Another Wormhole Adventure (PG) - Multiverse
Title: Another Wormhole Adventure
Author: Tommygirl/storydivagirl
Rating: PG
Written For: multiverse2004 for Miriel, who wanted John Sheppard & John Crichton to interact
Fandoms: Farscape/Stargate: Atlantis
A/N: Much love to Kat for helping me out with a quick beta, as I always procrastinate.
Another Wormhole Adventure
As Pilot informed them of the approaching Peacekeeper cruiser, Crichton silently cursed himself. He knew that he had jinxed Moya's recent run of good luck, had known it the minutes the words slipped out of his mouth. After all, it was unusual for him to go very long without something happening, whether it was Scarrans or wars or wormholes of destruction, and things had been fairly quiet since the war had ended.
He and Aeryn and their son were able to travel freely, enjoying their lives and moments of quiet that had escaped them for years. But he had to go and mention how easy things were to Aeryn, who had given him a withering look that said she thought he had jinxed them too.
She was right, as usual.
Pilot placed a video of Scorpius on the screen in the control room. "Crichton, I'm requesting permission to come aboard Moya and discuss a situation with you."
John glanced from Aeryn to the screen, wondering if this was some horrible nightmare. He was supposed to be free of this relationship with the demented freakshow, but it seemed that ditching the Harvey from his brain hadn't stopped the real Scorpius from bothering him.
"If this is about wormhole technology, I told you. I don't remember ..."
"No, no, you've proven your point on that, John. I've moved on to better projects for dealing with the Scarrans," Scorpius replied. He took a deliberate breath and continued, "But that's not what this is about. I have stumbled upon something you might be interested in."
"And you're willing to help me out of the goodness of your heart? That's not your way, Scorpy."
"John, let him come aboard," Aeryn replied.
"Really?" John replied. Off the look on Aeryn's face, John sighed and said, "You heard the wife. You can come on Moya, but if you try anything ..."
"Threats will not be necessary," Scorpius replied and the connection between them was severed.
John looked at Aeryn and said, "You sure about this? We could have Pilot make a run for it?"
"We are done running. Our son will not grow up that way," Aeryn replied. She kissed him and added, "And if he tries anything, I'll frelling shoot him myself."
"That's my girl."
The two of them fell into an easy stride as they made their way toward the docking stations. Logically, John knew that D'Argo was fine, fast asleep and under the watchful eyes of Moya and Pilot…but he didn't like the idea of Scorpius being anywhere near his son. Years of dealing with the Peacekeepers made him more than a little skeptical and there was no way he was willing to risk his family's safety.
That was all that mattered to him now. His family - Aeryn, little D, Chiana, hell even Rygel - came first.
"You're worrying."
"I have a reason to worry where Scorpius is concerned, Aeryn."
"Yes, but I believe it's best to hear him out before we make any rash decisions."
John nodded and said, "Never can go too long without something exciting happening."
John Sheppard was not having a good week. It had started out well enough - a few good missions with his team, new supplies arriving from Earth, relative peace on Atlantis - but somehow a routine flight in the puddle jumper had turned into a nightmare.
One minute he was listening to Rodney bitch at him about something over his comm link and the next thing he knew the puddle jumper was heading straight through a gate. Except it wasn't like the gate on Atlantis or one on any of the other locations he had visited. This one had appeared out of nowhere and was completely unstable as he attempted to fly through it. He had thought he was lucky when he managed to keep from spinning out or exploding in a ball of flames, but then he was in complete darkness, no sign of Atlantis on his radar or his communications system.
Then, out of the darkness a ball of energy had lit up the sky and he had seen it, a huge cruiser that made a Wraith hive ship look small. And before he knew what was happening, he was being pulled onto the ship, nothing on the puddle jumper capable of helping him get away.
That was three days ago. Three days of enduring interrogations and tests and being locked up in a cell. It was a ship full of other people - Sabaceans they called themselves, apparently affronted when he thought they were human - being commanded by one of the creepiest species that Sheppard had ever seen.
"We are taking you to someone who might be able to help you, Colonel Sheppard," the commander said.
Sheppard glanced warily from him to another of his officers. He noticed the ship that they were about to enter and tried to prepare himself for whatever came next. Maybe he was suspicious, but being treated like a criminal tended to do that to him…and he couldn't figure out why this thing was suddenly interested in helping him.
They docked and Sheppard was escorted off the ship by the officer, the commander striding behind them. Sheppard looked around. The technology he had witnessed was right up there with the ancients and he wondered if this was some far off galaxy that some of the ancestors had escaped to when fleeing Atlantis.
When Sheppard saw the people waiting for him, he stopped moving. He looked the guy over and said, "Colonel Mitchell?"
The guy met his gaze and then looked around behind him as though he expected there to be someone else. His hand rose to his chest like he was pointing at himself and said, "That's not me."
"But ... not the weirdest thing so far," Sheppard muttered.
"Ahh John, you're looking well. Being removed from the Peacekeepers' most wanted list seems to agree with you," the commander replied, pushing past Sheppard and his officer.
"I'd like to say the same, Scorpy, but you really need to invest in a new wardrobe."
"Same as always, Crichton," he replied. He nodded to the woman and said, "Aeryn. Good to see you."
"Scorpius," she said, her hand inching toward her gun.
Scorpius raised his hand and said, "No need for that. I'm here to benefit you."
The officer removed the manacles from Sheppard's hands and pushed him forward. Scorpius placed his hand on Sheppard's shoulder and said, "John Crichton, meet Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, United States military."
"What was that?" Crichton replied, looking from Aeryn to Scorpius to Sheppard with a look that Sheppard couldn't quite get a handle on.
"You heard me, Crichton. We jumped to a location thought to be harboring Scarran fighters only to find him and a strange little ship. He had no translator microbe, lacked any knowledge of the Peacekeepers, and after numerous tests and interrogations, I am confident that he is human."
"But how ..." Crichton paused and ran a hand over his face. He stared at Sheppard and said, "Is what Scorpius says true? Are you human?"
"Until a few days ago I didn't know there was anything else," Sheppard replied. He stared at the not-Cameron-clone and said, "I'm guessing you're human too."
"John Crichton," he replied, extending his hand to him. Sheppard shook his hand and felt some of his worries fade a little. He was still in a helluva predicament, but at least there was someone who knew he wasn't some test subject, someone who might be able to help him figure out how to get back to Atlantis.
Crichton wasn't sure what to make of Scorpius' arrival with Sheppard and from the looks of it, Aeryn was just as baffled as he was. He had a ton of questions he wanted to ask the man, but he also didn't want to overwhelm him. Crichton knew firsthand what an interrogation from Scorpius entailed and he figured Colonel Sheppard could use some food and rest.
While Aeryn spoke with Scorpius and Braca separately, more to keep Crichton from killing the son of a bitch, John sat in the mess area with Sheppard.
"Exactly how did you end up here, Colonel?"
Sheppard sighed and said, "I'm not quite sure where to start."
"Well, here's my story. I was an astronaut on the Farscape project-"
"Wait ... you're the John Crichton?"
Crichton laughed at that. Not so long ago the idea of being famous and remembered was all that mattered to him. He said, "I guess so."
Sheppard stared at him for a moment and said, "I'm not sure how much information was provided to you when you were back on Earth…did you ever hear of the Stargate program?"
Crichton nodded, remembering a file amidst stacks of papers that his father and government officials had thrown at him to review. He hadn't been sure what to make of it at the time, but it appeared to be a harnessed wormhole of some sort. Unfortunately, no scientist had been able to duplicate the process outside the already existing gate. "I've heard of it, but that doesn't explain how you got here. There are no gates in this universe."
"It wasn't a gate that brought me here. It was…I'm not quite sure. I was on a routine run in my jumper around Atlantis. We have our hands full with an alien enemy. Best guess is that I was pulled through an unstable wormhole of some sort."
Crichton nodded and said, "Could be. Problem is figuring out how to get you back."
"You were able to get back," Sheppard replied. He leaned in closer and said, "Even if you can get me back to Earth, I'll be able to get back to Atlantis in a few weeks."
"Earth isn't possible. At least not that I'm aware of…I had to destroy that wormhole awhile ago. Some nasty critters were looking to use it," Crichton replied.
Sheppard groaned. "Well, that sucks."
"Tell me about it. I have a son who will never get to meet his grandfather," Crichton said. He stood up and began pacing, trying to figure out what could be done. Finally, he admitted, "If we can find the wormhole that you came through, we might be able to get you back through…but wormholes are unstable and if you aren't careful, you could cause everything to unravel."
"You're just a bundle of good news."
"Still gotta be better than being stuck with Scorpius and company. I'm still not sure why he sought me out. He doesn't usually undertake anything unless there's something in it for him."
"I can answer that question, Crichton."
He spun around as Scorpius entered the mess hall. John lifted his gun and said, "Where's Aeryn?"
"She went to check on D'Argo," Scorpius answered. Crichton opened his mouth to speak, but Scorpius waved him off and said, "Don't worry. She escorted me to the door. I was not alone on Moya."
"So what's your game, Scorpy?"
"I assume Colonel Sheppard has filled you in?"
"Started to," Sheppard replied.
"And I'm trying to figure out what you get out of this if I help him."
"Simple. Once you are able to get Colonel Sheppard back through his wormhole, I need you to destroy it like you did before."
"That was a one time thing, Scorpius."
"Crichton, did he inform you of the Wraith?"
"The what?"
Scorpius sighed and said, "Colonel, do you care to explain?"
Sheppard rolled his eyes and said, "I don't think they're coming through a wormhole."
"But you don't seem to think they would be beyond it, correct?"
"Well, it depends. If humans and Sabaceans are different, the Wraith might not be able to feed on you."
"Feed?" Crichton repeated. He shivered at the thought and said, "What the hell are these Wraith things?"
"In the Atlantis galaxy, they were the top predator that we accidentally woke up."
"Woke up?"
"They hibernate for long periods of time and then cull humans for feeding. Basically, they suck the life out of a person…but they're starving so they've developed a great interest in finding a way to Earth. Part of my job is making sure that doesn't happen."
"Do you understand now, Crichton? We can not allow the Wraith to enter our universe. It would be catastrophic."
"They make the Scarrans sound like cuddly teddy bears."
"That's why you must close the wormhole, John. We must remove all possibility that these things can find their way into these territories."
Crichton sat down at the table. He was supposed to be through with wormholes and working with Scorpius. He was supposed to be focused on his life with his wife and son. But he couldn't ignore the voice in his head that pointed out that Scorpius had a point. The Wraith that Sheppard spoke of sounded pretty dangerous.
"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but you're right, Scorpius. First thing we need to do is try to locate the wormhole he came through, which means going back to where he appeared."
"Easy enough. I'll have our cruiser send the coordinates to your pilot and we can all prepare for a jump."
"Once you return to your ship."
"Very well."
"And Colonel Sheppard stays here."
"Crichton ..."
"Non-negotiable. He stays with us until this is handled."
Sheppard studied his living quarters before collapsing on the bed. He heard the Pilot's voice come over the intercom, warning of the jump through space. Normally, Sheppard would've been damn excited to explore the ship - a living ship named Moya, according to Crichton - and ask the Pilot questions. He was in another universe. And unlike with the Stargate program, only one other human had ever traveled there.
But Sheppard was exhausted and slightly panicked about his abilities to pilot the puddle jumper back through the wormhole. He had been in some pretty fierce air battles, but they had seemed easy in comparison to trying to fly through that mass of energy.
Sheppard stared at the wall, running his fingers gently over the texture, and gave into sleep.
He woke to the sound of a baby crying and he had to take a moment to get his bearings. The door to his room opened and when he entered the hall, he saw Aeryn holding a small baby in her arms.
She smiled and said, "I was coming to wake you. John thinks he's found the wormhole you came through."
"That quickly?"
"It's hard to explain Crichton's abilities where wormholes are concerned," Aeryn replied. The little boy in her arms turned to look at Sheppard with a dubious look before crying again. Aeryn shook her head and replied, "Crichton assures me that this phase passes."
"I'm told it does."
"This is obviously the human part of his genetic makeup. I never cried as a baby."
Sheppard chuckled and said, "I don't find that hard to believe."
Aeryn smiled and said, "I'm going to deal with D'Argo, but if you follow this corridor around, it will leave you at the control room."
Sheppard watched her walk off in the opposite direction before walking down the corridor. He noticed a little robot hard at work on a vent and chalked it up to one of the weird things about this place. He thought about seeing if he could get any information on these things for Rodney, knowing the scientist would holler at him for not ingesting any of the different technology, but decided against it. There was no time for exploring. He was needed back on Atlantis and a journey in this universe was not meant for him. He had his own adventures to look forward to elsewhere.
Crichton stared at the wormhole out the control room window, watching it open and close and making notes on time and stability. As far as wormholes went, it appeared to be rather maneuverable. Of course, he wouldn't know for sure until he was on his ship.
After arguing with Aeryn, it was decided that he would pilot himself and Sheppard through the wormhole, keeping his coordinates locked on Moya with Pilot's help. The puddle jumper would not work for him, and he wasn't sure that Sheppard would be able to make heads-or-tails of his instructions.
Crichton knew he had to do this. He only hoped that he could get back through to Aeryn and his son after delivering Sheppard back to Atlantis and destroying the wormhole. All of this while trying to ignore his natural instinct to distrust Scorpius and the Peacekeepers.
"Aeryn said you located the wormhole."
John turned around and saw the Colonel enter the control room. He had cleaned up since Scorpius brought him aboard, but he still had that look of wonderment that Crichton was only now losing. John held up the charts he had plotted and said, "I think I'll be able to fly us through."
"You?"
"Like I said before ... I have to do this, Sheppard. One small misstep and you could end up in the wrong time or the wrong reality."
"And that would be bad."
"Very bad."
"What about the puddle jumper?"
"It was a bargain with Scorpius. He leaves you alone and let's you go back to your life without any further interference, and his people get to play with the puddle jumper. Not that it seems to possess any technology they don't already have."
"I guess. That guy just creeps me out," Sheppard replied.
"That's because he's a creepy guy," John countered. He pointed to the window where a wormhole had opened up outside the ship. He smiled and said, "Like clockwork. This is a good one."
Neither said anything while the wormhole remained, both too caught up in its odd beauty. Once it disappeared, Crichton said, "We're going to aim to be ready for its next reappearance."
"Are you sure you have to come with me? I don't want to-"
"'Fraid so, buddy. Even if I thought you could handle the wormhole, Scorpius is right about destroying it. I've seen enough evil in this universe without adding soul sucking monsters to the mix."
"I wish I had some more time to explore and learn more about this place."
Crichton shrugged and said, "It's definitely interesting, but it sounds like you've got plenty of that waiting for you back home."
"Yeah. People are probably worried."
"It's good that you have people who worry. It's what keeps us from becoming like Scorpius," John said. He rolled up his charts and said, "I'm going to take these to Pilot. Would you like to meet him?"
Sheppard smiled in response and followed Crichton out of the control room.
Sheppard's head was swimming with information. The pilot on Moya had shared so many details of the universe and ideas with him that John wasn't sure it wasn't going to leak out of his head before he could repeat it to Rodney. And God help him if he didn't remember the information when he got back to Rodney.
Sheppard stared at the small ship that Crichton planned for them to use and said, "You think this ship can handle a wormhole."
"This baby has handled quite a few wormholes," Crichton responded as he zipped up his flight suit. He tossed a helmet to John and said, "We'll be fine, Colonel Sheppard."
"Yeah. I'm just not used to being a passenger."
Crichton slid into the pilot's seat and waited for Sheppard to get situated behind him. Sheppard tried to stay focused as they exited Moya and made their way toward where the wormhole would appear. John wanted to learn everything he could from his experience with Crichton, hoping that maybe it would help them with powering the gate on Atlantis.
"In three, two, one ..."
Sheppard barely heard Crichton say "and go" before they were within the wormhole. His head felt like he was on a roller coaster going at super speed, his insides bouncing around, and as quickly as the feeling came on, it was over. And in the distance, he saw Atlantis. Beautiful, wonderful Atlantis. His home.
Sheppard grinned and slapped Crichton on the back. He said, "You did it."
"We'll know for sure once we get you down there," Crichton replied. Sheppard watched him hit a few buttons and he said, "Pilot, do you hear me?"
"Yes Commander. It is just as I thought. I was able to track your coordinates and will be able to guide you back."
"Good. Keep your guard up, Pilot. I don't trust Scorpius."
"Of course, Commander."
Sheppard waited until Crichton was done and said, "I guess it's my turn to test my communications." Sheppard took his comm link and said, "This is Colonel Sheppard, do you read?"
"Sheppard?"
"McKay, good to hear your voice."
"Where are you? I have no signs of your puddle jumper anywhere."
"I'm not in my puddle jumper. I'm coming into Atlantis in a different ship. I need you to lower the shield long enough for us to dock."
McKay grumbled under his breath and John laughed. It was good to be home. He patted Crichton on the back again and said, "We're good to go."
If there was an upside to dealing with wormholes again, it was the stock of chocolate that he was plied with on Atlantis. His own stock of food from home had run out months ago and there were some things he missed more than others. Chocolate was at the top of that list. He bit into a bar as he directed his ship back off the planet toward the wormhole.
Crichton tried to collect his thoughts in order to focus on the job at hand. He and Pilot had worked out the precise calculations he would have to follow in order to collapse the wormhole. And the more he heard about the Wraith while on Atlantis, the more convinced he became that it had to be done. While it was unlikely that the Wraith would ever find their way to his universe, he couldn't risk the chance. Not when lives were at stake, including those of his family.
"Pilot, you still there?"
"Yes Commander."
"Under a minute to go."
"You must be certain not to move away from our planned course."
"I know, Pilot. Believe me. I don't intend to get off course if I can help it," Crichton took a deep breath and said, "See ya on the other side, Pilot."
The wormhole appeared again, leaving John no more time to worry about possible outcomes, and he was flying back through it. He couldn't deny the rush that coursed through him as he navigated the wormhole, knowing he was one of a few that could do such a thing. The elation was even greater as he exited and saw the Leviathan awaiting his return.
He pushed the speed on his little ship to the max, trying to get docked on Moya so that Pilot could jump out of the way of any backlash from the wormhole collapsing behind them.
As he docked on Moya, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Aeryn waiting for him and holding Little D. The rush of the wormhole had been intense, but seeing his son wave to him and Aeryn's smile was more than enough to satisfy him. He made his way over to them, taking D'Argo out of Aeryn's arms and tossing him into the air gently.
"Miss me, kiddo?"
"We both did," Aeryn replied, leaning in to kiss him. She glanced back to his ship and asked, "Sheppard back where he belongs?"
"Yeah," Crichton replied. With D'Argo still in his arms, he rushed back over to his ship and pulled out the huge box of supplies he came back with. He held up a Hershey's bar and said, "And look how they repaid the kindness. Can you say ‘chocolate', D?"
Aeryn rolled her eyes, but Crichton saw her eye the chocolate bar. Sabacean or human, it seemed that all women loved chocolate. John wrapped his free arm around Aeryn and said, "So considering we had a situation involving Scorpius, this wasn't too bad. Even got some rations out of it."
"Let's not make a habit out of this though," Aeryn replied.
Crichton smiled. Things never used to go this well for him. But he wasn't going to admit that out loud. Talk about jinxing things.
{Fin}
Author: Tommygirl/storydivagirl
Rating: PG
Written For: multiverse2004 for Miriel, who wanted John Sheppard & John Crichton to interact
Fandoms: Farscape/Stargate: Atlantis
A/N: Much love to Kat for helping me out with a quick beta, as I always procrastinate.
Another Wormhole Adventure
As Pilot informed them of the approaching Peacekeeper cruiser, Crichton silently cursed himself. He knew that he had jinxed Moya's recent run of good luck, had known it the minutes the words slipped out of his mouth. After all, it was unusual for him to go very long without something happening, whether it was Scarrans or wars or wormholes of destruction, and things had been fairly quiet since the war had ended.
He and Aeryn and their son were able to travel freely, enjoying their lives and moments of quiet that had escaped them for years. But he had to go and mention how easy things were to Aeryn, who had given him a withering look that said she thought he had jinxed them too.
She was right, as usual.
Pilot placed a video of Scorpius on the screen in the control room. "Crichton, I'm requesting permission to come aboard Moya and discuss a situation with you."
John glanced from Aeryn to the screen, wondering if this was some horrible nightmare. He was supposed to be free of this relationship with the demented freakshow, but it seemed that ditching the Harvey from his brain hadn't stopped the real Scorpius from bothering him.
"If this is about wormhole technology, I told you. I don't remember ..."
"No, no, you've proven your point on that, John. I've moved on to better projects for dealing with the Scarrans," Scorpius replied. He took a deliberate breath and continued, "But that's not what this is about. I have stumbled upon something you might be interested in."
"And you're willing to help me out of the goodness of your heart? That's not your way, Scorpy."
"John, let him come aboard," Aeryn replied.
"Really?" John replied. Off the look on Aeryn's face, John sighed and said, "You heard the wife. You can come on Moya, but if you try anything ..."
"Threats will not be necessary," Scorpius replied and the connection between them was severed.
John looked at Aeryn and said, "You sure about this? We could have Pilot make a run for it?"
"We are done running. Our son will not grow up that way," Aeryn replied. She kissed him and added, "And if he tries anything, I'll frelling shoot him myself."
"That's my girl."
The two of them fell into an easy stride as they made their way toward the docking stations. Logically, John knew that D'Argo was fine, fast asleep and under the watchful eyes of Moya and Pilot…but he didn't like the idea of Scorpius being anywhere near his son. Years of dealing with the Peacekeepers made him more than a little skeptical and there was no way he was willing to risk his family's safety.
That was all that mattered to him now. His family - Aeryn, little D, Chiana, hell even Rygel - came first.
"You're worrying."
"I have a reason to worry where Scorpius is concerned, Aeryn."
"Yes, but I believe it's best to hear him out before we make any rash decisions."
John nodded and said, "Never can go too long without something exciting happening."
John Sheppard was not having a good week. It had started out well enough - a few good missions with his team, new supplies arriving from Earth, relative peace on Atlantis - but somehow a routine flight in the puddle jumper had turned into a nightmare.
One minute he was listening to Rodney bitch at him about something over his comm link and the next thing he knew the puddle jumper was heading straight through a gate. Except it wasn't like the gate on Atlantis or one on any of the other locations he had visited. This one had appeared out of nowhere and was completely unstable as he attempted to fly through it. He had thought he was lucky when he managed to keep from spinning out or exploding in a ball of flames, but then he was in complete darkness, no sign of Atlantis on his radar or his communications system.
Then, out of the darkness a ball of energy had lit up the sky and he had seen it, a huge cruiser that made a Wraith hive ship look small. And before he knew what was happening, he was being pulled onto the ship, nothing on the puddle jumper capable of helping him get away.
That was three days ago. Three days of enduring interrogations and tests and being locked up in a cell. It was a ship full of other people - Sabaceans they called themselves, apparently affronted when he thought they were human - being commanded by one of the creepiest species that Sheppard had ever seen.
"We are taking you to someone who might be able to help you, Colonel Sheppard," the commander said.
Sheppard glanced warily from him to another of his officers. He noticed the ship that they were about to enter and tried to prepare himself for whatever came next. Maybe he was suspicious, but being treated like a criminal tended to do that to him…and he couldn't figure out why this thing was suddenly interested in helping him.
They docked and Sheppard was escorted off the ship by the officer, the commander striding behind them. Sheppard looked around. The technology he had witnessed was right up there with the ancients and he wondered if this was some far off galaxy that some of the ancestors had escaped to when fleeing Atlantis.
When Sheppard saw the people waiting for him, he stopped moving. He looked the guy over and said, "Colonel Mitchell?"
The guy met his gaze and then looked around behind him as though he expected there to be someone else. His hand rose to his chest like he was pointing at himself and said, "That's not me."
"But ... not the weirdest thing so far," Sheppard muttered.
"Ahh John, you're looking well. Being removed from the Peacekeepers' most wanted list seems to agree with you," the commander replied, pushing past Sheppard and his officer.
"I'd like to say the same, Scorpy, but you really need to invest in a new wardrobe."
"Same as always, Crichton," he replied. He nodded to the woman and said, "Aeryn. Good to see you."
"Scorpius," she said, her hand inching toward her gun.
Scorpius raised his hand and said, "No need for that. I'm here to benefit you."
The officer removed the manacles from Sheppard's hands and pushed him forward. Scorpius placed his hand on Sheppard's shoulder and said, "John Crichton, meet Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, United States military."
"What was that?" Crichton replied, looking from Aeryn to Scorpius to Sheppard with a look that Sheppard couldn't quite get a handle on.
"You heard me, Crichton. We jumped to a location thought to be harboring Scarran fighters only to find him and a strange little ship. He had no translator microbe, lacked any knowledge of the Peacekeepers, and after numerous tests and interrogations, I am confident that he is human."
"But how ..." Crichton paused and ran a hand over his face. He stared at Sheppard and said, "Is what Scorpius says true? Are you human?"
"Until a few days ago I didn't know there was anything else," Sheppard replied. He stared at the not-Cameron-clone and said, "I'm guessing you're human too."
"John Crichton," he replied, extending his hand to him. Sheppard shook his hand and felt some of his worries fade a little. He was still in a helluva predicament, but at least there was someone who knew he wasn't some test subject, someone who might be able to help him figure out how to get back to Atlantis.
Crichton wasn't sure what to make of Scorpius' arrival with Sheppard and from the looks of it, Aeryn was just as baffled as he was. He had a ton of questions he wanted to ask the man, but he also didn't want to overwhelm him. Crichton knew firsthand what an interrogation from Scorpius entailed and he figured Colonel Sheppard could use some food and rest.
While Aeryn spoke with Scorpius and Braca separately, more to keep Crichton from killing the son of a bitch, John sat in the mess area with Sheppard.
"Exactly how did you end up here, Colonel?"
Sheppard sighed and said, "I'm not quite sure where to start."
"Well, here's my story. I was an astronaut on the Farscape project-"
"Wait ... you're the John Crichton?"
Crichton laughed at that. Not so long ago the idea of being famous and remembered was all that mattered to him. He said, "I guess so."
Sheppard stared at him for a moment and said, "I'm not sure how much information was provided to you when you were back on Earth…did you ever hear of the Stargate program?"
Crichton nodded, remembering a file amidst stacks of papers that his father and government officials had thrown at him to review. He hadn't been sure what to make of it at the time, but it appeared to be a harnessed wormhole of some sort. Unfortunately, no scientist had been able to duplicate the process outside the already existing gate. "I've heard of it, but that doesn't explain how you got here. There are no gates in this universe."
"It wasn't a gate that brought me here. It was…I'm not quite sure. I was on a routine run in my jumper around Atlantis. We have our hands full with an alien enemy. Best guess is that I was pulled through an unstable wormhole of some sort."
Crichton nodded and said, "Could be. Problem is figuring out how to get you back."
"You were able to get back," Sheppard replied. He leaned in closer and said, "Even if you can get me back to Earth, I'll be able to get back to Atlantis in a few weeks."
"Earth isn't possible. At least not that I'm aware of…I had to destroy that wormhole awhile ago. Some nasty critters were looking to use it," Crichton replied.
Sheppard groaned. "Well, that sucks."
"Tell me about it. I have a son who will never get to meet his grandfather," Crichton said. He stood up and began pacing, trying to figure out what could be done. Finally, he admitted, "If we can find the wormhole that you came through, we might be able to get you back through…but wormholes are unstable and if you aren't careful, you could cause everything to unravel."
"You're just a bundle of good news."
"Still gotta be better than being stuck with Scorpius and company. I'm still not sure why he sought me out. He doesn't usually undertake anything unless there's something in it for him."
"I can answer that question, Crichton."
He spun around as Scorpius entered the mess hall. John lifted his gun and said, "Where's Aeryn?"
"She went to check on D'Argo," Scorpius answered. Crichton opened his mouth to speak, but Scorpius waved him off and said, "Don't worry. She escorted me to the door. I was not alone on Moya."
"So what's your game, Scorpy?"
"I assume Colonel Sheppard has filled you in?"
"Started to," Sheppard replied.
"And I'm trying to figure out what you get out of this if I help him."
"Simple. Once you are able to get Colonel Sheppard back through his wormhole, I need you to destroy it like you did before."
"That was a one time thing, Scorpius."
"Crichton, did he inform you of the Wraith?"
"The what?"
Scorpius sighed and said, "Colonel, do you care to explain?"
Sheppard rolled his eyes and said, "I don't think they're coming through a wormhole."
"But you don't seem to think they would be beyond it, correct?"
"Well, it depends. If humans and Sabaceans are different, the Wraith might not be able to feed on you."
"Feed?" Crichton repeated. He shivered at the thought and said, "What the hell are these Wraith things?"
"In the Atlantis galaxy, they were the top predator that we accidentally woke up."
"Woke up?"
"They hibernate for long periods of time and then cull humans for feeding. Basically, they suck the life out of a person…but they're starving so they've developed a great interest in finding a way to Earth. Part of my job is making sure that doesn't happen."
"Do you understand now, Crichton? We can not allow the Wraith to enter our universe. It would be catastrophic."
"They make the Scarrans sound like cuddly teddy bears."
"That's why you must close the wormhole, John. We must remove all possibility that these things can find their way into these territories."
Crichton sat down at the table. He was supposed to be through with wormholes and working with Scorpius. He was supposed to be focused on his life with his wife and son. But he couldn't ignore the voice in his head that pointed out that Scorpius had a point. The Wraith that Sheppard spoke of sounded pretty dangerous.
"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but you're right, Scorpius. First thing we need to do is try to locate the wormhole he came through, which means going back to where he appeared."
"Easy enough. I'll have our cruiser send the coordinates to your pilot and we can all prepare for a jump."
"Once you return to your ship."
"Very well."
"And Colonel Sheppard stays here."
"Crichton ..."
"Non-negotiable. He stays with us until this is handled."
Sheppard studied his living quarters before collapsing on the bed. He heard the Pilot's voice come over the intercom, warning of the jump through space. Normally, Sheppard would've been damn excited to explore the ship - a living ship named Moya, according to Crichton - and ask the Pilot questions. He was in another universe. And unlike with the Stargate program, only one other human had ever traveled there.
But Sheppard was exhausted and slightly panicked about his abilities to pilot the puddle jumper back through the wormhole. He had been in some pretty fierce air battles, but they had seemed easy in comparison to trying to fly through that mass of energy.
Sheppard stared at the wall, running his fingers gently over the texture, and gave into sleep.
He woke to the sound of a baby crying and he had to take a moment to get his bearings. The door to his room opened and when he entered the hall, he saw Aeryn holding a small baby in her arms.
She smiled and said, "I was coming to wake you. John thinks he's found the wormhole you came through."
"That quickly?"
"It's hard to explain Crichton's abilities where wormholes are concerned," Aeryn replied. The little boy in her arms turned to look at Sheppard with a dubious look before crying again. Aeryn shook her head and replied, "Crichton assures me that this phase passes."
"I'm told it does."
"This is obviously the human part of his genetic makeup. I never cried as a baby."
Sheppard chuckled and said, "I don't find that hard to believe."
Aeryn smiled and said, "I'm going to deal with D'Argo, but if you follow this corridor around, it will leave you at the control room."
Sheppard watched her walk off in the opposite direction before walking down the corridor. He noticed a little robot hard at work on a vent and chalked it up to one of the weird things about this place. He thought about seeing if he could get any information on these things for Rodney, knowing the scientist would holler at him for not ingesting any of the different technology, but decided against it. There was no time for exploring. He was needed back on Atlantis and a journey in this universe was not meant for him. He had his own adventures to look forward to elsewhere.
Crichton stared at the wormhole out the control room window, watching it open and close and making notes on time and stability. As far as wormholes went, it appeared to be rather maneuverable. Of course, he wouldn't know for sure until he was on his ship.
After arguing with Aeryn, it was decided that he would pilot himself and Sheppard through the wormhole, keeping his coordinates locked on Moya with Pilot's help. The puddle jumper would not work for him, and he wasn't sure that Sheppard would be able to make heads-or-tails of his instructions.
Crichton knew he had to do this. He only hoped that he could get back through to Aeryn and his son after delivering Sheppard back to Atlantis and destroying the wormhole. All of this while trying to ignore his natural instinct to distrust Scorpius and the Peacekeepers.
"Aeryn said you located the wormhole."
John turned around and saw the Colonel enter the control room. He had cleaned up since Scorpius brought him aboard, but he still had that look of wonderment that Crichton was only now losing. John held up the charts he had plotted and said, "I think I'll be able to fly us through."
"You?"
"Like I said before ... I have to do this, Sheppard. One small misstep and you could end up in the wrong time or the wrong reality."
"And that would be bad."
"Very bad."
"What about the puddle jumper?"
"It was a bargain with Scorpius. He leaves you alone and let's you go back to your life without any further interference, and his people get to play with the puddle jumper. Not that it seems to possess any technology they don't already have."
"I guess. That guy just creeps me out," Sheppard replied.
"That's because he's a creepy guy," John countered. He pointed to the window where a wormhole had opened up outside the ship. He smiled and said, "Like clockwork. This is a good one."
Neither said anything while the wormhole remained, both too caught up in its odd beauty. Once it disappeared, Crichton said, "We're going to aim to be ready for its next reappearance."
"Are you sure you have to come with me? I don't want to-"
"'Fraid so, buddy. Even if I thought you could handle the wormhole, Scorpius is right about destroying it. I've seen enough evil in this universe without adding soul sucking monsters to the mix."
"I wish I had some more time to explore and learn more about this place."
Crichton shrugged and said, "It's definitely interesting, but it sounds like you've got plenty of that waiting for you back home."
"Yeah. People are probably worried."
"It's good that you have people who worry. It's what keeps us from becoming like Scorpius," John said. He rolled up his charts and said, "I'm going to take these to Pilot. Would you like to meet him?"
Sheppard smiled in response and followed Crichton out of the control room.
Sheppard's head was swimming with information. The pilot on Moya had shared so many details of the universe and ideas with him that John wasn't sure it wasn't going to leak out of his head before he could repeat it to Rodney. And God help him if he didn't remember the information when he got back to Rodney.
Sheppard stared at the small ship that Crichton planned for them to use and said, "You think this ship can handle a wormhole."
"This baby has handled quite a few wormholes," Crichton responded as he zipped up his flight suit. He tossed a helmet to John and said, "We'll be fine, Colonel Sheppard."
"Yeah. I'm just not used to being a passenger."
Crichton slid into the pilot's seat and waited for Sheppard to get situated behind him. Sheppard tried to stay focused as they exited Moya and made their way toward where the wormhole would appear. John wanted to learn everything he could from his experience with Crichton, hoping that maybe it would help them with powering the gate on Atlantis.
"In three, two, one ..."
Sheppard barely heard Crichton say "and go" before they were within the wormhole. His head felt like he was on a roller coaster going at super speed, his insides bouncing around, and as quickly as the feeling came on, it was over. And in the distance, he saw Atlantis. Beautiful, wonderful Atlantis. His home.
Sheppard grinned and slapped Crichton on the back. He said, "You did it."
"We'll know for sure once we get you down there," Crichton replied. Sheppard watched him hit a few buttons and he said, "Pilot, do you hear me?"
"Yes Commander. It is just as I thought. I was able to track your coordinates and will be able to guide you back."
"Good. Keep your guard up, Pilot. I don't trust Scorpius."
"Of course, Commander."
Sheppard waited until Crichton was done and said, "I guess it's my turn to test my communications." Sheppard took his comm link and said, "This is Colonel Sheppard, do you read?"
"Sheppard?"
"McKay, good to hear your voice."
"Where are you? I have no signs of your puddle jumper anywhere."
"I'm not in my puddle jumper. I'm coming into Atlantis in a different ship. I need you to lower the shield long enough for us to dock."
McKay grumbled under his breath and John laughed. It was good to be home. He patted Crichton on the back again and said, "We're good to go."
If there was an upside to dealing with wormholes again, it was the stock of chocolate that he was plied with on Atlantis. His own stock of food from home had run out months ago and there were some things he missed more than others. Chocolate was at the top of that list. He bit into a bar as he directed his ship back off the planet toward the wormhole.
Crichton tried to collect his thoughts in order to focus on the job at hand. He and Pilot had worked out the precise calculations he would have to follow in order to collapse the wormhole. And the more he heard about the Wraith while on Atlantis, the more convinced he became that it had to be done. While it was unlikely that the Wraith would ever find their way to his universe, he couldn't risk the chance. Not when lives were at stake, including those of his family.
"Pilot, you still there?"
"Yes Commander."
"Under a minute to go."
"You must be certain not to move away from our planned course."
"I know, Pilot. Believe me. I don't intend to get off course if I can help it," Crichton took a deep breath and said, "See ya on the other side, Pilot."
The wormhole appeared again, leaving John no more time to worry about possible outcomes, and he was flying back through it. He couldn't deny the rush that coursed through him as he navigated the wormhole, knowing he was one of a few that could do such a thing. The elation was even greater as he exited and saw the Leviathan awaiting his return.
He pushed the speed on his little ship to the max, trying to get docked on Moya so that Pilot could jump out of the way of any backlash from the wormhole collapsing behind them.
As he docked on Moya, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Aeryn waiting for him and holding Little D. The rush of the wormhole had been intense, but seeing his son wave to him and Aeryn's smile was more than enough to satisfy him. He made his way over to them, taking D'Argo out of Aeryn's arms and tossing him into the air gently.
"Miss me, kiddo?"
"We both did," Aeryn replied, leaning in to kiss him. She glanced back to his ship and asked, "Sheppard back where he belongs?"
"Yeah," Crichton replied. With D'Argo still in his arms, he rushed back over to his ship and pulled out the huge box of supplies he came back with. He held up a Hershey's bar and said, "And look how they repaid the kindness. Can you say ‘chocolate', D?"
Aeryn rolled her eyes, but Crichton saw her eye the chocolate bar. Sabacean or human, it seemed that all women loved chocolate. John wrapped his free arm around Aeryn and said, "So considering we had a situation involving Scorpius, this wasn't too bad. Even got some rations out of it."
"Let's not make a habit out of this though," Aeryn replied.
Crichton smiled. Things never used to go this well for him. But he wasn't going to admit that out loud. Talk about jinxing things.
{Fin}