THE RUNAWAY BRIDE AND HER TRUSTY WINGMAN
See chapter one for warnings, spoilers, etc.
Disclaimer: Still not mine, but hey, the story's not done yet.
CHAPTER 12 – THE BIG REUNION
Elizabeth didn't flinch. It was obvious now that Kannath did not understand what their technology could do. The Hail Mary had been tossed, and now they were all racing for the catch.
Sheppard had better make this good.
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The occupants of the jumper had been amused to see Elizabeth and Chuck making a scene up on the second level. Someone had obviously turned on their com, so they heard the entire exchange.
The scene was a bit melodramatic, Sheppard thought wryly, but everyone's attention had been focused on Elizabeth and Chuck rather than on the gate. He was betting Kannath and his people didn't know the jumpers could cloak, so they weren't looking for the tell-tale signs of an object coming through the wormhole. As soon as it became clear what was going on, Rodney used his laptop to lock down the gate while muttering threats at the other Canadian under his breath.
The jumper bay doors opened, allowing them to rise to the next level. Instead of docking the jumper in one of the stands, Sheppard let the jumper hover in the middle of the room until the doors to the gateroom had closed.
"Now what?" Rodney asked.
Sheppard bit his lip for a moment, then made his decision. "Open the outer bay doors. Hopefully Kannath's men won't notice and none of our people will say anything. I'm gonna set us down outside so we don't have to worry about getting trapped in the jumper bay while we do a sit-rep."
McKay made a few more keystrokes and then the outside doors opened above them, revealing a grey day that threatened rain. Good, perfect for the mood, Sheppard thought.
Once outside, the colonel eased the craft down onto the East Pier, close to the entrance to the main tower but not so close that anyone coming outside would run into it.
Keeping the jumper cloaked, he turned to his friends. "Now the fun begins."
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Teyla had been furious when she saw Kannath's followers, men that her people had thought worthy trading partners, violating the Atlantis gateroom. It was obvious they were not welcome there. She doubted Kannath really even cared about having her hand in marriage any more. Now it was about revenge. She had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself and prevent herself rushing out with P-90 blazing.
Ronon watched her from his seat behind Sheppard. If looks could kill, Kannath would be a dead man by now. He could understand her anger, but he also trusted her not to act on it without some thought.
Rodney was busy typing again and Sheppard was flipping through screens on the HUD almost faster than anyone could follow them.
Apparently having found the information he wanted, he clicked his radio. "Anyone copy?"
It was a calculated risk, but it paid off. "Colonel, is that you?" asked Lorne.
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"We are on a secure line?" Sheppard asked, cutting to the chase.
"Yes, sir," Lorne answered. "Radek is running basic city functions from an auxiliary control room."
"Okay," Sheppard drawled. "And for those of us late to class, would you mind sharing what's going on?"
Everyone could hear the amusement in Lorne's voice. "Well, Kannath and his men arrived early this morning and took over the gateroom. One of the techs on duty must have initiated a quick quarantine for just that area."
"So why haven't you gone in yet?" Sheppard asked patiently.
"It is a long story, Colonel," Radek's voice cut in. "You are near the main tower, yes? We could move much more quickly if we all were in one place."
"Major?" Sheppard asked with the slightest hint of warning in his voice. This could be another trap to lure him out. He didn't think he needed to tell his second-in-command that now was not the time.
"Come to the first auxiliary control room in the next tower over. We'll explain the situation and plan our next move from here … with your permission, sir," Lorne said.
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The members of Team Sheppard made their way to Auxiliary Control Room One stealthily, but it was unnecessary as they met no one along the way. Even more confused, Sheppard radioed Lorne when they arrived, requesting that no one shoot them.
With that, the doors slid open and the team members quickly slipped inside. A hush fell over the room as the doors shut behind them and Sheppard found himself face-to-face with his second. This could go one of many ways. He cleared his throat; everyone's eyes were on the pair.
"Major."
"Colonel."
"So, what's next?"
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Lorne quirked a smile. His CO looked tense and battle-ready, but he also looked a bit healthier and less tired since the major last saw him in the jumper bay before the big fiasco.
"Well, I suppose according to protocol I should arrest you right now," Lorne drawled with a smile.
"I was kinda hoping you were planning on continuing our policy of disregarding protocol on a regular basis," Sheppard said cautiously.
"You know how these things go," Lorne said, shrugging. "All these rules and regulations kind of slip the mind when it gets busy around here."
A collective sigh of relief spread through the room. Lorne hadn't even noticed the tension in Sheppard's team until they released the tight holds on their weapons. Even if Sheppard had gone willingly, his team would have had something to say.
Luckily, Lorne supported Sheppard's actions, secretly giving bonus points for style for the whole event. Although he had been warned beforehand about Bates' suspicions about Teyla, he really liked the woman and would never wish anything as horrible as Kannath upon her. He also knew the colonel wouldn't hold anything against him if he was forced by his superiors to take action against Sheppard, but he planned on limiting retribution as much as possible.
"So, anyone care to explain why there are bad guys in my gateroom and no good guys in the hallway?" Sheppard asked the room at large, but Lorne and Zelenka knew it was directed at them.
"Much of it has to do with the way the quarantine was initiated," Zelenka said, pushing his glasses farther up his nose as he spoke. "I do not know who did this or what they were trying to accomplish. They managed to isolate the gateroom, but there are also selective quarantines around the city."
"What? How did that happen?" McKay asked Zelenka, moving behind him to read the monitor over the Czech's shoulder. Zelenka shrugged.
"They came through about 0530, sir," Lorne said, turning back to Sheppard. "The living quarters area is one of the sectors affected by quarantine. Most people were still in bed at that time, so they're still stuck in their rooms. That's why there's no one in the hallways."
John surveyed the ragtag occupants of the room. Aside from his team, Lorne, and Zelenka, there were about ten soldiers and a couple of civilians.
"The infirmary?"
"Same thing again, sir," Lorne said. "We're not sure who's in there as communications between the sectors are down. We'll need to find a few of them if we make a move on the gateroom. I guess we picked up your signal because you landed close by and could rely on basic radios."
"I'm guessing the same thing for the gateroom, too, huh?" Sheppard asked.
"Yes, sir," Lorne said.
Zelenka piped up. "This is part of our problem. We need two Tier 1 command codes to override this quarantine. Major Lorne and I only have Tier 2 codes, and we could not raise any other senior staff on the radio to get the codes. Now that you and Dr. McKay are here, we can override it."
"Well, why didn't you say so before," McKay said, bending over the computer to start entering numbers.
"Hold on, McKay!" Sheppard called out brusquely.
"What?" McKay said indignantly.
"First we need a plan," Sheppard said tersely. "We can't just go opening the doors and letting these guys out into the city."
"And what about everyone in the gateroom?" Teyla asked. The grip on her weapon was still unconsciously tight.
"Things looked under control when we passed through," Sheppard said patiently. "They'll need to sit tight a bit longer so we can do this right and get all of our people out safely without compromising the rest of the city."
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"Everyone clear?" Sheppard asked, taking in the nods around the room. "Okay. Hernandez and Hoffman, you'll be with Lorne on the lower east doors. Johnson and Mossad, you'll join Ronon at the lower west door. Mitchell and Warner are taking the upper east doors, and Teyla and I will take the upper west."
He turned to a blonde woman standing next to Sergeant Balasov. "Lieutenant, are you okay going up top?"
"Yes sir," she said confidently.
"Good," Sheppard said. "Sergeant, if anything looks like it's going to go wrong you pull her out of there, even if it means scrapping Plan A."
The Russian nodded quickly and bent his head down to speak to the lieutenant.
"You two make sure these scientists stay safe," Sheppard said to the last of the unassigned soldiers in the room, jerking his head toward the console where McKay and Zelenka had set up laptops side by side. "We need them for this to work out. I'm not anticipating any problems at this end, but better safe than sorry."
Both men gave quick 'yes, sirs' before heading to their posts by the door. This was likely to be the most boring part of the mission, but Captain Edwards was still recovering from injuries sustained on an earlier mission, and John didn't want him hurting himself again so soon.
Teyla walked over to Rodney and Zelenka to give reassurances before the others left, and Ronon took the opportunity to speak quietly with Sheppard.
"You sure we should be sending her in there?" he asked the colonel. "She's pretty pissed right now."
"I know," Sheppard sighed, watching the Athosian over Ronon's shoulder. "But she deserves to be a part of this more than anyone. This is Teyla we're talking about. She'll keep a cool head."
He didn't say it, but Ronon knew Sheppard was keeping her close so he could protect her. He only hoped it didn't come back to bite them.
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"All positions report in," Sheppard said softly into his mic, then tilted his head slightly to listen to the replies
When everyone had affirmed that they were ready, Sheppard turned to Teyla and looked at her for a moment, taking in her features. She stood ready with her 'game face' on, but also a glint in her eye that hinted that she knew exactly what he was thinking. It was, well, so Teyla. She did not back down from his gaze but rather met his eyes. He knew it was an indulgence, but he wanted this moment just in case everything went south from here. No woman on Earth could ever live up to his friend, his real-life warrior princess.
"You ready?" he asked finally. She gave a quick nod.
"You're not planning on killing him, are you?" John asked. "It might create a bit of an incident."
She raised an eyebrow and grinned. "I will restrain myself. After all, I would hate for there to be an incident."
Satisfied they were on the same page, Sheppard turned to the locked door to hide his grin. "Rodney? Radek? We're ready to move. Do your thing."
TBC
Author's note: And thus the action begins. In the next chapter you will see the team doing what they do best: Ronon looming, John snarking, Rodney whining while quickly typing, and Teyla kicking ass. Stay tuned!
