Ace In The Hole
Chapter 42
Rodney fidgets nervously earning himself yet another sigh from Jennifer who is sat next to him, he turns and smiles apologetically before once more returning his attention back to the door as Jeannie enters the room.
"Sorry it took so long, Mrs Dwyer... Madison's teacher just can't take a hint when she gets you on the phone its none stop" Rodney rolls his eyes but the surreptitious dig in the ribs from Jennifer forces him to smile, fortunately Jeannie is too distracted to notice.
"Jeannie" Rodney grinds out causing her to sit and smile at him.
"What is it you want Mer?" She says grinning.
"We want you to come to Atlantis" Rodney says with a cheery smile.
"Are you kidding me?... I can't just up and leave my family Mer... I don't care what you're working on" Jeannie glares.
"No...you don't understand... I mean all of you"
"What!" Jeannie sits open mouthed staring at her brother in stunned silence.
"Now that the programme has been disclosed..." Jennifer says with a smile.
"We need you... and Caleb" Rodney grins.
"Why... what... why do you need Caleb?... he isn't a scientist" Jeannie is frowning looking slightly confused.
"We have more and more children in the city and though our allies have people who can teach..." Rodney looks to Jennifer to continue with a smile.
"Colonel Sheppard thinks it may be a good idea to have some proper teachers... Rodney thought Caleb would be up for the task of running the education program" Jennifer says leaving Jeannie speechless.
"How is living in Atlantis going to be a normal life for Maddy?" Jeannie asks looking less than convinced.
"I knew you would say that" Rodney grins with a self satisfied look "There are transporter booths all over the surface of the planet... we have already begun construction of a small town on the coast just thirty miles north of the city"
"And when you have a collection of the best and the brightest designing it you can believe that it will be pretty special" Jen grins at her husband.
"What about the Wraith?" Jeannie frowns slightly but notices her brothers grin.
"Eden has better defences than Earth currently has and you are content to think your safe here" Rodney sighs.
"Maddy is nervous enough at the moment... we have all seen the reports being released... the threats in this galaxy are bad but the Wraith... she would be terrified... heck I'm terrified of them!" Rodney sighs bringing out a data pad from his bag next to him and handing it to her.
"What's this?" She asks glancing at this schematics in front of her.
"That is Destiny... she was sent out by the Ancients around 5 million years ago and is currently around 3.5 billion light years away" Rodney shakes his hand at the 3.5.
"5 Million years?" Jeannie scoffs "It's probably been destroyed by now"
"Actually we have people on her" Rodney grins before once more Jennifer digs him in the side "Trapped!... on her I should say" Rodney glares at Jen "Will you stop that" Jen just smiles and looks at him coyly.
"People on board?" Jeannie quickly connects the missing piece "They gated 3.5 billion light years?"
"We found a planet that's Stargate had been connected directly to a vain of Naquadah, unfortunately the planet got destroyed" Rodney sighs but frowns at the slight grin forming on Jeannie's face "It wasn't me!" Jennifer starts laughing.
"So what's so important about this ship?"
"How she gets her power" Rodney grins upon seeing Jeannies frown "She's solar powered"
"She has sails?" Jeannie glances at the diagram on the pad and frowns.
"No... she is literally solar powered... she can safely enter and fly though a star itself... collecting and storing the stars energy" Rodney grins upon seeing his sisters shock.
"That's impossible... I have seen all the data on shield harmonics and wave form refraction even the cities shields can't do that" Jeannies mind is suddenly racing "A ship powered like that could be able to theoretically go..."
"3.5 billion light years and counting..." Rodney grins.
"It must have some sort of power storage tha..." Jeannie stops and glares at Rodney who is sitting smugly staring at her "Meredith!"
Rodney merely glances at Jen "Told you when she saw this she'd want to come"
"All this time you've been"
"Fighting space vampires in another galaxy" Sheppard grins at his brother, who just grins back.
"They haven't released much information on Pegasus yet... people are still wrapping their mind around those Guld things" David Sheppard shudders but quickly frowns at seeing his brother grin at him.
"Goa'uld"
"What ever" Dave shrugs and grins back "Snakes that burrow into your head and take over" Dave pulls a face with an exaggerated shudder.
"I didn't have much dealings with them thankfully... not as much as Evan anyway" John takes a sip of his beer.
"Evan?" Dave smirks at his little brother "Dad would be happy that you've settled down you know"
"Yeh... right!" John snorts
"Hey... look... he regretted a lot of things in life... forcing you to be something you weren't..." John shifts uncomfortably.
"But I'm not..."
"You're not exactly Captain Kirk though are you?" Dave grins and John can't help but smirk.
"McKaye would probably say different"
"Then Rodney doesn't know you like you're big brother doe's" Dave smiles tenderly "John I may not know all the ins and outs of your life... but I do know you" John feels a slight sting of tears welling but Dave just glances away at the four children playing on the lawn.
"They really are great kids... Mark is so like Evan... quiet and determined at everything he does" John grins "And Matt..."
"I can already see that he's a mini you" Dave grins causing John to nod.
"Evan says that" John chuckles.
"When I got your message explaining what had happened... I gotta admit... I think I didn't stop laughing for about four days" Dave grins.
"Me?... a Dad... I know... but I can't explain it... something just kinda clicked..."
"It usually does" Dave smirks but nods towards his daughter approaching.
"Uncle John?" David's oldest daughter Rebecca stares at her uncle in awe almost.
"Becky stop looking at me like that will you" Dave just grins.
"She's heard that you have the Ancients funky gene" David says glancing at his 14yr old daughter.
"Well genes are hereditary so if I got em..." John just raises his eyebrows with a knowing smile at his brother then his niece who's eyes are now like saucers.
"I have?" She stutters out causing John to just grin and nod.
"You know I never thought about that" Dave says with a slight look of surprise
John fishes around in his pockets before pulling out a small circular device the size of a quarter and places it in Rebecca's hand, the device merely continues to glow a pale green whist sitting in her hand.
"It tells the weather, green is good, blue is rain, red... well red you don't wanna know" John chuckles but Becky just frowns "Put it down on the table" She places it gently on the table and it instantly stops glowing, John nods for her to pick it up once more and as she does the pale green glow once more appears "See... you have the gene" Becky grins wildly before going to hand it back to him "Keep it... just place it in the sun for an hour every few days to recharge"
"Thanks..." Becky blushes before turning tail and running over to her brother on the lawn with their two new cousins.
"Thanks for that" Dave smiles but John just grins before pulling out another.
"I didn't want to leave Andrew out..." John just shrugs, handing the device to his brother, David grins when he sees It continue glowing sat in his hand.
"Damn!" John frowns but David just continues to grin "Guess that means we really are related" John just returns the grin punching him in the shoulder.
"Guess we are" David smirks "You gonna be around for long?"
"Just today... I'm afraid... busy man you see" Sheppard says but scowls at his brothers laughing "What?"
"It's just you... big shot leader man..." Dave stops laughing and puts his hand on Johns shoulder with a loving smile "I'm proud of ya you know" Dave just smiles at seeing John smile and nod.
"So?" Teyla smiles taking a sip of her morning tea.
"So what?" Evan shrugs a slight smile tugging at his lips.
"I have noticed you and he are spending a lot of time together of late" Teyla raises her eyebrows at him playfully.
"Nothing has happened" Evan sighs.
"Yet!" Larin says dropping down beside him.
"Not you as well" Larin merely grins at Teyla.
"You know there is plenty more things to gossip about in this city besides me ladies" Evan grins.
"Not gossip... more like friendly concern" Larin chuckles.
"Oh really... if that's the case what about you and Goofy Mitchell" Evan grins upon receiving a full on Larin glare.
"That's Colonel Goofy to you..." Larin says deadpan with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, causing them all to laugh.
"He's been to Atlantis more times in this past 3 months than in the last 3 years" Evan smirks as Larin feigns innocence.
"OK... we are kind of..."
"Courting?" Teyla says with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Getting down to it more like" Evan chuckles causing Teyla to almost choke on her tea "Sorry" Evan grimaces as Teyla splutters.
"Classy Evan" Larin grins.
"And yet still... she ain't denying it" He smirks.
"Well... I have a class to teach" she says jumping up.
"I knew it... you and Mitchell... are so getting it on" Larin just blushes smiles and saunters off.
"So..."
"Not back to that?" Evan grins.
"After almost choking me?" Teyla almost pouts causing Evan to grin.
"That's so not fair" Evan pouts "Nothing has really happened... we have talked... mainly about plans and tactics" Evan sighs "He held my hand... sort of... you know what he's like"
"Then perhaps he needs a push?" Teyla grins.
"Good luck with that one"
"If... and I do mean if... we decide to do this... will we be able to come home if we want to?" Caleb asks looking terrified and slightly more excited by the idea than he had thought he might have been.
"We are now technically Lantian citizens... Allied with Earth... O'Neill has guaranteed anyone that goes can come home when ever they want..." Rodney looks at his wife for help, Jen just roles her eyes and smiles at Caleb who is sat next to his grinning wife.
"The SGC will allow free travel but only for people invited by us or forces stationed there" Jennifer shrugs "I guess they were worried everyone and his uncle would want to travel to another galaxy"
"They have already made it quite clear that it will be a while before the general public get a chance to go anywhere" Caleb sighs.
"Well here's your chance" Rodney grins.
"There's currently around 1500 people from Earth in the city... but hopefully that is going to grow soon... family and friends that may be of use will probably be invited... Pegasus needs a certain type of person" Jennifer says "Then we have about 50,000 travellers, and there are other groups of displaced people that are moving to Eden as we speak"
"Gotham has been designed" Rodney says but stops when he sees Caleb grinning at him.
"Gotham?"
"The town needed a name" Rodney huffs "Besides its better than what Zalenka wanted... Metropolis" Rodney grimaces before mumbling "Batman was way cooler"
"Still... Gotham?" Rodney roles his eyes in annoyance.
"Gotham has been designed... so people not comfortable being in the city have a place to unwind... its high tech low... if you get what I mean" Rodney waves his hand at Caleb who merely nods before turning to his unusually quiet wife.
"What do you want to do?" He sighs
"I am happy with what ever you choose... stay or go its up to you" She smiles honestly.
"You really would stay here just like that wouldn't you?" He smiles at seeing her happy nod.
"Look I made a commitment... you and Maddy come first... anything else..." She shrugs.
"I love you" he grins before turning to Jennifer and Rodney with the beginnings of a small smile "We'll go"
"You want Sheppard industries to what?"
"You heard me" John grins.
"Earth is going to start handing out contracts to build advanced tech... the big stuff... weapons... shields... engines... will be kept in house" John waits for his brother to nod in understanding "Almost every world in Pegasus has been ravaged... any infrastructure they had has been wiped out by the Wraith"
"So you wanna what save a whole galaxy?" Dave grins until he sees the sincerity in his younger brothers eyes.
"Sheppard Industry's could play a part... any help is better than none... resources are hard to come by... people have to abandon everything... even tents and shelters would help"
"And how exactly we supposed to get anything to you?" Dave says surprised at even considering the idea, financially it would be a bad move, at the end of the day he wasn't the idealistic freedom fighter that his younger brother had become "I can't see them using the gate to send Pegasus care packages"
"Rodney and his team are working on designing a new transporter... among other things" he grins.
"I don't wanna know" he laughs.
"Pegasus may not be able to pay in dollars... but Sheppard industries could with a little work... maybe... get the first commercial operation going"
"As in?"
"Transporting cargo is hardly work for the fleet" John dead pan's.
"You thinking what I think your thinking?" John just nods.
"There would be conditions imposed... but I think that eventually we are going to need a whole fleet of freighters"
"You said they were keeping that kind of tech in house?"
"They are and so are we... but that doesn't mean that we can't use this to our advantage... me... I'm putting every resource I have into ensuring that Atlantis and Pegasus as a whole survives... Sheppard industries is just another resource I can call upon... course the flip side is your people are going to be the first civilians with access to that kind of tech... you get not only a access to the tech but the prestige that goes with it"
"This is all hypothetical?" Dave looks at his brother who merely grins.