"Col, you REALLY need to come down and look at this…I'm telling you, Sir…it's amazing…." Lt Col Shepherd looked up at one of his men, Lorne, who stood just inside the door to his office. Shepherd, often called Shep, frowned. He was working on his really, REALLY late paperwork. Paperwork was the one task that he, as the Military commander of the Lost city of Atlantis in the Pegasus galaxy, hated with a fiery passion. Grinning, he stood, tossing his pen to the desk and said, "Well, if you think it's that important, Lorne….I should check it out…don't want to let the city down, right? " Lorne grinned and the two men made their way to the training room usually referred to as the "dojo". Arriving, he found that the majority of the not on duty members of the Expedition, including its leader, Full Col Samantha Carter, and his own team, stood around the mats, watching with interest the two people in the center. He made his way to his team, Doctor McKay, egotistical and mouthy, but the best when it came to Ancient tech; Teyla Emmagen and Ronon Dex, both Pegasus humans and McKay's girlfriend, the Expeditions chief medical officer Dr Keller. Ronon moved over to let him in to the space and said, his gruff voice, "Thought you had paperwork?" Shep shrugged,
"Lorne said I had to see this….." Teyla, the only woman on his team nodded, her calm, rational self and said,
"From what we have seen thus far, John, it is truly an exceptional experience. But I thought that Sam wanted you to have the paperwork in to her by tomorrow?" Shep looked uncomfortable,
"Well, if this is something that might affect the military aspect of Atlantis, I need to see it…". Teyla gave him the look that told him she'd seen through his excuses. SO he did what any man would do, he changed the subject, "What are they….are those swords? "
Two people stood in the center of the mat, a man and a woman, nearly the same height, though the man was a few inches taller. They looked a great deal alike, both with thick, auburn hair that was tied back in some sort of band. Just looking at them, he could tell they were related in some way. He couldn't see the color of their eyes, but they were the same shape, the same size…their noses were nearly identical; though their features were definitely gender specific. He realized that McKay was staring at him, expectantly. He figured that McKay had asked him a question, so he said, shrugging, "Sorry, what?" Looking exasperated, McKay spoke slowly, as though he were speaking to a moron, "I SAID…what do you know of this new…team? Crew? Whatever…." Shep shrugged, "Not much…most of their history is "classified"…even I can't get into it. From what I've been told, they're basically high placed, military affiliated Mercs" Seeing the confusing on his teams faces, he said, "Mercenaries….paid muscle" Jennifer Keller frowned,
"The Military pays for Mercenaries?" Shep shrugged again, watching the two well matched people circle each other in the center and said, "Not usually, no…but I guess certain "extraordinary situations, demand extraordinary moves…. All I know for sure is that their leader is named Greer and he's supposed to be the intermediary between us and them. They'll be going on missions with teams, but not permanently assigned to any team…that was REALLY clear. Are they just going to walk around each other with swords?" At that instant, the two combatant moves, and their grace and ferocity surprised him; he wasn't the only one, a unified gasp came from the crowd.
The woman made a feint to the left, and then came up with the sword under the man's guard; but the man only smiled and blocked the strike, turning and using his momentum and height to move her away from him. From that moment on, the two fought; but it was more than just a fight, it was a dance. A death dance, with swords and smooth, flowing moves like water over stones. Shep shook himself; he wasn't usually that…poetic. But what these two were doing was less a battle and more a dance of ancient skill. They turned, flowed from one stance to another; the woman slid into the splits and struck up, but the man blocked it and slid sideways, coming at a downward angle, which the woman blocked. They almost moved too quickly to be followed, and their acrobatics made the fight seem so graceful and beautiful. It wasn't just sword, they used scorpion kicks and other martial arts move with such beauty that Shep wondered if they were fighting, dancing or maybe…flirting. Every eye in the crowd was riveted on the action; except, Shep noted, the rest of Greer's people. Some of them watched the action, but none with the intense interest that they rest of them did. Shep's eyes went back to the action in time to see the woman bring her sword down, meeting her opponents, then she used that to lever herself upwards, almost doing a handstand on her sword, before coming down behind her opponent. She knelt, as her opponent slid around to face her and when she stood, she was inside his embrace and she had her hand on his sword arm. She turned it, and flicked the sword across the mat, took a step back and bent, bring her leg over her head in a perfect scorpion kick. The opponent stumbled backwards, letting his sword go. Both stood up, facing each other and then they smiled, and once again, Shep was sure they were related in some way. Their smiles were identical, right down to that mischievous smile in their eyes. They entwined their arms, and brought their foreheads together, real close to the greeting that Teyla's people did. He glanced at Teyla, to find her smiling and clapping with the rest, but there was a look of calculation on her face. His eyes went on to McKay who seemed enthralled with the two fighters, but then again, so was Ronon. He frowned; Ronon was watching the two like he was seeing something so magnificent that he was beyond words. Worried, Shep elbowed Ronon and said, softly, "Hey Chewie…come on man….snap out of it." Ronon looked down at him, his eyes out of focus, and then with a shake of his dreadlocked head, he cleared his eyes and said, "Those two are good…" Shep turned back to the two, sure they were leaving the mat, but instead, he saw that they were now standing about five feet away from each other, both smiling, their eyes gleaming at each other, and then the woman gazed at each of their watchers, her eyes smiling. She knew she was the center of attention, and she loved being the center of attention. Knowing they had the entire audience's attention, the woman snapped her arms out to her sides, opening her hand and, as the audience gasped in shock, two golden daggers, or short swords appeared in her hands. Since she was wearing a military issue white tank top and grey sweat pants, rolled at the top, he had NO idea where those had come from. The daggers, for lack of a better word, were curved, with guards between the hilts and her slender, pale hands. Shep narrowed his eyes and tried to see clearer; there was some sort of writing on the blades, but he was too far to see it clearly. The man on the mat threw back his head and laughed, as the woman smiled more broadly. The man said, softly, "Show off". Then he put his own hands to the sides and opened his hands wide, then turned his wrists slowly and closed his fists as two daggers appeared in his hands. Like the woman's they were gold, but these were straight and even from this distance, Shep saw the stones set in the handles and guards. The audience had gasped again, and Shep shook his head; there was something weird here. He glanced over at the tall, red-head, Greer and saw that the leader wasn't entirely pleased with this display, but he leaned against the wall, arms crossed, obviously irritated, but resigned. Shep looked back at the mat as the sound of blade on blade met his ears. The two people, both smiling and obviously enjoying their selves, went at each other with obvious skill and such a beautiful grace that Shep felt his eyes well; it was like watching a beautiful but deadly ballet. Again, they used martial arts as well as their blades; at one point, the woman actually RAN up the wall, and flipped over her opponent, bringing up her daggers to come at him. He moved a bit slowly and while he managed to stop the blows, a bloody line opened up on his forearm. He heard Keller gasp and felt her begin to move forward, but he reached out to stop her. She glared up at him, "He's BLEEDING, John!" Shep shook his head and said, "You run in there now and YOU'LL be bleeding Jenn….let them finish this and then you can look at his wound to your heart's content." Jenn glared, but stepped back, and Shep was able to turn back to the action. He was just in time to watch the male slide nearly the length of the matt to slide between the woman's legs, then roll up and hook his feet between her body and arms and pulled her down. They ended up in a really…odd position. She lay on her back, her legs going up his body, her ankles crossed behind his neck. He sat, his feet on her upper arms, her butt nearly on his crotch, his swords "x"ed on either side of her neck. Both were smiling and the woman opened her hands and the swords just disappeared. The man did the same, then with that same unworldly grace; he swirled to the side and stood, offering the woman his hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. She placed her hands on his shoulders, stood tall and pressed her lips to his. As kisses go, it was pretty chaste, but it SEEMED a lot more; it was intimate and…hot as hell. Despite being a closed mouth (as much as he could see) kiss, it was almost like watching a sex act. Shep looked away, and found he wasn't the only one; several people looked away and many were blushing. When Shep looked back, he saw the two had joined hands and stepped away from each other; both nodded their heads as the applause started. Shep noticed, with no little irritation, that neither seemed out of breath. AS the members of the Atlantis Expedition moved up to the couple, Shep made sure he and his team were in the front, just behind Col Sam Carter. Sam said,
"That was…amazing. I'm not sure what else to call it. You two are magnificent!" Shep frowned; it wasn't like Sam to gush. Despite the fact that the performance HAD been magnificent, it seemed out of place. The couple on the mat shared a look and the man smiled at Sam and said, "Thank you Col. We are pleased that we could entertain you with our simple workout."
"WORKOUT?", as usual, McKay's voice seemed too shrill, and too loud as he went on, "You call THAT a workout? I'd hate to see what you two consider work! Where did the swords go? Or come from for that matter!" Leave it to McKay to get to the heart of the matter. Shep stepped up, but before he could speak, the woman smiled at McKay and said, "They are very special blades, Rodney…did you enjoy the show?" Her voice was sweet and gentle, and Shep expected McKay to keep on her, but to Shep's surprise, McKay merely said, "Very much…you're very, flexible!" Then Teyla, with an odd look at Rodney, said,
"You seem to know our names, but we do not know yours." The two paused and seemed to glance at something, then the man spoke, placing a hand on his chest, "I am Kai Eamair Tearney…this is my sister Caley Tamsin Tearney…" and the strangest thing happened, as Kai took Teyla's hand to kiss it, the woman, Caley finished his sentence, "we are honored to meet such a magnificent warrior as Teyla Emmagen." Teyla looked a bit surprised, but covered it with her normal, calm reaction. Then the woman turned to John and the full force of her personality was on him. He felt like a child, a young man on his first date, the first time he's spoken to a beautiful woman…it made him feel young and foolish. For some reason, he wanted to throw himself on the ground and bow at her feet; or feed her grapes. Shaking his head, he shoved his hand at her and saw her frown, glanced at the man behind her and then hesitantly take his hand. Her grip was firm, but hesitant, and she said, "Col Shepherd…a pleasure to meet you…", she looked back at the man, then said, offering her hand to Ronon, after prying it from his hand, John nearly blushed when he realized he hadn't let go of her hand himself. She smiled at Ronon who looked flummoxed, and said, "Ronon Dex, we have heard of you as a warrior…" Rodney frowned, "So…you've been briefed on us?" The woman frowned a little, glanced back at her brother who said, also frowning,
"Yes…we've been….", the woman cocked her head to the left, while her brother cocked his head to the right, then the man continued, "briefed…on you're….", another set of head cocks, "identities.", finished the woman..
TWO WEEKS LATER
John walked down the hall way outside the mess hall, and looked up as Rodney joined him. He expected Rodney to start jabbering, but he didn't. Surprised, John looked over at him, and found Rodney uncharacteristically quiet. John said, "You ok, buddy?" Rodney nodded, and then said, quietly, "Is it true that THEY'RE coming with us today?" John sighed, he knew how THEY were…Kai and Caley, who were, he's found out, TWINS. Besides Greer, Kai and Caley, there were nine other people in the group. All of them were somewhat…odd. Though none as different as Kai and Caley. Some of that group had made themselves part of the city, but most kept to themselves. Three times, though none with his team, the others had gone out. Lorne had told him that they were…really, really different. Today, Kai and Caley would be going out with his team…and he was more than a little nervous about it. Not only did THEY make him nervous, but the way that Ronon acted around them was just freakin weird. Ronon had taken to hanging around Greer's group, and especially Caley. Though, John had to admit, Caley hadn't treated Ronon any different than she treated everyone else, man OR woman. Realizing Rodney was waiting for an answer, John said, "that's right Rodney…they're coming with us today. "
"Can't we just take HER? Do we have to take him too?" Surprised, John stopped and turned to Rodney, "Why? What's he done?" Rodney frowned, looking anywhere but at John and said, "Jenn's going with us…." John frowned, "Yea, I know she is…what's that…oh.". The problem occurred to him. One of the reasons that the "group", who most of the Expedition members called the "Otherworlders", because of the way they acted, stayed by themselves was because of their effect on others. It seemed that many of the expedition were drawn to the Otherworlders…especially Kai and Caley. Men, or women, both seemed to be fascinated with the Twins. He had to admit, especially since he'd already gone to Sam about it, that the Twins never did anything odd to attract the attention…they just seemed to draw the eye. And come to think about it, he DID remember that their head of medical had been one of the people hanging around the Twins as much as possible. "Look, Rodney…I…" but Rodney interrupted him,
"John…she says they don't get hurt…." John frowned, "huh? I've seen em…remember that first workout? Kai got cut…."
"But there was no wound when Jenn looked…they're not human, John…and I don't like them around Jenn….." John stopped just short of telling Rodney that Jenn was a grown up and seemed to WANT to be around the Twins. Instead he said, "It'll be fine, Rodney…don't worry". Rodney didn't seem to be convinced, but he said nothing more as they headed to the Gate Room.
The first thing that John saw when he walked in was the Twins, standing slightly away from the rest of the people in the room, with Greer. Greer was talking in a low voice, his face nearly unreadable. The Twins both looked relaxed and happy…just as they always seemed to. It didn't appear they took anything seriously. The other thing that caught his attention was the rest of his team, Ronon, Teyla and today, Jenn. Ronon and Jenn both stared at the Twins, their expressions longing; Teyla looked between them, frowning. Finally, Greer threw up his hands and stalked out of the room, while the Twins turned and walked toward where John and Rodney had just joined the others. John stared at the Twins because they were NOT wearing uniforms, instead, they wore some sort of…well, armor seemed the best description. It was intricate, earth colored with gold and silver woven into it. There were shapes in it, but they didn't seem to be still. John said,
"You two are out of uniform….you can't go through the gate like that….." The Twins shared a look (John swore they were "talking") and Kai said, "We wear the armor of our kind…." And Caley took over the sentence "John. It offers more protection than.."
Kai: …your uniforms. We already have…
Caley: …gotten permission from ….
Kai: …your government and….
Caley: Sam to wear….
Kai:our own….
Caley:…uniform."
It was like a tennis match; John felt his head snap between them as they had a conversation with BOTH of them completing each other's sentences. Almost dizzy, John said,
"STOP that! ONE of you talk, ok?" The Twins shared a look and then Caley nodded, and Kai said, "As you wish, John." Still a bit dizzy and not a little nauseous, John said, "Let's just go…." The Twins nodded, and they walked to the gate, just as the Gate activated. The team stood on the ramp and checked their weapons, and then John frowned, "Where are your weapons, Kai? Caley?" Kai and Caley shared a look and then Kai said, "We do not use the projectile weapons of your people, John…they are not our way."
"Then your "way" is going to get you killed, Kai….you need weapons!" John's voice was harsh, but Kai only smiled and said, "We have weapons, John…just not the projectile weapons you use…." Sighing, John said, "Fine….when you get yourselves killed, I'm gonna make the other one of you do the paperwork!" Kai and Caley grinned and John said, "Ok everyone…let's go…" Sharing another look, both smiling broadly, Kai and Caley both shouted, "Beidh ár lá linn", as they ran up the ramp and threw themselves (Kai head first, Caley flipped and flew in backwards) into the event horizon. "Well, HELL," said John, as he and his team hurried after the them.
Coming out of the gate, guns ready, John looked around. The Gate was located in a clearing, surrounded by forests. There was no sign of the Twins, and John cursed under his breath. Then, the Twins appeared out of the forest, and John had to admit, their armor allowed them to blend into the trees. The Twins came out of the forest about 20 feet apart and jogged to the team, Kai grinned and said, "All clear up to 2…err…clicks" Caley finished, "sir.". John glared and said, "STOP that! It's…weird!". Both Twins smiled, but before John could continue, Teyla said, "You were not that far ahead of us…how have you gone out and back that far in such a short period?" Caley smiled as Kai laughed and Caley said, "We are quicker than….some". Kai and Caley shared a look and Kai said, ""Would you like us to continue scouting?" John sighed, he was REALLY not happy to have these two on the team today, neither seemed to know how to follow orders. BUT, after looking at Ronon and Jenn, he grunted and said, "Yeah…go scout. Remember, we're looking for an outpost…." Both Twins nodded, grinning and then turned and melted back into the forest. John turned to his team and said, "Let's go". Just a minute and a half or so later, John yelped as Kai and Caley melted out of the forest directly in front of him. He was taking point, and they'd spooked him. He snapped, "Don't DO that! I nearly shot you!" Another look exchanged between the Twins, then Kai said, "All clear another 2 clicks past our last look….." John frowned, but Rodney spoke before he could, "That's impossible…no one is that fast!" Caley smiled, "We marked the trees, so you would know….we marked the first 2 clicks too….so that you would believe us." A few minutes later, as they kept marching, they came to a tree, and stuck to it with a knife was a Canadian flag patch. Kai and Caley grinned, as John frowned, then Rodney shrieked, "HEY!" John immediately shushed him, but as he looked at him, Rodney pointed to his jacket…and the missing patch that was now on the tree. A hiss made him look at Ronon, who held up an empty knife holder. He turned back to Kai and Caley and started to speak, stopped, started and then stopped again, before saying, "What did you take to mark the next click?" Kai chuckled and said, "Caley marked it with chalk…we just wanted to prove to you that we were being truthful. Be aware, John, that to some of our kind, being accused of lying is punishable by death….we do not lie." John frowned, "Your KIND? What do you mean, you don't lie?" Caley took up the conversation, which was at least better than the Twins sharing the same sentence, "We may omit some things, or we may lead you to a specific, but incorrect, conclusion…but we do not say a lie. Ever." John frowned, "Nice to know." Kai grinned again and said, "Do you wish us to continue scouting?" John nodded, waving at them. He just really didn't want to deal with them right now. He handed the knife back to Ronon and the patch to Rodney who shoved it in his vest, muttering and they traveled on. Reaching the second set of clicks, they found a chalk mark on a tree, and John frowned, how the hell were they moving that fast?
As they neared the third set of markings, John saw Kai come out of the brush and gesture at him, his expression, for once, serious. John and the team joined him in the brush, and Kai said, "The settlement is through those trees…it is very small. Caley is watching them from the other side of the trees. What are our goals here?" John said, "We need to get into the main place and get their codes…" Kai grinned, "Do we have to get any of them?" John frowned, "Get?" Kai's grin went bigger and said, "Do we need any of them alive?" "Not specifically…..do you intend to kill them?" Kai said, still smiling, but somewhat incredulous, "Of course…leaving an enemy alive and at your back is foolish." "Get your sister over here, Kai…." Kai nodded, and a few moments later, Caley joined them. John waited until they were all gathered around before he said, "Ok…do you two think you can distract them while the rest of us get in there and find the…errr..stuff we're looking for?" Kai and Caley exchanged a look, then both grinned, nodding. John hesitated, part of him wanted to tell them not to kill anyone they didn't have to (even though these were Genii…not his favorite people); but the more logical part of him figured they'd ignore him anyway, and the loss of a few Genii wasn't worth it. Instead, he asked, "How many of them are there?" Kai looked at Caley, then said, "Maybe…three dozen?" Caley nodded, glancing around them. Kai looked back at John and John frowned, "Can you two handle that many?" Caley snorted and Kai grinned, then Caley said, "Three dozen is nothing…three hundred might be fun….three thousand might give us a workout; depending on how good of warriors they were….." John frowned, he thought they were over-reaching themselves, but since there were not three thousand, it was moot point. He glanced over and saw the look on Ronon's face… John began to speak, but Ronon interrupted him, "I'll go with them…you don't need me in there….fighting is more my style…" Kai and Caley exchanged a look, and John was surprised to see Kai's eye narrow; but neither Twin said anything. John frowned, but nodded, and they moved, silently, or as silent as possible, to the edge of the clearing. Sure enough, several men in Genii uniforms milled around. John turned to the Twins, asking what they intended to do to get the men's attention and found them both holding the golden daggers they had sparred with back in Atlantis. John ducked, then hissed, "careful!". Kai grinned at him, and John said, "So you're just going to run out there and start stabbing people? Isn't that a bit…reckless?" Caley smiled, raised an eyebrow at her brother, and then said, "Not with this small a group…trust me, Col, we'll be fine…..all three of us!". And with that, both Twins stood up, and in one voice yelled "Beidh ár lá linn", they sprinted into the clearing and began fighting. Ronon shot John a huge grin and then bellowed something as he ran out to join the "battle". John shook his head and muttered, "They're going to get themselves killed…dammit, the paperwork is gonna SUCK!" Then he gestured and the rest of them headed around to the other side of the clearing. Just before they moved into the buildings, John looked at the clearing and gasped. The Twins were on either side of Ronon, and from the piles of bodies around them, they were more than holding their own. Ronon looked like a kid on Space Mountain…and as John watched, Caley leapt up, spun around and took off three men's heads with her spinning blades. John shook his head, then gestured for the others to follow him into the building. There were only three Genii in the building, which made getting to the codes and downloading the information quick and easy. As they headed out the front, John saw a Genii move in Kai's direction, he shouted, "Hey! Watch out!" Kai turned to look at him and the Genii slashed with a knife at Kai's stomach; blood blossomed, and Kai moved his hand up and out. The Genii's head flew towards him and John stepped back, as Rodney came out of the building; in time to have the head fly into his arms. "EWWWWWWWW" Rodney shrieked and threw the head toward Teyla, who gasped and slapped the head away from her. Rubbing her hand on her skirt, Teyla's face was disgusted. Jenn made a sound, and rushed over to Kai, grabbing his arm as he began to move toward the forest. Eyes wide, Kai stared at her, surprised, and Keller said, "You're bleeding…let me look…." She was investigating the slash on Kai's chest and belly, as he shot a strange look at John, who grinned at the irritating man's discomfort. John said, "Where are Ronon and Caley?" Kai looked down at Jenn fussing at him in bewilderment, then up at John, then over at the glowering Rodney, before saying. "They chased a couple of cowards into the forest…Caley says they are running like rabbits." Jenn grabbed Kai's muscular arm and said, "Sit down Kai…let me get a closer look at that…how do you get this off?"
"You wish to get me out of my clothing?"
"Yes….". Rodney shrieked, "WHAT?" and Jenn blushed, then said "No..yes..well, not like that…I'm a doctor, I need to check your wound." Kai cast a pleading look at John, who ignored him, grinning. Kai removed his upper armor, saying, "It's nothing, Doctor…it's barely a scratch…." As Rodney continued to make protest sounds, Jenn bent to examine Kai's wound, and John noticed that even Teyla was gazing at Kai's bare chest. Clearing his throat, he said, "Teyla?"
"Hmmmm?" John frowned; Teyla was watching the doctor clean the wound on Kai's chest and stomach with an expression that John could only call fascination. John said, "TEYLA..", she started and said, "yes John?" He shook his head and said, "Maybe we should go check on Ronon and Caley…." She glanced over at Kai, then said, "Perhaps…" But Kai said, "That will not be necessary…Caley is keeping Ronon safe….he will come to no harm".
Caley finished killing the man she'd chased just as Ronon ran up to her. He put his hands on his knees and bent over, and she gazed at him worriedly, "Are you well?" Ronon nodded, then said, still short of breath, "Yeah…fine…just…damn you're fast." Caley shrugged, then said, still watching Ronon worriedly, "it is part of who I am….the forest, of any planet, is my home…." Ronon wanted to ask more, but before he could, Caley said, "We should get back to the camp…Kai says that the doctor will not allow him to go" Careful to set her pace with Ronon's, she began to jog back. Ronon ran behind her, trying to think of something to say, but coming up blank. So they jogged in silence until they reached the clearing.
Kai was half lying on a blanket, bemusedly watching Jenn clean his wound and prepare to sew it up. Rodney was alternately working on a table computer, and glaring at his girlfriend and Kai. Teyla and John greeted Ronon and Caley as they came in to the clearing. Ronon went over to speak to John, as Caley headed directly to her twin. Gazing down at the wound, Caley threw her head back and laughed. Jenn stared at her a moment, then obviously decided she was overwhelmed with the site of her Twin hurt, patted her arm and said, "He'll be fine, Caley…I'm just going to…", before she could tell Caley she was going to do, Caley reached down and offered her Twin her hand, laughing as she said, "That is not even enough of a wound to merit my tears…you should be ashamed, Kai…letting a human close enough to scratch you like that!" Jenn looked dumbstruck as Kai took his sister's hand and let her pull him to his feet. Kai grinned and picked up his armor, saying. "I know, Caley…but one does not refuse a lady her desire…" Caley shook her head and said, "Beware that thought, Kai…you are well aware of what happens if you allow the "ladies" to have their real desire…" And with that cryptic statement, the Twins shared another look and Kai began to put his armor back on. Jenn said, "WAIT! I need to stitch that." Kai turned and said, "It is fine, Doctor….see, it is already healing…" True to his word, the wound that had been so nasty looking, was mostly healed. Jenn gasped and even Rodney stared as Kai showed them the rapidly healing wound. Ronon frowned and said, "that aint right…you fight, you're fast and you heal like that? That aint right" John tended to agree with him, but kept it to himself. "Come on…let's get back to the gate…."
Just before they reached the clearing to the gate, John felt someone grab his shoulders and drag him sideways. He fought to go for his gun, but Caley's sweet voice in his ear said, "There are armed men around the gate and in the trees surrounding the gate…we must be careful…Kai is with Teyla, Rodney and the doctor. John looked over his shoulder and saw that Caley had pulled Ronon down with them. She cocked her head to the side, and then said, "Kai says there are nearly fifty men in the same uniform as those we battled….and they have just shut down the gate." John said, "You mean you and your brother aren't going to rush in and attack everyone?" Caley flashed him a smile that made his heart beat faster, though he tried to ignore it and she said, "No, John…we are brave warriors…but we are not foolish. And we wouldn't endanger your lives doing so….." John tried to see if she was serious, and realized she was. Kai joined them with the others and John spoke softly to all of them. "We need to get through that gate…anyone got any ideas?" Rodney glared at the Twins, and said, "Yeah, we need to get out of here before they" pointing at the Genii around the Gate, "figure out what THEY", pointing at the Twins, "did to their buddies!" The Twins just grinned at him, which made his pique worse. John said, "Look…recriminations later, ok guys? " Caley said, "Do you have any of that moldable explosive?" "C4? Yeah…always carry it with us, why?" A look between Kai and Caley that left Kai frowning. Caley continued, "Why not let one of us", a wave at her and her Kai, "take some back to the buildings and cause a distraction….that may make those men rush to the buildings….and we can activate the gate and get through." John frowned, that wasn't a half bad plan…and the Twins DID move faster than most. Finally he nodded, "That sounds like it might work…which of you wants to take the explosive back?" Kai frowned, "can you set it off from here?" John nodded, "Yeah…all you have to do is let me know when it's set…you just stick this in it and I'll detonate when you get away." Kai nodded and held his hand out for the C4, "I'll go plant that, I'll let Caley know when I'm on my way back." John had a moment hesitation, but handed over the C4 and Kai took off, silently. Caley said, "I'm going to make my way around and see if they're in the woods yet…"
Ronon frowned, "and if they are?" Caley grinned, then turned and was gone before John could tell her ok. He grumbled, "Sure, Caley…go on…you've got permission….geez". The Genii were milling around the Gate, obviously trying to raise their companions, and John watched as one of the leaders called a couple of the younger ones to him. He was too far away to hear what was said, but he didn't figure it was good for them. Then Caley was back, "Kai has the explosive planted and he's on his way back…." John nodded and said, "tell him I'll count to five, then set it off….it's gonna be loud…." Caley nodded, but her eyes were only for the Genii in the clearing. John set off the explosive and the entire Earth rocked, he glared at Caley. "How much did your brother use?" Caley grinned, "all of it…". John sighed, more paperwork. But, as he watched the majority of the Genii ran from the clearing toward the buildings; and since it was nearly 6 clicks away, it was going to take them some time to get there. There were six men left in the clearing and John said, "Ok….let's move out…as soon as…", before he could finish with "Kai is back", he was. Kai grinned, "that was fun…". John rolled his eyes and said, "Let's just concentrate on the Genii around the gate, huh?" Caley said, "I'll go dial the gate, they'll head toward me and you all use your projectile weapons on them…." Teyla frowned,
"Why not just start firing now and dial the gate when we get out there? If you go out there, they'll see you…." Caley grinned, "They won't see me unless I want them too…and if you just start shooting off your…weapons…some of the others may come back….I'd like the gate dialed before they do….." That made sense and John exchanged a look with Teyla, but nodded. At this point, he was not going to question anything the Twins said they could do…besides, she was right…if some of the Genii turned back, they'd be out in the open, unprotected trying to open the gate. Caley grinned and moved into the clearing, and John understood what she'd meant. He knew where she was, but every time he tried to look at her, his eyes just slid away, as though they couldn't settle on her. She got to the DHD and began to dial, with the six guards none the wiser. As a matter of fact, so quiet she, that when the gate activated, the guards were so surprised that one of them ended up in the backlash. "One down, five to go", muttered John, as he and the others began to fire and move toward the gate. Almost to the gate, John heard a yelp, and turned to see Jenn on the ground, he began to turn around, but Kai grabbed his arm, "Caley will get her…come on….." Sure enough, as John reached the gate, he sent Teyla through and shoved Rodney, who was still trying to go back for Jenn, through the gate. He, Ronon and Kai watched as Caley simply picked Jenn up like a pile of potatoes by her belt and ran the rest of the way to the gate, tossing her in as though throwing a bowling ball. Ronon went next, and John made sure the Twins went before him, yelling that strange yell as they leapt into the wormhole. Sighing, John followed.
"They're impossible, Sam! They don't listen, they don't follow orders….they're arrogant and they think they know more than anyone…and they think they can't get hurt, so they take stupid chances…." The fact that Sam was staring at him with the strange look on her face, cause him to pause. "What?" Sam reached down, and picked up a file from her drawer, looking down to make sure that it was the correct one, she flipped it open and pulled back a couple of pages, flipping them over the back and read,
"Insubordinate. Refuses to obey chain of command. "God Complex". "Does not follow orders". "Believes that his opinion is the only valid one" "Follows own opinion, rather than rules" Sam stopped reading and looked up, her blue eyes serious as John said, "See…other people feel the same way about them that I do!" Sam gazed at him for a moment then said, softly,
"This is YOUR file, John….those are all things that former commanding officers have said about you…." He felt deflated, and all he could say was, "Oh"
There was a moment of silence, before John said, his voice considerably less strong, "IT's not the same thing….", even to himself that sounded lame, and he watched as Sam raised an eyebrow at him. After a moment, Sam said, "They say that we hate in others the things we don't like in ourselves…." John threw himself in a chair, looking sulky and said, inwardly wincing at the whiney 2 year old voice coming out of his mouth, "Who the hell is "they"? Anyway…they're a problem…." Sam sighed,
"You're not the only team leader to complain about them…mostly the Twins, though Sullivan says he doesn't want any of them on his team. Look, John…if you don't want them on your team, fine. If you want to keep the Twins off the teams, fine…but they are a resource we NEED to use….and would you rather have the twins sitting around Atlantis doing nothing?" He frowned, thinking of the reaction of Ronon, Jenn, and even Teyla. No, he really didn't want the Twins sitting around with time on their hands. Clearing his throat, he said, "Ok…fine, I'll figure something out….let me meet with the team leaders." Sam nodded, then said, "Maybe you should meet with Greer too; he might have a handle on his people that you don't…." John's eyes widened, he'd never stopped to consider that, but he nodded; it was a good idea. John go up to leave, stopped at the door and started to say something, but nothing seemed to sound right, so he just waved at Sam and left. Sam grinned and tossed the empty file back in the drawer, that had worked better than she'd hoped.
John sat in the conference room, around the table were six other men and a woman; Lorne, DeWitt, Sullivan, Michaels, Petrov, Scott and Dina Lawrence. Each of them led a gate team, or in the case of Michels, Petrov and Sullivan, Marine teams. Sullivan and DeWitt were the loudest; both were firmly AGAINST the Outworlders being put on or with their teams at all, ever again. Petrov, and Michaels were quieter, but at least willing to discuss it; Lorne, Scott and Lawrence hadn't stated an opinion either way. John sat back, listening to Sullivan loudly complain that the presence of the Outworlders, on his team or even just in the city.
"THEY ARE DANGEROUS! I'm telling you, John…those…people…are dangerous and I will NOT have them on my team…" John stood up, nose to nose with the big, square marine and said, softly, "Last I heard, Sergeant Sullivan….I was in charge of the military aspect of this expedition. And that means that I, not you make decisions about who does or doesn't go on teams, capish?" Sullivan glared back at him for a few seconds, then he looked away and sat down, frowning. John sat back down too and turned to Lorne, Scott and Lawrence, "You three haven't said much…what are you thinking?" Lorne, his voice calm and low, said, "They're…different. But I don't have a problem working with them…they're ability to scout and track is great. And not all of them are like the twins. We've gone out with, what? Six of the nine, including the Twins? I mean, I can see Sullivan's worry about the Twins…I, for one, would rather they were kept busy." Lawrence, the only female team leader, nodded, "Yeah…idle hands are the devil's playground, after all. Cara, Sloan and Devlin are less…I don't know, just less overwhelming than the Twins, to me. And Cneasaí was incredibly helpful…she's some kind of medic. Those are the only ones I've been on a mission with, but I've had no real trouble with them."
John looked at each of the team leaders and sighed, "Ok…I'm going to talk to Greer…maybe he can chill the Twins out or something…but we ARE going to be taking them with us…like Lorne said, they're pretty good in a tough situation, but if you're having issues with your team interacting with them….", he heard the soft mutter from Petrov, so he looked at the Russian and said, "What?" Petrov sighed, "Some members of my team were…fascinated…with them. It made it difficult to work sometimes…." John frowned, "Anyone else having that problem?" Several nods, including strong nods from DeWitt and Sullivan, so John said, "Is that your major compliant?", looking at the two men who were most vocal. DeWitt sighed and said, "its part of it…they are also a pain my ass cause they don't listen half the time, and they refuse to wear their uniforms, or carry any weapon other than a sword. I constantly feel like they're going to get killed….." John considered that, then said, "But they didn't, did they? I don't like the… armor or swords either, but honestly they're good with them; maybe better than some of our people are with guns…" Michels chuckled, "Surely better than most of the scientists…." Which made them all laugh. John continued, grinning and thinking of McKay with a gun, "Yeah…but if you're having trouble with your people being…fascinated…with them, maybe change it up to keep those people away from them. But I'll talk to Greer…." Lorne said, "These guys really ARE good in a tight situation…they can hold their own and don't need their hands held….Michels brings up a great point…we're already taking cannon fodder, otherwise known as Scientists, out with us….at least these guys we know can take care of themselves and help out." Nods around the table, reluctant from some, but nods all the same, and John stood up, "Ok…I'll talk to Greer and get back to everyone….dismissed…" The other team leaders broke up into two or three person groups as they left and John sat for a while just thinking. Finally, he stood up and headed to the area that Greer and his people had been given rooms. They'd come with orders to separate them from the regular expedition members, but keep their group together, so they'd found rooms for them on the otherwise un-occupied sixth floor. Because he was in no hurry, John walked down there, nodding to people as he passed them. He ran into Ronon and Teyla, obviously fresh from the Dojo and nodded, as Teyla said, "How did the meeting go, John?" John shrugged, "Pretty much like I expected…Sullivan and DeWitt are pretty anti-Twin….the others are less determined. I'm on my way to talk to Greer now…", he didn't miss the way Ronon's attention snapped to, as Ronon said, "Want me to go with you? Backup in case you need it…." John considered that, but considering the effect Caley had on Ronon, shook his head. "Naw, I got this Chewie…if I need backup, I'll call you…..", when hell freezes over, thought John. Ronon looked disappointed, but shrugged trying to appear unmoved. Teyla was also looking shrewdly at Ronon and said, "We will see you later then, John…" John kept walking, thinking. He wasn't entirely sure he liked the effect that the Twins, which were the only ones that he'd taken out with his team, had on Ronon; or Jenn for that matter. But he really couldn't fault the Twins…he'd seen nothing from them that gave any indication they were doing anything other than breathing to attract that attention. They treated everyone other than their own group the same way; other people just seemed drawn to them. And it didn't seem to be just their looks either; they just seemed…appealing, somehow. Before he realized it, or was ready for it, he was at the door to the section of rooms occupied by Greer's group. He hesitated, mentally slapped himself, slipped his hand over the door sensor and walked in.
John froze, he was standing in what was obviously a community space, baskets of fruit, food, MREs and other things sat on tables, chairs were drawn around in conversation areas. Six of the nine people in the group were in the room, including Greer, and not a single one of them wore a stitch of clothes. Blushing, John tried to say something and to NOT look at the nudity displayed around the room. Other than the lack of clothes, these people weren't doing anything other than what other teams did; someone had a chess board set up; Nia and Sloan were currently playing chess. When John had entered, everyone had stopped and looked at him, but now they went back to what they'd been doing. He stood, rooted, inside the door and tried to think of something to say. Greer walked over to him and despite himself; John's eyes followed him, zeroing in on parts that he DID NOT WANT TO SEE…no matter how he tried to look away. His only thought at that moment was, "uncircumcised…unusual in this day and age". Forcing his eyes to Greer's, he found the other man looking at him curiously, as Greer said, "Col Shepherd…we weren't expecting company…..is there something we can do for you" John's frozen mind tried to function, but all that came out was, "You're out of uniform….." Greer cast his eyes around the room and said, softly, "Col, my people are more comfortable this way…but if it bothers you, we can put clothes on…." "It bothers me…", not the most witty response, perhaps, but it got the job done. Greer gestured with his head and John noticed people moving toward the rooms in the back. One of the women, John thought it was Kara, tossed Greer some pants that he (thank GOD) put on, and John's frazzled brain began to work again, at least a little, "Remind me to call first next time…." Greer nodded, looking serious, "That might be a better idea, Col Shepherd…." John nodded, then said, "Is there somewhere we could talk, privately?" Greer frowned, then said, "Which one of my people has done what now?" John shook his head, at least he hoped he did and said, going for calm, "It's nothing like that..I just need t talk to you for a few minutes." Greer considered him a moment, then a gesture of his head and the room cleared out again and Greer said, "Ok, Col….talk away…"
"I was hoping you could explain a few things, Greer….like, why is it that the Twins refuse to wear a TAC vest, or carry a gun..or, for that matter, listen?" Greer observed Shepherd for a few moments, then threw back his head and laughed. That was so unexpected that John looked around him, wondering if there was some external situation causing unorthodox reactions. After a minute, Greer's laughter had died to chuckles and he said, "Trust me, Col Shepherd…they listen. They hear every word anyone says, they dissect it, consider it from every angle and more often than not dismiss it before you've even taken a breath after speaking. Oh, and the twins have already discussed it between themselves as well. But I was under the impression that all my people, except the Twins, had consented to wear the uniform when they went through the…Gate."
John frowned, this conversation was giving him more questions than answers, but he nodded, "Most of them do wear the uniform…some add or subtract things, but the Twins are the ones that refuse to wear anything but their…er….armor." "Are they leaving anything out, or adding anything that your team leaders are considering dangerous?" John had to think about it….other than the Twins; the other Otherworlders seemed to be wearing the uniforms, though not happily. One of them, John tried to remember who, then came up with the name, "Cneasai" he stumbled over the unfamiliar name, "won't carry a gun…and she won't wear the pants, but the skirt thingy she wears is good. Uhm…Cara, Edana and Devlin have all added…errr, color to the uniforms, which cut down on their ability to blend….but in fact, no, most of your people are at least attempting to fit in….."
"Then it's mainly the twins that are the issue?" "Yeah…mainly it's the Twins. They refuse to wear the uniforms, carry guns….they do whatever they want and don't give a rats a..behind what their commanding officer tells them to do. And they've got some kinda of..hold,…on most of the people on this station….it's like people become obsessed with them. It's gonna get someone killed. Greer looked at John and John had the idea that the man was sizing him up; weighing him against some heretofore unknown THING…and maybe finding him lacking. Just then, the Twins themselves walked into the room, both smiled as they moved to the couch behind Greer and John. Richard simply leapt up, over the back of the couch and landed on it in a prone position, making John envy the man's limberness. Caley shook her head and moved around the couch, taking a seat between her Twin's legs, leaning back against him. Both Twins looked at them, almost expectantly. Greer sighed, and John waited for him to send the Twins from the room as he had the rest. A few moments passed, and the Twins looked supremely unconcerned, and Greer frowned, sighing. John frowned too and said, "I thought you were in charge here, Greer….." Sighing, Greer said, "Have a seat, John. I am in charge here….mostly. But these two are a special cause. Kai and Caley laughed, and John felt like something soft and furry was being stroked down his spine. He shivered and met Caley's eyes, as she gazed knowingly at him. But Greer was speaking, so he forced his attention back to the man, "…by appointment, I'm in charge…but the Twins are far older than I, therefore they're not used to listening to someone" The like me hung there, unspoken, but understood. Looking at the three people, John said, confused, "They're OLDER than you? Far older than you? But….they don't look it…." Kai chuckled, "Don't judge a book by its cover…." Greer shook his head and said, "They ARE supposed to listen to me…and to the person in charge of the team they're working with. THAT'S why they're not supposed to be assigned a permanent team…." John frowned, that made no sense, but Greer was still speaking, "and as I said, they listen…they just don't always do what they're told…." Caley chuckled,
"Tis better to ask forgiveness than permission, cairde" Greer rolled his eyes, and John watched, bemused. Then Greer said, "I can, perhaps, set your mind at rest regarding one thing…the fascination with the Twins that so many people have. I know that people are..drawn…to the Twins, but you have my guarantee they will not act on those desires." John frowned, "You're promising me that they", pointing at the Twins, who look uncharacteristically serious, "aren't going to…errrr…have sex with anyone on this expedition?"
"That's right" John frowned, "Why?", and he looked at Kai and Caley. The two exchanged a long look, and Caley said, seriously, "It would be unwise to encourage those feelings." John shook his head and said, "Ok…first of all….your sex lives aren't a concern of mine…" Kai shook his head, "IF either Caley or I were going to act on those feelings, then it most certainly it would become your concern, John." "Why?" Kai and Caley shared a look and Caley said, "Because you're right…they are fascinated with us, and if we were to engage in closer contact with any of them, it would quickly escalate into an obsession that would prove…most unpleasant." John shook his head,
"Nobody is that good in bed….." , but his eyes met Greer's and he wasn't sure of that, but Kai said, "It's not the sex act, truly, John…it's the connection. Greer…you'd better tell him….." Greer frowned at the Twins, "Hell, Kai….you two are talking…why not just tell him yourself?" Caley smiled, "Oh no, Greer…that is one of the perks of being in charge." Greer almost snarled at them, but both Kai and Caley smiled and Greer sighed and said,
"Shepherd…how much do you know about mythology? Specifically Irish Mythology?" John felt like his head was swimming at the sudden change of subject. Trying vainly to keep up, John said, "Not much…why?" "Because Kai and Caley are sidhe".