Exchange
I could be writing real, fleshed-out fic, but instead stuff like this keeps coming to me, like in the shower:
A Stargate ends up bringing the Atlantis away team into contact with Andromeda’s team. Of course, shooting ensues first until Harper manages to convince both sides that they’ve made the classic comic book mistake of two good guy teams who don’t know each other fighting because they think they’re on opposite sides, so let’s make less with the aggression and more with the sweet, sweet data sharing.
Once Harper hears about Atlantis and its tech, on *Earth*, with a view of San Francisco, he *has* to go see this. Once Beka hears about a city that can fly, she damned well wants to fly it. It’s not like she ever got to pilot a Drift before. Sheppard is, of course, all “Whoa, slow down, cowgirl. We don’t fly it around that much.” Dylan wants to go to keep an eye on his crewmembers and because no one can be a bigger dick to them than him, which is totally correct. Rommie goes to protect Dylan. Trance is doing something or off being a sun somewhere--I don’t even know--although original flavor Trance might have conferred with Katie. Telemachus is off on Tarazed with his child bride, right? Whatever. He’s not here. ::hand waves:: Doyle stayed on Seefra or whatever they’re calling it now.
After the away team gets clearance from Woolsey and all of the Andromeda team’s weapons (as if Harper hasn’t kept a knife in his boot or something), they go through a Gate to Atlantis, where Harper is immediately thrilled and wants to find out about everything while Beka wants to stay inside, not liking the view from the windows. Harper explains to the SG folks that Beka, having been a spacer all her life, doesn’t much like horizon lines, weather, oceans, or fresh air.
McKay wants to know the Andromeda team’s level of tech, which turns into a long-running, breathless stream of technobabble and arguments, with Rommie and Zelenka occasionally interjecting. McKay and Harper are actually rather enjoying themselves. McKay also has a tendency to try to touch Harper’s neural port, which gets a “What the hell?” from Harper and an answer from John of “Rodney loved to stick forks into electrical sockets when he was a kid.” “JOHN!” Sheppard later quietly suggests to Harper that if Rodney keeps being a little too touchy-feely about the port, brandish a lemon at him. Harper answers, “You’re all crazy. It’s a good thing for you that I kinda like that.”
Harper feels that ZPMs aren’t the most reliable source of fuel since they have to keep looking for more and suggests tech from his timeline. They compare Stargates versus slip points, with McKay sneering over the idea of needing to use *intuition* to pilot slipstream. How soft and squishy and not like true science at all! Smiling evilly, Harper says that at least there are a hell of a lot more slip points out there and that they can take you almost anywhere.
To be superior, McKay mentions the Ancient gene being needed to really use Atlantis, so of course Harper and Beka want to get tested. Figuring why not, the Atlantis folks give them a try and find that both of them have it, though Beka’s might be a bit different as a result of her genetic engineering and Harper, having been born in Dunwich, MA, might have some other older, non-human DNA quietly swimming in his genes. Dylan doesn’t have the gene. Wah-wah. Rommie doesn’t try after admitting that she is an android and doesn’t have genes and suddenly gets a lot of scientific attention, occasionally of the amorous kind, and Dr. Keller’s notice.
Beka’s ready to pilot Atlantis now, thanks, but gets told that she can’t because moving the city involves getting permissions from various local, federal, and global authorities first. She answers, “Ah, bureaucracies. How much do you have to bribe them?”
Her consolation prize is that she gets to watch Ronon and Teyla spar. She’s quite appreciative. Participates a bit too, mostly gets her ass kicked, but hey, foreplay.
Out on one of the outdoor promenades, Harper gets very sentimental over seeing Earth alive and under human control, which leads to him getting a few questions and him basically ending with “Then the Earth was destroyed by the Nietzscheans just to spite my captain, not that I’m bitter.”
They compare puddlejumpers to slipfighters and Wraith to the Magog. Rodney has to reluctantly admit that the Magog win on sheer horror.
Because he’s dying to see if he can link with Atlantis and to stop seeing McKay look so tempted to insert something, *anything*, in his port, Harper finally finds an access point to demonstrate how it’s meant to work and goes in. Atlantis hasn’t really had the opportunity to speak directly to someone in a long time, so Harper has to be forcibly removed before Atlantis accidentally fries his brain. Once he comes to, he’s dazed but jazzed and runs to McKay’s lab to work. McKay is pissed off at first, but once he gets an idea of what’s taking shape he’s offering suggestions and trying to muscle in. Rodney’s feeling a bit threatened, but that just means he has to be even more of a genius!
Plus, he does love to argue with people.
Dylan sees where this is going and doesn’t like it, especially when Sheppard takes Harper out for target practice “just for fun.” Thus he’s not surprised when Harper, bolstered by a bunch of Lanteans, asks to stay on Atlantis. He could do good here! Saving the Earth from hostile aliens! Exploring frickin’ *Atlantis*. It’s obviously an alternate universe, so what’s the harm? He’d miss Rommie, his sweet baby, but Andromeda Ascendant has a division of engineers now. Beka, who understands (the way she OOCly didn’t in “Heart of the Journey, Part 1”), says that she would miss him terribly but Harper hasn’t been the same since he saw Earth blow up in front of him. She slaps his back, wishes him the best, and offers her services as agent to negotiate his salary, benefits, and living conditions. Dylan is giving Rommie the hand sign to carry Harper off with them by force, but then the gun of every soldier in the Gate room is aimed in his direction.
“Have we also mentioned that you need our help to get the Gate to take you where you want to go?” John says, hand casually on his gun. Ronon behind him looks like he’d like to take Dylan on himself too.
Once everyone settles matters, Harper gives Beka and Rommie a hug each and shakes Dylan’s hand with a wry look on his face.
I imagine the final image would be of Harper, part smiling and part melancholy, leaning on the promenade looking at the Golden Gate Bridge while wearing a uniform that has an American flag on the sleeve.
A Stargate ends up bringing the Atlantis away team into contact with Andromeda’s team. Of course, shooting ensues first until Harper manages to convince both sides that they’ve made the classic comic book mistake of two good guy teams who don’t know each other fighting because they think they’re on opposite sides, so let’s make less with the aggression and more with the sweet, sweet data sharing.
Once Harper hears about Atlantis and its tech, on *Earth*, with a view of San Francisco, he *has* to go see this. Once Beka hears about a city that can fly, she damned well wants to fly it. It’s not like she ever got to pilot a Drift before. Sheppard is, of course, all “Whoa, slow down, cowgirl. We don’t fly it around that much.” Dylan wants to go to keep an eye on his crewmembers and because no one can be a bigger dick to them than him, which is totally correct. Rommie goes to protect Dylan. Trance is doing something or off being a sun somewhere--I don’t even know--although original flavor Trance might have conferred with Katie. Telemachus is off on Tarazed with his child bride, right? Whatever. He’s not here. ::hand waves:: Doyle stayed on Seefra or whatever they’re calling it now.
After the away team gets clearance from Woolsey and all of the Andromeda team’s weapons (as if Harper hasn’t kept a knife in his boot or something), they go through a Gate to Atlantis, where Harper is immediately thrilled and wants to find out about everything while Beka wants to stay inside, not liking the view from the windows. Harper explains to the SG folks that Beka, having been a spacer all her life, doesn’t much like horizon lines, weather, oceans, or fresh air.
McKay wants to know the Andromeda team’s level of tech, which turns into a long-running, breathless stream of technobabble and arguments, with Rommie and Zelenka occasionally interjecting. McKay and Harper are actually rather enjoying themselves. McKay also has a tendency to try to touch Harper’s neural port, which gets a “What the hell?” from Harper and an answer from John of “Rodney loved to stick forks into electrical sockets when he was a kid.” “JOHN!” Sheppard later quietly suggests to Harper that if Rodney keeps being a little too touchy-feely about the port, brandish a lemon at him. Harper answers, “You’re all crazy. It’s a good thing for you that I kinda like that.”
Harper feels that ZPMs aren’t the most reliable source of fuel since they have to keep looking for more and suggests tech from his timeline. They compare Stargates versus slip points, with McKay sneering over the idea of needing to use *intuition* to pilot slipstream. How soft and squishy and not like true science at all! Smiling evilly, Harper says that at least there are a hell of a lot more slip points out there and that they can take you almost anywhere.
To be superior, McKay mentions the Ancient gene being needed to really use Atlantis, so of course Harper and Beka want to get tested. Figuring why not, the Atlantis folks give them a try and find that both of them have it, though Beka’s might be a bit different as a result of her genetic engineering and Harper, having been born in Dunwich, MA, might have some other older, non-human DNA quietly swimming in his genes. Dylan doesn’t have the gene. Wah-wah. Rommie doesn’t try after admitting that she is an android and doesn’t have genes and suddenly gets a lot of scientific attention, occasionally of the amorous kind, and Dr. Keller’s notice.
Beka’s ready to pilot Atlantis now, thanks, but gets told that she can’t because moving the city involves getting permissions from various local, federal, and global authorities first. She answers, “Ah, bureaucracies. How much do you have to bribe them?”
Her consolation prize is that she gets to watch Ronon and Teyla spar. She’s quite appreciative. Participates a bit too, mostly gets her ass kicked, but hey, foreplay.
Out on one of the outdoor promenades, Harper gets very sentimental over seeing Earth alive and under human control, which leads to him getting a few questions and him basically ending with “Then the Earth was destroyed by the Nietzscheans just to spite my captain, not that I’m bitter.”
They compare puddlejumpers to slipfighters and Wraith to the Magog. Rodney has to reluctantly admit that the Magog win on sheer horror.
Because he’s dying to see if he can link with Atlantis and to stop seeing McKay look so tempted to insert something, *anything*, in his port, Harper finally finds an access point to demonstrate how it’s meant to work and goes in. Atlantis hasn’t really had the opportunity to speak directly to someone in a long time, so Harper has to be forcibly removed before Atlantis accidentally fries his brain. Once he comes to, he’s dazed but jazzed and runs to McKay’s lab to work. McKay is pissed off at first, but once he gets an idea of what’s taking shape he’s offering suggestions and trying to muscle in. Rodney’s feeling a bit threatened, but that just means he has to be even more of a genius!
Plus, he does love to argue with people.
Dylan sees where this is going and doesn’t like it, especially when Sheppard takes Harper out for target practice “just for fun.” Thus he’s not surprised when Harper, bolstered by a bunch of Lanteans, asks to stay on Atlantis. He could do good here! Saving the Earth from hostile aliens! Exploring frickin’ *Atlantis*. It’s obviously an alternate universe, so what’s the harm? He’d miss Rommie, his sweet baby, but Andromeda Ascendant has a division of engineers now. Beka, who understands (the way she OOCly didn’t in “Heart of the Journey, Part 1”), says that she would miss him terribly but Harper hasn’t been the same since he saw Earth blow up in front of him. She slaps his back, wishes him the best, and offers her services as agent to negotiate his salary, benefits, and living conditions. Dylan is giving Rommie the hand sign to carry Harper off with them by force, but then the gun of every soldier in the Gate room is aimed in his direction.
“Have we also mentioned that you need our help to get the Gate to take you where you want to go?” John says, hand casually on his gun. Ronon behind him looks like he’d like to take Dylan on himself too.
Once everyone settles matters, Harper gives Beka and Rommie a hug each and shakes Dylan’s hand with a wry look on his face.
I imagine the final image would be of Harper, part smiling and part melancholy, leaning on the promenade looking at the Golden Gate Bridge while wearing a uniform that has an American flag on the sleeve.