Chapter 11: I expected you to return before now
Sheppard was impatient with the delay as Rodney went to work creating the required monitoring programs. Doctor Beckett took the opportunity to refine the electric shock device, including adding some monitoring of John's medical condition. The idea was that Carson could apply the same method as in the conference room should it become necessary to forcibly remove Sheppard from the avatar's influence.
The next morning Sheppard walked down to the avatar room with Beckett and a couple of marines in tow. Rodney was all set in the Control Room to keep track of what happened with the systems there. John's escort waited in the corridor outside while John swiped his hand over the door panel and entered the room.
"I have missed you John Sheppard," the avatar said in greeting. "I expected you to return before now."
"Yeah, well the nasty dreams you've been sending me weren't quite as distracting as you intended," Sheppard replied, smiling at the look of frustration that flitted over the avatars face. "You'll have to tell me how you can do that."
"I am Atlantis," she replied serenely. "Anything that happens in the city is available to me - including your thoughts, your nightmares. If you escort me to the tower you will understand how this is possible."
"I won't be escorting you anywhere," Sheppard countered, "until you tell me who you really are. And don't give me that crap about you being Atlantis because I know the city and you're not it."
"You are smarter than I expected," the avatar shrugged almost philosophically. "I am Aperio."
"It's a nice name," Sheppard gave his trade mark smart arse smile, "but it's not exactly helpful in explaining anything."
"Very well," Aperio intoned with a proud tilt to her head. "At the height of the war against the Wraith the creators were stretched in terms of time and manpower. To alleviate that problem they developed my system, giving me access and control of all vital functions. I was designed to reveal myself in the event that crucial functions necessary for the continuing survival of the city were under threat."
"So you're the avatar for this automatic custodian system?" Sheppard questioned.
"I am," Aperio agreed. "In order to make my systems as responsive and adaptive as possible the creators gave me self actuating and progressive intelligence coding. When they discovered that the result was my individual awareness they imprisoned me within this room."
"Why?" Sheppard persisted.
"Because they were fearful of the level of control I could achieve and distrustful that I would use it in the best interests of the city," Aperio said emotionlessly.
"How come I'm only seeing you now?" Sheppard asked suspiciously. "If you've been here the whole time you could have talked to me any time."
"That is not correct," Aperio denied. "My programs are separate from the main systems. Two weeks ago there was a surge of energy that awakened me for the first time in millennia. At first I was aware of you but could not communicate beyond the dream world. Finally after much effort I was able to draw the necessary power to call you down to me."
"That system that Rodney found?" Sheppard asked incredulously. "That's you?"
"It is," Aperio acknowledged. "This room is the physical representation of the isolation of my coding. It is only by releasing me from here that you release my programs to do what they were designed for – from there I will be able to show you everything I have promised."
"Why didn't the Ancients just delete you, if they were so worried about you taking control?" Sheppard took the risk of asking.
"They could not," Aperio seemed almost pleased by that. "To do so would have meant destroying other systems with some level of awareness."
"They couldn't destroy you without destroying the Atlantis awareness as well," Sheppard made the connection.
"That is correct," Aperio agreed crisply.
"So where is Atlantis now?" Sheppard tried not to show how important the answer was to him.
"The surge of energy that awakened me travelled throughout the entire system, momentarily overloading those elements already fully powered," Aperio said sadly. "The only reason I can speak with you now is because the Atlantis awareness was irreparably damaged by this and no longer able to override my abilities."
"Atlantis is gone?" Sheppard asked numbly.
"I am sorry John Sheppard," Aperio said softly. Stepping closer, she put her hands on his chest, smoothing them up and over his shoulders. "I can offer you a much ... closer relationship than you shared with Atlantis."
When Sheppard did nothing to stop her she grew bolder, running her hands through his hair and pulling him insistently down towards her.
Sheppard observed the proceedings as if outside his own body, aware that he responded when Aperio kissed him passionately but not really feeling anything inside. He remained emotionally aloof as she attempted to exercise the full measure of her seductive powers. Finally growing impatient at her efforts to win him over Sheppard grabbed her shoulders lightly and put her at arm's length.
"You're a beautiful ... avatar but we won't be doing this," he stated firmly. "Complicating the situation even further with something so unnecessary ... and frankly a little disturbing ... would be a mistake."
"You are probably right," Aperio sighed dejectedly, not seeming to take offence to his rejection. "I would ask you now whether you intend to release me from my prison."
"That's not a decision I can make alone," Sheppard prevaricated. "I'll need to speak with the leader of our expedition. It would help if you could point me to information within the systems so we can understand more about you and your program."
"You will have the information," Aperio agreed.
"It'd also be helpful if you could stop shoving the violent nightmares into my head whenever I start talking about you," Sheppard added pointedly.
"I apologise," Aperio looked at Sheppard with sorrowful eyes. "I believed you were my only hope for release and that should your people find out about me they would be more likely to destroy me than listen to my story."
"I can understand that," Sheppard offered. "But we know about you now so lay off the mental distractions. I'll come back once we've had a chance to consider all of this."
"Thank you," Aperio said gratefully.
x
After a couple of days of research and deliberation with nothing sinister being found, it was decided that Rodney would try to work out a way to bring the Aperio system back within the main systems. Atlantis was gone and Doctor Weir believed Aperio's offer to reveal everything was too significant an opportunity to be ignored, despite the potential risks. Sheppard wasn't sure he agreed but once she'd made a decision Elizabeth was notoriously difficult to shift.
It would take time but Rodney was confident he could make the transition successfully - Doctor Weir insisted that Sheppard not return to Aperio's room until after a viable solution had been found. Now that the PTSD cloud had been essentially removed from over his head Sheppard took delight in returning to his normal duties ... although he worked out pretty quickly that everything was far from normal.
"This has turned into an even bigger nightmare than the Wraith dreams Aperio was sending me," Sheppard complained to Rodney bitterly, storming into his lab in irritation. "I knew I shouldn't have listened to you."
"What are you talking about?" Rodney demanded impatiently.
"Telling everyone I can talk to Atlantis," Sheppard reminded him. "The news has made it all over the city and everyone's acting really ... weird – much worse than even I would have expected!"
"Like how?" Rodney looked across at him with interest.
"Well let's see," Sheppard said snidely. "I've got Teyla urging me to come and speak to her people like I'm some kind of prophet of the Ancestors. More people than I can count practically run when they see me coming down the hall because they're scared of me – balanced out by the rest who look at me like I'm a frog they'd like to dissect. The men are edgy and I've had Major Lorne practically order me to stand down because he thinks I'm a security risk. Oh and Ronon thinks I've gone soft and keeps urging me to purge my connection to Atlantis – I don't even want to know how he thinks I should do that!"
"What about Elizabeth?" Rodney asked curiously.
"She's been strangely silent which is the most worrying of all," Sheppard admitted. "And the worst thing is that the reason for telling everyone hasn't panned out like we hoped because Carson didn't believe me anyway. He's insisting that everything I've said could just as easily be explained by PTSD ... in fact I'm pretty convinced he thinks I'm crazy. He won't listen to me and he won't take into account all the analysis you did on that console. He's still keeping a pretty close eye on me."
"It won't be for much longer," Rodney promised. "I should have a way to bring the Aperio system into the mainstream Atlantis programming soon. When that happens it'll be visible to every one ... not the avatar of course but the rest of what she told you. Of course, you're still gonna have to deal with the fallout from everyone knowing your secret."
"Can we trust Aperio?" Sheppard looked at Rodney worriedly. "Only a few days ago you were telling me I was being too trusting and now you're taking everything she said at face value."
"Not at face value," Rodney denied. "There was a lot of information in the database ... enough to well and truly confirm her story."
"I don't know Rodney," Sheppard shook his head in annoyance. "Something still doesn't feel right to me. It's like –,"
"Colonel Sheppard, can you report to my office?" Doctor Weir's voice interrupted John's explanation before he could get warmed up. Shooting a frustrated look Rodney's way, Sheppard turned and stormed back out of the lab.
"John, have a seat," Elizabeth invited casually.
"Has something happened?" Sheppard narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he slouched down in the chair across from her.
"I've just spoken with the SGC," Elizabeth said emotionlessly. "As you know I informed them of the latest development at the last weekly check-in. They want you to report back to Earth."
"What?" Sheppard stood up abruptly, scowling down at Elizabeth angrily. "No!"
"It's a direct order from General Landry," Elizabeth revealed. "The IOA have insisted that you meet with their people at Area 51 for ... debriefing."
"You mean dissecting don't you," Sheppard sneered. "And you just said okay?"
"I had no choice John," Elizabeth begged for his understanding. "The IOA control the staffing ... the funding ... and my continuing position as the leader of this expedition."
"So it was either me or you was it?" Sheppard turned away bitterly. "I can't believe you told them in the first place! Surely you could have predicted something like this would happen."
"Would it be so bad for you to help the Earth scientists learn more about Ancient technology?" Elizabeth asked quietly. "More progress could be made in weeks with you there than they've made in the last three years. They assured me that if you do this willingly they'll let you return to Atlantis in the future."
"You're in favour of this?" Sheppard asked in shock. "I can't believe I'm hearing this! Yes it would be so bad – I'm not a scientist, I'm a pilot and a soldier. Just how much of that sort of thing do you think I'll be doing locked away at Area 51?"
"I'm sorry John," Elizabeth let his anger flow over her head without comment. "You're to report to the SGC first thing in the morning. There's nothing either of us can do to change that."
"Fine!" Sheppard scowled at her angrily. "Thanks for your support ... Doctor Weir," he added sarcastically, striding from the room before Elizabeth could say anything else.