Chapter Five – Soldier, Alien, Enigma, Spy

Colonel Sheppard moaned slightly as he shifted in bed, every joint and muscle aching. The semi-consciousness quickly changed into full awareness as he jarred his arm on the railing that prevented him from falling out of his bed. Despite that it still took him a moment to orient himself, to comprehend and realize that it hadn't been a bad dream. He wasn't safely back in Atlantis; he resided in a large medical facility. The question was; where was he? It was clearly not an Ancient city or outpost.

His musings were interrupted by the woman who'd introduced herself as a doctor earlier.

"It seems you're a popular man, Sheppard," she said as she walked up to him. "As to answer your previous question; you don't leave my department until you're well enough to do so and right now that isn't the case."

"Tell me," he began sarcastically. "Where did you learn your bedside manners?"

"Patients do as the M.E says," she responded with a smirk. "Not many people are daft enough to question that judgement."

Casting a cautious glance at the closest guard the doctor suddenly leaned toward him, to whisper in his ear. "You're not from here," she stated, causing the hair at the back of his neck to rise.

"What makes you say that?" He asked, managing to deliver the question in a fairly neutral way.

"For starters, I've just got your test results back and secondly what were you doing up at the cliffs in the middle of the night?" She questioned.

He shrugged. "I was just admiring the view."

"What are you?" She whispered. "Are you part of the secret operative force that M.O Katan strategically mix with the rest of the force or are you part of his scout groups?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sheppard returned, not liking where the conversation was going.

"That's the only reason that would explain why Katan wants to get his hands on you – he thinks you've defected and are ready to spill. I know classified experiments with soldiers are taking place at the experimental bunker, and that would at least partly explain why you're not like the rest of us. It's either that or you're a part of the underground resistance group," she finished.

"Why?" He asked, carefully suspicious, not really liking anything in her statement.

"Your name, your vitals, everything around you…," she said before switching subject, straightening as one of the guards turned in their direction. "You're lucky those savages didn't cause more harm."

John contemplated on how he was to reply without giving too much away. He assumed the savages was a reference to the tribe in the village that he, Rodney, Teyla and Ronon had visited the day before. He knew nothing more. He didn't know the relationship between the city people and the tribe or savages or whatever their names were. He didn't know about any resistance group or military secret operatives.

"Yesterday the Inner Circle, scientific congregate," she reminded him. "Reported about a flying vessel of unknown type and origin entering our atmosphere," she said, looking at him, searching his face for some sort of reaction.

John remained neutral, his professional mask slipping in place.

"For centuries, the savages have claimed that the lands of our forefathers have been besieged by an alien race that wiped out almost every soul on this planet, and that they will once return," Nadim told him.

He guessed immediately what they'd meant but he still didn't give any outward signs to it.

"However, this ship, although unfamiliar to us, might not have been unfamiliar to our ancestors. In fact it bear a striking resemblance to some of the design in this city and the items at the museum," the cunning doctor filled in.

John fought not to give anything away, although it was not visible to the naked eye.

"Then there's the fact that you don't exist in our records," she said. "You've never been born – at least not here."

"Busted," he surmised with a cocky undertone. "Yes, you're right. There's no point in denying is there? I came from space. In one of those little pods that you're so called savages liked to paint in their sacred caves."

The M.E rolled her eyes.

He shrugged. "I'm peace loving and beneath this pinkish color I hide my green skin," he returned, slightly mocking her cooked up conclusion.

She raised her hands in surrender, having the grace to look sheepish, at her wild speculations thrown back at her. "Okay, when you put it like that it does sound a little far-fetched," she admitted.

"Anyway, your vitals are slowly returning to normal. If this progress continues you'll be out of here in a couple of days," the M.E added.

OOOOOO

The next time John Sheppard woke up the activity was almost zero. The lights had been dimmed and through the window he saw nothing but an impenetrable darkness, telling him it was the middle of the night.

Then as he'd scanned his immediate surroundings and began to relax, letting his head sink down in the pillow, he caught the shadow of a well-hidden person. Tensing, careful not to give away that he'd noticed, he narrowed his eyes to slits. Before even knowing what he did his hand had unconsciously strayed to where his thigh holster would have been.

The shadow started to move ever so slightly and John pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure at being so helpless and left out. He had nothing to defend himself with, had no way of knowing what the man wanted. Judging by the shadow it was a rather large man that moved stealthily and swift, advancing on his position. John couldn't help but laugh inwardly at the lack of attention from the guards – now that he actually wanted them to be alert to his predicament.

Figuring that pushing the call button would scare the man away he slowly, so as not to attract attention from the unknown party, reached out with his arm, then grimaced, stopping mid-way in the action as he felt a sharp needle prick just above his left collarbone. Dumbfounded he turned his head to stare at a tranquilizing dark, feeling a strange sensation spreading through his body and within a second he knew no more as he slumped back in the bed.

OOOOOO

M.E Nadim froze just inside the door to the guarded department where the person of interest were being kept. It was still early in the morning and she'd arrived prematurely to her shift, wanting to have a private chat with the mysterious man. However, the bed holding the military prisoner to be was empty.

The place was swarming with military officers the minute the alarm was raised. To say the M.O was not amused was a slight misconception.

"You don't leave here until he has been located, apprehended and transferred to the military hospital, where he should have been taken from the beginning, by seasoned officers," the military organizer ordered sharply, his words clipped as he talked to the poor young men who had happened to have guard duty when the incident occurred.

Though standing with her back at him she could hear him walking over to her. His clear and commanding voice causing her to jump as he came to stand right behind her.

"The military hospital," he said icily. "Where he was supposed to have been taken in the first place had you not insisted he should be brought here, examined and treated by you."

There was spark in her golden eyes as she turned around to face him. "Forgive me, sir, but he was in a bad way and I didn't feel comfortable with your facilities. I suspect you wanted him alive for questioning?"

A faint malicious smile played on his lips at her accusation. "Keep that up, M.E Nadim and you might end up there yourself," Katan advised. "We both know that you stand with one foot on this side and the other among the resistance."

"I assure you, sir…" she began, emphasizing the word sir. "…that I have not. If I had I'm sure the investigation you called up on me would have revealed any secret whereabouts."

He set his jaw in frustration but remained silent.

"That is not what this is all about," Nadim continued. "You can expose a resistance member, although it might take a little longer should he or she be smart enough to cover their tracks meticulously. This man, however, is another matter. He has no record so unless he's one of your alpha team members, involved in who knows what, he's not of this world," she finished.

"Sometimes I believe you're a bit too bright for your own good, Nadim," he countered.

"You ordered that all the results were to be sent directly to the medical military attendant under your command, sir," she returned, ignoring the threatening undertone in his voice.

"A mere precaution," he explained casually.

She smiled cunningly at him. "No, something's going on here, she pushed.

"Not as far as I'm concerned," he denied.

"You're reading too much into it, M.E Nadim. You're letting your imagination get the better of you," he reasoned, dismissing her, turning on his heels to leave the room.

Lani Nadim stared after him as he disappeared out of sight, leaving her even more confused and curious about John Sheppard than ever before.

OOOOOO

To be continued

/Thank you for your reviews ;) I love to read your thoughts about everything that is happening. I can guarantee there is a lot of trouble coming Sheppard's way. As for the difference between the city people and the savages – it will be explained later.