Chapter 3 – Debrief in The City
Tiredness etched around Sam's consciousness as she watched the newly activated Stargate below her glass walled office. It was late morning now, but it felt more like the early hours still.
She was more than used to long shifts, in fact she had been known for them at the SGC. How many times had Jack tried to chase her out of the lab? How often had Tealc quietly arrived as a silent reminder to take care of herself? Not that Jack and Tealc were any better, or Daniel, but then Daniel would often be found asleep with his face in a book.
She missed them. She always missed them, but especially on the long weeks like this one. She missed their easy companionship, and the days of not being solely in charge of a military base in an Ancient city in another galaxy.
Yet, the blue light gently emitted by the gate below calmed her, soothed her with a familiarity that was comforting.
Jack, Daniel and Tealc were only a Stargate away – the universe was a smaller place for her now than it had used to be. Millions of light-years were no longer inconceivably beyond her lifetime.
They were just a Stargate away.
Daniel would have been so useful this past week. With the new Non-Aggression Treaty signed with the Alliance, she had begun the process of moving the vast increasing number of refugees off Atlantis. Several planets had been found willing to take in refugees, though only after close inspection of the treaty, with a copy given to them to be shown to any possible future 'invading' Alliance troops. Of those among the refugees who had not wanted to move to an already occupied world, the Beta Site planet had been offered, and several hundred had finally been relocated there this morning. The east pier was now empty and life in the city could return to normal. Though it had taken some work on her part.
Some of the refugee leaders hadn't wanted to leave Atlantis, and Sam could understand why. Here they had protection from everything, had clean safe water, readily available food, and the sense of their Ancestors around them. In the end it had taken some fear tactics to get the last of them to leave. Sam was not all that proud of herself for that, but it hadn't been a lie. Atlantis was a target for the Wraith; they had laid siege to the city twice now. Pointing that out, along with the fact that a city on the ocean did not provide many hiding places for people during a culling, unlike a planet with caves, tunnels and so forth, had made the final difference. Some had still left bitter, despite the fact that Atlantis had protected and provided for them up until now. Some people were never happy and could only see things from their own perspective.
From her perspective, the week had been far too long, and talking about Wraith in Atlantis had infested itself into her small number of hours of sleep last night. The nightmare had reminded her that, despite all the focus on the Alliance treaty of late, the Wraith could still discover that Atlantis was still around at any moment.
The Wraith were still very much a threat to those outside the Alliance borders. In fact the Alliance itself was locked in several major engagements with the Wraith, or at least that was what Woolsey had been told on his last visit to Athos. The problem was that if the Alliance failed, or the Wraith simply gave ground, then the Wraith could very well come poking around this area of the galaxy again anyway. The illusion of Atlantis having been destroyed by a high yield warhead would not hold forever if the Wraith began hanging around this part of the galaxy all the time. That Atlantis could be rediscovered haunted Sam as much as the many other array of nightmarish events she had witnessed over the years.
Last night she had woken from her nightmare alone and missing Jack more than ever. Unable to go back to sleep, she had gotten up and walked the hallways of the city, only to end up joining one small science team beginning the long slow cataloguing of the east pier as the last of the refugees were packing up to leave. With the evacuation, it was as a good time to check every room for damage and to actually do what the expedition had originally been intended to do – explore Atlantis and the technology within it.
Below her office, the wormhole's surface simmered and Major Lorne's team stepped through, swiftly followed by most of Major Sheppard's, and finally Carson in the rear. Sam could tell instantly that all had gone well at the Beta Site. The city really was theirs again.
Sam watched as her people crossed the Gate Room below – they would be heading up the steps for the debriefing she had scheduled on their return, so she needed to wrap up her current meeting.
Turning away from the glass, she returned her full attention to Rodney who was sat on one of the metal chairs in front of her desk, looking defensive and nervous, but trying to appear confident at the same time. Classic Rodney.
"...which is why it wasn't my fault," he was saying, and Sam realised she hadn't actually been listening to him for the last few seconds.
She walked back to her chair and sat down behind her desk, choosing to keep to that formal atmosphere with Rodney today.
"I'm not interested in the report being late, Rodney," she reminded him. "I want to talk about what happened two days ago, with the room-"
"Did Sumner complain about me?" He interrupted her anxiously. "I know what I'm doing, I don't need him babysitting me."
Sam sighed as she rubbed her fingers over the bridge of her nose. Her tiredness was making it harder than usual to keep her patience with Rodney.
"And Radek doesn't know what he's talking about, I wasn't trying to 'show off'," he continued. Sam glanced at him, curious at that point. "I already have a girlfriend, and Dr Esposito isn't that pretty..."
"McKay," Sam cut him short there. He snapped his eyes to her with that nervous puppy dog look that almost made Sam feel sorry for him. "This is about the fact that you activated that device without any idea what it was."
"I only worked on the console-"
"And if Colonel Sumner hadn't pulled you off that platform when he did you would have been hit by that energy beam," she continued over his objection.
"In my defence-"
"No, McKay," she interrupted him firmly. "You could have been killed. You know we have to be careful with Ancient technology."
"I know. I've been working with it longer than you."
Sam took a breath and refused to rise to that comment, and to point out that he been in the city less than a year more than her. But, that wasn't important right now.
"It wouldn't have killed me," he added quickly. It was typical Rodney behaviour – talk fast, loud, and with as many apparent facts as possible to beat his 'opponent' down verbally. It was his way of fighting – with words, theories, and just downright annoying persistence.
"Actually," she said while reaching for the spare tablet she and Radek had worked on earlier. "You're wrong there."
That made him shut up.
"What?" Well not for that long.
"Radek and I were finally able to translate the device's database yesterday," Sam told him as she triggered up the data on the tablet. "From what we can tell, it was designed to initiate DNA mutations." She looked back at Rodney. "If you'd been hit by that beam, your DNA would have slowly mutated to the point of no return, Rodney."
She handed him the tablet.
He rose up from his seat to take it from her. She watched him focusing down on the screen with that full driving intelligence of his. His complexion began to pale further than usual as he sat back down into his seat.
"You need to be more careful in the future, Rodney," she told him.
"I could have died," he uttered down at the tablet, that data the only proof he would accept.
"Yes, Rodney."
"The beam still passed very close to me," he worried, looking up at her. "I think it might even have grazed me slightly."
"You're fine, McKay," she interrupted the growing hypochondriac rant. "From what Radek tells me, it was the console that grazed you as Sumner pulled you off the platform."
"Very roughly, I might add."
Sam sighed loudly. "Do you hear yourself? He saved your life, so I suggest that you thank him-"
"The number of times I've saved him with-"
Sam glared at him and this time he had the good grace to shut up.
He was growing, slowly.
"I suggest that you thank him," she repeated. "And be more careful in the future. This city can't afford to lose you to some silly accident that could easily have been avoided."
A smug little smile crept across his face at the compliment.
"It wouldn't look good on my record," Sam added, unable to stop herself from shutting down the smug confidence.
He frowned, but she could tell that he understood her point and that it had been a compliment. He looked back down at the tablet as he put it on the desk. He looked tired. Everyone in Atlantis did.
Sam wondered if she should implement Heightmeyer's idea of a mandatory rest day. With all the refugees out of the city, and no apparent impending crisis, now would probably be the time. She and Heightmeyer could easily find one day in the rota.
She sat up closer to her desk edge and tapped in the memo to herself. "Just be more careful in future, Rodney," she reminded him again as she tapped in the possible rest day on her main tablet.
"I wonder if the mutations would have made me even smarter?" Rodney pondered.
Sam looked up sharply. He was focused on the tablet again, tapping through her data.
"No, Rodney," she ordered sternly as she reached for the tablet. "You are not to go anywhere near that device. Do you understand me?"
He looked hurt as she took the tablet from him, rather like a kid who'd had his toys taken away from him.
"With some alterations-"
"McKay!"
"Fine, fine. It's too risky for me, as you said I'm far too valuable for you to lose."
He was loving this now.
"Perhaps we could test it on some mice instead, or maybe Sheppard."
She glared at him. "No!" She ordered him, her voice rising.
"Fine," he replied as he backed away, his palms up. "You don't want to ruin your record at successfully looking after me, I understand."
Sam sighed at his smug smile as he left.
How had he turned what should have been a dressing down into a stroke to his ego? The man didn't need mutated superpowers, he already had one: a super ego.
Having made the memo to discuss the mandatory rest day with Sumner and Heightmeyer, she pulled up her next meeting agenda.
She might even take the mandatory rest day as it was intended herself and actually get some good rest. Maybe just sit and read, somewhere quiet...
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John headed straight for the coffee set out in the Conference Room. A morning spent carrying bags, tents, and overseeing new defences for the refugees new occupation of the former Beta Site had been pretty demanding, but pretty satisfying. It felt good to be doing something positive, though some had been vocal about having been evicted out of Atlantis. Considering that only a week ago some of them had been rioting in the hallways, they were lucky that Colonel Sumner hadn't booted them out on their backsides far sooner. With surprising restraint, Sumner hadn't forced the issue with Colonel Carter, well not until the non-aggression had been signed. It seemed Colonel Carter had been on the same page, and with Rodney's constant whining about conserving the ZPMs' power and the food supplies, relocating the 'guests' had been this week's focus.
John had thrown himself into the work, overseeing many of the off world trips himself to arrange safe homes for the refugees, on the Beta Site or otherwise. The only break for him had been the first of his twice weekly trips to Athos with Woolsey a few days ago. However, Teyla hadn't been there, and though it had been a pleasant enough visit to Tjaru, it wasn't the same without Teyla there.
He still hadn't seen her since the Glisi world, since she had looked down at Kari' body and a cold frown had taken hold on her expression. She hadn't looked at him again afterwards. Sure she'd been busy helping with the clean up, in bagging up Kari' shrivelled fed-upon body and carrying it back to the Gate, but one glance in his direction would have been enough.
He understood the situation though; the anger, guilt, and pain at being too late to help someone. He'd been there, too many times.
He just hoped she wasn't lost in that dark place, that she hadn't thrown herself into a battle again out of vengeance. That was when you made mistakes. That was when life hit you down harder. And in Teyla's work, the Wraith would take any tiny weakness and...
The image of Kari' body replayed in his mind, having been haunting him all week. Not because of her personal loss really, he had barely known her and she hadn't liked him, but because seeing an Elite dead like that, a female strong Elite shrivelled, fed-upon...
He accidently sloshed some of his coffee over the rim as he stirred it hurriedly, spilling the hot liquid over his hand. Muttering a swear word to himself, he wiped off the mug and his hand, as behind him the Conference Room began to fill up.
"Leave some of it for the rest of us, Major," Evan Lorne said as he stepped up next to John. Between them, their teams had been the main players in the day's last refugee exodus.
"Surprised you need any after that knock on the head," John teased as he sipped eagerly at his coffee, but it was still too hot and the dull hurt of a faint burn to his tongue was his reward.
"The tent ceiling fell on me, not the poles," Evan objected. "It was your fault for not holding it up properly."
"Don't think we looked all that impressive," Aiden put in as he reached past and grabbed a bottle of water.
"It fell on their leader too," Evan pointed out.
"Think we're better suited to shooting bad guys," John said as he moved towards the chairs set around the large wooden conference table that Colonel Carter had brought with her when she had taken charge of Atlantis. That had been almost two years ago now. That long since Elizabeth had been killed, since the city had nearly been destroyed by the Wraith.
"No breakfast?" Lieutenant Lynn complained as she looked over the drinks.
"It's half eleven," Evan pointed out to his team member.
"We left in the middle of the night, course I didn't eat breakfast," Lynn argued. She had found the bowl of fruit at least.
"Didn't you have any of their morning stew?" Aidan asked as he sat down in a chair nearest the end of the table where Carter and Sumner would sit. The young guy was as eager as always.
"No, thank you," Lynn replied.
"Just because you had that unfortunate reaction last time," Evan teased as he selected a chair next to the one John was now sitting down in, his hands wrapped around the hot waking warmth of his coffee.
"That was food poisoning, Sir," Lynn replied.
"Sure it was," Evan replied with a grin.
"Now, now," Carson put in as he arrived in the room. "Gastroenteritis is nothing to be mocked."
"It is when a certain Lieutenant had to run out of a first contact meeting to use-"
"Major," Carson warned Evan. "Would you prefer we talked about how people might have injured themselves recently?"
John glanced at Evan's face to see a faint bloom of red show across his cheeks.
"What injury?" John pushed with interest.
"Nothing, it was nothing," Evan replied. "I fell in the shower, that's all." It so wasn't.
"We'll talk later, Carson," John said past Evan to the Doctor. He knew the Doc wouldn't betray medical confidence, but it would wind up Evan no end.
Carson shook his head with amusement as he headed to his own seat, which happened to be next to where John's newest team member had taken her seat. Lieutenant Cadman had arrived among the latest batch of newbies on the Daedalus recently, and after their usual customary week of Sumner scaring and testing them all, they had been assigned to teams. The Colonel liked to switch the teams around far too often for John's liking, he preferred to keep with people you know work well together. Though admittedly, every time the switches happened, he waited for Sumner to take his team away from him. It hadn't happened this time, and not only had Sumner let him stay a team leader, he had let Rodney and Ford stay with him and even given John the choice of which last new member to add to his team. There had been about four to choose from and John had gone for Cadman.
She was a good fighter from what he'd seen so far, followed orders well, and had a good sense of humour. That she also seemed to handle Rodney calmly, whilst simultaneously being able to annoying the scientist, also worked in her favour. John had no idea why the two didn't quite get along, but it was amusing to watch.
What was also amusing was her obvious crush on Carson.
As the Doc took his seat next to her, she smiled up at Scotsman and then back round. John caught her eye and made a pointed nod towards Carson next to her. She narrowed her eyes at him and he grinned back.
"Is everyone here?" Colonel Carter asked as she arrived into the room, Colonel Sumner close on her heels.
John glanced round. His and Evan's team were here, Carson, and now Rodney, who skirted in at the last minute with Zelenka behind him. The two men hurried towards the one remaining empty chair at the table. Rodney got there first and slid into the seat with an arrogant smile of victory. Zelenka sighed and rolled his eyes as he turned away to pull forward one of the spare plastic chairs stacked to the side.
Colonel Carter gave Rodney a glare as she set up her tablet in front of her.
"How did the final relocation go, Majors?" She asked John and Evan.
"All to plan," John replied. Minor the rather embarrassing show they had put on while they had struggled to put up the alien designed tents.
"Yes, Ma'am," Evan echoed.
"Is that all of them now?" Rodney asked.
"Yes," Carter confirmed.
"About damn time," Sumner added.
Carter pulled an expression that could have been agreement or a grimace, it was hard to tell. John imagined she was nothing but grateful that this week was over. She was looking tired, but then who wasn't around here?
"The camp is fully established?" Sumner asked John and Evan.
"Three separate camps on the Beta Site at the moment," John replied.
"I imagine they'll be splitting off again soon enough," Evan added. "Some were already talking about exploring further away from the Gate."
"Not surprising," Carter replied. "What's the latest on the food and water situation there?"
"The local stream still tested pure, so they'll be alright for water. They've got plenty of food for the next few days," John reported. "After that we're going to need to ship in supplies until they get some agriculture or trade of their own going."
"We've still got plenty of extra food coming in from Athos," Carter replied. "We need to make sure we set aside enough to be shipped to the Beta Site regularly for a while." Sumner nodded next to her and made a note on his tablet.
"Defences?" Sumner asked.
"We got a basic ditch and fencing system around the three camps," John informed him. "We'll leave the rest to them. There's plenty of timber around to use, and they've got their own carpenters and blacksmiths among them."
Sumner nodded. "Good work."
John froze in raising his mug to his lips. He glanced at Evan beside him who looked round subtly with a look of mutual surprise.
"Thank you, Sir," John replied carefully. Across the table, Carson gave him a soft smile.
This last week, since the treaty had been signed, John was almost convinced that Sumner was easing off on him a little. Not a huge amount, but with the whole getting to choose who was on his team, and now a real live compliment, in front of other people...
"The cleanup of the east pier is underway," Sumner continued to Carter.
"We need to switch off the power its drawing," Rodney muttered.
"ZPM power remains good and steady," Zelenka reported officially. "As the pier is empty, we have begun our investigation of the rooms there that we have not previously studied."
"How long is that going to take?" Sumner asked.
"By our current speed, my calculations say," Zelenka paused as he considered his answer.
"Next week," Rodney put in.
"No, no, far longer," Radik objected. "We still have the equivalent of a town of buildings to look through."
"A small town maybe," Rodney argued, as expected. "Most of the rooms are empty. I say a week, tops."
"That's only if you don't find anything of interest," Carter put in, "or potentially dangerous." The last point was made with special emphasis to Rodney.
Rodney shut his mouth with a faint shrug.
"Have we found anything of interest in the east pier already?" Carson asked.
"No," Rodney answered.
"Yes, actually," Zelenka replied. "We believe we have found two new water processing systems, a new atrium that we believe may have been used for experiments, and what appears to be kennels."
John looked round from his coffee. "Kennels? Like for dogs?"
"Probably not for dogs," Zelenka replied with a smile as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. "But they were clearly designed as small living spaces for some sort of animal. We're checking for any residual DNA that might indicate what was kept there."
"It would be highly unlikely that you'll find any useable DNA after all this time," Carson put in. "Not useless you find preserved hair or bone."
"Maybe they brought dogs here with them from Earth?" Lynn suggested.
"There weren't any dogs as we know them back then," Evan replied. "Ancestors of the wolf maybe though."
"Great, so Ancient pets," Sumner put in. "What about the experiment area?"
"There are a few devices that we are studying now. There are a few side rooms to it still to explore, so we will keep busy for the next few days," Zelenka answered. "As I said, it will take far longer than a week to go through everything."
"There's no great hurry," Carter said calmly. "We've been in the city for years now, and it'll probably take as much time to explore the entire city thoroughly."
"And that's if we don't get attacked or anything," John put in.
Carter gave him a pained smile and nodded. "Agreed, but for now, things look calm. So, I think it's time to focus on tidying and studying the east pier, consolidating our contacts with its former residents, and ensuring we have our new trades securely in place."
"We're off to Athos again tomorrow," John supplied for the table. He was due for one of his thoroughly boring pre-Athos meetings later today with the Colonels and Woolsey. "We could talk to Torren about increasing some trade for the Beta Site."
"What we need to trade for is advanced Alliance weaponry," Sumner stated.
"And Ancient technology," Rodney added with bitter eagerness. "You said you'd get us access to the Tjaru Ancient Gateway," he whined at John.
"I said I would ask for you," John reminded him. "And I did. It's not up to me if Torren will let you go poke around his stuff."
"He won't if you put it like that."
John rolled his eyes as he took another sip of coffee. "Of course I didn't phrase it like that, Rodney."
"I'm just saying, what's the point of all these visits and talk of trade if all we're getting is fruit and tava beans."
"Food is important, Rodney," Carter responded. "Besides, it's highly unlikely that the Athosians are going to let us into their most restricted areas yet, or hand over their top weaponry to us any time soon. We have to build trust over time."
"What about the Elite? We've built up trust with them, right?" Rodney pushed, his eyes turning back on John. "Can't you get them to share some weapons, or at least let me take a look at one of their ship engines?"
"Would you let them look over the Daedalus' engine?" John pushed.
"I might," Rodney answered unconvincingly.
"Or show them around the city's throne room or show them the ZPMs?" John pushed.
Rodney struggled for a second. "Maybe."
"No, you wouldn't," John accused him.
"It does bring up the question," Carter said, "that if the day comes when we can talk about this kind of trade, what do we offer in return for access to their Ancient tech and weaponry?"
"The Asgard technology may be of most interest to them," Zelenka answered.
"Do we want to share that? Should we share it?" Carter asked.
"Hermiod might have something to say about that," Cadman considered.
"True," Carter replied. "It might be out of our hands as to whether we can even consider it."
"I know Torren is real keen to see Atlantis," John said into the thoughtful silence. "The Athosians still worship the Ancients to a certain degree, so to them this city is...holy. Letting them poke around our stuff here might be enough."
Carter nodded thoughtfully and made a note on her tablet.
"I certainly know that the plastic boxes, pots, pans, and stationery we shared with our former guests went down very well," Carson added. "Perhaps we should be thinking more along those lines."
"A Tupperware sale?" John asked with a grin, though had to admit it was a good idea.
"I haven't seen anything close to a biro or even a pencil on any of the planets we've visited so far," Evan considered. "Maybe we could trade paper and pens."
"Musical instruments," Cadman added. "Books, furniture, crafts, even scrap metals might all be of some value."
"Especially with some of the newer Alliance worlds," Aiden said. "They've not got all the trimmings of being free of the Wraith for very long. Maybe some of them have even gotten hold of some Alliance weaponry we could trade for."
"No," Carter cut off that idea. "It's written into our Non-Aggression Treaty with the Alliance that we will not trade for any of their technology or weaponry outside of their borders."
Aiden looked downright sullen.
"Maybe we could get our hands on some Traveller weapons," John suggested trying to cheer him up.
"Which brings us to the fact that we haven't heard anything from the Travellers for a while, or from any of the Coalition group. With our new treaty, we may not be all that popular with them," Carter said.
"Or we might be able to offer them the reassurance from the treaty that the Alliance is not going to try to steal their land and people," Carson suggested.
"Unlikely," John answered him. "They were pretty het up about the Alliance, and we know someone, possibly Kolya, is still stirring up trouble."
"All the more reason for us to focus on the city for the moment," Carter replied. "I think it's best to consolidate here, which will also include the mandatory rest day that we've been planning for awhile. I'll be sending out a memo confirming the day, upon which everyone will be off work. Understood?"
John noticed that Carson was grinning across the table as he mimicked what was possibly fishing. Next to the Doc, Cadman was chuckling silently in Rodney's direction. John leant forward to see McKay look away grumpily. He recalled something about Carson convincing Rodney to go on a fishing trip to the mainland some time. Ha, Rodney fishing.
"Our next dial up to Earth is tomorrow, so I want all reports emailed through to me by the end of the day, and any personal messages uploaded to Rodney," Carter continued. "Otherwise, well done today, everyone, and John I shall see you for our pre-Athosian meeting at 16:00 this afternoon."
"Yes, Ma'am," John replied immediately, though the promise of another Woolsey lecture was not exciting in the least. However, the prospect that Teyla might be in Tjaru tomorrow was very exciting. He'd really missed her this last week. He'd kind of gotten used to her being around so much recently. She'd been around during his visits to Tjaru and she'd even been staying in the city during the treaty talks. Now his quarters felt ridiculously empty and he was getting a little angsty at not seeing her, and worried that she might be off on some dangerous mission.
And then there were the replays of Kari' shrivelled Elite body in the snow...
"Any other business?" Carter asked.
"I need to organise a few more medical visits to the Beta Site for another round of inoculations," Carson said.
"Email me the days you want and we'll make sure that happens for you," Carter replied as she tapped a note to herself on her tablet.
"We need to test the throne chair again, following the latest software additions," Sumner said.
"The changes won't have done anything to the throne's interface," Rodney objected.
"Only one way to be sure," Sumner pointed out logically.
"Fine," Carter agreed. "Schedule it as you wish, Colonel."
"You need me for it?" John asked Sumner.
"If you've got time before Athos," the man replied.
"We can do it now if you want," John suggested and Sumner responded with what was almost an approving kind of nod.
"Doctor McKay?" The Colonel asked Rodney.
"Sure, okay," Rodney replied slightly meekly. "But, isn't it lunchtime?"
"If that's all," Carter asked leaving a pause into which no one said anything, "everyone's dismissed. And again, good work this week, everybody."
Everyone began to get up from their seats, Cadman talking with Carson, and Rodney already muttering about grabbing food on the way to the throne room. Next to John, Evan leant subtly closer.
"If I didn't know better," Evan said quietly, "I'd think the Colonel was starting to like you."
"Never gonna happen," John answered as he pushed his chair back into place at the conference table.
"You could be his best buddy," Evan continued. "Maybe even go fishing together, like Carson and Rodney."
John glared at him. "How did you hurt yourself recently then? Was there a lady involved?"
Evan's cheeks flushed again. "No, shut up."
"A guy then?" John pushed as he followed Evan out of the Conference Room, thoroughly enjoying himself. "A guy and a girl?"
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TBC