Fic: It's Not Quite Right (Parts 1&2/8)
Title: It's Not Quite Right
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters: (oh, where to start) John, Teyla, Ronon, Rodney, Jennifer, Amelia, Woolsey, AU!John, AU!Teyla ... (implied John/Ronon)
Rating: R for language in some sections
Prompts: written for the stargateland Bingo challenge
Summary: Set just after Enemy at the Gate ends... Beckett stretched his arms over his head. "I think I've had enough of this murky view of San Francisco. I do believe I'm going to head back in. See you at dinner." It would prove to be the best idea anyone had had all day long. Too bad no one else followed him inside. They would have saved themselves a lot of additional stress and turmoil.
Author's Note: This is a story split into eight sections so that I could work in all the prompts for the challenge. You might remember a post a few days back where I mentioned someone asking for a story that was about our beloved characters going to an Alternate Universe and seeing/not seeing people they know. This is what happens when one universe doesn't have a Ronon.
Prompts 3 & 4
Prompts 5 & 6
Prompts 7 & 8
Part One
Prompt: 2/9 family
Word Count: 938
Rodney had just opened the door for Jennifer when he felt his stomach rattle around. There was no other way to explain it. One minute he was enjoying the view from Atlantis with his best girl and his best friends (and Woolsey, but that was neither here nor there); the next he was feeling as if he'd stepped onto an amusement ride.
When he turned around to see if anyone else had a similar ailment or if he should have Jennifer take him immediately back to the Infirmary with her, he couldn't turn his head. He lifted his eyes to see if he could see them in the glass of the door, possibly performing some sort of complex morse code with his eyelids to bring help. The problem was, there was no door in front of him, open or otherwise. It was impossible for him to feel Jennifer behind him, even though she'd been so close just moments before that he'd been able to feel her body heat.
This was not good. Not good, at all. Rod had mentioned experiencing something similar when he had come through that rift. Rodney thought of that now because it had been the last time he'd talked about amusement rides with anyone. They both had an aversion to them, laughable considering how much of their life was spent doing something very similar to the insane motion.
And then, just like that, he was staring at the door, his hand still wrapped around the handle. Had it just been something he'd eaten coming back to mess with him? Maybe he should have Jennifer check him out here and now.
"Woah. That was freaky." Rodney turned around to stare at Amelia, her own face as pale as he felt, as she tried to put into words what had just happened. "I know you all have done weird stuff on your missions but I just sit in the gate room. Occasionally, I get to put out fires or help disable bombs. Nothing like this. Please tell me that was normal."
"John was steadying Ronon who had probably been out of bed longer than was good after dying. "That wasn't as normal as you'd think. You okay, buddy?"
"Just felt a little weird, that's all. Be alright in a moment." But Ronon looked a different pale than the rest of the group. He looked the way people did when their body was refusing to act the way they wished it would act.
Rodney shook his head. This was all getting just a little too ridiculous because it was clear that something had happened that had affected all of them. That could only mean that it was pretty wide scale. He'd need to get back to his computer if he was going to figure out just what it was that happened to them. "You don't look like you're going to be alright." John hissed at him and while that had come out a little more forthright and bitter than he'd intended, Rodney had suddenly realized something. It was probably because he was the only one looking for it that he'd even found it.
The view was very different from this balcony. No sweeping expanse of San Fransisco. No hazy summer afternoon sun. No cool blue water. This was definitely a different planet than even the one that Atlantis had just left. "Has anyone noticed anything funny? Out of place?"
Right as the words came out of his mouth, an alarm sounded.
"What's going on?" Woolsey demanded to know but no one was paying him any attention and he didn't look like he was expecting an answer.
Familiar black uniformed guards threw open the doors, nearly upsetting Rodney if not for the quick action of Jennifer in pulling him back. They were pointing their guns at them as if they were a threat. One of them had a familiar smile, even if it was a little strained. He advanced toward John, practically ignoring everyone else.
"Sir? How'd you get down here so fast?" Evan Lorne lowered his weapon as he looked around, for the first time, at the rest of the people on the balcony. "Teyla? I thought you were on the mainland? And Rodney? When did you decide to come back?"
"Back? Where did I go?"
"You... left. Been on Earth nearly two years now." Ever the good soldier, Lorne's attention snapped back to his superior as he waited for an answer. "Sir? Is everything okay here?"
John could only shake his head as he let out yet another frustrated sound. It always irritated him to meet his "alternative selves" scattered around the numerous dimensions "You better go get your Sheppard. And take us to the Infirmary for now, until we can get this worked out. I'm sure Jennifer... whoever you have working there will need to check Ronon out again."
"I'm fine."
"Yeah, well you can explain that to them after you get checked out. No dimension, no diagnosis."
"Is he a prisoner?" Evan asked, bringing his gun back up. "Should we put him somewhere secure?"
"It's just Ronon," Amelia started to protest but John raised his hand for silence.
"He's part of my team. I take it you don't have a Ronon in this time and place?"
Evan shook his head, a little dazed as he took in the large man. "No, sir. No Ronon. If you say he's harmless then I'll believe you."
And because Ronon always seemed to be happy to oblige John these days, he collapsed at the feet of the men who were trying to figure out if they believed this John or not.
Part Two
Prompt: 3/9 opposites
Word Count: 965
It was hard to stay stoic while watching John barely hold in his irritation but Teyla was determined to hold in all her fear and rage at this time. Her team needed her to be calm. None of them liked to meet their alter egos, even in the best of circumstances, but being kept under the watchful eye of three Marines, none of whom she recognized, was a little strange.
Doctor Klineman, a round, jolly man that Rodney had laughingly called Santa Clause when he was out of the room, proclaimed Ronon to be "as fit as a fiddle" for someone who had just died. He was the only one who laughed. Jennifer had bared her teeth at him, taking great offense even though Ronon had just laughed it off. The doctor had prescribed a night's rest before doing anything strenuous, winking at Amelia as if she might be the one to be doing the strenuous activity with him. Both Teyla and John had struggled to hide smiles as Ronon and Amelia traded confused looks.
When the door finally slid open and a new batch of Marines stepped through the opening, they all began to breath a little easier. That was, until Rodney started to laugh. "A beard? Never thought I'd see you with one of those, John."
Both men turned to stare at him with narrowed eyes. Jennifer moved slightly in front of him, as if she thought one or the other of the Sheppards might decide to do more than just glare. "It looks nice," she replied, offering a tight smile.
This dimension's Sheppard (and Teyla decided she would think of her John as John and this one as Sheppard just so she did not get a headache from this situation) turned his head, offering the room the side of his head they hadn't seen yet. A mean looking scar puckered the skin of his neck and, when Teyla looked carefully, continued on up to his eye. "I grew it so people would forget."
"Have they?" John asked. His doppelganger shook his head after a moment of silence. "Probably for the best. Look, I know we're just in the way but I need to ask a favor of you. If you don't already have one too many McKay's in the science lab, I was wondering if our Rodney could use a computer. Or two. Seems we came through some sort of rift when we flew Atlantis to Earth."
"Your Atlantis is on Earth?"
"Not a flight I recommend taking, by the way. It's kind of a long story." John winced at the understatement, offering a one shoulder shrug. "But McKay thinks he can make it right. We just need to borrow your Atlantis for awhile."
There was a moment of silent exchange between Sheppard and Lorne that finally ended with a slight shrug from Lorne. "Fine. If McKay thinks he can fix this, I'll allow him access to the science lab."
"Should I say thank you?" Rodney asked, his chest puffing up as he prepared for some sort of fight from an unlikely opponent. It was all Jennifer could do to keep him from stepping forward, forcing a confrontation. "Because it sounds like you have a problem with me."
For a moment, no one breathed. Teyla was just about to say some calm words, ease the situation back out of the place that it was headed and on to a more even existence when suddenly Sheppard smiled. The dark hair on his face gave the expression an evil glint, as if he was a bear with dinner at hand. "I guess I don't have a problem with you, do I? Sorry about that. It's easy to forget that different things happen on different planes of existence. For instance, I just realized why you look familiar." He walked toward Amelia, stopping only because Ronon looked as if he might launch himself out of bed if the other man got any closer. "Amelia Banks, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"It's been awhile. I trust you're well?"
Amelia's posture was as ram-rod stiff as she could get it, her face straight ahead but her eyes finding her own John Sheppard for reassurance that she wasn't doing anything that she should not being doing. "Well enough, sir."
"You see, the reason it took me so long to place you is that you only lasted two weeks here. An explosion, I believe." That news made Amelia turn so pale that Teyla moved to stand beside her, ready to catch her if she decided to faint. As if he understood the damage he'd just done to the poor girl, Sheppard turned to Mr. Woolsey. "Ah, my old nemesis at the IOA. You finally got to come to Atlantis to see what all the hype was about. Good for you."
The man just stood there, his mouth open in a very undignified look of surprise. Teyla wondered if her expression looked very much like his. This John Sheppard was so much unlike her John Sheppard that she was having trouble keeping the two of them separate in her mind. When he finally turned away from their group, Teyla couldn't help but let out a thankful breath.
"Colonel, see that they get everything they need."
Lorne jumped to do his commander's bidding while the rest of the group gaped at the title. It was only then that Teyla noticed the insignias. Sure enough, Evan Lorne was a Lieutenant Colonel. That could only mean... Teyla suddenly couldn't breath. She looked over at John to see if he'd seen the same thing she had. His look of horror was locked on the shoulder of his counterpart, all the color drained from his face.
Before anyone else could answer, Ronon's whisper broke the silence. "Shit, John. You run this place."
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters: (oh, where to start) John, Teyla, Ronon, Rodney, Jennifer, Amelia, Woolsey, AU!John, AU!Teyla ... (implied John/Ronon)
Rating: R for language in some sections
Prompts: written for the stargateland Bingo challenge
Summary: Set just after Enemy at the Gate ends... Beckett stretched his arms over his head. "I think I've had enough of this murky view of San Francisco. I do believe I'm going to head back in. See you at dinner." It would prove to be the best idea anyone had had all day long. Too bad no one else followed him inside. They would have saved themselves a lot of additional stress and turmoil.
Author's Note: This is a story split into eight sections so that I could work in all the prompts for the challenge. You might remember a post a few days back where I mentioned someone asking for a story that was about our beloved characters going to an Alternate Universe and seeing/not seeing people they know. This is what happens when one universe doesn't have a Ronon.
Prompts 3 & 4
Prompts 5 & 6
Prompts 7 & 8
Part One
Prompt: 2/9 family
Word Count: 938
Rodney had just opened the door for Jennifer when he felt his stomach rattle around. There was no other way to explain it. One minute he was enjoying the view from Atlantis with his best girl and his best friends (and Woolsey, but that was neither here nor there); the next he was feeling as if he'd stepped onto an amusement ride.
When he turned around to see if anyone else had a similar ailment or if he should have Jennifer take him immediately back to the Infirmary with her, he couldn't turn his head. He lifted his eyes to see if he could see them in the glass of the door, possibly performing some sort of complex morse code with his eyelids to bring help. The problem was, there was no door in front of him, open or otherwise. It was impossible for him to feel Jennifer behind him, even though she'd been so close just moments before that he'd been able to feel her body heat.
This was not good. Not good, at all. Rod had mentioned experiencing something similar when he had come through that rift. Rodney thought of that now because it had been the last time he'd talked about amusement rides with anyone. They both had an aversion to them, laughable considering how much of their life was spent doing something very similar to the insane motion.
And then, just like that, he was staring at the door, his hand still wrapped around the handle. Had it just been something he'd eaten coming back to mess with him? Maybe he should have Jennifer check him out here and now.
"Woah. That was freaky." Rodney turned around to stare at Amelia, her own face as pale as he felt, as she tried to put into words what had just happened. "I know you all have done weird stuff on your missions but I just sit in the gate room. Occasionally, I get to put out fires or help disable bombs. Nothing like this. Please tell me that was normal."
"John was steadying Ronon who had probably been out of bed longer than was good after dying. "That wasn't as normal as you'd think. You okay, buddy?"
"Just felt a little weird, that's all. Be alright in a moment." But Ronon looked a different pale than the rest of the group. He looked the way people did when their body was refusing to act the way they wished it would act.
Rodney shook his head. This was all getting just a little too ridiculous because it was clear that something had happened that had affected all of them. That could only mean that it was pretty wide scale. He'd need to get back to his computer if he was going to figure out just what it was that happened to them. "You don't look like you're going to be alright." John hissed at him and while that had come out a little more forthright and bitter than he'd intended, Rodney had suddenly realized something. It was probably because he was the only one looking for it that he'd even found it.
The view was very different from this balcony. No sweeping expanse of San Fransisco. No hazy summer afternoon sun. No cool blue water. This was definitely a different planet than even the one that Atlantis had just left. "Has anyone noticed anything funny? Out of place?"
Right as the words came out of his mouth, an alarm sounded.
"What's going on?" Woolsey demanded to know but no one was paying him any attention and he didn't look like he was expecting an answer.
Familiar black uniformed guards threw open the doors, nearly upsetting Rodney if not for the quick action of Jennifer in pulling him back. They were pointing their guns at them as if they were a threat. One of them had a familiar smile, even if it was a little strained. He advanced toward John, practically ignoring everyone else.
"Sir? How'd you get down here so fast?" Evan Lorne lowered his weapon as he looked around, for the first time, at the rest of the people on the balcony. "Teyla? I thought you were on the mainland? And Rodney? When did you decide to come back?"
"Back? Where did I go?"
"You... left. Been on Earth nearly two years now." Ever the good soldier, Lorne's attention snapped back to his superior as he waited for an answer. "Sir? Is everything okay here?"
John could only shake his head as he let out yet another frustrated sound. It always irritated him to meet his "alternative selves" scattered around the numerous dimensions "You better go get your Sheppard. And take us to the Infirmary for now, until we can get this worked out. I'm sure Jennifer... whoever you have working there will need to check Ronon out again."
"I'm fine."
"Yeah, well you can explain that to them after you get checked out. No dimension, no diagnosis."
"Is he a prisoner?" Evan asked, bringing his gun back up. "Should we put him somewhere secure?"
"It's just Ronon," Amelia started to protest but John raised his hand for silence.
"He's part of my team. I take it you don't have a Ronon in this time and place?"
Evan shook his head, a little dazed as he took in the large man. "No, sir. No Ronon. If you say he's harmless then I'll believe you."
And because Ronon always seemed to be happy to oblige John these days, he collapsed at the feet of the men who were trying to figure out if they believed this John or not.
Part Two
Prompt: 3/9 opposites
Word Count: 965
It was hard to stay stoic while watching John barely hold in his irritation but Teyla was determined to hold in all her fear and rage at this time. Her team needed her to be calm. None of them liked to meet their alter egos, even in the best of circumstances, but being kept under the watchful eye of three Marines, none of whom she recognized, was a little strange.
Doctor Klineman, a round, jolly man that Rodney had laughingly called Santa Clause when he was out of the room, proclaimed Ronon to be "as fit as a fiddle" for someone who had just died. He was the only one who laughed. Jennifer had bared her teeth at him, taking great offense even though Ronon had just laughed it off. The doctor had prescribed a night's rest before doing anything strenuous, winking at Amelia as if she might be the one to be doing the strenuous activity with him. Both Teyla and John had struggled to hide smiles as Ronon and Amelia traded confused looks.
When the door finally slid open and a new batch of Marines stepped through the opening, they all began to breath a little easier. That was, until Rodney started to laugh. "A beard? Never thought I'd see you with one of those, John."
Both men turned to stare at him with narrowed eyes. Jennifer moved slightly in front of him, as if she thought one or the other of the Sheppards might decide to do more than just glare. "It looks nice," she replied, offering a tight smile.
This dimension's Sheppard (and Teyla decided she would think of her John as John and this one as Sheppard just so she did not get a headache from this situation) turned his head, offering the room the side of his head they hadn't seen yet. A mean looking scar puckered the skin of his neck and, when Teyla looked carefully, continued on up to his eye. "I grew it so people would forget."
"Have they?" John asked. His doppelganger shook his head after a moment of silence. "Probably for the best. Look, I know we're just in the way but I need to ask a favor of you. If you don't already have one too many McKay's in the science lab, I was wondering if our Rodney could use a computer. Or two. Seems we came through some sort of rift when we flew Atlantis to Earth."
"Your Atlantis is on Earth?"
"Not a flight I recommend taking, by the way. It's kind of a long story." John winced at the understatement, offering a one shoulder shrug. "But McKay thinks he can make it right. We just need to borrow your Atlantis for awhile."
There was a moment of silent exchange between Sheppard and Lorne that finally ended with a slight shrug from Lorne. "Fine. If McKay thinks he can fix this, I'll allow him access to the science lab."
"Should I say thank you?" Rodney asked, his chest puffing up as he prepared for some sort of fight from an unlikely opponent. It was all Jennifer could do to keep him from stepping forward, forcing a confrontation. "Because it sounds like you have a problem with me."
For a moment, no one breathed. Teyla was just about to say some calm words, ease the situation back out of the place that it was headed and on to a more even existence when suddenly Sheppard smiled. The dark hair on his face gave the expression an evil glint, as if he was a bear with dinner at hand. "I guess I don't have a problem with you, do I? Sorry about that. It's easy to forget that different things happen on different planes of existence. For instance, I just realized why you look familiar." He walked toward Amelia, stopping only because Ronon looked as if he might launch himself out of bed if the other man got any closer. "Amelia Banks, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"It's been awhile. I trust you're well?"
Amelia's posture was as ram-rod stiff as she could get it, her face straight ahead but her eyes finding her own John Sheppard for reassurance that she wasn't doing anything that she should not being doing. "Well enough, sir."
"You see, the reason it took me so long to place you is that you only lasted two weeks here. An explosion, I believe." That news made Amelia turn so pale that Teyla moved to stand beside her, ready to catch her if she decided to faint. As if he understood the damage he'd just done to the poor girl, Sheppard turned to Mr. Woolsey. "Ah, my old nemesis at the IOA. You finally got to come to Atlantis to see what all the hype was about. Good for you."
The man just stood there, his mouth open in a very undignified look of surprise. Teyla wondered if her expression looked very much like his. This John Sheppard was so much unlike her John Sheppard that she was having trouble keeping the two of them separate in her mind. When he finally turned away from their group, Teyla couldn't help but let out a thankful breath.
"Colonel, see that they get everything they need."
Lorne jumped to do his commander's bidding while the rest of the group gaped at the title. It was only then that Teyla noticed the insignias. Sure enough, Evan Lorne was a Lieutenant Colonel. That could only mean... Teyla suddenly couldn't breath. She looked over at John to see if he'd seen the same thing she had. His look of horror was locked on the shoulder of his counterpart, all the color drained from his face.
Before anyone else could answer, Ronon's whisper broke the silence. "Shit, John. You run this place."