Chapter 5: A New Deal

The Apollo had started searching for Atlantis hours before, but they still hadn't found a single trace of them. Ellis knew that it was a long shot, and the fact that they were still empty handed didn't surprise him, but he couldn't stop. He owed the expedition just that.

He hadn't listened to Elizabeth when she told him that a first strike would only lead to retribution, choosing to follow the orders he had been given back on Earth, by people who didn't know the situation first hand. He had made a mistake, and he would do everything he could to correct it.

"Anything new?" Sam's voice jolted him from his thoughts.

She was standing beside him, having just come back from a couple of hours of sleep in her quarters. He shook his head no, and she closed her eyes, before going to relieve Bill at the console.

"Go get some sleep, Bill," she said to the protesting scientist. "I'll wake you up in a couple of hours, or sooner if we have something," she promised him.

Finally, he relented, knowing he wouldn't have the upper hand, and got up from his chair, to leave the place to Sam. She immediately started getting ready for the next jump, and the minute they reached their next destination, she started scanning for the City.

"Colonel Carter, if you don't find anything this time, we'll go back to M12-578 to relieve the team who stationed there," Ellis said after a while.

"Just give me a couple more minutes, Colonel," she just answered.

He didn't have to ask her if she had found anything. The look of defeat on her face told him everything he needed to know.

He ordered for the Apollo to get into hyperspace to M12-578, and for an X-302 to get ready to replace the one waiting for them out there.

"After we're done there, we'll find ourselves a Gate and send Earth a message with the latest updates via the Midway Space Station."

"I'll get the file ready, Colonel," Sam replied, knowing that it would have been his next order.

They were a well-oiled machine, having done it a couple of times already, each time hoping that it would be the last one, that they would find Atlantis before they had to contact Earth. But each time they got their hopes up and they were crushed when they had to start all over again.

###

When John came back into the control room, it was to find that Elizabeth was still asleep on her couch. He was quite surprised by the sight; he had thought he would find her up and about, checking everything twice, looking over Zelenka or Chuck's shoulders much to their annoyance.

"She still hasn't woken up?" he asked Chuck, stopping just beside him.

"Oh yes, she did. She was very annoyed to find out she fell asleep after the nurse woke her up for her check up. After that, she worked at her desk, until her last check-up an hour or so ago. Doctor Keller herself came this time, and after she was done, she told me that she ordered Doctor Weir to get some rest, and to not disturb her, unless it was a real emergency."

"And I guess Elizabeth was asleep within minutes."

"Yes, she was."

"Well, we're about to arrive, I should go and wake her up."

Chuck sent him a look that meant 'good luck', and he knew he would probably need it, as Elizabeth hated being ordered to rest. Still, he was glad that the young doctor had enough confidence in herself to give that order, when she saw it was greatly needed.

He entered the office, making as little noise as possible, not wanting her to wake up with a start. He crouched by her head, and lightly threaded his fingers through her hair. She stirred, sighing softly, reacting to the touch, and he brushed a lock of hair away from her face as her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey...," she replied in the same tone. "I hate you."

"No, you don't."

"No, I don't. What's going on?" she asked, though she didn't move one inch.

"We're minutes away from dropping out of hyperspace. I thought you wanted to be awake for that."

"I do."

He realised that he still had his hand in her hair when she started to sit up. He smiled as he brought his hand back to his side, before standing up. He held a hand out to help her get on her feet.

"Everything's fine with our City?" she asked, as they walked out of her office.

"Yeah, she behaved," he joked. "Like I said, we'll soon reach our new planet, and as far as Zelenka told me, we'll be fine. And with that, I should go to the Chair room."

"Go land our City," she replied with a smile. "And be safe."

"Always," he said, before turning away. "Oh, by the way," he added as an afterthought, turning back towards her, "do you want a smooth landing, or a bumpy one?"

"Go!" she repeated, gesturing for him to leave.

The minutes after John had left the room seemed to stretch into hours, though Elizabeth knew that it wasn't possible. Still, when they finally dropped out of hyperspace, she felt like hours had gone by, not mere minutes, since John had woken her up.

She was about to radio him to be careful with the landing, when they heard another voice on the radio.

"Atlantis, this is Colonel Ellis from the Apollo, please respond."

Surprised to hear the Colonel's voice, Elizabeth turned towards Chuck, and gestured for him to open a channel.

"Colonel, this is Weir."

"What the hell happened to you, Doctor?"

"To sum it all up, we were lost in space, but we've found our way to our new home."

"Well, you scared us, all. Try not to do that again."

"We scared ourselves too, Colonel. Now, if you could please excuse us, we need to proceed with landing manoeuvres. After that is done, you're welcome to land on the West Pier, though I would appreciate it if you could do a quick review of the damage we have sustained, first, if you don't mind."

"We will, Doctor. Have a safe landing. Ellis out."

"Thank you," she replied, before switching her radio towards John's. "Did you hear that, John? You got yourself an audience to watch your landing, so don't mess it up."

"When have I ever messed it up? Don't answer that," he added as an afterthought, as though he had somehow seen that she already had her mouth halfway opened. "Ok, I'm in the Chair. And the show begins..."

Elizabeth only listened with half a mind to John detailing every step he of the landing procedure. She didn't want to hear about it; she wanted to see it.

For the third time in less than a day, she found her way to the spot where the window had been. She couldn't help but be glad that it was gone, now, because it allowed her to see the City slowly descending towards the planet without anything but the shield between her and the view.

In spite of the inertial dampeners, she could feel Atlantis decelerating as it hit the atmosphere, and she watched as the shield protected the City against the heat of re-entry. She watched as they came closer and closer to the ocean, up until the point they finally touched it.

Atlantis was once more lying like a snowflake on the ocean.

###

By the time the Apollo had completed the review of Atlantis damages, and it landed on the West Pier, Elizabeth and John were waiting for them.

They watched as Ellis got out first, followed by Sam and Bill Lee, to their surprise; they had no idea the two were onboard.

"Welcome to Atlantis," Elizabeth said as a way of greeting. "Colonel Carter, Doctor Lee, glad to see you, too. Though I have to say that I'm surprised to see you here; I thought you were in the Milky Way."

"We actually were finishing the repairs in the Midway Space Station when Colonel Ellis activated the Gate to tell us about your disappearance. Bill and I thought we could be of help, though you have found your way home on your own."

"We weren't exactly left on our own. But that's a long story, better told in the briefing room. Plus, you all look like you're in dire need of some fresh coffee."

"Yes, please," Bill answered, prompting smiles to form on the others' faces.

"Doctor Lee, I hope you can forgive me for what happened the last time we met."

"Of course, Doctor Weir. I can understand that when you have a goal to reach, you have to overcome every obstacle in the way, and I was one of them, in a way. But now that I see the City with my own eyes, I can say that it was worth it."

"You two make it sound like you punched him in the face, Elizabeth," John noted, not wanting the other two to misunderstand what had happened.

"No, it was nothing like that, you're right, Colonel. Anyway, apology accepted, Doctor. And may I say that you have quite a good knowledge of World of Warcraft?"

"Actually, I don't know anything at all about the game. But part of my job description is to make people think that I know what I'm talking about."

"Well, you did it."

"Let's go inside. I believe there's a lot to talk about."

"After you," Ellis replied to Elizabeth's invitation. "My team has sent yours the damage report. You have sustained quite a lot of damages."

"Yes, this is a combination of the Asuran's beam hitting the control tower, and the shield collapsing to protect the main tower only, when we were running low on power. We lost a team."

"I'm sorry."

Elizabeth didn't reply anything to that, because there was nothing she could say.

"I see that you got hurt, too, Doctor Weir," Sam said, nodding towards the cast on her wrist.

"Yeah, it's nothing. It's just a broken wrist and a concussion. Some of my people got hurt more badly. I was lucky."

"Thanks to Ronon Dex," John added. "If he hadn't pushed her down at the right moment, she might be dead by now. She was standing right in front of the window when the beam hit it."

"We rolled down the stairs, and I got this, while he dislocated his shoulder. But I certainly do owe him my life."

At that point, they reached the control room, and Ellis, Sam and Bill could see the damage the Asurans had inflicted upon Atlantis with their very own eyes. Not only had the window exploded, but some of the consoles had been damaged as well, and the technicians and the scientist team, led by both Rodney and Radek, were working on fixing them. And among all that chaos, Sam wasn't surprised that Rodney didn't even notice her presence, which was just as good for her.

"Do you mind if I go and help your team with these?"

"By all means, Doctor Lee, your help will be appreciated," Elizabeth replied, and she watched as he walked up to Rodney and Radek, asking what he could help with.

"Can you still use the Gate?" Ellis asked.

"We haven't tried, yet. But the panel and the Gate are undamaged, so it should be ok."

"Then, you should contact Earth. We've missed our scheduled contact via the Midway Space Station by ten minutes, and they're probably worried."

Elizabeth nodded her agreement, and not wanting to disturb Chuck, who was working on a nearby console, she entered the coordinates herself. As soon as the Gate opened, to their great relief, she sent in her IDC.

"SGC, this is Atlantis," she said over the radio.

"Good to finally hear from you, Doctor Weir," Landry replied. "What happened?"

"Quite a lot, Sir. I'll be happy to send you my report as soon as it's done."

"Negative, Doctor. You are to come back to Earth immediately."

As soon as she heard his words, Elizabeth turned towards John, and they exchanged a look of mixed surprise and worry. Movement had stopped all around the control room upon hearing Landry's words, and they all waited to see what their leader would do.

In the end, it was John who spoke first, before she could stop him.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but Doctor Weir has been injured during the attack, and I'm not sure Doctor Keller would want her to..."

"And I'm sure our medical team is as competent as Doctor Keller to take care of Doctor Weir."

"Elizabeth, please, shut the Gate, right now," John begged her, putting his hand over his mic.

"I can't, John, I have to go," she whispered back to him. "I'm coming through, General."

"Elizabeth...," he tried again, holding onto her good wrist as she walked by him.

"General Landry, this is Colonel Ellis," he intervened to everyone's surprise. "The Apollo was there when Atlantis arrived in the Solar System. We've taken notes of all the work there is to do with the City, and..."

"Well, you and Colonel Sheppard can supervise it, I'm sure," Landry interrupted once more. "Is Colonel Carter with you?"

"Yes, Sir," Sam replied.

"I need you to come back, too."

"Yes, Sir."

Nodding to the other two Colonels, she walked away from the console, only stopping at the top of the stairs to wait for Elizabeth.

"Please... John...," Elizabeth tried again, when he still wouldn't release her. "I'll be fine, I promise."

"You can't."

"Take care of our City, and of our people," she concluded.

John finally let go of her wrist when he understood that he wouldn't be able to change her mind. He could easily shut the Gate down himself, but he couldn't and wouldn't go against Elizabeth's wishes.

As she walked down the stairs beside Sam, Elizabeth could feel every single eye on her, but she couldn't turn back towards them all. If she did, she wasn't sure she would be able to step through the Gate, and back to Earth.

She took the final step that would take her away from the City, from the Pegasus Galaxy, from her people, maybe for good. She couldn't help but feel that she would never go home again.

###

To both their surprises, Landry didn't debrief Elizabeth and Sam as soon as they stepped onto the ramp at the SGC as they had expected. Instead, they were ushered towards Peterson Air Force Base, where a plane was waiting to take them to Washington DC.

When they were in the car, they had been told that their bags were waiting for them in the plane, and they looked at each other, wondering what it meant, as they didn't have time to take anything with them. But indeed, as soon as they were in the air, a flight attendant brought them two bags. Inside hers, Elizabeth recognized a suit she kept at the SGC for occasions such as these, and Sam found her freshly-pressed uniform in the garment bag she was handed.

The last of the surprises came when they were separated once they arrived in Washington. Elizabeth left for the White House, where she was to brief the President, the IOA, and the Joint Chiefs on the situation Atlantis had faced in the past few hours, while Sam's car took her to the Pentagon.

The two women didn't talk much during the flight, after they each realised that the other had no idea of what was happening. This wasn't made to reassure Elizabeth as to her future in Atlantis.

When she arrived at the White House, she was immediately taken to the Situation Room, where the Joint Chiefs and George Hammond were already waiting for her. She wasn't surprised to find out that Jack wasn't there; she had already guessed that he would be the one to debrief Colonel Carter when she heard the Colonel had to go to the Pentagon.

"The President is running a bit late," Hammond told her. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, thank you. Bit of a headache, but that's expected when one has a concussion, isn't it?"

"If you want to take a break during the debriefing, I'm sure no one would mind, given what happened."

"It should be ok, even though I think Doctor Keller didn't anticipate this, when she agreed to let me work instead of keeping me in the infirmary," she said, provoking smiles from the men in the room.

At that moment, the doors opened, and President Hayes entered, followed closely by the members of the IOA. Richard Woolsey sent a smile in her direction, and she wasn't surprised when Ambassador Shen didn't even look at her.

"Welcome back to Earth, Doctor Weir," President Hayes said as they all took their seats. "I know you weren't expecting to come back this soon, but we needed to know what happened exactly as quickly as possible."

"It's ok, Sir. I understand."

"Well, we're all ears, and waiting to hear what happened to the City and the expedition."

"Yes, Sir. But first, let me stress the fact that the first strike against the Asurans had been an error. It led to Atlantis being attacked, and we were forced to flee from our planet."

"Are you saying it's our fault, Doctor Weir?" Shen asked.

"I guess that in a way, I am, Ambassador. The IOA made a decision, and I can respect that, but you didn't ask the people in the direct line of fire for their opinion. You weren't there. You were sitting in your office, here on Earth, while Atlantis suffered the consequences. We lost an entire team as a direct consequence of the attack. Many people have been injured, the City itself has been damaged, but you didn't think of that when you made that decision, did you? Let me ask you a question, Ambassador: did you really think that after that first strike the Asurans would think that we're more powerful than they are, and that they would leave us alone?"

"You really think you know better than the IOA?"

"No, I don't. But you should have asked those who faced the Replicators in the Milky Way, before, if that would have worked. They do know better."

"I have to agree with Doctor Weir," Hammond intervened, before Shen could say anything else. "That solution wouldn't have worked on the Replicators we had here. Not even before they chose to take a human form. If we had attacked, they would have struck right back."

"Still, Doctor Weir, don't you think that you have a lot to lose, questioning a decision made by the IOA?"

"I've been asked back to Earth when my people need me. I think we both know that I have already lost everything important to me."

"Actually, Elizabeth," President Hayes started, getting her attention, "you couldn't be more wrong."

###

When Sam entered Jack's office, she couldn't help the smile that stretched her lips at the sight. He was talking on the phone, or better he was listening to someone talking at the other end of the line, the receiver held loosely in his hand. He beckoned her closer, and she was about to take a seat on the other side of the desk, when he shook his head no.

"Actually, Daniel, she has just entered my office. Maybe you want to talk to her to make sure everything is fine with Atlantis? And oh, I don't know, ask if she's fine, too?" He waited a beat, listening for the archaeologist's answer, and then replied. "I thought so. Bye, Daniel," he concluded, hanging up. "Daniel says hi."

"Was he worried?"

"Yes. That the City had been damaged beyond repair, and that he would never be able to go there for an extended period of time. You know how he is." He paused, standing up, and walking towards her. "Hi, Carter."

"Hi, Sir."

The kiss was brief, chaste, but they both knew that while at the Pentagon, they had to stay as professional as possible. Still, it wasn't nearly enough for them, after having been separated for the past six weeks.

"So," he started, gesturing for her to take a seat, while he sat on the other one, "what can you tell me about what happened on Atlantis?"

"Nothing, actually. When they contacted Earth, we had just arrived on Atlantis, and we hadn't debriefed yet."

"Yes, but you've spent a few hours on the plane with Elizabeth, she must have told you."

"No. We thought that when she would be debriefed, I would be there, and she didn't want to repeat herself. We actually barely talked on the plane."

"Why? Is there a problem between you and Elizabeth?"

"Not really, no. We don't really know each other, you know how it is."

"Sam?" he prompted, knowing that she was hiding something from him.

"I blackmailed her, when you were in the stasis chamber," she finally admitted with a sigh. "And I don't think she ever really forgave me for that."

"Well, you two had better fix that, soon."

"What? Why? What's going on, Jack?"

"You're being promoted. You'll be co-leader of Atlantis with Elizabeth."

"Jack?"

"I have nothing to do with it," he replied, putting his hands up in defence. "You know I value my life way too much for that. Well, I did suggest the co-leader part, but I wasn't the one to put your name into consideration. But know that your name has been the only one considered for this assignment."

"What does it really mean, Jack?"

"It's a way to save Elizabeth's job. I'd bet anything I own that she has started the debriefing by chewing Shen's ass off for authorizing that first strike, and she would be right. But Shen would never accept it. I'm pretty sure that she would have attributed the fiasco that resulted from the first strike to Elizabeth's leadership. And I told this to President Hayes and the Joint Chief, and suggested that we preempt any action the IOA would want to take by appointing a co-leader. Someone that wouldn't be Sheppard, and someone they wouldn't think is biased."

"And you thought about me."

"Well, technically, the others did, but yeah."

"So?"

"So, congratulations Carter, you've been promoted to a full bird colonel. I was also told that President Hayes wants to do it himself."

"It'll be an honour. I have one more question, though. What does it mean for us, Jack?"

"You'll report to me directly."

"Then, it means that... It's not allowed anymore?"

"Strictly speaking, no. But Hammond came to speak to me, yesterday afternoon. The President expressed his own concerns, but he agreed that as long as we stay professional, and we keep it under the radar, nothing has to change."

"Good. Because let me tell you this. If it had come down to you or the job..."

"I wouldn't have let you make that choice. I would have told President Hayes to find someone else for my job. But let's not think about this, ok?" he quickly added, knowing that she was about to chew him out for this.

"When do I leave?"

"Well, you and Elizabeth are going to Colorado first thing tomorrow. Then, you have to pack..."

"I'll pack essentials, I wouldn't want to hold Doctor Weir back when I know she wants nothing more than to know how her City is doing."

"She'll be grateful for that. And then, you have to tell Hank of the news."

"No, Jack, actually, that's your job as Head of Homeworld Security."

"I should have guessed it wouldn't work."

"So what now?"

"Now that I've told you everything you need to know, you have the rest of the day off. We have to be at the White House at 1900 for your promotion ceremony, and then dinner with the President. He actually wants you out of uniform for this dinner, so I hope that you have a dress..."

"I have one or two that should do in your closet."

"Good. Oh, one last question! Do you know if there are security cameras in the Situation Room? There should be, right?"

"Why do you want to know?" Sam asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I would love to see Elizabeth telling Shen and the rest of the IOA what she thinks."

"Do you really think she would?"

"I'm pretty sure that when she heard from Landry that she had to come back, she thought that she would be relieved of her command. So she wouldn't waste such an opportunity. I know I wouldn't."

"But President Hayes would have told her first thing that she would keep her command."

"He isn't very fond of the IOA, so I wouldn't bet on that."

"Well, I guess you'll have to ask the President tonight, if you want to know. I should go, and leave you to your work."

"I should be home by 1800."

"I'll be ready," she replied, kissing him goodbye.

With one last look towards him, she opened the door and walked out of the office.

As she walked down the hallways of the Pentagon, her head was swarming with everything she had been told in less than an hour. She was getting her own command; even though it was a co-leading position, she wouldn't have to report to anyone else. Reporting to Jack would be only on those occasions when Atlantis would be in contact with Earth. She would be the one making the decisions.

She could already see that most people wouldn't be happy with her undermining Elizabeth's authority in a way, nor with her taking the place that was John's from the near beginning. But they would have to accept it, because whether they wanted it or not, whether she wanted it or not, things were going to change in Atlantis.

She had the rest of the day to think about it but she needed coffee for that, and it couldn't wait until she was at Jack's.

###

to be continued