Chapter 12: Epiphanous beginning
"God, that woman is ... painful!" Lorne slammed into his office, unaware that someone was already there.
"What woman would that be Major?" Colonel Sheppard looked at his usually unflappable 2IC with unmistakable interest.
"Sir!" Evan stopped abruptly, his face going blank. "Great," he thought. "Way to look like an idiot Evan!" "Ah, sorry?" he dissembled.
"The woman you find painful Major," Sheppard didn't let him off the hook, his amusement all too clear. "Who is she?"
"Oh, right," Lorne looked down at the floor before raising his eyes to his CO. "You know the civilians Sir. Sometimes they ask for things you can't deliver and then get a little ... moody when you tell them no. I'd rather not name this particular civilian Sir ... I should have spoken more respectfully."
"Relax Lorne," John dismissed Lorne's upright military persona. "I'm sure if you knew I was here you'd have been more circumspect."
"With all due respect Sir, why are you here?" Lorne asked curiously, glad to have a reason to change the subject.
"Elizabeth wants to add an additional mission into the roster," Sheppard explained. "Request from M4R 883 – friends of the Athosians."
"So, too good to pass up the opportunity for trade agreements," Lorne concluded. Reviewing the mission roster in his head he nodded. "If they can wait a couple of days my team could take care of it."
"Excellent," Sheppard grinned, pleased to get the desired outcome. "I'll let Teyla brief you on –"
"Major Lorne."
Both men turned their heads to the doorway and the woman who stood there, arms folded across her chest. She wasn't tapping her foot impatiently but she might as well have been for the way she was holding herself.
"Doctor Darnell."
Sheppard shot a glance at his 2IC, registering the exaggerated patience in Lorne's voice. He looked at their visitor again and held in a grin. So this was the painful woman who'd had Evan storming into his office. Interesting. He hadn't had the chance to meet all the new people yet but from what he could recall her name was Prudence Darnell and she was a doctor of computational linguistics, whatever the hell that was. John only remembered because McKay had commented that having someone working on a translation program for Ancient and Wraith would allow him to focus on more important things like finding a way to recharge a ZPM or, you know, saving the planet.
"Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard," he stepped forward and introduced himself. "Welcome to Atlantis."
"Colonel," Doctor Darnell said, her tone brisk. She barely gave John a glance before turning her attention to Lorne. "The conclusion of our prior conversation was unsatisfactory Major Lorne," she said briskly.
"Is that right Doctor?" Lorne replied blandly.
"Right, well you kids obviously have business to discuss," Colonel Sheppard interrupted. He had to walk around the doctor to get to the door and when there turned to look at Lorne. "Play nice Major," he said, eyes alight with amusement.
"Yes Sir," Lorne acknowledged his CO before returning his attention to his unwanted visitor. He looked at her expectantly, not giving her a lead in.
"As I was explaining before Major," Prue began, "in order to properly fulfil my contractual obligations I require access to ancient facilities located off world, as well as at least a month's notice of new staff before their arrival."
"And as I already said Doctor no one gets off world travel without doing the training," Lorne explained again. "You're welcome to sign up for the next course just like everybody else."
"And as I told you I've already completed gate travel training at the SCG! This is unacceptable and a waste of my valuable time," Prudence exclaimed, clearly exasperated.
"You and McKay must have gone to the same school," Evan muttered under his breath.
"I beg your pardon?"
Prue's eyebrow rose sharply and she pinned him with a look that made him suddenly uncomfortable. Shaking it off Lorne tried to look innocent. "So I take it you won't be putting your name on my list?" he challenged.
"I have no desire to be on any of your 'lists' Major Lorne but clearly I must abide by your ridiculous rules if I'm to have any hope of doing my job properly."
"That's right Doctor," Lorne smiled but it wasn't exactly happy and friendly. "You do have to abide by my rules. I'll make note of your request for off world training – someone will let you know when the next course kicks off."
"And sufficient notice of new personnel?" Prudence queried pointedly.
"Look Doc, this is a military base first and foremost," Evan reminded her. "The schedule is driven by a number of competing priorities – anything outside of that is 'get in line'. The new staff routine might be tighter than you're used to but you'll just have to adjust because I'm not changing an established process that works for one civilian."
"You are an exasperating man Major Lorne," Prue commented primly, her dissatisfaction apparent.
"That's fine Doctor ... I'm not sure I like you either," Lorne smiled, clearly amused rather than insulted by her apparently poor regard.
Prue blinked, distracted for a moment by his unexpected reaction. "I'm glad we understand each other then," she finally concluded.
"Right," Evan waited, frowning when she continued to look at him, her expression unreadable. "If there's nothing else Doctor, I have a lot of work to do. Those schedules don't manage themselves."
"Ooo!" Prue glared at him before spinning smartly on her heels and storming out of his office.
"Yeah, nice talking to you too!" Evan shook his head, wondering what in the hell had gotten into him. He didn't usually take such an instant dislike to someone but Doctor Prudence Darnell had managed the feat with ease.
She'd been in Atlantis for less than a week, coming in with the Daedalus as one of the newest recruits, and had put him off side almost from the moment she'd set foot in the city. They always started with a tour of the main areas that included some of the most important do's and don'ts. It gave everyone the chance to get their bearings while their gear was transported from the Daedalus along with the rest of the supplies. Evan had been between missions so he'd taken the most recent tour himself.
"There are designated areas of the city that have been cleared for general use," he said as he stood in front of one of the transporter units, explaining the system to the group of twelve civilians. "Any other areas are restricted. All transport activity is logged with the control room," he smiled as he added "so if you have a burning need to access a restricted part of the city you'll need to put in a request for permission."
"And how long does it take for permission to be granted Major?"
Lorne focussed on the questioner, getting those first impressions meeting someone new always generated. She was small, barely five two, with dark brown almost black hair pulled back tightly into some kind of bun at the back of her head. Pretty if you could look past the serious, dedicated vibe she was sending off – evidenced by the fact that she was dressed in the Atlantis civilian uniform and made it look starched and pressed to perfection. She had dark eyes to go with the hair and well shaped brows that were currently arched at him expectantly as she waited for his answer. Evan wasn't sure why but he knew immediately that this one was going to be trouble.
"That depends on where it is you want to go and why," he answered reasonably, "Ms ..?" He'd thought quickly back over the personnel files he'd reviewed a few weeks back but couldn't immediately put a name to her face.
"Doctor Prudence Darnell," she said briskly. "Computational linguistics, software engineering, network control and maintenance."
"That's quite the title you have there Doctor," Lorne smiled charmingly, getting only the hint of a forced smile back.
"So Doctor Weir decides which parts of the city are open to civilians?" the scientist persisted with her questioning.
"Doctor Weir assesses all requests yes, in conjunction with Colonel Sheppard and myself," Evan explained patiently. "Some parts of the city haven't been touched in thousands of years Doctor and the safety of both you and your military escort is always paramount."
"I assume urgent requests for access will get priority?"
"All requests are assessed on merit," Evan returned, frowning. "I can't imagine what circumstance would require an immediate response but if our view on what classifies as urgent meets yours then your request will get the attention it warrants."
She opened her mouth to say something more and he held up a hand, stopping her. "If you have additional questions about city access Doctor I'm happy to speak with you after the tour. For now, let's move on," he motioned for the group to follow him towards the mess facilities.
Prudence Darnell had wanted to talk to him after, in detail, and it seemed every answer out of his mouth was unsatisfactory to her requirements. She'd been given responsibility for setting up any tailored systems required by new starters to the city – mini networks so that people working on the same thing had the set of information and access they needed - and questioned him in detail about their process for selection and approval of new recruits. She wanted to have a say in everything and although Evan was happy to have input on staffing decisions there was no way he could give her the involvement she seemed to want. He'd have to deal with Doctor Darnell on a regular basis so he did his best to be polite and helpful but found himself doing the blank facade, at the back of his mind wondering if she'd be this painful every time the Daedalus was due into the city.
Bringing his thoughts back to the present Lorne couldn't help but chuckle. From his first mission off world in Pegasus he'd known that the civilian scientists were going to be difficult – he'd just add Doctor Prudence Darnell to the list of people to keep a closer eye on.
"Major Lorne, could you join me in resource room three please," Weir spoke over the radio.
"I'll be there in five," Lorne returned, already up and heading for the nearest transporter. Almost exactly five minutes later he strode through the doors of the large open plan room, frowning as he took in the activity going on around him. "Ma'am?" he stopped beside Doctor Weir, concern starting to rise as he registered the presence of both Rodney McKay and Carson Beckett, the two talking in an urgent manner. Since McKay had left for M55 878 with Colonel Sheppard a couple of hours previously and now seemed to be back and by himself the situation had a definite ominous feel to it.
"Major," Elizabeth moved to one side, drawing him with her. "We have a ... situation with Colonel Sheppard," she explained in a low tone. "The way Doctor McKay explained it the Colonel is currently trapped behind some kind of time dilation field."
"A time dilation field?" Lorne repeated slowly. "Dilated how?"
"Time is moving much faster for Colonel Sheppard than it is for us," Weir summarised succinctly. "Doctor McKay is gathering what he needs to find a way to shut off the field. We'll be going back with Doctor Beckett shortly."
"We Ma'am?" Lorne's brow rose as he realised what she was implying.
"Rodney said there are ancient writings around the doorway Major and someone needs to translate them," Elizabeth explained. "Right now that means me."
"Permission to come along Ma'am," Evan asked briskly, straightening and giving her his best 'I mean business' look. She might be the city's leader but there was no way he was letting her put herself at risk.
"I'm sorry Major but I need you here," Elizabeth replied. "With Colonel Sheppard and myself both absent from the city you're the logical choice to provide leadership. I'm only there to look at the Ancient writing ... I'm not even sure how long we'll be gone."
"Yes Ma'am," Evan acknowledged her request reluctantly. "I'll have Private Cooper report to the jumper bay ... he's one of our best Jumper pilots."
"Thank you Major," Elizabeth smiled, putting a hand on his forearm in gratitude or maybe support, before moving back to talk with McKay and Beckett.
Lorne watched for a moment, his expression unreadable, before he strode off, contacting Cooper on the radio as he went.
"Why wasn't I given the opportunity to translate the Ancient writings on M55 878?"
Lorne looked up from his computer screen to see an obviously annoyed Doctor Darnell standing in his doorway.
"I see the city grapevine is working with its usual efficiency," Evan commented, shifting his chair back from his desk and leaning back a little. Rodney and the others had only left an hour before and there was no word so far that they'd managed to free Colonel Sheppard. He was worried, more so because he hated being the one to have to wait around while others went out and 'did', but doing his best to ignore it.
"Am I wrong?" Prudence asked, arching one of those sleek brows at him in a manner that just dared Lorne to disagree.
"About what Doctor?" he returned, standing up and approaching her, his expression suddenly grim. "About there being some Ancient writing to translate?" He stopped when he was just shy of invading her personal space, ignoring the fact that she seemed suddenly small and delicate despite the fact that she didn't give any hint that she was intimidated by his proximity. "Yes there was Ancient text found on M55 878 but no, you shouldn't have been given the chance to go and translate it. This isn't a science lab where you can hook up your computer and test out your theories. It's Colonel Sheppard facing unknown risk under extreme time pressure – a situation you're not qualified to deal with yet."
"I ...," Lorne watched as Doctor Darnell seemed to gather her resolve, straightening and looking up at him again. "I'm sorry Major – I was unaware of the surrounding circumstances and will make sure to have the full picture before I approach you in this manner in the future."
"That would be better," Lorne agreed, finding his previous annoyance dwindling away. That was when he realised how close he was standing to the computer scientist. Shifting back he sighed. "Look, just give yourself time to find your feet here Doctor. I know you have experience at the SGC but you need to realise that this galaxy is a whole host of different challenges. Don't be in such a hurry to get out there before you're ready."
"Good advice Major," Prudence said studiously enough that Evan wouldn't have been surprised if she'd ripped out a note book and started taking notes. "I will endeavour to be patient until such time as I've completed all of your imposed requirements."
"One, they aren't 'my' requirements – the training program is based on lessons learned the hard way," Evan shot back, "and two, they aren't a formality you have to get through Doctor Darnell. If you're not going to give the training the proper consideration then you might as well pack your bags and go back to Earth with the Daedalus."
"I apologise Major," Doctor Darnell replied quickly. "I didn't mean to imply that the training wasn't important and of course I will give it my full efforts. I have no desire to return to Earth." She looked at Evan, meeting his gaze intently and he found himself distracted by what he imagined he could see in her eyes. There were depths there he wouldn't have guessed at – she didn't just want to be on Atlantis, she needed it, and the mystery of why that was had him narrowing his eyes with interest. Unfortunately she took control before he could question her further.
"I'll leave you to your work Major Lorne," she said briskly, spinning and practically marching to the door. He thought that was all the leave she was going to give him until she stopped and looked back quickly. "I hope Colonel Sheppard is okay," she said quietly, not waiting for his acknowledgement before she disappeared into the corridor.
"You and me both," Lorne muttered, staring for a moment at where she'd been standing.
"Major Lorne to the Control Room ... unscheduled off world activation," the announcement from Chuck broke into his musings.
"On my way," he said, striding quickly from the room.
The unscheduled gate activation turned out to be Colonel Sheppard and the others, returned from M55 878 with quite a story to tell. Lorne listened during the briefing, noting all the practical details about the sanctuary and the presence of Ancient technology they'd never be able to get their hands on. As the debrief broke up he moved to walk beside Sheppard.
"Must have been strange being away from here for so long," he commented to his CO.
"Yeah," Sheppard agreed. "Days and days bored out of my skull Major." He grimaced, clearly thinking back over the past seven months from his perspective – only hours from Lorne's. "They meditated ... all the time."
"So you won't be lining up for ascension any time soon," Evan quipped with a slight smile.
"From what I could tell it sounds like a pretty dull way to spend eternity to me," John shot back with a grin.
Lorne hesitated before speaking again. "Did you miss it, the city I mean?"
"Atlantis?" Sheppard clarified, getting a nod in return. "It does draw you in, doesn't it? Doors opening just because you thought it, lights coming on ... it's pretty cool."
"Yes it is," Lorne agreed casually. He wasn't sure why he'd asked the question – maybe hoping the Colonel would let something slip about his own connection to the city. Evan had begun to believe John more than anyone else would understand what Evan felt from the city – that hum of systems engaging, that almost welcome when he returned from off world, as though the city was happy to have him there. If he'd been away for seven months Evan knew he'd struggle to hide that surge of reconnection he knew he'd feel. Sheppard's response didn't give him an opening though – either because John didn't feel things from the city or because he, like Evan, didn't really want to talk about it openly. That was something Lorne understood – he no more wanted to draw attention to himself than Colonel Sheppard.
"It's good to have you back Sir," he said instead.
"At least you're not reminding me it was only hours for you," John muttered, glancing back to where his team were following along.
"It's tough getting the level of ... appreciation you deserve, isn't it?" Lorne quipped, thinking about the ribbing he got from his own team.
Sheppard laughed. "That it is Major. That it is."
Authors Note:
A couple of minor points - in Epiphany the planet didn't get a designation so I gave it one to save on having to refer to it as 'the planet where Sheppard got trapped in a time dilation field' all the time. Secondly the pilot for the Jumper when Rodney returned with Carson and Elizabeth was nameless and rankless as far as I could tell from the transcript and by looking closely at his uniform, so I gave him a name and rank, again to make referring to him easier. Lastly, it's after 2am here so forgive any errors that might have crept in due to me being crossed eyed with tiredness.
