AN: I forgot to mention that this story is set in an alternate reality of sorts where Elizabeth never left/died and Carson never died and Lucius Lavin never existed. :)
AN2: Also, I would like to add that I am not a dr. and so I'm guesstimating based on the information that Webmd provides.
Thanks for reading! Hope you like it so far.
Chapter 2:
John awoke to the sound of the ocean lapping against the city and the soft, gentle hum of Atlantis coaxing him back into a dreamless sleep. His body, however, had different ideas and felt the need to remind him that there were things that it needed to do. Reluctantly he sat up, stretching to loosen stiff muscles. The sun was starting to filter through the window, providing a bit of extra warmth when it shone on him.
What time is it? He wondered before looking at his alarm clock. 9am! Those must have been some good drugs! Being a morning person, he was usually up around 6am for a run with Ronan but as he couldn't do anything running for the next 2months his body had apparently taken advantage of the injury and slept in.
He slowly worked his way off the bed and onto the crutches, grunting when pain made itself known. After he finished in the bathroom, he went to his dresser and grabbed a t-shirt to change in to. Changing pants didn't appeal to him because it would mean moving is already throbbing ankle but he knew he didn't want to stay in the scrubs from the infirmary so he grabbed the loosest pair of sweats he could find and began the slow, painful process of putting them on. When he was finished he lay on his bed waiting for the throbbing to ease while he decided whether it would be worth it to go to the mess hall or just call the kitchen and see if they could bring him something.
He had just made up his mind when his door chimed. Not wanting to get up from the bed he simply thought open and the doors opened to reveal Teyla carrying two trays of breakfast.
"Good Morning, John." She greeted cheerfully.
"Morning." John greeted back, even though he wasn't fully awake yet.
"How is your ankle feeling?" she asked, knowing that if she beat around the bush, he'd never answer.
"It hurts, not unexpected with a broken bone. The meds the doc gave me work well, I actually just woke up. I think the doc put a sedative in them too." He said with a mischievous grin. "How are you?"
"I am well." She replied and gave him a smile in return but didn't say anything while she ate. He could tell she was thinking about yesterday's mission and it was clear something was bothering her about it.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I was just thinking about the attack yesterday. How did the Genii know we were there?" She asked, her mind obviously trying to work out the puzzle and not happy with the conclusion it was coming to.
"The way I see it is either they didn't expect us (which doesn't seem very likely) or someone here told them. Either one doesn't bode well for us." He replied matter-of-factly. He had ran yesterday's mission through his mind over and over and over and those were the only two conclusions he could come up with. The implications of the latter part of the statement were scary. Atlantis was like one big family, you needed to be able to count on your family 100% out here and if you couldn't there would be serious consequences.
Teyla nodded, "yes, those are the only two conclusions I can make as well. As much as I would like to, I do not thing the Genii being there when we came was an accident. I believe someone told them but I can not think who here in Atlantis could gain from doing so."
John nodded in return. Yes, it didn't make sense for ANYONE here to sell Atlantis to the Genii but it seemed someone had. It made even less sense that the Genii attacked them since they had an alliance with the Genii. He hoped he was wrong and wanted to attend the debrief to see if anyone else came up with anything new.
They finished their breakfasts in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Teyla had a sparring lesson to go to so she bade him good morning, grabbed his tray and left, leaving his mind to mull over yesterday's mission.
They had arrived on Adora in the early morning. The planet was beautiful and lush, reminding him of Oregon. There were mountains to the East, plains to the North, forest to the West and rolling hills to the South. The planet had 2 suns that created a soft orange-pink light as they rose, creating a beautiful picture before them.
Once they had their bearings, they headed in the direction that they believed the village to be in. The ancient database had commented on the planet being good soil for crops and the villagers being fair traders. The Lanteans hoped that the database was right for once, they had enough enemies and needed allies and trading partners.
They made a steady pace to the village much to Rodney's dismay, often complaining about the pace (could we take a break?), the weather (could it be ANY hotter here?), the vegetation (what if it has citrus?), or the lack of any obvious technology (is it too much to ask to go to a planet ripe with ancient technology full of ZedPM's?). For the most part the group ignored him, used to his complaining and knowing that the day that he didn't complain something was wrong. Every once in a while John would goad the scientist into some friendly banter but mostly John, Teyla and Ronan kept an eye out for any unfriendly contact, keeping their sense sharp.
"When do we get to eat? I'm starving!" came Rodney's next complaint.
John sighed heavily, he had been waiting for this question. "You've got a Powerbar in your vest, don't ya? Why don't you eat that?"
"Are you kidding? I've got to keep those in case something happens and we get stranded or the food at the village is uneatable or filled with citrus or drugged!" Rodney's mouth sputtering what his quick brain came up with.
"Then, why didn't you eat more at breakfast?" John countered. He didn't mind giving Rodney his Powerbar, he wasn't hungry and Rodney had a point about the possibility of being trapped on the world and he didn't want the scientist to go into a hypoglycemic shock but he wanted to make Rodney work for it.
"Hey, I ate as much as I could before you were pushing me out to get geared up! It's not my fault you have the patience of a 2 year old! Maybe next time you'll let me finish before you rush me." Rodney pouted.
John chuckled before answering, "you knew the time for departure, it wasn't my fault that you didn't get up earlier to make sure that you were fully prepared for the mission."
"Get up earlier, are you kidding me? Excuse me if I don't get up at 4:30 every morning to go run but some of us were up late rummaging through the ancient database to figure out what some of the latest toys the Ancients left behind do so that should a certain Air Force Colonel with his freakishly strong gene doesn't activate it only to find out it's a bomb!" came the sarcastic and accusing reply.
Ok, ok, so he HAD done that once but he didn't know it was a bomb and nobody was seriously injured! Still, he gave in with an exaggerated sigh and tossed Rodney his Powerbar with a smirk. "Fine, here, take one of mine."
"Thanks." Rodney says while he's simultaneously tearing open the Powerbar and digging furiously into it.
The walk to the village was longer than they expected and as the sun rose higher, raising the temperature with it, they were eventually forced to stop for a small break so they could catch their breath, get some water and grab a snack.
"Can't you park closer next time?" Rodney pants, obviously out of breath. "I mean, you knew how long it was to the village, why'd you have to park SO far away?"
"I didn't realize it was this far and I don't know how the villagers would react to seeing us or possibly landing on their crops, so I decided the further the better. Buck up McKay! You know, if you were to join in on the exercise regiments that the rest of the off world teams do you wouldn't be having such a problem right now." John told him, only half meaning it. It is true that if Rodney joined them all in the exercises that he would be better for it but he knew that would only mean that Rodney would find something else to complain about – exercise.
"It is absolutely ridiculous that you have had all off world teams, grunts and scientists alike, start an exercise regiment. It's even more ridiculous that you suggested that I do it. It's not like we're constantly running for our lives." Rodney continues.
"McKay, what's the last mission that you can think of that HASN'T had us running for our lives?" John counters.
Rodney sat, spluttering trying to think of a mission but knowing they are few and far between he can't think of any.
John nods, "That's what I thought".
"Oh, come one! There has to be ONE where nothing has gone wrong. Right?" He asks looking around at his other two team members. Ronan and Teyla both shake their heads "No" and before Rodney can try to think of one or Ronan and Teyla start naming each mission after another with it's faults John steps in with, "Ok guys, enough break, time to move."
They had barely walked for 20 minutes before Ronan stopped mid walk, body rigid and eyes scanning the surroundings. John knew that stance and began his own scan and that was when he noticed a flash of movement off to his left.
John was yanked out of his musings with the sound of his door chime. He looked at his clock wondering how long he'd been off in his own world. The clock read 12:00. Dang he thought, I've gotta stop doing that!
He thought Open and his door opened, admitting one Dr. Carson Beckett. John was a little shocked to see the doc there, had he forgotten about a check up? He didn't remember one being mentioned at his release but then again, he wasn't fully paying attention to what Carson was saying.
"Hey doc, what's up?" he asked, figuring that he might as well be blunt, knowing the doctor wouldn't take offence.
"Hello, Colonel. I'm delivering your lunch and figured while I was here I could check on you." Carson replied. John hadn't even noticed that he was carrying a tray filled with a turkey sandwich, a fruit cup and a small salad. John's stomach started growling rather loudly letting him know he was hungry.
"You aren't eating?" he inquired, knowing full well that the doctor ate at irregular times and more than often in his office in the infirmary.
"I already have lad. How are you feeling?" the doctor asked. John knew that he had wanted to say that from the beginning but he also knew the doctor to be patient.
"I'm fine. Good enough to attend a certain debrief." John said, not forgetting to not so subtly hint that he wants to join the meeting and plans on it.
"I've already told you that you can as long as they hold it here." Carson reminded him with the tone of a parent reminding their impatient and insistent child.
"I am not holding the meeting in here doc. I can go to the conference room, really, I can handle stairs. I've done it before." John pouted, he figured if he was going to be treated like a child, he could act like one.
Carson chuckled slightly at the memory of John trying to climb stairs on crutches when he had badly sprained his ankle falling off his skateboard. "Yes, Colonel, I remember and I also remember you almost falling as well."
"Almost, keyword doc." John pointed out.
Carson couldn't argue with his point so he decided to redirect the conversation. "Actually, that meeting is the reason why I came to check on you." He began, noticing John's interest peak, a look of hope warming his eyes. "Teyla told me that she believed the swelling to have gone down quite a bit and I told her I'd come and check to see if it was enough. I didn't think it would take 48 hours, but I wanted to make sure I gave you enough time just in case."
"Great" John said as he began to push the tray onto his bedside table.
"You can finish your lunch first Colonel, I came in plenty of time to get you taken care of before the meeting should this turn out the way you want it to." Carson told him while he put a hand on John's arm to stop him from pushing away his food.
John knew that Carson thought him too thin. The doctor was always urging him to eat more. He apparently didn't understand the difference between thin and slender. John had always been slender, no matter how much he ate. He tried to gain weight but it never happened and instead he settled for wiry. Most enemies never expected you to put up much of a fight when you were John's size and he loved it when they'd try to push him around only to find themselves flat on their backs more bloodied and bruised than he was. It came in handy more often than not, especially in the Pegasus Galaxy.
None the less, John finished his lunch then proceeded to take the pain medication that Carson handed him knowing he was due for them and feeling like it. Over the last 10 minutes his ankle had been throbbing furiously trumping the throbbing in his foot but he had been waiting until he ate before taking the medicine as it tended to make him nauseous.
After waiting a few minutes for them to take effect, Carson gently began examining John's ankle and foot. John was surprised to see that the swelling had gone down a lot more than he had expected (guess the ice and elevation DOES help!) but he still feared it wasn't enough.
When Carson finished his examination he went and grabbed an ice pack and placed it on John's injured joint. "Well," he began, "the swelling has decreased but not enough, I'm afraid, to be able to apply the cast yet. I'm sorry son."
John nodded, disappointed, knowing that Carson wasn't going to allow him to attempt stairs without the cast being applied to protect his injury.
"But, Elizabeth, Major Lorne and Rodney believe they have found a room that would suffice as a conference room and it isn't that far from your quarters and does not have any stairs." Carson continued smiling broadly at the look of shock on his patient's face. "It's close enough for you to be able to crutch there, I know how you hate the wheel chair. They are setting up a table right now and bringing in two chairs and a pillow for you, I want you to keep your foot elevated at all times, do you hear me?" Carson finished, his voice reminding John of how you'd scold a child.
"No problem doc. As much as I hate to admit it, it doesn't hurt as bad when I have it elevated." John told him, hoping the admission would help put the doctor at ease and express his gratitude. "Thanks." He finished with a smile that reached his eyes, warming them.
"Aye, you're welcome Colonel, just don't make me regret it." Carson told him while he got ready to leave.
"Hey, doc, could I get a shower before you go? I feel gritty from yesterday." John inquired, guessing he'd need help.
"Aye" Carson replied, more than a little surprised that the stubborn Colonel asked for help. "What do you need?"
At 1430 John was showered, shaved and dressed. He noticed that he still had plenty of time before the meeting so he decided to type out his mission report before going. He needed to get it done to give Elizabeth and it would help him to organize his thoughts and figure out what he's going to tell Elizabeth. When he was finished he looked at the clock, 1445. Carson had told him that the room wasn't more than 5 minutes from his room but he knew he was moving slower than usual and he wanted to get there and be seated by the time everyone else arrived so he decided to head out now.
He got to the room they were currently using as a conference room (it was originally the holograph room) and found a table and chairs set up with an extra chair and pillow added. He figured that that was where he was supposed to sit so he crutched his way over there and, after setting down his paperwork, gently eased his injured foot on to the pillowed chair followed by the rest of him in the regular chair. He looked for an inconspicuous but easily accessible place to put his crutches but found none and so placed them against the wall behind him. He hated having to elevate his leg and leaving his crutches in plain sight, he felt like it was only pointing to his weakness, but he knew he had no other option so he sucked it up and re-read his mission report to make sure that it was accurate.
Just as he noticed the movement to his left, he felt a bullet whiz passed his ear landing in a tree behind him, showering him in splinters of bark. They quickly ran for cover, find a group of trees close to their position.
"Everyone ok?" John radioed.
"Yes" Teyla replied
"Yeah" Ronon grunted
"Fine" Rodney panted
"Ok, Teyla, I want you and Rodney to make your way to the gate while Ronon and I lay down cover." He instructed them. He knew that Teyla could handle herself and cover Rodney while on their journey to the gate and he need Ronon with him. He loved Teyla (literally) but he and Ronon often had the same way of thinking when it came to defense and therefore no words were needed to communicate.
"Ok" was Teyla's response and she found Rodney (who was hiding behind a tree right behind her) and grabbed him and ran. They all knew they had a journey to make to get to the gate and only hoped they could hold of whoever was shooting at them long enough.
Teyla showing up was all Rodney needed to get his scientific butt moving and ran for his life while he heard Sheppard and Ronon behind laying down cover fire and bullets whizzed passed his head hitting trees around him.
Slowly the team made their way to the gate. Teyla and Rodney running while John and Ronon laid down cover. Within the first few minutes of the "shoot and run away" tactic they had going John and Ronon were able to spot who was shooting at them and showed little shock to find that it was Genii soldiers. Figures! John thought, Is there someone in this galaxy that they DON'T double cross? John could tell Ronon wanted to fight them, running away was never a tactic that sat well with Ronon, but John didn't dare try to take them on. He could see that the Genii outnumbered them 5 to 1 and he knew the Genii preferred to shoot first and ask later.
John saw another flash of movement but it was BEHIND the Genii soldiers. The figure was dark skinned with a bandana over his head. He thought he saw one brown eye and (NO, it couldn't be) one black eye. FORD? More gunfire brought his attention back to the Genii and he started returning fire again. When he looked back, there was no one there. Could he have imagined Ford? Or was it possible that Ford got off the hive before it exploded and was on this planet?
A bomb exploded close by, bringing John out of his thoughts. Damn! He thought Snap out of it John! Think about it later, get to the gate right now!
As they got closer to the gate, the Genii got more creative with their methods. At first it was just gunfire. Then when they noticed the team getting farther away they would throw a bomb at them, hoping to slow down their progress. When the team got close enough to be able to see the gate the gunfire subsided then stopped altogether and they bombed as fast as they could throw them. Their last bomb hit just as John had jumped through the gate.
Just then he heard the sound of footsteps approach, wrenching him out of his memories. He looked up to see Elizabeth walking into the room, paperwork in one hand and computer in another. He looked at his watch. Yep she was early too, probably figuring she'd take the spare few minutes to get some extra paperwork done before the meeting started.
"Hey" he said by way of greeting.
"Good Afternoon John." She replied, looking a little shocked to find him there so early. "How are you feeling?" she asked. He bristled slightly. He was hoping she wouldn't ask that and that he could just move passed that part of all the greetings and get on with the meeting. He realized they were concerned but it really was just a broken ankle (and foot), not a big deal. He's been hurt worse while on missions. Can we say Iratus Bug? Ok, granted the bug didn't do much damage once they got it off but while it was on, DANG it hurt!
"I'm good. How are you?" he quipped hoping to relay the message I don't want to talk about it. She either got the hint or didn't know how to proceed because she let the matter drop and pulled up her own paperwork and began reading over the reports.
Elizabeth knew him well enough to know that he hated admitting to, well, anything really and not to push him for information until he was ready to give it. John was a private person and even those in his personal circle of friends often found walls where most had none. She noticed that his leg was elevated on the chair and pillow, which gave her a small sense of relief. She had been worried that they would have to argue with him over that. Elizabeth had also noticed the small lines of pain that began to form in his face, invisible to most but plain as day to his friends. She wanted to ask if he had taken his medicine or if he needed anything (she feared this meeting would go longer than most expected and wanted to make sure he wasn't hurting during it) but she knew that he didn't want to be fussed over so she kept her mouth shut and her eyes on the report in front of her.
Slowly people started trickling in to the meeting. Teyla was first, always punctual. She greeted John in the same way Elizabeth had, asking him how he was feeling and received the same "I'm good" response before sitting down next to him. Ronon was next, giving each of the group a nod before sitting down in the chair, slouching slightly. Rodney walked in with a cup of coffee in one hand and his tablet in the other, balancing a tray of food on top. John just chuckled and shook his head, Good ol' McKay! He thought.
Carson Beckett came in next which was a surprised to John, he hadn't expected Carson to be needed nor invited to the meeting. He suspected that it was mostly to keep an eye on John or, he supposed, that his expertise COULD be needed at sometime during the meeting, depending on where the discussion headed. He tried to give the doc the benefit of the doubt and assumed it was the latter. Major Lorne was last, apologizing for being late saying that he was finishing up some paperwork and hadn't realized how late the time had gotten.
Elizabeth looked up from her paperwork, "Ok, let's begin, shall we?" she said, bringing the meeting to a start. She turned to John and asked, "What happened?"
"We were on our way to the village, taking our time (he added with a small glare at Rodney), when about 2 miles out, we encountered enemy fire and were forced to head back." John summarized. He knew that she was expecting more but he thought his summary worked just fine.
"Do you know who this enemy was?" she asked.
"They were dressed as Genii soldiers." John stated, keeping his expression and tone neutral.
"The Genii?" Elizabeth, Rodney, Carson, and Lorne asked all at once, shock written on all their faces.
"Yeah. I'm not sure if they were actually Genii, part of Kolya's group or just stole the uniforms but that was how they were dressed." John said, hoping to plant a see of doubt in everyone's mind, he didn't want to go around accusing someone who wasn't guilty.
"Well, I think it's time we had a chat with Ladon Radim to find out." Elizabeth said, her voice relaying anger. "Even if it wasn't his group, then he would be able to report if uniforms were stolen or he may be able to confirm if it was Kolya."
John nodded. He was hoping she was going to say that, "I want to be in on that meeting." He said, hoping he made it more of a demand that sounded like a request.
Elizabeth looked to Carson for his nod of approval before replying. "Sounds good, I'll let you know when it is scheduled for."
John was shocked, he hadn't expected Carson to agree. "Great." He said, hoping that the meeting was over. His ankle and foot were beginning to throb painfully even with his leg elevated. Elizabeth had one more question, however.
"How did the Genii know you were there?" she asked.
John sighed, he was hoping she would ask Ladon Radim that instead of him. "I think that either it was a complete accident ("That's likely" Rodney snorts) or someone told them." He paused, waiting for her to absorb this information and come to the same conclusion that he and Teyla had.
Her eyes widened with comprehension, then narrowed with suspicion, "You think someone from Atlantis told them we'd be there?" she asked, shocked that he was even suggesting it. She wasn't naïve, she knew people wanted to destroy or siege Atlantis, she just never thought someone ON Atlantis would do it.
"That's the only conclusion I can come up with." John said.
"I have come to the same conclusion as well Dr. Weir." Teyla interjected.
"Alright, but it's not like we can just start accusing people." Elizabeth replied. She was not liking where all this was heading and she was hoping that it was just some sort of Pegasus version of a coincidence.
"I'm not saying we start interrogating people but I do think we should play things a closer to the chest. Only tell those involved in the mission what the mission is. Keep a closer eye on everyone when it comes to communications out of Atlantis, I'm not saying act paranoid and monitor EVERYTHING but just keep an eye out for suspicious activity." John replied quickly. He didn't want people getting suspicious but he did want a little bit tighter security, hoping that if something like this happens again, they'd be more able to narrow down who it may be.
Elizabeth thought about what he was proposing and after deciding that it sounded very reasonable, especially considering it was John, she nodded. "Ok. Let's do it." She looked around at everyone before continuing, "Anyone have anything they'd like to add?"
"I would like to send a team back to the planet. We weren't able to make contact with the Adorans and I think it would be a good idea to try again." John said, surprising them all.
"And how do you know that the team won't run in to the same problems as before? For all we know it could be a village occupied by Genii." Elizabeth replied.
John shook his head, "I don't think so. They met us BEFORE we got to the village, not when we got there. To me that suggests they were waiting for us. Look, I'm not saying we go right away, wait a week but I do think it's worth it to go back. Take a cloaked Jumper if it will make you feel better, I'll even fly the dang thing." He wasn't going to tell them all the REAL reason why he wanted to go back. He wanted to check and see if Ford really was or had been there.
Elizabeth thought it over. There was more to the story than John was letting on but she knew he wouldn't admit to it and she WAS curious to see if the villagers were able to trade with them. "Ok, we'll send a team but you are NOT flying the Jumper. Sgt. Stackhouse is more than capable of flying the Jumper." She told him. His expression changed from one of silent pleading to one of frustration and anger.
"Come on Elizabeth! It's not like I'm in any danger or a danger to anyone else while flying the Jumper! I'll stay on the Jumper if we land, ok? Or, heck, we'll just do a fly over to make sure that it's all clear of the Genii then come back! Do not make me sit this one out, please!" He pleaded. He was desperate to go and if he had to beg to be allowed, then so be it.
Elizabeth was shocked, John Sheppard rarely begged for anything and he did have a valid point. He was more than capable of flying the jumper while injured. It was his promise to stay on OR just do a fly over that she didn't trust. She looked at Carson for his opinion.
The doctor sat there trying to decide WHAT he thought. Like Elizabeth, he knew there was more to the story than John was letting on and that's why he was so desperate to go. While he agreed that John wasn't in danger nor a danger to anyone else while flying the jumper, he was apprehensive about letting him go anyways. John Sheppard had a knack for getting in to trouble even on the simplest missions and he didn't think the Colonel needed more trouble right now.
"Alright, you can go." Carson said, "but I'm going with you as well." He added.
"Doc, I don't need a babysitter." John practically whined.
"No, you don't, but I want to keep an eye on you anyways. I'll not have you going off on some mission while injured without me going with you. That's the deal, Colonel. Take it or Leave it." Carson replied.
"Fine." John said, half pouting half hopeful. He looked at Elizabeth, waiting for her approval.
She let out a big sigh, "Fine, you can go. But you WILL stay on that Jumper and listen to Carson no matter what." She warned. She really didn't want him coming back with more injuries because he didn't want to listen. "Anything else?" she asked once more, hoping that they were done. She had a headache and just wanted to retreat to the quiet of her office for awhile before her next meeting. When everyone shook their heads NO she nodded, "Very well. I'll let you all know when I want you to go back to the planet by tomorrow. Have a good evening everyone." And with that, she walked out of the room.
On her way to her office Elizabeth ran what she had just heard through her mind again. Will this galaxy ever give us a break? She wondered. It seemed her answer was NO.