The Wishing Well
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of the characters associated with it.
Chapter One
Early morning sunlight shone through the window, reflecting a prism of muted color upon the hair of Dr. Elizabeth Weir as she sat sipping coffee and reading over the Atlantis morning reports. Unexpectedly, a commotion erupted through her office door in the form of one Dr. Rodney McKay. She watched and tried to hide a rueful grin as McKay half slid-half fell into her office.
"Elizabeth, hi!... Got a minute?" he exclaimed in his trademark near-shout. "Radek and I found something very interesting while searching through the Ancient database." He sucked in a big breath and continued before Weir could respond. "There is reference to a scientific outpost on planet PX5-627. Apparently, the Ancients were studying the feasibility of creating an alternate reality….one without the Wraith! I think we should…"
Weir held up a delicate hand and quickly cut him off. "Rodney, slow down! This is only my first cup of coffee!" She shot him a quick smile to remove the sting from her words and waived her cup in his general direction.
"Oh! Well, yes, um… of course it is… I shouldn't expect everyone to be up and functioning as early as I, even if they are the leader of the expedition…." McKay sank into the nearest chair.
"Rodney, I am well aware of and deeply appreciate your dedication to Atlantis. Now would you please just slow down and explain what has you so excited?" Weir set her coffee down with a look of longing.
"What's up?" inquired a mussed looking Sheppard from the doorway. "Did I see the 'Tasmanian scientist' whirl through here a minute ago spewing out droplets of his genius along the way?" He smirked at his own joke as he sauntered into the room and flopped down in the chair next to McKay.
"Oh! Oh! Oh! You should talk, Colonel," snapped McKay, "your hair looks like its own version of the Tasmanian devil has taken up residence!" McKay waived his hands erratically around his own head in demonstration of Sheppard's unruly locks.
Weir interrupted before the two men could get caught up in one of their famous little snark-fests. "John,… Rodney was about to brief me on some information he and Radek found in the Ancient database. Go ahead, Rodney." She leaned back in her chair and wrapped her hands around her now cooling coffee cup.
"Yes, yes, as I was saying before being so rudely interrupted by the Colonel with the comb phobia," giving Sheppard an irritated, yet smug look which was returned with another trademark Sheppard smirk. "According to the text Radek and I found, it appears the Ancients were conducting experiments on ways to create an alternate reality as a means to escape the Wraith…"
Sheppard shot forward in his chair; a look of incredulity graced his features. "Whoa, hold on just a second…. are you kidding me?" An irrational feeling of dread stole over him.
"Is that even possible?" asked Weir as she, too, sat forward, coffee forgotten.
"Possible? Yes; probable, no." McKay shrugged his shoulders and shot a hopeful look at Sheppard. "I was about to ask Elizabeth if we could take a team and go check it out."
Sheppard returned McKay's gaze with intent hazel eyes. "What are you expecting to learn from going to the outpost that you can't learn right here reading the Ancient database?"
"Well, for one, Colonel, we can see if the ZPM that was used to run the outpost is still there, or did you forget how badly we need a new power source, hmm?" McKay jutted out his chin and crossed his arms. "Then, there is the distinct possibility we may be able to verify if the Ancients were successful in creating a Wraith-free reality into which we could escape if we had to!"
"I happen to be fond of this reality, Rodney," Sheppard replied sharply. "And I wouldn't want to abandon our friends back on Earth, leaving them without their first line of defense in the Pegasus Galaxy….namely us!"
"Rodney, what else did the Ancient database say about this outpost?" Weir shot Sheppard one of her "cool it" looks, complete with thinned lips and a quirked eyebrow.
"Well, there really wasn't much, just a brief synopsis of the scientific mission, the gate address, and directions to the facility." McKay shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked down at his hands. "There was one footnote." He glanced from Weir to Sheppard. "It said 'be careful what you wish for' which I found odd, to say the least."
"You have no idea what that might mean?" asked Sheppard with a slight frown, his feelings of dread increasing exponentially.
"No, Colonel, my genius doesn't extend to the realm of psychic phenomena! I do think the findings are enticing enough to suggest a visit to the outpost, don't you?" He looked hopefully at Sheppard and Weir.
"I agree with Rodney. This is something that warrants a visit." Weir held up a hand as Sheppard opened his mouth to disagree. "John, I don't want to abandon our own reality any more than you do, but the concept is intriguing, and the technology could prove useful at some point in the future."
Weir stood and faced Sheppard and McKay. "And, if we do find a functioning ZPM to power our defense systems, our lives in this reality will be that much more secure, meaning we wouldn't need to consider abandoning it to an alternate version of ourselves!" She gave McKay a reassuring smile, and then glanced at Sheppard. "Colonel, you have a go. Have your team ready to depart at 1100 hours."
McKay's face broke into a crooked grin as he leapt from his seat. "You won't regret this, Elizabeth. I promise!" He dashed from her office in the same chaotic manner in which he had entered.
"I have a bad feeling about this. I hope you know what you're doing…" Sheppard stood slowly and shot Weir an enigmatic look. "For all our sakes!"
"Are you trying to tell me that, unlike Rodney, your genius 'extends to the realm of psychic phenomena'?" Weir tried to hide her smile, but Sheppard saw right through her.
"Oh, sure, you think this is funny. You don't have to live with McKay when we're out there on a mission! The man can be impossible when he thinks he's right!" Sheppard ran a hand through his already tousled hair. "It just doesn't feel right!"
Weir could tell the idea of exploring the outpost seriously bothered him. She put a hand on his shoulder as he turned to leave. "John, what about this mission has you so concerned?"
"I don't know, Elizabeth." Sheppard sighed deeply and returned her probing gaze with one of his own. "Nothing I can explain, just my gut telling me there is more to this whole outpost thing than we realize… and a good soldier always listens to his gut! Plus, the whole alternate reality idea is freaking me out!" The thought caused a visible shudder to run through Sheppard's body. He tried to contain it, but knew Weir had seen it. He felt his face turn slightly red. He wasn't easily spooked, but something just felt off.
Weir watched him in silence for a moment, but chose not to mention his obvious physical reaction to the upcoming mission. "I trust your gut, too, John. It has saved us on more than one occasion. Take extra security with you if you feel it's necessary. I don't think Rodney will mind." Weir gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze before letting her hand fall to her side.
After a brief hesitation, Sheppard gave a curt nod and strode from her office.
TBC