Not Home Anymore: Earthside Challenge
Title: Not Home Anymore: Earthside Challenge
Author: bluetoads
Rating: PG-13 (some swear words)
Genre: Gen
Spoilers: Season 1and 2 up to Intruder
Summary: This isn’t home for them anymore. Major Lorne wonders how long before he feels the same way.
Warning: I don't own them etc. They don't really say what happened when they go back the first time so this is more than likely slight AU.
Not home anymore: Earth side Challenge
I was lucky to be on base when they came through. I was even luckier Sergeant Harriman likes me and he remembered our conversation last week about me wanting to be there to see my new boss whenever she finally came through. The mission I was suppose to go on as back up this morning got cancelled at the last minute so I had nothing better to do. I hung around the base for bit then decided to head out and was on my way out when Walter radioed me. “Major Lorne? It’s Walter-we just received a transmission from Atlantis. The Command team will be coming through in four hours. Do you still wish to be in the Command center when they get here?” Yes! I had a feeling about today. “Yeah, yeah I do-thanks Walter. I owe you one.”
Walter was letting me hang out in the observation room/command center over looking the gate room when the Atlantis team comes through the Stargate. This will be my first time to observe my new boss and her current command team. Sure, I have read all the mission reports that they sent back to the SGC in their data burst 4 months ago and I got to read all the last four months worth of mission reports when they sent them through a week ago so I know what’s happened there and I know the faces but it doesn’t really tell me who these people are that I will be working with.
The Stargate activated and Walter calls out that it’s Doctor Weir’s code. The shield is dropped and the small group from Atlantis steps out of the wormhole on to the gate ramp. I’m a little surprised that there are eight people on the ramp when the gate closes. I thought there would be only four. Some of the others raise eyebrows to but looking down at General Landry he seems ok with it. I watch the general greet the group and the woman steps forward. The others fan out a bit around her. I know from the expedition files that this is my new boss-Doctor Elizabeth Weir. She looks thinner than in her picture. Hell, they all look thinner.
As she is shaking hands with the General I take my first good look at the group. So these four are the now famous or should I say the infamous Atlantis Command Team. From their mission reports and files these people rival SG-1 and had the Brass and Scientists swearing, pulling their hair out and looking shell shock and going “OH MY GOD!” in equal parts of horror and glee almost the whole time they were reading the files and watching the videos and such. (It was a sight to see and I have to smile whenever I think back on it.)
So this is the Infamous Atlantis Command Team. The diplomat that was able to talk their sworn enemies into giving them the bombs that took out the Hive ships before Colonel Caldwell could get there. (How the hell did she do that?) Not to mention got Colonel Everett to back down. (that’s another how the hell!?), The Scientist that took on an ancient wraith with just a 9 mil to save his team leader, builds nuclear weapons in 48 hours (what the hell is that!?) and constantly breaks all the laws of physics’ and then some (at least to hear Col. Carter and Dr. Jackson talk after they read the mission reports. Don’t think I missed the awe in their voices-I didn’t) on an almost daily basis. The Medical doctor that performs medical miracles almost weekly (from what Dr. Lam has said after reading the reports-there is awe in her voice to) but at the same time has done some things that would qualify him as the mad scientist/ evil villain on many Saturday morning cartoons-even if he has figured out how to give people the ATA gene-that whole unsanctioned human testing thing he did with it while cut off from Earth and the whole mass genocide thing where half the Hoffs’ population dies because of his drug. Then of course there is the pilot who became the head of the military one day after they got to Atlantis by killing his CO, waking up the wraith and is apparently the only person ever in Pegasus’s long history to rescue anyone from a Hive ship, or that is crazy enough to actually walk onto a hive ship voluntarily and walk back off it, has some super ATA gene, has some kind of creepy symbiotic relationship with the city that lets the freaking city-THE CITY! Talk to him and him it and took out over 75 soldiers by himself when the Geni tried to take Atlantis. (And don’t think the doctors and scientists aren’t dieing to get to him to try to explain that whole TALKING TO THE CITY thing. I thought Doctor Jackson was going to pee himself when he heard about that! No kidding!) The four others with them are marines and they look slightly shell shocked but tough as hell. Hell, they all have that wide eyed, too pale look of deep shock and exhaustion. They are all kitted out and all armed. Looking at them I realize something about this group makes me uneasy. I'm not sure what though.
After a couple of minutes I figure it out. They are all kitted out and armed like they are on a gate mission. Their hands all hover over their weapons and they are scanning the room for danger even as they talk with the Gerneral. Even the doctor and the scientist are doing it and it’s scary as hell to see. They are home now, back on Earth but they aren’t treating it like home. It’s just another away mission to them I think. Possibly-no- probly dangerous and even though the natives are acting friendly they aren’t to sure about them (the natives) yet.
I can see it now. The four extra marines are there as back up and bodyguards. They look like they are taking their jobs dead serious. I can’t imagine what these people have gone through in the last year to make them treat home like a potential threat but they do and it makes me kind of sad to see it and also makes me think the Brass are in deep shit with all their plans for Atlantis.
I don’t know if anyone else see it but this just became a first contact mission (hell, I know what they look like. I’ve been on enough of them to see it.) And not a rescue mission and we all have to change our thinking real fast or things are going to get bloody and go down hill fast. Real fast. I look over at Walter and he nods his head at me. He sees it to. I can’t help but sigh, so much for my new job. Damn, I was really looking forward to it too. I see Walter pick up a phone and make a call. I think he is calling for more security but I hear him say something much more appropriate into the phone. Yeah he sees it to. “General O’Neill sir? I think you might be needed…..bring Doctor Jackson… Yes sir….that’s right sir….. Just as you thought sir…yes sir, first contact sir….I wouldn’t say feral exactly sir, more…guerrilla I think…….” Oh, yeah-Walter knows and apparently the General does to. How the hell did he know anyway? This isn’t home for them anymore. I wonder, if I get to go back with them, how long before I feel the same way.