Chapter Twenty: Home

Lana watched as the worm whole vanished, and the room became eerily silent. She wiped at her eyes before turning and noticing that everyone was watching her.

"You've all got work to do!" Sam shouted to the crowd, clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention, before ushering them away.

"Someone start a 24 hour countdown immediately!" John said into his radio, which crackled, before going silent.

Sam looked over to John, who had a frown on his face, before looking to Lana. Lana stared back, not knowing what to do.

Sam smiled comfortingly, "All we can do now is wait."

"Relax, Lana." Carson said from beside her, as they sat on the steps in front of the Stargate.

Lana looked up from her hands, "He should be back by now..."

"I think you'll find he has another 5 hours, actually." Sam said, walking down the stairs.

"Colonel." Carson acknowledged respectfully.

Sam smiled and inclined her head. "Doctor Beckett."

"We both know 24 hours was an estimate, Colonel..."

"You need to have faith in him, Lana." Sam rebuffed as she took a seat, staring off at the gate.

Lana sighed and nodded. "I do. I'm just worried."

The Colonel smiled slightly. "You're not the only one."

They lapsed into an uneasy silence as people continued to move around them. After a few minutes, Carson looked past Lana, over to Sam.

"How did Elizabeth react to you taking Command?" He asked.

Sam raised an eyebrow as she glanced back over at the Doctor. "Well, it could have gone better, I suppose." Her eyes swept the room. "I haven't seen her since I told her, actually. Makes me wonder what she's been up to. She's missed all the fun."

At this, Lana turned to her with a frown.

"Joke, Lana. Take a Joke." Sam told her gently, as said girl went back to staring at the gate, sadly. Sam let out breath before standing up. "I best go check in with John-"

At that moment, the gate's alarms went off, and it began activating. Armed Personnel immediately poured back into the chamber in waves, establishing a defence. The Wormhole formed, and the place went silent until Sam moved forward.

"Have they identified themselves?" Sam shouted to the Control Room.

"Erm..." Came the hesitant reply.

"What's happening?" Sheppard asked as he raced into the room with Ford and Teyla in toe.

"It's not an I.D that I recognize...but the computer won't let me shut the Iris on it." The technician shouted back.

At that moment, a group of large, muscular men marched through the Gate in rows, with a smaller group of women behind them.

"Identify yourselves or we'll open fire!" Sheppard yelled at them.

They ignored the command and continued to pile through the gate, all coming to a standstill in the middle of the room.

Sheppard lifted his rifle and let off a burst, which impacted with a man's chest, before harmlessly bouncing off, ricocheting and instead, impacting with the walls.

Sheppard frowned, "You are a security threat! Men, open fire-"

"Stand down!"

From the back of the large crowd of newcomers, a large familiar form barged its way to the front.

"I said stand down, damn it!" Clark said as he passed the front lines, his cloak flapping once again in his rush. Quickly turning to face the men, he said, "Captain Ok! Get everyone situated, and then report in to me."

The man next to him nodded, his right fist going and thumping across his chest. "Of course, Commander. Everyone; Fall out and follow me!"

As the Captain began leading his people out of the Gate Room, Major Sheppard lowered his weapon only slightly.

"Kent! You better have a good reason for bringing them here! We're not a Hotel!"

"I do." Clark replied after watching them leave, before stepping forward. "I brought them Home.

They're Ancients."