SGA fic: Gaijin part 19/40
Dec. 17th, 2008 11:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sam_gamgeeGaijin, Part 19/40
The complete header can be found in part 1.
Previous parts can be found here.
“A portable ‘Gate dialer,” Elizabeth repeated, disbelief evident in her voice.
“Yes, ma’am,” Lorne replied over the video link through the ‘Gate. “A portable ‘Gate dialer. They’re willing to give us access to one for study and show us how it works in return for food and a possible future trade agreement of dialers for food in an ongoing capacity.”
“That seems almost too easy,” John commented.
Lorne shrugged. “Apparently they’ve had a bad harvest and really need the food to get through until they can plant again.”
“Okay, I *know* there’s a catch in here somewhere,” John replied.
Lorne sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. “Only one of them speaks English.”
Both John and Elizabeth’s eyebrows rose. “You’re kidding, right?” John asked.
At the same time, Elizabeth said, “I had always suspected that there had to be a people whose verbal language was also different from ours, but I was beginning to doubt they actually existed.”
“Oh, they exist,” Lorne replied. “The real catch is that she needs to come with the device.”
“What do you think, John?” Elizabeth asked, turning to him.
“I think it’s something we should at least look into. It might be handy to have something that can get a team home if the DHD isn’t working or isn’t accessible.”
Elizabeth nodded slowly as she turned back to Lorne. “Do you think she can be trusted, Major Lorne?”
“I do, Dr. Weir,” Lorne replied. “There hasn’t been anything here that would lead me to believe that they’ve been deliberately misleading us.”
“Okay, you have the go ahead to bring her and one of these dialers back.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Lorne replied. “We’ll return at our scheduled time. Lorne out.”
As the wormhole disconnected, Elizabeth told John, “Don’t even think about it,” as she headed into her office.
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” John replied as he followed her.
“You know very well what I’m talking about,” Elizabeth replied as she sat behind her desk. “If this does prove to be an advantageous trade and we get some of these portable ‘Gate dialers, you are *not* going back to that planet to look for Rodney.”
“That was the furthest thing from my mind,” John replied innocently as he slouched in one of the chairs front of her desk.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes slightly as she assessed him. “I’m sure it was, John. Do I need to remind you that it’s been over three years?”
“You didn’t, but thank you,” John replied lightly, knowing that his response hit the intended mark when he saw her nostrils flare. “I’m well aware of where things stand on McKay and I don’t intend to do anything that would endanger the expedition,” he told her.
“John –” Elizabeth started with a sigh.
“No, *Elizabeth*,” John interrupted her, sitting forward in his chair and putting his forearms on his knees. “I think you need to cut me some slack here. I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me without complaint and I think that in return you should let me believe what I want about Rodney. Even Heightmeyer agrees that there’s nothing she can technically diagnose me with and that I’m still functioning very well – especially for someone who’s been here since the beginning.”
“But she does agree that this fixation isn’t healthy in the long run,” Elizabeth replied, leaning back and making a steeple with her fingers.
John stood. “Until such a time as it’s blatantly obvious that I’m no longer functioning in a healthy manner, I would appreciate it if you would back off. And the fact that I have one of the two strongest known ATA genes still has to count for something.”
Her startled look gave him some satisfaction as John stalked out of her office. He continued to fume as he went back to his quarters, changed and grabbed his bantos sticks. He headed down to the practice room to spar with Teyla. Deep down, he knew that Elizabeth really was concerned about him, but he wished that she would give it a rest. If nothing had changed in the past three years, he doubted anything would change now. She had reined him in enough that now all he could do was hope that one day they would find Rodney. He occasionally tested the boundaries she had erected which he knew frustrated her, but he wanted someone else to have an inkling of how he felt.
“I see the possibility of this being a productive session has lowered considerably,” Teyla commented dryly as he entered.
“Sorry,” John honestly apologized. “I had a ‘discussion’ with Elizabeth right before this.”
“I see,” Teyla replied. Attempting to change the subject, she asked, “Have you heard from Major Lorne?”
“We have and his mission is going well. They’re going to be bringing back a piece of tech for study, as well as a representative to help with the device and possibly start trade negotiations.”
“Good,” she replied with a smile as she easily swung one of her sticks around her hand. “And what does this device do?”
“Somehow it plugs into the ‘Gate and you can dial the ‘Gate that way without needing the DHD.”
“That sounds very useful indeed,” Teyla replied. “I know of numerous places where such a device would be advantageous.”
“Have you ever heard of these people?” John asked her. “I think Lorne called them the Morykons.”
“I have not,” she replied. “But I will admit that there are a large number of worlds that neither I nor my people have ever been to. Let’s get started.”
As Teyla had predicted, John was in worse shape than normal and she thoroughly beat him, even though he should have been able to easily hold his own. But when they amicably parted, John did feel better and he radioed Carson to invite him to dinner.
“I was told that we would be expecting a visitor tomorrow,” Carson commented as they sat down with their food and sat down.
John nodded. “Lorne’s bringing her back. They’ve got some technology he thought was worth a closer look and they need food.”
“Sounds like something that would be good for all involved,” Carson replied before taking a drink.
Setting his own cup down, John added, “It’s a portable ‘Gate dialer. Apparently, it cuts out the need for a DHD.”
“John –” Carson started, his tone imploring.
“I know, I know. Elizabeth and I already went through this and she had me promise I wouldn’t do anything stupid.”
“Which I’m sure you found a way to skirt around. And are we talking about your version of stupidity or Elizabeth’s?” Carson asked knowingly.
“Elizabeth’s. I think it’s becoming evident that you know me too well.”
“After Rodney, figuring everyone else out is fairly easy,” Carson replied with a smirk.
“Do you think I’ve gone off the deep end?” John asked seriously.
Carson shrugged. “I don’t know if I’d go that far, aside from the snide remark that you must be crazy if you were willing to make a one-way trip here in the first place, but that would then implicate a fair number of us, wouldn’t it? Am I concerned for your well-being? Sure. But leaving Rodney behind was a traumatic incident, and I can understand how it could still affect you now. I’m just surprised you haven’t gone into full-blown PTSD yet.”
John flashed him a grin. “I’ve got good friends like you to keep me grounded.”
Carson chuckled. “That you do.”
“I’d better go,” John said, checking his watch before standing and picking up his tray. “I’ll see you later?”
Carson nodded. “You can count on it.”
John was waiting at the bottom of the steps with Elizabeth and Zelenka when Lorne and his team came through the next day, bringing with them a stately woman who reminded John of some of the Afghan women he’d seen while on tour – determined and definitely on a mission.
“Welcome to Atlantis,” Elizabeth said, stepping forward to meet her as the incoming group stopped before them and Lorne put down the newcomer’s bag. “I am Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the leader of my people.”
“Good day, Elizabeth Weir of Atlantis,” the woman replied in heavily accented English as she bowed. “I am Natalia of Morykos.”
“This is Lt. Col. John Sheppard, the head of our military contingent and Dr. Radek Zelenka, the head of our science division,” Elizabeth said as she gestured to each of them in turn.
Natalia gave them both a slight bow in turn. “On behalf of my people, I wish to thank you all for agreeing to go forward with negations. I hope we will all find them to be advantageous.”
“I also hope they are advantageous for both of us,” Elizabeth replied and John barely refrained from snorting at the overused response Elizabeth gave to all of their prospective trade partners. “Why don’t we get you settled in and then we can begin our talks?” Looking at Lorne, she said, “Debriefing will be in one hour.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lorne replied as he and his team disappeared to take care of their equipment.
“I’ll show you to where you’ll be staying and give you some time to freshen up,” Elizabeth told Natalia.
“Thank you, Elizabeth Weir.” Natalia replied as she bent to retrieve her bag, but John swooped in and picked it up before she could reach it. She smiled at him. “You are most kind.” To Zelenka, she bowed slightly and said, “I am glad to make your acquaintance. I hope we can speak more later.”
“I certainly hope so,” Zelenka replied with a slight smile and an inclination of his head. “I will be by later to pick up the device,” he said to Elizabeth, who nodded.
John quietly followed Elizabeth and Natalia through the halls to the guest quarters. He carefully assessed her as they walked, taking in the way she moved and where she might be hiding weapons. As natural as it was for him to size up the unknown, he had the feeling that he should be especially careful with her. Something wasn’t quite right.
“This place is quite amazing,” Natalia said when they stopped outside the door to what would be her quarters for the duration. “I would love to be able to look at more of it at some point – with an escort, of course.”
“I’m sure that could be arranged,” Elizabeth replied warmly as she palmed the door’s sensor.
The trio entered and John set Natalia’s bag on the bed as Elizabeth gave her a quick tour and explained how things worked.
“This is most ingenious,” Natalia said, smiling brightly, when they rejoined John. “I have never seen a place like this before. My people are part of a small, outlying system that developed almost entirely independently of the majority who use the Ancestors’ Ring,” she explained.
“You speak the common language very well,” Elizabeth complimented.
“Thank you,” Natalia replied, her smile turning shy. “I do not have much chance to use it at home, but I have found it invaluable from time to time.”
“Well, we’ll let you get settled in and we’ll have someone come by when it’s time to start.”
“Thank you,” Natalia repeated and gave them both a slight bow.
“I have a bad feeling about her,” John told Elizabeth once they were back out in the hallway.
“Why?” Elizabeth asked, eyes narrowing.
John shrugged. “I don’t know. Something just feels… wrong.”
“Your concern has been duly noted,” Elizabeth replied diplomatically. “I’ll make sure Radek keeps an eye on her as they work together. If I find you hanging around the labs without just cause, I will send you back to Kate.”
“Fair enough. Can I sit in on the debriefing and negotiations?”
“You usually do regardless of what I say,” Elizabeth sighed.
“Hey, I stayed out of the negotiations with the N’garents,” John replied.
“That was only because they wanted to marry you off to the chief’s daughter.”
“Good thing they were big believers in my presence being required for the negotiations for it to take effect.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you can find something to entertain you until the debriefing starts,” she said as they reached her office. “Now, go.”
“Oh! Col. Sheppard, I need you for a second,” Darby called from a console on the other side of the control room.
John rolled his eyes at Chuck and gave him an amused smile as he went over to Darby. “How can I help you, Darby?” he asked.
“I don’t really need any help,” Darby admitted, looking up from his paperwork. “I just wasn’t sure if you needed rescuing from an awkward situation.”
“Yes, because I’ve been getting into a lot of those lately,” John remarked dryly as he sat down next to Darby.
“Only with Elizabeth,” Darby volleyed back as he went back to his work. “Either you two are the most fraternal couple I’ve ever seen, or you need to throw the whole fraternization policy out the window and deal with things.”
John gaped at him for a moment before recovering. “Thank you for that image, *Doctor*. I think I need to wash my mind out with soap now. And I’m beginning to think none of you scientists can be trusted, between that comment and Simpson beating me in chess last week.”
“Everyone has a bad game,” Darby replied.
“Yeah, but *four*? In a *row*?”
“Maybe she’s just a sneaky player,” Darby commented distractedly. “Likes to keep her reputation bad so she can whoop-ass when she feels like it.”
“You didn’t just say that,” John replied with a laugh as he stood.
“I say a lot of things you wouldn’t believe,” Darby told him as he looked up at him. “You’re just never around to hear any of it.”
“Which is probably good that I’m not. I like my view of you.”
“I’ll see you later, John.”
“Later, Darby,” John replied as he went off to work on some paperwork until it was time for the debriefing.
John arrived at the conference room at the same time as his second-in-command and his team. He nodded to them and let them pass and go into the room first. Once everyone had settled, Elizabeth asked Lorne to start.
“All things considered, it was a fairly standard recon and meet and greet,” he replied with a nonchalant shrug. “We got to MPX-934 and began searching around the ‘Gate. Natalia’s village is situated about three miles from the ‘Gate in a large forest clearing. There’s limited agriculture, but from what she’s said, they have irregular rain and irrigation doesn’t always do the job. They do take part in an extensive trading system with the other worlds in their region, which seems to be what supports them in times of need.”
“Which would explain their desire to cultivate other contacts as well,” Elizabeth commented as she made a note on her tablet. “They wouldn’t want to put too much stock in one other people.”
“They were all very nice, even after we realized that there was a language barrier. It seems that while they’re aware that there are other languages and peoples beyond their little network, they don’t really care about learning any of them aside from the lingua franca – and even that’s a bit iffy. I don’t think they’re really xenophobic; it’s more of a, ‘Hey, we’ve got what we need right here, why do we need to go any farther?’”
“Is this ‘Gate dialer their major export?” Elizabeth asked.
“It appears so, ma’am. It also looks like they do a lot of specialty work based on custom orders.”
“And they haven’t used any of this technology to help themselves out of their agricultural mess?” John asked, curious.
Lorne shrugged. “We didn’t exactly get that far, so I can’t really say, sir.”
“And what about an army? Any inclination towards universal domination?”
“I would think that the lack of stable harvests prevents a standing army,” Lorne replied with an amused smile. “They do have some weapons, but it’s all based on defense. So, no, they don’t seem bent on world domination.”
“Would you suggest we go ahead with negotiations?” Elizabeth asked.
“I would,” Lorne replied with a nod.
John watched Lorne begin to fidget and grow increasingly restless as Elizabeth elicited thoughts and suggestions from the rest of the team. “Was there something else you wanted to add, Major?” he asked when Elizabeth had finished her questioning.
“There is one other thing,” Lorne said as his gaze flicked to his teammates and John saw them all nod imperceptibly in agreement. “After our last check in, I got to thinking that there was something familiar about the ‘Gate dialer, so I started asking Natalia questions about it. She can explain it a lot better than I can, but it’s not technically Ancient in design, though it is heavily influenced. I don’t know what possessed me, but I decided to show her Dr. McKay’s picture and she recognized him.”
“What?!?” John responded, getting to his feet without a conscious thought. “Why didn’t you bring this up before?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.
“Because you would need a ‘Gate dialer if you were going to go get him and in order to get a ‘Gate dialer, we need to make nice with the aliens,” Lorne replied calmly.
“Sit down, John,” Elizabeth hissed and John reluctantly complied.
“Are you certain she knew who she was talking about?” John asked Lorne.
“Completely certain, sir,” Lorne replied. “Apparently, R names are non-existent among the people he lives with, so someone with such a name would stand out.”
“So, what did she say about him?” John asked Lorne.
“She said he’s in good health and living with the healer and his daughter of one of her people’s closest allies – who are much more primitive than the Morykos. As far as she can tell, he seems to be happy and completely integrated into his life there. He was even planning a wedding and he and his fiancée are expecting a child, the last she had heard.”
John groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands. “We have to get him out of there, Elizabeth,” he said. “That doesn’t sound like Rodney at all. They’ve probably brainwashed him.”
“I think that we should consult with Natalia and see what her prognosis of the situation is,” Elizabeth replied carefully. “Brainwashed or not, Rodney’s been gone a long time and we need to respect that he might have become accustomed to his situation and not want to leave. And if he really has married and had a child, we’ll have to be very careful of how we handle the situation since we can’t just simply bring him home.”
John opened his mouth to protest, but quickly shut it. He nodded brusquely. “Okay, fine.”
Elizabeth quickly finished the debriefing and dismissed the team, sending Lorne to retrieve Natalia. “I’d ask what’s gotten into you, but I think I already know,” she told John abruptly.
“Look,” he said with a sigh, “I’m not going to do anything stupid like charging through the ‘Gate to find him. If you hadn’t noticed, it’s not like we have a lock on exactly where he is. I know I’ve done some… irrational things in the past when it comes to rescue missions, but you know I wouldn’t risk others’ lives unnecessarily.
“But I would like to talk to Natalia to see what kind of information we can get out of her about him and the situation he’s in. I want to see if we can make contact with him and hopefully bring him home. Knowing Rodney, it’s probably killing him that he’s stuck somewhere with a pre-Industrial Revolution, if not earlier, society and he’ll jump at the chance to come home.” Not backing down from the weight of her stare, he added, “And just because he’s getting married and expecting a child doesn’t mean we can’t work something out. Besides, there’s always the chance that they won’t go through with it. We are talking about Rodney here.”
Elizabeth sighed in exasperation and pinched the bridge of her nose. “We’ll see,” was all she said as Lorne, his team, Zelenka, and Natalia entered the room. “I trust you’ve settled in okay?” she asked Natalia with a warm smile.
“Yes, thank you,” Natalia replied with an answering smile. “You have a very interesting city here. Its design and technology are quite ingenious. I have never seen technology that requires a mental component to work before.”
“It definitely has its advantages,” Elizabeth replied. “Is there a certain way you like to approach negotiations?”
“No,” Natalia replied with a shake of her head. “Though, I do find being straight-forward to be the best approach.”
“It sounds like we have something in common then,” Elizabeth replied with a warm smile. “I think we should start with stating whatever tentative agreement you came to with Major Lorne and his team, so we can know where we stand and proceed from there.”
“We came to a very tentative agreement in which he promised your people’s help in procuring more food for this cycle, along with the possibility of help for better farming techniques in exchange for a chance to study our portable ‘Gate dialer and possibly be allowed to make a few of your own.”
“Okay,” Elizabeth replied, jotting down a few notes. “That sounds like a reasonable starting deal.”
‘And a fairly standard one,’ John thought, inwardly rolling his eyes. Their teams had usually used some variation of that as a means to acquire various goods and pieces of technology over the years. He stayed quiet as they went back and forth with the negotiations, bartering a little of this for a little of that until both sides were happy with the agreement its standard clause to review the agreement at a set point in the near future.
“Now,” Elizabeth said delicately as she carefully laid her stylus on the table at the top of her. “It has been brought to my attention that you are aware of one of our people who has come to live with a people in your trade network.”
Natalia looked a bit surprised, but nodded as she asked, “You are speaking of Rodney, correct? Yes, Major Lorne mentioned him yesterday. I take it he is a beloved member of this community?”
As Zelenka’s eyes widened and he gasped in shock, John muttered under his breath, “You could say that.”
Elizabeth glared at him before replying, “He was unexpectedly taken from us and we are concerned for him.”
Natalia’s eyes narrowed slightly and John swore she bristled a bit. “I can assure you that the Laprans would not allow any harm to come to him.”
“I wasn’t trying to imply anything of the sort,” Elizabeth replied apologetically. “We simply wish to know how he’s doing and to see if there’s a chance for us to bring him home.”
“That would have to be between you, Rodney, and the Laprans,” Natalia replied cautiously. “He seemed very happy the last time I saw him, which was about three months ago. As I told Major Lorne and his… team, he’s engaged and they’re expecting a child. He probably won’t want to leave the life he’s built to come back here.”
“Which we completely understand,” Elizabeth replied. “Is there a way we could get in touch with the Laprans and see about speaking with Rodney?”
“I can look into it,” Natalia replied warily. “But I will not guarantee anything that I cannot myself give.”
“We gladly accept that and thank you in advance for your willingness to help us.”
As if sensing an awkward moment was about to start, Zelenka spoke up, “If we are done here, I would like to get started on studying the ‘Gate dialer.” Giving Natalia a hopeful look, he added, “And we can start planning how to better your crop output.”
“That would be wonderful,” Natalia replied, the tension draining out of her, as they all stood and Lorne dismissed his men.
“Be good and no harassing the Morykon ambassador,” Elizabeth commented lightly as she passed John on her way out.
“Hu- what?” John replied, confused. “Why would I do that?” he asked as he followed her.
“I mean it, John,” she threw over her shoulder as she went into her office.
John shook his head in disbelief as he checked his watch and headed back to his quarters for a run. He needed to process what had happened. Invariably, his unplanned course took him to the infirmary, where he greeted Carson sweaty and panting.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Carson commented when he looked up from his paperwork.
“Almost,” John replied, stepping into Carson’s office. “He’s alive, Carson.”
“We’ve been through this, John,” Carson replied with a sigh, sitting back in his chair.
“No, I mean it,” John replied fervently. “There’s a woman down in the labs right now, who said she saw Rodney three months ago.”
Carson narrowed his eyes. “John –”
“I know, I know. This sounds insanely crazy – even from me. But Elizabeth, Zelenka, and Lorne and his team all heard her too. We can finally bring him home.”
“That’s great news,” Carson replied speculatively. “You’ll just have to pardon my skepticism until I have something more concrete to go on.” At John’s plaintive look, Carson said, “Oh, don’t give me that look, John Sheppard. I want him back as much as you do, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go storming the castle at the first glimmer of hope. Besides, it’s been three years. He may not want to come back.”
“Everyone keeps saying that,” John remarked hotly. “Why wouldn’t he want to come back?”
“Three years is quite a long time. He could be a different man now.”
John let out a bark of laughter. “Carson, Rodney’s personality is what’s kept him alive here in Atlantis. I doubt it’ll have changed much wherever he’s been the past three years.”
“And the Wraith aren’t life-sucking aliens,” Carson volleyed back. “Before that fateful day in the helicopter with General O’Neill, did you expect to be here and doing the things you’re doing?”
“Well, no,” John replied, a slightly confused note in his voice.
“I doubt you’re the same person you were then, John, not just in your knowledge of what’s out there, but also in the way you do things. I think it holds true for all of us who’ve come and stayed. I’m only saying this because I don’t want to see you get hurt if we do make contact with him and he doesn’t want to come back.”
Ronon appeared in the doorway and caught both John and Carson’s attention. “Are you coming to the Marines’ training?” he asked John brusquely.
“Yeah, why?” John asked.
Ronon shrugged. “We’ve been trying to get a hold of you on the radio for a while, but it didn’t work.”
“Duty calls,” John said to Carson. “Are we still on for dinner tonight?”
“I’ll see you at 1800,” Carson confirmed with a nod.
“What’s up?” Ronon asked when they got out into the hallway.
“What makes you think something’s up?” John asked nonchalantly.
Ronon rolled his eyes. “I’ve known you for five years.”
“We found Rodney. Well, Lorne’s team met someone who claims to have met Rodney.”
“When are we going to get him?” Ronon asked, showing no other emotion.
“I don’t know,” John replied. “Elizabeth seems hesitant to take this too fast. But don’t worry, you’ll know when we go get him.”
“Today’s the day for your next full psych evaluation,” Kate told John after he had settled in her office the next morning.
“We just had one,” John complained.
“We ‘just’ had one three months ago,” Kate corrected him. “And it’s part of our agreement that we do it to keep proving to Elizabeth that you’re still in control.”
John sighed. “Okay, let’s get on with it, then. I have some place I’d rather be.”
“Such as the lab?” Kate asked with a raised eyebrow. “Elizabeth did tell me about the woman claiming to have seen Rodney.”
John let out a huff. “I’m already getting tired of everyone being so skeptical that she has seen Rodney and that he’s doing okay.”
“Not everyone is quite as willing as you are to believe that he’s alive and well somewhere. Add in the fact that Rodney’s not even with her people, and I’m sure you can understand why they’re showing a valid reason for concern.”
“Can we get started please?” John asked almost plaintively, wanting to get the psych evaluation over with so he could get on with his day.
As soon as they had finished, John left as quickly as he could without actually fleeing. At the end of the hallway, he stopped in his tracks, the back of his neck prickling. “You can come out Talbot and Martinez,” he said, slowly turning around.
The two Marines sheepishly stepped out of the shadows. “How did you know it was us, sir?” Talbot asked.
“Your allergies are still acting up a bit and I can hear you wheeze. And Martinez is still limping from when Ronon was a little too tough on him the other day. Elizabeth put you up to this, didn’t she?”
“She said that you might do something irrational before we get satisfactory information out of our new ally,” Martinez replied.
“Oh, really?” John asked, raising his eyebrows and exaggerating the disbelief in his voice. He found a small amount of satisfaction in watching the two Marines squirm a bit. “And what’s your take on this? Do you think I will?”
Talbot shrugged, though neither of them looked very comfortable discussing the subject with their CO. “No, sir. We know what it’s like to be on a ‘Gate team and we probably wouldn’t be fairing much better if we were in the same position as you.”
John nodded. “Okay. Look, I’d like to get the two of you off the hook, since I know it has to be weird tailing your CO to make sure he doesn’t do anything crazy. But I doubt Elizabeth would go for that and I don’t want to get either of you in trouble. So, come on and don’t look too intimidating.”
“What if anyone asks what we’re doing with you?” Martinez asks.
John shrugged as they started walking. “We’ll think of something when we get there.”
They headed down to the labs, getting a few quizzical looks from the science staff the closer they got to the main lab, but no one actually said anything. John waved Talbot and Martinez, who were looking completely out of their league into some chairs at an empty lab station before going over to where Zelenka, Simpson, and Natalia were bent over a device that John could only assume was the infamous ‘Gate dialer.
“Good morning, John,” Natalia said with a slight inclination of her head.
“Morning,” he replied with a smile. “I wanted to check and see how you slept last night.”
“I slept very well last night, thank you,” she replied with a warm smile. “I was told you know this city the best. I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind discussing it at some point?”
“I think that could be arranged,” John replied, glancing at Zelenka and Simpson – both of whom shrugged. “How’re things going?” he asked them.
“This device is quite ingenious,” Zelenka replied, grinning excitedly. “It easily fits in the palm of your hand and has a small naquadah battery to operate it. Such a device could last practically forever if kept in good condition.”
“Natalia was just explaining to us how it plugs into the ‘Gate itself and from there you can dial any address using the keypad here,” Simpson added, indicating the mentioned keypad.
“But wouldn’t activating the ‘Gate drain the battery?” John asked.
“That’s the ingenious part,” Zelenka replied, his excitement growing. “Once the wormhole has stabilized, it taps into its normal power source and recharges the battery.”
“That is pretty cool,” John replied, grinning himself. “How did you think of it?” he asked Natalia.
“Through a lot of work and much trial and error,” she replied demurely. “As I’m sure you know, not being able to get through one of the Ancestors’ Rings is a very valid and troubling concern. We wanted to make sure that there was a way for our people to get home if they happened to go to a world that didn’t have a working dialing device.”
John hung out while they worked. While a lot of the mechanics of it went completely over his head, he enjoyed watching Zelenka get excited over the device as he figured it out, more often than not exclaiming in Czech. Once he glanced over at his ‘guards’ and they were playing paper football and talking quietly.
When Zelenka’s stomach growled loudly, he said, “I think it might be a good idea if we took a break to get some food.”
“I think that sounds like a great idea,” John agreed, standing up and stretching his back.
“I am intrigued to try more of your people’s food,” Natalia said as they all stood. “I have never had anything quite like it.”
“Neither have we, in some cases,” Talbot said under his breath as they joined the group and the rest of the Lanteans chuckled.
Neither Zelenka nor Simpson questioned the Marines’ presence on their way down to the mess hall and John was grateful for that, even though he was fairly certain they had worked it out for themselves. The six of them bypassed the transporter and took the long way down so Natalia see more of the city. Along the way, she asked question after question about the city, all of it very basic things that the senior staff had compiled a few years before as part of the “Questions You Can Answer Without Getting Worried”.
“I’m sorry if I’m boring you,” Natalia said, as she blushed and looked apologetic, when they reached the mess hall. “It’s just that I’ve never been anywhere nearly this grand before.”
“Don’t worry about it,” John replied lazily. His tone turning a little conspiratorial, he added, “It took us a while to get used to too.” As soon as he said it, he felt a pang in his chest, remembering that this would be the moment that Rodney would smack him on the arm and tell him to stop flirting and he would protest that he wasn’t flirting and then Rodney would make a noise of disgust in the back of his throat and let the topic drop.
“So, how did you know Rodney?” Natalia asked once they had settled at one of the tables.
“He was our head scientist,” Zelenka replied.
“And he was on my exploration team,” John added.
“I’m sure he was a great asset to you. He seems to have proven himself invaluable to the Laprans.”
“That sounds like Rodney,” John commented.
“If he hasn’t alienated everyone at one point or another,” Zelenka muttered with a knowing and affectionate smile and John and Simpson both chuckled quietly.
“So, you said you saw him recently?” John prompted Natalia.
“Yes, I was there on some business and our paths crossed. He is doing well and seems to be quite happy, if that’s what you’re worried about.” She paused and looked like she was uncertain if she should divulge any more information.
“What’s wrong?” John asked, concerned.
“Nothing,” Natalia replied with a smile. “I’m simply trying to decide what sort of news would be important to you, since I didn’t know Rodney before he came to the Laprans.”
“What’s his fiancée like?” Simpson asked. “What?” she asked at John and Zelenka’s speculative looks. “It’s a valid question. I want to know what kind of woman would even consider putting up with Rodney for the rest of her life.”
“He’s not *that* bad,” John defended. “Go ahead,” he said to Natalia.
“She’s a very sweet girl,” she replied. “She’s a glassmaker. There was a bit of a fuss because he got her pregnant before they were married. It’s not exactly something that’s smiled on in our communities,” she added, as if that clarified everything.
“And what does Rodney do?” Zelenka asked before taking a drink.
“He’s a weaver and he’s the heir of the healer.”
Everyone’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Seriously?” John asked.
“The weaving I can see,” Zelenka replied, recovering first. “He always needed to do something with his hands and I’m sure that could be challenging enough to keep him happy. But learning the healing art isn’t exactly something our Rodney would do.”
John felt a pang that maybe getting Rodney back wouldn’t go as smoothly as he had hoped. He parted from the scientists and Natalia once they had disposed of their trays, the Marines still with him.
“Okay,” he told them when they got outside the mess hall. “We’re going to go see Dr. Weir about taking a trip through the wormhole.”
Continue to Part 20
The complete header can be found in part 1.
Previous parts can be found here.
“A portable ‘Gate dialer,” Elizabeth repeated, disbelief evident in her voice.
“Yes, ma’am,” Lorne replied over the video link through the ‘Gate. “A portable ‘Gate dialer. They’re willing to give us access to one for study and show us how it works in return for food and a possible future trade agreement of dialers for food in an ongoing capacity.”
“That seems almost too easy,” John commented.
Lorne shrugged. “Apparently they’ve had a bad harvest and really need the food to get through until they can plant again.”
“Okay, I *know* there’s a catch in here somewhere,” John replied.
Lorne sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. “Only one of them speaks English.”
Both John and Elizabeth’s eyebrows rose. “You’re kidding, right?” John asked.
At the same time, Elizabeth said, “I had always suspected that there had to be a people whose verbal language was also different from ours, but I was beginning to doubt they actually existed.”
“Oh, they exist,” Lorne replied. “The real catch is that she needs to come with the device.”
“What do you think, John?” Elizabeth asked, turning to him.
“I think it’s something we should at least look into. It might be handy to have something that can get a team home if the DHD isn’t working or isn’t accessible.”
Elizabeth nodded slowly as she turned back to Lorne. “Do you think she can be trusted, Major Lorne?”
“I do, Dr. Weir,” Lorne replied. “There hasn’t been anything here that would lead me to believe that they’ve been deliberately misleading us.”
“Okay, you have the go ahead to bring her and one of these dialers back.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Lorne replied. “We’ll return at our scheduled time. Lorne out.”
As the wormhole disconnected, Elizabeth told John, “Don’t even think about it,” as she headed into her office.
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” John replied as he followed her.
“You know very well what I’m talking about,” Elizabeth replied as she sat behind her desk. “If this does prove to be an advantageous trade and we get some of these portable ‘Gate dialers, you are *not* going back to that planet to look for Rodney.”
“That was the furthest thing from my mind,” John replied innocently as he slouched in one of the chairs front of her desk.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes slightly as she assessed him. “I’m sure it was, John. Do I need to remind you that it’s been over three years?”
“You didn’t, but thank you,” John replied lightly, knowing that his response hit the intended mark when he saw her nostrils flare. “I’m well aware of where things stand on McKay and I don’t intend to do anything that would endanger the expedition,” he told her.
“John –” Elizabeth started with a sigh.
“No, *Elizabeth*,” John interrupted her, sitting forward in his chair and putting his forearms on his knees. “I think you need to cut me some slack here. I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me without complaint and I think that in return you should let me believe what I want about Rodney. Even Heightmeyer agrees that there’s nothing she can technically diagnose me with and that I’m still functioning very well – especially for someone who’s been here since the beginning.”
“But she does agree that this fixation isn’t healthy in the long run,” Elizabeth replied, leaning back and making a steeple with her fingers.
John stood. “Until such a time as it’s blatantly obvious that I’m no longer functioning in a healthy manner, I would appreciate it if you would back off. And the fact that I have one of the two strongest known ATA genes still has to count for something.”
Her startled look gave him some satisfaction as John stalked out of her office. He continued to fume as he went back to his quarters, changed and grabbed his bantos sticks. He headed down to the practice room to spar with Teyla. Deep down, he knew that Elizabeth really was concerned about him, but he wished that she would give it a rest. If nothing had changed in the past three years, he doubted anything would change now. She had reined him in enough that now all he could do was hope that one day they would find Rodney. He occasionally tested the boundaries she had erected which he knew frustrated her, but he wanted someone else to have an inkling of how he felt.
“I see the possibility of this being a productive session has lowered considerably,” Teyla commented dryly as he entered.
“Sorry,” John honestly apologized. “I had a ‘discussion’ with Elizabeth right before this.”
“I see,” Teyla replied. Attempting to change the subject, she asked, “Have you heard from Major Lorne?”
“We have and his mission is going well. They’re going to be bringing back a piece of tech for study, as well as a representative to help with the device and possibly start trade negotiations.”
“Good,” she replied with a smile as she easily swung one of her sticks around her hand. “And what does this device do?”
“Somehow it plugs into the ‘Gate and you can dial the ‘Gate that way without needing the DHD.”
“That sounds very useful indeed,” Teyla replied. “I know of numerous places where such a device would be advantageous.”
“Have you ever heard of these people?” John asked her. “I think Lorne called them the Morykons.”
“I have not,” she replied. “But I will admit that there are a large number of worlds that neither I nor my people have ever been to. Let’s get started.”
As Teyla had predicted, John was in worse shape than normal and she thoroughly beat him, even though he should have been able to easily hold his own. But when they amicably parted, John did feel better and he radioed Carson to invite him to dinner.
“I was told that we would be expecting a visitor tomorrow,” Carson commented as they sat down with their food and sat down.
John nodded. “Lorne’s bringing her back. They’ve got some technology he thought was worth a closer look and they need food.”
“Sounds like something that would be good for all involved,” Carson replied before taking a drink.
Setting his own cup down, John added, “It’s a portable ‘Gate dialer. Apparently, it cuts out the need for a DHD.”
“John –” Carson started, his tone imploring.
“I know, I know. Elizabeth and I already went through this and she had me promise I wouldn’t do anything stupid.”
“Which I’m sure you found a way to skirt around. And are we talking about your version of stupidity or Elizabeth’s?” Carson asked knowingly.
“Elizabeth’s. I think it’s becoming evident that you know me too well.”
“After Rodney, figuring everyone else out is fairly easy,” Carson replied with a smirk.
“Do you think I’ve gone off the deep end?” John asked seriously.
Carson shrugged. “I don’t know if I’d go that far, aside from the snide remark that you must be crazy if you were willing to make a one-way trip here in the first place, but that would then implicate a fair number of us, wouldn’t it? Am I concerned for your well-being? Sure. But leaving Rodney behind was a traumatic incident, and I can understand how it could still affect you now. I’m just surprised you haven’t gone into full-blown PTSD yet.”
John flashed him a grin. “I’ve got good friends like you to keep me grounded.”
Carson chuckled. “That you do.”
“I’d better go,” John said, checking his watch before standing and picking up his tray. “I’ll see you later?”
Carson nodded. “You can count on it.”
John was waiting at the bottom of the steps with Elizabeth and Zelenka when Lorne and his team came through the next day, bringing with them a stately woman who reminded John of some of the Afghan women he’d seen while on tour – determined and definitely on a mission.
“Welcome to Atlantis,” Elizabeth said, stepping forward to meet her as the incoming group stopped before them and Lorne put down the newcomer’s bag. “I am Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the leader of my people.”
“Good day, Elizabeth Weir of Atlantis,” the woman replied in heavily accented English as she bowed. “I am Natalia of Morykos.”
“This is Lt. Col. John Sheppard, the head of our military contingent and Dr. Radek Zelenka, the head of our science division,” Elizabeth said as she gestured to each of them in turn.
Natalia gave them both a slight bow in turn. “On behalf of my people, I wish to thank you all for agreeing to go forward with negations. I hope we will all find them to be advantageous.”
“I also hope they are advantageous for both of us,” Elizabeth replied and John barely refrained from snorting at the overused response Elizabeth gave to all of their prospective trade partners. “Why don’t we get you settled in and then we can begin our talks?” Looking at Lorne, she said, “Debriefing will be in one hour.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lorne replied as he and his team disappeared to take care of their equipment.
“I’ll show you to where you’ll be staying and give you some time to freshen up,” Elizabeth told Natalia.
“Thank you, Elizabeth Weir.” Natalia replied as she bent to retrieve her bag, but John swooped in and picked it up before she could reach it. She smiled at him. “You are most kind.” To Zelenka, she bowed slightly and said, “I am glad to make your acquaintance. I hope we can speak more later.”
“I certainly hope so,” Zelenka replied with a slight smile and an inclination of his head. “I will be by later to pick up the device,” he said to Elizabeth, who nodded.
John quietly followed Elizabeth and Natalia through the halls to the guest quarters. He carefully assessed her as they walked, taking in the way she moved and where she might be hiding weapons. As natural as it was for him to size up the unknown, he had the feeling that he should be especially careful with her. Something wasn’t quite right.
“This place is quite amazing,” Natalia said when they stopped outside the door to what would be her quarters for the duration. “I would love to be able to look at more of it at some point – with an escort, of course.”
“I’m sure that could be arranged,” Elizabeth replied warmly as she palmed the door’s sensor.
The trio entered and John set Natalia’s bag on the bed as Elizabeth gave her a quick tour and explained how things worked.
“This is most ingenious,” Natalia said, smiling brightly, when they rejoined John. “I have never seen a place like this before. My people are part of a small, outlying system that developed almost entirely independently of the majority who use the Ancestors’ Ring,” she explained.
“You speak the common language very well,” Elizabeth complimented.
“Thank you,” Natalia replied, her smile turning shy. “I do not have much chance to use it at home, but I have found it invaluable from time to time.”
“Well, we’ll let you get settled in and we’ll have someone come by when it’s time to start.”
“Thank you,” Natalia repeated and gave them both a slight bow.
“I have a bad feeling about her,” John told Elizabeth once they were back out in the hallway.
“Why?” Elizabeth asked, eyes narrowing.
John shrugged. “I don’t know. Something just feels… wrong.”
“Your concern has been duly noted,” Elizabeth replied diplomatically. “I’ll make sure Radek keeps an eye on her as they work together. If I find you hanging around the labs without just cause, I will send you back to Kate.”
“Fair enough. Can I sit in on the debriefing and negotiations?”
“You usually do regardless of what I say,” Elizabeth sighed.
“Hey, I stayed out of the negotiations with the N’garents,” John replied.
“That was only because they wanted to marry you off to the chief’s daughter.”
“Good thing they were big believers in my presence being required for the negotiations for it to take effect.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you can find something to entertain you until the debriefing starts,” she said as they reached her office. “Now, go.”
“Oh! Col. Sheppard, I need you for a second,” Darby called from a console on the other side of the control room.
John rolled his eyes at Chuck and gave him an amused smile as he went over to Darby. “How can I help you, Darby?” he asked.
“I don’t really need any help,” Darby admitted, looking up from his paperwork. “I just wasn’t sure if you needed rescuing from an awkward situation.”
“Yes, because I’ve been getting into a lot of those lately,” John remarked dryly as he sat down next to Darby.
“Only with Elizabeth,” Darby volleyed back as he went back to his work. “Either you two are the most fraternal couple I’ve ever seen, or you need to throw the whole fraternization policy out the window and deal with things.”
John gaped at him for a moment before recovering. “Thank you for that image, *Doctor*. I think I need to wash my mind out with soap now. And I’m beginning to think none of you scientists can be trusted, between that comment and Simpson beating me in chess last week.”
“Everyone has a bad game,” Darby replied.
“Yeah, but *four*? In a *row*?”
“Maybe she’s just a sneaky player,” Darby commented distractedly. “Likes to keep her reputation bad so she can whoop-ass when she feels like it.”
“You didn’t just say that,” John replied with a laugh as he stood.
“I say a lot of things you wouldn’t believe,” Darby told him as he looked up at him. “You’re just never around to hear any of it.”
“Which is probably good that I’m not. I like my view of you.”
“I’ll see you later, John.”
“Later, Darby,” John replied as he went off to work on some paperwork until it was time for the debriefing.
John arrived at the conference room at the same time as his second-in-command and his team. He nodded to them and let them pass and go into the room first. Once everyone had settled, Elizabeth asked Lorne to start.
“All things considered, it was a fairly standard recon and meet and greet,” he replied with a nonchalant shrug. “We got to MPX-934 and began searching around the ‘Gate. Natalia’s village is situated about three miles from the ‘Gate in a large forest clearing. There’s limited agriculture, but from what she’s said, they have irregular rain and irrigation doesn’t always do the job. They do take part in an extensive trading system with the other worlds in their region, which seems to be what supports them in times of need.”
“Which would explain their desire to cultivate other contacts as well,” Elizabeth commented as she made a note on her tablet. “They wouldn’t want to put too much stock in one other people.”
“They were all very nice, even after we realized that there was a language barrier. It seems that while they’re aware that there are other languages and peoples beyond their little network, they don’t really care about learning any of them aside from the lingua franca – and even that’s a bit iffy. I don’t think they’re really xenophobic; it’s more of a, ‘Hey, we’ve got what we need right here, why do we need to go any farther?’”
“Is this ‘Gate dialer their major export?” Elizabeth asked.
“It appears so, ma’am. It also looks like they do a lot of specialty work based on custom orders.”
“And they haven’t used any of this technology to help themselves out of their agricultural mess?” John asked, curious.
Lorne shrugged. “We didn’t exactly get that far, so I can’t really say, sir.”
“And what about an army? Any inclination towards universal domination?”
“I would think that the lack of stable harvests prevents a standing army,” Lorne replied with an amused smile. “They do have some weapons, but it’s all based on defense. So, no, they don’t seem bent on world domination.”
“Would you suggest we go ahead with negotiations?” Elizabeth asked.
“I would,” Lorne replied with a nod.
John watched Lorne begin to fidget and grow increasingly restless as Elizabeth elicited thoughts and suggestions from the rest of the team. “Was there something else you wanted to add, Major?” he asked when Elizabeth had finished her questioning.
“There is one other thing,” Lorne said as his gaze flicked to his teammates and John saw them all nod imperceptibly in agreement. “After our last check in, I got to thinking that there was something familiar about the ‘Gate dialer, so I started asking Natalia questions about it. She can explain it a lot better than I can, but it’s not technically Ancient in design, though it is heavily influenced. I don’t know what possessed me, but I decided to show her Dr. McKay’s picture and she recognized him.”
“What?!?” John responded, getting to his feet without a conscious thought. “Why didn’t you bring this up before?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.
“Because you would need a ‘Gate dialer if you were going to go get him and in order to get a ‘Gate dialer, we need to make nice with the aliens,” Lorne replied calmly.
“Sit down, John,” Elizabeth hissed and John reluctantly complied.
“Are you certain she knew who she was talking about?” John asked Lorne.
“Completely certain, sir,” Lorne replied. “Apparently, R names are non-existent among the people he lives with, so someone with such a name would stand out.”
“So, what did she say about him?” John asked Lorne.
“She said he’s in good health and living with the healer and his daughter of one of her people’s closest allies – who are much more primitive than the Morykos. As far as she can tell, he seems to be happy and completely integrated into his life there. He was even planning a wedding and he and his fiancée are expecting a child, the last she had heard.”
John groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands. “We have to get him out of there, Elizabeth,” he said. “That doesn’t sound like Rodney at all. They’ve probably brainwashed him.”
“I think that we should consult with Natalia and see what her prognosis of the situation is,” Elizabeth replied carefully. “Brainwashed or not, Rodney’s been gone a long time and we need to respect that he might have become accustomed to his situation and not want to leave. And if he really has married and had a child, we’ll have to be very careful of how we handle the situation since we can’t just simply bring him home.”
John opened his mouth to protest, but quickly shut it. He nodded brusquely. “Okay, fine.”
Elizabeth quickly finished the debriefing and dismissed the team, sending Lorne to retrieve Natalia. “I’d ask what’s gotten into you, but I think I already know,” she told John abruptly.
“Look,” he said with a sigh, “I’m not going to do anything stupid like charging through the ‘Gate to find him. If you hadn’t noticed, it’s not like we have a lock on exactly where he is. I know I’ve done some… irrational things in the past when it comes to rescue missions, but you know I wouldn’t risk others’ lives unnecessarily.
“But I would like to talk to Natalia to see what kind of information we can get out of her about him and the situation he’s in. I want to see if we can make contact with him and hopefully bring him home. Knowing Rodney, it’s probably killing him that he’s stuck somewhere with a pre-Industrial Revolution, if not earlier, society and he’ll jump at the chance to come home.” Not backing down from the weight of her stare, he added, “And just because he’s getting married and expecting a child doesn’t mean we can’t work something out. Besides, there’s always the chance that they won’t go through with it. We are talking about Rodney here.”
Elizabeth sighed in exasperation and pinched the bridge of her nose. “We’ll see,” was all she said as Lorne, his team, Zelenka, and Natalia entered the room. “I trust you’ve settled in okay?” she asked Natalia with a warm smile.
“Yes, thank you,” Natalia replied with an answering smile. “You have a very interesting city here. Its design and technology are quite ingenious. I have never seen technology that requires a mental component to work before.”
“It definitely has its advantages,” Elizabeth replied. “Is there a certain way you like to approach negotiations?”
“No,” Natalia replied with a shake of her head. “Though, I do find being straight-forward to be the best approach.”
“It sounds like we have something in common then,” Elizabeth replied with a warm smile. “I think we should start with stating whatever tentative agreement you came to with Major Lorne and his team, so we can know where we stand and proceed from there.”
“We came to a very tentative agreement in which he promised your people’s help in procuring more food for this cycle, along with the possibility of help for better farming techniques in exchange for a chance to study our portable ‘Gate dialer and possibly be allowed to make a few of your own.”
“Okay,” Elizabeth replied, jotting down a few notes. “That sounds like a reasonable starting deal.”
‘And a fairly standard one,’ John thought, inwardly rolling his eyes. Their teams had usually used some variation of that as a means to acquire various goods and pieces of technology over the years. He stayed quiet as they went back and forth with the negotiations, bartering a little of this for a little of that until both sides were happy with the agreement its standard clause to review the agreement at a set point in the near future.
“Now,” Elizabeth said delicately as she carefully laid her stylus on the table at the top of her. “It has been brought to my attention that you are aware of one of our people who has come to live with a people in your trade network.”
Natalia looked a bit surprised, but nodded as she asked, “You are speaking of Rodney, correct? Yes, Major Lorne mentioned him yesterday. I take it he is a beloved member of this community?”
As Zelenka’s eyes widened and he gasped in shock, John muttered under his breath, “You could say that.”
Elizabeth glared at him before replying, “He was unexpectedly taken from us and we are concerned for him.”
Natalia’s eyes narrowed slightly and John swore she bristled a bit. “I can assure you that the Laprans would not allow any harm to come to him.”
“I wasn’t trying to imply anything of the sort,” Elizabeth replied apologetically. “We simply wish to know how he’s doing and to see if there’s a chance for us to bring him home.”
“That would have to be between you, Rodney, and the Laprans,” Natalia replied cautiously. “He seemed very happy the last time I saw him, which was about three months ago. As I told Major Lorne and his… team, he’s engaged and they’re expecting a child. He probably won’t want to leave the life he’s built to come back here.”
“Which we completely understand,” Elizabeth replied. “Is there a way we could get in touch with the Laprans and see about speaking with Rodney?”
“I can look into it,” Natalia replied warily. “But I will not guarantee anything that I cannot myself give.”
“We gladly accept that and thank you in advance for your willingness to help us.”
As if sensing an awkward moment was about to start, Zelenka spoke up, “If we are done here, I would like to get started on studying the ‘Gate dialer.” Giving Natalia a hopeful look, he added, “And we can start planning how to better your crop output.”
“That would be wonderful,” Natalia replied, the tension draining out of her, as they all stood and Lorne dismissed his men.
“Be good and no harassing the Morykon ambassador,” Elizabeth commented lightly as she passed John on her way out.
“Hu- what?” John replied, confused. “Why would I do that?” he asked as he followed her.
“I mean it, John,” she threw over her shoulder as she went into her office.
John shook his head in disbelief as he checked his watch and headed back to his quarters for a run. He needed to process what had happened. Invariably, his unplanned course took him to the infirmary, where he greeted Carson sweaty and panting.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Carson commented when he looked up from his paperwork.
“Almost,” John replied, stepping into Carson’s office. “He’s alive, Carson.”
“We’ve been through this, John,” Carson replied with a sigh, sitting back in his chair.
“No, I mean it,” John replied fervently. “There’s a woman down in the labs right now, who said she saw Rodney three months ago.”
Carson narrowed his eyes. “John –”
“I know, I know. This sounds insanely crazy – even from me. But Elizabeth, Zelenka, and Lorne and his team all heard her too. We can finally bring him home.”
“That’s great news,” Carson replied speculatively. “You’ll just have to pardon my skepticism until I have something more concrete to go on.” At John’s plaintive look, Carson said, “Oh, don’t give me that look, John Sheppard. I want him back as much as you do, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go storming the castle at the first glimmer of hope. Besides, it’s been three years. He may not want to come back.”
“Everyone keeps saying that,” John remarked hotly. “Why wouldn’t he want to come back?”
“Three years is quite a long time. He could be a different man now.”
John let out a bark of laughter. “Carson, Rodney’s personality is what’s kept him alive here in Atlantis. I doubt it’ll have changed much wherever he’s been the past three years.”
“And the Wraith aren’t life-sucking aliens,” Carson volleyed back. “Before that fateful day in the helicopter with General O’Neill, did you expect to be here and doing the things you’re doing?”
“Well, no,” John replied, a slightly confused note in his voice.
“I doubt you’re the same person you were then, John, not just in your knowledge of what’s out there, but also in the way you do things. I think it holds true for all of us who’ve come and stayed. I’m only saying this because I don’t want to see you get hurt if we do make contact with him and he doesn’t want to come back.”
Ronon appeared in the doorway and caught both John and Carson’s attention. “Are you coming to the Marines’ training?” he asked John brusquely.
“Yeah, why?” John asked.
Ronon shrugged. “We’ve been trying to get a hold of you on the radio for a while, but it didn’t work.”
“Duty calls,” John said to Carson. “Are we still on for dinner tonight?”
“I’ll see you at 1800,” Carson confirmed with a nod.
“What’s up?” Ronon asked when they got out into the hallway.
“What makes you think something’s up?” John asked nonchalantly.
Ronon rolled his eyes. “I’ve known you for five years.”
“We found Rodney. Well, Lorne’s team met someone who claims to have met Rodney.”
“When are we going to get him?” Ronon asked, showing no other emotion.
“I don’t know,” John replied. “Elizabeth seems hesitant to take this too fast. But don’t worry, you’ll know when we go get him.”
“Today’s the day for your next full psych evaluation,” Kate told John after he had settled in her office the next morning.
“We just had one,” John complained.
“We ‘just’ had one three months ago,” Kate corrected him. “And it’s part of our agreement that we do it to keep proving to Elizabeth that you’re still in control.”
John sighed. “Okay, let’s get on with it, then. I have some place I’d rather be.”
“Such as the lab?” Kate asked with a raised eyebrow. “Elizabeth did tell me about the woman claiming to have seen Rodney.”
John let out a huff. “I’m already getting tired of everyone being so skeptical that she has seen Rodney and that he’s doing okay.”
“Not everyone is quite as willing as you are to believe that he’s alive and well somewhere. Add in the fact that Rodney’s not even with her people, and I’m sure you can understand why they’re showing a valid reason for concern.”
“Can we get started please?” John asked almost plaintively, wanting to get the psych evaluation over with so he could get on with his day.
As soon as they had finished, John left as quickly as he could without actually fleeing. At the end of the hallway, he stopped in his tracks, the back of his neck prickling. “You can come out Talbot and Martinez,” he said, slowly turning around.
The two Marines sheepishly stepped out of the shadows. “How did you know it was us, sir?” Talbot asked.
“Your allergies are still acting up a bit and I can hear you wheeze. And Martinez is still limping from when Ronon was a little too tough on him the other day. Elizabeth put you up to this, didn’t she?”
“She said that you might do something irrational before we get satisfactory information out of our new ally,” Martinez replied.
“Oh, really?” John asked, raising his eyebrows and exaggerating the disbelief in his voice. He found a small amount of satisfaction in watching the two Marines squirm a bit. “And what’s your take on this? Do you think I will?”
Talbot shrugged, though neither of them looked very comfortable discussing the subject with their CO. “No, sir. We know what it’s like to be on a ‘Gate team and we probably wouldn’t be fairing much better if we were in the same position as you.”
John nodded. “Okay. Look, I’d like to get the two of you off the hook, since I know it has to be weird tailing your CO to make sure he doesn’t do anything crazy. But I doubt Elizabeth would go for that and I don’t want to get either of you in trouble. So, come on and don’t look too intimidating.”
“What if anyone asks what we’re doing with you?” Martinez asks.
John shrugged as they started walking. “We’ll think of something when we get there.”
They headed down to the labs, getting a few quizzical looks from the science staff the closer they got to the main lab, but no one actually said anything. John waved Talbot and Martinez, who were looking completely out of their league into some chairs at an empty lab station before going over to where Zelenka, Simpson, and Natalia were bent over a device that John could only assume was the infamous ‘Gate dialer.
“Good morning, John,” Natalia said with a slight inclination of her head.
“Morning,” he replied with a smile. “I wanted to check and see how you slept last night.”
“I slept very well last night, thank you,” she replied with a warm smile. “I was told you know this city the best. I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind discussing it at some point?”
“I think that could be arranged,” John replied, glancing at Zelenka and Simpson – both of whom shrugged. “How’re things going?” he asked them.
“This device is quite ingenious,” Zelenka replied, grinning excitedly. “It easily fits in the palm of your hand and has a small naquadah battery to operate it. Such a device could last practically forever if kept in good condition.”
“Natalia was just explaining to us how it plugs into the ‘Gate itself and from there you can dial any address using the keypad here,” Simpson added, indicating the mentioned keypad.
“But wouldn’t activating the ‘Gate drain the battery?” John asked.
“That’s the ingenious part,” Zelenka replied, his excitement growing. “Once the wormhole has stabilized, it taps into its normal power source and recharges the battery.”
“That is pretty cool,” John replied, grinning himself. “How did you think of it?” he asked Natalia.
“Through a lot of work and much trial and error,” she replied demurely. “As I’m sure you know, not being able to get through one of the Ancestors’ Rings is a very valid and troubling concern. We wanted to make sure that there was a way for our people to get home if they happened to go to a world that didn’t have a working dialing device.”
John hung out while they worked. While a lot of the mechanics of it went completely over his head, he enjoyed watching Zelenka get excited over the device as he figured it out, more often than not exclaiming in Czech. Once he glanced over at his ‘guards’ and they were playing paper football and talking quietly.
When Zelenka’s stomach growled loudly, he said, “I think it might be a good idea if we took a break to get some food.”
“I think that sounds like a great idea,” John agreed, standing up and stretching his back.
“I am intrigued to try more of your people’s food,” Natalia said as they all stood. “I have never had anything quite like it.”
“Neither have we, in some cases,” Talbot said under his breath as they joined the group and the rest of the Lanteans chuckled.
Neither Zelenka nor Simpson questioned the Marines’ presence on their way down to the mess hall and John was grateful for that, even though he was fairly certain they had worked it out for themselves. The six of them bypassed the transporter and took the long way down so Natalia see more of the city. Along the way, she asked question after question about the city, all of it very basic things that the senior staff had compiled a few years before as part of the “Questions You Can Answer Without Getting Worried”.
“I’m sorry if I’m boring you,” Natalia said, as she blushed and looked apologetic, when they reached the mess hall. “It’s just that I’ve never been anywhere nearly this grand before.”
“Don’t worry about it,” John replied lazily. His tone turning a little conspiratorial, he added, “It took us a while to get used to too.” As soon as he said it, he felt a pang in his chest, remembering that this would be the moment that Rodney would smack him on the arm and tell him to stop flirting and he would protest that he wasn’t flirting and then Rodney would make a noise of disgust in the back of his throat and let the topic drop.
“So, how did you know Rodney?” Natalia asked once they had settled at one of the tables.
“He was our head scientist,” Zelenka replied.
“And he was on my exploration team,” John added.
“I’m sure he was a great asset to you. He seems to have proven himself invaluable to the Laprans.”
“That sounds like Rodney,” John commented.
“If he hasn’t alienated everyone at one point or another,” Zelenka muttered with a knowing and affectionate smile and John and Simpson both chuckled quietly.
“So, you said you saw him recently?” John prompted Natalia.
“Yes, I was there on some business and our paths crossed. He is doing well and seems to be quite happy, if that’s what you’re worried about.” She paused and looked like she was uncertain if she should divulge any more information.
“What’s wrong?” John asked, concerned.
“Nothing,” Natalia replied with a smile. “I’m simply trying to decide what sort of news would be important to you, since I didn’t know Rodney before he came to the Laprans.”
“What’s his fiancée like?” Simpson asked. “What?” she asked at John and Zelenka’s speculative looks. “It’s a valid question. I want to know what kind of woman would even consider putting up with Rodney for the rest of her life.”
“He’s not *that* bad,” John defended. “Go ahead,” he said to Natalia.
“She’s a very sweet girl,” she replied. “She’s a glassmaker. There was a bit of a fuss because he got her pregnant before they were married. It’s not exactly something that’s smiled on in our communities,” she added, as if that clarified everything.
“And what does Rodney do?” Zelenka asked before taking a drink.
“He’s a weaver and he’s the heir of the healer.”
Everyone’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Seriously?” John asked.
“The weaving I can see,” Zelenka replied, recovering first. “He always needed to do something with his hands and I’m sure that could be challenging enough to keep him happy. But learning the healing art isn’t exactly something our Rodney would do.”
John felt a pang that maybe getting Rodney back wouldn’t go as smoothly as he had hoped. He parted from the scientists and Natalia once they had disposed of their trays, the Marines still with him.
“Okay,” he told them when they got outside the mess hall. “We’re going to go see Dr. Weir about taking a trip through the wormhole.”
Continue to Part 20
