestruck.
"Whoa! Now ain't that a corker?" Her hand slipped from his as she walked past him to the rails. She chuckled, turning to face Woolsey now standing at her side. "Sorry. Now and then I slip back to m' roots."
"Think nothing of it."
John spotted something in the water and pointed it out. "Hey, look."
Rodney saw it at the same time, groaning in abject misery. "Again? Why does every planet we live on have to have whales?" Knowing of his fear of the giant sea creatures, his friends laughed, John giving his shoulder a slap.
"You aren't naming this one, Rodney."
His friend huffed at him. "Wasn't planning on it." They continued their banter until they drifted back inside.
~~O~~
John lay propped up in bed reading his favorite Spider-man comic, "The Reason is Karma," the classic Marvel team-up of the web-slinger and the Fantastic Four in the special double-sized one hundredth issue of Marvel Comics. His niece had given it to him for his last birthday.
As he read, he hummed a song and anyone listening would assume it was the Spider-man theme, but it wasn't. He caught himself several times until he could no longer concentrate on the story. With a growl of frustration, he grabbed his guitar and began to play the tune he couldn't stop humming. Fumbling at first, he became more confident the longer he played until eventually he began to sing.
The song was all about a boy that had an incredible imagination, as most kids did. He could turn invisible, change shape at will and fly. But as he grew, those abilities slowly went away. By the end of the song, John realized how lucky he was to be one of those "boys" who could still fly, even if he had to do it in a ship. With the Jumper's cloak engaged, he essentially became invisible which also brought to mind the time he'd transformed into a bug.
He laid the guitar on his bed, the song going through his mind. Only now it had changed. He no longer heard just the song. He also heard the voice singing it: Teyla's.
Closing his eyes, he focused on her voice until he could hear her speaking to him. The words expressed thoughts and emotions that thrilled and scared him at the same time, forcing him to examine his own thoughts and emotions. Not an expert by any means, it took him a while to sort everything out.
Jumping to his feet, he left his room, his long legs carrying him to another door almost identical to his own. He only hesitated a moment before activating the chime. The door opened and Teyla was there, her son playing on the floor behind her. Beyond was the bedroom she no longer shared with the boy's father. When Kanaan had left, she'd asked to be moved to a smaller room so that this one would be free for someone who needed it, but he'd refused. Now he knew why.
"John?"
Nervous, he shoved his hands into his pockets, tossing a glance over his shoulder when footsteps came their way. "Can I come in? Please."
"Of course."
When the door had closed behind him, he wasn't sure how to say what he'd come to say. You can do this, John. "I've been remembering things that happened while I was in the coma."
"I see." A quick glance at her face, seeing the look in her dark brown eyes, gave him courage. She clasped her hands in front of her waiting for him to continue.
"What I remembered was something you said." His feet shifted wanting to pace, but he forced himself to stand still and look her in the eye. "I need to know…did you mean it?"
Teyla's lips twitched and her eyes took on a spark of humor. "I said many things, John. To which are you referring?"
One side of his mouth lifted as they faced each other in a strange sort of stand-off. "You know what I'm talking about."
She took a half step closer, hands dropping to her sides. His did as well, but standing his ground. "Ah. The story I told you about Torren throwing spaghetti at Mr. Woolsey."
"Funny, but not what I'm looking for."
Teyla reached into a basket of clothing pulling out one of Torren's shirts and began folding it. Her shrug was meant to be casual. "Then I have no idea…" She gasped when John spun her around, his strong hands gripping her upper arms. Not in anger, she could see, but in frustration.
"Do you or don't you…" his eyes roamed over her face and back to her eyes, "…love me?" He didn't give her a chance to answer before covering her mouth with his. At first she'd stiffened, the cloth in her hands fluttering to the floor. The longer they kissed, the more she relaxed, her hands flattening against his chest and sliding up around his neck to pull him close. His hands slowly released her arms and wrapped around her shoulders.
The feel of her heart beating in time with his thrilled him in a way that flying never had and never would. He slid his hands down to the back of her thighs and lifted her until she wrapped her legs around his waist. She turned her head to the side for a different angle as he took a step in the direction of her bedroom.
John pulled his mouth from hers when he felt a small hand tugging at his pants leg. He looked down to see Torren smiling up at him, a toy in his small outstretched hand and making inquiring sounds. Letting his arms relax, Teyla slid down the front of his body, her eyes meeting his again before pulling away.
Crouching, John took the toy then picked Torren up when he reached out for him. Standing, he waited for her to look at him again. When she did, he lifted one eyebrow and all she did was nod. He smiled, leaning down to kiss her before turning his attention to the boy, lifting him into the air and flying him around the room making him laugh.
And Torren never forgot about the days when he could fly.
TBC
A/N: FYI - dwparsnip and Shadows-of-Realm were kind enough to look over these chapters to make sure I wasn't making any major booboos.
Thanks, guys.
SL