Title: Lost Among The Stars
Summary: When Major Evan Lorne is attacked on a mission off-world, a series of events is put into motion that reveals the very secret John Sheppard had worked so hard to keep hidden. Eventual Sheppard/Lorne. Spoilers for "Coup d'etat" and "Doppleganger".
A/N: Hello again! I'm back and with a new chapter. This one's a little bit on the short side but I wanted it to end at a reasonable place. I'm sure if you're familiar enough with the Stargate: Atlantis series you'll immediately recognize some of the episodes described in the chapter. But, if you don't know the series forward and backward like I do, then this is fair warning that SPOILERS are ahead.
On a side note, I recently stumbled upon this quote: "Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not" (Pablo Picasso). I feel that as an author, you constantly strive to think outside the box. Believe it or not, I started writing because I found something lacking in some fandoms and I asked myself, 'why wait for someone else to write that?' And here I am. Seeing what can be and saying, 'if not you, why not me?'. But I digress.
Now, without any further ado, here is the next chapter of Lost Among The Stars! Enjoy!
Characters: Evan Lorne, John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon, Teyla, Elizabeth Weir, Sam Carter, Radek Zelenka, Jennifer Keller, and other minor characters and OCs.
Disclaimer: all rights belong to MGM.
Warning: mentions of non-consensual rape.
~o~o~
John didn't normally wake up in the middle of the night but something didn't feel right. It was a nagging feeling. A sour taste that persisted long after he washed out his mouth.
Thinking it would just go away, John lounged in his bed. His sheets lay bunched at the bottom of the mattress where he had kicked them. Five minutes. Then ten. The feeling persisted. Frustrated, John scrubbed his face with his hands. Day old stubble itched at his fingertips.
Coffee, that's what he needed. Deciding to make a trip to the cafeteria, John slipped on his boots, lacing them tight. Foregoing his jacket, he slipped out of his room and walked toward the nearest transporter. Just as he turned the corner John spied Lorne stumble out into the hall. The Major was wet and shivering. Not wanting to be seen by the clearly miserable man, John backed up.
In his rush not to be seen, he banged his elbow on an outcropping on the wall. The sudden noise caused Lorne to swing around. The Major's hand reached for his missing sidearm.
John froze, more so in shock than subterfuge.
Lorne's eyes were bloodshot. His muscles tense and rippling underneath his soaked clothing. The Major called out, his voice cracking. John wondered if he had been crying.
He could hear the heavy breathing and sniffling that echoed down the empty corridor. John frowned. What had happened? Why was Lorne out of bed so late, and soaking wet? Not that John minded. Lorne's damp clothing left nothing to the imagination.
After a minute Lorne turned and continued in the direction of his room.
Long after the Major disappeared from his view, the Colonel remained where he stood, half hidden in shadow. The sight had greatly disturbed John. The Major had been fine earlier, or so John believed. But just now, Lorne had looked so scared, not just of the noise but of something else. Perhaps the events of PXK-233 effected the man even more than John first assumed. He continued on his way to the cafeteria, silently making the decision to corner his second in command later that morning after his meeting with Elizabeth.
But John never got the chance.
At his meeting, Elizabeth informed him that the Taranians - the civilization who had lived underneath the erupting supervolcano - had not contacted Atlantis in over two months. John and his team departed immediately. On the planet they found the entire Taranian settlement abandoned. It wasn't long after that they were attacked by a mutated Iratus bug creature. Things went from bad to worse when Michael, the Wraith they temporarily transformed into a human with Carson's retrovirus, was discovered to be behind the disappearance of an entire people.
Hours later they trekked back through the Stargate, dirty and tired and mourning. An entire team of Marines had perished on that planet, victims of Michael's cruelty. John and his team met with Elizabeth, explaining what happened. In the end, they determined that the Wraith must have hacked Atlantis' database during their last alliance. Rodney was able to decipher some information from one of Michael's devices; there were at least three other planets where Michael was conducting his experiments. Elizabeth tasked John to investigate the situation.
When things finally started to settle down, John became swamped by the annual personnel evaluation reports. Wanting a free afternoon to himself, he sped through them, giving everyone 'excellent' and 'above average' ranks.
Then the new Earth battle-cruiser Apollo arrived. The commander, Colonel Abraham Ellis, beamed down to the city and demanded a meeting with Elizabeth and her senior staff. He wanted to launch a preemptive strike against an armada of Replicator ships that were preparing to take off to Earth. The Atlantis expedition quickly planned, organized, and coordinated the attack on the Replicator homeworld. The strike was successful but they had little time to celebrate before a Stargate-weapon satellite appeared above the city. Thankfully, Atlantis had time to raise its shield before they were hit by the self-sustaining energy beam.
They sank the city, trying to buy more time before the Replicators successfully drained their ZPM and destroyed Atlantis. John and Rodney quickly realized that they would always be in range of the satellite weapon, no matter where they were on the planet. Their only hope was to escape into space using the city's Stardrive. But, in order to do so, they needed to drop the shields. John suggested they dispatch Lorne to lead a squadron of F-302s to pull an asteroid into the path of the weapon to disrupt the beam until they could lift Atlantis out of the atmosphere.
But they didn't raise the shields in time and people were hurt. Then the ZPM failed and Atlantis got stuck in space. In order to save the city and its occupants, the science team outfitted a Jumper with a hyperdrive with the plan to go to the Replicator homeworld to steal more ZPMs. Rodney was able to rewrite the Replicators' coding, resetting their prime directive to attack the Wraith. All in all, they are successful.
And then they lost Elizabeth.
She sacrificed herself the save the expedition. For John, the grief is almost too much. He lost a good friend. Someone who saw his potential, believed in him and, dare he say it, loved him. Not a romantic love, mind you, but one of kindred souls. A love bred from respect and understanding.
Colonel Samantha Carter was a suitable replacement. She was, after all, the foremost expert on Ancient technology and Replicator activity.
She had the experience to lead the Atlantis expedition and, like Elizabeth, she could not be cowed by the IOA. Sam knew the struggles of exploring a galaxy and the hardship of losing teammates. She was willing to make the difficult, unpopular decisions to protect those under her command while also allowing herself to take advice when she thought she lacked knowledge and skill.
She proved this when, immediately after her arrival, Ronon approached her and asked to break safety protocols to bring some old friends - other surviving Satedans - to Atlantis. Sam refused, stating they were a security risk. Rodney, who witnessed the conversation, later claimed that he was impressed with Ronon's inability to intimate their new leader.
But afterward, when John's team had been captured by the very ones they were trying to help, Sam led the rescue team. She strategically incapacitated the Wraith facility's main power supply. While in the end the Satedans were traitorous Wraith worshippers, Sam welcomed Ronon back to Atlantis, never questioning his loyalty to the expedition.
It also helped that Sam was well-liked among the masses. Her infamy preceded her. Most of the Marines had been involved in the Stargate Program before coming to Atlantis so they were familiar with her history. They respected her command. Many of the scientists knew of Sam's work in astrophysics, her experience was widely accepted and often used as reference.
All in all, Sam was the perfect balance of scientist and soldier.
~o~o~
John found himself lounging in Elizabeth's old office.
It had only been a week since the incident with the Satedan Wraith worshippers. Ronon was still irritable, therefore unapproachable. Rodney was stuck in his lab supervising the data collected from their latest Ancient discovery. And Teyla was off-world visiting her people at harvest time. So that left John, bored and alone.
The Colonel had already finished all his overdue mission reports and paperwork. He couldn't go to the gym or the lab, Ronon would surely leave him a bloody mess while Rodney would yell at him and call him stupid. And, at the moment, John didn't think he would handle either type of abuse.
As such, he made his way to the control room. Hopefully, if he waited long enough, something interesting would happen.
Sam had seen him sulking around the DHD and called him into her office.
"Bored, Sheppard?"
John sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "That obvious?"
Sam grinned and shrugged. "You're moping about reminds me of Daniel when Jack kicked him out of his office to get some rest. He just didn't know what to do with himself," she said, referring to her old teammates, Doctor Daniel Jackson and General Jack O'Neil respectively.
"I don't mope," John grumbled before flinging himself into one of the empty chairs in front of her desk. "Besides, I was just checking in on Stargate operations."
"Of course."
"So… doing anything interesting?"
"Not really," Sam replied. "I'm just reading more mission reports to familiarize myself with the off-world teams and the type of situations they get themselves into."
"Oh?"
"Your team in particular has a track record that would make SG-1 jealous."
John grinned. "Well, we aim to please."
"UNSCHEDULED OFFWORLD ACTIVATION!"
Jumping into action, John ran out of the office. "No one's due to return for another six hours." Sam rushed out after him.
"It's Major Lorne's IDC, ma'am," Chuck, the Canadian technician, responded.
A sliver of fear coiled in the Colonel's gut. "Lower the shield," John barked, hopping down the main staircase until he was at the bottom. The soldiers on 'gate duty had their weapons raised, ready for their second in command and his team to step through.
Major Lorne and another Marine came through first. They supported David Parrish between them, the botanist appeared to be unconscious and struggling for breath. Lieutenant Abrams ran through the event horizon last, his P-90 raised to cover his teammates.
"Lorne!" John called out, "what the hell happened?"
"We need to get David to the infirmary," Lorne ordered, ignoring his commanding officer. A team of medics rushed forward, placing the scientist on a stretcher before whisking him away.
John narrowed his eyes at the Major. After being relieved of his burden, Lorne's hand wound around his ribs, cradling them. John also spotted a fair amount of blood mixed into Lorne's dark hair.
"Sir," Abrams said, stepping beside the Major, "you should go with him."
"Right," the soldier nodded, trailing behind his friend as he was rolled away.
The Colonel watched Lorne's receding form. "Lieutenant, care to explain what just happened?"
"Yes, sir," Abrams nodded, "There was, uh, an incident with the locals."
"What kind of incident?" Sam demanded, finally joining John at the bottom of the stairs.
Abrams looked reluctant to continue. "Could I give you my report in your office, ma'am?"
"Very well," Sam nodded.
The three entered the office before the door fully closed behind them. Abrams stood at attention while John and Sam sat down. "So tell us why one of my scientists was unconscious and why it looked like your team leader had taken a beating," Sam declared, her voice as hard as nails.
"As you know, ma'am," Abrams started, "we were escorting Dr. Parrish to scout out some local flora and fauna that might hold some healing properties that could be useful back on Earth. Well, while we were collecting samples we stumbled upon a villages about six klicks away from the 'gate."
"The locals, were they friendly?" John asked.
"Yes," the Lieutenant admitted. "They allowed us to meet with their medicine man. Dr. Parrish and I went off with him while Major Lorne set up a perimeter. Dr. Parrish was gathering information about a native plant that the healer claimed had cured several of their children of a water-borne virus. After two hours I checked-in with Major Lorne. He said we were invited to their midday meal."
"Dr. Parrish and I met up with the others," Abrams said, "we ate with several of the village elders. They mostly offered us some fruits and roots to eat. It turns out they are mostly vegetarians, only hunting for special occasions. Major Lorne didn't trust their water because of the illness some children were experiencing, so he ordered us to only drink from our canteens." The Lieutenant took a moment to breathe before continuing. "Major Lorne stepped out of the room for a moment and we were offered this local tea or something. Dr. Parrish had some, and I think he had some sort of allergic reaction. His throat closed up and he couldn't breath too well. He got real close to passing out when Major Lorne came back. Major Lorne assessed the situation and…"
"And what?" Sam prompted.
Abrams grimaced. "I guess he saw the spilled drink and an unresponsive Dr. Parrish and, uh, overreacted."
John sat up a little straighter. "Overreacted? That doesn't sound like Lorne."
"Well, sir," the Lieutenant swallowed, "based on his reaction, I would guess it had to do with what happened on PXK-233."
The Colonel hissed. PXK-233, that cursed planet. "Fuck," he sighed, scrubbing his face with both hands.
Sam's brow crinkled in confusion, "Sheppard?"
"I don't know how many mission reports you've read," John stated, "but a little over a month ago Lorne was attacked while off-world. He was drugged, kidnapped, and assaulted."
"I see," Sam nodded, making a mental note to look over that particular report. "So what exactly happened after that?"
"Major Lorne drew his sidearm and ordered us to get Dr. Parrish out of there. Some locals didn't take too kindly to us pointing weapons at their elders. They jumped Major Lorne while we were helping Dr. Parrish. They got in a few good blows before I could fire a warning shot into the air. After that they backed off. We ran to the 'gate, dialed out, and made it back."
"While his reaction is understandable, it is inexcusable," Sam remarked. "Dr. Heightmeyer should never have cleared him for active duty."
"With all due respect, ma'am," Abrams spoke, a small frown curling around his lips. "We have been busy these last few weeks, what with the Replicator attack and all."
"I agree with Abrams," John voiced, "we've all been busy and Lorne was needed."
"Still, I want him on light duty until he sees Dr. Heightmeyer."
Reigning in his anger, the Colonel grunted in affirmation. He then turned back to the soldier. "Thank you, Abrams. You can go drop off your gear before going to your post mission check-up."
The Lieutenant snapped a quick salute. "Yes, sir."
Once Abrams was out of hearing range John turned on Sam, a frown marring his usually carefree disposition. "Colonel," he all but sneered, "you weren't on PXK-233. You don't know what happened. Now, Lorne is a fine soldier and an even better second in command. I would appreciate it if you would get all the facts before making such a rushed judgment, especially in front of subordinates."
Sam looked too startled by his outburst to respond.
"I will talk to Lorne, and if he doesn't wish to see Heightmeyer I will allow it," he ground out. "It has been weeks since PXK-233 and this is the first time something like this has happened." John stood up, placing his hands on his hips. "David is a close friend to Lorne. And frankly, if something like that had happened to Rodney I would have reacted the same. Damn the consequences."
Not waiting to be dismissed, John stormed out of the office and made his way to the infirmary. He promptly found a transporter and hopped in. Pressing the sector button he desired, John exited on the appropriate floor and briskly walked down the hall to the infirmary's main entrance.
John was pissed. How dare she say that about Lorne? She didn't know. She didn't understand. A tightness bloomed in John's chest. Panic and guilt. Once again Lorne was hurt on a simple off-world excursion. He should have been there.
But John knew he was being biased. His feelings for Lorne were getting in the way again. He couldn't always protect his second in command. No matter how much he wanted to. Their work was dangerous, life-threatening even. He needed to accept the possibility of either of them dying on the expedition.
Huffing in frustration, John roughly ran his hands through his spiked hair. He wanted to rush into the infirmary, grab Lorne, and hide him away. To preserve him, love him, and let no one harm him again. But it wouldn't be fair to Lorne to have him remain on Atlantis indefinitely. The Major was built for off-world missions; he was good at his job, the best.
John shook his head. No, Lorne would never allow that.
Finally trudging into the waiting area, he spotted Jennifer. "Hey, doc!" he called out in greeting. "Do you know where Lorne and Parrish are?"
"Last bed on the left," the Doctor supplied. "But be easy with them, it's been rough."
"No problem, doc. Take care."
Silently approaching the privacy curtain, John couldn't help but overhear the end of what seemed to be an argument between the two friends.
"...doesn't matter," he heard the Major say.
David instantly responded, "Please, allow me this one grievance."
"David, I-" Lorne's voice cracked. "I'm just glad you're alright." There was a pause in the conversation when he spoke up again, concern clearly in his voice. "You are alright, aren't you? Are you in pain? Do I need to get Dr. Keller in here?"
"No," David sniffed. "I'm just upset that you're upset."
"I'm not upset," Lorne squawked.
"Then I'm upset that you're not upset that I'm upset that you're upset," David explained.
"But I'm not upset!"
"Well, now I'm upset you're not upset that I'm upset you're not upset that I'm upset."
John couldn't help but interrupt. "Well," he said, pulling aside the privacy curtain, "that's upsetting,"
"Sir!"
"Colonel Sheppard!"
John laughed. "At ease, gentlemen. I'm just here to check on you guys. Any injuries?"
Lorne was sitting down in a plush chair. His arm was still gingerly wrapped around his midsection. A white patch a gause was tapped near his hairline. David, on the other hand, lay in bed fully decked out in scrubs. He had an IV in his arm but otherwise looked unharmed.
"I had a severe allergic reaction but Dr. Keller fixed me right up. Luckily, Lorne," David pointed at the sitting soldier, "only has a few bruised ribs and a superficial head wound," David answered.
The Major pursed his lips and looked over had his friend. "Nah, you're the lucky one," he said, emotion trickling into his voice.
John smiled grimly. "I heard what happened. I'm just glad everyone got back in one piece."
Lorne looked at him sharply. "Sir?"
"Abrams gave me a full report."
"Oh," Lorne almost whispered, trying to look anywhere but John.
"I'm just glad they got me out of there so quickly," David pipped up. "Who knows what might have happened."
John offered a small smile before clapping his hands together. "Well, then," he said. "Lorne, could I borrow you a moment?"
The Major hesitantly nodded.
"Don't worry, you'll be back soon enough. After all, we don't want to leave Parrish alone for too long. He might get upset."
The two soldiers walked to the far side the infirmary, away from David's laughter. Once they were out of hearing range, John stopped and turned to face his second in command. Deciding to be blunt as possible, he stated, "Carter wants to put you on light duty, and I agree." Lorne opened his mouth to protest but John held up his hand to stop him. "But not because I think you aren't capable, but because you're clearly injured and need a few days to heal. Given the extreme circumstances, your reaction was validated. Believe me when I say I understand." Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck. "You don't have to go to see Dr. Heightmeyer unless you want to."
Lorne looked at him, wide eyed. "Thank you, sir," he said sincerely.
The Major moved to go back the chair he had abandoned. But before he got too far, John stammered, "Y-you know you can always talk to me, right?"
The injured Major paused but didn't turn back around. "Of course, sir."
~o~o~
Lorne hated light duty. He was allowed to go about his usual business on Atlantis but he couldn't train or aid in military expeditions. He also could not go off-world unless it was a serious emergency.
It was extremely unfortunate timing because Lorne was scheduled to escort Radek to M3X-387, a jungle planet constantly shrouded in darkness. The MALP had transmitted strange energy readings, similar to those in Ancient technology. Because there were no lifesigns detected on the planet, Radek was't too enthusiastic to give up an entire day he could spend in his the lab to chase energy signatures around a barren planet.
As such, Radek was convinced the trip would be in vain. There was nothing on the planet that could host such energy signatures, at least nothing that would aid them in their fight against the Wraith or the Replicators. He proposed to Rodney that the readings were simply feedback from the atmosphere.
But now that the Major and his team were taken off the mission roster, Radek was able to convince Rodney to go in his stead. To sweeten the deal, the Czech scientist proposed a bet his superior: one of his homemade meals if Rodney would not find anything of worth on M3X-387. Eager to prove Radek wrong, Rodney had agreed and received permission from Sam to send his team to the jungle plant to investigate.
While Radek was fairly certain he'd win, the reward of being in the lab without Rodney breathing down his neck for a whole day was too good to pass up. Even if it cost him all his food supplies in return.
And, in the end, it did cost him. Rodney discovered what appeared to be a raw power source that grew on trees in the form of a glowing crystalline structure. John recommended sending a science team back to the planet to investigate further.
After hearing his friend complain about losing the bet for several hours, Lorne promise Radek that he would help him smuggle extra ingredients from the kitchens. He couldn't let Rodney's appetite deplete the Czech's entire food supply. After that, Radek calmed down. Content that he had averted a disastrous situation, the Major finally bid his friend good-night.
The next morning, after a dreamless night's rest, Lorne made his way the cafeteria. There he joined Teyla, Rodney, and Ronon for breakfast. He sat down just as Teyla was telling a story about a dream she had the night before.
"I cannot even begin to tell you how bizarre it was," she said.
Rodney snorted. "Please, you want bizzare? Let me tell you…"
"You know what? Don't," Ronon interrupted him.
Lorne smirked into his oatmeal, humored by the bickering.
"Morning," John intoned, as he sat down at the head of the table. He had with him a tray filled with cereal, toast, and fruit. He was only greeted by silence. Feeling uncomfortable, the Colonel frowned, "What?"
"Teyla had a dream about you last night," Rodney answered, smiling smugly.
"Rodney!" the Athosian exclaimed, clearly embarrassed.
"Really?" John leaned forward, intrigued. "What was it about?"
Teyla frowned. "Actually it was more of a nightmare and I would rather not talk about it."
John's eyebrows simply rose in apprehension. "Was I the dashing hero saving you from the big bad monster?"
Ronon grinned, baring his teeth. "Actually, you were the big bad monster."
"Really?"
"Like I said, I would rather not talk about it," Teyla said, her voice growing tight. She stood up from the table, collecting her tray and used utensils.
Deciding he was also finished with his meal, Lorne also stood and collected his dirty dishes.
John frowned. "Where are you guys going?
Teyla sighed. "Sorry, I have a headache. I did not sleep well last night."
"Paperwork, sir," Lorne responded, knowing full well the Colonel's disdain for bureaucracy.
Without a further good-bye, they both left. Depositing their trays near the garbage, Lorne turned to his Athosian companion. "Teyla, may I be so bold as to recommend seeing Dr. Heightmeyer." He paused before elaborating, "Nightmares can hold a heavy weight over your head. And, if you don't address them, they may just crush you."
"Speaking from experience, Major?" Teyla hummed.
"Yes," he answered honestly. "If a nightmare has you this rattled, it might be pertinent to seek help."
Teyla shyly smiled at him. "Yes," she spoke quietly, "Thank you, Major."
He simply nodded, pleased she listened to his advice. Then, with a final farewell, he continued on his way to his office. Paperwork awaited.
~o~o~
A/N: Wow, Lorne just can't catch a break, can he?
Now, if you couldn't already tell, the next couple chapters take place during SGA episode "Doppleganger". Obvious SPOILERS ahead! Anyway, I am now veering toward AU territory. While general canon themes remain, I will be constructing some new situations and events to fit my story line. I will be extending a lot of the scenes and switching out different characters with others to make everything a little bit more interesting.
That being said, some of the dialogue and situations are not of my own creation. They are directly borrowed from the Stargate: Atlantis series. I do not mean to commit any particular copyright infringements, I just want to keep the material as authentic as possible.
Anyway, I love hearing from you guys so please review! Review, review, review! Until next time. XOXO
