Fate's Fickle Humor
A/N: Okay, I got this together a bit faster than I thought, so here it is. Sage5: Yep, I completely forgot about Markham. I don't have an excuse, but John could plead ill and that Markham had been dead for five months in his own timeline. I haven't yet decided how to fix that in the last chapter, but I will. Thank you for the catch!! Thanks to all of you who review, you are deeply appreciated.
Chapter 11: Nightmares
Jack had been more than a bit impressed with Sheppard and his team, so he had no problem following their lead as they quietly left the safe room. Man, this place was huge! Talk about a heating bill! He really had to laugh at himself for that one- once a Minnesotan, always a Minnesotan! If this was Daniel's lost city, he could definitely see the benefit in finding it, though he'd be even happier if they located some cool weapons. A high tech cannon would be nice, but Ronon's handgun would satisfy him if nothing else.
The first several levels they moved through, however, were wrecked, as well as empty of both friend and foe. Ronon was in the lead, moving with a swiftness that belied his large size, once again reminding Jack strongly of Teal'c. Next came himself, then Mitchell, whom Jack still wasn't quite sure about. The kid obviously had a temper, but his cockiness reminded the older man of himself ten years ago. Bringing up the rear was the serene alien lady, Teyla. In her own way, she was like Teal'c as well in that nothing seemed to phase her. She was solid as a rock, taking everything with quiet grace that Jack almost envied.
They were almost back to the Gate room, from what the SG-1 leader could remember, before they encountered anyone. Mitchell, just behind Jack, caught sight of the intruder first, coming from down a side corridor with barely enough time for them to duck back around a corner. Unfortunately, it appeared that's where the woman was heading as they listened to the sharp click of her boots coming closer.
"Shit!"
The colonel whispered fiercely, knowing they were about to be spotted- and the door Ronon had just tried unsuccessfully slid open on its own as he stepped near. Quickly, the quartet slipped inside, door closing automatically behind them, leaving them tensely waiting for the shout of discovery. None came, they obviously hadn't been seen. This base was definitely proving to have its merits, instantly appearing escape routes always being a plus in Jack's book.
"Did you get a look at whoever it was?"
Jack whispered to Mitchell, hoping for some identifier, if not familiar to the two of them, then to their companions.
"Yeah, some chick dressed as an Imperial extra from Star Wars."
"What?"
Ronon stared at the younger colonel as if he'd grown a second head, obviously completely confused by the pop culture reference. Teyla, however, smiled sadly.
"I do not know which should alarm me more, that I understood your reference, Colonel Mitchell, or the identity of the intruders."
Jack felt like finding a wall to punch this time. Why couldn't nice, friendly people come invade the abandon base, just once?
"I gather these aren't friendlies?"
Teyla hesitated for a long moment, thinking over her reply.
"From Colonel Mitchell's description, I believe it most probably the Genii. They are an unpredictable people, deceptive, though not necessarily immediately hostile."
Genii. That name was already ringing a bell in Jack's head.
"These the same ones who supposedly took McKay?"
"Yes."
The answer was short and sharp, leaving the colonel to wonder just what history the lady had with these people.
"Okay, here's the plan. Let's get as close in to the Stargate as we can, see how many of these 'Gennys' we're dealing with if we can. Then we'll return to the others, decide where we go from there. Teyla, you and Ronon know the way, so lead on and stay sharp, people."
With barely a whisper of sound, they crept out, winding their way once again through the beautiful city. Whatever generator was running had obviously returned to its work, since the corridors were well lit. Unfortunately, that also made it painfully easy for any Genii soldiers to see them. Before Jack could say anything, Ronon headed them down a dark hallway.
Which promptly lit up, lights glowing a serene blue.
Instantly, Jack had the P-90 up, searching for the enemy, waiting to be fired upon. Instead, an empty hallway met his gaze, his three companions staring at him with varying levels of dismay.
"What the hell just happened?"
The older colonel whispered harshly, slowly lowering his weapon. Mitchell chuckled softly.
"Its your ATA gene, sir. Ancient technology automatically turns on around you, like the Ancient Repository."
"So you're saying I'm an automatic 'on' switch?"
"Afraid so, sir."
"Great. Nothing says 'here I am, come shoot me' like flashing lights. Is this going to be a continuing problem?"
Teyla shook her head.
"I do not believe so, Colonel O'Neill. Dr. McKay was confident that the Control Room would have full power and already be activated."
They moved on, obviously taking a round about way to their objective as main corridors gave way to stairs and more industrial looking areas. Jack had to remind himself not to jump every time lights came on or a panel began to glow when he walked past. Several times, he swore he heard what sounded suspiciously like a snicker coming from Mitchell. Was this what Sheppard lived with every day?
Finally, the two members of the local team led them to a corridor ending in the bright, sunlit Gatrium. Crouching down, Jack used military sign language, motioning Teyla and Mitchell to watch their six. Carefully, he and Ronon crept forward even as a voice rose angrily from inside their objective.
"What do you mean there's nothing here we can use? This power must be coming from somewhere, find it!"
Peering around the corner, the colonel found they were to one side and a bit lower than the Gate itself. In the center of the room stood the clearly fuming enemy leader, dressed in a gray button down uniform that did make him look like a Star Wars extra. At his feet was a small pile of extra medical supplies and odd bits of technology, probably the supplies that Dr. Weir's people had been salvaging. Two enemy soldiers Jack immediately labeled 'stormtroopers' stood to either side of the Gate, while others moved in and out. Since there had been few in the halls, that meant a small raiding party, probably about ten was his guess. Good. This could be handled easily enough, especially since the SG-1 leader didn't see any heavy weaponry.
A tap on the shoulder brought his attention around to his large companion, who gestured back down the hall. Yes, better not to press their luck at the moment since lately it had all been bad. Stealthily, they made their way back to where the others waited in their hidey-hole somewhere in the bowels of the city. Jack put his hand to the door, sternly thinking 'open' as Sheppard had told him to, though feeling more than a bit foolish as he did so. Really, a wall that responded to someone's thoughts, what was with that?
Inside, everyone had tensed, only breathing a sigh of relief when the light from the hallway revealed the small scouting party. As the door slid shut, flashlights clicked back on, one illuminating the two zip-tied soldiers, now awake and gagged. Jack half wished he'd been around to hear whatever asinine thing Bates had said to warrant that. Not to mention getting to lend a hand in silencing the man. The other kid, Markham, was seated to one side, having been so quiet Jack forgot he was there.
"Well?"
The question came from Sheppard, who seemed much more alert then previously and definitely looked better, though that probably wouldn't last once they returned to the vicinity of the Gate. That was a problem the older colonel didn't have a clue how to deal with since they couldn't leave the man here.
"At a guess, about ten, lightly armed, so we shouldn't have much of a problem. Teyla called them 'Gennys' or something."
O'Neill waved at the petite woman to add her report, though Sheppard and McKay had already tensed.
"Genii?! Kolya's here?"
McKay's voice hit an indignant, yet at the same time frightened, squawk, face draining of color. Yep, definitely some ugly history there.
"We don't know its Kolya, Rodney, let's not go into full panic mode yet."
Sheppard half-chided, half-soothed his team mate. Behind the astrophysicist, Carter grimaced, rolling her eyes at the dramatics and Jack bit back a smile. No doubt he'd lucked out in his scientists, even Jonas being better suited to military situations than McKay, even if the Canadian had finally learned which end of a gun was which. Besides, Carter was at least as intelligent as McKay, an Air Force officer, pretty, and had a sense of humor, what more could you ask for?
"I am afraid, Colonel Sheppard, that it is Commander Kolya."
Teyla's calm pronouncement hit like a ton of bricks, causing dismay among all the locals, particularly a barely calmed scientist.
"Can I panic and say we're screwed now, Sheppard?"
McKay threw the young colonel's earlier statement back at him in a biting tone that would have had Jack reaching for a weapon were it aimed at him, but Sheppard just gave the man an exasperated look.
"We've dealt with Kolya before, McKay, and for once we have the advantage. We know he's here, not the other way around. Where do you need to go to get the extra parts you need?" Silence. "Mc-Kay!"
"The Control Room."
"Why don't we just wait until the bloody bugger leaves?"
The medical doctor stopped Sheppard before he could continue, earning a pained grimace in response.
"I'd love to, Carson, but they might be advanced scouts for a larger group, especially since they think At- the city is deserted. Besides, the sooner we get SG-1 back to when and where they belong, the happier I'll be. Any more questions?"
Silence, no one daring the young colonel's clearly rising temper.
"Good. Now, here's the plan..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack approached the Control Room cautiously, holding what Sheppard had called an 'LSD' in one hand, P-90 with the other. The younger man had been pretty embarrassed after Jack and his scout team returned when he realized they had three of the things and no one thought to send one with the SG-1 colonel. Next to him, Carter shifted uneasily, peering over his shoulder at the small Ancient device.
"They haven't moved?"
"Near as I can tell, no."
And that fact did not make him a happy colonel. They had split into smaller groups just minutes ago, intending to surround and enter the Gate room from multiple directions, hoping to take the twelve Genii the LSD said there by surprise. Except every military instinct Jack possessed screamed a warning. Something was very wrong here, he just wasn't quite sure what. The SG-1 colonel clicked his radio once and received a double click back, indicating he was clear to transmit.
"Sheppard, if I'm reading this toy of yours right, nobody's moving."
"Yeah, I got that, too. Pretty sure they know we're here."
Jack grimaced, not at all happy to have his guess confirmed. Not to mention the pain he could hear the younger man trying desperately to keep from his voice. The moment their group had left the shielded room, Sheppard had gone white, fighting to stay on his feet. The man approached Teal'c in his stubborn refusal to give in to pain, insisting on being a part of this anyway, though Jack had basically ordered him to stay out of the fighting and help coordinate.
"Do they have anything like these "Elsie" things to tell them where we are?"
"No. Grodin told me all the sensors were knocked out during the last battle with the Wraith."
McKay joined the conversation, sounding more than a bit impatient. Ever since the revelation of who their uninvited guests were, the man had been jumpy, rubbing his right arm as if it ached. Jack was fast getting the idea that this guy was the other team's version of Apophis, the arrogant enemy who simply refused to die.
"Good. What say we take out any of them that we can get at as quietly as possible?"
A soft chuckle from Sheppard.
"That sounds like a very good idea, colonel. Ronon, Teal'c, Teyla, see what you can do. Jonas, Rodney, Daniel, Cam, stay out of sight. What about you and Carter?"
Jack turned with a raised eyebrow at his companion, who nodded.
"We'll take the ones immediately around us."
"Good."
John reached to click off his radio, then hissed at the pain that washed through him again. This was getting more than a bit aggravating. When he'd tried to handle the life signs detector earlier, he'd almost hit the floor, so now he had to settle for looking over Carson's shoulder and ignoring the stabs and dizzy spells as best he could. Much to his chagrin, the colonel was stationed with the noncombatants in the hall just down from the Gatrium, reduced to listening to his people engage the enemy over the radio. It wasn't that he didn't trust the military members of SG-1 and his own team to take out the Genii, he just didn't take well to weakness in himself.
It didn't help matters that two of the noncombatants really shouldn't have been there at all, but that was the first argument he'd lost today. Grodin and Markham had been left in the shielded room with Bates and Petrov, ordered to stay there until they knew they were clear, then return to Athos, where the rest of Atlantis' survivors waited. While it would have been nice to have three more members of the military with them, neither Jack nor John were willing to trust Bates not to pull some stupid stunt. The man had heightened paranoia to an art form, accusing John's team of all being aliens sent to take over earlier, which resulted in McKay force-feeding the man a gag. John was brought abruptly out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder, which had him instinctively moving to hit back at the other person. Fortunately, his mind kicked in, informing him that it was Elizabeth's face swimming out of focus before his eyes, in time for him to pull the punch with a gasp.
"Damn it, Elizabeth, how many times have I warned you never to grab me like that?!"
Which received an icy glare in response.
"Never, colonel, since I'd never met you until today. Sorry. You're just going to kill these people without even trying to talk with them? Maybe they'll let us past without a fight."
Very rarely had John ever had that level of anger directed at him from Elizabeth, and never about a military situation, so her criticism took him aback momentarily. If this was the person two years of fighting a losing battle alone in the Pegasus Galaxy had made her into, he didn't like it one bit. Then, she'd had Sumner as her military commander, most likely constantly pushing, trying to undermine her.
"That isn't a good idea, Elizabeth, trust me. Kolya's not known for his ability to be reasonable."
"I realize that, colonel, I've met the man, but I can't just sit here and let you slaughter all of them."
Elizabeth stood, contempt and determination written clearly across her face as she headed down the corridor toward the Gatrium. John cursed, struggling to rise even as Carson caught his arm, guiding the colonel back to a seated position as the city spun wildly around him and legs turned to jello. One shaky hand went up to hit his com.
"Elizabeth just went in to try talking to Kolya. Whoever's closest, grab her!"
"Dr. Weir passed me a second ago, I'll get her."
Jonas Quinn, sounding more then a bit flustered. He was supposed to be strictly in an observational role right outside the Gatrium.
"Damn it, Jonas, stay where you are!" Jack O'Neill snapped at his team mate, then John heard him swear again.
"Too late, Jack, they're both already in the room and it looks like Kolya's actually willing to talk to them."
Daniel, high up on the command level, noted sourly.
"Great. Take out as many as you can, everybody, but nonlethal for now. If this guy decides to double cross us, Jonas and Weir are screwed."
Though O'Neill had technically given command to John, the Atlantis colonel wasn't about to argue with the other man at this point. He couldn't see what was going on, but the Genii weren't known for keeping their promises. Reaching out, he grabbed Carson's arm.
"Help me get closer in, doc. I have to be able to see what's going on in there."
For once, Carson didn't argue, instead tucking the detector into a pocket and putting a shoulder under the colonel, aiding the ill man to his feet. Slowly, they made their way down the hall, John concentrating on not toppling them both with his screwy balance. Knocking himself out on the floor of the city was not high on his priorities at the moment. Finally, they reached the corner where Jonas had been concealed before going after the diplomat and John mentally cursed the woman. She was currently standing in the middle of the room near the Gate, defiantly glaring at the pock-faced Genii commander. Straining, John could just make out the conversation.
"Dr. Weir, it's a pleasure to see you again. I'd been told that the Wraith killed everyone on Atlantis."
"Obviously you were misinformed. All we want is to leave through the Gate, then you're welcome to what you can find here, not that it will do the Genii any good since they can't activate any of it."
"So you know. Too bad. I don't think anyone will be leaving today, Dr. Weir."
John felt his blood run cold at the smug words and the slight twitch of the man's hand that went with it.
"NOOO!"
His scream came just a split second too late as the sharp crack of a weapon reached his ears and he saw Elizabeth Weir slip bonelessly to the floor, her head turned to stare sightlessly at the Atlantis military commander. Jonas Quinn, who had been standing behind her, froze in horror, which gave Kolya all the time he needed. Several bullets impacted where the Genii had stood seconds before as, quick as a snake, he grabbed the Kolownan, twirling him around into a choke hold, gun pressed to the younger man's head.
"Hold your fire!"
The shout over the com from O'Neill rang in John's ear and he snatched out the device, throwing it behind him as he pulled from the doctor's grasp. No amount of pain or weakness could compete with the energy from rage and grief, allowing him to stand firm, P-90 pointed straight at Kolya. His complete focus was on his enemy, his only thought that they had to get SG-1 back where they belonged and fix this, save Atlantis, save Elizabeth...
"Kolya! Drop your weapon and I'll let you live!"
The snarled offer was serious, but John was also certain it would never be accepted. That just wasn't Kolya. Even as he spoke, the Genii commander sneered and several bullets impacted around John, at least one finding its target as pain burned along his ribs. John didn't even flinch, simply absorbing the impact with a few steps backward, then returning to his former position, trusting that one of his team would shortly deal with the shooter if they had not done so already. If Kolya so much as twitched his hand as if he were going to fire, the Atlantis colonel had to be ready, because if Jonas Quinn died, so did any hope they had of restoring the past and fixing the present.
TBC...
A/N: Before anyone flames me for killing off a main character, remember this is an alternate time line and can presumably be fixed if they get SG-1 home.