Carson woke from a light doze when he heard voices nearby. He opened his eyes, looked around, and found Serafina Cortes and Sharon standing beside Halling's bed on the other side of the infirmary.
When did we return to the city? he wondered.
He remembered lying on a pile of cushions in one of the Athosian tents listening to Teyla and Charin talking after his rescue from the sinkhole. Teyla had told him they were waiting for Sheppard and Lorne to return with the jumpers. At the time, he had accepted that and let himself drift after Serafina had given him a dose of morphine.
He looked down at himself and found he was dressed in a set of scrubs, his left arm supported by a sling. He had no memory of returning to Atlantis. He groaned as he shifted on the bed and watched Sharon adjust the blanket covering Halling.
"Keep his leg elevated," Serafina said to Sharon as she read something on the tablet computer in her hand. "His scans didn't show any damage to his skull, but we will need to track his mental awareness once he is awake."
Sharon nodded and made a note on her computer. "Teyla radioed while you were still in surgery. Jinto is asking when he can see his father."
"You may inform Teyla that she and the boy may have a short visit," Serafina replied with a smile. "Not too long, though. I doubt Halling will be awake to know they are here."
Carson frowned at that. Just how serious were Halling's injuries? he wondered.
He sat up with a low groan as the ache in his shoulder flared, pushed the bedcovers aside, and sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, letting the pain ebb. Before he could start to stand, however, he felt a hand on his right arm, holding him in place.
"And where do you think you're going?" Serafina asked with a stern expression on her face.
"I wanted to check on Halling -" Carson started to say with a nod at the bed across the room.
"Halling is going to be fine," Cortes replied.
Carson sighed at the pointed look she gave him and settled back in the bed.
"We inserted two pins to stabilise the bones in his ankle while it heals," Cortes continued as she pulled up the blanket. "He also has two cracked ribs and we're monitoring the concussion. Barring any complications, he should recover without any long-term issues."
Carson nodded and winced as his shoulder throbbed.
"As for you," Serafina said as she smiled down at Carson. "You have a mild concussion of your own to worry about, not to mention several cuts and bruises along with the subluxation." She nodded at the sling. "You need to rest and not worry about Halling for the time being."
Carson knew she was right, but he couldn't help the feelings of helplessness and frustration from lying in his own infirmary. He gave her a crooked smile that turned into a hiss of pain as he tried to find a comfortable position in the bed.
"I'll bring you your next dose of pain medication," Cortes said and made a note on the computer in her hand.
She came back a few minutes later with a paper cup, handed Carson the pills, and poured him a glass of water.
"Thank you, Serafina," Carson said once he swallowed the pills.
"You're welcome. Try and get some rest," she said as she took the glass from him and adjusted the blanket covering him.
Carson settled back in the bed and was dozing again when he heard the main door to the infirmary slide open. He opened his eyes and watched as Teyla and Jinto walked into the room. Teyla smiled and nodded in his direction as she led Jinto over to Halling's bed.
"Father?" Jinto called in a near whisper as he stopped at the end of Halling's bed.
"Your father is going to be fine," Serafina told him with a smile as she walked over to them. "He will need help for the next several weeks, but given some time, he will be back to his normal self."
"Thank you, Doctor Cortes," Teyla said as Jinto moved around the side of the bed and sat down in the waiting chair.
"You're welcome, Teyla. Don't stay too long, please. My patients need their rest."
"We will keep our visit short," Teyla promised.
Serafina nodded and walked back to her desk.
Teyla glanced over at Carson, turned to Jinto, and said, "I will be right back."
Jinto looked up at her with a nod then focused on Halling again.
"Carson, how are you?" Teyla asked as she stopped next to his bed.
"Not bad, all things considered," he replied with a smile. "Everyone else is all right? No one else in the village was injured?"
"Thankfully, everyone else is fine. It is well we moved the tents away from the forest, or more people could have been hurt."
Carson nodded and winced as his shoulder throbbed. "What about the rest of your team?" he asked with a glance around the room. "I remember someone mentioning Colonel Sheppard found a ship crashed somewhere on the planet?"
Teyla nodded. "Colonel Sheppard, Ronon, and Rodney are all well. They had some trouble getting out of the ship, but they were not injured."
Carson nodded. "Has Rodney figured out where the ship came from, at all?"
"No," Teyla replied. "They found a recorded message that mentioned Dravnians and Thranids, but neither Ronon nor myself has ever heard of such people. Rodney plans to search the Ancestors database for more information.
"From what Colonel Sheppard told me, it appears the ship crashed on the planet at some point in the distant past. There is a meeting scheduled in the morning to discuss the matter with Doctor Weir."
Carson grimaced as he shifted in the bed. "And how are you doing?" he asked, giving Teyla a sympathetic look.
"I do not -"
Carson shook his head, and Teyla stopped speaking. "I heard you and Charin talking while we were waiting for Sheppard and the others to return," he told her when he saw the expression of denial on her face. "Something about finding your way with your people and with us?" he prodded.
Teyla looked down at her hands. "It is my problem," she said. "I will find a solution."
"You of all people should know by now, you have people here more than willing to help you." Carson held out his hand and waited for Teyla to take it. "I'll do anything you need me to," he told her. "I'm certain the others will as well, but you need to talk to them. Tell them what's been troubling you."
"Charin gave me the same advice," Teyla said.
"Charin is a wise woman," Carson replied with a gentle smile. "Is there any particular reason you want to keep this from Colonel Sheppard and the others?"
Teyla pursed her lips. "I do not believe Colonel Sheppard or Doctor McKay will really understand. Both have found their calling here in Atlantis." She glanced at Halling and Jinto. "They do not feel the frustration of being pulled in two different directions by opposing responsibilities."
Carson frowned. "I think you are selling them a bit short, my dear," he said. "They may not have the close family ties back on Earth that you have with your people, but that doesn't mean they won't understand your feelings or want to help." He watched the mix of emotions as they played across Teyla's face. "Just think about it, won't you?"
Teyla took a deep breath and smiled as she squeezed his hand. "I will," she promised. "Thank you, Carson."
"You're more than welcome, lass," he replied.
He watched as she walked back over to the other bed, patted Halling's arm, then smiled at Jinto. "Doctor Cortes asked that we keep our visit short this evening," she said in a low voice. "We need to leave your father to rest tonight. We will return tomorrow when he will be awake."
Jinto nodded and stood. "Good night, Father," he said and followed Teyla out of the infirmary.
Carson shifted in the bed until he found a position that took some of the pressure off his aching shoulder and tried to sleep. He could admit he had never really thought about the dual responsibilities Teyla dealt with, balancing her life in Atlantis with her duty to her people on the mainland.
Had Sheppard? he wondered as his eyes drooped. Or Elizabeth?
The next time he woke up, it was to a repetitive tapping sound coming from his left side. Carson opened his eyes and glanced around the infirmary. The lights in the room were set to their normal daytime setting and he assumed it was morning. That assumption was confirmed when he saw Halling sitting up on the other side of the room slowly eating from a bowl.
"About time," a voice said.
Carson looked to his left and found Rodney sitting in the chair next to the bed, a laptop computer on the roll-away table in front of him.
"I was beginning to think you planned to sleep the whole day and I have meetings I have to go to soon," Rodney added as he finished typing something on the computer and turned to Carson.
"Good morning to you, too, Rodney," Carson replied sarcastically as he tried to sit up.
Carson was a bit surprised when Rodney stood and helped rearrange the pillows behind his back. He nodded his thanks as Rodney sat back down and focused on the computer. As he typed something on the keyboard, Carson realised Rodney's typing had been the source of the tapping that had woken him up.
"How long have you been here?" Carson asked once he was more comfortable.
Rodney glanced down at his watch. "A while," he replied. He glanced over at Carson, then focused on the computer. "Wanted to make sure you were okay," he muttered, never looking up from the keyboard.
Carson smiled down at his arm and shook his head. "I'm going to be fine," he said and winced as he tried to adjust the strap for the sling.
"Annoying, isn't it," Rodney said, still focused on the computer.
Carson saw Rodney's sideways grin and had a biting comment on the tip of his tongue when Serafina walked over and stopped at the end of the bed.
"Good morning, Carson," Serafina greeted. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"A bit sore," Carson admitted. "But not too bad, really."
"That's good," Cortes replied with a smile. "Once you've had something to eat, we'll talk about your rehab schedule for your shoulder and then I think you can go back to your quarters and rest."
"Thank you, Serafina, love," Carson said.
Carson was still eating when the door to the infirmary opened a few minutes later and Sheppard walked in. He stopped at Halling's bed for a few moments, then walked over and stood next to Rodney's chair.
"Carson," Sheppard said in greeting. "How are you feeling?"
"Better, thank you," Carson replied.
"You gave all of us quite a scare yesterday," Sheppard said.
"Yes, well, it certainly wasn't part of my plan for the day to get sucked into a sinkhole."
"It never is," Rodney muttered as he closed the laptop and stood.
"No, I suppose not," Carson replied remembering the number of times Rodney or one of the others came back from missions with various injuries.
"We have a meeting with Elizabeth in a few minutes," Sheppard said to Carson. "Is there anything you want one of us to bring back for you?"
Carson finished his juice and shook his head. "No need, Colonel, but thank you all the same." He waited until Rodney was a few steps away then reached out and tugged on Sheppard's sleeve. "Rodney was all right after everything that happened yesterday?"
Sheppard glanced over at Rodney standing near the door, then looked back at Carson with a nod. "He didn't have any relapses if that's what you're asking. Doctor Cortes checked him over last night. She says most of the enzyme is gone now, so he should be fine."
Carson tugged on the strap around his neck. "Good to hear."
Sheppard smiled and glanced down at his watch. He started to say something, but Carson waved his free hand toward the infirmary door.
"Go," Carson said. "I'll be fine."
Sheppard stepped back from the bed with a wave and followed Rodney out of the infirmary.
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
Elizabeth watched as Sheppard's team filed into the conference room and found seats around the triangular table. So much for a quiet few days, Elizabeth thought to herself. A sinkhole and a crashed alien ship. How did a simple trip to the mainland for the summer festival end up so complicated? she wondered.
"Teyla? How is Halling this morning?" Elizabeth asked once everyone was settled.
"He is doing as well as can be expected," Teyla replied. "He does not remember much of what happened yesterday, though Doctor Cortes says that is to be expected, and to not be overly concerned. He will need to remain in the infirmary for another day or two, but should be able to return to the mainland by the end of the week."
Elizabeth nodded and made a note on the pad next to her. "Good. Is there anything we can do to assist the village?"
"I am not sure," Teyla replied. "My people have never dealt with a natural phenomenon such as this before."
"I understand the sinkhole formed near a well. I can send a team of people to help find a new water source."
"Before you do any of that, we need to send a geology team back to the mainland to figure out what caused the sinkhole in the first place," Rodney said. "If more of the area is unstable, the Athosians may need to move the village."
Elizabeth noticed Teyla's resigned expression as well as her sagging shoulders at this news. "Teyla? Is something wrong?"
Teyla unclenched her hands and shook her head. "No, Doctor Weir. My people regularly moved with the seasons on Athos. If it becomes necessary, we can move again."
"Doesn't mean you have to like it though," Sheppard said with a knowing smile.
"Are you willing to have a science team come and survey the area around the village?" Elizabeth asked Teyla.
"Thank you, Doctor Weir," Teyla replied and bowed her head. "I would appreciate any help you can offer to the village."
Elizabeth nodded and glanced at Rodney.
"I'll get Volkov to assign a team," Rodney promised.
"Very good," Elizabeth said. She made another note, then said, "Now, Colonel, what can you tell me about this ship you found?"
Elizabeth listened as John explained about finding the ship half-buried in the side of a mountain, getting stuck when the main hatch sealed, and finding their way back out.
"And there was nothing else describing who these people were or where they came from?" Elizabeth asked once he was finished.
Sheppard shook his head.
"I didn't have a chance to find any more information in the ship's systems," Rodney said. "But I did some digging through the Ancient database this morning."
"When did you have time to do that?" Sheppard asked.
"While I was waiting for Carson to wake up," Rodney replied. "No one bothers me when I'm in the infirmary."
"And here I thought you were actually concerned about us when you came to visit," Sheppard said with a crooked smile and a glance at Teyla and Ronon.
"I was, I mean, I am," Rodney stuttered with a glare at John.
Sheppard grinned and waved off Rodney's attempt to explain. "What did you find out?" he asked.
Rodney gave him one last scowl, then turned to Elizabeth. "The Ancients knew about the Dravnian homeworld. The planet had a stargate, and more importantly for the Ancients, it was a rich resource for the metals they needed to build their ships."
"And the Thranid's planet?" Elizabeth asked.
Rodney shrugged. "There wasn't any information on the Thranid planet."
"Ronon mentioned something about Travellers, people that lived their entire lives on ships," Sheppard said. "Maybe the Thranids did the same thing."
"It would be a good strategy for avoiding the Wraith," Teyla added.
Rodney shook his head. "Good guess, but no. Wherever they were from, they were known even to the Ancients as basically pirates. There are several mentions in the database of Ancient ships encountering Thranid ships and destroying them out of hand. They either never found the Thranid homeworld or never looked for it."
"The message we heard said the Dravnians were leaving their planet," Sheppard said. "It sounded to me like they were trying to evacuate as many people as possible."
"Running from the Wraith?" Ronon suggested.
"Or there was some sort of plague or natural disaster," Rodney retorted. "The fact is, we will never know for sure."
"And neither of you have heard of either of these civilisations?" Elizabeth asked with a glance first at Ronon and then at Teyla.
Ronon shook his head.
"The names are not familiar to me," Teyla replied. "As you are aware, there are several different pirate factions still in the galaxy today, they may be descended from these Thranid people."
"So chances are the Dravnians at least are extinct," Sheppard said with a frown.
"Most likely, yes," Rodney replied.
"We could try dialling the planet the Dravnians are from," Sheppard suggested. "You said they had a stargate. Did you find a 'gate address for the planet?"
"Yes," Rodney replied. "And I'm already way ahead of you, as usual. I already tried to dial the planet after I found the address. The 'gate couldn't get a lock." He turned to Elizabeth and added, "There might be some interesting technology, not to mention their database, still inside the ship. I can -"
"No," Sheppard said.
Rodney glared back at John. "No? It's a spaceship, Colonel. Even if it's not Ancient, there could be something buried inside it we could use. From what I could see -"
"No," Sheppard said again, his expression hard. "We're not going to do anything with or to that ship. We leave it alone."
"But -" Rodney started to argue.
"It's a tomb, Rodney," Sheppard interrupted with a hard look at McKay. "Let those people rest in peace."
Rodney studied John's face for a moment and Elizabeth wondered if he would push the issue of investigating the ship or let the idea go. It was clear to her John wasn't going to be swayed to change his mind.
"We'll leave the ship alone," Rodney said a few seconds later and sat back in his chair.
"I believe that is the right thing to do," Teyla said with a nod at Sheppard.
"I agree," Elizabeth said and glanced from one face to the next. "However, first the Ancient waypost last year, and now this crashed ship, it does raise the question of what else might be on the mainland that we don't know about."
"Parrish has been bugging Heller, who then keeps emailing me, for permission to take a botany team to the mainland," Rodney said. "If we're doing a geologic survey, anyway, may as well let the rest of them go too."
"Feeling generous all of a sudden?" Sheppard asked with a smile.
Rodney snorted. "Hardly. I'm looking forward to the peace and quiet with all of them out of my hair for a few days."
John shook his head. "Things seem quiet enough at the moment," he said to Elizabeth. "Now is as good a time as any to take the jumpers and some of Rodney's scientists and do a more complete planet survey."
"All right," Elizabeth said. "Rodney, if you and Colonel Sheppard would coordinate the pilots and Marines to escort each team, we'll go ahead with the scientific exploration of the mainland."
Rodney pushed back his chair and stood. "I'll talk to Radek and we'll start putting together the science teams. We'll prioritise the geologic survey of the village and that team should be ready to go tomorrow."
John nodded and stood as well. "Sergeant Stackhouse could do with some flight time; I'll let him know he has a mission."
Elizabeth watched them leave the room. "Teyla," she called and waited for Teyla to turn around. "Can I have a word?"
"Certainly, Doctor Weir," Teyla replied. She nodded to Ronon who left the room, then sat back in her chair. "Was there something else you wished to discuss?"
Elizabeth set her pen down on the pad of paper and clasped her hands in front of her. "Is everything all right? I couldn't help noticing that you seem a bit on edge."
Teyla glanced at the closed door to the conference room, then down at her hands. "It has been a difficult few days."
Elizabeth pursed her lips. "I get the feeling whatever is the matter, there is more to it than just the sinkhole and Halling's injuries. Is there something else going on in the village?"
"Everyone in the village is fine," Teyla assured her with a tight smile.
Elizabeth gave her a shrewd look. "I remember the first time I led a peace negotiation back on Earth. The two parties involved had been fighting a low-grade guerilla war with each other for years, but after several incidents where innocents were injured and in a few cases, killed, the international community decided it was time to step in and find a different solution. A diplomatic expedition was put together and we tried to broker a peace between the two factions.
"I was sent overseas for weeks at a time working out the details of the treaty. Meanwhile, Simon was back home dealing with the death of his brother and trying to balance a new job at the hospital with everything he needed to do to plan a funeral and deal with his brother's estate."
Elizabeth paused and looked down at her hands clasped on the table. "I felt so guilty I was unable to be with him. I wasn't even able to attend the funeral. Simon said he understood, that he didn't blame me in any way, but that didn't change the fact I wasn't there when he needed me."
Elizabeth studied Teyla for a moment. "Travelling through the stargate with Colonel Sheppard and balancing your duties to your people on the mainland must be equally difficult."
Teyla relaxed and nodded. "I did not expect the challenges to be so stressful," she admitted. "I do not want to abandon my people, however, I also know the work I am doing here is just as important." She leant back in her chair. "How did you find balance between your family and your responsibilities?"
"I called home every night," Elizabeth replied. "I did whatever I could to help Simon until the negotiation was complete and I could go home." She sat forward in her chair. "If you need to spend more time on the mainland, I will support that decision as I'm sure the rest of your team will as well. Please don't think you must choose one life over the other."
Teyla smiled and stood. "Thank you, Doctor Weir. I will think about what I want to do and let you know."
Elizabeth picked up her pad and pen. "Good. We're here to help any way we can, you know."
Teyla nodded and fell into step beside Elizabeth. "May I ask, what happened to the two groups involved in your peace treaty? Did your negotiation have the desired outcome?"
Elizabeth smiled and waved her hand over the sensor for the door. "For a few years, yes," she replied. "Sadly, old habits tend to die hard. Before we left Earth, there were rumors the treaty had started to fall apart."
"I am sorry to hear that."
"So was I," Elizabeth replied.
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
Teyla left the conference room and wandered through the corridors of the city, trying to decide what she should do about her conflicting duties to Colonel Sheppard and her people. She was grateful for Doctor Weir's understanding, but instead of making her decision easier, she was left even more off balance. Charin and Elizabeth both believed she could live in both worlds, but Teyla still couldn't see how.
She knew she could do more for her people if she remained a part of Colonel Sheppard's team. She could maintain the Athosians' current trade agreements as well as forge new ones that would benefit her people as well as those living in the city. Her position on Sheppard's team also gave her leverage when dealing with the Earth politicians that Doctor Weir dealt with on a regular basis.
More than that, she respected John and trusted his leadership. She genuinely liked Rodney, even if he did try her patience on a regular basis, and she felt a connection to Ronon thanks to their shared experiences as well as their shared loss. They, along with Carson, Doctor Weir, and many others were just as important to her as Halling, or Charin, or any of her people on the mainland.
So what was she to do? she wondered. Where was the balance point between her old life and her new one?
She walked back to her quarters, lit the candles lined along the window sill and sat cross-legged on the floor with her eyes closed. She took several deep breaths and willed herself to let go of her guilt and confusion. She hoped if she could settle her mind, the answer would appear. Half an hour later she gave up, stood, and blew out the candles. For once, meditation was not helping her to find the answer.
She knew Colonel Sheppard would go running in the lower sections of the city when he needed to think and that Rodney tended to tinker when he was working through a problem. Teyla blew out a breath, picked up her workout bag, and left her room. If stillness wasn't the answer, perhaps she needed something more active to settle her thoughts, she decided and headed toward the nearest transporter.
An hour later, she stood in the center of the workout room, her weight centered, as she slowly moved through another stick fighting form. She bent low, sweeping one leg in a low kick as she spun around then came back up with her right arm extended and her left held low in a guard position. She finished the form and took several deep breaths as she relaxed and walked back over to the bench against the wall. She patted the sweat off of her arms and face with a towel and stared at her reflection in the mirror across the room as she drank some water.
"Did it help?" a voice asked behind her.
Teyla spun around and found Sheppard leaning in the doorway for the workout room.
"Colonel," Teyla said in greeting, doing her best to hide her surprise that she had been discovered.
Sheppard walked over to the bench and picked up the pair of fighting sticks.
"Was there something you needed?" Teyla asked after a brief silence. "I did not think we had a practice scheduled for today."
John spun one of the sticks in his hand and studied Teyla's face. "We don't," he replied with a smile. "But you didn't answer me," he said as he focused on spinning the sticks in his hands. "Did this," he waved one of the sticks at the room in general, "help?"
She gave John what she hoped was a puzzled look as she set the bottle of water back on the bench.
"Something's been bothering you for a few days now," Sheppard said. "Even McKay has noticed."
Teyla gave Sheppard a tight smile. "I am merely concerned for Halling," she replied.
"Funny, I just left the infirmary after checking on Carson. Halling was sitting up and talking with Jinto. He seemed pretty okay to me." Sheppard paused a moment. "Ronon says you've been acting strange ever since you left to pick fruit with the Athosians. Did something happen while you were gone?"
Teyla heard the hard bite behind Sheppard's light tone. "Nothing like that," she assured him. She took a few steps away from the bench and turned around. "The truth is, I was reminded of how much I am missing what is happening with my people by living in Atlantis."
Sheppard frowned and set the sticks back on the bench. "Do you want to leave?" he asked, and Teyla heard the underlying hurt in his tone.
"No," she told him. She stepped closer to John and rested a hand on his arm. "Being here, being a part of your team, that is important to me as well." She dropped her hand. "But it is difficult. Jinto and his friends are nearly men. Isla's baby boy? The one born here last year? He is now walking and starting to talk."
Teyla turned away from Sheppard and walked back to the center of the room. "Charin is getting older, too," she admitted softly. "I am not sure how many years I may have left with her." She looked up at the intricate pattern worked into the ceiling of the room, then glanced back at John. "When Rodney broke his leg a few months ago, that was the longest period of time I had spent with my people since we came to the city from Athos."
Sheppard pursed his lips and nodded. "I think we can work something out so you can visit more often," he said. "Something that doesn't involve breaking any of McKay's bones." He smiled and Teyla found herself smiling back. "These survey missions of the planet Weir wants us to do will take a few weeks at least. Take that time and spend it with your people."
"And after that?" Teyla asked.
John shrugged and walked over to her. "After that, I'll do what I can to make sure you can make regular trips to the mainland."
Teyla heard the sincerity in his tone and bowed her head. "Thank you, John."
"Any time," Sheppard replied as they walked toward the door.
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
Rodney stepped out of the transporter, the laptop tucked under one arm as he squeezed the therapy ball with his left hand. He entered his lab, set the computer on his desk and looked around the room. Between everything that had happened with Ford and then the enzyme, it had been almost a month since he'd been in the lab. He glanced through the notes Radek had left for him on the status of the science department, then stuffed the ball into his jacket pocket and wandered over to the work table.
His foot kicked the cloaking generator stored under the table, and Rodney stared at it for several moments. He had given up on his idea of finding a way to use the city's shield and the cloak at the same time after the disastrous events on Doranda. The weapon blowing up had shaken him more than he had wanted to admit, and at the time he wasn't at all confident he wouldn't end up doing something similar to Atlantis if he meddled with the city's only form of defence.
He tapped the generator with his foot, lost in thought.
"I try and make it a habit not to make the same mistake twice," he remembered saying to Sheppard right before the Arcturus weapon blew up, nearly taking him and John, not to mention the Daedalus, with it.
He thought he had learnt over the last few months how to keep his curiosity, not to mention his ego, under better control. He hadn't let either get the better of him on Rivis even as dreams of returning the city to full power danced in his imagination as he worked on the Ancient subspace emitter.
"You can do this," he told himself glancing down at the cloaking generator scavenged from the jumper they'd left on Lurra.
His theories on how to get the dual emitter to work were sound, he'd checked and rechecked the math several times when he had first come up with the idea. There was no reason why his plan shouldn't work. After another moment of hesitation, Rodney made his decision.
He walked over to a storage cabinet on the far side of the room and pulled out the boxed components for the combination shield and cloaking emitter he'd been working on before the mission to Doranda. He picked up the box and quickly dropped it on the end of the work table when he lost his grip and the box started to slip.
"Of course you can only do this with two good hands," he grumbled.
He glared down at his left hand and tried to flex his fingers. The annoying pins-and-needles feeling was still there, and he still tended to drop things on a regular basis, climbing up and down ladders the day before hadn't done much to help either the pain or his dexterity. Carson seemed pleased with his progress, but Rodney was frustrated that after almost two weeks, he still couldn't do much with his left hand.
He pushed the box over to the end of the table where his stool sat then went back for his notes and drawings for the new emitter. He was still reviewing his notes when he heard a tap as the door to the lab slid open and Zelenka walked into the room.
Rodney caught the tiny, knowing smile on Radek's face when he caught sight of the pieces for the emitter scattered on the table. Before he could say anything in his defence, Zelenka schooled his expression and stopped at the end of the work table.
"Rodney," he greeted. "I understand you and Colonel Sheppard found an alien ship on the mainland yesterday."
Rodney grunted as he pulled more components out of the box and laid them out on the table. "We did."
Radek rolled his eyes at the terse response. "Okay," he drawled. "Do you want a science team to go back out to the ship and investigate?"
"No," Rodney told him. "The ship is off-limits." He glanced up and saw Zelenka's frown. "There were … people … still inside the ship," Rodney explained.
"Ahh," Radek replied, his expression shifting from confusion to sadness.
Rodney waited a moment then said, "But it does prove we need to have a better idea of what is out on the mainland. Elizabeth wants an in-depth survey done. Detailed maps, an idea of the indigenous plants and animals. Obviously, if they find any structures, I'm to be notified immediately."
"Obviously," Radek replied.
Was that sarcasm? Rodney wondered as he gave Zelenka a hard look. "A geology team also needs to survey the area around the Athosian village."
Radek nodded. "As soon as we heard about the sinkhole yesterday, Doctor Volkov started to assemble a team to take samples and help the Athosians deal with the damage."
Rodney nodded as he studied one of his drawings for the emitter. "They also need to survey for a new well." He looked up at Zelenka. "Preferably one that won't cause another sinkhole to form in a few years."
"I will let them know." Radek paused and picked up one of the pieces for the emitter. "I am glad to see you are working on the new shielding idea again."
"Mmm," Rodney replied, not paying attention as he shuffled through his design notes.
Radek sighed and put down the component. "I will just go set up the meeting for the department heads to discuss the planet survey," he said after a brief silence.
"Good," Rodney muttered. Radek was almost back to the door when Rodney looked up and added. "I'll let you know when I'm ready to test the emitter."
Radek glanced back with a nod and a smile, then left the lab.
Several hours later, Rodney leant back from the work table, vertebrae popping as he moved, and studied the emitter in front of him. It wasn't as elegant as the Ancient design, but he told himself it was only a scale model for testing.
The prototype was almost a meter in length and another half meter in circumference. A long conical tip in the center with four smaller tips surrounding it made up one end while the other end was a mass of wires and plugs.
No, it wasn't pretty, he thought with a wry smile, but it should do what he needed to test his idea.
He picked up the emitter and was twisting it back-and-forth in the light, studying the various connections and wires, when the door to the lab opened, and this time Sheppard walked into the room.
"Some kind of bomb?" John asked as he pulled out the stool on the other side of the work table and sat down.
"Figures the first thing you think of is a weapon," Rodney replied. "No, it's not a bomb, or a grenade, or any other kind of explosive. It's a prototype design for a new shield emitter."
"Okay," John said. "What's wrong with the current emitters?"
"Nothing," Rodney replied as he set the prototype back on the worktable. "If I can get it to work, this one will allow us to use the shield and the cloak at the same time. No more need to switch between them. Might come in handy if anyone figures out we're still here."
Rodney looked up and found Sheppard watching him. "Anyone, in particular, you have in mind?"
He heard the defensiveness in John's tone but didn't care. "You mean besides the Wraith?" he retorted. "Assuming you're right and Ford did somehow manage to escape that hive ship before it exploded, let's just say, I'm not terribly interested in following up on any more so-called leads from anonymous sources when it comes to searching for more Zed-PMs."
Sheppard studied him for a moment longer, then nodded. "You might have a point," he admitted, looking down at his hands clasped on the table..
"Of course I'm right," Rodney retorted, but the statement lacked any real heat.
He didn't take pleasure in pointing out that Ford was untrustworthy. He knew how seriously Sheppard took the concept of team and how much it hurt him when something happened to one of them. But Ford had drugged him against his will. John needed to see that Ford was the one to break ties with the team, not the other way around.
Rodney picked up one of the spare pieces from the emitter and twisted it in his fingers, debating whether or not to ask the question that had been burning in the back of his mind ever since he'd been dragged back to Ford's hideout after the others had left the planet in the dart.
"Do you think …" He started, then stopped.
"Do I think what?" John replied.
Rodney dropped the component on the work table and took a deep breath. "Do you think the link is the reason Ford told his men to hold me as a hostage while the rest of you attacked the hive ship?" He glanced at John then down at his hands.
"Maybe that was part of it," Sheppard replied. "He also knew about the chaguo ndugu stuff. Of the three of you, Ford knew holding you would have the highest chance of forcing me to go along with his plan."
"Because he didn't think I could get away," Rodney muttered. He flexed the fingers of his left hand and sighed.
"He did underestimate you," John agreed with a tiny smile. He leant forward on the stool and added. "Of course, there could be another reason."
Rodney gave John a puzzled glance. "Such as?"
John toyed with a spool of wire sitting on the edge of the table. "I think some part of the Ford we knew was also trying to protect you."
Rodney snorted.
John looked over at him. "He told me he didn't think you'd do well on the mission when I suggested bringing all of you along."
"He tried to kill me twice on P3M-736," Rodney argued. "Kind of hard to believe he wanted to keep me safe this time."
John crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the emitter. "We'll likely never know for sure why Ford did what he did."
Rodney let the silence grow for another few moments, then changed the subject. "Was there any particular reason you came down here?"
"Yeah, actually. Teyla radioed me. She wanted to remind me she had brought some of those fruit pies you liked so much back with us yesterday and suggested meeting in the mess hall for dinner."
Rodney felt his stomach rumble at the mention of food and stood. "Why didn't you say so? Let's go before Ronon eats all of them."
John shook his head as he stood and followed Rodney out of the lab. "See, always thinking with your stomach."
Rodney ignored the jibe as he led the way back to the transporter.
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
Several hours later, Rodney sat on the converted jumper seat in the rec room, playing with the challenge coin John had given him. He had spent the last several months working to repair his relationship with Sheppard after everything that happened on Doranda. He saw the coin was tangible proof John had finally forgiven him.
Did Sheppard see it the same way, though? he wondered. That was the question.
"Thought I'd find you in here," Sheppard said as he walked into the room a few minutes later. "Bit surprised you aren't playing though."
Rodney glanced up from his study of the coin and nodded at the corner where the keyboard usually sat.
The now-empty corner.
"Nothing to play," he replied. "I guess whoever brought it was reassigned back to Earth." Rodney glanced down at his left hand. "Besides," he added, "can't play much at the moment anyway."
John sat down beside him on the bench. "Is the ball helping?"
Rodney shrugged. "Carson seems happy enough. He says it's just going to take time."
Sheppard nodded and draped his arm along the back of the seat. "So if the keyboard isn't here, why are you?"
Rodney shrugged again and went back to flipping the coin in his hand. "We're good, right?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Yeah, Rodney, we're good," John assured him.
Rodney sat back on the seat, the coin clutched in his hand. "I can't promise I won't do something else that screws things up. I'm kinda messed up when it comes to family, just as Jeannie."
John smiled. "I don't have the best track record either," he replied. "We'll figure it out."
Rodney nodded and stuffed the coin in his trouser pocket.
"You left the mess hall before I could tell you the news," John said a few minutes later.
"What news?"
"Elizabeth has authorised a mission to go back to Ymber and pick up the dart I left there," John explained. "When the Daedalus gets back here, she'll ask Caldwell to fly us out to the planet. The dart should fit in one of the hangar bays, and once we're back here, we can park it out on one of the piers for you and your scientists to tear apart."
Rodney sat up and stared at Sheppard. "Do you have any idea what we could learn from a functioning dart?"
He jumped up from the bench seat and paced back-and-forth, forgetting for a moment John was even there.
"Radek has been working on a few ideas to create a shield that would block the Wraith culling beams but we didn't have a way to test it after …" He shuddered at the memory of having Cadman stuck in his head.
He turned back to John and continued ticking off ideas. "If we figure out how their communications gear works, we could hack those systems and track whole hive groups. Then there's all of the technology behind how the Wraith build their ships in general."
He left the rec room in a rush, barely aware of Sheppard following him. "I need to talk to Radek. We need to have a plan ready to go when the Daedalus gets back here. Hooker will want more samples of the organics," Rodney muttered. "I can't wait to tear apart one of those engines and see how it works. Maybe we could …"
Rodney stepped into the transporter still listing off all of the people he'd need once the dart was back in Atlantis, he never saw the private smile on Sheppard's face as he followed Rodney into the transporter.
"Oh, and now we know you can fly it," Rodney added with a glance at John as the transporter opened on the hallway leading back to his lab. "We can test the manoeuvrability and flight systems too."
"Hang on, I'm not so sure I like this part of the plan," John replied, but Rodney ignored him.
"Then there's everything with the containment field. Think what something like that could do for storage and the transport of supplies on the Daedalus," Rodney continued as he led the way back to his lab.
FIN
Additional Note:
This story marks the twentieth story in my SGA series, basically a whole extra season's worth of content. Wow. When I started writing these stories I never expected to continue past the first few episodes of the first season. However, the more I wrote, the more ideas I had, and you guys have been wonderful with the reviews and favorites, letting me know you love reading them as much as I love writing them. There are at least three more stories coming for season two (and of course, Grace Under Pressure will be included!). There may be a story following Michael as well if I can figure out how to make it work.
I've also started the early planning for a season three series. I'm thinking of calling that series "Team Sheppard". What do you guys think? Good? Or a bit too on the nose?
Anyway, this note is a way for me to say thank you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for the reviews and the faves. Thank you for following me on this journey with our favorite team.