Chapter 9: Prior Engagement

John flinched at the calm question from the physician, not bothering to hide his dismay. He should have known it would be too much to ask that something begin going right on this crazy mission! With a sigh, he noted that Rodney, who had been moving down the stairs to rejoin them when Carson came in, had also stopped dead in his tracks.

"What do you mean, 'do you know him'?! Carson, he's getting his accident prone rear end hauled into your infirmary so often you threatened to move his quarters there! You just got done un-mutating him! Remember- blue, scaly, liked imitating Spider-man? Any of this ringing any bells, or have you been dipping into Radek's home brew?" A pause, with the physician staring at him, eyes wide. "You going to answer me or just keep staring at me like I turned into something?"

"Bloody hell, it isn't possible!"

The soft, fervent exclamation was the only response from the doctor as he continued to stand with a gaping mouth, gaze locked on the astrophysicist. John's headache suddenly spiked and he let out an involuntary groan of pure pain. Couldn't this universe give him even a few days feeling normal? The upside, though, was that Carson reacted as if he'd been zapped with electricity, rapidly kneeling by the colonel and beginning an assessment. Somehow, after everything he'd been through lately, all the days in the infirmary, just having the man there with him made John calmer. Ironic, considering the man had been the unwitting catalyst for all the dominoes recently crashing down around John's head. The ones that came complete with insanity and weird eyes.

"You have no idea-"

Another voice snapped all their heads around.

"Carson, Bates isn't too happy you- You're dead!"

This time Rodney's mouth was gaping open as well, returning the shocked stare of the other two people who'd just walked into the Gaterium. One of them, however, Markham, had his P-90 in ready position, gaze flickering from person to person, assessing threat potential. Which, of course, caused SG-1 to have their own weapons in ready position, except for Daniel, who was also gaping at the latest speaker- Doctor Peter Grodin. The man who'd died repairing the Ancient defense satellite during the siege six months ago. John leaned his swimming head back against the rim of the gate, trying to decide if he'd now started to hallucinate.

"Ahh... Carson, I'm seeing dead people here."

In the sudden silence, the pilot's quiet mutter was as loud as a shout.

"So are we."

Grodin whispered, beginning to step forward only to meet Markham's restraining hand. The man was reacting as any trained soldier would to the sudden appearance of unknown people.

"Doctor Beckett, I'd prefer you slowly stand up and move over here with us. Who are you people and what do you want?"

John frowned as Beckett stayed stubbornly planted in a kneel in front of him, stethoscope pressed against his chest. Granted, Markham was supposed to be as dead as Grodin, but he should have recognized John, Rodney, and Teyla, at least. Just what the hell was going on around here, anyway? Over the doc's shoulder, hazel eyes met blue.

"Rodney, somehow I think we just jumped way past 'screwed'."

"I think that would be an understatement, since if you don't answer the question- NOW- I'm going to treat you as hostiles. Doc, I want you over here, no argument."

John and Teyla winced, both recognizing the voice of Atlantis' old security officer, Sergeant Bates. Who was supposed to be safely ensconced on an SG team back on Earth, much to the relief of many on Atlantis. The man had been good at his job, but carried military paranoia to an almost xenophobic extreme, often putting him in conflict with his CO and the Athosians. Especially Teyla. With him here, this situation was likely to go south fast, and John simply didn't have the energy to deal with it. He was having difficulties just keeping his vision clear and himself conscious, let alone handling his prickly former subordinate. He hurt all over now, pulsating, piercing pain that left him gasping on the very edge of passing out. How could it have gotten so bad, so quickly? This was much more than simple exhaustion! Hands on him, gently easing him to the floor, then carefully checking for injury. Quiet questions in that reassuring Scottish brogue and the musical lilt of Teyla's answers. Mentally, John cheered the doctor on for ignoring Bates in favor of someone who needed help even as another part of him noted he'd have to speak to him about standard procedure and safety protocols.

Jack noted Sheppard fading out again and swore softly. Whatever that machine was the man had activated, it did a lot more than give him a jolt. Kind of like Jack's own experiences with items left behind by the Ancients, especially that blasted head sucker thing. He'd seemed fine, too, until he started speaking a language no one knew.

Now, McKay was talking a mile a minute to a sergeant who seemed to have no inclination to believe a word that was said. At least what a civilian tried to tell him. He looked vaguely familiar, too.

"Lower your weapon, sergeant, that's an order!"

Jack knew how to bark as bad as his bite when he needed to. The other man stiffened, but didn't obey Jack nor tell the other two soldiers to do so. Poor kids were looking mighty nervous, though, and not quite sure who they should be obeying. They stood protectively in front of the English scientist and a dark-haired woman who looked as if she were itching to leap into the middle of the whole mess. Doctor Beckett- oh, what fun Jack could have with that name!- was continuing to treat Sheppard, oblivious to several poisonous glances leveled at him by the sergeant. Paranoia was one thing, but this display of pigheadedness, especially when the guy recognized McKay and knew Jack was a superior officer, bordered on ridiculous.

"With all due respect, sir, I will shoot if you don't tell me who you are and what you're doing here!"

O-kay, make that beyond ridiculous since that's exactly what McKay had been doing. Another minute and Jack was going to signal Teal'c, who'd swiftly disappeared behind some equipment with Ronon when these people started showing up, to zat the idiot. Then recognition clicked in and the colonel bit back a groan. He did know this trigger-happy moron!

"Bates, the new guy on SG-8, Sumner's team. You know who I am, right?"

"Yes, sir, Colonel O'Neill, I know who you look like at the moment. I'm not sure of who you actually are."

Enough was enough. This officious pain-in-the-butt deserved the splitting headache he was about to be left with!

"Teal'c!"

Simultaneous red and blue shots took out Bates and his companion, leaving the one identified as Markham, who immediately held up his hands.

"I'd prefer not getting zatted, please, Colonel O'Neill."

At Jack's nod, Markham lowered his hands and knelt to check on his fallen comrades, gun on the floor near him. Good enough, since several of his team had weapons still covering the man. Not that Jack would actually shoot the kid unless he turned into some nasty alien cr- Nope, better not to go there.

"Just stunned?"

The brunette stepped forward just slightly, Grodin right behind. McKay surged toward her at the question, almost bristling in agitation.

"Of course, Elizabeth. Last I checked, neither SG-1 nor Ronon go around killing our own people just because they're two-legged versions of some outdated grunt's handbook! What the-"

The lights suddenly flickered around them and went out, leaving only the sunlight to illuminate the area as the gate activated. Turning, McKay sprinted up the steps toward the control area where Carter was already scanning equipment. Before Jack could shout a question, though, a teeth-clenched cry of absolute pain brought his attention around to Sheppard. The man was writhing on the floor, face pure white and pinched. Beckett glanced up to meet the SG-1 colonel's gaze in alarm.

"Bloody-! Somethin' just sent his vitals plummitin'!"

"Colonel!" Jack spun to glance up at the balcony in response to Carter's call, mind already racing through options. "No power to any systems up here! We can't dial out or close the iris!"

"Daniel! You and Jonas help the doc with Sheppard! I gather nobody's expecting company?"

The horror on the faces of those around him as they regarded the gate dialing rapidly made it into a rhetorical question. Trapped with a man down and unknowns coming in on an unfamiliar, damaged base. Not the day he'd been hoping for.

"Crap! Shoulda stayed in bed." Jack muttered in disgust, turning to a white-faced Rodney McKay. "You better know some good hiding places, 'cause I wasn't planning on sticking around to find out how friendly this bunch is!"
First, get everyone to a safe place, especially Sheppard and the civilians, then go say 'hi' to the uninvited guests. Without a single question, the local team grabbed gear and carefully lifted their commander onto a portable stretcher, leading the way. The others hurried behind, though Jack noted absently that Ronon had stayed behind to take rear guard along with Teal'c, both walking backward to keep a line of sight on the gate, which was just finishing its dial in. Even as they worked their way swiftly down the hall, the SG-1 colonel couldn't help waiting for the shouts and spray of weapons' fire signaling discovery. Except it didn't come. Following the others down a stairwell, he breathed a sigh of relief, receiving a Teal'c eyebrow raise in response. Whoever they were, they were either non-military, very confident, or extremely stupid, since they obviously hadn't sent out scouts upon arrival. Good for Jack's bunch, but lousy tactics. Provided they weren't running from friendlies.

Several more hallways and one more staircase later, they stopped in front of a blank wall. Teal'c and Ronon helped the others ease the two unconscious men to the floor then took up guard positions behind them with only a glance to coordinate. It was truly scary how well those two meshed, Jack decided. Nearby, Teyla and Beckett gently lowered the stretcher bearing Colonel Sheppard, the woman moving to speak softly with her large team mate.

"Rodney...?"

The English scientist hissed quietly, beating Jack to the inquiry while sharing puzzled glances with the brunette the colonel had yet to catch the name of. McKay ignored his questioner, carefully running hands over the wall with a frown of intense concentration.

"Come on, come on..."

Snick. Part of the wall abruptly retracted to the side with only the faintest of sounds, revealing a small, round room. The astrophysicist stepped back with a slight smirk of satisfaction before turning to the others impatiently.

"Inside, hurry!"

The genius ordered them with a jerk of the head and flapping of hands. SG-1 looked to their own leader for direction, even Daniel and Mitchell, receiving a nod. Now was not the time to be having doubts about the leadership of the team most familiar with the base, even if the member giving directions was McKay. All of them scrambled to enter, the hidden door sliding shut as soundlessly as it had opened. Curious, the older colonel looked around.

The room was fairly small, especially with sixteen people in it, three laying down, but it appeared adequate for their purposes. Against one gently curving wall stood three consoles of the same metal and crystal style he'd noted back in the planetary ruins as well as the gate room of this facility. Hastily, he took a step away from them, not particularly in the mood to find out what they might do if he touched the damned things. McKay, however, was rapidly poking and prodding them, Carter looking over his shoulder in interest, but they didn't respond. Hey, at least they had-

"We're about to lose the lights. They're on a small emergency power source that's almost drained. If someone has a flashlight larger than the ones on the P-90s, I suggest you dig it out quickly. You'll have already noted this room doesn't have any windows."

The dry, condescending, sarcastic tone McKay used instantly torqued Jack's temper up another notch. Beside him, he could sense Mitchell also tensing in anger and shot the younger colonel a quelling look, unwilling to play referee before he got some answers.

"Mind explaining where the hell we are, McKay? I've never seen anything remotely like this base!"

Even as Carter voiced her commanding officer's own confusion, the lights did go out, several people clicking on larger flashlights to compensate. The effect was a tad eerie, reminding Jack strongly of Halloween night ghost stories back home, but at least they could see each other.

"This city was under siege by the Wraith once. Sheppard and I decided this must have been a shelter for the civilians who were still here. Its sound proof, shielded against the city's life signs detector, and only accessible to someone with a strong ATA gene. Of course, we originally found it because Colonel Calamity over there activated the door just walking past."

"Nice." Jack muttered.

"Indeed."

Teal'c murmured from just outside the main rings of light, standing silent guard over the still unconscious Bates and his trigger-happy cohort. Yet another problem that needed to be dealt with.

"I'm really starting to hate this universe. Too bad it seems perfectly willing to hate us right back."

Jack was unaware that he'd spoken aloud until several of the group laughed softly.

"Unfortunately, I think you'll find that to be all too accurate a statement around here, sir. Shep's got this thing about attracting trouble."

Mitchell regarded his ill friend with amusement before cocking an eyebrow at Jack, while Daniel, on Jack's other side, simply snorted.

"Oh, and you think Jack doesn't call problems to him on a regular basis? This isn't the first time we've managed to find ourselves in an alternate universe!"

"That's just it, Daniel, I don't think we have moved universes."

"You wanna explain that one, Carter?" Mitchell drawled, momentarily surprising the major with his familiar tone.

"Uh- Well, the readings that McKay and I took don't show any evidence of quantum shifting, just temporal flux. And that's only for us, not for the others. I was going to check them again, but-"

"Carter!" Jack cut her off in exasperation. "Pounding headache. Can we save all the damn scientific gobble-de-gook I don't understand for another time? Please?!"

An amused grin from the blond astrophysicist, but Sam wasn't the one who answered him.

"She's saying that there's no evidence to suggest anyone changed universes, just moved through time, sir. You're just in the future."

Jonas swung a flashlight around to illuminate Colonel Sheppard being helped to lean back against the wall by Beckett. He was still pretty pale, but no longer looked to be in pain and his voice was steady. The black haired colonel gave the older man a sheepish half-grin.

"Sorry. Guess I've been around McKay too long."

His team mate rolled his eyes. "Tell us another one, Mr. MENSA. You just like showing off right when I'm finally convinced you really are just another ignorant fly boy! I can compare readings with Carter, but I already know they're going to be the same. Which is problematic on way more levels then I care to contemplate at the moment."

"How about we start with who you all are?"

O'Neill had been waiting for the brunette to enter the discussion, having been watching her agitation grow for several minutes. She struck him as a lady who naturally took charge, not one who favored being as silent and on the periphery as she had been until now. Interesting. He plastered on the smile that so many off world leaders would recognize. The one that said, 'I'll play nice and go along with you for the moment, but don't push it.'

"Colonel Jack O'Neill, SG-1. We have Teal'c and Ronon guarding our overzealous military. The petite lady is Teyla, then Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard against the wall, Jonas Quinn, McKay, who you know, and Major Samantha Carter. With me are Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell and Dr. Daniel Jackson. Those of us not from here are from the past. Don't ask me how, I just touched some crystal pedestal doohickey, that's all."

"With you and Sheppard, and sometimes Carson, that's all it takes." McKay gave a disgruntled mutter, throwing annoyed glares at each person he mentioned. "My gene isn't as strong, as well as being artificial thanks to Carson."

"And what the bloody hell are you blatherin' about, Rodney? We don't have any way to artificially give anyone the ATA gene! The strongest we've ever found is me, bloody lot of good that it did us!"

"That...shouldn't be possible." Daniel frowned, stepping fully into the light and turning so he could address all the participants of the latest discussion. He pointed firmly at the Scottish physician. "You're saying you don't have any idea what Dr. McKay is talking about or who Colonel Sheppard is, correct?"

Beckett nodded. "Aye, that's right, son. Rodney's supposed to be dead! I sat with him while he died of radiation poisoning, so did Elizabeth!"

The entire past SG-1 plus Daniel blanched at that. It was amazing how one simple word could bring back so much pain, so many horrendous memories, even with the friend they sat death watch over standing right there, apparently as healthy as ever. It was the only grief Jack had ever encountered that could rival that of losing a member of his family. Though, in his way, Daniel was family. Head bowed, his mind filled with memories of gauze wrapping his fast-weakening friend, he stopped listening to the quiet explanations with more than a fraction of his attention.

John tried hard not to flinch at that statement and the quiet sadness that came with it. Carson had so much empathy it occasionally seemed as if he could read the minds of his patients, but sometimes it was as much a hindrance as a help. To sit there and watch a good friend die, knowing there was nothing you could do... The Atlantis CO noted the pale faces and sudden distraction of the SG-1 team, then closed his eyes with a soft moan as he remembered they'd had to do exactly that with Dr. Jackson. Only they'd been lucky enough to get him back again, a fact that John's mind couldn't quite get a handle on since death had always felt so final to him. A helicopter exploded, an artery was severed, a Wraith ripped away a life, and they were gone, end of story.

"Are you still in pain, son?"

John reopened his eyes to find Carson staring at him in renewed concern.

"No, I'm fine, doc, just... Bad thoughts. Just how did Rodney wind up with radiation poisoning, anyway?"

"Uh...not to interrupt or anything, here, but shouldn't we be finding out who our party crashers out there are? Gen- Colonel O'Neill? John?"

Trust Cameron to already be bouncing around, anxious to do something, anything, as long as it didn't involve sitting around waiting. John gave a short bark of laughter, shaking his head, an action he abruptly stopped when it aggravated his headache.

"Let's see... No. Cam, we have no idea whose out there or where they are. Let 'em get settled in, think they're alone for a while before we go stir up trouble. Besides, we need some answers to decide what to do next. Now, doc. McKay?"

His friend wasn't too pleased, but he was just too tired and sore to care. Not to mention worried about the answer he was about to get. Finding Sumner's dog tags had rattled him badly enough, but to sit here and be told nobody knew him and one of his team was supposed to be dead... No wonder O'Neill was in an instant bad mood any time someone mentioned the consequences of time travel! Finding a 10,000 year old Elizabeth had been plenty bad enough for him without this little fiasco. Not to mention his personal frustration and confusion at blacking out again and again, only to wake in new locations. This was getting to be a rather nasty habit without even adding the painful end of it. Steeling himself against what he might hear, he met Elizabeth's gaze, her eyes showing no hint of recognition.

"About halfway through our first year here, there was a massive hurricane that threatened the existence of the city."

John nodded warily while Rodney rolled his eyes and Teyla grimaced slightly. Finally, something that hadn't changed! The Atlantis leader caught their reactions, one eyebrow shooting up.

"I see you're familiar with it. We evacuated most of the personnel so Rodney could use the lightning from the storm to power the shields. Unfortunately, we were tricked into lowering the shield and invaded by an unknown people who seemed to know us all too well. They took half of all the supplies we had left as well as Rodney. We searched for months, but Sumner couldn't find out anything. Then, about seven months ago, one of our teams vanished and the Wraith mysteriously stepped up their culling well before the natives told us they should. Rodney reappeared about two weeks later, found by some trading partners the Athosians introduced us to, ill and dying."

John felt his lips twist in a cynical smile. "Let me guess, the leader of the invading force was a bastard named Kolya and your ever-so-helpful trading partners are a farm people called the Genii!"

The brunette's shock was the only reply he needed to know he'd scored a touchdown. All of this was beginning to make a cruel sense. John obviously hadn't been with the expedition, so the deception of the Genii was never discovered, and... His mind shied away from completing that thought, so many woulda, shoulda, couldas.

"I never woke the Wraith here, never had to shoot Sumner..."

His soft mutter was thankfully overrun by his much louder, more excitable team mate.

"Those lousy, primitive idiots used me to complete their atomic bomb! How could they do that?! Next time I see Kolya, I'll... I'll... have Ronon shoot him! Damn Genii and their badly hidden underground bunkers! They killed me!! They cut short-"

"It doesn't matter!" Daniel cut the Canadian off. "What does is Sam said they only came forward in time, but we're seeing drastic differences in the time line!"

That seemed to snap Colonel O'Neill out of whatever musings he'd been lost in.

"Well, duh! We're here when we shouldn't be, Daniel."

"No, Jack, that doesn't explain it. Remember when we went back to 1969? Everything we did had already happened according to General Hammond's memory! Nothing changed! This, though- the time line has been messed with somehow!"

Yep, a hyped up Jackson could definitely give McKay a run for his money in fast talk! Too bad it fit with what John knew of time travel paradoxes, as demonstrated by his own encounter with the older Weir telling them a history that had never happened.

"Daniel's right, this shouldn't be possible." Sam Carter finally spoke up, puzzled. "There has to be an outside influence on the time line for something like this to occur!""Colonel, didn't you mention seeing someone just before the device activated, bringing us here?"

Jonas' question had his team leader frowning in concentration, recalling those split seconds before all hell broke loose.

"Yeah... A man with a staff, kinda gold and white. Something with his eyes, too..."

Gold and white-?

"Oh shit!"

John wasn't sure who'd said that, but he definitely agreed. Descriptions of the Ori's Priors had been circulated even on Atlantis just in case any showed up in the Pegasus Galaxy. Nobody knew if the anti-Ancients, as Cam had referred to them the other day, had any clue about the original existence of Atlantis, let alone that it was there once again.

"Well, that explains a few things." A much calmer, thoughtful Rodney, though Grodin, Elizabeth, and Carson were all still regarding him, a little spooked. "If someone from our time goes back, they could change everything. Some sort of Ancient technology in the ruins Sheppard activated must have protected us from the shift. Elizabeth, as far as you know, what happened to Colonel O'Neill and SG-1?"

"They vanished on a mission just after Abydos was destroyed, never heard from again."

Not good.

Tbc...