Chapter Thirty Seven – Of Accidents and Arrangements
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Jennifer Keller looked through the window of her office, mesmerized by the decreasing storm outside. It felt odd somehow to see the thunderclouds starting to disperse from the sky as the sun began to set in the horizon. Back at Acclo the climate had been humid and warm, there hadn't even been a cloud on the sky. Sometimes she couldn't grasp the fact that they travelled between planets. It seemed too far-fetched at times to be able to take in.
The doctor sighed as she tore her gaze away from the outside and walked over to her office chair. The computer stood on stand by and the screen was black, the medical files had all been updated and the lab data for the day had been processed. Doctor Cole had seen to it while she'd been away to Acclo, yet she found herself lingering. Her emotions was in conflict about the planet. The first time had displayed a place full of horror and the second time had showed her a place of tranquility and peace. She felt emotionally drained as she sat down behind her desk and brought the computer to life. Down in the left corner of the screen was shortcut to her report. Without hesitation she clicked on it and waited for the document to open.
"Okay," she said with determination. "I think it's time to end this."
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/ I can't say it's been a trip filled with pleasure but in a sense I got to know more about myself and my strengths and weaknesses. I wish I'd never set my foot on Acclo but things can't be undone. On the bright side I'm still alive and the team that I accompanied is still intact.
/ Anyway, what happened after Doctor McKay had saved us from being Wraith food was that Teyla managed to mentally connect with a Wraith queen from the hive in orbit. She learned a great deal from probing her mind. Personally I just wished for the connection to sever because I saw the toll it took on my friend. When it finally was severed Ronon and Teyla shared their tales about the Ancients, retold stories from their childhood, while Rodney was fixing the DHD.
/ I stared at the gate as Doctor McKay worked. As if I could get it to work by using my willpower. Unfortunately I don't have the ATA gene so it wouldn't have helped no matter how hard I had tried. I don't really know how long I sat there, both physically and mentally exhausted, but then I suddenly saw the blue shimmering from the gate before me – something I'd never thought I'd see again. It felt like it called me, pulled me towards it. It felt like home was calling me back.
/ Slowly, and in silence, we helped each other, collected the gear we still had with us and walked through the gate. We would live another day after all.
/ Jennifer Keller.
The doctor sagged in her chair and closed her tired eyes. She just sat there for a while before straightening. While letting out a large yawn she saved the document and attached it to an e-mail. With a satisfied albeit tired smile on her lips she sent it to Woolsey.
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Rodney strode into the infirmary and walked straight to Keller's office. "What is it?" he demanded, not the least amused of being dragged away from important tasks in his lab.
"Oh good, there you are," Jennifer returned with a smile, ignoring his blunt question and did her best to hide her own surprise. She glanced up from the screen having forgotten she'd summoned him in the first place. "How are you holding up?"
Rodney made a face.
"Okay, if you have to stop and think about it, I think you are doing pretty well," the young doctor filled in, answering her own question.
"Actually, I'm a bit stiff and I kind of hurt all over the place," he returned and then waved his hand lazily, like it was no big deal. "I've grown used to the pain. Anyway, what was so important?"
"I thought you wanted to know what killed all the technicians back there in the first place," she said and entered a series of commands on her computer.
McKay stared at her screen, a feeling of dread creeping up on him. "Is it contagious? I mean that's what you called me down here for isn't it?" he asked gloomily, his face turning a shade paler than usual. "We are all going to die."
Jennifer just stared at him, not sure what to say, and he couldn't for the world make out what kind of feelings that hid behind her professional mask.
"Well, say something," the scientist whined.
"Isn't it depressing to imagine the worst case scenario every time something happens?" Jennifer finally asked kindly.
He ignored her statement and looked over her shoulder, trying to see for himself what was stated in the report. "You have got to be kidding me," he mumbled as it dawned on him.
"No, there was a gas leak that killed them the moment after the test was initiated. I have been running the scenario a dozens of times and every time it's the same. It was an accident that killed them, or sabotage, I don't know but either way, none of them lived to see that their shield worked," the doctor let on sadly.
Rodney snorted. "They could have held ground against the Wraith much longer with this," he exclaimed as he pointed at the screen. "And they died of a malfunction," he said incredulously. "I don't believe it."
"It's true Rodney, believe it all you want," Jennifer returned seriously.
"Life is cruel," McKay muttered.
"Hey you two, lovebirds. It always starts with a quarrel," an amused Colonel Sheppard said, giving no hint about how long he'd secretly been watching them.
Sheppard couldn't seem to get the mischievous smile off of his face as he stood there, dressed in his military uniform consisting of BDUs and a black regular shirt. The only thing hinting that he would be an important person among the ranks of Atlantis military personnel would be the patch stating his name and rank.
He was rewarded by a faint blush from the good doctor and an undignified look from Rodney, who flushed.
"Oh, can it Sheppard," McKay snapped.
The colonel smirked and then put on an absolutely innocent expression. "What?" he wondered aloud.
McKay placed his hands on his hips. "Don't you have something better to do?" He asked testily.
"Actually no. I..." John stopped for a moment, seemingly in pain as he managed to twist around.
Rodney immediately forgot his harsh tone and looked very concerned all of a sudden, making Jennifer realize that, deep down, beneath all the bickering and teasing there were a strong friendship between John and Rodney no matter what. She had experienced that first hand while on the mission that all four of the team members cared deeply for one another's wellbeing; they were a family in the family in Atlantis.
"Sheppard, are you all right?" Rodney asked worriedly, ready to walk over and support him the best he could.
"Yeah, just having some trouble doing certain movements," he let on with a grimace and switched subject. "The Ancient's had worse luck than you Doc," he said as he turned to look at her.
Jennifer's lip curled slightly before answering. "You mean worse than ours combined?" She asked.
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Teyla woke up to the sunshine streaming through the window. She threw in a deep breath and carefully manoeuvred into a sitting position. The day had finally arrived, the day when the celebrations to the Acclosian's honour would be held.
It was a sad day yet a joyful day at the same time. She would always remember the kind traders and it saddened her deeply to think of their demise. However, today she would put a lid on her emotions and try to enjoy herself. That was the idea with the feast; to honour the dead by celebrating and not to mourn.
The Athosian smiled as she glanced down at her little boy who slept peacefully in his bed next to hers. She gently picked him up in her arms and held him tight. He reminded her about how precious life really were.
"Sheppard to Teyla, are you ready to go?" The colonel's voice came on suddenly over the radio.
"I'm afraid not. But if you're itching to go, I'll catch up with you later," she said softly.
"Nah," Sheppard drawled lazily. "We'll wait. With any luck Ronon and Carson might be here then too."
Teyla suddenly felt bad. She hadn't had time to worry about them with everything that had been going on around her. After a slight hesitation she pushed the button to transmit. "John, are they all right?" she asked carefully.
"I certainly hope so, Teyla," he replied darkly.
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"Hey," Keller said happily as Rodney walked into the infirmary. "What makes you come here? Have you run out of interesting experiments to run?" She teased.
He looked slightly annoyed as he moved closer to where she was sitting behind her desk and pursed his lips into a thin line. "Mock me all you want. I actually came here to get you," Rodney replied.
"Oh?" Jennifer asked innocently, curiously.
"We are attending a feast, or have you forgotten?" he asked. "What are you doing here anyway?"
The doctor turned her wrist and studied her watch for a moment, looking genuinely surprised. "Is it time already?" she asked. "I'm sorry, I kind of forgot the time, been busy."
"With what?" He asked, looking around the quiet infirmary.
"Planning your next physical," she let on with a smirk.
"Why would you do that…" he trailed off as her expression turned smug. "Ha, you're pulling my leg."
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A smile escaped Halling's lips as the gate came to life. A brilliant shimmer of blue reflected upon his Jinto's face as they shared a look.
A moment later Teyla, Jennifer, John, Rodney and Woolsey walked through the ring, the latter looking slightly uncomfortable in his suit.
As soon as the gate shut down behind them Sheppard and the rest moved to the side, causing Halling to frown. "What's happening?" he asked worriedly.
The gate dialled up again and connected to another address. And after a slight moment of apprehension from Halling's side Carson and Ronon walked through, tightly followed by Luigo Gaspari and the rest of the away teams.
"Nice of you to join us," Sheppard greeted with a sly grin as Ronon walked up to him.
"Not exactly a walk in the park, Sheppard, but I sure am glad I went on the mission," the Satedan explained enigmatically.
"Ach, colonel, the daft bugger has been running around the whole morning, helping with the last of the evacuees. But it looks like we made it," the Scot said cheerfully. "We've set up a camp and they're…"
"Happy campers?" John filled in.
"Oh ha ha," Rodney quipped.
"We'll, why don't we all head for the camp?" Halling began diplomatically. "All except Teyla of course. She'll have to ride the carriage."
"What?" Rodney complained.
Jennifer chuckled as she elbowed him in the ribs, Torren still in her arms. "Teyla's been having a little trouble walking lately remember?" she said.
The scientist mumbled something unintelligible under his breath but moved forward next to the doc.
"So, nothing's changed while I've been away then?" Carson said with a hint of amusement in his voice as he walked up to John and Ronon.
"Rodney is still pretty much Rodney," John replied. "I don't think anything can change that."
Carson broke into a grin and shook his head as they began to walk toward the village. "Promise me to never change – any of you," he said softly. "Anyway, shouldn't Amelia Banks, Claire Thomas…"
Sheppard held up a hand to stave off the good doctor. "They'll be here shortly with Lorne and a few scientists and marines," he replied. "Let's walk, shall we?"
"Watch where you put your feet, Sheppard," Ronon stated succinctly with a twinkle in his otherwise serious demeanor.
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"Oh, I don't believe it," Rodney said as they finally walked into the village. "It's even longer than the last time."
"Can it, McKay!" Sheppard said in annoyance but if anyone had listened closely they would have heard the amusement mixed with it as well.
The older Athosians stood waiting for them with welcoming arms and the smell from the casseroles was very inviting. The place looked nothing like it had the last time most of them had been there. No Wraiths, no shadows, no little nasty insects either.
As the day went by Sheppard felt himself relax, he even began to enjoy it. He watched the activity around him. Rodney and Jennifer was sitting side by side, eating and chatting at the same time while Ronon and Amelia Banks walked together on a small road not too far away. Lorne had a big grin on his face as he pulled out a canvas from a rug sack, intent on painting the landscape. Carson was engrossed in a discussion with Halling and Woolsey was gazing out over the green surroundings, his jacket swung over his shoulder.
"John?" Teyla's soft voice suddenly asked.
He looked up to see her hobble toward him.
"Why are you hiding alone out here?" The Athosian said kindly as she motioned for him to move aside a bit so that she could sit down next to him on the large rock.
"I'm not hiding and before you even suggest it…" he said and held up a hand. "I'm not brooding."
"I miss the smart ass remarks, the witty, cunning Colonel John Sheppard who came to our Athosian camp so long ago," she said with a smile.
"He's still here," John replied unconvincingly.
"We all have doubts, John. It's natural. I know you don't like deep conversations but believe me they are necessary at times," she reasoned as she turned to study his face.
Reluctantly he turned his head so that he was facing her, averting his eyes from the surroundings to solely focus on her.
"Remember when you had a word with Claire about me? I was furious with you but you didn't budge and in the end I came out better off and with another friend," the Athosian said.
John frowned. "When a soldier has too much time to think…" he began, choosing his words carefully.
"You've never doubted yourself before and you never will," she returned in complete confidence. "You've just let everything bottle up inside and while recuperating it has caught up with you."
They looked at each other seriously for a moment, no one said anything.
"I guess you're right," he finally relented with a wry grimace, eliciting a chuckle from Teyla.
"What?" he asked.
"You are special to me, John," she said simply as she took his hand into hers. "Not like Torren but in another way. I've found that I'm lost without you around, without your close friendship."
Sheppard squeezed her hand. "Look who's been brooding now," he teased lightly.
"I'm serious, John," she let on as she glanced around. "All this is wonderful, my people living in peace as the Atlantis Expedition is protecting them, but I don't belong with them anymore."
At his questioning look she quickly added. "Something Halling said to me."
Teyla gestured at the playing children, the old women serving casseroles, the young boys sparing, the marking of the Acclosian graveyard and the caved in entrance to the underground complex a bit further away. "I'm different from the Teyla who met you five years ago. I have seen too much, done too much to go back. My place is with Atlantis. When I first got Torren I thought it would be different, that I would settle for a life with my people, that Kanaan and I would be a couple, raising a family…"
John refocused on her, waiting for her to continue.
"It was an arrangement and I knew it from the beginning. He hasn't seen the world as I have seen it. He doesn't understand even though he tries. He will always be Torren's father but he will not be present for most part. I'll try and come to the settlement as much as I can but that's it," she said.
John studied her for a moment, he couldn't read her face but he could hear the mixture of sorrow and joy in her voice. A combination equalizing each other, making it even, making it a fresh start.
"Look at them," Jennifer said with a smile.
Rodney frowned as he turned around slightly to see what Jennifer was seeing. Teyla and John was sitting side by side, their hands locked and a relieved smile played on both their faces.
A faint upward curl creased McKay's lips as he refocused on Jennifer. "What about them?" he asked sounding totally baffled. "They've always been close."
Jennifer crinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes at him and his totally oblivious lack of reading people. "Yes," she returned.
Kanaan watched the two friends as well but from another direction and he kept himself in the shadows. Halling stepped up behind him causing him to jump slightly. The fellow Athosian, the leader of their people in Teyla's absence, followed his gaze to Teyla's and John's intertwined hands.
"I let her go," he whispered sadly. "She was not for me, she never has been."
Halling gently placed a hand on Kanaan's shoulder, silently offering his condolences.
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Richard Woolsey sighed as he pulled out the handkerchief and wiped his brows. Despite the lovely weather the humidity of the air was making the skin clammy. He watched the sun beginning to set far away on the horizon and turned around towards the outskirt of the settlement to see that the Athosian's where preparing to leave, the Atlantis's personal helping out.
He scanned the area in search for Colonel Sheppard and his team only to find them on their way over from the entrance to the underground complex. He caught on to their conversation as they drew near.
"So that's what kept the Acclosian's from knowing about it," Rodney mused.
"Must have been broken during the Wraith raid," Sheppard deduced.
"And we would never have found it if it weren't for the ATA gene. It responded to you," Jennifer reasoned as she looked at John.
"It was just luck that he managed to step on the exact point on which it was activated," Rodney returned in annoyance. "We all know that Sheppard usually manages to get into trouble, one way or another," he said.
Ronon rolled his eyes. "You're just jealous because it wasn't your foot…" he trailed off with an evil smile as the scientist fixed him with an icy glare.
"The shield must have been powered by the ZPM," Teyla said softly as she hobbled along behind them.
"Found anything interesting?" Woolsey asked curiously, interrupting their bickering.
"We found another ancient little gadget," McKay filled in dryly.
"John activated an Ancient entrance guardian. It looked the same as the one Helia used when she locked you out from Atlantis's systems. A pillar rising from the ground, responding to the Ancient gene, or ATA gene as you call it," Teyla explained.
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/Two weeks later/
Woolsey sat in the empty conference room, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand, his eyes glued to a pad in front of him. He heard footsteps and looked up just in time to see Teyla walk in, supported by a crutch, with Ronon close behind to offer support.
"No, that's ridiculous." Rodney said, walking straight up to his chair as he arrived behind Ronon.
Sheppard shrugged as he too entered the room, his hand protectively laid over his side. "Suit yourself McKay."
Teyla looked at Woolsey's confused face.
"Don't even bother Mr. Woolsey," she said with a polite smile.
"I am not, ever, going to admit that Zelenka is any better than I am," Rodney continued, having sat down next to Woolsey.
"You have got to give the man some credit Rodney. After all he did translate something important that you threw away," the colonel replied in slight amusement, his voice carrying a teasing undertone.
"I didn't throw it away; I merely placed it aside for a moment," McKay returned deadpan as he folded his arms, glaring at Sheppard, who had sat down on the other side of Woolsey, next to Teyla.
Keller chose that moment to walk into the room. "I'm sorry I'm late. I got a patient, she apologized as she heard footsteps coming toward the room. Major Lorne and Doctor Zelenka hurried up the stairs. "Obviously, I'm not last," she added.
"Well." Woolsey said amused. "Now that everyone's here, let's begin. I have read through all the mission reports and I'm pleased to see that everyone is making an effort with them," he said sincerely with a sideway glance at Ronon.
The Satedan nodded, feeling Teyla's reassuring hand on his back.
"I have the basic story and I know that Dr. McKay and Dr. Zelenka are still reviewing the data that Team Sheppard, Team Lorne and Team Gaspari managed to retrieve before what was left of the ancient facility finally gave away to the heavy bombardment from the Wraith," the former top diplomat said.
Richard Woolsey paused and glanced around the room. He had seen all of them before and knew what every person in the room could do but he had never worked with them in this way, never been their leader in this way. They had all told him that the rules made by IOA couldn't always be applied but he had tried anyway, perhaps he had tried a little too hard. The rule book be damned, he respected these people and he respected both Dr. Weir and Colonel Carter. It was time to follow them for a change.
"Teyla, I understand that you'll be leaving for the mainland later today and spend time with your people," Woolsey said, waiting for confirmation from her part.
"Yes. Since I'm still not cleared for any assignments and not allowed to gate travel I thought it would be nice to return to my people a little more often than usual. Besides, Kanaan appreciates his time with Torren," she said.
Sheppard straightened in his chair. "I'll take Ronon and Lorne with me and head back to Lantia, or the tower as we named it then, to see if there is anything we might have missed," he reported.
Woolsey raised a curious eyebrow. "I thought I read in that report that Doctor McKay had to destroy parts of the city to prevent a disaster on the planet?" he stated.
"I did but if there is anything we might have overlooked…" Rodney filled in. He didn't finish the sentence, he didn't have to.
Keller turned to Sheppard, a slight smile on her face. "Can't get enough of underground tunnels can you?" she asked with a gleam in her eye.
He gave her a wicked smile in return. "No," Sheppard replied.
"Remember when we opened the gate to the Asurans?" Teyla said somberly, seriously as she glanced around the room.
"How can we ever forget?" Rodney replied sarcastically.
"Remember the cities, built together on the vast oceans? Imagine over ten thousand years ago when Lantia, Atlantis, Terra'aan, Askula and many more cities were joined together," Teyla said, slightly in awe, as she thought back to it. "Each city like a department but with living quarters and day-to-day travelers," she added.
"There is something I don't understand. Why name one of the cities Lantia, like the planet?" Keller asked uncomprehending.
To everyone's surprise it was Ronon who answered. "Because it was the origin of the Ancients," the former Runner said. "On many worlds there are tales about the old city."
"But it was Atlantis who served as the Capital of the Ancient Civilization. And she still exists today," Rodney added.
"Are you going sentimental Rodney?" Sheppard teased.
"I believe that's it," Woolsey said, finishing up the meeting. "Good luck, Colonel Sheppard. I hope you do find something useful."
"Don't go find any trouble, Sheppard, I'm not there to save your ass," Rodney said as he stood up, pad in hand, ready to return to the Janus's lab.
"Piece of a cake," Sheppard replied with a wry smile.
"Great, now you jinxed us," Lorne complained.
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The end
/I have so longed to write those last two words. Anyway, thank you so much ;)