Traitor -- Chapter 3
Title: Traitor
Author: rubygirl29
Rating: Anywhere from PG to NC17. Appropriate warnings will be given on chapters.
Genre: Slash, Sheppard/Dex, Action/Adventure, H/C
Universe: Stargate Atlantis
Summary: Six months after “Outcast”, John and Ronon are called back to Earth to aid in the investigation of who is responsible for Project Archetype.
Disclaimer: I don't own them, much to my dismay and disappointment.
Chapter 3
The Daedalus floated above Earth in a geosynchronous orbit. Sheppard stood looking out at the view of the stars, the moon, the blue marble set in black velvet. He recalled the first time he had seen it. But that had been after he had gazed out on other worlds in another galaxy. He wondered how many people could say that?
“Ah, there you are.” McKay stood next to him. “We have to talk.”
“Sure.”
“Did Colonel Caldwell tell you about the little encounter I had with your wraith on PXM592?”
“Todd is not 'my' wraith,” John replied, irritated by the implied association. He wasn't exactly sure how to categorize his relationship with Todd, but it certainly wasn't proprietary. “What did he have to say?”
“He knows about Project Archetype.”
“What!” John turned, suddenly fierce. “How the hell did that happen?”
“Not from me!” Rodney stepped back from Sheppard's scorching glare. “He claims to have been monitoring our communications via subspace.”
“Really? And how did he get the codes?”
Rodney raised his hands. “I have no idea.”
“You didn't ask?”
“Do you think he would have told me the truth?” Rodney shot back in self-defense. “Besides, there isn't much we can do after the fact, is there?”
John sighed. “No. Did he have anything else to say?”
“He offered his assistance with shutting down the code entirely. Making it impossible to … pardon the expression … replicate. For what it's worth, I think he's serious. The idea of having to fight replicators all over again … He's --” Rodney paused, working things out. “Can wraith be afraid?”
“The wraith are selfish. They're not afraid, they're worried that they'll run out of food. Believe me, once they deal with this threat, humans are back on the menu.” John's head throbbed, and he rubbed his temples.
“Are you okay?” Rodney asked.
“I was.”
“You're still pretty thin,” Rodney said.
John rolled his eyes. “I'm fine. Go talk to Dr. Novak or something … maybe she'll let you play with the Asgard core tech-stuff.”
“Oh, for God's sake, can't you take a little concern from a friend? Do you always have to be 'the man?'”
“Yes. Go. I'll get something to eat, okay?”
McKay opened his mouth, closed it when he saw the look in John's eyes, and left him staring out at the view.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
He was still standing there when Ronon came looking for him. He knew he was there; he always did. The very air seemed to crackle around him, or maybe it was that he was so attuned to Ronon's presence that it was second nature. It was what made them such a formidable team.
“Brought you some coffee and a sandwich.” Ronon set a yellow plastic tray in front of Sheppard. “What're we waiting for?” he asked.
“For SGC to tell us we're welcome. I have a feeling Landry and the IOA are fighting with each other over who has jurisdiction over the investigation. I feel for Mr. Woolsey. He's caught between two big dogs fighting over a bone.”
“They're wasting time,” Ronon said. “We wait longer and there'll be another fucking replicator out there - maybe more. Does Woolsey know that?”
John picked up his sandwich, then put it back down. “I don't know.”
“You need to eat.” He shoved the plate fractionally closer to John. “I can't do this alone.”
“You could,” Sheppard said with a slight smile. “But you won't have to.” He took a bite of the sandwich. He had just resigned himself to eating when the summons from Caldwell came.
“Take it with you,” Ronon ordered, looking back to be sure Sheppard had the sandwich in hand as they headed to the control room.
Caldwell's brows rose when he saw the sandwich, but he didn't comment on it. “Gentlemen, SGC has given the go-ahead. You'll be beaming down as soon as you're ready. Colonel Sheppard, Ronon. It's been a pleasure, as usual. Dr. McKay ...” He dismissed them with a nod.
“Well, that was warm,” Rodney said. “He's usually somewhat less cordial.”
“That's because we weren't on board long enough to cause any trouble,” Sheppard replied. He paused outside the storage locker where their gear was stowed. “And I think he's still unsettled by having a Trust Goa'uld inside his head.”
“That was three years ago.”
“I think it kinda lingers.” Sheppard grinned. “Like you and Cadman.”
“Right, bring that up again. How many iterations of yourself have you had inside your head?”
Ronon leaned against the bulkhead, listening. “Can we get out of here?” he finally asked, a bit irritated by both John and Rodney. He had his gun. He was ready to use it. Everything else was superfluous.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
The SGC conference room was uncomfortably like a court martial, Sheppard thought. He sat, feeling as if he were on trial instead of taking command of a mission. The IOA members, one of whom might be a traitor, were sitting on one side of the table. Woolsey and General Landry bracketed one end, McKay and Dr. Lee, the other. He and Ronon were alone on the opposing side to the IOA. Next to him, Ronon was almost preternaturally still, as if he expected betrayal to leap out at him like a wraith. The tension in him vibrated through his arm as it barely brushed John's.
John leaned in slightly and whispered, “Ease up, Chewie.” Ronon's expression didn't change but his eyes flickered with a hint of laughter. John felt his muscles relax slightly as he settled in the chair; not, however, to the point that he couldn't get to his gun in a hurry.
John didn't know why he found that reassuring. Perhaps it was the five pairs of cold eyes aimed in his direction by the members of the IOA. He knew three of the representatives, including James Coolidge, who had offended Teyla by calling her “honey,” Shen Xyaoyi, from China, and the French representative Jean Pierre, who was snooty and annoying. He didn't know the recently appointed chairman, Carl Strom, or the new Russian representative, Dmitri Faustin. They all looked like they had their own agendas, and none of them were sympathetic to the Atlantis delegation or the SGC.
Strom spoke first in lightly accented English. “We have read your reports on the supposed dangers posed by the implementation of replicator technology and, frankly, they seem overstated and even hysterical.”
Woolsey interrupted. “What sounds like hysteria to you, is very real alarm to those of us who have had contact with replicators on a first hand basis.”
“I thought you dealt with that threat,” Shen said quietly. “Am I mistaken? And is this technology we speak of on Earth, as dangerous as it was in the Pegasus galaxy?”
“I will leave that explanation to doctors Lee and McKay,” Woolsey said. “However, be aware that this technology in any form is very disturbing. In the wrong hands, it could easily evolve into the sort of threat we encountered in the Pegasus Galaxy.”
“Well, not easily,” Lee said. “It is extremely complex, involving robotics and nano-technology we can't even begin to understand.”
“Dr. Poole seemed to have an 'understanding,'” Faustin said. “How complicated could it be? And you, Dr. McKay, have constructed such a … device, have you not?”
McKay sighed. “Once. Under extreme duress, and with --” He broke off, suddenly aware of John's glare fixed on him. “And not easily,” he finished lamely. “Dr. Lee said that Poole had been given access to certain information by Henry Wallace and other sources through his contact with DMT. The replicator he constructed, while not a true replicator in the sense it couldn't … reproduce … was still extremely dangerous. It did kill four people, including Poole.”
“Perhaps the programming was flawed,” Faustin said. “Surely you can see the advantage of having such a weapon at one's disposal? Armies of soldiers, virtually indestructible, untiring and able to operate without food or water? It is a fascinating possibility.”
That was enough for Landry. “Fascinating? Armies of replicators? What you're describing is unending warfare. The result would be total annihilation. Believe me, you don't want that.”
“Imagine what it could do for your situation with the wraith!”
John had suffered in silence long enough. “The wraith understand replicator technology better than anybody,” he argued. “They'll find a way, and fast, to destroy those invincible replicator armies and then take up where they left off … feeding on human populations.”
“The devil is in the details,” Faustin said with an nasty grin at McKay and Lee. “And the details lie in the way the base code is constructed, no?”
“It's not that simple,” McKay argued. “But, of course, you wouldn't know that. It is one thing to build a simple construct - even in human form - it is another to talk about building entire armies.”
“It can be done?” Faustin was looking at Rodney the same way a shark eyed prey. Sheppard nudged Ronon, who was suddenly as upright in his chair as General Landry.
“No! I mean … look. The Ancients, the builders of the Stargates, for God's sake, created the replicators with just that purpose in mind and failed miserably. We're not even close to reproducing that technology, much less refining it.”
Shen spoke up. “I agree that the technology, as it exists, is imperfect. However, the possibilities are tempting, and not merely in military applications. I believe it warrants further consideration. I would like to keep this matter open for debate.” She looked at her watch. “Gentlemen, I will be late for a scheduled talk with our Premier. I suggest we suspend this discussion for a few days. That will give Dr. McKay and Dr. Lee a chance to prepare a full report on Project Archetype.”
“I concur,” Jean Pierre said.
“As do I,” agreed Strom. “Is three days enough, Dr. McKay?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“No.” Faustin slapped his portfolio on the table. “I will be speaking with our President.”
“As will I,” said Landry. He was glowering at the IOA. “He will not be happy with these strong-arm tactics on an issue that I find extremely disturbing. And I intend to tell him just that.” He turned to John and Ronon. “My office.” And left.
McKay looked at Woolsey. “Three days?”
Woolsey gave him a faint smile. “If the IOA had been present at the creation, they would have told God that seven days was unacceptable.”
“You could have said something to your former associates,” McKay argued. “Whose side are you on?”
“I was asking myself the same question. It seems that I am on Atlantis's side. You have three days to make a report. Nobody said that you had to solve the code problem in that time.”
“Oh, really? Are we forgetting our wraith ally?”
“You would be best to keep that to yourself, Dr. McKay,” Woolsey said sharply. “You'd better start writing.”
“Great.” Rodney looked at Bill Lee. “How's your nano-technology?”
“In three days, I might be able to write a report.” He looked distracted and worried. “Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.”
“I've been there,” Rodney said. “It's easier passing a kidney stone.” He grimaced, picked up his datapad and headed with Lee to the SGC labs.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
John imagined he could see the steam rising from Landry's head as he closed the door to his office and snapped out an order to Walter that he wasn't to be disturbed unless it was the President on the line or an imminent threat to Stargate Command. “On second thought,” Landry added, “Make that only if we can exclude the IOA from the evacuation plan. Sour-tongued bastards.”
He paced, then halted as if suddenly aware of John and Ronon's presence. Ronon was doing his best impression of a wall. John stood at parade ease. “Oh, for Pete's sake, Colonel. Sit down. You look pale. Ronon, join us?”
“Thanks. I'm good.”
Landry looked from his too-small office chairs, to the Satedan. He gave him a slight smile. “I don't blame you. Colonel, do you need to see Dr. Lam?”
“No, sir. I'm fine.”
Landry's eyes narrowed, but he nodded. “Think we baited the hook?”
“We'll know when we get a nibble,” Sheppard said. “For now, we wait. I've got an idea.”
“What?”
“I need to see somebody.”
Ronon pushed away from the wall. “I'll go with you.”
Sheppard shook his head. “I don't think you'd fit in a VR pod, buddy.”
“Ava?”
“Yeah. She's our best lead. And I'll bet she knows something that she didn't tell us.”
“She held out?” Ronon sounded angry enough to jam himself into a pod, if necessary.
“I don’t think she did it deliberately. But she had just lost Poole, the only family she knew.”
“She's a replicator,” Ronon said in disgust, as if that alone were enough to discourage Sheppard. “They don’t have families."
Landry agreed with the Satedan. “Poole constructed her emotions. They're not real.”
“I know that. But maybe he put some sort of block in her coding that Lee didn't pick up on, like a security protocol. If I interact with her, McKay and Lee might be able to run a coding patch to unlock it.” He sat forward. “It’s not like I’ll be in any danger in there.”
Ronon crossed his arms and looked at Sheppard. It was his familiar, ‘You’ll have to go through me,’ glare. Sheppard glared back. “I’ll be fine.”
“I suggest we do this while the IOA is still busy with their affairs. And let’s keep this quiet.”
John stood and tentatively stretched. He wasn’t looking forward to spending time in the VR pod, but part of him was intensely curious. He had liked Ava Dixon. It was why he had finagled Dr. Lee into spending a considerable amount of time to build a nice VR environment for her consciousness. He’d done a great job from what John had seen.
He and Ronon wandered up to the lab. McKay and Lee were hunched over their computers, utterly oblivious to the door opening. John cleared his throat and McKay jumped. “You don’t have to work that hard for the IOA,” he said.
“We have to put something convincing together, and that’s not easy. They may be asses but they’re not stupid, and they have their own resources to fall back on. What do you want?”
“I want to go into the VR pod and connect with Ava Dixon.”
“Why?”
“Because I think she might have some information that Poole gave her when she was working for him.”
“You think she’s capable of lying?”
“I think Poole might have put in some sort of blocking code. I bet she was his fall back if his research came under scrutiny. If I’m in there interacting with the program, could you find it and unlock it without her knowing?”
Lee rubbed his forehead. “Maybe.”
McKay was more positive. “Yes.”
“Which is it?” John asked, exasperated by both Lee’s caution and Rodney’s confidence.
“We can try,” Lee admitted.
“There’s no way he can get hurt in there, right?” Ronon asked.
“Physically, no. We can have Dr. Lam monitor you for stress.”
This was turning into a bigger headache than John had anticipated. “Let’s just do this. The longer we wait, the less time we have to find a way out of this mess. I’m ready.”
He shrugged off the three pairs of worried eyes that followed him as he headed for the room where the VR pods were kept.
^*^*^*^*^*^
It was as beautiful as he remembered: Trees, a pond, a path winding through gardens. Lee had even programmed in birdsong and a breeze. The only clue that this wasn’t a real environment was the temperature that was no temperature and other 'people' in the construct didn’t acknowledge his presence. He sat on a bench and waited. Lee had said Ava would be there shortly.
It didn’t take long. Ava seemed to appear out of thin air a few yards away from the bench. She walked over to him. “Colonel Sheppard! This is a surprise.” She looked like she always had; small, well-dressed, neat. She gave him a shy smile. “I thought we would never meet again.”
“And I said I've learned to never say never. So, here I am. How have you been?” It was a stupid question, but just because she wasn't flesh and blood didn't mean he shouldn't be polite.
“Very well. Busy. I have a job.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I work in a gallery. It’s not science, but I find it enjoyable.”
“See, I knew you’d fit in.”
She looked at him, a slight frown between her brows. “And you, are you well?”
“I’ve got a few more scars, but I’m fine.” He stood up and they started walking along the path. “Ava, I didn't just come here to check up on you. I have to ask you something.”
“Of course.”
“Remember when I asked you if Dr. Poole was working with anybody else?”
“Yes. I said I didn't know. I was telling the truth.”
“Are you sure he never talked about anybody … or any contacts in business?”
“I-I don't recall …” They walked a bit more. John wondered if Lee and McKay had found the code to unlock the files in Ava's consciousness. Maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe Poole was smarter than they gave him credit for being.
She stopped suddenly. “It's so odd, but I'm remembering something I didn't even realize I knew.”
“What?”
“It's not easy to remember. But Richard knew a man who worked for a company in Florida. TrustSource Consulting. He had been in the military. I'm sorry, I never knew his name. But he and Richard spoke often. I couldn't tell you about what. I'm afraid that died with Richard.”
John sighed. “Listen. I'm sorry to leave like this, but I'll be back.”
“Is something wrong?”
“In my line of work, something is always wrong.” He smiled. “You've helped a lot. Just take care of yourself. And, thank you.”
“How will you contact me?” she asked.
“You'll know,” he said. “It won't be long.” He walked away and vanished.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
The hood of the VR pod opened and Sheppard sat up, feeling slightly disoriented, but otherwise all right. Landry was standing in front of him with Ronon looming over his shoulder. “I'm fine,” John said, looking at Dex.
“Did you see her?” he asked.
“She was there, as real as you are now.” He turned to McKay and Lee. “Well? Is that all she can tell us, or is there more?”
“You were right. Poole put in a code, and it's a doozy,” Lee said. “We were only able to get past the first level. Did you learn anything?”
“Just something about a company called TrustSource Consulting.”
“Isn't that a little obvious?” Ronon asked.
“Arrogant, most likely.” John stood and stretched out his side. It was stiffening up again, with a drag and pull of abused muscles. He rubbed the back of his neck. “You need me for anything else?” he asked Landry, hoping that he didn't. He really wanted coffee. He needed the caffeine to fight off the fatigue that was plaguing him.
“You've done your day's work, Colonel,” Landy said. “Work on that code, McKay. Don't worry about the IOA. You've got two days, and if you can't snow a bunch of overly self-important bureaucrats, then you're overpaid. You, too, Lee.” He strode out, military straight.
“Yes, sir.” Lee muttered under his breath.
Rodney sighed. “You know, I do have to eat at some point.”
“There are power bars in the cupboard,” Lee said helpfully, ignoring Rodney's pained groan.
“Call room service,” John said, sounding grumpy and tired. “If I don't get coffee, I might kill somebody.”
“Let's go, buddy.” Ronon's hand on his shoulder was comforting without being obvious. He steered John towards the cafeteria, never once breaking contact. Always there, always a friend, and always more than John had ever hoped to have.
Chapter 4
Author: rubygirl29
Rating: Anywhere from PG to NC17. Appropriate warnings will be given on chapters.
Genre: Slash, Sheppard/Dex, Action/Adventure, H/C
Universe: Stargate Atlantis
Summary: Six months after “Outcast”, John and Ronon are called back to Earth to aid in the investigation of who is responsible for Project Archetype.
Disclaimer: I don't own them, much to my dismay and disappointment.
Chapter 3
The Daedalus floated above Earth in a geosynchronous orbit. Sheppard stood looking out at the view of the stars, the moon, the blue marble set in black velvet. He recalled the first time he had seen it. But that had been after he had gazed out on other worlds in another galaxy. He wondered how many people could say that?
“Ah, there you are.” McKay stood next to him. “We have to talk.”
“Sure.”
“Did Colonel Caldwell tell you about the little encounter I had with your wraith on PXM592?”
“Todd is not 'my' wraith,” John replied, irritated by the implied association. He wasn't exactly sure how to categorize his relationship with Todd, but it certainly wasn't proprietary. “What did he have to say?”
“He knows about Project Archetype.”
“What!” John turned, suddenly fierce. “How the hell did that happen?”
“Not from me!” Rodney stepped back from Sheppard's scorching glare. “He claims to have been monitoring our communications via subspace.”
“Really? And how did he get the codes?”
Rodney raised his hands. “I have no idea.”
“You didn't ask?”
“Do you think he would have told me the truth?” Rodney shot back in self-defense. “Besides, there isn't much we can do after the fact, is there?”
John sighed. “No. Did he have anything else to say?”
“He offered his assistance with shutting down the code entirely. Making it impossible to … pardon the expression … replicate. For what it's worth, I think he's serious. The idea of having to fight replicators all over again … He's --” Rodney paused, working things out. “Can wraith be afraid?”
“The wraith are selfish. They're not afraid, they're worried that they'll run out of food. Believe me, once they deal with this threat, humans are back on the menu.” John's head throbbed, and he rubbed his temples.
“Are you okay?” Rodney asked.
“I was.”
“You're still pretty thin,” Rodney said.
John rolled his eyes. “I'm fine. Go talk to Dr. Novak or something … maybe she'll let you play with the Asgard core tech-stuff.”
“Oh, for God's sake, can't you take a little concern from a friend? Do you always have to be 'the man?'”
“Yes. Go. I'll get something to eat, okay?”
McKay opened his mouth, closed it when he saw the look in John's eyes, and left him staring out at the view.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
He was still standing there when Ronon came looking for him. He knew he was there; he always did. The very air seemed to crackle around him, or maybe it was that he was so attuned to Ronon's presence that it was second nature. It was what made them such a formidable team.
“Brought you some coffee and a sandwich.” Ronon set a yellow plastic tray in front of Sheppard. “What're we waiting for?” he asked.
“For SGC to tell us we're welcome. I have a feeling Landry and the IOA are fighting with each other over who has jurisdiction over the investigation. I feel for Mr. Woolsey. He's caught between two big dogs fighting over a bone.”
“They're wasting time,” Ronon said. “We wait longer and there'll be another fucking replicator out there - maybe more. Does Woolsey know that?”
John picked up his sandwich, then put it back down. “I don't know.”
“You need to eat.” He shoved the plate fractionally closer to John. “I can't do this alone.”
“You could,” Sheppard said with a slight smile. “But you won't have to.” He took a bite of the sandwich. He had just resigned himself to eating when the summons from Caldwell came.
“Take it with you,” Ronon ordered, looking back to be sure Sheppard had the sandwich in hand as they headed to the control room.
Caldwell's brows rose when he saw the sandwich, but he didn't comment on it. “Gentlemen, SGC has given the go-ahead. You'll be beaming down as soon as you're ready. Colonel Sheppard, Ronon. It's been a pleasure, as usual. Dr. McKay ...” He dismissed them with a nod.
“Well, that was warm,” Rodney said. “He's usually somewhat less cordial.”
“That's because we weren't on board long enough to cause any trouble,” Sheppard replied. He paused outside the storage locker where their gear was stowed. “And I think he's still unsettled by having a Trust Goa'uld inside his head.”
“That was three years ago.”
“I think it kinda lingers.” Sheppard grinned. “Like you and Cadman.”
“Right, bring that up again. How many iterations of yourself have you had inside your head?”
Ronon leaned against the bulkhead, listening. “Can we get out of here?” he finally asked, a bit irritated by both John and Rodney. He had his gun. He was ready to use it. Everything else was superfluous.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
The SGC conference room was uncomfortably like a court martial, Sheppard thought. He sat, feeling as if he were on trial instead of taking command of a mission. The IOA members, one of whom might be a traitor, were sitting on one side of the table. Woolsey and General Landry bracketed one end, McKay and Dr. Lee, the other. He and Ronon were alone on the opposing side to the IOA. Next to him, Ronon was almost preternaturally still, as if he expected betrayal to leap out at him like a wraith. The tension in him vibrated through his arm as it barely brushed John's.
John leaned in slightly and whispered, “Ease up, Chewie.” Ronon's expression didn't change but his eyes flickered with a hint of laughter. John felt his muscles relax slightly as he settled in the chair; not, however, to the point that he couldn't get to his gun in a hurry.
John didn't know why he found that reassuring. Perhaps it was the five pairs of cold eyes aimed in his direction by the members of the IOA. He knew three of the representatives, including James Coolidge, who had offended Teyla by calling her “honey,” Shen Xyaoyi, from China, and the French representative Jean Pierre, who was snooty and annoying. He didn't know the recently appointed chairman, Carl Strom, or the new Russian representative, Dmitri Faustin. They all looked like they had their own agendas, and none of them were sympathetic to the Atlantis delegation or the SGC.
Strom spoke first in lightly accented English. “We have read your reports on the supposed dangers posed by the implementation of replicator technology and, frankly, they seem overstated and even hysterical.”
Woolsey interrupted. “What sounds like hysteria to you, is very real alarm to those of us who have had contact with replicators on a first hand basis.”
“I thought you dealt with that threat,” Shen said quietly. “Am I mistaken? And is this technology we speak of on Earth, as dangerous as it was in the Pegasus galaxy?”
“I will leave that explanation to doctors Lee and McKay,” Woolsey said. “However, be aware that this technology in any form is very disturbing. In the wrong hands, it could easily evolve into the sort of threat we encountered in the Pegasus Galaxy.”
“Well, not easily,” Lee said. “It is extremely complex, involving robotics and nano-technology we can't even begin to understand.”
“Dr. Poole seemed to have an 'understanding,'” Faustin said. “How complicated could it be? And you, Dr. McKay, have constructed such a … device, have you not?”
McKay sighed. “Once. Under extreme duress, and with --” He broke off, suddenly aware of John's glare fixed on him. “And not easily,” he finished lamely. “Dr. Lee said that Poole had been given access to certain information by Henry Wallace and other sources through his contact with DMT. The replicator he constructed, while not a true replicator in the sense it couldn't … reproduce … was still extremely dangerous. It did kill four people, including Poole.”
“Perhaps the programming was flawed,” Faustin said. “Surely you can see the advantage of having such a weapon at one's disposal? Armies of soldiers, virtually indestructible, untiring and able to operate without food or water? It is a fascinating possibility.”
That was enough for Landry. “Fascinating? Armies of replicators? What you're describing is unending warfare. The result would be total annihilation. Believe me, you don't want that.”
“Imagine what it could do for your situation with the wraith!”
John had suffered in silence long enough. “The wraith understand replicator technology better than anybody,” he argued. “They'll find a way, and fast, to destroy those invincible replicator armies and then take up where they left off … feeding on human populations.”
“The devil is in the details,” Faustin said with an nasty grin at McKay and Lee. “And the details lie in the way the base code is constructed, no?”
“It's not that simple,” McKay argued. “But, of course, you wouldn't know that. It is one thing to build a simple construct - even in human form - it is another to talk about building entire armies.”
“It can be done?” Faustin was looking at Rodney the same way a shark eyed prey. Sheppard nudged Ronon, who was suddenly as upright in his chair as General Landry.
“No! I mean … look. The Ancients, the builders of the Stargates, for God's sake, created the replicators with just that purpose in mind and failed miserably. We're not even close to reproducing that technology, much less refining it.”
Shen spoke up. “I agree that the technology, as it exists, is imperfect. However, the possibilities are tempting, and not merely in military applications. I believe it warrants further consideration. I would like to keep this matter open for debate.” She looked at her watch. “Gentlemen, I will be late for a scheduled talk with our Premier. I suggest we suspend this discussion for a few days. That will give Dr. McKay and Dr. Lee a chance to prepare a full report on Project Archetype.”
“I concur,” Jean Pierre said.
“As do I,” agreed Strom. “Is three days enough, Dr. McKay?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“No.” Faustin slapped his portfolio on the table. “I will be speaking with our President.”
“As will I,” said Landry. He was glowering at the IOA. “He will not be happy with these strong-arm tactics on an issue that I find extremely disturbing. And I intend to tell him just that.” He turned to John and Ronon. “My office.” And left.
McKay looked at Woolsey. “Three days?”
Woolsey gave him a faint smile. “If the IOA had been present at the creation, they would have told God that seven days was unacceptable.”
“You could have said something to your former associates,” McKay argued. “Whose side are you on?”
“I was asking myself the same question. It seems that I am on Atlantis's side. You have three days to make a report. Nobody said that you had to solve the code problem in that time.”
“Oh, really? Are we forgetting our wraith ally?”
“You would be best to keep that to yourself, Dr. McKay,” Woolsey said sharply. “You'd better start writing.”
“Great.” Rodney looked at Bill Lee. “How's your nano-technology?”
“In three days, I might be able to write a report.” He looked distracted and worried. “Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.”
“I've been there,” Rodney said. “It's easier passing a kidney stone.” He grimaced, picked up his datapad and headed with Lee to the SGC labs.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
John imagined he could see the steam rising from Landry's head as he closed the door to his office and snapped out an order to Walter that he wasn't to be disturbed unless it was the President on the line or an imminent threat to Stargate Command. “On second thought,” Landry added, “Make that only if we can exclude the IOA from the evacuation plan. Sour-tongued bastards.”
He paced, then halted as if suddenly aware of John and Ronon's presence. Ronon was doing his best impression of a wall. John stood at parade ease. “Oh, for Pete's sake, Colonel. Sit down. You look pale. Ronon, join us?”
“Thanks. I'm good.”
Landry looked from his too-small office chairs, to the Satedan. He gave him a slight smile. “I don't blame you. Colonel, do you need to see Dr. Lam?”
“No, sir. I'm fine.”
Landry's eyes narrowed, but he nodded. “Think we baited the hook?”
“We'll know when we get a nibble,” Sheppard said. “For now, we wait. I've got an idea.”
“What?”
“I need to see somebody.”
Ronon pushed away from the wall. “I'll go with you.”
Sheppard shook his head. “I don't think you'd fit in a VR pod, buddy.”
“Ava?”
“Yeah. She's our best lead. And I'll bet she knows something that she didn't tell us.”
“She held out?” Ronon sounded angry enough to jam himself into a pod, if necessary.
“I don’t think she did it deliberately. But she had just lost Poole, the only family she knew.”
“She's a replicator,” Ronon said in disgust, as if that alone were enough to discourage Sheppard. “They don’t have families."
Landry agreed with the Satedan. “Poole constructed her emotions. They're not real.”
“I know that. But maybe he put some sort of block in her coding that Lee didn't pick up on, like a security protocol. If I interact with her, McKay and Lee might be able to run a coding patch to unlock it.” He sat forward. “It’s not like I’ll be in any danger in there.”
Ronon crossed his arms and looked at Sheppard. It was his familiar, ‘You’ll have to go through me,’ glare. Sheppard glared back. “I’ll be fine.”
“I suggest we do this while the IOA is still busy with their affairs. And let’s keep this quiet.”
John stood and tentatively stretched. He wasn’t looking forward to spending time in the VR pod, but part of him was intensely curious. He had liked Ava Dixon. It was why he had finagled Dr. Lee into spending a considerable amount of time to build a nice VR environment for her consciousness. He’d done a great job from what John had seen.
He and Ronon wandered up to the lab. McKay and Lee were hunched over their computers, utterly oblivious to the door opening. John cleared his throat and McKay jumped. “You don’t have to work that hard for the IOA,” he said.
“We have to put something convincing together, and that’s not easy. They may be asses but they’re not stupid, and they have their own resources to fall back on. What do you want?”
“I want to go into the VR pod and connect with Ava Dixon.”
“Why?”
“Because I think she might have some information that Poole gave her when she was working for him.”
“You think she’s capable of lying?”
“I think Poole might have put in some sort of blocking code. I bet she was his fall back if his research came under scrutiny. If I’m in there interacting with the program, could you find it and unlock it without her knowing?”
Lee rubbed his forehead. “Maybe.”
McKay was more positive. “Yes.”
“Which is it?” John asked, exasperated by both Lee’s caution and Rodney’s confidence.
“We can try,” Lee admitted.
“There’s no way he can get hurt in there, right?” Ronon asked.
“Physically, no. We can have Dr. Lam monitor you for stress.”
This was turning into a bigger headache than John had anticipated. “Let’s just do this. The longer we wait, the less time we have to find a way out of this mess. I’m ready.”
He shrugged off the three pairs of worried eyes that followed him as he headed for the room where the VR pods were kept.
^*^*^*^*^*^
It was as beautiful as he remembered: Trees, a pond, a path winding through gardens. Lee had even programmed in birdsong and a breeze. The only clue that this wasn’t a real environment was the temperature that was no temperature and other 'people' in the construct didn’t acknowledge his presence. He sat on a bench and waited. Lee had said Ava would be there shortly.
It didn’t take long. Ava seemed to appear out of thin air a few yards away from the bench. She walked over to him. “Colonel Sheppard! This is a surprise.” She looked like she always had; small, well-dressed, neat. She gave him a shy smile. “I thought we would never meet again.”
“And I said I've learned to never say never. So, here I am. How have you been?” It was a stupid question, but just because she wasn't flesh and blood didn't mean he shouldn't be polite.
“Very well. Busy. I have a job.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I work in a gallery. It’s not science, but I find it enjoyable.”
“See, I knew you’d fit in.”
She looked at him, a slight frown between her brows. “And you, are you well?”
“I’ve got a few more scars, but I’m fine.” He stood up and they started walking along the path. “Ava, I didn't just come here to check up on you. I have to ask you something.”
“Of course.”
“Remember when I asked you if Dr. Poole was working with anybody else?”
“Yes. I said I didn't know. I was telling the truth.”
“Are you sure he never talked about anybody … or any contacts in business?”
“I-I don't recall …” They walked a bit more. John wondered if Lee and McKay had found the code to unlock the files in Ava's consciousness. Maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe Poole was smarter than they gave him credit for being.
She stopped suddenly. “It's so odd, but I'm remembering something I didn't even realize I knew.”
“What?”
“It's not easy to remember. But Richard knew a man who worked for a company in Florida. TrustSource Consulting. He had been in the military. I'm sorry, I never knew his name. But he and Richard spoke often. I couldn't tell you about what. I'm afraid that died with Richard.”
John sighed. “Listen. I'm sorry to leave like this, but I'll be back.”
“Is something wrong?”
“In my line of work, something is always wrong.” He smiled. “You've helped a lot. Just take care of yourself. And, thank you.”
“How will you contact me?” she asked.
“You'll know,” he said. “It won't be long.” He walked away and vanished.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
The hood of the VR pod opened and Sheppard sat up, feeling slightly disoriented, but otherwise all right. Landry was standing in front of him with Ronon looming over his shoulder. “I'm fine,” John said, looking at Dex.
“Did you see her?” he asked.
“She was there, as real as you are now.” He turned to McKay and Lee. “Well? Is that all she can tell us, or is there more?”
“You were right. Poole put in a code, and it's a doozy,” Lee said. “We were only able to get past the first level. Did you learn anything?”
“Just something about a company called TrustSource Consulting.”
“Isn't that a little obvious?” Ronon asked.
“Arrogant, most likely.” John stood and stretched out his side. It was stiffening up again, with a drag and pull of abused muscles. He rubbed the back of his neck. “You need me for anything else?” he asked Landry, hoping that he didn't. He really wanted coffee. He needed the caffeine to fight off the fatigue that was plaguing him.
“You've done your day's work, Colonel,” Landy said. “Work on that code, McKay. Don't worry about the IOA. You've got two days, and if you can't snow a bunch of overly self-important bureaucrats, then you're overpaid. You, too, Lee.” He strode out, military straight.
“Yes, sir.” Lee muttered under his breath.
Rodney sighed. “You know, I do have to eat at some point.”
“There are power bars in the cupboard,” Lee said helpfully, ignoring Rodney's pained groan.
“Call room service,” John said, sounding grumpy and tired. “If I don't get coffee, I might kill somebody.”
“Let's go, buddy.” Ronon's hand on his shoulder was comforting without being obvious. He steered John towards the cafeteria, never once breaking contact. Always there, always a friend, and always more than John had ever hoped to have.
Chapter 4