Lightning Strikes, part 18
Title: Lightning Strikes
Author: Amycat8733
Rating: T
Pairing(s): John/Teyla
Characters: John, Teyla, Rodney, Ronon, Keller, Lorne, Woolsey
Warning(s): sentient Atlantis
Length: 3,761 - this part
Disclaimer: The characters and locales of SGA don't belong to me. For fun, not profit. I just swim in the pool. No borrowed OCs were harmed during these productions.
Summary: A lightning bolt brings change to John Sheppard. His bond with the city deepens, bringing its own hazards. Friendship is tested as Rodney and John clash over his new strength. As John’s abilities grow and change, change also comes to Atlantis.
Hi there! Hope y'all have recovered from the holidays. RL is still kickin my butt unfortunately. Thanks for all your kind reviews! They are very encouraging. There is an official cover for Lightning. It is posted here and on FF. I would love to hear what you all think about it. If you can't find it, let me know. Thanks again to my wonderful beta, nacinom. This story is much better due to her!
Today, on Atlantis...
Part 18
The morning of the mission to the repository dawned clear and very cold, but that was to be expected on what some of the expedition were calling “the galactic ice ball”. Most of the population rose early and hurried through breakfast in order to see the teams leave. The atmosphere in the ready room was tense and full of excitement because, after six years, they were finally going to have a full complement of ZPMs and Jumpers. John had ordered everyone going into full gear. Too often, a seemingly simple mission had turned into a life or death situation, especially for his team. Some of the newbies were nervous about going offworld with John, having heard many of the stories about his high percentage of soured missions, but the veterans were relaxed and told them not to worry.
At 0800, John called a meeting with the mission personnel. Four teams were going, including his and Lorne’s. In addition, out of fifteen Jumpers, seven were being exchanged with units from the depot. These all needed overhauls to a varying degree. Five extra pilots were also making the trip to bring back five additional units. These would carry spare parts for current and future needs. Rodney’s collection of drained ZPMs was going as well because Lantis had indicated that they could be recharged there.
Along with the military personnel, Radek was leading a hand-picked team of scientists and engineers armed with packs of empty high capacity hard drives so they could download any databases that they came across. John had tried to talk him out of it, saying that the databases would be downloaded back to Atlantis when they opened the Gate to go home, but the Czech insisted so John backed off, letting him have his way.
Carson was also going. He had insisted because he wanted to keep an eye on John since he wasn’t fully recovered yet from his recent injuries. Plus, none of the Earth-born gene bearers had ever been exposed to this much power at one time and Carson wanted to watch them for any difficulties. He had decided to have James, Susan and Caitlyn accompany him on the mission. They were all great nurse-practitioners and none had the gene. Even better, they had been around for five years, so they were familiar with the side effects of Ancient technology.
The briefing went smoothly. Everyone knew what they hoped to find on the other side and knew what part to play. The few questions that came up were quickly answered by one of the senior staff. When they reached the Gateroom, there was a pallet loaded with the heavy plastic carriers that they used sitting off to one side on a pallet jack.
John waited by the DHD while everyone slotted into place. As the last trooper settled, he pressed the symbols for the repository. Even though he would be first through the Gate, no one else could dial this sequence because it was keyed specifically to a Muse’s touch. As the wormhole stabilized, John made his way down the stairs. Woolsey and Sam were standing off to one side on the Ops balcony to watch the teams leave. Just before he stepped through the Gate, John turned and threw a jaunty salute towards them.
Stepping out the other side, with Ronon and Lorne a half step behind him, John’s first thought was that he had stepped through a space Gate. The chamber was vast and dark with only tiny specks of light to break up the ebon expanse. As he stepped away from the event horizon, the lights came on; just as they did the first time he set foot in Atlantis. Under the lights, the room looked just as awesome, with plenty of room to park the jumpers. With the wormhole open at his back, John could sense Atlantis updating her counterpart.
*”Welcome, John Sheppard. My sister has told me of you. I am the Praxis Repository.”*
The voice that greeted him was female, but sounded more like a grandmother or an aunt where Atlantis sounded a bit like his mother.
*”Hello to you too, Praxis. Did Lantis tell you why I and my people were coming?”*
*”She did. The Gateships you need are being prepped as we speak.”*
John clicked his radio as they stepped aside. “Alright gang, come on through. The coast is clear.”
The jumpers came through first, all seven of them showing signs of hard use. After the last one entered the cavern, a golden path lit along the floor to guide the craft to the repair bay.
“Jumpers, follow the yellow brick road. That will take you to the repair bay. Once there, park in the areas indicated by the glowing circles then proceed to the docking area to pick up our new jumpers. Once you have them, report back here.”
A chorus of “Yes sir’s” came back across the radio as the string of jumpers exited the cavern.
While John was giving the jumper pilots their instructions, the rest of his team along with those led by Lorne, Waters, and Stackhouse exited the Gate. Radek, his crew and Carson shuffled along in the center of the group. John was amused by the stunned looks on his fellow expedition members’ faces.
Stepping to the center of the embarkation area, John brought his right arm up and out in a gesture of greeting. “Welcome to the Praxis Repository. Praxis will be guiding us to our objectives.”
Rodney recovered quickly. “Praxis? Don’t tell me you’ve already Kirked another facility.” He looked around nervously. “This Praxis isn’t going to explode, is it?”
John shook his head, cocky grin in place. “Nope, she greeted me first and assures me that this planet is very stable, plus it’s Klingon free.”
“Ha, ha, very funny. If I remember correctly, Kirk was Public Enemy Number One among the Klingons, not Spock.” Rodney shot John a smirk. “Plus, I’m not the one who seems to attract cli…”
John held up a hand, pinning Rodney with his best Death Glare. “If you finish that statement, you’ll regret it.”
Rodney’s grin grew bigger. “Oh please. You won’t hurt me and we both know it.”
John gave Rodney his patented cocky grin. “I didn’t say I would do anything to you.” At Rodney’s look of confusion, John pointed to the person behind Rodney. Ronon was standing there, arms crossed, with a look on his face that promised pain for anyone that bothered Sheppard. Rodney gulped and moved away to check a console on the far side of the room.
Radek and his crew quickly located a data console and began downloading files. Sitting at a couch conveniently positioned along one wall, John watched the rest of the personnel wander through the room. Teyla and Ronon stayed by his side, ever watchful after recent events. After ten minutes, they heard the unmistakable hum of jumper engines, right before twelve shiny new jumpers entered the cavernous room. Before the ships could settle, John signaled Rodney, who was examining the DHD to dial Atlantis and send them through.
With the jumpers taken care of, John turned towards the fourth wall and made a beckoning gesture with his right hand. Immediately, an unseen panel opened and four transport vehicles trundled out into the Gateroom. Each had space for eight passengers plus cargo space. John and his team plus Carson and Radek piled into the first vehicle. The carriers for the ZPMs were split between John and Lorne’s transports. The other three teams each took one, with the scientists splitting up amongst them. Once everyone was settled John, in the front row of seats, placed his right hand on a touch pad located on the dashboard in front of him. Lorne did the same in the next vehicle with Waters and Sgt. Abrams handling the driving in the last two.
Their first stop was the parts depot for the jumpers. Radek and other three engineers jumped out as soon as John stopped. After John initiated it, Radek quickly accessed the nearby console and searched for the parts catalog.
*”Please tell the excited one that my servos will pull the parts for him if he uploads his requirements.”*
John looked over at Radek, who was in the process of dividing up the bins for parts to be pulled. “Hey, Dr. Z, if you upload your shopping lists, Praxis will do the legwork for you.”
Radek pushed his glasses up. “Is true? Where do I upload needed parts?”
John pointed at a blinking connector port on the console. “I think you jack in there.”
“Ah, thank you, Colonel. This will save much time.” Radek uploaded the list of parts with just a few taps on his tablet.
*”Requirements received. I will have the parts ready in an hour.”*
*”Thank you, Praxis.”*
Once everyone piled back into the vehicles, the convoy took off again. After a short passage, they arrived at the construction bots which were large, multi-limbed constructs with a variety of tools. John could see how they could shift form to accommodate variable conditions. At this stop, only two people got out, Radek and Peter Jennings, a structural engineer with the gene. John considered it, but his head was starting to pound so he stayed in the transport and took a pair of Advil before munching on a power bar. Jennings stepped over to the first bot and touched it with no effect. He spotted a tablet on a column next to the bot and picked it up. The tablet flashed in Ancient before the text changed and reappeared in English.
*”I have taken the initiative to translate the tablet’s contents for you. My sister will be able to assist you with the city database once she is fully powered again.”*
*”Thank you, Praxis, that was most helpful.”*
Radek and Peter were overjoyed at the ease of use. The tablet was the controller and the operating manual. Jennings and five other scientists with the gene stayed behind to practice with the bots. Stackhouse and his team stayed with them.
As the transports rolled through the corridor, John glanced over at Rodney. He was sitting on the edge of his seat, poised to jump out the minute he saw orange. He looked like a dog whose master was about to throw a stick.
“Down boy, the ZPMs are not going anywhere.” John said in an amused drawl.
“Yeah, McKay, this is not the chow line.” Ronon jumped in, his soft rumble also amused. “The ZPMs are not the last chocolate pudding on the tray.”
Teyla leaned forward and placed a soft hand on Rodney’s shoulder. “Perhaps you should sit back in order to avoid injury. Jumping from this vehicle would not be a good idea.”
Rodney shook himself as his team’s words penetrated his impatience. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Don’t need a broken leg. If I break my leg, then Radek will probably screw up the installation and destroy the city.”
In the third row, Radek shook his head. “No, City only will blow up if your ego is unchecked.”
Rodney turned in his seat to face the Czech. “Hey, I’ve saved the city numerous times! The only thing I’ve ever blown up was a few generators!”
“And a few labs.” That was Ronon’s contribution.
“Do not forget the artifacts that have been destroyed, and the numerous times John has shielded you and been injured.” That was Teyla.
“Let’s also not forget Doranda.”
Rodney waved his hands at them. “Yes, yes, let’s keep dragging all of that up. Would you like to pour salt in the wounds as well? Or maybe put a ’kick me‘ sign on my back.”
John’s eyes lit at the idea, but Teyla shook her head no at him. John gave a tiny shrug to say “oh well.”
Ahead of the transports, a blank wall loomed. Rodney and Radek hopped out as soon as the vehicles stopped.
“What the hell? You’re kidding, right?” Rodney was getting loud with agitation. “Is this some kind of freaking joke? We come all this way to be met with a blank wall?”
Radek looked irritated as well, but was keeping his cool better. “Rodney, calm down. We saw ZPM in hologram. They must be here.”
Rodney waved his LSD at the wall. “This scans as solid. There is no door, no transporter, nothing visible.”
“Perhaps scan is incorrect?” Radek looked at Rodney. “Does scanner need to be recalibrated?”
Behind them, John and the rest were watching the two scientists with varying attitudes of interest, ranging from fascination to boredom. John in particular was bored and about to take a nap when Praxis spoke to him. Stepping from the transport, John walked to the wall, splitting the block of Rodney and Radek like a surfer and reached out to place his palm on the seemingly solid surface before him. At his touch a section of the wall began to glow blue. A door appeared and slowly slid open. John kept his hand in place until the doors completely opened. At the cessation of movement, the pilot dropped his hand, staggering a bit. Rodney was at his side in an instant, supporting him.
“Are you okay?” Rodney said. John was still recovering from all he had been through and was only allowed light duty. Heck, the only reason they were on this mission today was that Carson came along and that this was a secure location.
“Colonel, are you unwell?” Radek added his concerns.
John waved them off. “I’m fine. It was just a reaction to the power pouring out of those.” At his gesture, everyone looked into the room.
A rack of warmly glowing zero point modules stood along one wall.
The entryway was not large enough for the vehicles so the containers were unloaded and carried in. Rodney and Radek had hurried to the room’s control console. The excited chatter from the two scientists sounded musical to the teams.
Lorne approached John where he leaned against the wall. “Well, sir, looks like we got what we came for.”
John glanced at his XO. “We did. It’s nice for a plan to come together.”
Lorne cocked an eyebrow at his CO. “Sir, you and yours put Hannibal’s A-Team to shame. The situations the four of you get out of on a regular basis would leave anyone else a gibbering wreck. Not to mention that your sanest plans are extraordinarily crazy in anyone else’s book.”
He chuckled as another thought popped into his mind. “Y’ know, when O’Neill offered me this post, he told me that he saw a lot of himself in you. At the time, I thought he was kidding, thinking that the universe didn’t have that much of a sense of humor. Now, after almost six years, I’ve realized that he was right. The two of you are so alike it’s scary.”
John glanced over at his second. “Do you regret coming?”
Lorne shook his head. “Hell no, sir. I’m glad I came. My only wish is that you didn’t get hurt so much. I don’t want your job. I couldn’t keep this place running as well as you do.”
John chuckled, a cocky grin gracing his face. “You underestimate yourself, Evan. You’re nothing like me or O’Neill, but you have your own style. You’ll have your own command someday and you’ll see what I mean.”
John would have said more, but was interrupted by Rodney.
“Sheppard, if you’re done holding the wall up, we need you need to release the ZedPMs.”
John heaved a sigh as he pushed away from the wall. “One human light switch coming right up.”
Approaching the console, John cast a glance over the rest of the troops. They were standing near the rack of ZPMs, with the now empty cases open at their feet, looking up at the nearest, which was ten feet from the floor. At Rodney’s impatient gesture, John placed his right hand on the control plate. A stream of information flowed into his mind. In an instant, John knew what to do. He activated a set of robotic arms and eased the first two ZPMs from their cradles, lowering them to the waiting soldiers who quickly secured the glowing modules in the protective carriers. The same process was followed for the other ten ZPM. Of the twelve that they were leaving with, six were headed for Earth.
While manipulating the first two armatures, John activated two more that picked up the depleted modules and deposited them into a recycler. Praxis informed him that the modules would be re-energized in a distant portion of the facility. Once the last of the ZPMs were transferred, John stowed the arms away. He staggered as he released the console. Both Radek and Rodney lent him support until he found his balance.
Straightening with a slight grunt, John waved the two scientists off. “I’m fine.” He glanced over his shoulder at Ronon and Teyla who had moved up when they saw him wobble. “Seriously, guys, I’m fine. Just a bit tired.”
John stepped away from the console and almost ran over Carson.
“I’ll be the judge of that, laddie.” Carson put John’s right arm across his shoulders and wrapped his left arm around the lanky Colonel’s waist. Carson helped John back to the transport and checked him over. He concluded that the Colonel was right, that it was just exhaustion. He prescribed a long nap for the pilot once they returned to the city.
With the ZPMs loaded, the three teams headed back to the gate. When they reached Jennings and his group of scientists and engineers, they discovered that the engineers had made the construction bots transform into a vehicular mode. The scientists piled into the transports and, with the bots trundling alongside, headed back to pick up the jumper parts.
At the parts area, there were four pallets of crates waiting to be loaded. Lorne hopped out and did the honors this time, activating a pair of loading arms and moving the pallets to the vehicles.
*”In addition to the requested parts, I also added some other items that you seemed to need which includes replacement crystals.”*
*”Thanks, Praxis. Rodney and Radek will be thrilled. We’ll probably be making a return trip real soon since there’s a lot of restoration work to do.”* A question popped into John’s head. *”How did you know what other parts we need?”*
*”When the Stargate opened, my sister communicated her needs to me. I deduced that you would be pleased by their inclusion.”
If a computer could blush, John felt that Praxis would have. *“I am and McKay and Radek will be as well.”*
Once they were underway, John informed the two lead scientists of the bonus items in the crates. The pair immediately started prioritizing which systems would get fixed first. The discussion continued until they reached the Gateroom. At the Gateroom, they collected the pair of scientists who had been downloading the database. They couldn’t take the trucks back to Atlantis because they were too big to navigate the corridors, so it was fortunate that the construction bots had a vehicle mode. The Marines shifted the crates onto the bots, and the scientists joined in with carrying the ZPMs.
John dialed the Gate and once the wormhole established, led the returning teams through the Gate. On the other side, a great cheer went up as the ZPM cases were the first thing through behind John and his team. The sight of the robots garnered some ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from the observers. Even as the Gate shut down, Rodney took charge of the ZPMs. Radek and Jennings took charge of the parts and the construction bots. John, with Ronon shadowing him, detoured through the mess hall and then headed off to get some sleep. Teyla went to spend time and have lunch with Torren. The mood in the city was jubilant.
John did not want to be stopped by everyone in the corridors so he took the nearest transporter and went straight to their quarters. Once John was safely inside, Ronon went for a run. John took three Advil, ate his lunch then stretched out on the couch, rolled up in a thick blanket and went to sleep with Atlantis humming in his head.
After spending the afternoon with Torren, mother and son ate in the mess hall. Teyla made sure to pick a sandwich up for John in case he had not yet eaten. Upon entering the suite, Teyla noticed the quiet. Stepping into the kitchen to put the sandwich in the refrigerator, Teyla noticed that there were a few dirty dishes in the kitchen that had not been there earlier, meaning John had eaten. While Torren put his toys and books away, Teyla stuck her head into the bedroom she shared with John. He was buried under the covers, deeply asleep.
As she stared at the man in the bed, Teyla reflected on her life. Before she met John Sheppard, if anyone had told her that she would give up leading her people to be living in the City of the Ancestors with a man from another galaxy that she was soon to marry, she would have suggested that they quit drinking Ruus wine mixed with dreamberries because they were obviously having delusions. Now, looking at John, sprawled on the bed, the brilliant auroras gilding the shape of his body in a rainbow of color, she could imagine nothing else. She had Torren John, her son that she loved very much and she had John, the man she planned to stand beside as his partner for the rest of their lives. She had people that respected and appreciated her, friends to share joy and tragedy with, and was doing something meaningful for more than just the Athosians. Moving carefully so as not to wake him, Teyla tucked the covers in around John’s shoulders, knowing she was exactly where she wanted to be.