Chapter 3: Return to Asura?

"No," Elizabeth replied, having recognized the planet's designation. "I'm not sending a team there, not after what happened last time. Find another solution."

"There's no other way, Elizabeth! We've tried to come up with something else, but we can't. It's our only option."

"I said no."

"But…

"Ok, wait a second, here," John interrupted Rodney. "What is M7R-227?"

"Asura," Rodney answered, when it was obvious that Elizabeth wouldn't.

"That is the best you come up with? Sending us into the hands of our enemies? The same ones who just tried to destroy the City?"

"It's not like we have another solution! If you're so smart, then why don't you try to find one!"

"Gentlemen!" Elizabeth interrupted them before they could go any further. "I currently have a concussion, and I was told that a headache is not a good thing. And if you don't stop your bickering, I'm going to have one in less than thirty seconds."

"Sorry, Elizabeth," John and Rodney said in unison.

"What else can we do?" Teyla asked, hoping that there was something they hadn't tried yet.

"Nothing. There's nothing we can do if we don't have enough power."

Elizabeth sat back down, resisting the urge to put her face in her hands, as she didn't want to appear defeated in front of the people she was leading. She was feeling helpless, and she hated it. They were counting on her to keep them safe, and she was failing. Teyla must have sensed the state she was in, because the next minute, she put her hand on her shoulder, and sent her a reassuring smile.

"There must be something," John said, breaking the silence. "I'm not ready to give up just yet. Maybe there's something else you hadn't thought of."

"Going to Asura is the only solution. Please, Elizabeth. You have to consider this."

She didn't want to; she still had vivid memories of the nightmare she had lived because of them. She still woke up in sweats in the middle of the night because of them. Not to mention what had just happened.

Looking up, she saw that they were all awaiting her decision; they would do what she ordered.

"I…," she started, but before she could go any further, an insistent beeping drew their attention.

"What the…?" Rodney said, as he turned towards the screen. "It shouldn't do that."

"What is it, Rodney?" she asked, getting up from her seat, and walking up towards him. "What's happening?"

"I don't know. This file just popped up."

Leaning towards the screen, Elizabeth noticed that it was the mission report from Dagan, which shouldn't even have been accessible from that console. She turned to look at John, and saw that he was as surprised as she was.

"I can't close it," Rodney continued. "It's like it has a mind of his own."

"Maybe that's the case," Elizabeth suggested. "Maybe that's the City trying to tell us something."

"And what would it want to tell us?"

"That we can find a ZPM there," Teyla answered Rodney's question. "If we explain the situation we're in, maybe the Quindosim will agree to help us."

"And how are you planning do that?"

"You said yourself that we had two jumps," John said. We use one to get to a Stargate, go to Dagan, then dial back to the first Stargate, and jump back here."

"It is feasible."

"Then, I suggest you finish your work on the Jumper, Rodney," Elizabeth said. "I take it you both want to go," she said, turning to John and Teyla as the scientist left the room in a hurry. "I'll come with you, too."

"No way, Elizabeth. You're not cleared for off-world missions. Hell, yoi shouldn't even be here, right now. And just in case something happens, you need to stay here."

She couldn't say that she liked it, but she knew that John was right. It was her role as the leader to stay behind, whether she liked it or not. Still, she was sure that her negotiating skills would be useful to them, given how things had ended up the last time they were on Dagan.

"Ok. They don't know me, so it's probably better that way, anyway. But remember, don't go antagonize them any more than they probably already are. Going there is probably a long shot" she started, but he concluded for her.

"But we have to try everything. I know that. Let's hope we will all be able to keep our calm long enough," he joked, provoking a small smile from Elizabeth. "I'm going to put Lorne in charge while I'm gone…"

"So that he can keep an eye on me," this time, she was the one to finish his sentence.

"I wouldn't have put it like that, but yes."

"Go get ready, both of you," she added, when she noticed that John was about to protest. "I can man the fort on my own for a while. I'm not made of sugar."

She watched them leave, reluctantly for John's part, and sat down in front of the screen displaying the file about Dagan. She silently thanked the City for the help, and thought she imagined the light breeze she felt in response.

###

General O'Neill was not a happy camper.

He had just finished his conversation with General Landry about what was happening in the Pegasus galaxy, and he could already feel a headache forming between his eyes. He didn't have time for that though, because Hank left him with the pleasure to inform the IOA of the situation.

He briefly considered delegating that task on another poor soul, namely the newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel Davis, but he thought that he shouldn't be that cruel. The man had always been of great help, and even more so after Jack moved to DC after his appointment as the Head of Homeworld Security.

Still, he decided that he could use some help, in the person of a member of the IOA who was definitely on their side.

"Peters," he called his aide over the interphone, and he entered the room a few seconds later.

"What can I do for you, Sir?"

"Call Richard Woolsey, and tell him to come see me ASAP. And remind him that it means within the next hour," he added, knowing that the man had a tendency to forget that.

"Yes, Sir. I should remind you that you have a meeting with President Hayes and the Joint Chiefs in three hours."

"That should give me enough time. And call the Chief of Staff, and tell him that I have sensitive information to discuss, and we should have this meeting in the Sit Room."

"Yes, Sir. Is that all?"

Jack nodded, and the young lieutenant left, closing the door behind him.

He could have easily made those calls himself, but he just didn't want to suffer through another lecture where Peters would remind him that he had to be the one to place his calls, and to make his appointments; it had happened too often in the two years he had been in DC already.

His eyes fell on the photograph resting on his desk, and he smiled. Part of him was worried for the expedition and the City, but another knew that the woman in the photograph would do everything in her power to save the day, like she had done a hundred times over the past ten years.

The next few hours were a blur, even though he had never been very fond of official meetings. But this time, instead of having to sit there and listen, while trying not to fall asleep – it didn't look good to snore in front of the President of the United States – he was the one giving the report on the current situation, and the options available to them. Not that there were many; they had no choice but to wait for the Apollo or Atlantis to contact the SGC.

"And you said that you've already informed the IOA," President Hayes said as Jack concluded his report.

"Well, I informed Richard Woolsey who is probably informing the IOA right now, Sir."

"You didn't want to face Shen?"

"We've never really seen eye to eye," Jack replied, returning the President's smile, knowing all too well that none of the men around the table was very fond of the Chinese representative.

"Are we absolutely sure there's nothing we can do to help them?" President Hayes asked again.

"They're on their own, until the Apollo can find them. After that, I'm sure that whatever the problem is, the combined geniuses of Carter and McKay will find a solution. The thing is, Sir, whatever happened to Atlantis, it was because the IOA authorized this first strike in the first place."

"You're saying it's all their fault, Jack," George Hammond said with a smile.

"Not that I think they would ever admit it, but yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

"You think they will try to put the blame on someone else?" President Hayes stated more than asked, understanding where Jack was going.

"They can't blame the first strike on someone else, they know they can't. Paperwork exists to prove they were the ones to authorize it. But they can blame someone else for what happened afterwards, and I would be surprised if they didn't. And we all know who that someone will be."

"Elizabeth."

"Yes, Sir."

"What can we do?" Hammond asked, knowing that Jack already had an idea in mind.

"Appoint a co-leader. I know that technically, Sheppard is already more of a co-leader than a second in command, but the IOA would never go with someone already on the expedition. They would think that whoever they are would be biased, which I'm not sure they wouldn't be, but that's not the point."

"So, we need someone the IOA trusts, and that we can also trust. And not to mention, someone the whole expedition trust. I guess we have a limited choice, here. So, gentlemen, any names you want to put forth?"

###

Elizabeth walked into the Jumper bay, followed by Lorne, to find John and Teyla standing just outside one of the Jumpers, in full gear.

"They're almost done," John answered to her questioning look.

"'They'?"

"Zelenka is here, too. He thought he would be of more help here than in the infirmary. I wonder where he got that idea from?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, knowing full well what he was implying, just like the rest of the people in the Bay, Lorne even taking a good step back, just in case.

"Can I talk to you for a second, John?"

Without waiting for a reply, she walked away from the Jumper, and towards a quieter part of the Bay. They stepped behind another Jumper, so that no one could see them. John could already tell that he wouldn't like what she had to say, because it wasn't like her to request a private moment during a time like this.

"I'm listening," he said, when she didn't speak.

"If you can't get the ZPM from the Brotherhood, don't come back here."

"What?" he exclaimed. "Elizabeth, there's…"

"Listen to me," she interrupted him with her best leader voice. "We're condemned, but if the three of you can make it, then I won't feel like I've failed this expedition completely."

"No, I can't… There's no way I'm not coming back."

"This is a direct order, Colonel Sheppard. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," he replied, standing to attention.

The next second, she was in his arms; he didn't know which of them made the first move, and he didn't care. He held her tightly against him, and she held him just as tight, in spite of her injuries.

He hoped that she could forgive him for what he would do, because there was no way he would listen to that order. There was no way he was going to leave his people behind.

After a minute or two, they separated, and he followed her towards the Jumper Rodney and Radek were working on.

"Are we sure it's going to work?" she asked him, as if nothing had happened on the other side of the Bay.

"Do you mean: are we sure the Jumper isn't going to explode? Because I don't think we have an answer to that one."

"I said that it shouldn't happen," Rodney's voice could be heard from inside the Jumper. "And it's not like we have another solution."

"Ok, we're done," Zelenka said as he walked out of the Jumper, supported by his crutches.

"Good. Go back to the infirmary, Radek. There's nothing more you can do until they get back with the ZPM, and I'm sure Jennifer will feel better if she has you where she can see you. And good job."

When Radek hobbled past her, she touched his arm, and caught his eyes, thanking him silently once more.

"Well, then I guess it's time to leave. The sooner we get there, the sooner we're back with a present."

Elizabeth had to smile at John's word, but she sobered up pretty soon, remembering what could happen to them if Rodney was too optimistic.

She watched as John shared a look with Lorne, and she was pretty sure it had been about her, because when she looked at her appointed bodyguard, he carefully avoided her eyes.

"Be safe," she whispered, just before they entered the Jumper.

Rodney and Teyla went to their seats, and John closed the rear hatch. The last thing she saw were his eyes upon hers, and she didn't look away, didn't blink for even one second. Something passed between them at that moment, but she chose to put it away in the back of her mind; thinking about it now would be of no use.

"Let's go to the control room," she told Lorne, not waiting for him to make her way down the stairs.

"Ma'am, I should probably walk in front of you…"

"Don't worry, Evan, I won't keel over and roll down the stairs. I've already done that once today, and that is enough," she tried to joke, but it didn't work.

"Doctor Weir, I'm here for your check-up," Jennifer said, as Elizabeth reached the last step.

"Can you give me a minute? Colonel Sheppard and his team are leaving, and I want to make sure everything is fine, first."

"Sure. Things have calmed down in the infirmary, and they know how to reach me if something happens."

"Thank you. Chuck? Can we follow the Jumper progress on the screen?"

"Yes. The close-range sensors are back online, give me just a second."

Her eyes were fixed on the screen the moment the image appeared. Everything was going well for the moment, but that was to be expected; the difficult part would be the jump into hyperspace.

"Atlantis, this is Sheppard. We're going to attempt the jump. See you in a couple of hours."

She didn't ask Chuck to open a channel to reply; there was nothing she could say. She could only watch on the screen as the Jumper made its way away from the City.

Just a few seconds later, it disappeared from the screens, and she closed her eyes briefly before turning towards Chuck. She didn't have to say anything; he knew what she wanted to know and he answered after he checked everything twice.

"They successfully opened a window into hyperspace, and they jumped, Ma'am."

This time, when she closed her eyes, it was in relief; John's team was fine. If they managed to come back to the City in one piece, and with a ZPM, she would gratefully listen to Rodney's speech about him being a genius, because he would be right.

###

"We did it," Rodney whispered in disbelief. "It worked."

"Yes, it did. And everything looks in order," John added, after a quick look at the data on the screen. "We have the Gate right in front of us. Rodney, dial Dagan, will you? Let's go and try to convince them."

Teyla nodded at him from her seat behind Rodney, and he started the descent towards the planet. The last time they were there, things didn't go as planned; Kolya had been an unexpected guest, and they only had their hands on the ZPM for a few minutes, before it had been taken away from them.

Now, they had to find a way to get that very same ZPM back, if they wanted a chance to save their home. John hoped that the perspective of helping save Atlantis, home of the Ancients, would be enough of an incentive for Allina, the master handler of the Brotherhood. Because, otherwise, short of stealing it, he couldn't see any other way to get it.

As soon as the Gate was open, he directed the Jumper towards it, and a few seconds later, they were on the other side.

"I'm going to land the Jumper here. It'll be better if we go to the village on foot."

"Yeah, we probably shouldn't flaunt our use of Ancient technology in their faces; it wouldn't look good."

"Not if we want them to help us," Teyla added. "I hope they will at least listen to us."

"So do I. Because if they don't, the only other solution is to go to Asura, and I'm not sure we'd be welcomed there."

John hesitated for a brief second before deciding to leave the Jumper uncloaked after they landed. Hiding it from the people of Dagan might be an error.

"Anyone remember what they call the ZPM, here?" John asked, remembering that small detail.

"A Potentia," Teyla replied, before continuing as she followed his thoughts. "It may be a good idea if we address it the way they do."

"You think they'll remember us?"

"Well, I don't know, Rodney. The last time we were here, we tried to take something that didn't really belong to us. I don't think they've forgotten us."

And sure enough, as soon as they entered the village, they were accosted by several men, asking what they were doing on their planet. They didn't reply, only asked to talk to Allina, hoping that they wouldn't be told to leave immediately.

They weren't, and were led to a house they remembered as Allina's. She was waiting for them inside, and gestured for them to sit down at the table. She was flanked by five other men. Neither of them spoke for a moment, and John's team didn't say a word, either, not wanting to offend them in any way.

They could see that she was observing them, trying to determine what their goal was, but they kept their face as impassable as possible, not wanting to give her any hints.

"I'm surprised you have returned to our world," she finally said after a couple of minutes. "I thought I made it clear last time that you weren't welcome here anymore. You tried to trick us into believing that you were the Ancestors when you're just living in their City."

"Well, we're descendants of the Ancestors," John said, hoping that she wouldn't throw them out the next second.

"And yet, you're not the Ancestors. What did you come back for?"

"The Potentia."

"I don't know why I bothered asking, Major Sheppard."

"Actually, it's Colonel now, but, please go on."

"Why should we give it to you, when you're not those it is meant for?" she asked, not taking notice of the interruption.

"Because Atlantis, the City of the Ancestors, is in grave danger," Teyla was the one to answer.

"I believe you said something similar the last time you were here."

"Yes, but this time, Atlantis is stranded in space," Rodney said. "And if we don't find a ZPM, a Potentia, I mean, the City and our people will die in about twenty hours, now."

"Why would we help you?"

"You would be saving the City of the Ancestors," Teyla replied.

"Listen, Allina," John started, knowing that he had to try everything he could to convince her. "You can come with us, if you don't trust us. Come back with us to Atlantis with the Potentia, and you'll see we really need it."

"You're right; I don't trust you, Colonel."

They could see that she was about to dismiss them, when the man sitting on her left intervened.

"Allina, that Ancestors told us the exact same thing, we can't ignore that."

"What? What are you talking about?" John asked, surprised by what had just been said.

"That is not your business."

"Yes, it is their business, Allina," the same man replied. "You might be the Master Handler, you don't lead the Quindosim; we're all equals. A couple of hours ago, a woman appeared before us. She claimed to be one of the Ancestors, and she told us about your situation, and that we should help you."

"Do you know her name? Was it Chaya?"

"No, Colonel, her name was Ayiana. Do you know her?"

"I don't…"

"Yes!" Rodney exclaimed at the same time. "She's the Ancient woman SG1 found frozen in Antarctica. She contaminated them with the Plague, but she saved their lives by giving up hers. She must have ascended…"

"So, apparently, we do know about her," John said. "Did she say how you could help us?"

"She said that the Potentia has always been meant for you."

"Will you…" John started but he was interrupted by Allina.

"We need to discuss this amongst ourselves. Wait outside."

Not wanting to risk losing the little support they seemed to have, the team left the house without another word.

They waited just outside the door, and could hear the heated discussion through the thin walls. From what they could hear, Allina refused to forget and even less forgive what happened the last time they met. They couldn't say that it surprised them; they had even been expecting it.

No, the real surprise came from what that man told them. That, and the fact that some of them seemed inclined to help them.

"Am I the only one who finds it strange that an Ancient intervened in our world matters?" Rodney asked, breaking the silence that had settled upon them. "They're not exactly known for doing something like that."

"Yeah, usually, they do the exact opposite," John replied, wondering what that could mean. "Elizabeth will have a field day with this, once we tell her. And I bet Doctor Jackson would too," he added, remembering the archaeologist's passionate talks about the Ancients. "I wonder what prompted them to change their mind."

"Maybe only one of them did," Teyla ventured. "Has Doctor Jackson not told us that it happened once in the Milky Way, with an Ancient named Oma Desala?"

"Yes, she's right. She chose to intervene to save the Galaxy from Anubis," Rodney said. "Maybe the same thing happened here. Maybe one of them wanted to save Atlantis."

"Maybe…"

John wasn't convinced by what his teammates were saying; all of this felt strange, as if it should have turned out differently, but something prevented it. And maybe it was the Ancients, maybe it was something else, they couldn't know for sure unless they could ask the previous inhabitants of the City.

"You know, the more I think about it, the more I think that's what happened," Rodney's voice jolted him from his thoughts. "That would explain why the file on Dagan popped up on the screen on its own." He started to click his fingers rapidly, and John and Teyla knew that he had an idea. "It all falls together. The Ancients, at least one of them, were observing us, and knew that if they didn't do something, Atlantis would be lost forever, and we would be dead. So they lead us here, and this Ayiana comes too, to tell the Brotherhood that they have to help us."

John had to admit that it indeed explained everything that happened in the past couple of hours. He knew from reading some files Elizabeth had given him, that the Ancients never intervened directly. And if the Ancients, whether it had been Ayiana alone, or a bunch of them, showed them where to obtain a ZPM to save the City, they didn't give them one.

"Well, let's hope that their plan doesn't fail, and we get the ZPM we need to save the City."

"Allina may not be on our side, but the rest of the Brotherhood may be willing to help us."

"Let's just hope you're right, Teyla. And listen, I don't want to make it an order, but I will if I have to. If we don't get the ZPM, I want you both to stay here, and join the Athosians later."

"What?" Rodney and Teyla exclaimed at the same time."

"If we don't have a ZPM, we're done for, and I may not be able to save everyone, but I'll be damned if you two have to die while you're perfectly safe here."

"Does Elizabeth know about that?"

"She was actually the one who gave me the order."

"Did that order include you, John?" Teyla asked, who, John thought, had always been too smart for her own good.

"Yes."

"Then, that settles the matter," Rodney said. "If you're going to defy Elizabeth's order by going back, we will, too."

"Rodney is right. We will fight for our survival until the end. That's what my father had always taught me. And I'm sure that my people would understand my decision," she added, knowing that John would try and use this argument.

"You can try and argue with us, but we won't change our minds."

While he didn't want them to die when it could be prevented, John was also proud of his teammates and friends. They didn't want to abandon Atlantis, even if they knew it was probably a lost cause.

"Ok. We'll face Elizabeth's wrath together if it comes to that. But let's hope it doesn't."

While they were talking, they had been paying no attention to what was going on inside Allina's house. They were therefore surprised when the door opened, and the man who wanted to help them came out, followed by an angry looking Master Handler.

"We will help you," the man said to their great relief. "We have hidden the Potentia on another planet. You are welcome to accompany me when I go retrieve it."

"With pleasure. Lead the way."

Allina didn't even look at them as they said their goodbyes to the other members of the Brotherhood, and they guessed that if they never came back to Dagan, it would be too soon for her.

They were following the man towards the Gate when John realised that they didn't even know the name of their new friend.

"I'm Darian, and I'm glad to be of help. While Allina is right when she said that the Potentia is intended for the Ancestors, some of us also realised that if they haven't come back by now, they probably never will. And you are living in their City, so you must be their descendants."

"We are," John replied. "When the Ancestors left this Galaxy ten thousand years ago, they came to our planet, Earth. We're the second evolution of their species. Some of us have a gene, a kind of marker," he explained at Darian's look. "It allows us to use their technology, like the Jumpers," he finished, pointing towards the aircraft lying on the ground a few meters away from them.

"Then, the Potentia is definitely meant for you."

"Thank you," Teyla said.

"Our people will be in your debt," John added. "Once we've reached a new planet, we'll come back to give you the means to contact us, should you ever need it. I believe we can become friends and allies."

"I believe so, too."

"Should we take the Jumper or is the Potentia hidden close to the Gate?"

"We should take your Jumper, Colonel. This way, you will be able to leave for your City as soon as we retrieve it. I believe that every minute is of importance."

"Yes, it is. Let's go, then."

John opened the rear hatch, and motioned Darian to precede them inside. It was obvious it was the first time the man had ever seen something like this, but answering all of his questions could wait. And he understood that as he started dialling the Gate as soon as he saw the DHD.

As soon as the wormhole opened, John flew the Jumper through the Gate; they needed to complete their mission before it was too late.

###

to be continued