15

Opportunities

Sixty-eight-hours before zero hour

Jack O'Neill arched an eyebrow as General Landry showed up the door to his office. "The real General Landry I hope?" he stated.

Hank shrugged. "Who else would it be?" he asked curiously.

Jack made a face as he leaned back in his chair. "Don't know. Colonel Young used to be here, posing as Colonel Telford from time to time. Doctor Rush came once too – creepy guy. Didn't really trust him."

"I thought you'd gotten rid of that that long-range-communication-device and thrown away the key a long time ago," the Head of SGC replied.

"Oh, we have," O'Neill assured him. "It's just that we have people initiated in the transfer progress walking around here. They can make me a little nervous from time to time."

"Didn't know you were that paranoid," Hank quipped with a smirk.

"It's this chair, this position," Jack remarked dryly. "You know, sometimes I'd love to back out there with a P-90 and do some exploring."

Landry rolled his eyes. "Sure, you do," he said sarcastically. "Nope, I know you by now. There is something else that has got you this cranky."

"I was hoping to get to see Carter before she shipped out again," he relented.

"Aha," Hank mused. "Just between two Generals – why haven't the two of you hooked up yet?"

Jack looked at him indignantly. "We never seem to be at the same place at the same time nowadays and when we were, it wasn't the time nor the place."

Hank opened his mouth to say something but wisely remained quiet.

"I do have a feeling there was something you wanted to discuss?" Jack said.

"Yes," Landry replied darkly. "We're behind schedule at Atlantis. Every damn minute counts. That crazy fool, Colonel Mitchell and his team, might be dead by the time anyone can rescue them."

"Well, whose crazy idea was it anyway?" Jack countered. "Who in their right mind thought everything would be ready within a seventy-two-hour-window, huh?"

"There is nothing wrong with igniting a flame under someone's butt," Landry muttered as he threw a lazy wave in O'Neill's direction before he sauntered out of the room.

OOOOOO

Fifty-three-hours before zero hour

Sheppard glanced up as Chuck knocked on the doorframe to his office. "Sir, Daedalus is back. There is a problem – several actually," he said regretfully.

John jumped out of his chair and started toward the gate room. He couldn't remember the last time it had been so painstakingly long. As he finally got there, he called the ship immediately.

"Daedalus, this is Colonel Sheppard," he said.

"Colonel Sheppard, this is Caldwell. I have Colonel Carter on the line for you."

"John," Sam said seriously. "Listen, you have to let Daedalus go back to Pegasus immediately. Colonel Mitchell stayed behind with a bunch of soldiers to try and protect the facility and the tribespeople. They had orders to blow everything to pieces if the Wraith came back. It has been weeks; I don't know if any of them is still alive."

"I need Daedalus-," John began seriously.

"Look, George Hammond is ready. I'll assist you with everything you need to get Atlantis ready to leave. I took the liberty of sending my XO on a little roundup trip the minute we entered orbit. Doctor McKay and Doctor Keller are already in the city."

"Colonel Caldwell?" John said. "You have a go, get some supplies and some people."

If the older Colonel had any problem with being told what to do by Sheppard, he didn't voice it. Caldwell knew Landry had put him in charge of getting Atlantis flightworthy at a tight schedule. He would have been happy to help under different circumstances.

"Confirmed, Colonel Sheppard," the Daedalus' commander said.

"There is one more thing," Carter's voice came over the line again. "Colonel Lorne have been infected by some kind of bacterial strain. We think it's harmless for the locals but we're not so sure about the rest of our people. Keller is running it through the Lantean database as we speak."

John swallowed, having grown fond of his former XO over the years. "Will he be all right?"

"The doctors are doing their best," she replied cryptically. "He arrived safely to Atlantis infirmary a while ago."

"Carter," Sheppard protested. "That place is a mess."

OOOOOO

The veil of blackness that had surrounded him lifted suddenly and he once again began to feel his limbs. All the aches and pain that came along as your mind connected with your body had him moaning. This wasn't exactly the first time he'd been wounded or winded up in battle - far from it – and he hated the feeling.

"Come on now, Ev," a soft voice beckoned. "I know you're in there."

'No, that didn't make sense. She wasn't supposed to be at his side,' Lorne thought. The last thing he remembered was a Wraith ambush and Carter and…Mitchell and-. His breath caught as he remembered the last mission.

"Evan," Doctor Jennifer Keller called, her voice stronger; more forceful now.

"Jackson, Carter, Mitchell, the team?" he blurted as he reached out with his hand to rub at his forehead, trying to clear his mind. "Wraith?"

"They are all fine," Keller assured him, deliberately leaving out the fact that Mitchell and a few others had stayed behind. "But we have all been worried about you."

Opening his eyes, he saw Jennifer studying his chart. However, he wasn't sure what was most surprising; her standing there as his doctor or the fact that he was occupying a bed in Atlantis' infirmary.

"What the-," he mumbled sluggishly, not comprehending. "Where am I?"

Jennifer studied him closely as she gently placed a petite hand on his shoulder. "What do you remember?" she asked carefully.

"Pegasus," he whispered with a slightly glazed look. "I don't understand. Jennifer, I was on Daedalus."

She nodded as she gently pressed her hand against his chest to keep him down. "Take it easy."

He locked eyes with her. "We found what we've been looking for ever since I first arrived to Atlantis. We found ZPMs," he whispered as he fought to keep his eyes open.

She smiled at him yet he didn't miss the concern in her eyes as he held them.

"It seems every variation of Paradise has its own version of an apple," she said enigmatically. "Your wounds became infected. You've been drifting in and out of consciousness for days since we brought you out of the medically induced coma."

He forced his eyes fully open. "What is it you are not telling me? How long have I been out of commission? How did I get back to Atlantis?"

She looked away and didn't answer for a moment. "While the Daedalus has an excellent infirmary, the resources are limited," Keller began, circling the topic. "You have been heavily sedated for the duration it took Daedalus to get back to Earth and you arrived back here – to Atlantis – only yesterday."

The faint color he'd left drained from his face.

"IOA is closing the shop, pulling up their stakes-," Jennifer said while shrugging her shoulders. "Not sure which metaphor you prefer," she teased and offered him a jovial yet concerned smile. "I am glad you decided to rejoin the land of the living."

"I never intended to leave," he piped up with a grimace. "But I think you need to have a little patience with me and bring me up to speed."

She let out a quivering breath and blinked, her eyes moist.

He tried to give her a reassuring smile but only managed something that looked like a half grimace. "I hope…you're not going to cry…cause the Jennifer Keller I know never do," he pointed out lightly.

She sniveled as she gently leaned down and hugged him close. "If you ever do anything like this again," she threatened.

Evan gently patted her back with his hand. "I am not going anywhere," he reasoned softly.

"Good, because I can't survive Pegasus without my adopted big brother," she said.

Jennifer Keller swallowed. It had been years since she had really known any patient she had treated. Her practice had been a welcome respite from the hectic life and constant threats in the Pegasus galaxy. She wasn't sure she was up to this type of job anymore; not now when she knew what it was like. Even though she had handled it well, the stress and pressure had frayed her nerves – something she hadn't even realized before a few months after they'd landed outside San Francisco.

All the people she had known and all the people she had lost. Everything was coming back to haunt her; all the trauma and horrors from the past tour. Jennifer felt ashamed feeling that way yet she knew it was her version of PTSD. She didn't know she had it in her anymore; didn't know if she could handle losing anymore friends. She'd grown accustomed to her patients at the practice whom she treated and let go between the appointments; their anonymity. They didn't know her and they hadn't experienced another galaxy, hadn't seen what she had seen, couldn't share the trauma she relived at nights sometimes; even now. She could hide her feelings from them but now, being back in Atlantis with her friends, she would be cornered and forced to deal with her nightmares. She just hoped she was strong enough to be able to cope with that.

"Jennifer," Evan called softly, seeking her attention.

She pulled back slowly and raised her head so that she was level with his face.

"Hey," he said. "There you are. Did you say Pegasus?"

The doctor nodded. "General O'Neill and General Landry has gone directly to the President to overrule the IOA. Pentagon has gone out of their way to accommodate planetary security. Stargate Command is afraid the Wraith might be gathering their forces for another attack and have been authorized to – use any means necessary – to stop an impending invasion no matter the costs."

Lorne let out a low whistle. "We are going home," he stated.

Keller nodded at him with a faint smile. "We are going home. Thanks to you and the team who found the ZPM factory," she confirmed. "And you'd better get to your feet because you're needed out there."

He grimaced as he straightened in his bed. "What does Sheppard say?"

"He's awaiting your orders," Jennifer let on.

Evan looked at her as if she'd grown two heads. "Last time I checked he was the military base commander?" he said confused.

"He still is, but you are the leader of the expedition," she finished with a smirk.

"Are you nuts!?" Lorne exclaimed.

She raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger."

"I thought I heard voices," Landry said as he walked into the room. He gave Keller a quick, faint smile and she nodded, disappearing into her office.

Lorne didn't even know where to begin. He didn't want command of the expedition. He wasn't certified for it and he certainly wasn't ready for the responsibility. He swallowed; his mouth dry as he faced the General head on. "Look, sir. I don't know what's-,"

"It's simple son," Landry began seriously. "This time, even though the city is going to be run the same way as before, we don't want a civilian in charge. More specifically, we don't want any marionettes tied to any overseeing organization. Your function was the 2IC, reporting directly to Colonel Sheppard. You ran the military contingent when the man was injured – which happened a lot I might add – and you worked the schedules, the papers and interacted well with all of the civilian leaders the city has had. You've worked as a liaison officer between all the departments for the last couple of years as Atlantis has been cooped up on Earth and you know how everything works."

Evan swallowed again as he knew what was coming and he wasn't so sure he wanted to hear it.

General Landry locked eyes with him. "You are the best choice, Colonel Lorne; the only choice," he finished resolutely without room for any arguments.

Evan looked down at his hands, suddenly feeling an urge to fiddle with the oximeter attached to the tip of his finger. "What about Colonel Sheppard? Shouldn't he be offered-,"

Landry smirked, looking rather amused as he shook his head. "Even though Colonel Sheppard and I have had a few disagreements over the years I do respect the man and I know for a fact that he doesn't want the position."

Lorne still didn't look convinced.

Landry offered a smile as he patted the side of Lorne's leg. "I know you won't disappoint us. Go and give them hell back there; make damn sure they aren't getting any ideas to come and play with us back here."

He nodded automatically and then raised his head to look at the General. As their eyes once again locked, there was an acceptance of the mission and a resolution in those deep blue eyes of Lorne's that told Landry this was the right choice of man.

Jennifer Keller walked back into his curtained off bed as the General disappeared, offering him a smile. "How do you want to celebrate?" she asked.

Evan let out a shaky breath. "Why don't you just shoot me now?" he suggested with a tight dimpled smile, full of uncertainty.

OOOOOO

To be continued