Chapter 5: Problems Arise and Sparring
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He looked at his reflection in the mirror and he readjusted his tie a little. Finding his appearance satisfactory he turned and left his quarters and headed back to the Gateroom with a frustrated sigh, earning concerned glances from the two Colonels who had come to see him off.
"How are you feeling?" Cameron asked.
"Like I'm about ready to drop" Terrence replied.
"It's and IOA meeting, it was bound to happen" Sheppard said with a small grin.
"Terrence!" the Brit heard Rodney call to him. "Before you go, you might wanna see this" he said and the other jogged up the stairs to meet him in the Control Room. "You know that Wraith facility we discovered?" he asked.
"Have you found the coordinates?" the Brit asked hopefully.
"What am I, Jesus? I can't work that many miracles" the scientist huffed.
"So no good news?" Terrence asked despairingly.
"I'm afraid not. The only thing we have is the planet. However we have noticed considerable Wraith activity, particularly with their Hive Ships" Rodney began to explain.
"Go on" the other urged.
"Well we tracked one of the ships, but couldn't get a definitive lock on the coordinates once it had entered the planets atmosphere" the Canadian said and the Brit pulled together his limited knowledge on technology.
"They're utilizing some sort of EM shield" he summed up.
"The exact one they use to block our transporting" Rodney said. "Anyway, despite not been able to get that lock we need to reveal the location of the planet, we picked up subtle differences with the ship. So we focused a fair amount of the city's sensors around the area of the ship in order to see what had changed" the Canadian explained.
"And what was the difference?" the Brit asked.
"There has been a substantial increase in mass. Hull integrity seems to have increased" he replied.
"So we're looking at some sort of reinforcement facility?" he asked in despair.
"More than that. Whilst there has been substantial activity going into the planet, we also noticed that the activity seemed to be coming from the planet. We've picked up several new ships, cruisers and a newer transport vessel" Rodney said, showing him the screen. "This is an image we took when we first spotted it" the Canadian said.
"Okay, so which ones are the newer ships?" the Brit asked.
"This collection of five dots here" Rodney said, pointing to the group. "That was five days ago so who knows what else they've spawned from that facility, but we know for certain that it is indeed not only a reinforcement facility but also a Wraith manufacturing plant" Rodney added and Terrence's face dropped more.
"Work on increasing the strength on those sensors. We need to find that planet" he ordered.
"We're already on it, but the process is slow going" Rodney said.
"Then search the city for anything that may help. This city was meant to be a permanent settlement, there has to be a weapons factory somewhere" Terrence said and the Canadian nodded. "Whilst you are at it, dial the Stargate" he said and Rodney winced.
"IOA meeting?" he asked and the Brit nodded. "Good luck" he added with a small thumbs up.
"Believe me, I'm going to need it" he said despairingly.
Terrence walked out of the Control Room just as the wormhole formed and he passed the Colonels who smiled sympathetically. He gave a forced smile to see if that would reassure them but to no avail, so he turned to face them before he walked through.
"Keep this city safe whilst I'm gone" he said and they both nodded.
"The SGC will be the first to know if something happens" Cameron said and Terrence gave a nod of his own before walking through the wormhole.
(Earth)
General Landry and Shen Xiaoyi were waiting at the bottom of the ramp when he came through the other end of the wormhole, both looking grim. This only exacerbated his own concern as he came down to them.
"Is something wrong?" he asked with a frown.
"You remember the Icarus project?" General Landry asked.
"It was created to find out the secrets of the ninth chevron. Has something happened?" Terrence asked.
"The Lucian Alliance attacked the base. Most of the personnel were safely evacuated but at least eighty people went through the Stargate, or we assume they did. Judging by your lack of knowledge on these events, it's safe to assume they didn't come through to you?" Shen asked.
"I'm afraid not" he replied grimly.
"What do we do?" Shen asked both of them.
"They have communication stones right?" Terrence asked and they nodded. "If they did in fact have a different destination in mind they would've taken them with them" he reasoned.
"So we just wait for them to contact us?" Landry asked.
"That's all I can advise. Is there another reason for you contacting me?" he asked trying his very best not to sound too rude.
"We thought you needed to be aware of that attack. Do you think, when you get back, you'd be able to extend your sensors and see if they gated to anywhere in Pegasus?" Landry asked and the other gave a nod.
"Of course" he said resolutely.
"Also, the Interceptor is been rushed into service in light of these events" Shen said.
"Rushed? As in..." he let it hang.
"Most of it's systems will not be installed. Shields, basic weapons and the hyperdrive will be sorted but the rest will have to be done in Pegasus" Landry explained and the other nodded.
"We'll manage. Rodney and his team managed to get an Ancient vessel up and running for our use" he said and they both raised a brow. "We found it in an underground bay, I forgot to mention that" he admitted a little sheepishly.
"So we can focus the Interceptor here?" Shen asked.
"I'm afraid matters in Pegasus are a little... complicated" he said, choosing the right word.
"Complicated? To use that word here at the SGC and in Pegasus is usually an understatement. What is going on?" Shen asked with a concerned look.
"The Wraith are reinforcing their fleet. Hull integrity seems to be on the rise and they've built a massive facility to perform the upgrades as well as new ships. We only have one ship and even that has limited capabilities despite the fact that it's been refitted" he said. By now they had relocated to a conference room.
"How many new ships?" Landry asked.
"Five Hives with three cruiser escorts for each, and even a couple of transport ships" he reported.
"Doesn't sound to bad" Shen said and Terrence chuckled humourlessly.
"That was five days ago. We discovered the facility two weeks ago" he said and Shen looked a little shocked whilst Landry looked resolute. "We'll need the Interceptor. Once we have her then you can redirect the Daedalus and Apollo away from us and we'll take up the supply ferrying" Terrence gave a reason.
"And you're sure this team that Dr. McKay is leading will do the job?" Shen asked.
"If they can successfully refit an Ancient vessel they'll have no trouble with a 305" he reassured.
"Very well. I'm reassigning Colonel Carter to the Interceptor once you have finished installing the rest of the critical systems" Landry said and the other nodded.
"Thank you General. I need to head back to Agnos so I can get started on the search operation for those eighty missing people. I'll be sure to dial back with the results. Should they contact you, will you be sure to keep me in the loop?" he asked, standing up.
"Of course. Thank you Terrence" Landry said, shaking his hand.
"Miss Xiaoyi" he said politely, giving a small bow which she returned.
Using one of the Atlantis' ZPM's, they dialled the Stargate to Avallana and he gave a small wave that they returned and he stepped back through the wormhole and to his city. He hoped that too much hadn't happened in their short meeting.
(Avallana)
"You want me to what?!" Rodney asked, shocked at the request.
"I want you to access the sensor logs and see if the Stargate network has received a total of eighty people in one trip" Terrence said, before explaining the attack on Icarus.
"I'll see what I can do, but it can be difficult to pinpoint one Gate in particular that received that many people. For all we know someone might have beaten the Wraith's countermeasure and dialled out to evacuate" Rodney explained.
"I know. However we have to try" he said with a smile.
"I'll have the results within an hour" Rodney said, oddly grim.
"Thank you. We'll be receiving the Interceptor soon" he also said and McKay raised a brow.
"Little bit early don't you think?" he asked.
"It is. However we'll only have the hyperdrive, shields and basic weaponry online. You'll have to get your team together and install the rest of the systems which should be relatively easy" he said and the other nodded without any protest.
"I don't like that face" Cameron said behind him.
"You noticed when I came home huh?" he asked, a small smile.
"What happened?" Sheppard asked, coming up behind him.
"Eighty people went missing when they went through the Stargate following an attack on Icarus by the Lucian Alliance. I've got Rodney searching the sensor logs and should that fail we'll see if we can access the data that is constantly been received by the Stargate here" he explained and the other two looked at him with a raised brow.
"You don't think they could've come here do you?" John asked.
"It's unlikely. I'm assuming they know our Stargate address so they may have come here" the Brit said. "However, we need to remain optimistic" he added and the other two nodded. "Anything okay here?" he asked.
"We have devoted a room to monitoring that Wraith facility. Providing that's fine with you" Mitchell said and the other nodded.
"Good call. Recent updates?" he asked.
"They've stopped the production of new ships. Looks like they wanna reinforce their current fleet and it seems that even the cruisers are having work done" Mitchell said.
"Well that's great" the other muttered sarcastically.
"Yeah. It's almost like they're preparing for something" Sheppard said and the Brit sighed.
"I'd rather not think of that at the moment" he said. "I do have some good news for you John. You are not in command of the Interceptor. Colonel Carter will be once we finish installing the critical systems" he said.
"I thought she was commanding the Hammond?" he asked.
"Reassigned" he said with a grin and Sheppard hugged him.
"Oh thank you" he said and the other chuckled.
"Thank General Landry. I didn't have a say in the matter" he said, patting him on the back. "And since when do you give hugs?" he asked, suspicion in his voice. "Last I remember, PDA's made you uneasy" he added with an even larger grin.
"Maybe you have that sort of effect on me" Sheppard replied with a wink.
"Ha. Careful Colonel. Getting me in the sack won't help you that much" the Brit replied, a sultry smirk on his face.
"Damn. It worked so many times before when it came to getting in someone's good books" John replied, not missing a beat.
"But were they that easy?" Mitchell asked.
"What do you mean?" Sheppard asked.
"Our dear commander might be a little difficult to please" Mitchell joined in on the teasing.
"Larrin was a commander" he confirmed "And she even made a quip on shooting too soon, I believe" the other said with a grin. "And when she did kiss you, she literally stunned you" he said and Mitchell was beside himself laughing.
"I'll get you back for that" Sheppard said in mock-seriousness.
"You might have a chance. I'm sparring today with Teyla but I can switch partners" he offered.
"I didn't know you sparred" Sheppard said.
"There is a lot you don't know about me John Sheppard. I'll leave you to find out more" he gave a small challenge with a grin.
"You're on"
(Gym)
Dressed in a black, sleeveless zip-up top and loose fitting sweatpants, Terrence stood with one arm behind his back, the other holding a Bantos rod pointed at the floor. His stance was rather proud and fitting for him, but did it mean he had skill?
"I sure hope Teyla's beatings encourage you to practice" Terrence teased him.
"She kicks my ass anyway" Sheppard protested.
"She certainly whacked it" the Brit said with a grin.
Sheppard assumed his own stance,left hand behind his back and the rod in his right which he then brought up to rest on his left pectoral. Both of them seemed to stare at one another whilst Mitchell waited in anticipations as to who would strike first.
"Ready?" Sheppard asked him.
"Are you?" was the challenging reply.
They circled one another for a moment before Sheppard suddenly struck out with a blow aimed at the Brits stomach which was easily blocked. Terrence countered with a strike to the Colonels feet however it too was deflected with force. He used the momentum which had sent his arm back and the Brit followed up with three quick strikes that were quickly blocked.
"Let's see what you can do" Sheppard said.
"Oh wouldn't you like to know" the Brit replied shamelessly.
"I think we both would" Sheppard said, referring to Mitchell who watched with a grin.
Terrence started a really fast flurry of blows which were easily blocked and parried, Sheppard even lashing out when a gap was left, although he generally sidestepped them. He soon brought his rod down to his thigh, connecting with it.
"Still want to know what I can do?" Terrence asked with a grin.
"Yeah" was the simple reply.
"Looks like I'm becoming a medical doctor tonight" was the reply.
Mitchell watched as each one attacked each other. He discovered that grace was inherent in the Brit and that Sheppard possessed his own hidden grace as he easily sidestepped some of the jabs sent at him.
"I sure hope you know how to stitch yourself up" Sheppard taunted.
"Oh please, it's easy. Stitching you up is even easier" was the retort.
Spotting a flaw in some of Sheppard's defensive manoeuvres, he struck out realising too late that he had struck at his head. The whack sounded out in the room, the two other wincing before Terrence's face turned to shock as Sheppard clutched his head.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry" he said, approaching him.
"It's fine" Sheppard replied.
He then swung his rod at Terrence's feet tripping him so that he landed on his back and he felt a weight settle on him as Sheppard pinned him to the ground.
"And that is how you do it" the American said.
"Okay, I'll allow it. Considering that" he said, gesturing to the cut.
"Nice one" Sheppard said with a grin.
"You do know you can get off of me now, right? Or do you like been on top of me?" he asked with a smirk and Sheppard's cheeks were dusted with a faint blush as he stood, offering his hand to the Brit. "Let me see to that" he said.
"What here?" he asked.
"Nope, my quarters are closer and I keep a kit in there too"
"Doctor to the core" Mitchell said, finally speaking. "That was pretty damn awesome" he added.
"Yeah it felt awesome" Sheppard said, touching his hand to his head and feeling warmth, he knew he was bleeding. "But I gotta hand it to ya doc, you know how to fight" Sheppard said, lazily draping an arm over his shoulders.
"I was more than just an infirmary worker you know. I did do off-world missions" he said.
"Really? I didn't notice" Sheppard replied, a little shocked.
"When you're the military commander of Atlantis and head of your own team, I would be surprised if you did" he said, sounding almost bitter. The arm around him tightened as though Sheppard had noticed the bitterness in his tone.
"So what made you become a politician? Even if it isn't official" Mitchell asked.
"I wanted Atlantis to return to it's home" he said simply.
"Earth was it's home" Mitchell reasoned.
"Yeah but didn't you ever lay in bed one night and the sound of the ocean outside of you're window just didn't seem to fit because it wasn't New Lantea?" the question was directed at Sheppard.
"I thought I was the only one who felt like that" Sheppard said.
"We all felt it. So I did it to get that familiarity back" he said, hand swiping over the motion sensor.
"You two are weird" Mitchell said, breaking the silence and making the other two chuckle. "Waves are waves" he added.
"When you live in Pegasus for nearly five years, you get used to it and then you never want to get rid of it" he said, directing Sheppard to his bed and using his gene, the lights had brightened a little bit so he could see the wound.
"You really consider Pegasus your home over the Milky Way?" Mitchell asked.
"You'll probably feel the same way when you've lived here for a year" Terrence said softly.
The kit he pulled out was the same as the one that he kept in his office and contained all of the same supplies. He pulled out a larger cotton bud as well as antiseptic, stitching and a two large butterfly bandages.
"Did you?" Mitchell asked.
"It was creepy in the first few weeks. Then the rest of the year felt so natural to us" Sheppard said for the both of them, hissing a little.
"Sorry. Try not to move, these are good sheets and tipping antiseptic on you is not ideal" he said and the Colonel nodded. He dabbed nice and gentle, just like he did following the Genii attack and he noticed that he had opened the cut from said event.
"What's up?" Sheppard asked, noting the frown.
"I re-opened your other cut. I'm such an arse" he said, frowning even more.
"It was sparring. One of us was gonna get hurt eventually" Sheppard tried to reassure.
"I know but I should've thought ahead. Sorry John" he said and he could hear the Colonel chuckle. "What is it?" he asked.
"You need to lighten up a little bit more" Sheppard said.
"I'm not that tightly wound" was the insulted reply.
"You've been under a lot of pressure recently. I'm surprised you've been this relaxed" Cameron said from behind him. He then noticed Sheppard sway a little, the Brit picking up on it as well.
"Are you feeling dizzy?" Terrence asked.
"A little, yeah" Sheppard admitted.
"Cameron, sit with your back to his for support. John, just lean back and relax, and it will pass when I've given you painkillers for the rocking headache you know doubt have" he said and Mitchell went to move. "I sure hope you take your boots off before you sit down" he said, almost like a parent chastising a child.
"I was just checking to see that you noticed" Cameron said, undoing the laces.
"Forgive me for been sceptical" he said with a grin.
"You're forgiven" was the sarcastic reply, punctuated with a grin.
"Cheeky" he said, and then his radio came to life, Rodney speaking. "Go ahead" he said simply.
"The result of the log search came back. No one has been detected as coming through and the Gate logs that no more than five people have used a Stargate in the galaxy" Rodney reported whilst the Brit moved on to the second cut.
"What about uninhabited worlds?" he asked calmly.
"Negative" was the simple reply.
"Okay Rodney. Dial the SGC and report that back to them. I'm somewhat tied up at the moment" he said sadly and he received and acknowledgement. "Eighty people, just gone" he said with a sad sigh which the others didn't like.
"We don't know if they're dead" Sheppard tried to comfort.
"That's right, we don't" he said, finishing the stitching. "I'll go get your painkillers" he said, packing the kit away and going into a draw and pulling out a tub. "Do you want water?" he asked and the other merely shook his head.
"Where do we go from here?" Mitchell asked, standing up when Sheppard said he could.
"We wait for them to contact us" Terrence replied simply. It was quiet for a moment, then he thud could be heard as the Brit hit the wall in frustration. "Damn it!" he shouted.
"You need to relax" Cameron said softly.
"I'm not the only one on edge. The SGC are grim about this" he said, calming when Sheppard and Mitchell rested a hand on his shoulders. It was late by the time they decided to go but it got to the point where he said they may as well stay, citing that he needed to keep an eye on Sheppard anyway in case he felt worse because of the hit. He chose share the bed with Sheppard and Cameron made a bed from all of the cushions he kept as decoration, grabbing an extra quilt from Terrence's cupboard. They all fell asleep with relative ease, but Terrence felt a hand rest on his shoulder and squeeze gently.
"We'll find them" Sheppard whispered.
"I know" was the soft reply, a hand coming to rest on his for a moment, before pulling away, but Sheppard's hand never let his shoulder that night.