Instinct

Chapter 8: Changing Times

"What?"

"Atlantis is under my command until Dr. Weir recovers."

"Thanks, but I think I can handle it. I'm the leading military personnel here so it's my job."

"Only if I'm unavailable to stay on Atlantis. You forget Colonel, I do outrank you."

"I understand that, sir, but in this situation we may need the Daedalus' assistance."

"And that can be taken care of when necessary. Right now Atlantis requires a stationary leader. You will have to continue on your missions while I stay here and keep everything in order. This situation has to be cleared up." John clearly looked agitated. There was nothing he could do.

"She's in good hands, Sheppard. You don't have to worry about her." Caldwell continued, noticing Sheppard's glances towards the infirmary.

"Elizabeth is a top priority. She needs…."

"She'll be taken care of. You said it yourself, she'll be alright." Caldwell said sternly. He didn't know why Sheppard was so paranoid about Dr. Weir's condition. It was true, they didn't know what was wrong, but how many times had they faced a blind situation and made it out alive? What John said next surprised him the most.

"Ok. But if there's so much as a scratch on her-" Caldwell would have interrupted, but Rodney's voice on the radio stopped him.

"Sheppard, we have a problem in the control room!"

"Can it wait?"

"Oh, no you'll want to see this."

"What's so important, McKay?"
"He's here. Dimitri Logan is here."

"I'll be right there." Sheppard called, running beside Caldwell to the control room.

Dimitri kneeled on the floor trying to catch his breath. Everyone stood still until Rodney voiced, "Don't you all have something to do?" Reluctantly they shuffled away as Carson ran through the crowd. Rodney followed him down the steps that led to the believed to be dead man. No one had the slightest idea what was going on; they had all seen the tape, seen him fall to the ground. There was no way he could have survived, let alone escaped. Yet there he was, kneeling in the heart of their very city.

"Where's the wound, lad?" Carson asked helping Dimitri on to a stretcher. He was horrified when Dimitri removed blood stained hands from his abdomen. Three entry wounds could clearly be seen from the holes in his crimson red shirt.

"Oh, dear." Was all Carson could manage as he rushed him to the infirmary.

Sheppard and Caldwell arrived just in time to see Logan being pulled onto the stretcher and whisked away. Rodney spotted them and ran up the stairs to meet a visibly angered Sheppard.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

"I don't know, the gate activated by itself."

"Why didn't you raise the shield?"

"I tried, but we were too late. He must have blocked it from the other side somehow." Rodney emphasized on the word tried.

"Wasn't Mr. Logan presumed dead?" Caldwell stepped in, breaking Sheppard and McKay up.

"That's what we had thought after the video feed came in."

"I never trusted that tape. Something's wrong." Sheppard said.

"Besides a man bleeding to death in the infirmary that we had already thought was bleeding to death or dead…yes, something's odd about all of this." McKay chimed in, only to receive a glare from Sheppard.

"Well, I suggest we get to the bottom of it. Inform me the minute Mr. Logan wakes up." Caldwell ordered before walking off.

"Uh, what's he doing here?"

"He's in charge."

"Oh, huh." Rodney whimpered, scuttling back to his work.

John was the first one there when Dimitri regained consciousness. Dimitri seemed uneasy at Sheppard's calmness. He knew hatred still ran inside him, so why was he so laid back?

"Colonel Sheppard?" Dimitri questioned groggily.

"Mr. Logan."

"I just wanted to…thank you...for helping me."

"We didn't exactly have a choice. You showed up at our doorstep without warning."

"Yes. I'm sorry to just show up. I had assumed that you received my message." Sheppard refrained from retorting with 'you know what they say about assuming'.

"We did" he answered instead.

"Then you sent help for my people?"

"Yeah, little problem there, the village was empty when we got there."

"But they we all there when we were taken."

"Taken?"

"Yes. A group of men grabbed me and some others. They ordered us to go through the Stargate with them. We had never seen them before and with their unexpected arrival we had no time to defend ourselves. They made me record the message later."

"That tape wasn't made that long ago, how did you escape so quickly?" It was obvious Sheppard didn't believe his story, though Dimitri had an answer for his questions.

"Five of us were taken. The others distracted them while I ran to the Stargate. They said it would be best if I made it back. Unfortunately, I was the only one to make it."

"Well, my condolences."

"Thank you."

"You're pretty good. There's only one problem with your story." Sheppard said ready to exit, "You never knew Atlantis' address."