Title: No Such Thing
Summary: Nancy Sheppard arrived in Atlantis to review Mr Woolsey's good work.
Characters: Everyone
Pairing: John/Nancy, John/Teyla, Teyla/Kanaan
Rating: T
Sheppard hated that Woolsey hesitated in making the decision that, yesterday, would have needed no thought. Send John to the chair – or a Puddle Jumper – and let him take out the Hive ship, regardless of whether it was Todd (unlikely) or not. It was simple but instead, Woolsey had retreated to his office with his spreadsheets and thought processes, trying to weigh the pros and cons. John was only thankful the city wasn't under attack.
As a result, Sheppard and his team had been relegated to the lower levels of the city, awaiting Woolsey's orders. In the locker room, McKay studiously tapped away at his laptop, the constant beeping of the machine alerting Sheppard to the fact that he'd somehow managed to tap into the city's mainframe. Ronon hung around his open locker room, the sound of clunking letting Sheppard know that he was... doing something at least. Teyla, John was surprised to learn, was seated beside him silently, watching the other two like he was. She hadn't said much since she had arrived at the table in the mess hall but this wasn't new; things between them hadn't been quite right since they'd escaped Michael's hive ship so many months ago now.
From the corner of her eye, he watched her fidget with her hands, wringing them together – over and over again. She shifted, the sound rough against his ear and he turned to her, watching her profile.
He'd somehow managed to convince himself that she had changed but as he watched her, watched as she cast her eyes down to her hands again, her lips parting slightly as she breathed, he wondered if he'd been wrong. She turned to him and they shared a smile, almost friendly, before he looked away suddenly awkward.
"It must be comforting," she said quietly and Sheppard frowned at the familiar sentiment. "Having someone from your past here." Sheppard didn't reply as he shrugged, not really willing to have the conversation in front of the other two. Or ever, really. He glanced to the other two, noting that they seemed suddenly immersed in whatever it was they were doing, rather than boredly fidgeting. "I-"
"Comforting isn't a word I would use."
She turned to him slightly, her lips drawn together. He shrugged as he turned away again. She conceded with a nod and the conversation – as well as the tension – dipped to a new low. She got it; they got it – and he was glad.
"Hey, Sheppard," Ronon said as he leaned casually against the lockers, a small smirk playing around the edges of his lips. "Is she still seeing that guy?"
Sheppard shrugged immediately, willing the conversation to suddenly change drastically.
"I wouldn't know." He narrowed his eyes at Ronon's playful grin. "Why?"
"I was thinking maybe-"
"Don't. Even. Go there," Sheppard interrupted instantly.
"You don't even know-"
"Doesn't matter. Just don't."
Rodney and Ronon shared amused grins, while Sheppard simply glared at them in turn. Teyla, for her part, managed to keep her snicker internal but Sheppard could see the amusement in her eyes. He spared a glare for her anyway and she had to look away to keep in her chortle of laughter.
"Think Woolsey's finished-"
"Colonel Sheppard's team to the control room."
The team glanced at one another, eyebrows raised for a moment before Sheppard checked his watch. Forty minutes they'd been waiting on Woolsey's decision.
"Let's go."
--
"What do you mean, it's stopped?" McKay asked as he rounded the control panel, hovering once again over Zelenka as the Czech worked. "You sure you didn't just break it?"
Zelenka rolled his eyes.
"I am sure." He pointed towards the filmy graphic, indicating the flashing dot once more. "It's been stationary for ten minutes now. We're not picking up any distress signals – nothing."
Sheppard advanced towards the film, watching the flashing red dot. Wraith ships didn't just stop; if it was Michael, he'd not risk the pause; Todd would know where Atlantis was and any other Wraith ship would have either turned back or flew ignorantly by. It made no sense.
He ignored Woolsey as the older man questioned the two or three scientists in the room, groaning at the thought of another forty minute wait to decide whether or not his team should go investigate.
"Weird, huh?" He questioned Teyla who stood close to his side, likewise observing the dormant dot.
"Very," she replied, equally as quietly, her tone mild. He sighed and she mirrored him. From his other side, he was vaguely aware of the others, a set of eyes but he paid it no heed as he stared at the film, the image distorting as he stared harder. "Do you think it is-"
He turned to her slightly, his shoulder elbow brushing against her at the motion. She didn't turn to him but he could see the apprehension in the tight set of her shoulders.
"I don't know," he interrupted quietly, licking his lips slightly as he glanced back to the others. "Is Torren-"
"He is with Kanaan."
"Do you-"
"No." She shook her head, emphasising her point and Sheppard nodded turning away from her again, back to the scene in the control room, listening as McKay argued his point. "Thank you."
He nodded once and stepped away.
"What's happening McKay?"
Rodney looked ready to make a retort, his eyes flicking between Sheppard and Teyla but John's well timed glare kept the words at bay. Sheppard towered over the seated Canadian and stared at the screen but he didn't understand the flashing code. As much as he was connected with the city, he'd never cared to learn Ancient.
"We've received a transmission," Rodney said quietly as he tapped away on the laptop, the script before him shifting and altering. It still made no sense to Sheppard. "We're trying to unscramble it."
"Who's it from?" Sheppard asked as he stepped away, around the other side of the panel.
McKay tapped a few more buttons and turned extravagantly to one of the smaller display screens, hitting another button. Images flashed across the screen but they were disjointed, soundless but Sheppard made out all he needed to see.
"Todd..." He murmured and glanced to Teyla, noting the almost imperceptible slump of her shoulders. She had been uneasy for days, he had sensed, and he didn't know why – hated that he could no longer ask.
"I'll try to clean it up but it's pretty scrambled," McKay said as Teyla took a step towards them, watching the screen with intent.
She closed her eyes and took a breath, her lids fluttering. Sheppard paid it little heed as he turned back to McKay, tapping impatiently on his thigh.
"I sense no Wraith," Teyla murmured quietly and Sheppard spun towards her.
"What are you- Teyla!" He admonished and her eyes snapped open, her breathing uneven.
"Perhaps it is the distance but-"
"You can sense them from this far?" Woolsey asked and Teyla nodded, her eyes flickering closed again before Sheppard gripped her elbow, rousing her.
"Don't." He shook his head but turned away from her, to Wolsey who stood staring at the scene before him in wonderment. "We'll take a Jumper out – see what's going on."
"You don't even-"
"It's the retro-virus," McKay said gravely, his eyes heavy as he glanced across the people in the room. "Something went wrong – I can't tell what; the video is still scrambled and it doesn't make sense but-"
"What does it say McKay?"
McKay gestured to the smaller screen again where the transmission was playing over again. The sound was tinny, the images jumpy but Sheppard picked up the important words of "retro-virus", "failed" and "need help".
He was in half a mind to just leave Todd festering away with the failing retro virus – especially after his little stunt last time they'd tried to help him – but when he caught sight of Nancy, standing quietly in the corner, he remembered with great vivid detail that he wanted to be very far away from Nancy for as long as possible.
"Colonel Sheppard-" Woolsey began but Sheppard cut him off.
"Yes, sir." He and his team stood and Sheppard made it half way out of the control room, casting a glance back up to McKay. "Rodney, you sit this one out." He glanced behind Rodney's incredulous face to Nancy as she approached Sheppard. "Your four o'clock is staying here."
He smirked at Rodney before turning and continuing down the stairway.
--
"We're just going to go and have a quick look around, see what he wants," Sheppard reasoned as he, Teyla and Ronon geared up in efficient silence.
Woolsey had appeared a few minutes earlier, detailing what he wanted them to discover – needlessly, John thought as it wasn't like they didn't do this every other day anyway – and to just check they hadn't gotten any crossed wires. He was covering his ass, Sheppard knew, but he couldn't really blame the guy.
"McKay will kill you when we get back," Ronon said as he passed Sheppard in the hallway some minutes later but Sheppard simply shrugged and grinned over to Teyla who rolled her eyes quickly before attaching her P-90 to her vest. They could never be too careful – not when the Wraith (even Todd) were involved.
In the Jumper bay, Rodney stood with Nancy and Woolsey, his arms crossed over his chest in petulance and Sheppard struggled to hide his grin.
"Be careful," Woolsey said John's team embarked the Jumper.
"I modified the life signs detector to read hibernating Wraith; if what Teyla says is true, you might need it." Sheppard nodded, grateful for McKay's input. "If I was going, I wouldn't have needed-"
"But you're not, so you did and we're grateful for that, Rodney," Sheppard countered and Rodney sneered, looking away.
"Good luck," he murmured before stalking out of the Jumper Bay.
Sheppard raised his eyebrows to Woolsey, amused. Woolsey simply shook his head – it appeared his earlier good mood had vanished with the arrival of the Wraith. John couldn't blame him, really.
He turned to the Jumper and made it half a step before he felt Nancy's hand on his forearm. He glanced to her tight grip then up to her eyes.
"Be safe."
He nodded once, flicked his eyes to her hand again, and moved away.
When he sat, he could still feel her grip and he tried to shake it off. He ignored the raised eyebrow from Ronon, ignored the way Teyla studiously ignored him and touched a few buttons on the Jumper, bringing it to life. Gripping the sticks, he felt the familiar rush of warmth swim through him and he smiled.
"Be safe."
As the Jumper rose through the bay doors, he gripped his arm idly with his free hand.
Her touch, much to his dismay, hadn't been entirely unwelcome.
These next few days, he knew, were going to be very long indeed.
