John and Teyla Beya Secret Elf Second Wave Present #8
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Secret Elf LJ username: ?
Recipient's LJ username or Username: Vipersweb
Category: Fic
Rating: T
Size: 5,369 words
Secret Elf Message to Recipient: I had been planning to leave the long story to the last present, but as that fic is getting rather long I’m going to start posting it in these two waves of presents. The story is set Post-S5, Atlantis still on Earth.
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Chapter 1
The air was bright yet strangely still across the balcony. Teyla lifted her chin into the faint breeze, but it barely grazed over her skin. Rodney had once explained to her how the air circulated within and around the city when the shield or cloak was in place, but she could no longer remember the details. She had asked in that first year when the shield had become operational again and at the time her only interest had been in how the air was kept fresh over the piers when the shield stood, as walking along the long metal constructs had not been appealing if the air supply were to abruptly cut off. Rodney had assured her that air circulated outside the city’s buildings and she had been happy with that, but had then politely nodded through the rest of his longwinded explanation. Now, years later she could not recall any of his description and she smiled as she compared both her and Rodney now to how they had been then. Now she knew how to carefully phrase her questions to her friend and she knew if she told him that she had heard enough that he would no longer take offense. So, perhaps she would ask him again about the air around and beyond the balcony, hidden within the cloak that protected the great city from those on the nearby mainland.
She missed the natural breeze from the ocean though and she looked out over the balcony railing towards the water that stretched the short distance between the city and the nearby land. It was a beautiful view and she had spent much time admiring it, as did all the others sat along the massive balcony. It appeared that almost everyone now carried their meals out to the balconies to stare out at the Earth mainland whilst they ate. She turned to look down the length of the balcony. The tables were packed in as closely as possible, and where no further tables could be added there were a line of chairs against the back wall. She studied the faces of those sat on those chairs, all facing out past the full tables to the view beyond. Everyone’s faces were bright and happy, and though it pleased her no end to see joy in others’ expression, she felt a pang of regret, for there were fewer faces she recognised as the weeks passed.
When Atlantis had returned to Earth, and it had became clear that she would not be returning to Pegasus any time soon, there had been a large rush of people requesting time to visit their homelands and families. Now it was three months after Atlantis’ arrival and some of those faces had yet to return. The city had also been flooded with scientists, and the majority of the faces around her were of those busy studying as much of the city as was possible. Technically Rodney and his staff were still in charge of all these new faces, but she knew from Rodney that there was almost too much interest in the city. Apparently the IOA was inundated with requests from various countries and militaries to be able to send their own experts. In the end large groups of the most highly qualified were gathered into small teams and it was those that now worked in the city. Almost every week many of the faces would change as some research was completed and another group would arrive in their pace. It was a dizzying constant state of change and Teyla found that it unnerved her considerably.
She tracked her gaze across the rest of the balcony, wondering where Rodney might be today, only for her to hear the very recognisable chuckle of John from the other end of the balcony. She leant to one side, seeking him out down the length of the balcony.
For the first month or so on Earth the team, Carson, Jennifer and Amelia, had gathered to share meals as always, but lately as the city grew busier their duties were changing and it was rare for them all to be together to eat. John was still military commander of the city, though with the Gate disabled to allow Earth’s Gate to take precedence, there was far less for them to do. The teams had been reassigned to city security and watching over the research teams. It meant that Teyla had far less to do with her time than before, but John and the others had other aspects to their positions that kept them busy.
John especially seemed to have much to do overseeing visiting military personnel and dignitaries. It appeared that those involved in Atlantis’ care from Earth over the years now wished to visit the city for themselves. As Teyla craned her neck further around one man’s shoulder she finally spotted the familiar line of John’s shoulders. His back was to her and he was sat with a military representative who had been visiting the city regularly for the past couple of weeks. A beautiful blonde woman who clearly enjoyed John’s company, and from the tone of his second chuckle Teyla suspected he shared the interest. A faint new ache centred in her chest at the thought, but she quickly turned her thoughts away from straying into those feelings. She sat back into her chair and looked to those at her own table.
Torren sat in his high chair, carefully and methodically eating small pieces of fruit. He looked up at her with his dark eyes and a huge grin spread across his face at her attention. She smiled in return and reached for a napkin to wipe some of the fruit juice from his mouth and chin, however before she could Kanaan’s hand slid into view with a fresh cloth and wiped their son’s mouth. Torren grinned wider as he turned to look up at his father. Teyla lowered her raised hand and settled back in her seat - it appeared there was little for her to do anywhere at the moment.
Her attention shifted up from Torren to Kanaan who was smiling down at his son. All of Kanaan’s time and attention lately had been almost solely focused on Torren, and she had wondered whether the intensity of that care indicated that he too missed their people. Though Kanaan admitted that he missed their people and understood why they remained on Earth for now, Teyla suspected his engrossment in Torren was partly due to his grief for Pegasus. She was surprised how much she missed her home galaxy and her people, although there had been two other Athosians in the city, under the care of Jennifer in the Infirmary, when the city had been forced to leave Pegasus. She and Kanaan spent a lot of time with them and it helped them all to remain close to their Athosian roots. Only two nights ago they had gathered to perform the ritual of renewal, hoping that their timing would be the same as back in Pegasus where their people would have been similarly performing the ritual. Rodney had taken the time to check the timing for her through some complicated maths and she had been very grateful to her friend for his attention to something so small when he had so much to do in the city.
Kanaan set the cloth aside as he looked away at the spectacular view. Teyla studied him as surreptitiously as possible. She was surprised at how relaxed he remained being possibly permanently separated from his home galaxy. He sensed her attention.
“What is it, Teyla?” He asked politely and carefully - as he did with everything. She had no idea why it bothered her of late, but it did. She wondered if it was the gentle echo of John’s laughter through the other voices that bothered her - Kanaan rarely laughed.
“It is nothing,” she replied, trying to keep her own expression as schooled and polite as his appeared to be.
Kanaan reached across the small table towards her, his hand settling near her empty plate, and she wondered if was an attempt to encourage her to hold his hand. She was surprised that she felt the exact opposite and tightened her hands together in her lap. Kanaan did not appear to notice. “Are you alright?” He asked kindly, his eyes intent on her face.
“I am fine,” she replied.
Kanaan sat back again, his hand retreating across the table’s metal surface, but his eyes remained on her. “You did not appear to sleep well last night,” he commented.
Flickers of memory played in her mind and she swallowed at the strange mixture of emotions they brought forth. Most of the images from her dream…her nightmare…were half forgotten and the order confused, but she recalled that Kanaan had been in them.
“I had an uncomfortable dream,” she told him.
“Were you dreaming of home again?” He asked.
She nodded. Yes, that sounded better than the images she could still recall. The darkness, the cold, the empty hands reaching for her.
“You have not been sleeping well for some time,” Kanaan remarked.
“I know,” she replied. It was true. Over the past months, perhaps even before then, she had been having nightmares. The occasional nightmare over the last year was not that uncommon, usually filled with frightened versions of when Michael had taken her, forcing her to give birth to Torren on a Wraith ship and this time rescue had never arrived. Then after Michael’s death they had begun to visit her more regularly… She wondered if it was due to some internal conflict over her choice to end Michael’s life as she had. She did not regret her actions, for she had done what had been needed in order to protect her son, her friends and all the others Michael’s existence had threatened. Yet, perhaps on a deeper level it still bothered her?
“Perhaps you should speak to Doctor Keller?” Kanaan suggested helpfully. “Now that you no longer feed Torren you could take something to help you…”
She shook her head as politely as she could. “I will be fine, it is probably just being away from our people.”
Kanaan didn’t appear convinced. “Or perhaps speak to Doctor Beckett instead,” he suggested.
Teyla shook her head again and smiled to reassure him. “I will be fine.”
Kanaan studied her for a moment longer and she knew there were other questions behind his eyes. He kept busy most days, usually walking Torren around the city meeting all the new scientists and in talking with researchers interested in Athosian and Pegasus culture. One of the other male Athosians in the city, Tolim, and Kanaan spent much time together and the two of them could often be found on one of these balconies staring out at the lands of Earth.
People began to rise up from the tables along the balcony, signalling that a shift change was due, and she saw John moving through the crowd towards her. He smiled and she smiled back, for the first time today feeling brighter. She had missed spending as much time with her friends.
“Hey,” John greeted her, and perhaps Kanaan as well, it was always difficult to tell. John reached their table and stood directly behind Torren’s high chair leaning over it so the boy had to tilt his head right back and grinned up at John. “Hello, Trouble,” John greeted Torren as he grinned back down at the boy. “The food’s supposed to go in your mouth, you know,” he said as he ruffled Torren’s dark hair. Torren giggled in response and Teyla found her first proper smile of the day at hearing the unadulterated happy sound.
“Do you have a busy day?” Teyla asked John as she watched Torren reach into his bowl and hold up a piece of apple for John above him.
“This for me?” John asked her son and Teyla watched Torren turn his eyes to the fruit piece again and then nodded emphatically that it was for John. “Thank you, Torren,” John replied, with a soft kind voice as he took the offered fruit.
“When isn’t it busy around here?” He answered her question. “You guys going to join us on the trip this weekend?” He asked, his eyes drifting to include Kanaan briefly.
“Is this the trip to the city on the mainland?” Kanaan asked as he reached forward with the cloth and wiped Torren’s mouth again.
“Sure, some shopping in the afternoon, then there’s a fair in the evening,” John replied his attention shifting to Teyla. “There should be a Ferris Wheel.” He lifted his eyebrows, his expression meant to tempt her to join them. She smiled up at his comment and the memory it provoked.
“Well, you have always promised to show me one,” she replied. “We would love to come along.”
John looked back down to Torren. “And kids are invited of course,” he added as Torren looked back up at him with another baby giggle.
“Does that mean we are taking Rodney as well?” Teyla asked John. He looked up at her from Torren with a surprised sparkle in his eyes at her joke.
“Yes, though we’re gonna have to watch how much candy he eats,” he replied with a smile. “He’ll never sleep otherwise,” he added. She found herself chuckling at the weak joke and she realised how deeply she was missing John’s, and her other friends’, regular company. Kanaan shifted in his seat, leaning slightly closer to Torren.
The radio in Teyla’s ear clicked as the line opened and she saw John tilt his head a fraction as he heard the same.
“Colonel Sheppard, this is Major Lorne,” the familiar voice called over the radio link.
John reached up to his ear and activated his end of the conversation. “Sheppard here,” he replied, his tone professional.
“Colonel, could you meet me in Doctor Beckett’s lab please?” Lorne asked.
Teyla frowned up at John, recognising the undercurrent to the Major’s tone.
“I’ll be right there,” John replied before he deactivated the radio link and looked back down to her. “I’ll see you guys later then,” he offered and he leant right over Torren again, to get the boy’s attention. “See you later, T.J.” John ruffled Torren’s hair once more before he headed away.
Teyla watched him leave, disappearing into the rest of those crowding out of the balcony to their shifts. She was not on shift till later this morning, but the temptation was to follow John to help out was very strong. Her former low mood began to return for no clear reason, other than the subtle sense of something being wrong in Major Lorne’s tone. Out the corner of her eye she saw Kanaan gently brushing Torren’s hair back into place.
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The door to Carson’s lab was open as John approached and as he turned into the doorway he found two teams inside. Carson’s lab was tucked away down near the base of the main tower, had three rooms and two technicians to help him with his research, and was usually a quiet and avoided place. Maybe that had something to do with the Wraith technology wired into the main console in the middle of the room.
“What’s up?” John asked as he marched past two marines to where Lorne stood beside Carson.
“Sir, we think there may have been a security breech,” Lorne informed him.
That brought John up short. “What? Where?”
“Here, Sir,” Lorne replied as he inclined his head towards the confusing display of the Ancient console.
“Here?” John repeated as he pointed to the console and turned to Carson.
Carson looked rather sheepish. “Thing is Colonel, it may not be the first time. I thought it was simply one of the technicians checking on some results out of hours, or perhaps I simply…”
“Wait, start from the beginning,” John ordered his friend gently.
Carson took a breath. “Last month I couldn’t sleep one night and came back to the lab to complete some tests and found my laptop was on. I thought I had just forgotten to switch it off, you know how it can be. But, then last week I came back from lunch early and it looked like someone had been looking through some data on this console, but again I thought nothing of it. I assumed one of my team had been scrolling through the work.”
“But not today?” John asked.
“No, they are both out of the city today. Mark only chose to leave first thing this morning when he got a party invite from his family. I came into the lab early from lunch and clearly someone has been looking through my research.”
“What research?” John asked, a worrying feeling gathering in his stomach.
Carson looked down at the two Wraith devices beside the console, which had been acquired from two of Michael’s bases. Nothing had been downloaded directly from the Wraith tech, just in case, and the Ancient console monitored the devices constantly through one way cables. Carson was slowly making his way through every inch of Michael’s database stored on the devices, entering it directly into the city’s computer by hand, thereby never allowing the Wraith tech assess to the computers.
“Michael’s research, both the Ancient console and Michael’s databases seem to have been accessed directly,” Carson replied.
John frowned down at the Wraith tech suspiciously. “I thought only you and your technicians knew how to access the data in those things?”
“Just us three, as well as Rodney and Zelenka.”
“I’ve already checked with them and they haven’t touched anything in here for months,” Lorne reported.
“Who has access to this lab?” John asked.
“Anyone in the city, but since only we can access Michael’s database and everything on the computers is password protected…” Carson replied. John tried not to growl at the drop in security, but before it had never been necessary to stop their own people entering a room in Atlantis other than in a crisis.
“I want a guard watching this lab at all times from now,” John ordered Lorne, who nodded. “What exactly has this person been looking at?” He asked Carson.
The doctor shrugged. “I can only tell you what they looked at today,”
“Which was?”
“All my research from last month to the present.”
“Someone keeping tracks on what you’re up to?” John wondered out loud.
“I have no way to know how often this person has been looking into my research,” Carson added worriedly.
“Can’t we do a search for any time the system has been accessed by someone other than you and your two technicians?” Lorne asked.
“If anyone else tried to access this then it should have thrown up a warning and shut down the connection completely as a safeguard,” Carson replied. “Rodney created the programme himself.” That made it highly unlikely that the security system just had a glitch.
“Could someone have gotten round the safeguards?” Lorne asked.
“How well do you know your technicians?” John asked.
Carson looked struck for an answer for a minute. “I trust them. Mark has been in the city since day one and Amanda, she transferred from the SGC. Besides they would have no need to look at the research out of hours, they can look at anything they need to when they are working in here.”
John nodded - it was unlikely that the technicians had given the passwords to anyone else, since they had such high access already, but he couldn’t completely rule it out. “When are they due back in the city?” He asked Lorne.
“I’ll find out,” Lorne replied as he turned away to talk into his radio.
“What kind of information could this person have gathered, Carson?” John asked worried. “How dangerous?”
Carson frowned. “They had access to all my data on the Hoffan plague, Michael’s Hybrids and everything else I’ve been researching before that. And if they were able to access the Wraith devices then anything in them. All of Michael’s research.”
John frowned. “You said you first noticed it a month or so ago?”
“Yes.”
“So, presumably it’s someone new in the city, from Earth,” John muttered.
Lorne returned. “The technicians are both due back tomorrow. Maybe whoever has been looking at your work, doc, is someone looking for a way to kill Wraith?”
“Espionage,” John muttered distastefully. It would be typical now he thought about it, for some government or highly placed someone, to want to know for themselves everything Atlantis knew. Looking for something they could use, probably to make money at the same time.
“I’ll tell Woolsey, but for now we need to keep this quiet,” John said. “Maybe we can catch this person in the act next time,” John wondered as the plan formed in his mind. “But, we’re going to have to do a sweep of the city, make sure nothing else has been tampered with.”
“That could be difficult to keep quiet,” Lorne commented.
“We’ll say it’s a system overhaul. Rodney will come up with some excuse,” John replied. “I’ll go talk to him now. Carson, stick to your routine as best you can and we’ll see about getting some cameras fixed up in here, hidden away.”
Carson looked uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, I should have reported this when I first suspected something.”
John lifted his hand to Carson’s shoulder to reassure him. “It’s not your fault, Carson. You reported when you knew. It’ll probably turn out to be someone trying to steal secrets. At least when the Wraith attacked they were up front about it,” he muttered as he turned away to leave, Lorne falling into step beside him.
“We need to find out who this is, and how they got access to the city and that console,” John pointed out, the first touches of anger building. Someone had been poking around where they didn’t belong and John wasn’t happy about it.
“It’s likely to be someone in one of the research groups,” Lorne pointed out. John nodded at that - it was the most likely answer, but something about it felt off to John. Not the least of which was that he was bound to take some flack for this - he should have had more security around Carson’s lab, but then the entire city was held in the highest level of security. How did this person get into the city, that was what bothered him.
Someone in the city was pretending to be someone they weren’t and John was going to find them.
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John leant forward over Rodney’s shoulder as he studied the city wide display.
“This will track anyone moving into that section,” Rodney stated with clear pride as he tapped a last command into the keyboard and sat back. John pulled back in time to save getting head butted by Rodney. John frowned at the display. “I’ll work,” Rodney protested.
“That’s if they try again,” John muttered.
Rodney turned in his seat. “It was your idea,” he protested gesturing to his tracking system.
“I know that, Rodney.”
“We’re checking all the other lab computers to see if anyone’s been hacking into other systems, and Zelenka’s trying to find out what access code was used in Carson’s lab.”
John stood back and crossed his arms over his chest. “I think maybe a full city sweep would be a good idea, check for anything out of place.”
“Why?” Rodney protested. “We scan the city twice a day anyway.”
“Just humour me,” John pushed.
Rodney turned back to his screen. “These are the scans from first thing this morning,” he reported and he pressed a few buttons and the screen bleeped. “See, everything’s normal. Same old, same old.”
John frowned at the nondescript lists of data that meant absolutely nothing to him, but he trusted Rodney, and the helpful little bleep from the computer that nothing was out of place. Yet, his gut didn’t like it. Something wasn’t quite right here.
Someone shifted closer to his right and her perfume, or was it lingering incense caught in her clothing, told him it was Teyla. “What is it John?” She asked.
“Who would want to know about Michael’s research?” He asked as he turned towards her. She looked thoughtful and Ronon shrugged beside her.
Rodney spun round on his chair. “Are you kidding me? Probably any organisation on Earth that are looking for a foot in against the Wraith!”
John glanced down at him. “You’re forgetting that the majority of Earth have no idea that the Wraith exist, let alone this city. Those who know about Atlantis and the Wraith would have access to the intel on them and Carson’s reports. Why go to all this trouble at sneaking into Carson’s lab?”
“Maybe they want to see the research for themselves?” Rodney replied.
“How ‘bout Todd?” Ronon asked.
John glanced at him. “I’ve already checked, he hasn’t moved from his cell for weeks. Besides we’ve got cameras on him all the time. Scan the city again, Rodney,” John ordered. “Compare everything going back to before we got to Earth.” Rodney opened his mouth to complain, but closed it with a small huff and turned back to the screen to begin tapping away.
Across the control room John spied Zelenka pushing his way through to them. As the small Czech man pushed his glasses further up his nose John could tell that he had found something. “What you find?”
Zelenka had clearly walked as fast as he could to get here, as John hadn’t wanted any of this discussed over the radio just yet. Who knew how far this infiltration went.
“Yes, Colonel. It appears that whoever it was used Doctor Beckett’s own code to access the console and laptop, as well as Michael’s devices.”
“What?” Rodney asked abruptly.
“What they look at in the Wraith databases?” John asked over Rodney.
“I can’t be sure as the Wraith tech doesn’t log what a user looks at, all I can see is that they logged into it. They would have had access to the entire database.”
“A database that’s in Wraith,” John pointed out and Zelenka nodded.
“Could you tell if they downloaded anything?” John asked worried. They had been careful never to download anything from Michael’s tech, as Rodney had found a wealth of hidden code in the Wraith text - who knew what could be activated in the information once it taken from Michael’s computer?
“No, I couldn’t find any evidence that anything was copied or removed from Michael’s database. Also…” The scientist paused.
“What Radek?” John pushed.
“Unlike our computers that hold user information only for so long to save memory space the Wraith tech holds it all. So, I was able to track how long this person has been reading the Wraith database.”
“And?” John pushed.
“You’re not going to like it,” Zelenka replied.
“Oh, just spit it out,” Rodney muttered.
“The first entry that I can be sure of was at least six months ago.” John’s heart dropped.
“How is that possible?” Teyla uttered as she stepped closer.
“Also,” Zelenka continued. “It appears that their interest has accelerated. Before we reached Earth they accessed the lab once perhaps twice a month, now it is every few days.”
John sighed out angrily. Every few days.
“It is someone in the city,” Teyla gasped. “One of our people.”
“Lorne got the cameras operating in the lab yet?” John asked Zelenka.
“Yes, I’m on my way to the secure station where we are going to set up the monitoring system.”
“Good, we’re going to have someone on duty there around the clock to watch those screens, and Rodney’s got a tracking system up and running.” Zelenka nodded and turned away. “Good work,” John added before the man left.
John turned towards Teyla and Ronon’s respective worried and stern looks. “I do not understand,” Teyla said. “Carson has only been stationed here full time since we reached Earth.”
“The lab was set up for him after he was defrosted,” John pointed out. “The technicians and Keller were using it when he was off travelling around Pegasus.”
“Uh oh,” Rodney stated abruptly and they all turned towards him.
“What is it?” John demanded as he tried to understand the displays in front of Rodney, but it was all columns of numbers again.
Rodney pointed towards one set of numbers. “I think we’re giving out some sort of signal.”
“What?!” John demanded. “What kind of signal?”
Rodney began tapping away on the board again. “I don’t know yet. It’s so low it’s hidden in the general background energy given out by Atlantis. But, these figures are ever so slightly elevated, barely above the normal range. It might be nothing,” he tapped away on the computer. “It’s been raised for months…”
“How long Rodney?”
Rodney was looking from screen to screen of data so fast that John knew he was working as fast as he could, but John’s patience was weakening. Had someone been tracking them? How long? Had they lead the way straight to Earth? The screen stopped changing and Rodney stared up at it, running his finger down one long column and then he muttered to himself and pulled up another screen and finally turned to face them, his expression as worrying for John as knowing something bad was coming. “Since the day Michael invaded the city,” Rodney announced.
“What?! We scanned the city, all of it, after it was over,” John protested. How could he forget how that day had ended? He had been forced into a one on one with Michael and had been getting his ass kicked when Teyla had arrived. Then he had watched her make a choice that had finally gotten rid of Michael. “How come no one picked this up before?” he asked through his teeth.
Rodney opened his mouth and closed it again. “I don’t know. It’s so low it’s practically unnoticeable.”
“Practically?”
“Look,” he tapped away again on the board. “It started off as like a micron above normal, which is well within normal range, but then it spiked around the time Todd’s ZPMs were installed, as everything did with all that new power, and it’s been higher since then. It could be a glitch, or it could be someone using the available energy of the city as a mask,” he suggested. “And with the cloak up all the time now we’re using quite a bit…”
“What kind of signal, Rodney?” John demanded.
Rodney’s face paled slightly. “Umm,” he turned to glance at the screen again. “A subspace one…but it’s tiny - there’s no way it could be sending out anything other than the most basic of signals.”
“Like where we are?” John asked and Rodney nodded. “Can a subspace signal that small travel back to Pegasus?”
“I doubt it,” Rodney replied but it was weakly delivered. “Look, if we find out the source of the signal I’ll be able to completely isolate it from the background and work out what it is and how strong it is.”
“Okay, where is it coming from?” John asked.
Rodney turned back to the screen. “I think it’s coming from the central part of the city, but it’s so weak we’re going to have to walk round with hand scanners to find it. It’ll probably take time.”
“Let’s get on it, then, but we need to keep this as quiet as possible. Isolate the signal as best you can and we’ll organise into groups to find this thing,” John ordered as he turned and tapped his radio. He has some planning to do, but at least it looked like no one from Earth had breached their security, that was something at least!
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TBC