Reading Time: 107 Minutes
Title: Common As Fuck
Author: Duochanfan
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Genre: Angst, Action Adventure, Crime Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Suspense
Relationship(s): John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Content Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Major Character Death, Violence-Graphic, Dark Themes, Minor & OC Character Deaths, , Murder, Character Bashing, Illness, Poisonings, Virus
Author Note: I blame HarleyJQuin for the obsession with SGA, her fic started it. This was also supposed to be a one shot of about 2k. And HarleyJQuin, thanks so much for all the help you’ve given me on this one! Thank you as well, HarleyJQuin for letting me borrow her OCs, Dalton Cooper, Connor James and Adam Nero. You’re a STAR!
Beta: HarleyJQuin
Alpha: HarleyJQuinn
Word Count: 128,616
Summary: John is fighting to keep Atlantis and the Expedition alive, but fighting with Weir about every single decision has led him to work behind her back to make sure they come out on top. When John’s cold turns out not to be so common, his friends rally around him to make sure he’s not left on ice.
Artist: NotSally
Chapter Thirty-Four
Rodney stood in the control room as the Gate was activated. Captain Bates was below, along with a team of builders that would be completing the alpha site construction. Carson was with them after Rodney had taken an hour to convince him to head through to make sure that the medical bay that was being built would be ready for anything.
“Alpha team, you have a go,” he said, as he nodded at Bates and Carson.
Carson glared at him and huffed as he turned to the gate. Soon enough, they had gone through, and the gate was deactivated. Rodney watched for a few moments before heading into his office. Miko had already gotten a preliminary list for those on Atlantis who could head through as soon as possible. Some would be heading through as they would be able to get the tents up and ready for occupation. Others had been given the task of preparing a secondary site for planting crops.
Rodney sat down, going through the list that he was sent. A lot of the names were those that weren’t needed for a lot of the day-to-day running of Atlantis. There were only a few military personnel added to the list. He had expected to have more, but he realized that a lot of them would be used to help take some of their equipment through to the alpha site.
Rodney started to go through the list and assigned each one a task that they would need to do on the alpha site. He stopped when he came across another name. “Kavanagh,” he muttered. Tapping his earpiece, “Peter Grodin, can you come to the office for a moment?”
“Of course,” he replied.
Rodney stared at the name, not sure if he wanted to let the man go to the alpha site and out of his sphere of control. He looked up as Peter walked in. “Please, sit down. I need your help with a problem.”
“Oh?” he asked, frowning as he sat down. “And what problem would that be?”
“Kavanagh,” he answered. “I’ve had Miko Kusanagi go through the people on Atlantis to make a list of those who can go through to the alpha site as soon as it’s possible. She put Kavanagh on the list.”
“And with how he’s been behaving, you’re not sure he can be trusted to be out of your sight?” Peter asked.
“Exactly that,” Rodney sighed, “He’s caused too much trouble in my eyes for him to go to the alpha site without close supervision,” he began.
“Hmm,” Peter nodded as he frowned a little more, “What things has he done that you would be hesitant to let him go there?”
“Three much-needed projects were set back weeks, because he decided that he should interfere with them. And I do mean weeks, and in one case, it’s going to take around three to four months before it gets back to where it had been. In the last two months alone, sixteen people have been injured because of his actions. He has no care for his fellow scientists,” he sighed, “Not only that, but even going back as far as our first day here, he caused trouble. He’s insubordinate to the point of me wanting to send him back to Earth without a wormhole,” he muttered.
“In other words, he can’t be trusted without supervision and security on his tail,” Peter said, shaking his head.
“No, I don’t think I can. He’s going to have to stay, and I’m going to see about assigning someone to keep an eye on him. He’s still not doing the work he was given, even after being released from confinement. He’s done nothing,” he said, as he looked at the report that Radek had sent him about Kavanagh. “Here,” he said as he turned his laptop around to let Peter read it.
Peter was quiet as he went through the report, “You asked Dr Zelenka to report on Kavanagh’s work daily?”
“Yes, just for the first week, and then weekly reports. I’ve had two reports so far, and both tell me he’s still not done anything he has been assigned. He goes off on his own a lot. He’s been locked out of a lot of things. He’s protested, tried to fight, and then fucks off again.”
“Hmm,” he nodded a few times before adding, “I would say keep him here, he is too much of a loose cannon to leave without supervision,” he agreed.
Rodney nodded, “Good, I was thinking the same as well.” he sighed, “I just needed a second opinion on this.”
“I understand,” Peter smiled, “And I have to say, with what you’ve told me of Kavanagh’s movements and actions, I’m worried that he has his own agenda for coming to Atlantis.”
“He worked closely with Weir, which is another reason why I’m not trusting him,” he added, “We still have no idea what he did for her.”
“I don’t either, I just know that they had meetings at least once or twice a day. Always private, and no one else would ever join them either,” Peter told him, “I would keep an eye on what he is doing when he is alone. If Weir tasked him with something, he might still be working on it,” he warned.
“Hmm,” he nodded, “That’s what I think as well, that he’s still carrying out her orders.”
“Then keep him close,” he said, looking at his friend.
Rodney nodded, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer,” he murmured.
“Exactly that,” Peter nodded, “Oh, and Dr Zelenka got in touch, and reminded me that you are to meet him for lunch in half an hour,” he added as he stood up.
“Right,” he nodded.
“I’ll warn you when you have ten minutes so you can finish what you’re doing and head to lunch. Dr Beckett has warned Dr Zelenka and me about making sure you eat when you’re supposed to,” he said as he looked down at the man.
“Does everyone know what the hell happened last night?” he grumbled,
“Dr Zelenka and I were informed of what happened. Mostly to make sure that you’ll have meals. Dr Beckett has made sure to inform us that you’re working so much that you’re getting caught up in it. Forgetting to eat, so we’re going to be the ones to remind you. I’ll also be coming by with meals and an occasional snack. Dr Beckett is planning on making sure that we know how to keep you ticking,” he smirked a little as he got up.
“Ugh,” Rodney rolled his eyes, “I can look after myself.”
“No doubt you can, Dr McKay,” he said, giving him a look, “But at the moment, you’re extremely busy with everything going on, so let us help.”
Rodney sighed, “This is the third time people have said that to me today,” he muttered.
“Then listen to us,” Peter said as he started to head to the door.
“Maybe,” he said, though it sounded more like a fine to Peter, who smiled and nodded before leaving the man to continue going through the list of names Miko had sent him.
XxXxX
Lunch with Radek had been a welcome break from everything. The two had talked over the design as they ate, and Rodney had relaxed a little more with doing something he somewhat enjoyed. The meeting with everyone was about to take place. Rikesh was to one side, going over the notes on his tablet. Miko was doing the same after getting a note back from Rodney about Kavanagh and how he would be remaining close.
Rodney looked around the meeting room, “Alright, everyone, please sit, we have a lot to get through, and we’re on a time crunch,” he stated, waiting for everyone to sit. “Dr Patel has news on the storm, so I’m going to let him say what’s needed.”
Rikesh stood up, “Thank you, Dr McKay,” he stated as he went over to the screen and clicked the clicker in his hand. On the screen was a map of the planet. “Right,” he began, as the storm was shown, “This is the storm as of an hour ago. You can see that there are two distinct weather systems that are merging,” he pointed, “This is a third that has now been consumed by it. In about fifteen hours, it will be just one massive system. Its wind speed is going to be almost double the strongest storm we have ever seen on Earth. From the data we took from the database, these happened every twenty to thirty years. They are heading our way. In five days, they’re going to hit the settlement. In just under six, it will be us. This storm is going to cause waves that are almost a hundred feet tall, and in some cases, even higher.”
“Thank you, Dr Patel,” Rodney said as he gestured for the man to sit down. “With the tall waves, Atlantis is going to be engulfed unless we get the shield up and running. Dr Zelenka and I are working on that problem. While we are doing that, the settlement and the city are going to be evacuated of any non-essential personnel,” he stated. “Dr Kusanagi has made a list of those who should head straight to the alpha site as soon as we get word it’s up and running. Most of the tents that we’re going to be using are ready. Miss Emmagan and those at the settlement have done some brilliant work in getting them ready at such short notice. Those on Atlantis are doing some good work as well,” he said.
“Dr Kusanagi has asked for a list of people, ages, and what they do within the village,” Teyla said, “I hope it’s sent right.”
“It did,” Miko smiled at her, “I made a quick list for those that should be evacuated within two days. Those who will be helped more at the alpha site in getting the tent city raised and ready for us.”
“Dr Kinder,” Rodney said as he looked at the botanist, “Dr Marsh,” he added, glancing at the one in charge of agriculture. “I need both of you to work together in getting as many of the crops that are at the settlement up and saved as you can. Can it be done?” he asked them.
Gary Marsh nodded, “It can, but we might not be able to save everything. But some of the younger plants should be able to be replanted into pots. I know that some people have been making them and larger garden beds.”
“We can start doing it,” Nick Kinder nodded, “My team and Gary’s should be able to get it done, we’ll save what we can from the settlement, of course, with Miss Emmagan’s help and those that are there.”
“Halling,” Teyla said, looking at the man, “we should be able to help?”
“Yes,” he nodded once, “Many of us are hunters, but we have a few that were farmers from other worlds that joined us. They will be doing most of the work.”
“Thank you for anything that you can give. When I’ve gone through the list from Miko, I’d like you both to help in getting them ready to head to the alpha site. Captain Bates should be returning within an hour or two, with an update on how the build is progressing. We should be almost finished by now.”
Sgt Lewis Grand looked over, “From when we were there, only one more structure needed to be raised. So yeah, it should be done before the end of today. I had some of my men mark out places for suitable farmland near the buildings we’re putting up,” he added.
Rodney nodded, “That was one thing that Major Sheppard suggested we do. Make another farm at the alpha site to help supplement Atlantis and the Settlement, as well as to make sure we have a backup in case of weather issues or crop issues.”
“It’s a good idea,” Marsh said, nodding a few times, “Weather is unpredictable, and with all our crops mostly in one place along with the bays here on Atlantis, there is always a possibility of something going wrong. With more areas, less chance.”
“Maybe when we return, a second settlement could be made on another part of the island?” Teyla suggested, “Another farm?”
“It’s an idea, we can scout around for a place when this is over,” Rodney agreed.
“I’ll do some soil samples when we return to see where the best places are,” Marsh said, looking at the woman with a smile.
“So there is that. Now, for the teams, I have two missions that need to be done in the next two days, to get as much as we need to go straight to the alpha site. I’m asking AR-3 and AR-6 to go through,” he stated as he looked at the two team leads. “Grand, Fin, this is mainly to get the raw things we need to help make water filters, we’ll be needing them at the alpha site. I’m going to start looking at a permanent scientific crew over there, only a few people,” he added, “just those that will keep an eye on weather systems over there, along with anything we set up, like the farm. Dr Beckett has two teams trained up that will be able to be at the site for emergencies. But we’ll talk about that another time. For now, we need to get the tent city set up. We have almost four hundred people at the settlement, and over 100 here on Atlantis. I know some are recovering from the Athosian flu,” he added.
“Yes, it’s caused a few problems, but most are starting to get better. Those I believe are still recovering, I’ve put them on the list to go, though they may still be of help at the alpha site,” Teyla said softly.
“Right, get the lists ready, and start preparing people. I’ll be making an announcement tomorrow morning about those who will need to get ready to leave. I also need you to start thinking about what needs to be packed away to be saved, in case Atlantis does fall. Start packing it away, it will go with the first wave of evacuees,” he stated, “make sure you list everything that is going, so we know what’s gone, and what we still have on Atlantis.”
Most of the department heads nodded.
“What do you need us for?” Corporal Mathews asked as she looked at Rodney.
Rodney looked at the team leader for AR-7; they were new, having only been on one gate mission before everything went into lockdown. “I’ll be needing teams, 5 and 7, to head to the Mainland and to start helping there. Team 4 and 2 will be going to the alpha site,” he added. “I have here a plan for the teams, and what we need them to do,” he added as he gave one to each team lead. “I know it seems like a lot to do, but we have less than five days to get Atlantis and the settlement empty of life. Only a few will remain behind on Atlantis.”
“We’ll get on these,” Corporal Leon Sully nodded as the other team leaders did the same.
“Dismissed, everyone. Keep each other and me informed on what you are doing, where you are in your plans. You have twenty-four hours to get things ready to go through. I want as many of the non-essentials through by the time morning hits. Which means we’ll be having a few gate teams up all night. That’s already on the list for AR-1 and AR-4. Lt Ford will be leading AR-1 while Major Sheppard is recovering.”
People started to get up and leave. Most were talking amongst themselves as they readied for what was to come. Rodney remained behind, with only Teyla, Miko, and Radek doing the same.
“Are you alright?” Teyla asked as she could see the exhaustion on Rodney’s face.
“A lot is going on,” he answered her, “I’ll be fine when this crisis is over, and we can get back to things.”
Teyla nodded, but didn’t look convinced, “If you do need help, you only need to ask.”
“I know, Teyla,” he said as he looked at her, “At the moment, these are things you can’t really help with. What you’re doing now is what is helping me most. Things are… in the air still after Weir. We’re still finding out the things that she has done to this mission that almost made it impossible for us to survive.”
“I see,” she frowned, “What help do you need? You know my people will be happy to.”
“We may just be taking them up on that offer more now. Weir was against having you and your people’s help. I know John, and I feel differently about that. We’d be glad of it after the storm is over,” Rodney told her, “I know you’ve been an invaluable member of our team since the moment we met. For now, let’s get through this. I-”
“Dr McKay, Captain Bates, and his team are coming back. He has a verbal report that he wishes to speak to you about.” Peter’s voice came through clearly. He hadn’t taken part in the meeting; instead, he had decided to remain in the control room in case an emergency came up.
“I’ll be right there,” Rodney answered as he got up. “Right, I’ll talk to you all again later. Radek, I’ll be by the lab sometime after dinner. Carson said something about John taking the next step in his recovery, whatever that means.”
“He was on an NG tube last time?” Miko asked.
“He is still,” Rodney answered.
“Maybe they’re getting rid of that, if he’s eating,” she suggested.
“It could be. John’s been able to keep everything down so far. So he should be able to get rid of it today. It irritates his throat when he’s eating,” he added.
“Then it’ll be that,” Miko smiled as she got up, “Teyla, want to help with those lists?” she asked.
“Of course,” she smiled back as she stood, “I will speak with you later, Rodney, and tell John that I will stop by before I retire for the night.”
“He’ll like that, and I’ll make sure to tell him,” he nodded as Radek was the only one to remain.
“Are you sure you’re up to working with me tonight?” he asked, “You gave me an entire day for myself, you should do something for yourself for a few hours at least.”
Rodney shook his head, “We really don’t have time now,” he sighed, “I’ll be by around seven, at the latest, hopefully. I’ll keep you informed of what I’m doing, get started, and I’ll do what I can as soon as I get there.”
Radek nodded and left. Rodney remained in the meeting room for a few moments to compose himself before he left and headed straight for the control room to welcome Captain Bates back.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Rodney walked into the office with Carson and Bates following him. “So,” he said, sitting down and gesturing for the two to do the same. Carson sat straight away, while Bates hesitated for a moment before joining them. “How is the alpha site?”
“Everything is finished,” Bates said, “We’ve made sure the structures are going to withstand the weather on the planet. Dr Patel had two of his staff members surveying to make sure we don’t have something like what is going on here, happening over there.”
“So far, nothing?” he asked.
“No,” Bates answered, “It’s not a tropical climate, they said it’s more like the UK weather from what they’ve been able to gather so far. Hopefully, that will make good soil for planting. Grand was able to mark out a good area. They took soil samples for Marsh and Kinder to look at, see if it really is suitable.”
Rodney nodded, “So everything is ready?” he asked.
“Yes,” Bates replied.
“The medical bay is all set up,” Carson added, “I’ve made sure that it has a lot of what’s needed. We’re going to have to find a way to make a few items, but it shouldn’t be that hard. I know that the engineering team has a lot of blueprints for the equipment we have, and we have the raw materials already needed in stock. They came with us through the gate.”
“We do have some. Thank you, Captain Bates, you and your team are on rest now, the storm is only five days away. So we’ll be sending new teams, though, not just to guard but to start taking the tents that are ready through. I’ll be giving you a file to look over. I’ve assigned teams to certain things and time limits for some. In the morning, there will be a general announcement and a list of names of those who will be heading through the gate that day to remain there. Lt Ford has taken Teyla back to the mainland along with two gate teams and those from Drs Marsh and Kinder’s people, to help uproot the plants that have been laid down, to try and save as much as possible. Thankfully, not much has been planted, and we had only just started to plough our own fields on the mainland. The other half of their people are dealing with the things we’ve been growing here in the city. Most of that should, hopefully, be ready to go tomorrow night. Carson, would you be able to get a team together to go through the gate and be stationed at the alpha site?”
“Aye, I have a few people in mind,” he agreed easily, “I just have to get them together, get them ready, and I can have them shipped out.”
“Right, get that done,” Rodney told him, “I-”
“I’ll be needing you down in the infirmary later on,” Carson reminded him.
“I know, I’ll be there,” he agreed. “Dinner time?”
“Around then, aye,” he nodded.
“Right, dismissed,” he said as he looked at the two men.
Captain Bates stood and nodded before heading out.
Carson took a moment longer as he stood up slowly, “Rodney,” he said, calling the man’s attention as he had already started staring at the screen in front of him.
“Hmm?” he hummed as he looked up, “What is it, Carson?”
“How are your levels?” he asked.
“They are fine,” Rodney answered, “Honestly. I had breakfast with John this morning, remember, and then lunch with Radek. Peter brought me a snack before you and Bates came back, as I had been in a meeting. They are all keeping an eye on me,” he said with a roll of his eyes.
“Good, Rodney, you look exhausted. I noticed it last night, and each time you’ve come down to see John. I’m worried about you,” he admitted.
Rodney slumped in his chair, “I know I’m tired. It’s been one thing after another since John became ill. I’m having to deal with the military side of things, and the small talks I’ve had with John about what to do with them. How to get them motivated and geared up for what’s needed. While he was sedated, I had to work from what little I had. Then there is the current crisis, the storm that’s heading our way. It’s five days away, Carson. Five days and we could lose Atlantis and the ability to contact Earth should we ever find a bloody ZPM,” he muttered.
Carson looked at his friend, “Try and find a little time to rest. After spending time with John, don’t go back to-” he was cut off as Rodney waved a hand.
“I have something to do tonight after seeing John,” he shook his head, “And it’s not something that can wait, Carson. Radek and I need to get the converter made and set up, and then test it to make sure it works before the storm hits. It might be the only chance we have of getting a shield in place to save Atlantis.”
Carson didn’t look happy as he observed Rodney closely. “Don’t burn yourself out, Rodney,” he warned him, “As far as I’m concerned, as soon as this storm is over, you’re taking a good break, no doubt Peter and the others can run this place for a bit without you.”
“You forget that John’s in recovery.”
“Aye, he is,” Carson nodded, “But that doesn’t mean that they can’t deal for a day or two at least without both of you.”
“We’ll see,” Rodney said, not wanting to make a promise.
“I suppose that’s the best I can get at the moment,” he sighed as he began to head out. “I’ll see you at dinner, and I’ll make sure that you have something there,” he added as he left.
Rodney huffed, but went back to his work.
XxXxX
Carson walked into John’s room. The man was sitting up, eating on his own. “Where’s Rodney?” he asked, expecting to see the older man sitting in the room and eating as well.
“He said he was running late, that he needed to oversee something,” John answered, “Told me to eat alone, if I can. Since I’m not shaking, I thought I would.”
“Right,” he said, not happy that Rodney wasn’t there and eating.
“So, what’s the word then, Doc?” John asked, feeling better than he had in a while. His chest was still a little tight, and he was still tired. But he was done with just lying around.
“Well, from the scan you had this morning, I could see that your nervous system is back to how it was before you became ill. There are a few additions, but nothing bad. I would say they have to do with your new sight,” he explained, “And since you’ve been eating and having movements, we’re going to take you off the NG tube. We’ll do that before Rodney gets here. If he gets here.”
“Good, it irritates my throat,” he muttered.
“Aye,” he nodded, “I’ll let you finish eating first, then we’ll let that settle before taking the NG out. I also want to see about getting you up and walking a little bit. You’ve been in bed a while, so you’ll be a little weak.”
“Right,” John grimaced, “I remember having that trouble before,” he said, thinking back to his recovery after being a POW. It had been almost five months in a tiny cell, escaping and collapsing. He had been in the hospital for almost three months before he was released, and part of that was because he had no strength to even walk.
“Aye, well,” Carson began, “it’s one of the reasons why I wanted Rodney here, to help.”
“Yeah,” John nodded, “I’m gonna need a bit of support, I’ve barely even sat up fully.”
“I know, which is why I want help, and considering your reluctance in letting anyone close, I thought Rodney would be the best person for the job,” Carson smiled a little as they waited for Rodney.
“I did remind him to have something to eat before coming here. Hope he does,” John said as he finished the last of the broth he’d been given. It was a little more, with more solid foods within it instead of the watery soup he’d been given and the bland porridge that morning.
“He should. I’ve been monitoring his levels, and they’ve been really even, which is nice to see. Hopefully, he’ll be able to rest soon. I’ve been-” he cut himself off, looking away.
“What?” John said, frowning as he looked at Carson. “What’s going on?”
Carson sighed, “I’ve been worried. I saw him earlier, and he looked tired. I’ve seen him run down before, tired even. But this level of exhaustion. I’ve not seen it before, even when the shit is about to hit the fan. He’s pushed through, but I think he might be reaching his limit.”
“I need to be able to get out of here, take some of the pressure off. I know I can’t go running around, but there is still something I can do. I can still attend meetings and sit down for them. You can even have a monitor on me. But I’m going to need to get out of here to help, and to get to know what the situation actually is,” John said, pushing a little.
“While you are healing, you’re not healed enough for th-” Carson began.
“I don’t care. At this moment in time, we don’t have that much of a choice if we’re going to keep Rodney from losing his shit,” John snapped, cutting him off, “And you’re right, I’ve been watching him as he comes. How often does he forget food? How often does his sugars drop that drastically?” he asked, “Not often, he has a good handle on his condition, even when we’re off-world. He’s stressed. He’s doing a job that isn’t his, and he’s also trying to organise everyone for an evacuation. That’s around five hundred people in the city and at the settlement. He’s also looking into what Weir has done. Though trying to tell him that it’s not worth looking into at the moment, isn’t going to work.”
“No, he’s like a dog with a bone when he’s trying to figure something out, and he’s trying to find out what Weir was up to,” Carson sighed, “He’s not going to give that up.”
“I know, which is why I need to get back to things. I can at least take that off his hands, and a few other things,” he said, “Anything could help take the heat off Rodney at the moment.”
Carson sighed, “We’ll see. At the moment, I want you here another day, to at least make sure you’re walking around.”
John nodded, “Fine, another day, but at least let me have something, a laptop, tablet, anything, so I can at least work while in here. I’m getting really bored.”
Carson snorted, “I’ve been waiting, and I’ll see about letting Rodney get you something to work on. If he agrees that you can do something while in here, then I’ll allow it, but only for a couple of hours. No more than two or three. I don’t want a relapse if you push yourself.”
“I won’t,” he said, sounding sure of himself.
Carson gave him a look, remembering several times when he had ignored that advice and pushed himself.
“I won’t,” he repeated, trying to look innocent.
Carson snorted as the door opened and Rodney finally walked in. The two men looked at him, watching as he walked over. John hated seeing the bags that were starting to get darker under Rodney’s eyes. The man looked tired in every single movement he made. “Your levels are a little low, Rodney. I’m sending food to you,” Carson said before Rodney could even greet them.
“I did have something to eat, Carson, not much, I admit, but I was busy dealing with an idiot who thought he knew better than everyone else. Some of the pots and beds that we made to transport crops and plants have been destroyed,” he sighed, not really fighting it, as he went over to the chair near the bed and flopped down in it.
“Yeah, food,” Carson said as he went to put the order in for something to be sent down.
“Thank you,” Rodney said, closing his eyes and just slumping forward.
“Carson said, if it’s okay with you, to hand me a laptop or tablet and let me do something to help. I might not be able to do much from here, but I can still look through what Weir was doing, and maybe find out what she was actually up to,” he pointed out, hoping that Rodney would go for it.
Rodney looked at him, saying nothing until Carson walked back into the room with a plate full of piping hot food. The meal looked like a version of shepherd’s pie, vegetables and meat with green-tinted mashed potatoes. Didn’t look that appealing, but the Pegasus version of potatoes were delicious compared to the Earth version. One of the few foods that went down well with the expedition. Rodney began to eat as he contemplated what John had asked.
“Well?” John pushed a little as soon as Rodney was halfway through his meal.
“Fine, I’ll bring something down so you can go through what files we were able to unlock of hers,” Rodney finally answered.
John smiled, “Good, I’ll get on that as soon as I get a laptop,” he added, pleased that he was finally going to be doing something more than just lying around.
“Do not push it,” Rodney warned, “it can all be taken away from you.”
“I won’t,” John huffed and rolled his eyes, considering that Rodney was now the second person to warn him about that.
“We’ll see, Carson and I will be keeping an eye on you.”
“I might need to talk to a few people about their interaction with Weir, since most of this is just spec what I’ve learned so far,” John said. “It wasn’t like I was able to investigate her in the open. Now I can,” he grinned slightly as he looked at Rodney. “You don’t mind that, do you? I don’t mind talking to them in here, either,” he added, hoping that would be fine.
“You’re pushing it, John,” Rodney told him, taking another bite of his meal.
“Maybe a little, but it’s all in trying to figure out what Weir was up to. If we know, then we’ll be able to start looking for things that she has done to various systems. I know we’ve been having trouble with some of them,” he added.
“I’ll allow it, because we need to know what systems we have to repair. As things were working fine with many of them, they stopped. Even some of our own have broken down. Miko is doing her best, so is her team-” Rodney began, waving a spoon around before taking another mouthful.
“You think that’s why Millie might have been targeted? She worked with Miko,” John frowned, wishing he had something to write notes down with.
Rodney paused in his eating, “You know, that might just be why. It’s one of the things Miko said when I told her that Millie had passed away. She made sure I wouldn’t go near Weir.”
“I’m going to have to talk with Miko then at some point. I know she’s most likely busy with the evacuation and stuff, but spending a few minutes talking while she has a break, or even going to the mess to have a meal,” John began.
“No leaving the infirmary,” Carson said, glaring at the man.
“It won’t hurt for me to be out, I’ll even let someone tag along if that’s what it takes,” John protested, “I can’t remain in here all the time, and I know you want to keep an eye on me. But I’m healing, and I’ll continue to get better. It would be good as well for them to see me up and about.”
Carson and Rodney shared a look. He was right about that; it would be good for morale to see John recovering. But neither of them was happy about the fact that he was pushing for more after being given the go-ahead.
“You’ll be in a wheelchair,” Carson said, wondering if that would stop him from wanting to go out. He seemed the type not to want to use anything that would show a weakness.
“Do I really have to?” John asked, pulling a face at the thought.
“Yes, you want to move around Atlantis, well, wheelchair it is,” Carson told him, arms folding in front of him, “I will not be budging on this, lad. Wheelchair or you remain here fully.”
“Fine,” he bit out, not happy at all with the situation, but he could understand the stance that Carson was taking. He hadn’t even taken a step yet, and who knows how much strength he still had after being ill and almost dying as he had.
“Good,” Carson said, though even he wasn’t happy at the acceptance.
Rodney looked at John as he finished eating his meal, “Right, rules on you doing this, John.”
“Rules?” John glared, “Come on, I do-”
“You do,” Rodney said, “I know you, we’re cut from the same bloody cloth,” he pointed out, “Now, you can do this, but only for a couple of hours. No more than two hours out of the infirmary at any time. Between that, you rest for twice that time, so you’re out for the full two hours, you spend four resting and recovering. I don’t mind if you work on the laptop a little, but no more than an hour at a time during your recovery period in the infirmary. A nurse is with you at all times while you are out on Atlantis. Weir might be gone, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone she worked with still around. We learned that with Graeme.”
John sighed but listened as a few more conditions were given out by Carson as well. “Fine, I’ll abide by them.”
“Good, we’ll see how you go with walking in a bit, first let’s take out the NG tube,” Carson said.
“Please,” John nodded, knowing this wasn’t going to be pleasant.
“I’ll go and get that laptop,” Rodney said as he jumped up.
“Thanks!” John called out.
Rodney left the room quickly. He’d been on an NG tube once in his life, and that was once too many for him. It had been unpleasant and irritating from the start to at least a day afterward. His throat had been sore from it all. He headed straight to his lab, grabbing the laptop that John used. Since he’d never returned it to the man after the meeting with Weir, and had done his report when he’d first ended up in the infirmary. It was just over a week ago, around ten days, and it felt like a lifetime. Like he’d lived for months since that moment in time.
Rodney took a moment, just letting himself rest for a second, to think over what had happened. John became ill. Rodney had called a no-confidence vote against Weir, then confronted Weir, and she was killed in the altercation. Finding out she had poisoned everyone, seven people were dead at her hands. The storm that was quickly heading their way finally found a cure that helped John, Yuri, and Nathan. It was a lot.
Rodney straightened up again, grabbed the laptop and charger for it, and headed back to the infirmary. Making sure to let Radek know he was running a little late.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Rodney had a quick breakfast with John before meeting with Radek in his lab. John had taken another walk around his room and into the infirmary. He was still a little tired after it, but he wasn’t as bad as he was the first time. Carson had agreed that he could still help in investigating Weir. John had looked rather happy when Rodney had left, laptop already out, and Carson huffing about the man working and not resting. Even though he had agreed that it would be fine.
“Morning, Rodney,” Radek greeted as he looked up from the converter that was almost halfway built. They had done good work on it last night.
“We made good time, I think if we push, we should have this done, just after lunchtime,” Rodney grinned as he walked over to it. “It’s coming together well. We still have some testing to do,” he added.
“That shouldn’t be hard to do. I had some of ours set up a place we can do it,” Radek added.
“Good,” Rodney nodded, “I’ve got Miko going over the lists and making sure that Teyla knows which people of hers are to head to the city. See, I do delegate some things.”
Radek snorted, “You went through those lists as well,” he pointed out. “You didn’t just take them for what Miko had suggested. I should know, since she asked me about Kavanagh and what she should do. I think sending him to the alpha site and leaving him there permanently is the best option,” he smirked, enjoying the thought of booting the useless scientist to the alpha site to oversee nothing but his own ego.
“Tempting though it is, keep your friends close, and enemies closer,” he reminded him, “There is a good reason why that’s a saying. And one I think is good to use out here in Pegasus. If we knew where the Wraith were, then I wouldn’t be freaking out so much when we step through the gate.”
“Hmm,” he nodded, “it’s a good saying, one that works well. And I agree, knowing where those vampires are would be good.”
“It would,” Rodney agreed easily. “Right, let’s get to work while the day is fresh, and I don’t have much to do at the moment.”
“You just jinxed yourself,” Radek laughed.
“Don’t tell me you believe in that mumbo jumbo crap?” he said, rolling his eyes, “Honestly, half the fucking people I work with are idiots.”
“We’re superstitious for a reason, Rodney.” Radek rolled his eyes, shaking his head.
“I know, but I still think it’s all a bunch of hocus-pocus,” he muttered as they got to work on the converter once more.
“I know you do,” Radek laughed lightly as he grabbed the next piece that needed to be put onto the machine.
Rodney had no idea how long they had been working, but his back was aching from the way he was bending over to make sure that everything was put in the right place and secured. “Right,” he said, “I think it might be ready to be tested.” he grinned as he looked at Radek.
“Hmm,” he nodded, “I agree. We’ll take it to the lab, but I’ve got orders to make sure you head to lunch. John is going to meet us there,” he added.
Rodney brightened at that, “Really?” he asked.
“Yes, Carson sent word half an hour ago that as soon as we were ready for lunch, he’ll let John loose,” he laughed at how happy his friend looked at the thought of meeting John for lunch.
“Great, let’s get this to the lab now, and then tell John that we’ll meet him,” Rodney said, feeling energized and beginning to move the converter to the trolley with Radek’s help. They went through the corridors of Atlantis, taking their time to reach the lab where they would test it after lunch.
“Hey, Miko,” Rodney called out to the woman, “We have it ready, just needs testing.”
“Wonderful,” she nodded, “Teyla has confirmed that the people who are coming will be here before dinner.”
“Right, I’m going to go through the gate and see the alpha site for myself, and see how they want to set up the tent city. So many people are going to have to be housed for two days, and to eat and sleep,” Rodney said.
“You don’t have to go, I’ve already gotten a plan going from what Captain Bates has told me and mapped out. He made sure to take a video as well, so I’ve been able to plan it out. You don’t have to worry about it, Dr McKay,” she told him.
Rodney looked at her. “Miko,” he said in that slight warning tone.
“Rodney,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.
“Good girl,” he said sarcastically.
“Sometimes, Rodney, I forget that you’re an asshole,” she smiled sweetly at him.
“How the hell can you forget that!?” Radek snorted, “It’s the first thing that you hear about him, and it’s the first thing you can tell as soon as he opens his mouth to speak.”
“The asshole is one of the first things that develops in the womb,” Rodney said absently as he made sure that the converter transferred over to the testing area without issue.
“Pity you never developed beyond that point,” Miko smirked as Rodney looked up.
Rodney snorted, “Yes, I identify as an asshole. Can we finish here so I can go and have lunch with John?”
“John… Major Sheppard? So you’ll be wanting to get down to the infirmary then,” Miko sighed.
“No, I’m meeting him in the mess,” Rodney said, sounding like a proud parent.
“He’s been released?!” she exclaimed, looking happy at the thought.
“Not fully,” Rodney replied softly, “But he’s been allowed to leave, as long as a nurse is with him.”
“At least that’s something,” Miko smiled. “Now, let’s get this ready for later, then,” she nodded as the three of them got to work.
It didn’t take them long to finish and for Rodney to call John and tell him that they were on the way to the mess to meet up with him.
XxXxX
John read through what Miko had been able to unlock so far of Weir’s files. It wasn’t a lot, in the grand scheme of things. But it was a start at least. He knew that Rodney had already gone through some of the files and made notes on what he thought was worth looking at. So he was going over what he had found. Derek walked in not long after he started, making sure he got up and walked around a little more, for longer this time, before he settled back down in an armchair and a rolling table pulled up so he could work.
“Right,” he muttered as he started going through what Miko had decoded last night. Each file had a different encryption, and John had to wonder how the hell she had managed so many of them.
His eyes went wide as he read through the file. “Fucking hell,” he muttered darkly. “Dr Grodin,” he said, as he tapped his earpiece, finally able to have it back.
“Major Sheppard, what can I do for you?” came the dulcet tones of Peter’s English accent.
“Are you free to come down for a small talk?” he asked, “I just want to go over a few things with you.”
“Of course, I should be free to come down in twenty minutes. We’re just taking a few things to the alpha site, and then I’ll be done,” he answered.
“Thank you,” John said as he went back to make a few notes and questions he wanted to ask Peter when he got there.
John finished making a few more notes and wrote down a list of people that he wanted to talk with at some point. He looked up as someone knocked on the door. “Come in,” he said, shaking his head. “Dr Grodin,” he greeted.
“Major Sheppard,” Peter greeted as he walked in.
“It’s John,” he reminded him.
“Then it’s Peter,” he replied, smiling as he sat down. “How are you today?” he asked.
“I’m doing a lot better. The cough is still hanging around, but Carson said it should start going away in another couple of days. My lungs were pretty bad when the cure started working,” he answered honestly, “But give me a few more days, and I should be annoying Rodney soon enough.”
“Dr McKay… Rodney has missed you a lot. He’s been working hard, taking care of everyone, and has neglected himself,” he said carefully.
“I know,” John nodded, “I’ve seen it when he comes by.”
Peter nodded, “So, what is it you wanted me for?” he asked.
“Right,” he said as he looked to his notes for a second, “Miko was able to unlock a file, and after reading it, I have a few questions for you.”
“I’ll help where I can, of course,” he nodded.
John smiled, “I know. Right, you have a PhD in physics and biochemistry, with other degrees in engineering and applied mathematics, but you were brought on for your skills in keeping communications up and running. You’re behind a few of the innovations that the teams here use to keep in contact. Including how small these little things are, and how versatile they are in picking up who we want to actually talk to instead of broadcasting it to everyone. You refused to go and didn’t sign the contract that was given to everyone when they signed on for this mission.”
“I didn’t,” he nodded a few times. “Weir wanted me here, as she said that she had delicate communications to deal with, and that I was the only one she trusted to do it. I had been dealing with her communications with others outside of the outpost since I arrived there. She wanted me to continue doing it for her here as well. I am… unsure as to why.”
“There would be no way that communications from Earth would reach us, even with current technology and any extra help from others,” John nodded. “Would you be able to help me look through the communications that she had received before leaving Earth, to see if you can isolate the ones that she got from outside of the outpost?”
“I can certainly try,” he agreed, “I’ll work on it when I can, and when I have access. It’s not something that I would want to work on out in the open. I don’t know if I will be able to get anything here for some things.”
“Ask Rodney if you can share his office with him for a bit, while you work on it. It should be fine, since I’m not using it at the moment,” John suggested. “And I’m beginning to believe that she kept you here because you might have seen something.”
“Then I’ll do that, and you might be right. I’ll go over what I have access to on her private server,” he began, frowning as he thought of where he could start.
“Private server?” John frowned, having never heard anything like that before.
“Damn, I don’t think I said that before,” Peter shook his head, “It slipped my mind. Dr Weir had a server where she had copies of everything. I don’t know how much of it was brought with her. But it was a private one, which she would often move files into. I know I accessed it here a few times for her to bring up reports that she wanted to review. She had a problem with it a few weeks after arriving, that the only reason I know she has some of it with her. I don’t know if it’s all there. If so, there might be a wealth of information on her activities. She was… a person who liked to record everything she did, the whys.”
“It might help if we can find it,” John nodded a few times, “Have a look, see if you can.”
“I’ll speak with Miko after we finish here, see if she can meet me for an hour,” he said, “Anything else that you need to know? Or ask?” he prompted.
John nodded, “I just need to know what you did for her? What were the interactions you had with her like?”
“She called on me each time she was in the office. I wanted to make sure that I was there as well. When she slept, I was able to. She… tried to control what I was doing daily, since we got here.”
“She had a file on her laptop on you,” John began slowly, carefully.
Peter shifted, “I can guess what’s in there.”
“You have a child, back in the UK?” he asked.
“I do, a son, he’s nine,” he said softly. “His mother and I were together for a while, as I figured a few things out. We are still friends, but no one knows about him. I kept him a secret, as I know what my family is like. They would have done what they could to get custody of him. And I wouldn’t allow it. She…”
“Used him against you,” he nodded, “It’s in the file. His school, grades, even. His mother, their address.”
“She put forward everything that she found about him and Arianna,” he said, “His mother is French, but she was living in England when we met, while I was at Cambridge,” he smiled, “She is a spitfire, not afraid of anything. When I was first recruited for the program, it was exciting, and they came with me to the US. For a while, things were fine. But she was missing the work she had been doing at a research facility in England. So I let her go,” he murmured. “She took Lucas with her. I saw him as much as I could, even while at the bottom of the world. Calls, videos, everything we could. Weir found out about him. Like I said, I kept him quiet. I learned quickly when arriving at Area 51 that if you had dependents, they could be targets. So, Weir’s learning about him put me on edge. I was able to get one last message out to her, though a trusted friend back at the SGC, to make sure that Arianna and Lucas were protected with me out here. I just hope that they are all right. Weir…” he paused for a moment, “Weir threatened Lucas’ life. I-”
“Too scared to say anything to anyone,” John nodded. “You’re protecting your child, I understand,” he said, “And as soon as we can get through to Earth again, and dial them. That you’re to go back to see them.”
“Thank you,” he nodded, “The cancer wasn’t the only reason why I wanted to remain behind.”
“It was them,” John murmured.
“Yes, to protect them from whatever Weir had planned,” he sighed, “There isn’t anything I can do now,” he said, “But I can only hope that Weir’s reach isn’t that far, with her being out here.”
“Hopefully, that will be the case, and you did have a friend warn them to be safe as well?” John asked.
“I did. Her father is high up in the French Government, and he will be able to protect her better. I had my friend tell her to get to him, to ask for protection. I even had a message sent to him as well. To make sure he knew. I believe that he knows about the program, as well, so he might have a better idea of what he is protecting his daughter and grandson from,” he sighed.
“Right,” he nodded, taking in everything that Peter had told him, “For now, work with Miko on the private server, see if you can find it and get into it.”
“I will,” Peter agreed.
“Now, I just want to ask about Weir in general, what was she like before she got hold of this information?” he asked.
Peter took a breath, “She ignored me. If you didn’t have something that she wanted from you, she ignored you. She wasn’t… the type of ignore like Rodney does. Moreover, you’re beneath her in a bad way. Rodney does it like you need to work harder to get his attention. She was ambitious, and if you weren’t going to help her get to her goals, she didn’t need or want you in her orbit. When she learned that I was good with encrypting messages, to the point where they were practically impossible for anyone to decode. I was to make sure she had that security. I thought it was normal at first. But there was just something off with her behaviour for some of the things she was asking me to encrypt. programs that she asked me if it was possible to make. She was able to get me to make one that would help encrypt and decrypt messages as long as both sides had the key.”
“Right, chances are she wanted you here, to make sure that there would be no chance of you letting out what you’ve done for her,” John surmised, though it was all guesswork; he had a feeling he was close to what was going on through Weir’s head.
“I believe that to be the case,” he nodded. “I’m not sure what else I can tell you about Weir. She was a difficult and driven woman. But obsessed with a few things that she kept close to her chest.”
“I’m beginning to see that. Thanks for coming and talking with me. If I have anything else I want to know, you’ll be okay to answer?” he asked.
“Of course, if you think of anything, do ask. I’m sorry I kept a few things back,” he apologised.
“I bet it’s more of a case of your mind going over the more pressing concerns than the things you’ve done in the past to help her,” John said, smiling, as Peter stood up. “Oh, and I won’t mention to anyone, but maybe Rodney, about Lucas. He understands about protecting the family from those outside forces. He’s had to do it with his sister and her family a few times.”
“Yes, I do not doubt it, he’s a kidnap risk when he’s out and about on Earth. He’s sought after a lot,” he snorted lightly.
“He’s got that out here as well,” John snorted, thinking of the Genii who have asked about Rodney a few times since their first meeting.
“I’ll talk with Miko and ask for her help, though we’ll work around the evacuation that is going on,” he added as he nodded to John before leaving the man to his thoughts.
John frowned and looked at the notes he had been making on Weir. The addition of what Peter had told him helped to sort out a few more things. Weir was secretive, though she gave off an openness about her that was false. He needed to talk with Carson about her as well, since he was another who had been forced to come. He had tried to quit and take himself out of the volunteer pool, but it hadn’t worked. He had nothing on Carson in the files. John wondered just what Weir had on Carson to get him to come.
John sighed and decided that he would rest a bit before meeting Rodney for lunch.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Rodney walked into the mess hall and looked around. There was a small crowd of people around one of the tables. And he knew that was where John was. The man was popular among both the military and the scientists, even if the man didn’t really believe it. He was approachable and even understood a little of what the scientists talked about. He didn’t dismiss them straight off, and it didn’t hurt that he was able to put up with Rodney.
“John,” Rodney said, breaking up the group of people.
John looked up from where he was sitting in a wheelchair, “Hey, Rodney,” he grinned.
Rodney couldn’t help the large grin on his face.
“I know I’m not fully released and out,” he said, “But…” he trailed off, giving a little shrug.
“I think it’ll be fine,” Rodney smiled even more as he leaned down, and the two shared a kiss.
“When the hell did that happen!?” someone called out.
Rodney moved back and whispered, “I didn’t think you’d want anyone to know with that around?” he questioned.
“Life’s too short,” John replied softly. “Everyone out here knows the dangers we face. I’m not going to hide one of the best things in my life,” he pointed out, “DADT may be in effect, but that only counts for the American soldiers. It doesn’t apply to anyone else from other countries or the civilians. Why the hell would I enforce it at all, even if I wasn’t bi myself? I know many others are. I’m not going to tell them not to show that they love and care for each other.”
“This could cause-” Rodney began quietly.
“Hiding it will cause just as many problems,” John told him, smiling softly.
“Well?” Captain Bates asked, looking at them, “When did this happen?”
“Not long after John was taken off the ventilator,” Rodney answered. “We… confessed, myself first. But we said we’d talk more about it when he was better. The virus was a bit of a wake up call,” he finished as John nodded in agreement.
“Right,” Bates nodded, looking at Markham.
“Okay,” the man grinned, holding his hands up, “Bets were made.”
“You bet on us?” John asked, giving the young sergeant a look.
“It’s the usual crap,” Markham said, “Everyone does it around the SGC, no one enforced DADT there, and that’s more because it’s international. General O’Neill has been working hard to get it repealed for years. More because he and Dr Jackson are together and have been for the last two years at least. ”
“I think most of the US military, from all branches, agree that it’s a stupid rule. At least those of us in the SGC program,” Bates added, “And yes, the bet was for the two of you to get together. For who confessed first, and when.”
“Along with the added one during a life and death crisis,” Markham added, snorting.
“Those happen so much that it was a given that a confession would happen around them,” Chuck said as he and Markham grinned at each other.
“There are a lot of these little bets around; most take part, they’re just a bit of fun. Hell, I think there’s one or two about me in that little book of Markham and Chuck?” Bates said as he looked at the two.
“More like six, but one was taken off,” Chuck answered.
“Which one was taken off?” Bates just had to ask.
“You sure you wanna know?” Chuck asked him, smirking.
Bates looked at him, “I’m not sure I do, now.”
“Too late,” Markham said, “The one taken off was when you and Major Sheppard would bang,” he shrugged, “I know it’s crude, but well…” he trailed off.
“Hate sex can be fun,” Chuck finished for him.
Bates snorted and shook his head, “Right,” he drawled, losing the mostly stern visage that he often projected.
John looked wide-eyed in surprise. “What the hell?!” John exclaimed.
Bates shook his head, “The Major is pretty to look at, Markham, but he ain’t my type.”
“Miko runs the bets for the civilians. I know she’s gotten together with Chuck and Markham a few times. Now I know why.”
“She’s good,” Markham agreed, “I think the best one she has is when someone is going to end up crying after getting lectured by you. That one’s fun.”
“I haven’t made anyone cry in a while,” Rodney huffed as he sat down across from John.
“We know, Miko is in a huff about it,” Chuck nodded as he added, “For those that have winnings, come and collect later on. For now, welcome back amongst the living, Major Sheppard,” he said.
“Welcome back,” Bates agreed with a nod as others began to say the same before leaving Rodney and John alone.
“I-” John frowned at the betting, not sure how he felt about it.
“It’s something harmless for them to do, entertainment. The crying one for me has been around since I was at Area 51 and had made three people cry within one day. For you, you’re an unknown for the most part. A lot of the bets will be who you’ll end up with, or show an interest in. I had the same; most do. As soon as something tangible has been seen, the bets tend to change.”
Radek nodded as he joined them, “Yes, when I first arrived at the outpost, there was one about Rodney and me getting together. It never happened, of course. Not my type,” he smirked, “There is also one for myself and Miko.”
“In other words, John, just leave them to it,” Rodney smiled. “Where’s Derek?” he asked.
“He’s getting us all some food, you included,” John answered.
“Ah,” Rodney nodded slowly.
“I should get my own,” Radek said as he got up, leaving the two of them alone.
“Are you really sure about letting everyone know about us?” Rodney asked again, now that they were alone.
John smiled, “I thought about it a lot while I was in the infirmary. And I know that maybe I should keep it quiet. But out here, living how we are, surviving as best as we can, making friends and enemies. We might not have that chance to even get back in touch with Earth. Let alone anything else. The charter… There are things in there specifically for the military,” he added.
“Oh?” Rodney frowned, “I never saw anything about that?”
“There was an extra page for those of the military,” John said quietly. “It was to make sure that we would all be able to work together. While most of those here are American, there are at least a dozen military members from other countries. Which is why we had an extra; it’s mostly to do with DADT and a few other rules that the other militaries won’t have, but we do. We’re under one banner here, which is why it’s so relaxed, and I did learn that the SGC operates under the same as well. If you go outside of the SGC, then DADT will be back in effect for us. So while we do have it still, if we’re here, we’re okay.”
“So basically, as long as you’re either in Atlantis or SGC, DADT doesn’t exist,” he summarized easily.
“Yes,” John nodded.
“Which is why General O’Neill is working hard to get rid of it,” Bates said as he walked over, helping Derek bring their food over.
“Join us, Bates?” John asked. He had been able to talk with the man a couple of times while in the infirmary, mainly getting to know his 2IC.
“I don’t know how you ran everything, Major Sheppard,” Bates said, sitting down with Derek opposite him. Radek soon joined them.
“Lots of luck, and training,” John said, “And out here, in a relaxed environment, it’s just John. We’re both in civi’s,” he reminded him.
“John,” he nodded, “So training?”
“My father wanted me to join the family business. I grew up learning politics, logistics, and more at his knee. I know how to negotiate with the best of them, and diplomacy just as much. Weir might have been a diplomat, but I could run circles around her, and often did. It’s how we bloody well survived when she shortchanged us. Sumner, while a good soldier, listened to her too much and didn’t bring what we really needed to make a go of it out here. I’m trying to figure out why he did that, why he didn’t stand his ground against her at all,” John frowned as he poked at the vegetables on the plate. They were odd-looking, but that was normal around Atlantis. Most of the Earth’s plants hadn’t had a chance to sprout and grow yet, since Weir had stopped most of that from happening.
“So, why didn’t you join your dad’s business then?” Bates asked.
“I wanted to fly,” John smirked, “Dad wasn’t impressed with that, and told me no. I was able to get out from under his thumb when I was fifteen and went to college early. Dad couldn’t argue with me when I joined up. I was happy with how my life and career were going.”
“Then your dad interferes,” Rodney rolled his eyes.
“Oh?” Radek questioned, “Why does it seem like a good story behind that?” he asked as he looked at John.
“More of a case Dad chose someone and helped them learn how to act and such to get my attention. I married her. When I got back stateside after being a POW for five months, they were both pushing me to take a medical discharge that was offered. I refused, and then everything came out. I went for a divorce, and I couldn’t trust her after that. The only time my brother was ever on my side was because of what they did. Otherwise, he was all dad,” he rolled his eyes, “But yeah, ex-wife that wanted me ruined, tried to use DADT against me. One of the reasons why I’m not hiding anything is that it can all come and bite your ass later,” he snorted.
“And I’m happy that my ex-wife is still my best friend,” Bates snorted.
“How the hell did that happen?” Rodney asked, “The two I left behind are assholes.”
“You usually attract the wrong type, Rodney,” Radek told him.
“Dana and I were friends a long time before we got together, childhood sweethearts,” Bates smiled, “I still love her, but not the marriage love anymore, but still my best friend. We got married, found we couldn’t have kids, so we decided to foster. Had several kids that way instead. Still in touch with a lot of them. Still come for a family dinner, even after Dana and I split up about five years ago. I miss it, have to say. We… took on the harder cases, most of the time,” he finished.
“Explains how you were so good with the kids that come through,” John nodded, “And how you got them settled down so fast.”
Bates nodded, “They know loss all too well. Most of them have lost several people in their lives. Going from one family to another is seen as normal for them. It’s heartbreaking how they’ve accepted that death is only minutes away for them.”
John nodded, “Yeah,” he said, thinking about the kids on that one world where they never went past twenty-five, at least not until recently. There was a nice trade going between them and Atlantis now, and some of the scientists would go out there to teach and help them learn more about what was needed to flourish within the boundaries of the shield they had.
“So, how is dating on Atlantis going to be?” Bates couldn’t help but ask.
“Find a planet that doesn’t want to kill you and maybe picnic with the weird things we find here?” John said as he stabbed one of the odd-looking vegetables that looked like it might be a relative of the Harry Potter Mandrake and waved it around.
“I feel like it’s going to scream at me as soon as I take a bite,” Radek snorted.
Derek laughed, “Yeah,” he nodded in agreement, poking at it, “It really does.”
The five of them talked about dating ideas for Pegasus, some of them absurd, and others more fun, before John had to head back to the infirmary, as he was starting to droop a little.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Radek and Rodney headed to the lab where they would be conducting the test. “Right, so let’s set this up fully,” Rodney said as the two of them got to work. There were others in the lab, but they mostly stayed out of the way as they observed the two scientists. Most knew that they were working to solve the issue with the Shield to save Atlantis.
“Right,” Radek said from the control panel. “It’s all set, Rodney,” he called out.
“Understood,” Rodney nodded as he did one final check before moving away from the converter. “It should work,” he said as he got up and began to head over, glancing at those who had gathered. He wasn’t happy to see Kavanagh there. “What are you doing here? I thought you were told you couldn’t enter this lab,” he reminded the man, wondering how he had gotten past the security lock on the lab.
“I have as much right to be her-” he began to protest once more about the restrictions he was under.
“You don’t,” Rodney said, “We don’t have time to have you escorted out,” he muttered, “or I would do,” he added.
“You don’t move a foot from where you are, you don’t touch anything. No one here trusts you,” Radek said as he stared at the younger man, “You are a liability, and I won’t have you fucking anything up.”
“You-”
“Shut up, Kavanagh, we all know your ego is the size of the fucking universe, no need to keep boasting about it. Now we have more important things to do than to listen to you whine about how nothing is fucking fair to you. Well then, maybe you should grow the fuck up and listen to those who know better. You are a parasite, and all I want to fucking do is space you. Since you are taking up valuable fucking space, air, and food that is better served to a damn troglodyte!” Rodney yelled at him, “now let the grown ups do their work,” he ordered as he and Radek turned to the control panel and began to input the data that was needed to test the limitations of their converter, to make sure it would be able to handle the power needed.
“Let’s add slowly,” Radek said as he began to input power.
Rodney nodded as he monitored the levels and the readouts, “So far, so good, up.”
Radek nodded, integrating the power. The power spiked, and spiked again.
“Radek, what are you doing?” Rodney questioned as he began to type furiously, trying to keep the levels stable.
“I’m not doing anything!” he called back, “The power levels are climbing, and I’ve not done it. I’ve been locked out.”
“It’s going beyond what it needs!” Rodney called out, “I can’t stop it, it’s going to overload,” he added, “Everyone out! Now!” he called out as he started to usher everyone out of the room. The converter whines behind, high-pitched, and he knew it was going to explode. “Out, out, out!” he yelled, still getting people out of the lab as the pitch went so high that he was covering his ears.
Finally, Radek started toward the door, and Rodney followed as a loud bang echoed around Atlantis and alarms started blaring.
XxXxX
Carson checked John over while the man slept. He’d come back from his lunch and had fallen asleep within minutes of getting back into bed. He typed in a few notes on John’s file and put the pad down. Alarms started to blare around him. Tapping his earpiece as John woke up.
“Beckett here, what’s going on?” he asked as he started toward the door.
“Explosion in Lab number 2,” Peter’s voice came through. “Dr McKay and Dr Zelenka were still in the room at the time. Condition unknown as they are having to break in as the room went into full lockdown due to fire. The fire suppression system has gone off.”
“Right, thanks,” he said as he began to tap multiple times on his earpiece so all medical staff would now be able to hear him, “Trauma team’s 2 and 4 get ready. We have two injured in Lab 2, fire suppression has been used, expect wet conditions and smoke.
“Rodney was in lab 2,” John said as he began to struggle to get up, a feeling of panic hitting him.
“John, I don’t have time to babysit. You stay there. I mean it. You can’t help anything at the moment, and I’ll make sure that you’re informed of what’s going on,” Carson told him, pointing at the man in warning.
John slumped back and nodded. Carson sighed in relief as he rushed out of the room to make sure that everything they might need was brought with them to Lab 2. Carson led the two teams along the corridors and into the transporter, which would take them to the labs. There was smoke in the hallways, as the door to the lab was now open.
“We ne-” Rodney’s voice carried through the corridor as he could see the man, barely conscious, leaning against a wall.
“Rodney,” Carson said, going straight to him as he directed two others to Radek, who was on the other side of the corridor.
“Ca… Carson,” he gasped out, coughing a few times from the smoke. He huffed and coughed in irritation as Carson began his check, starting with the flashlight in his eyes. “I hate that,” he muttered.
“I know you do,” Carson said, relieved that his friend was in front of him and conscious. “Let me check you over.”
“Ra.. Radek,” he called out, looking at his other friend.
Radek gave him a thumbs up, “I’m fine, or will be,” he said, coughing a few times, “That was not fun.”
Rodney snorted and began to cough even more, “Ugh,” he uttered when he finished.
“Right, on the gurneys, and I don’t care if you think you can walk, get on them or I’ll sedate you both,” Carson told them as both teams got to work in getting the two men on the gurneys and heading to the infirmary.
“I need Bates,” Rodney said, as he looked up at Carson.
“I’ll have him sent for, but you’re going to have to wait until I’ve checked you over properly,” Carson warned him.
“Someone caused this,” Rodney said, “Someone wanted this to fail.”
“Alright, you can work that out later,” Carson said, “Let’s concentrate on making sure you and Radek are okay first,” he pointed out.
Rodney sighed a little before giving a tiny nod, relaxing a little as he was taken to the infirmary. Carson smiled down at him, pleased that Rodney was listening as they reached the information. He gave out orders on how each man should be treated, and various injuries were slowly uncovered and treated. It was almost two hours later when Carson had Rodney wheeled into John’s room. The man was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking about ready to bolt.
“I thought you said you’d keep me informed,” John said, almost glaring at the doctor.
“He was doing his job first, John,” Rodney said as he looked at him, “And I’m fine.”
“He is fine, and fuckin’ lucky. Radek is also okay,” Carson said as he looked at his friends. “Rodney has a minor concussion and shouldn’t be around screens for a day or two. I know that isn’t going to happen, or even keeping him here isn’t going to happen for the two days I want. So he’s to stay here until at least morning. He has some scrapes and bruises, but that’s to be expected. The worst, I would say, would be the smoke inhalation, hence the oxygen mask,” he said, as he glared at Rodney to put it back on, as he had taken it off to talk.
“It’s irritating,” Rodney huffed before complying with Carson’s order.
“How’s Radek?” John then asked, seeing that Rodney was okay.
“Much the same,” Carson told him, “Both are going to be kept overnight to make sure there is nothing else hidden. But scans, X-rays, and everything came back clear. They were both lucky; that explosion should have killed them both.”
“Lab 2 has a lot of dangerous experiments being run. I made sure that there was a place where a couple of people could take cover, in case of something like this,” Rodney said, lifting the mask a little. He rolled his eyes at the responding glare.
“What the hell happened to cause it?” John asked, not sure if he would get an answer.
“We started to put it through some tests. Mostly using the static charge that comes from being in the middle of the ocean and having several lightning rods sitting above us. Someone overloaded it, putting in almost three times the input that it needed to be able to handle. It caused it to overwork itself in such a way that it caused the explosion. I need to get in there and find out…” he paused, coughing a few times, “ugh,” he muttered again, “Right, I need to get in there and find out why it blew as it did. It shouldn’t have.”
“What type of current was being used?” John asked, “Could it have had something to do with it?”
“Yes, yes, it would,” Rodney nodded, “I need my laptop, I need to look at the data. I also need to make sure that we can build a second one, if we don’t. Then we’re out of time,” he added, trying to sit up.
“No, not at the moment, you can ask if one of two of the minions that you trust can do something, but you’re staying put,” Carson said as he hurried over and pushed his friend back down on the bed, “I know you want to get up, but at the moment, rest is important, your body has gone through a shock and you need to take it easy. Just a few hours, and then I’ll let you have your laptop, and you can do a little work,” he bargained with him.
“Fine, fine,” Rodney huffed, not looking happy.
“Good,” Carson said, “Now, take it easy, and just relax a little. I know things are tense. I’ve also got Captain Bates waiting outside as you asked,” he added.
“Please send him in, he needs to start looking into what happened,” Rodney nodded as he looked at the door, glad that he was sitting up a little bit at least.
John settled into a chair, and Carson went and let Bates into the room.
“Dr McKay, good to see you’re awake,” Bates said as he looked straight at the man on the bed. “Major Sheppard,” he nodded at John.
“Captain Bates,” he nodded back, a little smirk playing on his lips.
“Captain Bates,” Rodney said, “Fuck this,” he muttered as he took the mask off, “Talking with that on is a pain in the ass,” he said as he looked at Bates, “Right, the explosion in the lab wasn’t an accident. Someone overloaded the machinery, causing a power spike bad enough that it exploded the converter. I need all labs locked down; no one is to go in or out of any of them. Only Miko Kusanagi and Peter Grodin are to be trusted. No one else. And find Kavanagh, he was in the lab when he shouldn’t have been able to get in. His codes were revoked. Find out how he got in. Doubt he is smart enough to do anything, but he still shouldn’t have been there.”
“I’ll look into it. I’ll take Lt Ford, Markham, and Stackhouse, all three of them can help. I’ll have Markham look into Dr Kavanagh,” he said.
“Good,” Rodney said, coughing a little and getting a look from John. He rolled his eyes and put the mask on for a bit. “Find out who the hell accessed and overrode Radek’s control of the experiment,” he said, mask off once more, “Not only that, but it’s going to cause a large delay in getting the converter ready for the storm. This… this could prove disastrous,” he added.
“Understood,” Bates said, “We’ll find out what’s happened, and report back. We’ll see who put in the override,” he added.
“Make sure no one can go into Dr Zelenka’s lab, or my own. Post guards if you have to. What’s in both of them will be needed to make another converter; we’ll only have one shot at this, and we won’t be able to test it fully,” Rodney worried.
“You’ll figure it out in time, you and Radek,” John said as he looked at Rodney, getting up and walking over, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Rodney relaxed a little more with John beside him. “Thanks, Bates. Get back to us as soon as you have something, even if it’s three in the morning.”
Bates nodded, “We’ll get this sorted and find out who’s behind it,” he said as he saluted John before turning and leaving the room.
“You alright?” John asked, his voice soft and full of concern.
“I’m pissed off,” Rodney admitted, “Hurt, yes, but pissed that someone could do this. I have no idea, I would say Kavanagh, but this… to be able to override what Radek and I were doing, he’s not capable. Not from what I’ve seen of his work over the last decade. He’s just,” he paused as he started to cough.
“Okay,” John said, grabbed the mask and put it on Rodney, “Keep that on, and just rest and relax. Sleep if you can,” he murmured as he settled down the bed a little and curled an arm around Rodney.
“Don’t think Carson is going to be happy,” he smirked at John.
“No, but tough, though I would prefer to curl up with you in our own beds,” he muttered, yawning a little. “Get some sleep.”
“Hmm,” Rodney hummed, giving a small cough as he leaned his head against John’s and let himself drift. He was exhausted and in pain, though the medication that Carson had given him had dulled it all slightly.
John smiled and yawned again as he felt Rodney relax and drift, letting himself fall asleep.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Peter Grodin walked into John and Rodney’s room in the infirmary. The two were on Rodney’s bed, both awake, though it looked like it hadn’t been long since they had woken up. “I just thought I would update you on something,” he said, “I couldn’t get hold of you through the comms,” he added as he walked over to the bottom of Rodney’s bed.
“What is it?” John asked.
“First, I’m glad to see you’re alright. I’ve already spoken to Radek, and he’s talked with Captain Bates as well about what he observed in the lab. But what I came here to tell you is that the tents are all finished and the first lot of people are ready to head through the gate to the alpha site. Miss Emmagan has been able to help in transferring all those from the mainland to Atlantis. We have everything ready to go,” Peter told the two of them.
“Then, start doing it now, if they are ready to go. Unless they are tired, let them rest before sending them, though. Since they’ll have to start putting the tents up before they can sleep,” John suggested, frowning.
“They are all ready to go,” Peter said, “AR-3 is going to be helping get them over there and set up. There is already a team out there waiting. Miko made sure that some of the tents were sent through this afternoon, after lunch.”
“Then the sooner the better,” Rodney said, wishing he had his laptop to go over the lists again, “Get them over there and set up. This way, they are settled, and we can carry on sending people over there when they are ready. Start getting everyone up to speed on their departure time. I know Miko has a list of everyone and when they should be transported to the alpha site, from both the settlement and Atlantis. I know that some of the teams are working on getting the plans and crops uprooted to take them over.”
“Yes, a lot have already arrived and been sent through. We’ve had the gate open to the alpha site three times, going for thirty minutes before shutting down and starting again,” Peter informed them both, “I’ll have them sending things out around the clock. We’ve got rotation going for three hours on and three hours off between myself and Chuck,” he added, “Chuck is waiting for the order to send the first wave of evacuees though.”
“As I said, those who are the most awake and refreshed, send them first. Get them to have the start of tent city built. Send the second wave after three hours, and do so every three hours. I know that there are at least thirty and fifty people in each wave. We should have the first lot through in nine hours,” John said, going through the logistics in his mind. He had seen the lists that Miko had made of those who were going first, and those who would be going in another day or two.
“I’ll make that notation,” Peter nodded, sending the information to Chuck to start sending the first lot of the first wave of evacuees through to the alpha site. “Oh, and here,” he added as he reached into the bag he was carrying over his shoulder and produced Rodney’s laptop. “I was told you can have it, but to remember to rest occasionally. Especially as you have a concussion,” he warned.
“I won’t,” Rodney said. He still had the oxygen mask, though it was more Carson being cautious than it was truly needed.
“Good,” Peter nodded, “I’ll see you both in the morning, and I’ll give you my report on the evacuation so far, and how tent city is shaping up,” he smiled a little as he nodded to the two of them and left.
“I’m going to look at the data and message Bates about what he’s found so far,” Rodney said as he opened up his laptop and started working.
John smiled fondly at him before getting up and doing some of his work on Weir.
XxXxX
Carson looked over at Anita, “So we might have something,” he said, as he ran a hand over his face. “We’re starting to isolate the strand that is responsible for the regenerative and healing properties,” he stated.
“So far, yes,” Anita nodded, “It’s looking like we can also replicate it. It’s just going to take time to do so, any time we need it.”
“Aye,” he said, “But at least we have something we can start testing. So far, what we used for Yuri, Nathan, and John has worked, but with some side effects. Nothing bad as of yet, but that… doesn’t mean there won’t be,” he paused as he looked at the results from the minor testing that they had done. It was looking promising in doing something against the cancer cells that it had been facing. It was taking longer to work on the cells than it had on the virus, but they had taken a lot of the DNA profile away. It was stripped of a lot of things to try and minimise the side effects and the merging that had occurred in the others.
“We’ll continue testing, and talk with Peter about it, see what he wants to do,” Antis suggested.
“We’ll talk with Peter, tell him what we are working on, that we’re testing it against cancerous cells in the rodents around here, but…” he trailed off, “Who knows how he’ll react to it when it’s given to him. We can’t exactly test things like we did on Earth.”
“No, we can’t,” she sighed, “Let’s talk with Connor and Dalton. Maybe they can help us figure this out as well as some of the others. I wish we had a doctor here who specializes in oncology.”
“There are a lot of specialists that we should have had here; instead, we have the bare minimum. We have so many things we need here, and we don’t have them,” he told her, glancing from the current results he was reading through. “We had nothing we needed coming through that gate. I tried to protest, but everything was just swept away all the time. Weir had her way, and that was it.”
Anita nodded, spinning on the stool she was sitting on, it helped her think at times, and to process, the slow spin around, “I know Kate talked to her about those that we needed, the types of doctors, but she just ignored her, and anyone else.”
“It was to try and force me to come along,” Carson said softly, “Right, let’s get this done, and make up a proposal to continue pursuing this, and to try and get a time frame done. I’d like to get this up and running soon. The sooner the better for Peter. I don’t want it to continue advancing.”
“Hm,” she agreed, “We’ll do the proposal for Dr McKay to look at.”
“Yeah,” he nodded, as they went back to work, getting the proposal done before they headed for bed.
XxXxX
Rodney had escaped from the infirmary as soon as he could. Radek had been quick to join him. They didn’t have long before the storm hit, and both wanted to get another converter up and running in time to put it through a few tests. Bates had asked to meet them both at lunchtime, in the office off the control room. John was fine with it, but Rodney didn’t know if he would have time. He’d at least try to get there for the meeting, but it would be hit and miss, and it might mean a conference call to Radek’s Lab, where the two were going to be working.
John was in the small area he’d eeked out to work at while he was in the infirmary. He was getting stronger, and he wasn’t coughing as much as he had been. Though he still felt tired a lot. Carson walked into the room.
“Morning,” he said, smiling at John.
“Looked at everything today?” he asked. John was starting to get a little sick of all the tests that he went through each morning and evening, tracking his recovery.
“I have. The damage to your lungs is starting to repair itself, and so is the damage to your heart. Though that’s taking a little longer,” Carson told him, going over to one of the chairs and sitting down.
“You look tired,” John observed.
“Wouldn’t you?” Carson said, rolling his eyes. “I’ve had ten people in here, seven of them are dead. I’ve had to perform autopsies on three of them, one of which was a friend before all this,” he muttered, “It’s a messed-up situation. Then we’re working against the clock to try and find a cure. Then I have Peter as well, trying to find something that might work for him. And yes, I know we’re testing the Iratus DNA for him, but I want to minimize the amount that we use and the side effects. Yuri’s vision is better than it’s ever been, and she’s healed up quickly. Good things, but there could be bad things mixed in. Nathan has extra strength, which he’s learning how to use and control. He accidentally broke a panel yesterday that he was trying to repair. He also has a little trouble with aggression and has been to see Kate, trying to get a handle on why he’s feeling it. We think it’s something to do with the Iratus DNA we used. We’re cautious with Yuri.”
“It’s also why you’ve been keeping a close eye on me?” he asked, turning to face the man fully.
“Yes,” he sighed, “I wanted to talk to you about it yesterday. Have you been feeling anything different since we started treatment?” he asked.
John thought for a moment, “Not really,” he frowned, trying to think of anything that was out of the ordinary. “No, I can’t think of anything. I’ve been here for the most part. I had lunch out yesterday before the explosion. I know I wanted to bite your head off about telling me to remain here, but I think I would have reacted like that no matter what.”
“Right,” he nodded, “Just, if you feel anything odd, make sure to mention it. I want to make sure that this gets locked down quickly,” he added.
“I will,” he promised, “While you’re here, I want to talk to you about Weir.”
“Aye, go ahead,” Carson nodded. He had been waiting for the questioning from the man since he’d agreed to let him investigate while still in the infirmary.
“What did Weir have on you that got you through the gate?” he asked.
Carson sighed, “Rodney,” he said, a simple answer, but also one of the more complex ones, as John didn’t understand what Rodney could have to do with what Weir was planning.
“Rodney?” John frowned, he wasn’t expecting that.
“Yes, Rodney. Rodney and I have known each other longer than most think. People think he’s only known me since I entered the program. I’ve known him since we were both nineteen, sixteen years of knowing each other. When he was still a little asshole,” he snorted, “But I met him when he was in the UK, Scotland, for one of those stupid seminars he hates. I was at it, and I bumped into him. This was before Area 51, before everything. We met, became drinking buddies while he was there,” he snorted, “I had started medical school early, only by two years. I was seventeen when I started on the path to becoming a doctor, a surgeon,” he said, sounding pleased with himself.
“This is before you stopped?”
“Yes,” he nodded, “He… was my rock when I made the switch to genetics. He even came to Glasgow, where I was working at the time, to make sure I didn’t do something stupid. I was burnt out and lost another patient. And I knew I couldn’t do it anymore. I’d been a surgeon for a few years when I realized I couldn’t carry on. I went for another degree, working as an A&E doctor, or ER doctor, for you, for a while, and four years ago, I made the final switch to genetics. Rodney was keeping me away from the program. But my research caught the eye of Weir. She recruited me and stuck me on the Gene Therapy research. Rodney found out and hit the fucking roof,” he snorted, remembering the explosive meeting between the two as soon as Rodney had tracked him down. “He didn’t want me in the program; he knew that something fishy was going on with the research, and wanted me away from it. It didn’t take long to realize that it was Weir who was the main problem.”
“Why didn’t you say something before this?” he frowned, “You could have said something.”
“Rodney has a deadly allergy to citrus. He and I both carry EPI-Pens, constantly. I know you do as well now,” he began.
“I do, but what has that got to do with this?” he waited for Carson to continue.
“Because she got to Rodney, about a year after I got there, she got wind that I was going to make a complaint. She learned of the long friendship between Rodney and me. Within two days of learning all that, Rodney went into anaphylaxis. His EpiPen was missing. If I… If I hadn’t come across him when I did. He would have died. He knows that someone took his pen, but he doesn’t know who. I didn’t know how to tell him that Weir told someone to kill him. He was extra careful after that, keeping more than one on him. When I started making it known that I didn’t want to come here, Rodney had a minor reaction to one of his lesser allergies. A reminder of what she’d done in the past,” Carson said quickly, feeling like a weight had been taken from him now that he had let that out.
“Jesus Christ,” John cursed, “And you kept that secret?”
“I had to, I couldn’t let anything happen to Rodney. He’s my best friend. She took me aside, told me that if I didn’t go, who would be watching out for him, to make sure he was okay and safe. So I came through the gate, even though I was still trying to find a way to bring more doctors and nurses with us. Specialists as well,” he sighed, “I know I should have tried to find a way to warn someone, I just… was monitored closely by her. She was always in my business. If I went to visit my mother back in Scotland, I found out she had someone watching me. She would call me in the middle of the night, tell me what I’d done that day, who I saw, and what I said.”
“So, harassment, stalking,” John nodded, making a few notes. “Anything else?”
“When we were still on Earth, she wanted me to get the Gene therapy sorted. I did. It was done, fully tested, and verified to work on people. Thankfully, I was able to work around her, and she never found out that I had done so. She annoyed the fucking crap out of me daily for it. When would it be done, and would it work on someone who didn’t have any of the DNA strand? Even when we got here, I had to say that we had it done. She thought it was only here that we figured it out. In reality, I left a lot behind for General O’Neill to look at, along with what Weir had been doing. Hoping that something could be done on their end to stop whatever it is she was up to.”
“So at least that side of things should be taken care of. General O’Neill has shown me he’s the no-nonsense type,” he muttered, frowning at the thought of Rodney being in danger all this time, and he didn’t even know it.
“He is. The IOA is with Weir fully. They backed her. Anything she wanted, she got. Grodin and I were the tip of the iceberg,” he sighed, rubbing at his face. “I have no true idea what she wanted or what she was after. She wanted the gene badly, really badly.”
“How badly?” John asked.
“So much that she was talking about splicing her DNA with yours to get the gene, hoping that it would work. It wouldn’t at all. Her body would have rejected it. She was talking about a child, creating one just to use the DNA of it to match hers. I told her it wasn’t possible.”
John shuddered, “That… explains why she started flirting with me about two months after we got here.”
“Yeah,” he said, “I told Rodney that she was trying something, and he went and played guard dog,” he snorted.
“He really did run her off a few times. I know she was pissed a couple of times as well. Tried to get me alone. I made it clear that I didn’t think anything more of her than maybe a college, and even then, it was a push. She was… irritating. Pushy in a way that reminded me of Nancy at the end of our marriage, and that’s not a good thing,” he snorted, “Weir was always trying to find ways to undermine me. I think she was tempted to give the job to Bates a few times, but he wouldn’t have it. Even when he didn’t like me, he still respected me enough to listen to my orders.”
“We know Weir is bad news. We know she wanted the gene therapy to have the ATA gene. What else do we know?” Carson asked John.
“She wanted ascension and was looking into it, pressuring Millie, to help her find more about it. When Millie was about to report, Weir unleashed a virus on her, and then proceeded to infect nine more people. Myself included. Though why now? Why not with you or Rodney?” John questioned aloud.
“Because she realized that she needed the two of us, we were now… somewhat safe. You and the others all found out something about her. I would talk to Yuri and Nathan, see what they knew,” Carson suggested.
“I have, Yuri was working on the ascension things as well. Nathan, we still haven’t found what it was that he had done. I’m thinking that he was more of an accident. He had a scratch on his arm, and he was one of the last ones infected, bar myself,” he frowned, “I’ll talk with him again, but I don’t think he’s going to remember anything else.”
“Maybe not,” Carson sighed, “But at least we’re beginning to paint a picture of what Weir was up to.”
“Not as much of one as you think,” John replied quietly. “We know a few things, but we have no motivation for her. Why the hell was she doing all this?”
“We may never know,” Carson sighed.
John huffed, “I don’t like leaving it up in the air,” he said, slumping a little in his seat.
“You should get a little rest, while you’re on the way to healing fully, you still need to rest,” Carson said, putting aside the tablet he had been holding.
“Only if you do,” John bargained. He could see that the other was tired as well.
“I’ll get a small kip in my office,” he compromised. “I’m on call at the moment, so anything happening, I’m there,” he added, giving him a look.
“I get that, but get some rest, too. Can’t have our doctor fall over and need medical attention as well,” John smiled at him.
“No,” he laughed as he patted John on the arm, “Get some rest, and I’ll do the same. I’ll also tell Rodney that we’re doing that. And Anita, as she’s also on duty at the moment.”
John nodded and got up. He made sure he was steady, under Carson’s watchful eye, and went back to his bed. Climbing in and settling down before the other man left him alone, dimming the lights as he went. John yawned; he hated feeling so tired all the time that a midday nap was needed. At least he was starting to really heal now.
Chapter Forty
John looked grumpy as he was escorted into the office. He wasn’t in a wheelchair, but that was more because he had left before Carson could wrangle him into one. Derek had been the one to catch him as he left the infirmary and had gone with him to the office off the control room. He’d been welcomed back with grins and waves as he entered the control room.
“Right, as soon as Dr Beckett finds out you’re here without a wheelchair, he’s going to hit the roof,” Derek warned him.
“I need to start getting up and moving around a lot more. We’re three days out from the storm,” John said, “I can’t lie about any longer. Now, I know we have some people scheduled to go through the gate today to the alpha site. I need the list,” he said as he looked at Peter as he walked into the office.
“And I’ll get it to you. I’ve also told Dr McKay that you’re here,” Peter told him.” Welcome back,” he added as he smiled and walked out of the room to get John what he needed to catch up on the goings on around Atlantis.
John looked at Derek, “You can stay, or you can pretend you never saw me,” he pointed out, “That way you’ll avoid Carson’s ire.”
Derek snorted, “I doubt anyone will be able to get out of the way when he finds out.”
“Maybe not,” John smirked a little, “Right, I’ve got some work to do,” he said as he looked at the desk that had been set up for him. He smiled at the little trinket that had been placed there for him. One that he had kept in Rodney’s lab for the most part. It was from one of the planets they had visited, one that was grateful for the help they had offered, and showed it with the small, delicate flower that was encased in resin. The flower changed color when light hit it, causing an almost prism-like effect inside.
Peter walked in as Derek left. “Right, here is the list of those who should be going through the gate over the next nine hours. We have several groups going. The alpha site is reporting that the tents are going up quickly. Those who went through last night are all doing well and getting things set up and ready for more to arrive. The plans and crops that went through are doing well. Dr Marsh is overseeing that along with Dr Kinder,” Peter said as he began to catch John up on everything.
John nodded, listening intently. “I’ve really been out of the loop for too long. I’m going to have to make sure that changes are made in case something like this happens again when either me or Rodney is out of commission for more than a couple of days. Summary for each day.”
“I believe it’s more of a case of several things coming at once,” Peter told him, “Otherwise, I think it would have been fine if not for the storm, evacuation, and what was going on with you and with what has occurred with Weir.”
“Hmm,” John hummed, “Still won’t hurt to have something in place.”
“It won’t, and I’ll see if Chuck and I can come up with something to use within the control room,” Peter nodded in agreement.
“Thank you,” John said, “please, sit down. You hovering there is a little off-putting,” he said as he looked at the man.
Peter laughed lightly but went over to one of the chairs in the office and pulled it so he could sit across from John at the man’s desk. “How are you feeling?”
“Still a little tired, I’m not going to admit to Carson that it would have been better to get here via wheelchair. I need to start building my strength back up. It’s taking a while,” he said, being honest with the man.
“It will take time, you almost died, don’t forget that,” Peter reminded him, “You’re lucky that Carson and Dr Biro, along with the others, were able to come up with something that was able to help as it did,” he pointed out.
“Yeah, I know,” he said, as he began to think about the proposal that Carson and Anita had shown him and Rodney that morning. It was something they were all hoping would help the man in front of him.
“Good, cut yourself some slack,” Peter advised, “Now, we have thirty people ready to go through the gate in an hour. The supplies that have been gathered for the evacuation are heading over, along with anything else we can transport, just in case. Rodney and Radek are both confident that they can get the converter up and running in time and get it working. But they want to cover all bases in case Atlantis is lost to us.”
“Right,” John said as he went through the lists that Peter handed over, “Yeah, these look good, I would add another AR team going over to the alpha site with the first ones, to help out over there. I know that Carson also wants a medical team set up over there, so please ensure he’s consulted on who he wants stationed there before the end of the day. There’s no Iris up on the gate yet. Make sure that it’s sent through for them, and it’s all set up before the end of the day. I would like it done ASAP,” he added.
“I’ll have the report brought up and sent through with Dr Gomez and Dr Dawns,” Peter said, making a note.
“If something has already been suggested, then tell me,” John said as he went through a few more suggestions on how to make things safer and more secure with the alpha site.
Peter nodded, continuing to make notes. “Right, I’ll get started on this. Rodney did mention something about some people having to remain on Atlantis to make sure that things are set up for the converter. You need to both come up with a list of those who would be staying here. I know you, Rodney, and most likely Radek will be remaining. But you’ll need at least two or three more to help.”
“I’ll make sure he knows that when he gets here. I know that Captain Bates should be on his way here soon.”
“He is, he’s leading the investigation into the explosion in Lab 2. He’s also got someone on Kavanagh’s tail as well. Since no one trusts the man,” he snorted.
“Who would,” John agreed, “The man has caused too many problems in the past just for being an idiot.”
Peter nodded in agreement. “I’ll get on these and start getting another team together. I believe that AR-5 might be free by now. The last of those from the Mainland will be arriving this evening. Miss Emmagan will be among them. She is still on the mainland, making sure that the settlement is taken down. They’ve had a lot of practice at moving in a hurry. They have no permanent structures at the moment. Most of the personal effects will be going with them, and some of the items as well. The rest will be stored on Atlantis, in the hopes of us getting back here.”
“Rodney and Radek will get it working. I don’t doubt either of them,” John said.
Peter stood up, “I know, I believe in them as well,” he agreed as he went to the door. “Don’t work too hard, Major. And be warned, I’ve gotten word that Carson knows you’re missing,” he said as he gestured to the comm device in his ear.
John reached up, “Fuck, forgot mine,” he muttered.
“Carson will be bringing it up,” he said as he left the man alone.
“Well, shit,” he muttered, sighing. It didn’t take long for Carson to storm into the office. “Carson,” he smiled as he looked up, “I’m sitting down, I’m working on light things, and just going over what’s been going on.”
“I don’t care. I gave you strict instructions for going out of the infirmary. And I meant them, Major Sheppard,” he said, glaring at the man,
John winced at the rank and last name, “Carson, sit down, please,” he said, gesturing to the chair that Peter had been in. “I’m sorry, I just want to help. I know the explosion has caused a setback, and Rodney needs some rest, and he’s not going to get it if I stay in the infirmary. I know I’m pushing it a little, but not enough for a setback. I know my body, I know what it can handle before I need to rest. I’ve had to deal with my body being a dick before.”
“Maybe, Major,” he said, “But that doesn’t stop those around you from worrying,” he sighed as he sat down in the chair and looked at him.
“I know it doesn’t,” John told him, “But I know what I can and can’t do. Trust me to be able to handle that.”
“Major… John, you’re not the one that Rodney vents to, talks to, and falls apart around when you got worse and worse. I took the brunt of his worry and anger. He loves you, even if he’s not ready to say those words yet. But he does. He was scared, we all were, but he… was terrified something was going to happen to you. When it came to sedating you and putting you on the vent, I thought he was going to lose it. I think the only reason he hasn’t fully lost it was because of everything else that was going on at the same time.”
John was quiet for a few moments. He knew that Rodney had been there as much as he could. Even when he was sleeping. He knew that he’d come while he’d been sedated, Derek had told him as much. “There isn’t much I can do, just be there for him now,” he murmured.
“Yeah, John, just… take it easy. I don’t mind releasing you, as long as you take it slow in getting back to things. But I still want to do the testing in the morning and evening. If you come in for them, I’ll let you go. But I’ll be asking Rodney to share a room with you. If he agrees, then I’ll let you go. If he doesn’t, you’ll remain in the infirmary. Which we both know he won’t mind sharing with you,” he huffed, leaning on his hands as his elbows rested on his knees, he was tired himself. The virus, and now trying to find a way to help Peter as well. It was a lot of pressure on him and the others.
“Yeah,” John smiled a little more, “And I’ll keep up with appointments and everything,” he promised, “You don’t have to worry so much about it. I know I’m not a hundred percent, but I’m getting there slowly.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. I’ve been seeing the healing that happens between each scan. It’s fast and miraculous. Normally, if you’d been left to heal without help, you’d still be in a hospital bed hooked up to a ventilator. To be able to let you off it, and off most of the meds you were on, well… I don’t have to tell you that it’s a damn miracle,” Carson huffed lightly.
“I know I’m lucky,” he said, “But I have to get back to things. I’ll take it easier when this is over, and we find out who caused the explosion and what Weir was up to. So far, Peter had been an angel sent miracle worker with the shit he knows of Weir. She had him doing a lot of things for her; he’s been working with Miko to get into a few things that she might have left behind. Things that he knew and forgot to mention.”
“Let’s hope we find something. I’d like a reason why she was doing all this. Me, Peter, everything, Millie, and the others. Just why,” Carson said.
John nodded, “We’ll find out.”
Carson nodded, “Aye, we will,” he said, knowing how determined John and Rodney were in finding out Weir’s motives behind what she had done. He was about to say something more when a message came through his earpiece. “Oh, right, I’ll be right there, have Anita get things ready along with Nina,” he said as he jumped up, this time with a genuinely happy smile on his face, “One of the Athosians that came in has just gone into active labor.”
“Ah,” he nodded, “Then get going, and keep me informed. No doubt Teyla is going to be there.”
“She will be, it seems that having the leader of the Athosians watch over the birth, as a protector, is seen as good luck,” he said, getting up, “I’ll talk later,” he nodded before leaving the office.
John smiled as he wondered if the child would be a girl or a boy. He shook his head and went to work on the information that Peter and Miko had been able to gather from the private server that Weir had. Bates and Rodney should be there in around an hour or two for the meeting.
Chapter Forty-One
Captain Bates was frowning as he walked into the office. Major Sheppard was there, looking over a few things. Dr McKay had warned he might not be able to make it. But he’d heard through the gossip chain on Atlantis that the testing had gone well, and things were ready. “Major Sheppard,” he greeted the younger man as he walked over and stood before him.
“Captain Bates, come and sit down. Rodney will be here in about ten minutes,” he said, “So if you don’t mind waiting a bit, we can start as soon as he gets here,” gesturing for him to sit down.
“That’s fine, I’ve come across something that I’d like to get his opinion on,” he added as he sat down. “I’ve been looking into the explosion. The lab’s being cleaned up now, and I have two of those that Dr McKay trusts on it. I’ve also asked Sgt Markham and Sgt Stackhouse to oversee it. I’ve requested that Lt. Ford keep watch over Dr. McKay and Dr. Zelenka, to ensure nothing else happens to them and that their injuries won’t cause them any problems. He has some first aid training. Though I’m going to hope that we can actually get one or two trained up as a full medic at some point.”
“Carson’s already picked a few who had started the training. Thankfully, he’s learned what’s needed to get them trained up right,” he said, “I’ve got a list of the ones that he wants to work with. I’ll get that to you now,” he said as he pulled up the file that Carson had sent him a while ago and wrote down the names. “He’s going to send them some information he wants them to study, to prepare for what classes and instructions he’s going to be giving them.”
“I’ll make sure that they are told to look out for the email,” he nodded, taking the note with the names on it.
“Good,” he said as he saw Rodney heading toward them. “Rodney,” he smiled as soon as the man walked into the office.
“Sorry it took a while,” he said, grinning widely, a flush of success on his face as he went and pulled his chair over to John’s desk. “Right,” he said as he sat down, “The converter works. It’s on lockdown in a secret location, which only myself and Radek know at the moment. I’m going to let you both know,” he said as he quickly told them both where they had hidden it. “I’m bringing it out as soon as we have mostly everyone off of Atlantis. Then get it in place,” he finished.
“I wish to remain on Atlantis to help with Security. Lt Ford should head to the alpha site,” Bates said as he looked between the two.
“That’s the plan,” Rodney said, “I’ve been going over those that should remain so far. I have some ideas down, but need to talk to you about it first, John,” he said as he glanced at the man, a happy smile on his face.
“Yeah, we can do that after this,” he nodded in agreement. “Now, Captain Bates, what were you able to find out?” he asked his subordinate.
Bates nodded, “Sir, I was able to find the code that was used to unlock the door to the lab and to override Dr Zelenka’s control. The code used belonged to Dr Weir. It was used to make sure that the lock on Lab 2 didn’t work, which is how Dr Kavanagh was able to get in.”
“That’s not possible, we stopped any of Dr Weir’s codes from being used when we were going to confront her? Rodney said, puzzled.
“Not all, a few of them weren’t stopped, but that was more because it needed both you and Major Sheppard to override those codes and put them to bed. Which is what you both need to do now. I asked Dr Kusanagi to help me with finding that part out. Three codes of hers have been used since her death,” Bates informed them.
“Right, we’ll get on that now,” John said, “I don’t want to take a chance that she shared the code with someone else.”
“She shouldn’t have shared it with anyone,” Rodney frowned as he went into the system and looked at the file for Weir. It wasn’t hard to lock out Weir’s codes. He put his own in and then waited for John to do the same. “Done,” he stated, “All of Weir’s codes have been completely disabled.”
“Good, that’s one thing down. As for the explosion, Weir’s code was used to override Dr Zelenka’s control. It was in the lab that the commands came from, but I haven’t been able to isolate where in the lab they came from,” Bates said, “Even Dr Kusanagi wasn’t able to isolate it; there was too much interference going on.”
“If she can’t find it, then there is no way to find it. There’s no one better on Atlantis than her, I don’t think anyone on Earth has her beat either,” Rodney snorted, “So we won’t be able to find out exactly who did the controlling. Or the override at the moment.”
“No, not at the moment,” Bates nodded, “There is one more thing that I think both of you should know.”
“Oh?”
“Dr Kusanagi was able to detect an energy spike happening and a low-level drain coming from one area of Atlantis. This is an area that we haven’t explored yet, so it could be something that has just been in the background. But we’ve been analyzing the spikes, and when they happen. We’ve noted that one happened hours before the explosion in Lab 2. The codes for Weir were used in that area several times over the last few months. Since we arrived. Including at times when Weir herself was in this office and even when she was off-world.”
“Right, I take it you want to search and secure the area?” John said, “I know I would,” he added, giving the other man a smirk.
“Yes, sir, I do,” he nodded in agreement.
John and Rodney shared a look. “Right, get a team together, Bates. Make sure you’re armed to the teeth. We have no idea who this is, or even what it is. So, constant communication with us at all times. Report everything as it happens,” John told him.
“I will, sir,” he nodded in agreement.
“I want no deaths on Atlantis if I can help it,” Rodney muttered. They all knew it was bound to happen at some point; no place was ever a hundred percent safe.
“So, we don’t have much, just Weir’s codes being used, and unknown who was using it,” John said, “Right, Captain Bates, get a team together and get yourself suited up. I want you all to head out within the hour. I need as little waiting time as possible on things around Atlantis.”
Bates stood and nodded, “I’ll get right on it, Major,” he said, snapping a salute before leaving the office.
“Right, let’s get on with that list of those remaining or not, while Bates gets ready,” Rodney suggested.
John nodded as the two worked together to get a list made on who would be remaining on Atlantis and who would be leaving.
XxXxX
John and Rodney were at the control panel in Rodney’s lab. Moving there to oversee Bate’s exploration of the unknown area. On screen, they had body cam footage from Bates. Along with a map of the area that they were looking at. They were clearing each room as they went towards the main location. Marking off each room that was cleared and secured, Bates kept up a running commentary.
“We’re nearing the room where the spikes happened, and codes were used,” Bates said as he went in first, covering as the others began to move around the room, making sure it was secured. The lights started coming on, and they could see that someone had been in there in the past. “Detritus around, looking like someone had food in here. I would say recently, within the last day.”
John nodded, “Keep looking, and have someone make a note of the food types if possible. It could tell us when they were taken down, at least. Give us a timeline.”
“Markham, make notes of the food,” Bates called out to the young man.
“Yes, Captain,” he nodded and pulled out a pad, and began to write.
“Sir, I think you need to see this,” came Stackhouse’s voice from further into the room.
Bates went over, and there stood a pod. Instead was a woman. Old, greying hair. “Sir, you getting this?”
“We are, I’m going to send Carson and a team down to see if we can identify if they are human or Ancient,” John said as Rodney got in touch with the doctor.
“Carson is on the way down,” Rodney told Bates. “He should be there in ten minutes. He’s getting a few people together to help. He’s also bringing something that will give him a DNA profile of the person inside. It will help us determine if they are Ancient or not.”
“I don’t think they are,” Bates said, “If you’re getting this, you can see the face looks… familiar.”
“Yeah,” Rodney nodded, “I can see, but it can’t be…” he trailed off.
“I’m not sure,” Bates said, “We’ve both been with the program long enough to know anything is possible. Even the improbable.”
Rodney nodded, “I know.”
Bates continued to look around as they waited for Carson to arrive. “Some of the equipment that went missing,” he said as he saw a few more things on the far side of the room.
“Well, that explains a few things,” Rodney muttered.
“Yeah,” John nodded, “Bates, be careful when looking at anything near the equipment.”
“Will do, Major Sheppard,” Bates acknowledged. “This is a lab, Stackhouse, get the covers and cover things up. Masks on, everyone,” he ordered.
“Sir!” they all snapped, weapons were lowered as they all put on masks to try and protect themselves, just in case the virus that Weir had used had been made here. They hadn’t found any trace of it in the usual labs that had been used.
“Don’t touch anything, I’ll have Dr Biro sent down after you’ve all finished in there to decontaminate everything, just in case. For now, cover and move away from it,” Rodney instructed. “Keep away and keep masks on.”
“Will do,” Bates said as he repeated the orders for the rest. The equipment and lab table were covered just as Carson walked in with his small team of three. “Dr Beckett,” he nodded.
“Oh, what’s going on with the masks?” he said as he put one on himself, as did the others. Taking the fact that they were wearing them as to put them on as well.
“We may have a lab which was used to cultivate the Virus,” Bates answered quickly.
“Right, well, if we get infected with it after it’s been exposed to air, we’ll be fine. The Nitrogen in the air mutates the virus to a non-lethal version,” Carson reassured them. “Let’s see what we have here then,” he said as he was directed to the stasis pod on the far side of the room. “Oh, okay,” he said as he pulled out the device that he and Rodney had played around with to scan patients and to give a quick overview of them. It wasn’t as good as a full scanner, but it did the job in a pinch.
Carson walked over and began to scan the woman in the pod. “Okay,” he said, “The DNA is coming back as a match to Weir,” he muttered as he tapped his earpiece. “You getting this?” he asked Rodney.
“I am, I’m seeing and hearing it through Bates’ body cam,” Rodney answered. “So Bates’ is right that it’s Weir. Can she be reanimated or not?”
“Aye, she can. But I want to keep her sedated until I’m able to get her to the infirmary and to a secured room. I don’t know how the hell she is here, and I don’t know if we should trust her at all.”
“We won’t be,” John said, “We’ll talk with her and learn her story, or what will pass for her story, and take it with a shit ton of salt.”
“Right,” Carson said, “I’m going to get her with a sedative if I can move things back enough.” He touched a panel and smirked as the stasis pod did as he wanted, revealing enough to let him give Weir a sedative. He waited a moment, letting it circulate, before he retracted the stasis wall, and Carson and Derek caught her as she began to fall. “Get on the gurney and let’s take her to an isolation ward,” he stated.
“Dr Beckett,” Derek nodded as they began to head back out of the room.
“I’m going to seal the room under military codes,” Bates said.
“Understood, make sure when Dr Biro is called in to go over and decon the place, that she has an escort and a guard to be with her at all times,” John instructed.
“I’ll make sure of that, Sir,” Bates said, “We’re locking up now. Markham, you finished with inventory.”
“I have Cap,” he called out, “Looks like they would have been here yesterday. The plate over there is of the green potato salad we had. It was a new dish last night,” he added as he walked over.
“Right,” Bates nodded, “Everyone out,” he ordered. He was the last to leave and locked the door. Making sure that no one would be able to get into the room.
Chapter Forty-Two
Carson looked up as Rodney and John now stood outside the room where he had put Weir in. “Right,” he said as he walked over to the two of them, “What do you want to know?” he asked.
“Is she awake?” John asked first.
“No, the sedative is wearing off, but it’s still going to be an hour or two before she will be fully awake enough to talk to us,” he replied, “I know you want to question her, but you have to also realize that this might be a totally different Weir from who we knew,” he warned the two of them.
“I know that,” Rodney said, almost snapping at his friend, “We’ll keep that in mind when we talk to her.”
“What’s her condition?” John then asked, putting a hand on Rodney’s arm.
“She’s registering as almost eighty years old. She’s suffering from malnutrition, but it’s only mild. Also, a few deficiencies that we’re already taking care of. She’s weak and old,” Carson answered, “I don’t know how she came to be there, or if there is anything else going on. But the drain in the area has been going on since before we got here.”
“So she could have been here before even we were,” Rodney frowned, “Time travel. It has to be.”
“Aye, laddie,” Carson nodded, “But from when to when and how are going to be the main questions.”
“They are,” Rodney nodded in agreement.
“John, since you’re here, you can have your scans now. I’ll also be ordering some dinner for us all, I know neither of you has gone to the mess yet,” he said, giving them both a look.
“We were going to head there after talking with Weir,” John said, attempting to look innocent.
“Aye…” he rolled his eyes, “Do I look like an eejit to either of you?” he asked, folding his arms in front of him.
“No,” Rodney snorted.
“Then don’t try and pretend you’re innocent, Major Sheppard. Now go to the scanner room, and I’ll be there in a moment,” he ordered.
“Aye, aye, Captain Bligh!” John said, giving a salute and a grin as he headed to the scanner room.
Carson waited until the man was out of earshot, “Rodney, keep an eye on him. I’m letting him go, but you can see he’s tiring now. I think you should try to wrangle him to his bed. Oh, and I volunteered you to watch him, so decide whose room ya sleepin’ in,” he added before he headed off to take care of the scans for John.
Rodney shook his head and smiled a little. It would be his room they would use. John only had a small single bed. Rodney’s had a very nice double where they would both be able to sleep more comfortably. Rodney walked to Carson’s office and settled in there, making an order to the mess for three meals to be brought up for them all.
Twenty minutes later, Carson walked back into the room, followed by John. The meals arrived not a minute later.
“How is John?” Rodney asked, looking over at Carson as they began to eat.
“Healing up well,” he answered, “Lungs are doing better now than they were this morning. I do advise that after talking with Weir, you head to bed and get some rest.”
“I will,” John nodded, agreeing easily as he was feeling tired. He had been pushing himself with walking around Atlantis instead of using a wheelchair, but now that he had started, he didn’t want to stop.
“Good,” Carson nodded, feeling pleased with that easy acceptance from John.
“Oh, we’re in my room,” Rodney added, smiling at him, “Bigger bed.”
“No funny business!” Carson called out quickly.
“For sleeping, I know John’s not going to be up for that for a little longer,” Rodney rolled his eyes.
“Good,” Carson said as he looked between the two of them, laughing a little when he saw the wide eyes and slight blush on John’s face.
“Oh, don’t tell me you’re embarrassed by a little bit of sex talk,” Rodney said.
“I know more about his sexcapades than I’d like,” Carson added.
“What?!” he blinked.
“I don’t kiss and tell for most of my partners, but there are one or two that I will bemoan at,” Rodney huffed, “Idiots, those three.”
“They were,” Carson agreed, “honestly, they really needed a good lesson in how to make someone feel good,” he said.
John shook his head at the two of them. “Nice,” he said, “Hope I don’t fall into the idiot category.”
“Doubt it,” Rodney said, “I’m not going to let you.”
“Enough of that!” Carson said, “For now, eat,” he ordered.
“Yes, sir,” they said, laughing lightly as they carried on eating.
“Oh, yeah, how was the birth by the way?” John asked.
“It went well, mother and baby are doing fine. A little boy. I’ve advised that they hold off on gate travel until at least another day has passed. Teyla has told me that gate travel is fine for the wee bairn, even this young. But I still want to make sure everything is fine for the two of them before I let them go,” he smiled.
“That’s good,” John said, “it would be best for them to be evacuated with the rest. I know the list of scientists that we need to evacuate has gone out today.”
“Aye,” Carson nodded, “I’ve sent a team to the alpha site as well. They’re going to keep an eye on things over there. I know a few people are still suffering from the Athosian flu. Though recovering now.”
“Good,” John nodded.
Talk turned to other things as they finished their dinner and waited for this older version of Weir to start waking up.
XxXxX
Just over two hours later, Weir was finally awake and aware enough to answer some questions. John and Rodney walked into the room after Carson finished his check-up. He stood to the side, mostly to monitor the questioning that was going to happen.
“Major Sheppard, Dr McKay,” she smiled as she looked at them, “You have no idea how good it is to see both of you.”
“And you, Dr Weir,” John said with a polite nod and smile on his face.
“How did this all happen?” Rodney asked, gesturing to her, “You…” he trailed off, looking confused.
Weir smiled, “It’s… a long story, but to know you’re alive, it was worth it,” she told them.
“So what happened, Dr Weir?” John asked, wondering what she knew of current events on Atlantis. Or if she was in the dark.
“When,” she began, “When we first got to Atlantis, we were underwater. The shield on Atlantis gave out within minutes. The gate shut down as more were coming through. Myself, you two, and a couple of others were able to make it to the gate ships. We got out, but we crashed-landed not long after. The three of us were the only ones to survive. We were hurt, but the Ancients, who were still in the city, came to us, took us in. Helped us heal up,” she smiled.
“I’m glad that you were able to survive,” Rodney said, “But what happened to cause you to come back like this?” he said, waving at her and pushing again for what had gone on. Or at least a version of it. He had no idea if she was telling the truth or not.
“The Ancients were getting ready to leave. But after explaining what had happened, they remained a little longer to help us get Atlantis ready for the long wait. We were… attacked before we could do much but gather information to take Atlantis under. Rodney and John, you were both killed in the attack. I remained in the city, in stasis, to change the ZPMs around to make sure there would be enough power to trip the fail-safe and for Atlantis to rise. If you’re both in front of me, then it worked?” she asked.
“It did, Atlantis rose,” John said, nodding at her.
“Wonderful,” she smiled, “I’m so happy about that,” she added. “I hope you’ll let me help out where I can, and when I can see the other me, of course. No doubt she’s busy elsewhere at the moment. I can’t imagine sitting still on Atlantis,” she said.
“It’s non-stop around here,” John joked, “For now, I suggest that you rest and take it easy. Considering you were supposedly in a stasis pod, so why have you aged?”
“The tech wasn’t up to it,” she sighed, “I knew the risks going in. I anticipated some aging, but I have to admit that this much wasn’t what I was expecting. It is what it is, though. All I can do is hope that I still have a little life in me to help out around here.”
“Let yourself recover first,” Carson said, “At the moment, you are suffering from some malnutrition and deficiencies. When that’s all sorted, then we’ll see,” he told her. His voice was a little flat, and John worried that it had something to do with what the younger Weir. About what Carson had told him about how she got him through the gate.
“Alright,” she said.
“Rest up, Dr Weir,” John told her, as he and Rodney left the room. Carson was quick to follow. “Are you alright?” he asked as soon as the door was closed and they had entered Carson’s office.
“She…” Carson said, glancing at Rodney.
“She threatened Rodney?” John asked him, and he got a nod in response.
“What?!” Rodney said, looking between the two of them, “What do you mean, she threatened me?”
Carson sighed, sitting down in his chair and putting his head in his hands for a moment. “Aye, the bitch threatened you,” he said as he looked up at his best friend, “She threatened to kill you, to make sure that you died. Just like the other fucking bitch did. Why the hell do you think I came here? You’re my best friend, Rodney. She threatened your life, I wasn’t going to let anything happen to you if I could help it. The other bitch, the one that we came with. She said that I should be there to make sure nothing happens to you. The… reaction you had a month before going through the gate?”
“Yes, the mild one was in the infirmary for the night. Not as bad as the one a few months before that. Still would like to know what happened to my EpiPen,” he muttered.
“Rodney,” Carson began, “Neither of those was accidental,” he said softly, his voice pained. “They were there to make sure I knew she could get to you. Fuck, Rodney, you almost died that first time. I was so fucking scared. Then that last time, was to… she was making sure that I knew that if I didn’t do what she wanted, she was going to kill you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Rodney asked him.
John could see that he wanted to shout, to yell at Carson for keeping it a secret. “Because he was scared for you.”
“I-” Rodney cut himself off with a growl, “That fucking bitch, that mother fucking bastard of a bitch. I wish I-” he growled out as he began to pace, “And now we have another version of her that is doing the same thing. I wonder who on Atlantis would be working with her. To let that happen?” he spat.
John went and sat down; he was starting to feel a little shaky after being up and about for so long. He hadn’t meant to, but things were going on that he needed to be part of. “Right, I’m going to contact Bates in the morning. I want a meeting with him, Teyla, you two, and anyone else you think might be a good idea to have to get the low down on Weir and her motives.”
“Peter Grodin would be one of them,” Carson added, “Maybe Kate, bring her in. She and Weir were close, or as close as Weir got to someone. She might be able to shed some light on what was going on. She’s… not going to like it either.”
“Don’t think Teyla would either,” Rodney said, “She and Weir were getting friendly, they had meetings at least every couple of days to talk.”
“Yeah, I noticed that as well,” John nodded, “I think it might have been one female leader to another female leader, type thing.”
“Not sure it was,” Rodney said, shaking his head as he looked at John, “Teyla knows Pegasus. She knows a lot of things about this galaxy, the tales that were told, and more. She has talked about a few places that sounded like they could have some ZPMs, but we’ve investigated at least two of them, and nothing so far, or rather, one did have it, but it wasn’t something we could use.”
“The kid’s place?” John asked, getting a nod. “Yeah. So send out the notice to meet in the morning, before we send the first waves of the civilian and military staff through the gate. I want to see if we can get a few people together to see if we can find her patsy.”
“I’ll send that out before I go to bed,” Rodney nodded.
“John, head to bed now,” Carson said, “Don’t think I didn’t notice how you stumbled slightly getting to that chair. You need to rest and listen to your body when it tells you shit,” he added, looking at the other man.
John nodded, “I was planning on it,” he agreed, “I know I was pushing it, and it’s only because she turned up. I’ll talk to her again in the morning. Also going to need Ford to bring in Kavanagh. I want to talk to that bastard about what he’s been doing.”
“Yeah, we should be doing that,” Rodney nodded. “I’ll get John to my room. I already grabbed a few things from your room, John, and took them to mine. So you have fresh clothes and your toiletries. I know you’re looking forward to having a proper shower,” he smiled at John.
John smiled back and nodded, “Thanks, Rodney.”
“I’ll make sure no one else can get in to see Weir, locking her down tight,” Carson said, as he gestured to the guard on her door. “Captain Bates made sure,” he grinned a little.
“I told Bates to organize a guard for her. I also told him not to be predictable in times for guard changes, so expect them to swap out at odd times,” John said as he got up. There was a slight wobble, and Carson and Rodney were quickly at his side. “I’m okay, just a little tired,” he admitted, seeing the worried looks on both of their faces.
“Straight to bed,” Carson ordered, “I’ll see you in the morning for your check-up. If you’re still feeling tired, rest more. I know shit is hitting the fan, but you need to rest if you’re going to recover fully. The treatment can only do so much.”
John nodded, “I know,” he said, “And yeah, I’ll be heading to bed as soon as I’ve had a shower. Sponge baths can only do so much, after all,” he smiled a little as Rodney stayed beside him as they left the office.
Chapter Forty-Three
John flopped onto Rodney’s bed. The man was at the desk in the room, typing up a few emails. He watched him, the look of annoyance and concentration on his face just as present as it was when he was working on solving the impossible. He settled against the headboard and watched him for a little while longer. His eyes were feeling heavy, but he wanted to actually spend a little time with Rodney before he fell asleep.
“And finally done,” Rodney said as he shut the laptop down. He swiveled in his chair and saw John on the bed, “Feel better after that?” he asked.
John hummed, “Yeah, nothing beats a good shower,” he agreed, a sleepy smile appearing on his face.
Rodney got up and went over to the bed, sitting down beside John. He smiled as John leaned against him. “How are you actually feeling?” he asked softly.
“Tired,” he admitted, “Chest feels achy, but Carson said that it could be like that for a few weeks. I’ve strained a lot of the muscles around it with the coughing,” he sighed a little, closing his eyes, “I feel achy all over, if I’m honest. But that’s because I’ve been laid up for a while and with walking around as much as I have today. I pushed it a little more than I should have done.”
“Then tomorrow, we should be more careful. If you need to talk to people, send for them instead of meeting them in other places,” Rodney suggested, “it might be annoying, but at least you’ll be able to keep going for a while, instead of almost falling flat on your face.”
“Yeah,” John snorted, “I will do that, promise. I should email Bates and tell him to get Kavanagh to the office at some point so I can talk to him.”
“You can tell him at the meeting tomorrow morning,” Rodney said, “I’m going to quickly shower and change. Get under the covers and sleep. I’ll be in soon,” he said as he began to get up. He felt his hand being grabbed and squeezed.
“Thanks,” John said as Rodney looked at him, “For having me here, and-” he was cut off as Rodney leaned in for a kiss.
“I know, now get some sleep, I’ll be in soon to join you in bed,” Rodney smiled.
John smiled back as he did as he was told, and Rodney went to get ready for bed. Rodney walked back into the room a little while later. John was still awake, though he could tell that the younger man had been fighting sleep until he got back.
“You should be asleep,” Rodney told him, as he got into bed, turning the light off in the room.
“Wanted to wait for you,” John yawned as he curled himself around Rodney as soon as the man settled into the bed.
Rodney rolled his eyes, but wrapped an arm around the taller man as John settled his head against Rodney’s shoulder. “You didn’t have to,” he murmured. “But thank you,” he added, just as quietly.
John smiled sleepily, “I don’t know if I’ll want to go back to my own room after this.”
Rodney frowned and then smiled, “Then don’t. I know it’s rather quick, but then again… we never know what’s going to happen next.”
“Exactly, I don’t want to spend time away from you. I like you a lot, Rodney, I really do. I… Nancy and what my dad did ruined relationships for a long time for me. They really did. I never knew if I could trust the partner I was with at all. It… scared me for a while to trust someone with myself. But you… I knew I could trust you. Your acidic temperament meant I knew where I stood with you. I could tell that you… kinda liked me, as you weren’t as bad with me. You’re like that with Carson, Miko, and Radek. You show them you care. But it was just those three, then there was me. You’re a little softer with Teyla and Ford. Along with Stackhouse and Markham, but still biting at times with them. You’re not with the rest of us,” he said as he glanced up at him.
Rodney kissed him. It was a little awkward to reach him, but worth it, “I care a lot about you, love… I think I’ll get there soon enough,” he told him, “You mean a lot to me as well. More than I have ever imagined,” he added softly.
“Yeah,” John smiled, settling his head back to where it had been, enjoying the feeling of being held for one. It had been a long time since he’d had a partner who would do so.
“Sleep, John,” Rodney said, a soft smile on his face as he waited a few moments. It didn’t take long for him to hear and feel John’s breathing change a little as he slipped into sleep. His breathing was still slightly wheezy, but it wasn’t the same as before. He was recovering, slowly. Rodney sighed, relieved that John was with him as he let himself relax into sleep.
XxXxX
Morning came all too quickly as John and Rodney got up. Rodney was the first out of the two of them to be ready. John was a little shaky as he got up, frowning at how hungry he felt.
“You alright?” Rodney asked as he watched John with concern.
“I’m hungry,” he said, shaking his head and then almost toppling over.
Rodney was at his side, “Okay, this isn’t right,” he said, as he held John and helped him over to the bed.
“Call Carson?” John suggested, “Because I have to admit this isn’t right. I just feel drained, tired, and hungry.”
“Let’s just head straight to the infirmary,” Rodney suggested. “I’ll tell Carson to meet us there,” he added. He grabbed his earpiece and put it in, “Carson,” he said as he tapped it for the man.
“Rodney, is everything okay?” he asked.
“John’s not feeling right at the moment. Tired, drained, dizzy, he almost fell, and hungry,” he answered quickly, watching John as the man closed his eyes and rested against the headboard of the bed.
“I’ll send someone down with a wheelchair to get him to the infirmary. We’ll do some blood work and the usual tests as well to make sure that nothing is going on. We’ve already had Nathan in here reporting much the same, though he was able to get here himself. He was only a little dizzy.”
“Check Yuri,” Rodney told him, “And I’ll wait for someone to bring a wheelchair,” he said as he saw the unhappy look on John’s face.
“I’ll see you shortly,” Carson said as he signed off.
Rodney looked at John, “Okay, I know it’s not good, but let’s hope we can find something. And being in a wheelchair isn’t going to be too bad,” he added, “this way, you can still get to the meeting, and I know you want to be there for that, and to talk with Weir later on. Along with Kavanagh if you’re still up for it,” he added.
“I have to be,” John said tiredly. “I take a step forward, and it feels like I’m just falling on my ass again,” he muttered.
“Recovery isn’t linear,” Rodney reminded him, “It’s all little things, some go right, some go back a bit, and then we go forward. We’ll get there, in the end.”
“I know, we will,” he nodded as someone knocked on the door.
Rodney went over and let Nina into the room.
“One sweet ride to the infirmary courtesy of the brilliant Dr Beckett,” she grinned as she pushed the wheelchair toward the bed.
Rodney went over, “Come on,” he said as he helped John to his feet and over to the wheelchair.
“Thanks,” John said, annoyance clear in his voice.
“Right, let’s go,” Nina said as she began to push, only to stop when Rodney huffed a little. “Obviously, I’m not the driver,” she said with a roll of her eyes as she let Rodney take over.
“No, you’re not,” Rodney said, smiling at her as he began to push John out of the room.
Nina walked beside them, keeping up a running commentary on an accident that had happened during the night. One of the Marines ended up slipping and hurting their pride and coccyx. They arrived in the infirmary, and Nina directed them to a more private room. They hadn’t met anyone else on the way down, which was fine with John and Rodney, as the former really didn’t want people to know what was going on.
“Right,” Carson said as he walked into the room, “I had someone check in with Yuri; she is also starting to feel the same. Hungry, a little dizzy. I’ve brought her in as well, and I’ve taken bloods and a scan. I want to keep you in, but I know that’s not going to happen. At the moment, I think you should remain in the wheelchair for now. I know it’s going back a step,” he said.
“Yeah, I don’t think I’m going to walk without someone to be right beside me. But I’d rather have one that I can push around myself at least?” he suggested.
“Not at the moment, John,” Carson told him as he began to prepare to take a few blood samples. “Right, you know the drill,” he said, as he was quick to get three vials of blood.
“I hate how quickly you can do that,” Rodney huffed.
Carson smirked at him, “I’ve had a lot of practice,” he told him, “Now, I’m going to get these tested for everything that we can think of and more. For now, go and get some breakfast. Yuri is remaining here, as is Nathan, but I think I’m going to send them through the gate sometime this afternoon, under the care of Dr Biro. She’s doing the blood work at the moment.”
“You’re one of the ones that are to remain,” Rodney said, “Myself, John, and a couple more. Radek is remaining, so is Captain Bates.”
“I take it you made the list then?” Carson asked.
“Yeah, we did,” John answered from where he was still sitting in the wheelchair. “We can go now?” he asked.
“Aye, ya can go,” he nodded, “Breakfast, and have a good meal, large too.”
“I’ll make sure of it,” Rodney said, nodding, “He’s going to be with me the entire day. So I’ll keep an eye on things. Anything I should look out for that means I need to bring him back here?” he asked.
“Not at the moment. When I get the results in, then I’ll send for you so we can discuss them,” he said as he looked at John at the last part.
“Right,” the two nodded, smiling at each other.
“Go on, get out of here, and I’ll see you at the meeting in two hours,” he said, as he shooed them out of the room.
Rodney was quick to get behind John and wheel him out of the room, “Thanks, Carson, and see you soon. Don’t forget to eat as well!” he called out.
“Asshole, I’m not you!” Carson called back as the door closed behind them.
