Start Chapter 13

The sun filtered in through the window slowly waking Sheppard. In his first moments of consciousness John was greeted with the sight of Teyla sleeping peacefully in front of him. Unwilling to risk waking her he stayed there unmoving watching her rise and fall with each breath. When she finally began to wake she was greeted with the sight of a rising sun and someone else very close to her. "Good morning John."

"A very good morning," he said continuing to watch her.

"When did you wake up?"

"A few minutes before you," he said as the sun inched up making his eyes slightly uncomfortable.

"Why didn't you get up?"

"Didn't want to wake you and it's rather comfortable," he said sitting up.

"Well I'm up now."

"Uh-huh," he said falling back to the bed and closing his eyes hoping to get another precious few minutes of sleep.

"Sleep well?"

He murmured a response and continued attempting to fall asleep.

"Do you intend to get up?"

"No."

"Come on we have work to do," she said planting her feet on the floor and looking around for where she had put her clothes the previous night.

"You have work to do, I'm thinking of just staying here all day."

"Well I will be around if you need me," she said grabbing her clothes and walking out of the bedroom.

"So what were you saying last night Ancient?"

"How did you?"

"You're always listening I learned that a long time ago."

"I was wondering why you were so opposed to sharing a bed with Teyla."

"You really don't know?"

"I do not."

"Yeah right you're probably always reading my mind you know the exact reason probably better than I do."

"She is heading to the room she was in yesterday why?" he said changing the subject in order to avoid evoking Sheppard's anger again and his threats to remove Teyla from the ship.

"I guess she isn't done yet," he said as he himself got out of bed.

"Could you turn off your hologram? I'd at least like the illusion of privacy while I'm changing," Ancient complied with his order and shut off the hologram. When Sheppard was done changing he reactivated his hologram.

"Where are you going?"

"Find Teyla," he said walking out the door.

"Wait you just said you were staying in."

"Changed my mind."

***

"What's up?"

"I am reviewing the database for entries relating to my people."

"Find anything?"

"Yes quite a bit this ship appears to have been keeping tabs on us for some time along with several other planets. There are records here of our team on other planets."

"Really what missions?"

"The Genii home world, the planet where we discovered the Orion and several others."

"Very interesting find anything else?"

"Just information about my people."

"Like what?"

"Nothing that would interest you John."

"Come on try me," he said moving around the console to face her.

"Well currently I am looking at my father's time as leader it is very interesting some of these records are very detailed."

"So what did he do that you didn't know about?"

"He dealt with many worlds that I did not about also there were more cullings than I knew about. He also appears to have been bonded with another besides my mother."

"Is being married more than once unusual among your people?"

"Unfortunately no most remarry," she said pausing to make sure she had used the term—marriage--correctly, "after their pervious partner is taken by the wraith."

"So your father remarried?"

"Yes however he never mentioned his first partner."

"Is that strange?"

"For him I would think it strange he was very forthcoming about his life perhaps it hurt him too much to talk about it."

"You were never married were you?"

"Not yet although I hope to marry Kanaan when we find him," she smiled a bit at his memory.

"We'll find them Teyla don't worry," he said putting a hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to get something to eat?"

"I will accompany you to the commissary," she said powering down the console. They headed to the mess hall discussing what Teyla had learned that day.

***

"How did you sleep last night John?" Teyla asked after a lull in their conversation.

"Very good thank you for allowing me to sleep there last night," he replied sincerely.

"It is not a problem John."

"So what do you think we will be able to control next?"

"I do not know perhaps navigation or shields what do you think?"

"Well I'm hoping the engines and weapons but I'm thinking something simple like maybe some type of security system."

"Yes this ship's weapons would be rather effective if such a low powered weapon could damage the ancient ship like that," she said getting up and throwing out what remained of her own food.

"Are you able to use sensors yet?"

"I have not attempted to do so but Ancient said that I would be able to," she said sitting back down and taking a sip of tea.

"Why not you seemed anxious to use them before?"

"I was preoccupied at the time."

"With what?"

"I was watching you on the cameras," she said quietly blushing at her embarrassing actions but unwilling to lie to him.

"Oh really see I told you it wasn't so bad."

"Actually…" her voice trailed off and she started blushing again.

"What?"

"He opened the camera while you were."

He was beginning to become alarmed, "While I was what?"

"Naked," she said quietly.

John went livid; she contained a laugh as the color drained from his face. He decided to change the subject, "so have you asked about how Athos was monitored yet?"

She did laugh at his not so subtle change of subject, "Not yet however it is very strange and I think I am still missing something on those records."

"What?"

"Well they are eerily accurate about your time on there but is more vague about before you arrived for instance it merely mentions that Tagan, my father, was joined his partner taken and then rejoined with another but it mentions that we went to the cave together and that you picked up my long lost necklace."

"Yeah that's uh really weird," he said glancing around the ships walls with a perplexed look on his face.

"Are you able to use the sensors yet?"

"I believe so Ancient said I was able to but I have not attempted to do so yet."

"Why not?"

"I was preoccupied at the time for his behavior."

"Oh well why don't you try now?"

"Because I find reading the history of my people more interesting than playing with the external sensors."

"Ok well let me know when you're done I'll be playing around with the sensors and anything else ancient lets me do."

"Have fun."

"You to," John said leaving.

***

"Teyla told me what you did,"

"So she did."

"Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"No, I knew you'd find out, but I do not think that you will do anything about it."

"And why is that?"

"Because I know you."

"Yeah more like because you know you can control my thoughts,"

"Do you really think I would do such a thing?"

"Yes and the scary part is that doesn't bother me. So my question is: are you preventing me from caring that your interfering in my mind?"

He smiled in response, "So you don't care if I interfere in your mind but you care that I might interfere in you caring that I interfere with your mind?"

Sheppard looked at him for a second before answering, "Yes but that does mean that you aren't completely controlling my thoughts."

"That it does," he said giving Sheppard a reassuring smile as Sheppard moved around and took a seat in the control chair.

"Can I control anything new?"

"Internal sensors but you have been able to control them for some time." Ancient responded and Sheppard activated them a moment later a virtual schematic appeared in his mind with a single dot representing Teyla still working in the room she had found the day before. He thought about activating the internal communications array and felt as if controlling it was just out of reach nearby but still out of reach. He got out of the chair disappointed that he had been unable to activate the system.

"Teyla are you busy?" he asked over the radio.

"Not really John why do you need something?"

"I'd just like to see you activate the sensors and see if you can do anything else," he said pacing around the control room calmly.

"Of course John I will be there in a few minutes just let me finish this," he could tell that she was slightly exasperated with him.

"Sure take your time."

***

"John sounds much better whatever you said to him as had a profound effect," Ancient told Teyla as she was finishing up with the page.

"Yes he sounds better now," she said continuing her translation.

"It is your doing so on behalf of both of us, I thank you."

"I believe that you also had something to do with it so thank you as well."

"My help was not as noticeable as yours." Teyla rolled her eyes at his downplaying of his own help.

"Well you still helped," she said powering down the console and opening the door in order to leave.

***

"Hey Teyla it is good to see you," John said merrily surprising Teyla with his amount of enthusiasm.

"Hello John," she greeted uneasily, unsure of what to do because he was sitting in the chair.

She stood their awkwardly for a moment before John sprang up out of the chair, "Come on I want to make sure it's not just me."

She approached the chair eying him suspiciously unsure of where his excitement was stemming from but she did not question him yet.

When she sat down she felt Ancients presence in all of the ships systems. She took a minute to take it all in as she had not spent too much time in the chair but after a minute she thought about long-range sensors and felt them approach her slowly encircling her mind after they mixed with her mind she understood how to use them. "John is this what you want?" she asked bringing up the sensors on the holographic display.

He smiled in response while excitedly pacing around the room again, "Yes that means that you don't need the Ancient gene to run this ship unless you need Ancient or Wraith genes to run this ship."

"John can you activate any other systems?"

"Internal sensors."

She thought about those for a minute and felt a similar feeling and then she found that she was able to control that system as well, "Good?"

"Thank you," he said still ignoring the strange look she was giving him.

"Is that all or?" she said getting up from the chair.

"No thank you although you're welcome to stay if you want," he said sitting down in the recently vacated chair.

"No I will return to my research," she said leaving the room.

***

"Ancient do you know why John was so happy," Teyla asked as soon as the door shut behind her sealing her in the room.

"Yes it is my fault."

Teyla stopped and Ancient read the confused look on her face easily.

"I needed him to be in a better mood so I put him in one," he said unashamedly.

"How?" she asked looking gently down upon his hologram.

"Do you really want to know?"

"I there a reason I wouldn't want to know?"

"I do not think you will like the answer."

"Then perhaps I should not know the answer but I have one question will you do the same to me?"

"No."

"Should I trust that you will keep your word?"

"You can there are many reasons why I could not interfere with you in the same way."

"That is all," she said to the disappearing hologram.

***

"So any chance of you telling me what is going on in this ship?" Sheppard asked jokingly.

"None," Ancient replied with a smile.

"Can you get me a beer? Sheppard asked as he moved over to the control chair wishing it had cup holders.

"I will have one synthesized immediately," he said and a few minutes later one appeared in Sheppard's hands. He took a sip before setting it down on the floor reluctantly. While in the chair he attempted to activate several other systems unsuccessfully.

"Is there anything new I can do?"

"Just the different features of the sensors and diagnostics," Ancient said brining up the internal sensor display however Sheppard dismissed it opting instead to run a diagnostic on the ships weapons systems. When the diagnostic finished it turned up nothing. Sheppard continued with the diagnostics of other systems he was unable to control and after some time he finally accepted Ancient's repeated requests for him to use the internal sensors.

"Let's see what else I can do with these since you won't let me use anything good," he said searching for the sensor with his mind attempting to look for alternative functions and other ways of using them. "Is this why you wanted me to use these?" he said as he activated the ships security cameras. He flipped through them quickly seeing all of the empty labs and then Teyla working in one of them. He found it strange to see so many empty rooms a few were dark but most were lit.

"Strange isn't it seeing so many desolate rooms?"

"What was it like for all those years with no one on this ship?"

"I was not active for most of those years but it is very strange how few people command this ship."

"Yeah I had a question about that why all these labs but only one bedroom?"

"This ship is not usually sent on long deployments so it has never really needed somewhere for a large crew to stay as they simply slept in Atlantis and the only person to sleep on this ship is generally the captain."

"That doesn't really seem to make a lot of sense to me but ok."

"You will understand it in time."

"Let's hope I have the time."

End Chapter 13