7 Months Ago…

Alternate Universe Daedalus

Lost between Multiple Universes

The unidentified vessel appeared literally out of nowhere. One second it wasn't there. The next, city sensors recorded a strange power spike, and suddenly the ghost ship was sitting there in orbit.

The shock of having a ship suddenly appear in New Lantea space with no prior warning was offset somewhat by the IFF transmitted, which identified the ship as the Daedalus. Sensor readings told a grim story: The ship was completely lifeless, devoid of any living crew.

A close flyby with a puddlejumper showed Sheppard's team that she had been through a devastating battle. She was little more than an empty hull. However, a quick check with Stargate Command confirmed that the Daedalus was safely back in the Milky Way, just days away from Earth.

Knowing this wasn't "their" Daedalus didn't completely remove the feeling that they were walking on someone's grave. This feeling was further exacerbated when they made yet another grim discovery—four bodies of themselves. Or rather, four people that looked just like them, but weren't Replicators. They were the remains of their doppelgangers from an alternate universe.

Sheppard couldn't help feeling creeped out by the idea of another John Sheppard existing in another universe who was just like him, but not him. Crouching over the body, Sheppard studied the familiar features. Knowing he should put aside thoughts of the "other him," Sheppard found it difficult to do so.

What kind of life had he led? Did he have similar goals and dreams? Since he was onboard a Daedalus, he was obviously a part of "his" Atlantis expedition.

I guess we can't be all that different, he considered.

Knowing it was time to move the other Sheppard into the galley's freezer, Sheppard took a moment of silent reflection—not exactly a prayer, but neither a disrespectful dismissal. As he was about to zip up the body bag, Sheppard noticed something sticking out of a pocket of the other Sheppard's tac vest.

He pulled it out and realized that it was a family photo—of himself, Nancy, and a little boy of about four or five years. It looked like the picture had been taken out on the East Pier in Atlantis. He recognized the view of the skyline from there. But what would Nancy be doing in Atlantis? And who was the little boy?

Nancy and the boy were squeezed into the cockpit of an F302, while John, wearing a flight suit and holding his helmet under one arm, was standing on the ladder and gripping a rung with his other hand. John read the writing on the nosecone: "P.J."

All three were smiling at the camera, the boy waving happily. As John studied the picture a little closer, he realized that the grinning boy had a familiar head of dark, messy hair.

He turned the photo over and recognized the handwriting on the back as Nancy's bold, yet feminine script: "John, Nancy, and Patrick John (P.J.) Sheppard—July 4, 2008, Atlantis."

He stared at the picture a moment longer unable to breathe, and then without a word, gently replaced it in the "other" Sheppard's tac vest. His chest tightened as he tried not to think about a boy who would now grow up without a father and about the baby he never got the chance to hold in his arms….

Hours later, on the return trajectory that would hopefully take them back to their own reality, they again ran into the strange, alien vessel that they had fired on while it was bombarding that alternate reality's Atlantis. Earlier, they had "escaped" because the Daedalus jumped into a different reality just before the alien was about to take issue with them for interfering.

Now, it seemed that they had jumped from the frying pan of an expanding sun back into the fire of a heated space battle. And from the speed with which the alien pounced on the limping Daedalus, Sheppard could conclude that it had not forgotten their earlier meddling.

"Crap…Battle stations everybody! McKay give us whatever shields you can. Ronon, man the aft weapons...Left button targets, right fires. Got it?"

Ronon glared at him and then stared blankly at the weapons console, trying to figure out its operation.

Soon, the Daedalus was nearly besieged by the enemy fighters' onslaught. Sheppard fired at anything and everything that came within range of his forward guns. However, Ronon was struggling with the aft weapons. He simply couldn't get the correct rhythm nor figure which button to press and when. Growling in frustration, he pounded the aft weapons console with his fists.

Sheppard kept his eyes on his own targeting screen, but called out sardonically, "Chewie…! Those buttons are your friends!"

Ronon roared his anger at the console, the enemy, and himself for not taking Major Marks' up on his offer to train on the ship's systems as Teyla had. His boredom at the thought of learning something new was now placing his friends' lives in danger.

When it looked like they were about to be completely overwhelmed, a swarm of F302s suddenly appeared on-screen, taking on the fighters and the mother ship. After several, heart-stopping moments and near misses, the enemy fighters were all destroyed, along with their mother ship.

Sheppard breathed in a deep sigh of relief. That was too close. It seemed that earlier he had made the right call by helping this reality's Atlantis against the alien attackers.

An all-too familiar voice suddenly cut in over the ship's comms: "Daedalus, this is Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, over."

As one, the others on the bridge turned to Sheppard, wide-eyed.

"Daedalus…? Do you copy?"

"Umm…Colonel Sheppard, this is…the Daedalus…" Sheppard replied carefully.

"Yeah, about that," the "Other" Sheppard answered. "See…we're curious. Our Daedalus was destroyed a few months ago in the war with the Replicators, so…?"

"That's interesting. See…this isn't exactly our Daedalus, either. We just sorta-kinda borrowed it by accident, and well…we're trying to get back home…"

"Okaaaay…I've no idea what you're talking about, but you saved our collective asses earlier when you fired on the alien. Our shields were failing and well…we have families—"

"Wait! Colonel, did you just say you have families on Atlantis?" Sheppard leaned forward intently. "As in your families?" He ignored the others' strange looks.

"Yeesss…" The Other Sheppard slowly drawled, sounding suddenly suspicious.

"Colonel…We don't have a lot of time left in this reality—"

"This reality? What are you talking about?"

"Never mind that…Please, tell me…your nose cone. Do you have 'P.J.' painted on it?"

The answer was immediate and angry. "Look, buddy…I don't know how you knew that, but if you're some kind of Trojan horse, let me tell you, we're packing nukes on these babies. We don't take kindly to strangers who threaten our families!"

"Sheppard! We have a massive power build-up," McKay interrupted. "We're about to jump in five—!"

"Just—do me a favor—give my love to Nancy and P.J." Sheppard said calmly over McKay.

"Three—!"

"What? How do you know about—"

"Two—!"

"You're a lucky son-of-a—"

"One—"

The next instant, space shifted around them and was empty of F302s.

"—bitch."

oOo