Chapter 10
Dr. Weir sat, strategically, at the head of the conference table, carefully studying the team members seated around her: Ford, Teyla, Stackhouse, Sheppard, Beckett, and McKay. A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, it was good to have them all safe at home. Now came the hard part, deciding the next step.
Should she allow the team to return to the planet in hopes of repairing the damage the Pennatrocans were inflicting upon themselves? She mused. What about Rodney? The man's accused of murder. Of course, he's the only one who knows what to do. And, Major Sheppard? He'd made his feelings concerning Commander Noda quite clear during their private meeting after breakfast. Once Rodney revealed the events that had occurred at the security building, the major had gone ballistic. And that's where Beckett entered the picture. Glancing towards the Scotsman, she watched him watching McKay and Sheppard, willingly placing himself as a buffer between the two as their discussion became more heated. His quick glance in her direction, followed by a wink and a nod toward the others, made her decision easier. It was there all along.
Straightening in her seat with her hands wrapped around the warmth of her coffee mug, she interrupted the fiery conversation flowing about her. "Major." The leadership in her soft voice brooked no further chatter, drawing the room to quiet as each member turned to face her. Each recognized the look that as of a direct result of their debate, a decision had come to head.
"Elizabeth," his steady gaze met hers until a loose tuft of dark hair fell across his brow, apparently freed during all of his hand waving in the air in front of Rodney's face to exaggerate some point.
"We are missing the one individual in this discussion who may be able to shed some light on this situation. Would you please have Mr. Grose escorted here."
A protest formed instantly upon his lips, although wisely contained. Shifting to his left, he nodded to Ford, "He's still in the med lab."
"Yes, sir," the young lieutenant replied, promptly departing the room.
Turning back to face Weir, Sheppard was unprepared for her challenge as she raised one brow in expectation. "I might not be much of a poker player, Major, but I do understand what it means to bluff. I believe our guest has been holding out on us and I can only come up with two reasons in doing so. Either, one, he knows he has something we need, or two, we have something he needs." She stood, making her way to the window overlooking the departure bay, collecting her thoughts, before returning to her seat. "Carson, you said Mr. Grose's exposure was more extensive than Rodney's, but had yet to reach the toxic stage. Do you believe that the amount in his system could be that of an exposure of no more than two months?"
"Aye, he knew about the water before we did. If he's been limiting his contact, it could be longer."
"I agree, but I don't think he has been." She faced Rodney next, his expectant expression waiting to see where she was headed. "The photograph from Dr. Mika's lab was dated a little over a month ago for her discovery. In all of your discussions with her, was it apparent to you that scientifically she was readily able to understand the concept of 'dirty' geothermal pollution?"
"No. While we were talking, one of her technicians arrived with a report concerning a plant problem involving clogged pipes and turbines. Anyone who understands how a flash system works would be familiar with the dissolved CO2 ions from steam forming sinters, eventually shutting down the flow. They were in the beginning stages of discovering how to solve this problem. There's no way they could have advanced to the point of regulating output safely."
"We came to the same conclusion, Dr. McKay," Grose interposed, standing in the doorway.
Elizabeth stood smoothly to her feet, pointing to an empty chair, "Mr. Grose, would you please join us?" Once the explorer was seated, she returned to her own. "I need some answers."
He nodded, sitting at attention; waiting for her to begin.
"Where's the rest of your team?"
The room remained silent as Grose stared at Dr. Weir. And being the diplomat that she was, she had caught the small hitch in his breathing at her question. Placing her palms flat on the table, she leaned forward, "Commander Noda would not do anything to jeopardize his position unless it was for personal gain. What would he gain by allowing you to escape along with Dr. McKay? And for that matter, what would you gain from Noda by escaping with Dr. McKay?"
Grose continued to remain silent; his expression hardened in a fashion Dr. Weir had seen before on her own second in command. That of a soldier protecting something or someone.
With the confidence that she was right, she asked the question she already knew the answer to. "Noda has your team, doesn't he?"
The room remained perfectly still, each member watching the stranger. At his slight nod, several gasps could be heard from around the table.
"Why in the hell didn't you say so in the first place?" Sheppard jumped to his feet, his fist pounding the table in a horrendous thump that had to have hurt. "That little…"
"Major," Weir snapped, although mentally agreeing, "sit down." With some semblance of order returned, she flipped her hands palm side up on the table in a sign of openness. "I think you should start at the beginning."
SG: A
Two teams, fully rigged and ready, stood inside the jumper bay waiting for Weir and Sheppard's final instructions. Loaded down with weapons and laptops, it was hard to distinguish the scientists from the soldiers.
Team 1 was for the recovery of Grose's people, led by Major Sheppard with Ford, Teyla, and Grose. They would breach the security building, locate and remove McKay's equipment, and safely escort Grose's team back to the jumper.
Team 2 was the science team, led by McKay, accompanied by Stackhouse, Zelenka, and Beckett. Their mission was to infiltrate the flash plant, repair the failing systems, and if possible, reroute the wastewater to a proper holding facility.
On paper, both plans appeared to be foolproof, but they all knew better. Commander Noda would be waiting for them, expecting some sort of retaliation.
"Okay, people," Sheppard called out from the top of the stairs before making his way down, "we know what we have to do." Stopping in front of Grose, he adjusted the shoulder strap to the man's P90, "Colonel, you ready?" The explorer, they had learned earlier, was an officer and team leader to his planet's offworld expedition teams. Why hadn't Sheppard been surprised? He grinned to himself, because Grose appeared to be cut from the same cloth as one Colonel Jack O'Neill. God help us all.
The Colonel returned the grin, a distinct sparkle in his eyes at the thought of retrieving his team and possibly causing harm to a certain little commander. "This is your show, Major Sheppard. Like you, I just want to get my crew and go home."
Sheppard nodded, "Good." With one final glance to the teams, he shook his head. This was about to get very interesting. "Alright, let's head 'em up and move 'em out!" Stepping out of the way, he grinned up to Weir, "Don't forget to leave the light on."
Taking up a position beside Grodin to watch their departure, she smiled. "See you soon. Drive safe."
And with that, Jumper One slipped smoothly through the gate.
SG: A
Rodney sat in the co-pilot seat staring, lost in thought, out the front of the jumper into the encompassing inky darkness of space. He could do this, no, he would do this. Major Sheppard and the others were counting on him. And, Noda would be at the Security Center. There wasn't much of a chance that he'd show up at the flash plant, was there? A shiver ran down his back.
"Hey, McKay," Sheppard leaned sideways in his seat, pretending to check part of the panel, "you alright?"
The scientist nodded stiffly, refusing to meet the major's gaze, "Yeah, I'm good."
"Good, then you can take over for a minute while I go talk to Stackhouse."
Rodney spun sideways in his seat, mouth gaping open in surprise. "Now?" he choked, his shock turning to annoyance when he realized what the major was up to.
Sheppard shrugged, a smile crinkling the corner of his eyes, "Sure, you need the practice and so does Beckett. I'll send him up to keep you company." Slipping out of his seat, he tugged on Rodney to slide over, "Remember, keep it between the lines."
Next thing he knew, Carson sat down beside him holding out an unwrapped power bar.
"Major Sheppard said you were goin' to give me some tips to flyin' the jumper."
Eyeing the food, the expectant Scotsman, and then the grinning Major standing in the doorway behind them, Rodney rolled his eyes and treated them with his best sneer of contempt, "Oh, joy." Gratitude washed over him though, as he settled back in the seat. This time he knew his friends wouldn't leave him alone.
SG: A
"Everyone knows what to do, right?" Standing once again in the moonlit meadow, Sheppard surveyed the teams one final time. The thought of Rodney leading a team without him just didn't feel right.
"Major, you've been over this five times, already. I'm certain even Carson understands your directions by now." McKay's legendary impatience getting the better of him, he missed the teams stifled expressions to his outburst. Either that or he just plain decided to ignore them.
"Hey," the Scot snapped in indignation. "I'll remember that next time you come draggin' your sorry hide into my office, needin' me to patch up your latest blunder."
Seeing a retort instantly form on the physicist's lips, Sheppard grabbed his arm, turning the scientist away from the others. "Knock it off, you're making me look bad in front of our guest," his head gesturing towards Grose.
Oh, that did it. Squaring off to begin his next battle, Rodney glanced over Sheppard's shoulder towards the waiting teams. It was Carson with his arms folded, Zelenka wiping the condensation off his glasses, and Stackhouse waiting in the military 'rest' position that stopped him. His team was ready and waiting. Lightning fast, his countenance shifted from arrogance to the still calm of authority. "Major, if you're finished, my team and I need to get to work before the sun comes up."
Sheppard merely nodded, stepping back to give Rodney room to collect what he needed. His dark eyes never leaving his friend, satisfied in the knowledge that he and Elizabeth had made the right decision in picking the scientist to lead. Any man who could shoot a wraith dead center, step willingly into black energy-sucking creepy fog, and overcome nightmares to help someone he didn't even know without second thought, was just a damn good man. "McKay."
Rodney finished helping snap Beckett's P90 to the front of the doctor's vest before looking up. "We'll be fine, Major."
"I know you will. Do what you need to do and then get your ass back here as fast as you can. No stopping along the way to make new friends, either. I want breakfast back on Atlantis and then I'm going to bed."
The group broke into their separate teams, silently heading off in different directions. "Okay people," Rodney's voice called out from the darkness, mimicking Sheppard's usual departure call, "don't forget where we parked."
TBC