Three Fates, 30/36
Three Fates 30/36
Details/disclaimers: here
~965 words
Previous post: 29/30
Clotho
Cheyenne Mountain, Earth
Milky Way Galaxy
2004
"Can I have everyone's attention, please. All right, here we go."1
Sheppard resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Weir gave her little speech. Maybe the scientists needed the 'buck up, it'll be an adventure' pep talk, but he'd been with the SGC for two years, one of them leading his own team through the stargate, and as far as he could tell every trip through it was potentially a one-way ticket. Atlantis was just another step through the wormhole as far he was concerned.
Weir caught his eye and he smirked. "We need everyone who has the gene, Major. We need you on this mission." Everyone had been falling over themselves to convince him to go along since O'Neill had pointed him at that chair in Antarctica and said, "Take a load off, Sheppard, what're the odds - ?" Except even long shots come home some days and Sheppard had lit up the Ancients' chair the instant he sat down. Turned out Ancient technology liked him even better than the General. That didn't mean he'd been in a hurry to sign on for a mission that would have him serving under a Marine colonel, answering to a politician, and forced to work beside McKay. Weir had been all over him, trying to convince him, and O'Neill had been pissed off and impatient. He'd said yes in the end to preserve the illusion of choice, but he'd known damn well he had none.
"I'd like to offer you all one last chance to withdraw your participation."
Sheppard sneered then cocked his head, listening for the irritating whine of the one person he wished would back out. Nothing. Damn it. The thought of being stuck in another galaxy with Rodney McKay was almost enough to make him back out. Would have been, except he couldn't. Weir had pulled enough strings in Washington that Sheppard was going whether it was on his own or in shackles. He'd been really hoping that McKay would find some excuse to weasel out. So much for her generous offer.
A muscle in his jaw ticked as he thought of McKay. SG-1 had lost a man because of McKay or so he'd heard. He'd never met Teal'c, the man had died in a stargate malfunction - that could have been repaired but for McKay - and that didn't sit right with Sheppard. After that, they sent McKay to Siberia, but somehow McKay got in with Weir and was now on board as the Atlantis expedition's chief scientist. It was too much like Afghanistan for Sheppard: him pulling up the Blackhawk and turning back on orders, leaving men behind because it was the tactically sound decision. He'd come so close to decking his colonel at the debrief afterward and if he had that would have been the end of his career. Now he wished he had, or better yet, said fuck it and gone after those men. Maybe he could have saved them. As it was, he'd never know. Instead, he'd been transferred to the SGC.
Maybe the root of his dislike of McKay did lie with his own sore spots, but no one would argue that McKay wasn't arrogant, loud and utterly obnoxious.
Sheppard schooled his face to a polite mask when Weir looked a little startled, catching his eyes. With a sigh, he folded his arms over the butt of his P90 and pretended to listen. His eyes lifted to the gate. He always felt something when he stood in front of it, had from the first time he'd seen it. A sense of recognition that had returned even more strongly in Antarctica.
Col. Sumner glared at him from ice-water eyes under the shadow of his cap brim. Sheppard raised his eyebrows. As much as he didn't want to be on an expedition with McKay, Sumner didn't want Sheppard himself along. Well, he did have a reputation for insubordination. Good thing he wouldn't actually answer to Sumner. He was assigned to the expedition as a consultant because of his ATA gene and not technically part of the military contingent. Weir had overruled Sumner to get that much, which had to rankle with the Marine, but Sheppard was happy about it. Bad enough to be railroaded into this without the added weight of being responsible for anyone else. He didn't want to be in the chain of command.
Weir finished up her little speech and the dialing klaxons began. Sheppard began checking his gear out of habit, despite having done it earlier. Sumner's raspy voice didn't really startle him, he had known the Colonel was there, but he did pause.
"Let me make myself clear, Major. You are not here by my choice."
Sheppard rolled his eyes ceilingward. It probably wouldn't help to point out he wasn't there by his choice, either.
"I'm sure you'll warm up to me, once you get to know me, Sir."
"As long as you remember who is giving the orders," Sumner rasped out and bypassed Sheppard to rejoin his Marines.
Sheppard couldn't help himself. He really couldn't, even knowing that winding up a superior officer, even one in another service, was incredibly stupid. "That would be Dr. Weir, right?"
He wasn't sure what he thought of Weir, with the way she'd made sure he was coming whether he wanted to or not, but he had enjoyed the way she had effortlessly put Sumner in his place every time he'd seen them together.
Sumner turned around and glared at him.
Sheppard smirked.
Fantastic start, he told himself.
The wormhole splashed into existence with a jolt, blue light rippling off the event horizon and over everyone's faces. Over the intercom, General O'Neill announced:
"Expedition team, you have a go."
1. Dialogue quoted from Rising.
Continue to next post: 31/36
Details/disclaimers: here
~965 words
Previous post: 29/30
Clotho
Cheyenne Mountain, Earth
Milky Way Galaxy
2004
"Can I have everyone's attention, please. All right, here we go."1
Sheppard resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Weir gave her little speech. Maybe the scientists needed the 'buck up, it'll be an adventure' pep talk, but he'd been with the SGC for two years, one of them leading his own team through the stargate, and as far as he could tell every trip through it was potentially a one-way ticket. Atlantis was just another step through the wormhole as far he was concerned.
Weir caught his eye and he smirked. "We need everyone who has the gene, Major. We need you on this mission." Everyone had been falling over themselves to convince him to go along since O'Neill had pointed him at that chair in Antarctica and said, "Take a load off, Sheppard, what're the odds - ?" Except even long shots come home some days and Sheppard had lit up the Ancients' chair the instant he sat down. Turned out Ancient technology liked him even better than the General. That didn't mean he'd been in a hurry to sign on for a mission that would have him serving under a Marine colonel, answering to a politician, and forced to work beside McKay. Weir had been all over him, trying to convince him, and O'Neill had been pissed off and impatient. He'd said yes in the end to preserve the illusion of choice, but he'd known damn well he had none.
"I'd like to offer you all one last chance to withdraw your participation."
Sheppard sneered then cocked his head, listening for the irritating whine of the one person he wished would back out. Nothing. Damn it. The thought of being stuck in another galaxy with Rodney McKay was almost enough to make him back out. Would have been, except he couldn't. Weir had pulled enough strings in Washington that Sheppard was going whether it was on his own or in shackles. He'd been really hoping that McKay would find some excuse to weasel out. So much for her generous offer.
A muscle in his jaw ticked as he thought of McKay. SG-1 had lost a man because of McKay or so he'd heard. He'd never met Teal'c, the man had died in a stargate malfunction - that could have been repaired but for McKay - and that didn't sit right with Sheppard. After that, they sent McKay to Siberia, but somehow McKay got in with Weir and was now on board as the Atlantis expedition's chief scientist. It was too much like Afghanistan for Sheppard: him pulling up the Blackhawk and turning back on orders, leaving men behind because it was the tactically sound decision. He'd come so close to decking his colonel at the debrief afterward and if he had that would have been the end of his career. Now he wished he had, or better yet, said fuck it and gone after those men. Maybe he could have saved them. As it was, he'd never know. Instead, he'd been transferred to the SGC.
Maybe the root of his dislike of McKay did lie with his own sore spots, but no one would argue that McKay wasn't arrogant, loud and utterly obnoxious.
Sheppard schooled his face to a polite mask when Weir looked a little startled, catching his eyes. With a sigh, he folded his arms over the butt of his P90 and pretended to listen. His eyes lifted to the gate. He always felt something when he stood in front of it, had from the first time he'd seen it. A sense of recognition that had returned even more strongly in Antarctica.
Col. Sumner glared at him from ice-water eyes under the shadow of his cap brim. Sheppard raised his eyebrows. As much as he didn't want to be on an expedition with McKay, Sumner didn't want Sheppard himself along. Well, he did have a reputation for insubordination. Good thing he wouldn't actually answer to Sumner. He was assigned to the expedition as a consultant because of his ATA gene and not technically part of the military contingent. Weir had overruled Sumner to get that much, which had to rankle with the Marine, but Sheppard was happy about it. Bad enough to be railroaded into this without the added weight of being responsible for anyone else. He didn't want to be in the chain of command.
Weir finished up her little speech and the dialing klaxons began. Sheppard began checking his gear out of habit, despite having done it earlier. Sumner's raspy voice didn't really startle him, he had known the Colonel was there, but he did pause.
"Let me make myself clear, Major. You are not here by my choice."
Sheppard rolled his eyes ceilingward. It probably wouldn't help to point out he wasn't there by his choice, either.
"I'm sure you'll warm up to me, once you get to know me, Sir."
"As long as you remember who is giving the orders," Sumner rasped out and bypassed Sheppard to rejoin his Marines.
Sheppard couldn't help himself. He really couldn't, even knowing that winding up a superior officer, even one in another service, was incredibly stupid. "That would be Dr. Weir, right?"
He wasn't sure what he thought of Weir, with the way she'd made sure he was coming whether he wanted to or not, but he had enjoyed the way she had effortlessly put Sumner in his place every time he'd seen them together.
Sumner turned around and glared at him.
Sheppard smirked.
Fantastic start, he told himself.
The wormhole splashed into existence with a jolt, blue light rippling off the event horizon and over everyone's faces. Over the intercom, General O'Neill announced:
"Expedition team, you have a go."
1. Dialogue quoted from Rising.
Continue to next post: 31/36