Major Theft
Title: Major Theft
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Series: Part of the Time Shift ‘verse
Characters/Pairing: Lorne/Parrish, Cadman, Stackhouse, Markham, Sumner, Sheppard
Rating: PG
Orientation: Slash
Word Count: 4,765
Notes: for stargateland stargatelandchallenge: Prompt: Steal
For Fan Bingo Fill: "Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey"
Also, for camshaft22 , this is three.
Laura sat in the co-pilot’s seat; David had a headache and was curled in a ball on the air mattress in the back, a blanket over his head with the rear compartment lights turned off and the door to the cockpit partially shut.
Glancing back, Evan remarked quietly, “Hey, if this works we can stock up on pain killers; we’re down to the last few Excedrin and Tylenol capsules.” She nodded and watched as he adjusted the controls and took a deep breath before whispering, “Here goes nothing.”
The jumper shuddered. Parrish groaned loudly from the back, his long moan trailing off into a whimper. “Sorry David,” Evan called.
David’s reply was quite rude.
Outside the glass front of the jumper, space seemed to warp and bend, and the stars became streaks of light. “It’s working,” Cadman breathed, leaning forward and smiling as she watched the stars twist around them.
“Hold together,” Evan whispered as he looked up at the HUD. “Just hold together.”
Looking over at Evan in panic, Laura demanded, “There’s a chance the ship could fall apart? You didn’t mention that part!”
“Just a slim one. If we hit this number here, we’ll be cruising fine.” He pointed to a bar on the HUD, one slowly creeping to the edge.
The bar flashed full and the ‘jumper stopped shaking. “I think we’re good,” Lorne said, releasing a breath. “Everything is in the green.”
“How long will this take? How soon will we get to the other timeline?”
“Oh, we’re here. Then? Huh, I don’t know the proper grammar. Anyway, we’ve shifted. Now to find Earth.” He leaned over and pulled out his laptop, one emblazoned with the Atlantis Expedition seal, one of his few holdovers from his own timeline.
She watched him as he opened files and compared what he was reading on the computer to what he saw on the HUD. He rarely spoke of his own timeline, of the David and Laura he remembered, of the events he had lived through before he got lost in the enhanced puddlejumper and went searching for home and companionship. Every once in a while, something would slip out in conversation, but usually, he changed the subject if it drifted to his past.
“I’m having trouble syncing up the charts, none of the stellar patterns are matching the charts in the database,” Evan muttered after about twenty minutes of typing and clicking.
“Check Pegasus,” David suggested from the back of the ‘jumper.”
“Huh,” Evan mumbled, as he hit a few keys. The HUD flashed and a red light began blinking on it.
“We are here?” Laura asked as she leaned back in her seat and rested her boots on the control panel.
Without looking up, Evan mumbled, “Of course we’re here, where else would we be?”
“There?”
“Funny, Cadman.” He gave her a look and then went back to the computer.
She stared out at the stars. In the distance there was a steady blue glow. She squinted at it, tipped her head and then looked up at the HUD. “Uhm, Evan?”
“What?”
“There’s something out there.”
“Where?” He looked up at her and followed the finger she was holding up at the screen.
The HUD changed magnification, zooming in on the area they wanted to view. “Is that a…?”
“I think it might be a space station.” Evan began to laugh as information began scrolling on the HUD, half in English, half in Ancient.
David appeared, clinging to the doorframe, blinking painfully at the light in the forward compartment as he mumbled, “What’s so funny?”
“It worked. It actually worked. That’s not a space station, that’s Atlantis!” Lorne chortled as the ‘jumper accelerated forward.
“But…” Laura stared at Evan.
“City…” David blurted. “Underwater…”
“How?” Laura and David asked in unison.
Evan smirked cheekily at them. “Oh, did I forget to mention that Atlantis is a starship? She seems to be orbiting that planet there, probably to keep an address lock so they can use their Gate.”
~*~
The communications system burst into life, startling David and Laura, who had no idea it even existed, since it had not been utilized since they came aboard, and their Atlantis Expedition had never found the jumpers before they all perished.
“Gateship, identify yourself,” a voice said.
“Well, we’re not in my Kansas,” Lorne said with a sigh. If this had been his reality, they wouldn’t have said Gateship. He pressed a button on the console and said, “Hey Atlantis, is that Chuck, by any chance?”
There was a moment of silence, which Evan assumed was caused by some confusion. “Yes it is… Major Lorne?”
“Yeah, this is Lorne.”
“Sir, please land and prepare to be boarded. Do not attempt to exit the Gateship until the security team meets you,” Chuck replied.
“Will do. Thanks.” He closed the connection. “This is going to be weird,” Evan remarked as he urged the little ship to go faster.
They were met in the ‘jumper bay by two full security teams, armed to the teeth and led by Jason Markham, who was apparently a Major in this reality. As Lorne preceded his companions down the ramp, he nodded and greeted, “Markham, long time no see.” He reached over and hit the ramp control, raising it before any of the security men could board the ‘jumper. He mentally locked it, telling the little ship not to open for anyone but himself.
“That is an understatement, sir.” Markham’s eyes widened as he took in Cadman and Parrish. “If you’ll come with me, the Base Commander will want to speak with you, immediately.”
They were led to the office that had been occupied by Elizabeth Weir in Lorne’s reality. Seated behind the desk was Colonel Sumner. Lorne gave him a salute and fell into parade rest, as did Cadman. David crossed his arms and stood there looking pained, still suffering with the headache.
“Would you care to tell me where you’ve been for the past two years, Major?” Sumner demanded.
“Traveling, sir.”
“Traveling?’
“Yes sir.”
“You left here with the defense fleet and your Gateship was reported destroyed by former Major Sheppard. I’m not entirely surprised that the report was erroneous, given the source.” Sumner glared at Lorne.
He’d never met the man, but he remembered Sheppard and some of the other guys from the first wave telling him what a ball-buster Sumner had been. The man seemed as unpleasant as the stories led him to believe.
“Well, actually, Colonel, your reports are quite likely correct. You see, I’m not your Lorne.”
Sumner sat back in his chair and regarded him steadily; he did not seem overly surprised by the revelation. “Apparently not,” he said finally, “I suppose that eliminates my need to figure out how Doctor Parrish and Lieutenant Cadman here have returned from their graves. I know they were dead, I saw the decayed bodies after the epidemic.”
“Ew,” Laura said, giving a shudder.
“How did you get here, Lorne?’
Something told Evan to play his cards carefully. “We came through a wonky wormhole, sir. We were on our way back to Atlantis and ended up… here.”
“I see. What should I do with you?” Sumner asked, tapping his stylus on the desktop.
“Well sir, I was hoping we could get some medical supplies? Then we can be on our way.”
“Head to medical, get checked out. Parrish here is weaving on his feet. Then eat. Your security escort will show you to quarters. We’ll have a debriefing tomorrow with the senior staff and decide upon a course of action at that time. Dismissed.”
They were met at the door by Nate Stackhouse, whose alternate had been a member of Lorne’s team and also a friend. He gave Lorne a nervous smile and then stood aside to let him pass. Half of the marines waiting were familiar to Evan.
“Take them to medical, then to the mess hall,” Sumner barked.
“Yes, sir!” Stackhouse saluted.
As they walked down the hall, Stackhouse drifted back to fall into step beside Lorne. “Is it really you, Ev?”
“Sorry Stacks, not entirely, I’m not your Lorne.”
“Damn. For a minute there I thought Sheppard had a chance.”
Evan stopped and looked at Stackhouse in puzzlement. “A chance for what?”
“To wriggle out of the execution. Sumner court-martialed him; half the charges were trumped up. You were always the voice of reason around here, without you as a buffer between them, things heated up. Sumner lost his shit when we lost contact with Earth and went head to head with Sheppard.”
“And Sheppard didn’t keep his mouth shut and talked himself into the brig, didn’t he?” Lorne shook his head, imagining how things had progressed. He knew that the ‘old’ Sheppard, before he took command of Atlantis, had been a troublemaker who had a problem with authority. Without the changes responsibility for the Expedition had brought, Sheppard must have continued along on his old path.
“When’s the execution?”
“Within the next few days, at Sumner’s whim. It’s been postponed three times on appeal, but Sumner threw a fit this morning and said no more stalling.”
They had arrived at the infirmary. After getting over his initial surprise, Beckett examined them, gave David a shot for his headache and declared they were cleared to roam around.
The marines spread out around the mess while Stackhouse stayed with Lorne, Parrish and Cadman as they collected trays and piled them high with food. Sitting at the table, Lorne poked at something pink with his fork. “I really didn’t miss this.”
“What is this stuff?” Laura asked, spearing a chunk of purple vegetable on her fork.
Evan peered at it. “Either purple pumpkin or flava root.”
She took a small bite and grimaced, dropping the fork.
“Flava root,” Evan and Stackhouse chorused.
People stared, some with hostility. “What’s with the stink-eye?” David asked as a pair of scientists hurried past, glancing back and whispering.
“We’re a mixed table,” Stackhouse said with a shrug as he bit into a piece of fruit.
“Huh?”
“Military do not mix with sciences. Ever,” Stacks said, glancing over at Parrish.
Sitting back in his seat after poking at the mess on his plate, Evan commented, “That’s ridiculous. This is a scientific mission.”
“Not anymore. We’re military now. After Weir died, Sumner brought the hammer down. Most of the high level scientists booked ass through the Gate when we still had contact with Earth. We’re lucky to have kept Zelenka, or I’m sure we’d have fallen out of the sky by now.”
“McKay’s gone?” Lorne asked, stealing Laura’s orange Jell-o. She gave a halfhearted jab with her fork, but he was too quick.
“And Kavanagh and most of the others. Zelenka was in the infirmary with the flu during the last dial out, or he might have left with everyone else.
David shifted in his seat, catching Evan’s eye. “I don’t want to stay here,” he said quietly.
“Me either, let’s go, Ev. I don’t like this; I have a very bad feeling about this,” Laura said as she glanced around the tense mess hall.
Watching the three of them, Stackhouse leaned in. “If you have a way out, you should take it. Bad things are coming. Very bad things.”
“Wraith?” Lorne asked.
“What’s that?” Stackhouse replied.
Lorne waved off the question, “Nevermind. Will you help us, Stacks?”
The sergeant gave it a minute of consideration. “On one condition.”
“Name it,” Cadman said.
“Sheppard was my friend, he was good to the marines, saved all of our asses a number of times. We wouldn’t have escaped that wave if he hadn’t flown us off that planet. Sumner forgets all that because he hates him. Take Sheppard with you, before Sumner kills him. I… we owe him that much.”
Take an unreformed, wild John Sheppard with them? Four in the ‘jumper? Evan looked to David and Laura. David shrugged and Laura gave a quick nod. “We’ll need supplies, we’re low on medical stuff and MREs and ammo.”
“We can raid the Gateships. You’ve got the gene, and Atlantis usually responded to our Lorne, do you think you can shut down the security monitors on the detention cell?”
Evan nodded, “Shouldn’t be a problem.” A thought occurred to him. “Hey, was the plague before or after your last dial out?”
“After.”
Smiling, Lorne started formulating a plan. “Okay. Where’s the effects locker?”
“Main Tower, level 3, section two.”
“Good. David, Laura, you stay with Stackhouse and go raid the jumpers for supplies. Get me a new laptop to use as backup and a battery pack for it, if you can find one. And new tents, bigger, long term ones. I’m going to do a quick run, see if I can shut the systems down as I go before I attempt to go to the detention cells. I’ll meet you back here in fifteen or twenty minutes.”
Snapping off a salute as she stood up, without the slightest bit of respect, Laura chirped, “Yes sir!”
Evan stayed with the security escort until they passed a stairwell. By that time, Stackhouse had whispered in a few ears and the guards were conveniently looking the other way when Lorne made his break. Sumner had really lost control around here; it seemed a mutiny was afoot.
He jogged down the stairs, disabling the security sensors as he went. It seemed the tower was using the Ancient’s systems, rather than Earth tech. That made this easy, since Atlantis was responding to his mental commands without any problem at all.
Luckily, he found a supply closet. He went in and grabbed an empty backpack. He filled all the side pouches with small sundries and bandages, leaving the main section empty. He picked up two duffel bags and carried them with him out of the closet.
Finding the effects locker, he coaxed Atlantis into overriding the lock and slipped inside. He easily found the boxes containing alternate David, alternate Laura and his own alternate’s personal effects. He dumped the contents of the boxes into the bags and pack. Then he headed up to the ’jumper bay.
Stackhouse, Markham and a marine were helping David and Laura load the jumper when he got there. He tossed the packs onto a bench and helped them finish. Markham was eying the temporal drive. “Upgrade, Major?”
“Something like that,” Lorne said with a smirk.
They all spun toward the sound of the bay door opening. Lorne smiled when he saw Lieutenant Ford running towards them, a backpack slung over one shoulder. “Hi not dead people. I can’t stay. Here’s his stuff. Tell him sorry about the skateboard, it wouldn’t fit.” He passed the pack to Stackhouse. “Good luck! Gotta run, Sumner’s got his goons watching me.” With that, Ford ran off.
Evan turned towards Stackhouse and Markham. “Is Chuck going to be a problem?”
“Nope. He’s waiting for our signal; he can buy us thirty seconds, possibly more before Sumner is able to get Zelenka to work on overriding it. Zelenka can stall another thirty seconds,” Markham replied.
“Plenty of time then,” Lorne smiled. He shook the hand of the marine and then slapped Markham on the shoulder. “Thanks guys. Good luck with your plan.”
He turned to Stackhouse and was enveloped in a bear hug. “I miss you Ev. I never got to say goodbye, and thanks for everything. I know you’re not him, but you’re close enough.”
“Yeah, I miss you too, Stacks. Let’s get this show on the road, before Sumner figures out we’re up to something.”
“He’s in the main holding area.” Markham slapped a zat into Lorne’s hand. “Please don’t disintegrate anyone; some of those guys are on our side.”
Evan grinned. “Okay then. David, Laura, secure the booty and be ready to raise the gangplank when I come back.”
Rolling his eyes, David shook his head and went to the front of the ‘jumper. Laura grinned and said, “Arrgghh, aye Captain!”
It was Evan’s turn to roll his yes. “For the last time, we aren’t pirates, Cadman.”
“Yes we are,” she replied saucily. “And YOU said booty and gangplank this time.”
“A habit I picked up from you. We are not pirates!”
She waved a hand at the crates and piles of supplies. “Booty.” She reached into one of the hanging cargo nets and pulled out a small golden idol they had found on one of their excursions. “Pilfered treasure.” She followed David into the front and sang cheerily, “Yo, ho and a bottle of rum!”
“Rum, do we have time to find rum?” David asked.
“NO! Stay here.” Evan pointed a warning finger at his partners and strode off to the door, hoping they obeyed him. They usually didn’t. So instead he hoped they got back to the jumper with the alcohol before he got back with Sheppard.
~*~
John Sheppard sat on his bench, dozing lightly. Sumner, the prick, wouldn’t even let him have a book to read. Some of the marines were friendly and chatted with him, but the pair outside now were some of Sumner’s pets.
How had this all gone so wrong so quickly? He’d been trying to help people, and somehow, Sumner had turned it all around and upside down and now here he sat waiting for the noose. He’d been warned over the years that if he didn’t straighten up and fly right there was a summary execution in his future, but since joining the SGC he’d been trying to fly perfectly.
As usual, a good thing had gone bad. Sumner was poison. The man destroyed everything he touched. Including John, it seemed. He suspected Markham and Stackhouse were plotting something, the marines were choosing sides. Stackhouse had come this morning and told him about Sumner’s latest tantrum, and had apologized that their plan wasn’t ready, that there was nothing they could do for John. He wished them well, whatever they were cooking up.
He heard the whine of a zat and three thumps as his guards hit the floor. He ran to the bars and looked out. He took a step back as a ghost walked through the door and crossed to the cell. “Sheppard.”
“Lorne? How? You’re dead. I saw your jumper explode.”
“Yeah, that was a different Lorne. You ready to go? I’m your ride, courtesy of Markham and Stackhouse.”
Sheppard was not going to argue. Not when a walking miracle was opening the cell door. “Let’s go, I’m more than ready. Is this part of their plan?”
“Nope. I’m a new unexpected twist, a bonus.”
They quickly and silently made their way to the ‘jumper bay, Lorne only had to stun two more marines that crossed their path.
Stackhouse met them on the landing and gave Sheppard a one-armed hug. “Good luck sir. We’ll miss you. Have a good life.”
“You too, Stacks, thanks for everything.” John gave a wave and followed Evan as Stackhouse jogged down the stairs.
Inside the door, Markham met them, handing John a gun belt and three clips. “I held onto these for you, John.”
“Thanks Jason. You should clear out as fast as you can.”
Markham nodded. “Yeah, we’re gonna move in a few days. Good luck. It was an honor serving with you.”
“Hey, maybe I’ll see you guys again.”
“Not where we’re going. Sorry.” Lorne grasped Sheppard’s upper arm and tugged him towards the jumper. “We have to go Sheppard.”
“Bye Jason!” Sheppard called as Markham gave a sad smile and ran through the door.
Sheppard stopped as he got to the top of the ramp and saw Parrish leaning against the bulkhead and Cadman kneeling on the copilot’s seat with her arms wrapped around the headrest, facing the ramp. “I’m surrounded by ghosts!”
“Thank you for flying Pirate Air, welcome aboard the Jolly Roger!” Cadman gave him a jaunty two fingered salute and smirked at him.
“Laura,” Lorne said in a low warning tone as he headed for the pilot’s seat, flipping a switch on the temporal drive as he passed by it.
“One question before we raise the gangplank, Sheppard,” Cadman said.
Sinking slowly onto a bench, Sheppard looked around at the crates and boxes. “Yeah?”
“You got any problem with my boys being together?”
“Laura!” David gasped, slapping her shoulder.
“Together... oh! Well, no, I don’t care.” Sheppard looked from Evan, now blushing furiously to Parrish, who was glaring daggers at Cadman.
“Okay, then!” She clapped her hands and smiled. Weigh anchor, Captain!” Cadman plopped down in her seat as the back ramp rose and locked into place.
Lorne spun in his seat and jabbed a finger at Cadman’s nose. “We are not pirates.”
She leaned over in her chair and tossed her head at Lorne as she intoned deeply, “He is the dread pirate Roberts.”
“Cadman!”
“Yes, Captain Roberts?”
“Go sit in the back. It’s David’s turn to fly shotgun.”
“No it isn’t.”
“I said it is, now get back there…”
She jumped up and squeezed past Parrish to perch on the bench across from Sheppard. “He keeps threatening to keelhaul me.”
Sheppard smirked and crossed his arms. “Impossible in a Gateship.”
“I know, right? And the proper term for the Jolly Roger is Puddlejumper.”
“Hey, that’s what I thought they should be called!” Sheppard said. “What’s that?” He pointed to the temporal drive.
She smiled. “Upgrade. Hopefully it works and we don’t blow up.”
“Cadman, what’s the reading on the TD?”
She leaned over and peered at a dial. “Uhm, sixty four, a couple of clicks from blue.”
“Good enough, she should be warmed up by the time we hit space. I’m signaling Chuck, everyone sit tight, here we go.”
The TD made an odd grinding noise as the ‘jumper lifted from the bay floor. “Is it supposed to do that?” Sheppard asked, looking at it nervously. He did not feel any better when Cadman merely shrugged.
“Hey Sheppard, you know the address of a market planet? We need to trade for some supplies, but take us to the Alpha Site first then we’ll hit a space Gate to lose anyone trailing us.”
Sheppard got up and went to the dialing controls, and started hitting the sequence. He could hear alarm klaxons sounding. He was leaving Atlantis. After all this time, he was going, with a stranger that was a version of his dead best friend and a pair of ghosts.
With Chuck helping them, keeping the control room off kilter, it was ridiculously easy to get the ‘jumper through the Gate.
“We did it!” Cadman hooted as they came out at the Alpha Site. “Evan, we stole a person this time.”
“We did not steal…”
David was staring at Sheppard and interrupted Evan. “Oh, yes we did, we sure as hell did.”
Looking up at Sheppard, Cadman smiled wickedly and pointed at him. “Dibs. You’re my booty.”
“LAURA!” David and Evan shouted, leaving Sheppard looking around at them in complete confusion.
Once they got to the Alpha Site, John immediately dialed Genii, figuring Sumner deserved another visit there. Once at Genii, he fired a few drones at the Genii outbuildings to piss them off. Then he dialed a space Gate, which should cover their trail, since there was no DHD for Zelenka to be forced to disassemble to track them. From there, they went to the market planet Lorne had requested.
~*~
“Wow, those shiny beads went a long way,” Laura remarked as they headed back to the cloaked jumper with their packs laden with food, clothing and some new bedding.
They had headed right out to trade as soon as they got there, since it was midday and the market would close before sunset.
Sheppard was in a daze as he walked alongside Cadman. He was free. Lorne had assured him that he was welcome to go off on his own if he chose; they would not force him to remain with them. But he had a good feeling about this trio of ghosts, he felt strangely relaxed in their company. So he told them he’d stay with them for a while.
Once they got back, Lorne flew them to an isolated area where they could set up a camp. They dragged the cases of supplies outside, intending to go through everything and try to organize it to fit in the cargo bins and nets.
“What’re these, Ev?” Laura called as she held up the two duffel bags that had been tossed on the bench.
“Oh, one is for you, the other is for David, I hope you don’t get all freaked out.”
Laura knelt on the ground and unzipped the first bag. She gasped as she reached in and withdrew a framed photo. “Oh!”
“What is it?” David asked, coming to crouch beside her.
“My parents, the day I finished at the academy. My copy was ruined in the flood, most of my stuff was.”
David nodded. “I remember.”
She dug through the bag. “Some of this stuff I don’t recognize, but a lot of it I do. How weird. Look in yours, David.”
Hesitantly, David pulled the other bag to him and opened it. “I thought this was all lost. All the stuff I brought to Atlantis. This was my Dad’s.” He pulled out a silver chain with a claddagh on it. When Evan came over, David took his hand and let the chain pool into it, closing Evan’s fingers over it. “I want you to have it. I could never wear it, but I want you to.”
Evan blinked and took a breath before clearing his throat and looking at Sheppard. “Ford grabbed your gear. He apologized for not sending the skateboard. The pack is in the jumper.”
“Cool. Thanks. We should get the tents up, before sundown.” Sheppard saw a bag containing a tent and went to grab it, feeling like he was intruding on the other’s conversation. He busied himself until sundown setting up camp and collecting firewood with Evan.
“Come and eat,” Cadman called from the campfire. David told him that they rotated chores; and it was Laura’s turn to cook. She informed him that her cooking sucked, which made him laugh for some reason.
They were all a bit tired from the day and the work, so they ate in silence. David took the dishes to wash them in the stream.
When David returned, he moved behind Evan and sat down, pulling him back against him. Was it a test to see how John would react, or was this typical? Laura glanced over at them and then quickly looked away, focusing instead on John.
“So, what exactly is the plan? What do we do?” John asked her.
“We’ve been ransacking temples and ruins that Lorne remembered, but we were running out of those and we didn’t want to run into any Wraith, so we decided to try to get back to civilization. That didn’t go so well,” Laura told him.
“Well, now we know it works. We can try again,” Lorne said, yawning.
Laura and David both stared at Evan. Annoyed, David pushed him up. “You didn’t know if it would even work?”
“I told you that when we went back for Laura! You remember all the trouble we had; I had a hell of a time keeping it running.”
“Our pirate ship is broken?” Sheppard asked with mild amusement. “And here I was looking forward to the life of a master thief, embarking on an exciting life of crime.”
“We’re not pirates,” Lorne protested.
“Tomb raiders then. Hey, wait; you’re Lara Croft, aren’t you?” Sheppard pointed at Cadman.
She smirked and then nodded. “I even have the short-shorts, a blue tank top and a thigh holster.”
“I look forward to seeing that.” And he did, he realized.
He climbed to his feet and stretched. It was time to turn in. “Hey Evan thanks for the rescue. Thanks all of you. I can’t remember when I have enjoyed a jail break more.”
Lorne waved at him. “Old habits die hard, John.”
“That they do. Good night all, pleasant dreams.”
He walked to his tent and realized that for the first time in well over a year; his own dreams might actually be pleasant.
Freedom was turning out to be kinda cool, even if he had no idea where he was going.
The End
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Series: Part of the Time Shift ‘verse
Characters/Pairing: Lorne/Parrish, Cadman, Stackhouse, Markham, Sumner, Sheppard
Rating: PG
Orientation: Slash
Word Count: 4,765
Notes: for stargateland stargatelandchallenge: Prompt: Steal
For Fan Bingo Fill: "Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey"
Also, for camshaft22 , this is three.
Laura sat in the co-pilot’s seat; David had a headache and was curled in a ball on the air mattress in the back, a blanket over his head with the rear compartment lights turned off and the door to the cockpit partially shut.
Glancing back, Evan remarked quietly, “Hey, if this works we can stock up on pain killers; we’re down to the last few Excedrin and Tylenol capsules.” She nodded and watched as he adjusted the controls and took a deep breath before whispering, “Here goes nothing.”
The jumper shuddered. Parrish groaned loudly from the back, his long moan trailing off into a whimper. “Sorry David,” Evan called.
David’s reply was quite rude.
Outside the glass front of the jumper, space seemed to warp and bend, and the stars became streaks of light. “It’s working,” Cadman breathed, leaning forward and smiling as she watched the stars twist around them.
“Hold together,” Evan whispered as he looked up at the HUD. “Just hold together.”
Looking over at Evan in panic, Laura demanded, “There’s a chance the ship could fall apart? You didn’t mention that part!”
“Just a slim one. If we hit this number here, we’ll be cruising fine.” He pointed to a bar on the HUD, one slowly creeping to the edge.
The bar flashed full and the ‘jumper stopped shaking. “I think we’re good,” Lorne said, releasing a breath. “Everything is in the green.”
“How long will this take? How soon will we get to the other timeline?”
“Oh, we’re here. Then? Huh, I don’t know the proper grammar. Anyway, we’ve shifted. Now to find Earth.” He leaned over and pulled out his laptop, one emblazoned with the Atlantis Expedition seal, one of his few holdovers from his own timeline.
She watched him as he opened files and compared what he was reading on the computer to what he saw on the HUD. He rarely spoke of his own timeline, of the David and Laura he remembered, of the events he had lived through before he got lost in the enhanced puddlejumper and went searching for home and companionship. Every once in a while, something would slip out in conversation, but usually, he changed the subject if it drifted to his past.
“I’m having trouble syncing up the charts, none of the stellar patterns are matching the charts in the database,” Evan muttered after about twenty minutes of typing and clicking.
“Check Pegasus,” David suggested from the back of the ‘jumper.”
“Huh,” Evan mumbled, as he hit a few keys. The HUD flashed and a red light began blinking on it.
“We are here?” Laura asked as she leaned back in her seat and rested her boots on the control panel.
Without looking up, Evan mumbled, “Of course we’re here, where else would we be?”
“There?”
“Funny, Cadman.” He gave her a look and then went back to the computer.
She stared out at the stars. In the distance there was a steady blue glow. She squinted at it, tipped her head and then looked up at the HUD. “Uhm, Evan?”
“What?”
“There’s something out there.”
“Where?” He looked up at her and followed the finger she was holding up at the screen.
The HUD changed magnification, zooming in on the area they wanted to view. “Is that a…?”
“I think it might be a space station.” Evan began to laugh as information began scrolling on the HUD, half in English, half in Ancient.
David appeared, clinging to the doorframe, blinking painfully at the light in the forward compartment as he mumbled, “What’s so funny?”
“It worked. It actually worked. That’s not a space station, that’s Atlantis!” Lorne chortled as the ‘jumper accelerated forward.
“But…” Laura stared at Evan.
“City…” David blurted. “Underwater…”
“How?” Laura and David asked in unison.
Evan smirked cheekily at them. “Oh, did I forget to mention that Atlantis is a starship? She seems to be orbiting that planet there, probably to keep an address lock so they can use their Gate.”
~*~
The communications system burst into life, startling David and Laura, who had no idea it even existed, since it had not been utilized since they came aboard, and their Atlantis Expedition had never found the jumpers before they all perished.
“Gateship, identify yourself,” a voice said.
“Well, we’re not in my Kansas,” Lorne said with a sigh. If this had been his reality, they wouldn’t have said Gateship. He pressed a button on the console and said, “Hey Atlantis, is that Chuck, by any chance?”
There was a moment of silence, which Evan assumed was caused by some confusion. “Yes it is… Major Lorne?”
“Yeah, this is Lorne.”
“Sir, please land and prepare to be boarded. Do not attempt to exit the Gateship until the security team meets you,” Chuck replied.
“Will do. Thanks.” He closed the connection. “This is going to be weird,” Evan remarked as he urged the little ship to go faster.
They were met in the ‘jumper bay by two full security teams, armed to the teeth and led by Jason Markham, who was apparently a Major in this reality. As Lorne preceded his companions down the ramp, he nodded and greeted, “Markham, long time no see.” He reached over and hit the ramp control, raising it before any of the security men could board the ‘jumper. He mentally locked it, telling the little ship not to open for anyone but himself.
“That is an understatement, sir.” Markham’s eyes widened as he took in Cadman and Parrish. “If you’ll come with me, the Base Commander will want to speak with you, immediately.”
They were led to the office that had been occupied by Elizabeth Weir in Lorne’s reality. Seated behind the desk was Colonel Sumner. Lorne gave him a salute and fell into parade rest, as did Cadman. David crossed his arms and stood there looking pained, still suffering with the headache.
“Would you care to tell me where you’ve been for the past two years, Major?” Sumner demanded.
“Traveling, sir.”
“Traveling?’
“Yes sir.”
“You left here with the defense fleet and your Gateship was reported destroyed by former Major Sheppard. I’m not entirely surprised that the report was erroneous, given the source.” Sumner glared at Lorne.
He’d never met the man, but he remembered Sheppard and some of the other guys from the first wave telling him what a ball-buster Sumner had been. The man seemed as unpleasant as the stories led him to believe.
“Well, actually, Colonel, your reports are quite likely correct. You see, I’m not your Lorne.”
Sumner sat back in his chair and regarded him steadily; he did not seem overly surprised by the revelation. “Apparently not,” he said finally, “I suppose that eliminates my need to figure out how Doctor Parrish and Lieutenant Cadman here have returned from their graves. I know they were dead, I saw the decayed bodies after the epidemic.”
“Ew,” Laura said, giving a shudder.
“How did you get here, Lorne?’
Something told Evan to play his cards carefully. “We came through a wonky wormhole, sir. We were on our way back to Atlantis and ended up… here.”
“I see. What should I do with you?” Sumner asked, tapping his stylus on the desktop.
“Well sir, I was hoping we could get some medical supplies? Then we can be on our way.”
“Head to medical, get checked out. Parrish here is weaving on his feet. Then eat. Your security escort will show you to quarters. We’ll have a debriefing tomorrow with the senior staff and decide upon a course of action at that time. Dismissed.”
They were met at the door by Nate Stackhouse, whose alternate had been a member of Lorne’s team and also a friend. He gave Lorne a nervous smile and then stood aside to let him pass. Half of the marines waiting were familiar to Evan.
“Take them to medical, then to the mess hall,” Sumner barked.
“Yes, sir!” Stackhouse saluted.
As they walked down the hall, Stackhouse drifted back to fall into step beside Lorne. “Is it really you, Ev?”
“Sorry Stacks, not entirely, I’m not your Lorne.”
“Damn. For a minute there I thought Sheppard had a chance.”
Evan stopped and looked at Stackhouse in puzzlement. “A chance for what?”
“To wriggle out of the execution. Sumner court-martialed him; half the charges were trumped up. You were always the voice of reason around here, without you as a buffer between them, things heated up. Sumner lost his shit when we lost contact with Earth and went head to head with Sheppard.”
“And Sheppard didn’t keep his mouth shut and talked himself into the brig, didn’t he?” Lorne shook his head, imagining how things had progressed. He knew that the ‘old’ Sheppard, before he took command of Atlantis, had been a troublemaker who had a problem with authority. Without the changes responsibility for the Expedition had brought, Sheppard must have continued along on his old path.
“When’s the execution?”
“Within the next few days, at Sumner’s whim. It’s been postponed three times on appeal, but Sumner threw a fit this morning and said no more stalling.”
They had arrived at the infirmary. After getting over his initial surprise, Beckett examined them, gave David a shot for his headache and declared they were cleared to roam around.
The marines spread out around the mess while Stackhouse stayed with Lorne, Parrish and Cadman as they collected trays and piled them high with food. Sitting at the table, Lorne poked at something pink with his fork. “I really didn’t miss this.”
“What is this stuff?” Laura asked, spearing a chunk of purple vegetable on her fork.
Evan peered at it. “Either purple pumpkin or flava root.”
She took a small bite and grimaced, dropping the fork.
“Flava root,” Evan and Stackhouse chorused.
People stared, some with hostility. “What’s with the stink-eye?” David asked as a pair of scientists hurried past, glancing back and whispering.
“We’re a mixed table,” Stackhouse said with a shrug as he bit into a piece of fruit.
“Huh?”
“Military do not mix with sciences. Ever,” Stacks said, glancing over at Parrish.
Sitting back in his seat after poking at the mess on his plate, Evan commented, “That’s ridiculous. This is a scientific mission.”
“Not anymore. We’re military now. After Weir died, Sumner brought the hammer down. Most of the high level scientists booked ass through the Gate when we still had contact with Earth. We’re lucky to have kept Zelenka, or I’m sure we’d have fallen out of the sky by now.”
“McKay’s gone?” Lorne asked, stealing Laura’s orange Jell-o. She gave a halfhearted jab with her fork, but he was too quick.
“And Kavanagh and most of the others. Zelenka was in the infirmary with the flu during the last dial out, or he might have left with everyone else.
David shifted in his seat, catching Evan’s eye. “I don’t want to stay here,” he said quietly.
“Me either, let’s go, Ev. I don’t like this; I have a very bad feeling about this,” Laura said as she glanced around the tense mess hall.
Watching the three of them, Stackhouse leaned in. “If you have a way out, you should take it. Bad things are coming. Very bad things.”
“Wraith?” Lorne asked.
“What’s that?” Stackhouse replied.
Lorne waved off the question, “Nevermind. Will you help us, Stacks?”
The sergeant gave it a minute of consideration. “On one condition.”
“Name it,” Cadman said.
“Sheppard was my friend, he was good to the marines, saved all of our asses a number of times. We wouldn’t have escaped that wave if he hadn’t flown us off that planet. Sumner forgets all that because he hates him. Take Sheppard with you, before Sumner kills him. I… we owe him that much.”
Take an unreformed, wild John Sheppard with them? Four in the ‘jumper? Evan looked to David and Laura. David shrugged and Laura gave a quick nod. “We’ll need supplies, we’re low on medical stuff and MREs and ammo.”
“We can raid the Gateships. You’ve got the gene, and Atlantis usually responded to our Lorne, do you think you can shut down the security monitors on the detention cell?”
Evan nodded, “Shouldn’t be a problem.” A thought occurred to him. “Hey, was the plague before or after your last dial out?”
“After.”
Smiling, Lorne started formulating a plan. “Okay. Where’s the effects locker?”
“Main Tower, level 3, section two.”
“Good. David, Laura, you stay with Stackhouse and go raid the jumpers for supplies. Get me a new laptop to use as backup and a battery pack for it, if you can find one. And new tents, bigger, long term ones. I’m going to do a quick run, see if I can shut the systems down as I go before I attempt to go to the detention cells. I’ll meet you back here in fifteen or twenty minutes.”
Snapping off a salute as she stood up, without the slightest bit of respect, Laura chirped, “Yes sir!”
Evan stayed with the security escort until they passed a stairwell. By that time, Stackhouse had whispered in a few ears and the guards were conveniently looking the other way when Lorne made his break. Sumner had really lost control around here; it seemed a mutiny was afoot.
He jogged down the stairs, disabling the security sensors as he went. It seemed the tower was using the Ancient’s systems, rather than Earth tech. That made this easy, since Atlantis was responding to his mental commands without any problem at all.
Luckily, he found a supply closet. He went in and grabbed an empty backpack. He filled all the side pouches with small sundries and bandages, leaving the main section empty. He picked up two duffel bags and carried them with him out of the closet.
Finding the effects locker, he coaxed Atlantis into overriding the lock and slipped inside. He easily found the boxes containing alternate David, alternate Laura and his own alternate’s personal effects. He dumped the contents of the boxes into the bags and pack. Then he headed up to the ’jumper bay.
Stackhouse, Markham and a marine were helping David and Laura load the jumper when he got there. He tossed the packs onto a bench and helped them finish. Markham was eying the temporal drive. “Upgrade, Major?”
“Something like that,” Lorne said with a smirk.
They all spun toward the sound of the bay door opening. Lorne smiled when he saw Lieutenant Ford running towards them, a backpack slung over one shoulder. “Hi not dead people. I can’t stay. Here’s his stuff. Tell him sorry about the skateboard, it wouldn’t fit.” He passed the pack to Stackhouse. “Good luck! Gotta run, Sumner’s got his goons watching me.” With that, Ford ran off.
Evan turned towards Stackhouse and Markham. “Is Chuck going to be a problem?”
“Nope. He’s waiting for our signal; he can buy us thirty seconds, possibly more before Sumner is able to get Zelenka to work on overriding it. Zelenka can stall another thirty seconds,” Markham replied.
“Plenty of time then,” Lorne smiled. He shook the hand of the marine and then slapped Markham on the shoulder. “Thanks guys. Good luck with your plan.”
He turned to Stackhouse and was enveloped in a bear hug. “I miss you Ev. I never got to say goodbye, and thanks for everything. I know you’re not him, but you’re close enough.”
“Yeah, I miss you too, Stacks. Let’s get this show on the road, before Sumner figures out we’re up to something.”
“He’s in the main holding area.” Markham slapped a zat into Lorne’s hand. “Please don’t disintegrate anyone; some of those guys are on our side.”
Evan grinned. “Okay then. David, Laura, secure the booty and be ready to raise the gangplank when I come back.”
Rolling his eyes, David shook his head and went to the front of the ‘jumper. Laura grinned and said, “Arrgghh, aye Captain!”
It was Evan’s turn to roll his yes. “For the last time, we aren’t pirates, Cadman.”
“Yes we are,” she replied saucily. “And YOU said booty and gangplank this time.”
“A habit I picked up from you. We are not pirates!”
She waved a hand at the crates and piles of supplies. “Booty.” She reached into one of the hanging cargo nets and pulled out a small golden idol they had found on one of their excursions. “Pilfered treasure.” She followed David into the front and sang cheerily, “Yo, ho and a bottle of rum!”
“Rum, do we have time to find rum?” David asked.
“NO! Stay here.” Evan pointed a warning finger at his partners and strode off to the door, hoping they obeyed him. They usually didn’t. So instead he hoped they got back to the jumper with the alcohol before he got back with Sheppard.
~*~
John Sheppard sat on his bench, dozing lightly. Sumner, the prick, wouldn’t even let him have a book to read. Some of the marines were friendly and chatted with him, but the pair outside now were some of Sumner’s pets.
How had this all gone so wrong so quickly? He’d been trying to help people, and somehow, Sumner had turned it all around and upside down and now here he sat waiting for the noose. He’d been warned over the years that if he didn’t straighten up and fly right there was a summary execution in his future, but since joining the SGC he’d been trying to fly perfectly.
As usual, a good thing had gone bad. Sumner was poison. The man destroyed everything he touched. Including John, it seemed. He suspected Markham and Stackhouse were plotting something, the marines were choosing sides. Stackhouse had come this morning and told him about Sumner’s latest tantrum, and had apologized that their plan wasn’t ready, that there was nothing they could do for John. He wished them well, whatever they were cooking up.
He heard the whine of a zat and three thumps as his guards hit the floor. He ran to the bars and looked out. He took a step back as a ghost walked through the door and crossed to the cell. “Sheppard.”
“Lorne? How? You’re dead. I saw your jumper explode.”
“Yeah, that was a different Lorne. You ready to go? I’m your ride, courtesy of Markham and Stackhouse.”
Sheppard was not going to argue. Not when a walking miracle was opening the cell door. “Let’s go, I’m more than ready. Is this part of their plan?”
“Nope. I’m a new unexpected twist, a bonus.”
They quickly and silently made their way to the ‘jumper bay, Lorne only had to stun two more marines that crossed their path.
Stackhouse met them on the landing and gave Sheppard a one-armed hug. “Good luck sir. We’ll miss you. Have a good life.”
“You too, Stacks, thanks for everything.” John gave a wave and followed Evan as Stackhouse jogged down the stairs.
Inside the door, Markham met them, handing John a gun belt and three clips. “I held onto these for you, John.”
“Thanks Jason. You should clear out as fast as you can.”
Markham nodded. “Yeah, we’re gonna move in a few days. Good luck. It was an honor serving with you.”
“Hey, maybe I’ll see you guys again.”
“Not where we’re going. Sorry.” Lorne grasped Sheppard’s upper arm and tugged him towards the jumper. “We have to go Sheppard.”
“Bye Jason!” Sheppard called as Markham gave a sad smile and ran through the door.
Sheppard stopped as he got to the top of the ramp and saw Parrish leaning against the bulkhead and Cadman kneeling on the copilot’s seat with her arms wrapped around the headrest, facing the ramp. “I’m surrounded by ghosts!”
“Thank you for flying Pirate Air, welcome aboard the Jolly Roger!” Cadman gave him a jaunty two fingered salute and smirked at him.
“Laura,” Lorne said in a low warning tone as he headed for the pilot’s seat, flipping a switch on the temporal drive as he passed by it.
“One question before we raise the gangplank, Sheppard,” Cadman said.
Sinking slowly onto a bench, Sheppard looked around at the crates and boxes. “Yeah?”
“You got any problem with my boys being together?”
“Laura!” David gasped, slapping her shoulder.
“Together... oh! Well, no, I don’t care.” Sheppard looked from Evan, now blushing furiously to Parrish, who was glaring daggers at Cadman.
“Okay, then!” She clapped her hands and smiled. Weigh anchor, Captain!” Cadman plopped down in her seat as the back ramp rose and locked into place.
Lorne spun in his seat and jabbed a finger at Cadman’s nose. “We are not pirates.”
She leaned over in her chair and tossed her head at Lorne as she intoned deeply, “He is the dread pirate Roberts.”
“Cadman!”
“Yes, Captain Roberts?”
“Go sit in the back. It’s David’s turn to fly shotgun.”
“No it isn’t.”
“I said it is, now get back there…”
She jumped up and squeezed past Parrish to perch on the bench across from Sheppard. “He keeps threatening to keelhaul me.”
Sheppard smirked and crossed his arms. “Impossible in a Gateship.”
“I know, right? And the proper term for the Jolly Roger is Puddlejumper.”
“Hey, that’s what I thought they should be called!” Sheppard said. “What’s that?” He pointed to the temporal drive.
She smiled. “Upgrade. Hopefully it works and we don’t blow up.”
“Cadman, what’s the reading on the TD?”
She leaned over and peered at a dial. “Uhm, sixty four, a couple of clicks from blue.”
“Good enough, she should be warmed up by the time we hit space. I’m signaling Chuck, everyone sit tight, here we go.”
The TD made an odd grinding noise as the ‘jumper lifted from the bay floor. “Is it supposed to do that?” Sheppard asked, looking at it nervously. He did not feel any better when Cadman merely shrugged.
“Hey Sheppard, you know the address of a market planet? We need to trade for some supplies, but take us to the Alpha Site first then we’ll hit a space Gate to lose anyone trailing us.”
Sheppard got up and went to the dialing controls, and started hitting the sequence. He could hear alarm klaxons sounding. He was leaving Atlantis. After all this time, he was going, with a stranger that was a version of his dead best friend and a pair of ghosts.
With Chuck helping them, keeping the control room off kilter, it was ridiculously easy to get the ‘jumper through the Gate.
“We did it!” Cadman hooted as they came out at the Alpha Site. “Evan, we stole a person this time.”
“We did not steal…”
David was staring at Sheppard and interrupted Evan. “Oh, yes we did, we sure as hell did.”
Looking up at Sheppard, Cadman smiled wickedly and pointed at him. “Dibs. You’re my booty.”
“LAURA!” David and Evan shouted, leaving Sheppard looking around at them in complete confusion.
Once they got to the Alpha Site, John immediately dialed Genii, figuring Sumner deserved another visit there. Once at Genii, he fired a few drones at the Genii outbuildings to piss them off. Then he dialed a space Gate, which should cover their trail, since there was no DHD for Zelenka to be forced to disassemble to track them. From there, they went to the market planet Lorne had requested.
~*~
“Wow, those shiny beads went a long way,” Laura remarked as they headed back to the cloaked jumper with their packs laden with food, clothing and some new bedding.
They had headed right out to trade as soon as they got there, since it was midday and the market would close before sunset.
Sheppard was in a daze as he walked alongside Cadman. He was free. Lorne had assured him that he was welcome to go off on his own if he chose; they would not force him to remain with them. But he had a good feeling about this trio of ghosts, he felt strangely relaxed in their company. So he told them he’d stay with them for a while.
Once they got back, Lorne flew them to an isolated area where they could set up a camp. They dragged the cases of supplies outside, intending to go through everything and try to organize it to fit in the cargo bins and nets.
“What’re these, Ev?” Laura called as she held up the two duffel bags that had been tossed on the bench.
“Oh, one is for you, the other is for David, I hope you don’t get all freaked out.”
Laura knelt on the ground and unzipped the first bag. She gasped as she reached in and withdrew a framed photo. “Oh!”
“What is it?” David asked, coming to crouch beside her.
“My parents, the day I finished at the academy. My copy was ruined in the flood, most of my stuff was.”
David nodded. “I remember.”
She dug through the bag. “Some of this stuff I don’t recognize, but a lot of it I do. How weird. Look in yours, David.”
Hesitantly, David pulled the other bag to him and opened it. “I thought this was all lost. All the stuff I brought to Atlantis. This was my Dad’s.” He pulled out a silver chain with a claddagh on it. When Evan came over, David took his hand and let the chain pool into it, closing Evan’s fingers over it. “I want you to have it. I could never wear it, but I want you to.”
Evan blinked and took a breath before clearing his throat and looking at Sheppard. “Ford grabbed your gear. He apologized for not sending the skateboard. The pack is in the jumper.”
“Cool. Thanks. We should get the tents up, before sundown.” Sheppard saw a bag containing a tent and went to grab it, feeling like he was intruding on the other’s conversation. He busied himself until sundown setting up camp and collecting firewood with Evan.
“Come and eat,” Cadman called from the campfire. David told him that they rotated chores; and it was Laura’s turn to cook. She informed him that her cooking sucked, which made him laugh for some reason.
They were all a bit tired from the day and the work, so they ate in silence. David took the dishes to wash them in the stream.
When David returned, he moved behind Evan and sat down, pulling him back against him. Was it a test to see how John would react, or was this typical? Laura glanced over at them and then quickly looked away, focusing instead on John.
“So, what exactly is the plan? What do we do?” John asked her.
“We’ve been ransacking temples and ruins that Lorne remembered, but we were running out of those and we didn’t want to run into any Wraith, so we decided to try to get back to civilization. That didn’t go so well,” Laura told him.
“Well, now we know it works. We can try again,” Lorne said, yawning.
Laura and David both stared at Evan. Annoyed, David pushed him up. “You didn’t know if it would even work?”
“I told you that when we went back for Laura! You remember all the trouble we had; I had a hell of a time keeping it running.”
“Our pirate ship is broken?” Sheppard asked with mild amusement. “And here I was looking forward to the life of a master thief, embarking on an exciting life of crime.”
“We’re not pirates,” Lorne protested.
“Tomb raiders then. Hey, wait; you’re Lara Croft, aren’t you?” Sheppard pointed at Cadman.
She smirked and then nodded. “I even have the short-shorts, a blue tank top and a thigh holster.”
“I look forward to seeing that.” And he did, he realized.
He climbed to his feet and stretched. It was time to turn in. “Hey Evan thanks for the rescue. Thanks all of you. I can’t remember when I have enjoyed a jail break more.”
Lorne waved at him. “Old habits die hard, John.”
“That they do. Good night all, pleasant dreams.”
He walked to his tent and realized that for the first time in well over a year; his own dreams might actually be pleasant.
Freedom was turning out to be kinda cool, even if he had no idea where he was going.
The End