Tegan's Point of View:
The plane had landed half an hour ago. General O'Neill had been in touch and told me he had had a few weapons beamed into the nearest hotel, the one I was booked into. It meant I had to drive quite a while to get to where I needed to go, two hours infact, but I was grateful for it because there was no way I could be spotted in the area and tracked back easily after I'd done the deed. The room was small, bare, I didn't need extravegence. The walls were a strange beige colour, and there was a window on the far right when you walked in, a plain wooden desk sat underneath the window that had black curtains over the top to block out the light. The bed was double sized, a bland wooden bedstead and plain white sheets. A strange green coloured carpet was on the floor and looked worn in places. Well, I said it was a simple place didn't I? Currently, I was sitting cross legged on my double bed. I was jet lagged after not having a proper sleep on the plane but I fought back the fatigue and continued to click the mouse to allign the two blueprints side by side. One was a floor plan of the hotel I needed to go to and how to get to the room I needed. The other, a detailed plan of all of the security details they had added in. Shivering slightly, I pulled my dressing gown tighter around me. It was the hotels own and considering they hadn't appeared to put the heating on yet here it was definitely needed. The thick, fluffy material shielded me mostly from the cold room, my pyjamas did little to keep heat in. My eyebrows furrowed slightly, if I was going to get into the ball room I would have to discreetly pass six security cameras and one motion senser. The motion senser was easy enough to pass, the cameras however would pose a problem.
Rubbing my forehead I sighed slighty, scrunching my nose up and shutting the lid of my laptop, putting it on the bedside locker. I let my mind wander, quickly shredding off my dressing gown in the process and curling up under the sheets in the process, my cheek pressed against my pillow and the covers pulled up to my chin. How was everybody? Surely by now they knew I was gone? Did they hate me? Why hadn't I just turned around and asked for my team to come with me? Teyla, Ronon, Rodney, John, they were all more than capable of fighting The Ghost with me...well maybe not Rodney but he'd be damn helpful on the computer. But this was personal, hell only Rodney and John actually knew the truth about what had happened to my parents, it'd be quiet awkward to explain. What were they doing right now? Was the sun setting on Atlantis? I could still remember the sky turning a burnt orange, rays spreading out like paint on a canvas and making the ocean below it glitter. The memory sent a pang of longing through me and I momentarily wished that I was back on Atlantis, where the people I loved and I myself was safe. But then I felt guilty, three of my friends had died, one of my friends children was being buried because of me. The guilt was overwhelming and I knew I had to be here. The dizzying thoughts had worked their magic and exhausted my already tired mind to the point where I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, and they slid closed, allowing a restless sleep to overtake me.
John's Point of View:
We had been sitting in the mess hall for fifteen minutes now and still there was no sign of Tegan. She wasn't answering her radio to any of us either and I was getting really worried now. We all were. Teyla picked at her salad, a small frown creasing her brow, Ronon was eating but still had a far off look in his eye, he didn't say much but I knew he held Tegan in high esteem. Rodney had joined us with a mountain of food and kept shovelling it in in silent thought. I'd had a sandwhich, a chocolate cake slice and some water, not in the mood to eat much. I'd picked at it until it was all gone before I tried Tegan once more on the radio. She hadn't replied and that was five minutes ago. By now I was feeling on edge, agitated and frustrated that she wouldn't reply. What was her problem? Was she ignoring us for some reason? But I didn't think we'd done anything. Frowning, I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest.
"Chuck, do me a sensor check to see if you can find Lieutenant James." I ordered, my irritation seeping through into my voice. Chuck sounded confused when he replied,
"She left hours ago now sir, with General O'Neill. She didn't tell you sir?" My frown deepened and I pursed my lips.
"No. No she didn't, none of us." I grumbled under my breath. Why wouldn't she tell us she was leaving? She'd only been here for half a year, she had another six months before her contract would run out so why leave now?
"Oh...well she left sir, not even Woolsey knows why. I'm sorry." Chuck said sincerely.
"No need, thanks. Sheppard out." I cut the line and looked up at my team.
They were all watching me with various degrees of anxiety and curiousity in their expressions. The problem was, I hated having to be the one to break the news to them. Especially to Rodney who had been so happy to have her here. "She left." I announced finally, "She left and no one knows why." Teyla and Ronon frowned, confusion and disappointment evident on their faces. Rodney however, look crushed. His face fell and he swallowed thickly, pushing his tray of food aside and standing up, mumbling an apology under his breath before hurrying out of the mess hall.
"Why would she not tell us?" Teyla asked quietly, watching him go with a concerned motherly expression. Shaking my head I stood up to, not sure I wanted to be in the very public mess hall anymore.
"I don't know, unless it was something that she didn't feel she could tell us...excuse me guys, I'll see you later or something." I mumbled before turning and striding from the room. It didn't make any sense and all of these crazy emotions swirling around inside me right now were putting me on edge. The bitter disappointment, the frustration, the sadness. It all blurred into one crazy time bomb that was just waiting to go off. She had told me...she had confided in me with what had happened to her parents. She had told me things only Rodney knew and we had this strange connection that I didn't share with any of my other team members. She had told me these things, she had told Rodney these things so why didn't she feel she could tell me...
Unless it was the same thing she couldn't tell me a while ago. The thing she just wasn't ready to say that she now had to face alone. She could face twenty wraith with only a pistol without a single glimmer of fear passing over her face, but she couldn't pluck up the courage to tell me one thing...
"If you really must know someone was going to try and murder me." My steps slowed slightly and I thought it through in my head. She left without telling anyone of us why, suddenly and without a goodbye, she left without warning...something big had happened. She had been running from someone, and that someone might have just found her. My stomach dropped, my head began to whirl and I turned on my heel, sprinting straight to the control room, then up the stairs before finally bursting into Woolsey's office like a hurricane was on my heels. Woolsey looked up with an irritated expression and raised his eyebrows at me while I slammed the door closed behind me. "Sir, did General O'Neill say anything about why he took Lieutenant James?" I asked, urgency dripping from my voice. Woolsey frowned slightly and stood up, walking around his desk to lean against it.
"No, not really Colonel, and even if he did I wouldn't be at liberty to discuss it with you." he told me honestly. His eyes were burning holes in my face, curiousity in his gaze while I tried desperately to hold myself together. Woolsey saw my desperate, pleading look and folded his arms over his chest. "I did ask." he revealed, "But I was told nothing. However, from what I heard I believe her return to Earth was to do with the sudden passing of a friend. She looked very distressed, and fleetingly said something about a fire before running back to her quarters to pack." he informed me. Looking me up and down he didn't bother to hide his concern. "You look rather alarmed Colonel, are you alright?" he asked.
Swallowing I looked at the floor. Was I? My stomach was twisting itself into anxious knots, threatening to bring back all my lunch. My chest had tightened. A fire? Death? It had to be, she had to have been found by this mystery man.
"No I'm not, I have reason to believe that maybe Lieutenant James is in trouble and I want permission to take my team to Earth to check on her." I said hurriedly. Woolsey raised an eyebrow,
"I'm afraid I can't authorise that. Not without knowing exactly what you're on about and I don't think you're going to tell me." Woolsey said firmly, looking unhappy when I continued to inist that she may need back up. "Colonel Sheppard that is enough! I cannot send you back to Earth without a valid reason and you have failed to give me one! That is the end of this discussion!" Woolsey snapped. I felt like a child being scolded by my farther all over again. When he raised his voice, Woolsey was an intimidating man. But I was fuelled by a fire, a burning need to protect my teammate, my friend...the woman I cared about more than I cared to admit.
"Dial up Earth and call General O'Neill." I blurted out. Woolsey looked absolutely livid now, eyes bulging behind his glasses, his lips pressed tighter together than usual and turning blue in the face. But I wasn't going to let him win.
"Colonel Sheppard I'm about to-"
"Let me talk to General O'Neill about this! Please sir!" I yelled over his shouting. Woolsey glared at me heatedly and stalked out,
"Fine. But when General O'Neill declines your request I'm filing a report for insubordination, refusing to follow orders." he snapped at me and barked at Chuck to dial Earth. Chuck visibly jumped and hurried to do as he asked. Grimacing, I prayed General O'Neill would understand my side of the argument and would let me go.
Tegan's Point of View:
It'd been twenty four hours since the plane landed, and I was preparing myself to enter the hotel. I had my plan sorted in my head and it would be an easy operation, I hoped. Pulling the hair of the black wig into a braid, I stood from my chair and pulled on my two sizes too big boots. Nobody would be able to recognise me on camera once I'd ditched all of this stuff afterwards. Digging my knives into my boots I exited my room with a glock tucked into the waistband of my jeans. The walk to the hotel was short, my hands pushed deep into the pockets of my jeans. Each step was bringing me closer to the man I didn't want to be anywhere near, and I felt sick knowing I'd have to go back into the room my parents were murdered in. The hotel itself was just three blocks away, easy to get to and I had studied the plans enough yesterday that it would be easy to get into aswell. But as I stood infront of the impressive hotel, lights on in every window illuminating it like a twenty three story christmas tree, my mouth went dry. The trick was to walk in there like I belonged, so, holding my head high, I strode into the main entry. The reception was a long desk, made of dark polished wood with a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the golden elevator doors I remembered were to the left. The security guards on the door barely gave me a second glance and I walked beside a woman in a business suit towards the elevators, going unnoticed by those on the main desk. The elevator doors man opened them up, and I tried to swallow past the dryness in my throat, keeping my face carefully blank. My stomach started to twist a little and nervous butterflies errupted in my stomach, not the good type either. The ride up in the elevator was silent. Okay. Step one is complete. Step two, head to the janitors closet, third door on the right, and grab the gear. Then, head to the ballroom and use the janitor's disguise to gain entry. I repeated step two over and over in my head like a mantra. My heart started beating harder in my chest.
The doors slid open with an annoying ding and I stepped out as casually as I could, walking at a steady pace towards the janitors closet and waiting until that business woman was out of site before I slipped inside, unseen. Switching on the light I found everything I needed, fresh overalls and a bucket, mop, cleaning fluids and brushes. Stripping out of my baggy clothes I shoved them into a black bag, hanging it on the side of a spare trolley and placing some bottles of bleach, disenfectant and air freshner onto the trolley. Filling up a bucket half full of water from the sink and placing a mop and a brush in my trolley, I used my fingers to pry open my one eye, placing my fingertip in and removing my green contact lense before repeating the process with my other eye and throwing them both away, washing them down the sink before I put in a fresh set of contact lenses. My eyes were blue when I walked out of the janitors closer, exhaling slowly. Step two is complete. Step three, head back to the elevator and take it up to the twenty fourth floor, use the janitors disguise and get inside. Move fast, but move carefully. My hands gripped the handle of the trolley far too tight and I tried to relax my grip, my heart was now hammering in my chest as the elevator soared upwards. Biting my lower lip, I took a deep breath and slowly blew it out again, my face remaining a mask of calm as I pulled on the janitors cap so it covered half of my face. Keeping my head down I shuffled along the corridor towards the big oak doors, the wood polished with shiny golden door handles. As expected, there were a few people wondering up and down the corridor. Holding my breath, I tried the door handle. it was locked. Feeling a little panicked I reached a hand into my pocket for the bunch of keys that janitors always had. Looking at the lock I quickly filtered through the bunch of twenty plus keys and narrowed it down through the shape of the lock and edge of the key. My heart was hammering, my palms started to sweat as I tried one key after another until finally the lock clicked. Glancing around I saw nobody was watcing me as the door swung open and I pushed the trolley through the gap. Shutting the door behind me I pulled the cap off of my head and looked around, the room was empty and I had paused the cameras earlier. There were the usual crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the wooden dance floor was a large square in the middle of the room, surrounded by a dark green carpet. Closing my eyes I fought back the torrent of emotion threatening to overpower me and counted to ten in my head.
1,2,3, you should start where it all ended, 4,5,6,7, the balcony doors in here were closed and it would be hard to hide anything on them, 8,9,10...my dad died on the dancefloor.
Opening my eyes I headed that way immediately, standing roughly where he stood when he had collapsed after a bullet blew through his skull. Looking around I frowned, there was nothing here. The woodwork had a pattern on it of course, the grains swirling and circling together but the blood stain was long since gone and there were no clues as to what I should do next. The boards were lieing side by side, the grooves between them evenly spaced and all equal sizes. Frowning slighly, I hesitantly tapped my foot on a few of the boards, the sound of something reinforcing it underneath making a dull thudding sound. Moving my foot around and checking a larger area around me my eyebrows rose when I heard an echoing thud, a sure sign that whatever was underneath was hollow. Looking around I inhaled sharply, I didn't have much time left and I needed to be out of here quickly. Dropping to my knees I pulled out the keys again, taking the longest one I could find and jamming it between two boards, wiggling it to pry up the wood that creaked in protest. The sound was to loud in the silence of the room and made me bite my lip, my heart rate accelerating horribly and my chest tightening. Swallowing, I moved my hand faster until finally, the wood gave out and came up slightly, allowing me to get my fingertips under it and yank it up. The ripping sound was far to loud. Looking inside the darkness of the hole I saw it, a small silver USB stick. Reaching inside, my fingers clasped around the cool metal and I stuffed it into my pocket, stamping the floorboard back into place and hurrying to my trolley. Opening the door I slipped out silently, locking up the door again and moving back towards the elevator. Step three complete, package retrieved, now get back to the closet, change back and get back out onto the street I thought, my hands trembling. A light layer of sweat was covering my body now, my heart rabbiting in my chest. I was so so close, I couldn't get caught now. The elevator doors slid open and I moved back quickly to the closest. The overalls were hung back up, my baggy clothes back on, everything I had taken back in it's place. Pulling my hair in it's braid out of the cap I exhaled. This was it. The crucial moment...I had to get out of here. The door rattled and I felt my eyes widen. Turning off the light I made sure the USB stick was safely tucked away in my pocket and pressed my back flat against the wall. When the door opened, I had successfully hidden myself behind it and was waiting with baited breath for the whistling man to leave again. He stepped towards the sink and I realised he had headphones in. Careful to keep my face away from any cameras outside I slipped around the door and back towards the elevators, heart pounding wildly in my chest as I rode it down and walked out onto the street. The nearest alleyway was a block away and I jogged there.
Breathing heavily, I grabbed my back pack from the place I'd hidden it behind the dumpster and stripped out of my clothes, quickly changing into my own proper fitting ones and dumping all of the baggy stuff in the backpack, along with the wig and the contact lenses. With the USB stick safely clenched in my fist I dumped my backpack into the dumpster and slipped out of the alleyway into the crowd. My whole body was rigid with tension, but I walked as though I had just returned from a leisurely stroll through the town. The cheap hotel I was staying in looked even worse when I compared it to the hotel I had come from. Sighing, I shook my head and started up the stairs. Each step took me closer to a safe place, a place I wouldn't come to any harm. That's what I belived anyway in order to keep my cool. My steps felt heavy, and although I had achieved something today I didn't feel like it was enough. I should have been going off world with John and the team, not skulking around a hotel for a clue to lead me towards some screwed up killer. Shaking my head I tried to push the thoughts away, they weren't here, my team weren't with me this time and I'd never felt more alone. Opening up my hotel room I looked up and dropped my key card in shock. Staring back at me were four familiar faces, and a pair of brown eyes I adored.
"John." I whispered. Shock had frozen me in place and knocked the air out of my lungs. My team looked back at me, glancing between one another before John spoke up,
"Tegan. I believe you have some explaining to do." he said, crossing his arms over his chest with a look that said he wasn't happy with me at all. Pursing my lips I shook my head,
"What the hell are you all doing here?"