Date : 21.01.2008
Title : The A.U. Series : Lost City Of The ZPM's
Author : ElaineDex
Chapter : 2 of ?
Rating : M
Pairings : Lt. Col. John Sheppard / Dr. Ellie Harrison
Major Evan Lorne / Nurse Jessica Reilly
Warnings : Some Sexual Content, Romance, Adventure, Maybe Some Strong Language.
Spoilers : This story has character's in it from my Loves series and follows on from my last story - New Beginnings.
Feedback : Yes please, always welcome whatever it may be.
Disclaimer : Dr. Ellie Harrison, Lt. Matthew Franks, and any O/C's are mine. Lyssa Hunter belongs to Kazavid and is from her Atlantis stories Behind The Mask and Reunions. Stargate Atlantis, unfortunately, has nothing to do with me.
Summary : Can the teams survive an adventure fit for Indiana Jones as they search for a whole city supposedly full of ZPM's?
As Ellie regained her senses she sat forward and looked up at Lorne.
"Major…it's alright, I'm fine. I gave Michael permission to do what he did", she said and although Lorne glanced at her he kept his gun at Michael's head and Tyler and Stackhouse did the same with their P-90's.
"And what exactly was he doing?", he asked and Ellie stood.
"That is between Michael and I for now…", she began but Lorne glared at her.
"I'm sorry Dr Harrison but unless you tell me now I will have to take you and our friend here to the holding cells…for all I know he could have compromised you in some way", he said.
For a split second Ellie couldn't speak she was so angry but she soon found her tongue.
"I have not been compromised…and I resent the fact that you think I could be…Michael has given me some valuable information that could help this city…", she stopped as Lorne turned to face her.
"I don't care what he's given you Doctor, the fact is that he shouldn't be touching you…under any circumstances", he said sounding angry. He turned to Tyler and Stackhouse.
"Take him back to his room and stay with him".
Tyler nudged Michael's arm and he stood to leave with the two marines.
"I'm sorry Michael", Ellie said and he smiled at her, infuriating Lorne even more.
He looked back at her to find her glaring at him, her hands on her hips and he put the safety back on his hand-gun and put it back in his leg-holster.
"You and I need to talk Doctor", he said and she nodded,
"You got that right…but I think we'll include Dr Weir shall we?", she said going to move past him but stopped as she had an afterthought.
"Oh…am I alright to leave on my own…or do you want to come with me just in case I 'have' been compromised and I start to attack people with my NOTEPAD?!".
Lorne caught her arm as she went to leave and she looked at him totally astounded as he said,
"I'll come with you".
"You are impossible", she muttered as she moved away.
"So are you", Lorne retorted as he went to follow.
He looked to the table he had been sat at with Jessica so that he could hastily apologise, but he found that she was no longer there and he sighed as he caught up to Ellie and they left the mess hall.
He and Jessica were not really suited and he had been thinking of breaking things off with her. He'd have to try and find her after this thing with Ellie was done.
They made their way to Weir's office and Ellie knocked on the glass door before entering and Weir looked up, her smile faltering as she saw that Ellie and Lorne looked about ready to kill one another.
"Is there a problem?", she asked, sighing inwardly as both Lorne and Ellie tried to speak at the same time.
She raised her hands and interrupted them, "Please, one at a time…Dr Harrison, why don't you start", she suggested and Ellie sent a smug smile Lorne's way as she moved closer to Weir's desk.
"Major Lorne thinks that I have been compromised because I let Michael touch me and he wanted to put me in a holding cell if I didn't tell him what was going on", she said and Weir raised her eyebrows.
"Touch you?", she asked, glancing at Lorne who shook his head and folded his arms, clearly agitated.
"My temples…he transferred some information to my mind regarding the location of a city that is apparently full of ZPM's", Ellie said and Lorne could hold his tongue no longer.
"You should have done it in a controlled environment where you both could have been observed, not in the middle of the mess hall where he could quite easily have done anything to your mind", he said and Weir nodded.
"Major Lorne does have a point", she said and Ellie frowned.
"Alright, I admit that maybe I went about it the wrong way but I was confident that Michael wouldn't hurt me and now we have the location to a city that could solve Atlantis' power supply problems indefinitely".
Weir and Lorne exchanged a glance and Weir sighed deeply.
"He gave you the gate address?", she asked and when Ellie nodded she continued,
"Find out what you can about the city from the ancient database. If your search turns up anything definite then I'll consider sending a MALP through the gate".
"No problem", Ellie replied going to leave but Weir stopped her.
"Dr Harrison…", she said and Ellie turned back to look at her.
"Yes?".
"Major Lorne is only concerned about your safety…please don't fight him over his decisions regarding Michael".
Ellie nodded once, avoiding Lorne's gaze and then she ducked out of the room.
"Thank you ma'am", Lorne said and Weir smiled at him as he followed Ellie.
Ellie stiffened as Lorne fell into step beside her.
"I suppose you're going to gloat now?", she said and Lorne grinned at her.
"Would I do that to you?", he said and Ellie scowled at him.
"Yes, you would", she replied as they paused by the level changer.
"I just don't see why everyone cant trust me with what I'm working on with Michael and…..", she trailed off as the level changer's doors slid open and both she and Lorne saw Jessica and Sheppard wrapped around one another, their tongues half-way down one another's throats.
Ellie gasped, but not because she was upset for herself as she had known that it wouldn't be long before Sheppard would find himself another lover, but more because Jessica was Lorne's so-called girlfriend and he would probably be upset.
She turned to Lorne but instead of finding him looking at Jessica she found he was watching her.
At that moment her heart decided to have one of its 'moments' and she found herself struggling to breath.
Sheppard and Jessica sprung apart and Jessica looked at Lorne, her face a mixture of surprise, guilt and shock.
"Ellie…you alright?", Sheppard said moving past Jessica to get to Ellie and she nodded, fishing in her lab coat pocket for some pills but Lorne had already reached for his supply and he pressed two into her hand and she looked at him gratefully.
"Evan…this wasn't what it looked like…really", Jessica said, moving to stand before Lorne who regarded her coldly.
Sheppard frowned as he stood by Ellie but turned to look at Jessica and Lorne.
"Really?", Lorne replied dryly and Jessica shook her head, her red hair bouncing with the action.
"Colonel Sheppard said he felt a little unwell and I was just checking him over…", she said and Ellie nearly spat the pills that were under her tongue out and she looked up at Sheppard who was looking very confused.
"Well, you can check out whoever you want from now on because we're over", Lorne said going to move when Sheppard said,
"Major I had no idea that she was your….", he trailed off as Lorne raised a hand.
"That's alright Sir…you did me a favour", but then he turned to Ellie and said, "I'm just sorry you had to see that Doc", and then he walked off and Ellie frowned until it dawned on her that Lorne didn't know that she and Sheppard had broken up over a week ago.
Sheppard and Ellie stood gawping at one another, not knowing what to say and then Jessica made a little noise that sounded like a cat being strangled before she moved hastily away.
"Well I didn't know she was seeing Lorne", Sheppard said eventually and Ellie grinned at him as her breathing evened out.
"What are you like!", she said and Sheppard threw an arm around her shoulders as he shrugged.
"So what's new with you?", he asked as they moved away from the level changer.
A few days later Ellie had gathered together as much information as she could about the Lost City and both Sheppard and Lorne's teams were having a briefing with Weir as the MALP that she had authorised had projected promising images back to them.
"So you really believe that this place is full of ZPM's?", Weir asked and Ellie nodded confidently.
"I think that Michael really wants to help us and the information from the ancient database and now the MALP all looks good".
"I cant believe that you trust a Wraith", Ronon muttered and Ellie coloured up slightly as she looked over at the Satedan but said nothing.
"What do you think Colonel?", Weir asked of Sheppard and he sat back in his chair and regarded Ellie.
Ellie smiled at him hopefully and he sighed deeply.
"Well…what's the worst that can happen?", he said and Ellie relaxed until McKay said,
"Hang on…how do we know this isn't just some elaborate trap set by the Wraith and we're not going to walk into this city and get immediately captured?", he asked and everyone looked at him.
"Every time we go off world we don't know if we'll be faced with the wraith or not…I'm sure we'll cope with whatever is out there…if there is anything out there that is", Lyssa said and Ellie smiled at her too for her little display of support.
"Well I think it's a crazy idea", Lorne said and Ellie glared at him and spoke before she could stop herself.
"You think everything I come up with is crazy".
"That's because it usually is", Lorne replied.
"Well if it all goes pear shaped I'll resign. Will that make you happy?", Ellie snapped and Lorne opened his mouth to reply but Weir cleared her throat to stop any further discussion and everyone looked at her.
"Seeing as everything looks quite promising I don't see why you all cant go and check it out. Dr Harrison you'll need to draw up the map that Michael transferred into your mind so that yourself and Rodney can have a hard copy to work from and if you can get that done today I see no reason why you cant leave tomorrow".
"I can do that", Ellie said and Weir nodded.
"Okay then…well…everyone dismissed and I'll see you when you're ready to leave tomorrow".
Ellie was just about done with the maps and various other information that Michael had given her when Lorne entered the lab and she looked at him warily as he approached her work bench.
"I'm quite confident that this mission will….", she began but Lorne surprised her by touching her arm to silence her.
"I'm not here to talk about the mission", he said and Ellie frowned.
"You're not?", she questioned and Lorne shook his head.
"I feel like I should apologise for what Jessica did with Colonel Sheppard…I can only imagine how you must be feeling right now and….", he trailed off though as Ellie smiled.
"Major I've been meaning to tell you…John and I broke up just over a week ago".
"You…did?", Lorne said looking confused as he continued, "But I thought you were getting married?".
"John and I were never getting married…someone told me that Lieutenant Franks had overheard a conversation that we'd had and it just all got blown out of proportion", Ellie replied and Lorne nodded.
"I see".
"Thanks for the concern though…and I'm sorry about you and Jessica", Ellie said, watching as Lorne's face grew stony.
"Don't be…I'm not", he said.
Ellie sighed and they looked at one another momentarily before Lorne said,
"So…are these the maps then?".
"You said you weren't here to talk about the mission", Ellie replied, snatching the maps out from under his nose and Lorne bit back a smile as he moved to the doorway.
"So don't forget Doc...if this mission fails you'll be handing in your resignation...", he said, disappearing as a pot of pens hit the door that he'd been standing in front of seconds earlier.
End of Chapter 2