Day Four

John's morning run with Williamson is a little more sedate than yesterday's wild flight, though he still feels as if he could just float off. He's still wrung out from checking on Muna, and another restless night hasn't helped. John tests his hypothesis, and he can still sense Williamson's emotional state, though the feeling is fainter than it was the day before.

People in the breakfast mess are becoming accustomed to him; there are a few waves and greetings, and John's thankful for the break. He tastes his food, and it seems bland. John gives it all a thorough application of salt and pepper, nodding to himself. Better—the salt was what he really wanted.

He waits for Rodney and Shaaziya to show up, and takes Rania so they can eat. He plays and chats with her until they're done. Testing himself again, John is relieved to feel the warm and familiar devotion of Shaaziya and Rodney.

Rania crawls into Shaaziya's lap and pats her chest, and pouts when she's denied, but is easily distracted by a piece of bacon.

Rodney talks all the way through breakfast, but John's listening in Rodney-mode as he ponders the evidence that his power seems to be fading and exactly how he feels about that.

~*~

John's agenda for the day includes meeting with Colonel Reynolds, the last of the required 'interviews,' and he's looking forward to it. He hasn't seen the Colonel since the first briefing, but the conversations with the various details assigned to him leave him hopeful that everything will work out fine.

John checks in with the quartermaster and requisitions a new watch, then checks to see if there any running shoes are available before knocking on Reynolds' open door. "Colonel."

"Sheppard, have a seat, please. How are you holding up?"

"Pretty well. I'm just glad that I'm even getting the chance to be here, sir."

"I think I smelled General O'Neill's touch when the SGC's orders came in; they were pretty specific that you were to be given every opportunity to prove yourself."

"I hope that I can live up to those expectations, considering."

"What's the consideration?" Colonel Reynolds leans forward in his chair.

John takes a deep breath. "I don't know how much you know about the circumstances around my promotion and duty assignment to Atlantis, sir."

"Just that it raised a few brows. Scuttlebutt was that you were on your way out."

"I thought so too, no one was more surprised than me when I got the word to the contrary. I found out later that it all came down to Dr. Weir. Caldwell said that she blackmailed Command into giving me Atlantis." John tries his best to school his face into the impassive mask he used so often, but it's difficult to shut down his emotions.

Reynolds looks at John for a moment. "That must have been a really impressive moment, getting Landry to back down."

"I can appreciate her loyalty to me, and that she thought it was important enough to fight them, but..."

"But it was a lousy way to move up the ranks."

"Yes sir. My thoughts exactly."

"And?"

"I wanted you to know how important it is that I've been given the opportunity to prove myself, and earn what I've been given."

"Very well, Colonel. I don't think we'll have any problems at all."

"Thank you, sir."

"I'd like to start integrating you into the command structure right away, rather than wait any longer. I imagine it'll be a few more days before you can put an off-world team together, but keep that in mind. I'll make sure that you have the time to catch up on the AARs, but you'll start PT with a squad in the morning, oh-seven-hundred. We'll ease you back into it."

John stands and shakes Reynolds' hand. "Thank you again, Colonel Reynolds."

"Welcome back to Atlantis, Sheppard."

John breezes out of Reynolds' office in high spirits. An off-world team, a clean start and a commanding officer that's willing to overlook the past is just awesome.

Williamson picks him up out side the squad room. "Good news, sir?"

"The best."

"Congratulations, sir."

John gives Williamson a friendly slap on the shoulder. "Okay then, how about some lunch?"

"I'm on duty, but don't let that stop you, sir."

"Fair enough."

John grabs a sandwich and, on second thoughts, snags a second one and takes them out to the balcony, just in time to see a jumper head towards the mainland. He's got a chance now, and it'll only be a matter of time, before he's flying again.

The sun is shining; the sky is the right color, and the lightness John feels is almost too much to bear. For the first time in years, he's completely happy, he knows where he's going and his future is bright.

John grabs a third sandwich and bunch of grapes on his way to see Kate. Life is really good.

~*~

John feels like celebrating and so when Teyla's team returns early, safe, secure and uninjured, he cajoles Rodney into knocking off the report writing. They commandeer the lounge and sort through the DVDs. Radek shows up with the beer, and they sit through the movie Rodney chooses as being the least crippling to Rania's intellect. Shaaziya's wide-eyed with awe at the movie, and Teyla and Radek are getting cozy on one end of the couch. Rodney's throwing popcorn at the ridiculous movie, while Rania is sacked out across John's lap, completely limp.

John's getting some emotional resonance from them, but it seems subdued, and it confirms that his powers are definitely fading. Still, they seem happy, and John's still ecstatic over his success with his completed interviews, so he decides that if this is the way of it, then so be it.

 

Day Five

For the first time since he's arrived back on Atlantis, John doesn't toss and turn, though he still feels tired when he wakes. He's already awake when the alarm on his watch goes off. Dressing quickly, he ties on his new running shoes and heads for the squad room.

Major Lorne is there with the squad of eight that's warming up. "Colonel Sheppard." John expected the formality, they were back in the game, but he's relieved to see Evan's smile.

John's grins widely in return. "Major. What's the plan for today?"

"Thought we'd run. You ready, sir?"

"No, give me a minute." John's never been one to warm up very much, but considering the way he feels, he figures he'd better get the blood moving. He follows the squad in their stretching routine, until Lorne hustles them out the door.

John easily falls into formation, though he hasn't formally trained in years, and the scene is giving him flashbacks to basic training. The pace starts off easy, but by the time they're flat out running, John's having to work hard to keep up, and his effort is obvious, because Evan keeps shooting him worried glances, though he doesn't lessen the pace.

John still feels disconnected, too light, and to his complete mortification, because of the pace and his increasing tiredness, he stumbles. The marine next to him makes a move to catch him, but fortunately John doesn't actually fall down.

John's exhausted when they finally return to the squad room. He would worry about it, except for the fact that it has to be that the unnatural power he had on Dominat is fading. John figures he just has to regain his normal strength, and resolves to eat before PT from now on.

He waves tiredly at Evan and heads back to his room to clean up before breakfast and the second debriefing with Shen.

John's the first to arrive at the conference room, and he double checks his watch. With some dismay, he notes that it's still showing the same time as when he last checked it in the mess hall.

He's messing with his watch when Daniel arrives with a coffee cup in hand. "Good morning, John."

"Morning, Daniel." John gives up on the watch and stands up when Colonel Reynolds walks in. Director Shen isn't far behind him.

They all sit after Shen, and she begins the meeting immediately. "The reports from Colonel Reynolds, Doctors Jackson and Heightmeyer leave me with no recourse but to accept their recommendations—you should be allowed to return to duty in Atlantis."

John gives her a minute nod. He wasn't thrilled with the way that she phrased that; there's more, and he's just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Jackson and Reynolds are both smiling, though.

"Colonel Reynolds, I would ask that Colonel Sheppard only be given light duty status."

"That's not a problem."

"Thank you. Colonel Sheppard, it is the uniform nature of the reports that gives me pause. I cannot be certain that some persuasion has not been applied, and that is the basis for my official objection to your reinstatement. The SGC has overruled me on scientific grounds, but we would all agree that you do not fit the mold for a Prior."

John can't believe it; she still thinks he's an Ori? He considers telling her that his power is fading, but she'd probably get the bright idea that the device was working—despite Jackson's assurance that it would have no effect on an Ori.

"Also, I must insist that you continue seeing Dr. Heightmeyer in consideration of your travails of the last two years."

John nods again, but remains silent.

"Dr. McKay has requested your assistance, as Dr. Weir is quite busy, and he requires some translation services. Is that acceptable to you?"

"Yes." John's curious what Rodney's up to; he hadn't mentioned any of this yesterday, but then McKay's insights are always mercurial and strike lightning fast.

"Very well. Colonel Sheppard, all of this is provisional. I will reconsider the probationary nature of your presence here again in thirty days. I would ask that you not consort with any of those returned from Dominat until their interviews are completed." Shen stands and leaves without a backward glance or farewell.

Everyone in the room sits frozen, they all know the security cameras are there, and no one wants to be recorded saying anything that might be considered collusion.

John stands. "Colonel Reynolds, I'll just go see what McKay wants?"

Reynolds nods. "Send Corporal Williamson in, and I'll have the detail stand down. Just show up for PT and make sure you get caught up on the paperwork."

"Thank you, sir." John nods at each of them before escaping the conference room.

He's on light duty, tasked to read over action reports and occasionally help McKay out in the lab. John has to laugh at that. Shaaziya's had years of temple training and possibly has a better grasp of English than he does. He's left with hours of free time to catch up on his old life in Atlantis. He should be thrilled.

But the carrot of an off-world team has been pulled out of his grasp, and there's no flight duty even in sight, and the Director of Atlantis thinks he's a fucking Ori.

Still, it's more than he expected, and with his differences fading, the situation should resolve itself. Eventually he'll just be John Sheppard again, light Colonel and aging pilot.

He'll have to be patient, that's all.

John stops by the mess hall and picks up a snack on his way to McKay's lab to see what Rodney was really thinking.

~*~

"You want me to surf the database?"

Rodney gives him the double snap point. "Exactly. Between what we know of the ZedPML and this interface, we can effectively search Atlantis' database for information on the construction of the real ZedPM's.

"Okay, but why me? Why not just get the monkeys in the labs to do this?"

"Because this is it, the crown jewel, the ultimate brass ring in my proof that I'm so critically important that Rania won't make a difference. If any hint of this gets out before I'm ready to bludgeon Shen with my vast intellect and supreme importance, there can't be so much as a whisper of what we're looking for, until we find it. The problem is that this database is huge, and I'm getting millions of results. You know more Ancient than I do, and I have to sort out the chaff and chatter."

"What about Shaaziya?"

"She'll be working on it too, but I can only mask the activity from this room, and I can't keep them locked up in here all day every day, and between the three of us, this will go much faster."

"No, I meant is she happy? Does she want to stay on Atlantis that badly?"

"We don't have any other options, Sheppard. One of us is going to have to suffer if we don't want to be separated; I can't take her to Earth, and, frankly, I can't waste my intellect on a civilization that's reverting back to bear skins and stone knives. Shaaz knows that Atlantis is our only middle ground, and we don't intend to let Shen throw us out. Plus, she'll be able to go home and visit. I just have to permanently wedge the door open."

John had seen this fight coming a long time ago, but, at the time, Rodney didn't have the necessary weapons at his disposal, and he's the one that handed Rodney the knife that he's wielding with surgical precision. It's a battle that he'd like to see McKay win, and not just because he belongs on Atlantis. "So, show me what you want me to do."

~*~

Bleary eyed and dizzy, John stumbles into the mess hall. Night had fallen at some point, but he has no idea of the actual time, except that it's well after dinner, and he's sick of the power bars that Rodney has stashed in the lab. John grabs a few sandwiches, and heads to his room. Earlier in the day he had briefly thought of catching up with Teyla and a sparring session, but the way he feels, she'd kick his ass to the far north pier.

 

Day Six

He doesn't sleep well, because he's afraid to oversleep and miss PT, but when he wakes John's pretty sure it's early enough that he'll have time for breakfast. The food is even blander than it has been, so he passes on the fruit, doubles the bacon and salts the eggs.

John decides that he absolutely has to get some sleep, Rodney's project be damned. He finishes breakfast and heads down to the squad room.

Evan is there, but none of the squad they'd run with yesterday. "Sheppard."

"Morning. What's up, Lorne?"

"I thought that it might be better if we didn't run with an audience." Evan meets John's eye with a level gaze and crosses his arms.

John's being coddled, and he hates being coddled. Lorne knows that. "I won't have any problem keeping up today."

"Just the same, I'd like to make sure that my CO doesn't fall flat on his face in front of the rank and file."

John shrugs. "Fine. Let's go." He does better than yesterday in the first half, but by the time they are on their way back, he's sideswiped by a sudden bout of lethargy and dizziness. The feeling of being too light on his feet causes John to trip, and only the wall that he crashes into keeps him from breaking his face on the floor.

Evan stops and turns around. "Sheppard! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just let me catch my breath." John sags against the wall, head down and clutching his knees. He hit the wall pretty hard and he'll have a hell of a bruise on his shoulder and hip. Sweat is pouring into his eyes, and he wipes his face dry with the collar of his t-shirt.

"Infirmary?" John shakes his head and looks up when Evan touches his shoulder. Evan is leaning down, peering at him closely. "You don't look so hot, are you sure?"

"Yes. I just haven't been sleeping very well, that's all."

Evan gives him a doubtful look, but doesn't press the issue. "Alright. We're done for today, take it easy and get some rest. We'll take it at a slower pace tomorrow."

"Yeah, maybe I just need to work back up to it."

Evan gives John a disbelieving look. John knows that Evan remembers exactly what his stamina was like on Dominat; with a few exceptions, he was almost unstoppable. "Right. I'll check on you after my shift is over, okay? You need help getting back to your quarters?"

"No, I'll be fine. Thanks, Lorne." John puts some steel into his spine as he walks away.

John showers after drinking several glasses of water and then falls into bed. He's too tired to keep Atlantis' interface subsumed, and he falls asleep to flickering data screens and sub-vocal status reports.

~*~

The door chime wakes John out of a deep sleep. He drags on some clothes before opening the door to find Major Lorne. "Major. What time is it?"

"Nearly sixteen hundred hours. I guess I don't have to ask if you got some rest."

"I can't believe I slept all day."

"Actually, sir, I made a few subtle inquiries. Some of the Marines are reporting trouble adjusting to the time difference between Dominat and Atlantis."

"But not you?"

"No sir, I haven't noticed it. I probably don't have as much on my mind as you do, though."

"Possibly." It might be the anti-Prior device; it might be the fact that he's losing his powers, the simple fact of gate lag, that he's been too excited by being on Atlantis, the worry about Shen's motivations and intentions, or even that he's constantly having to lock out Atlantis from his mind—or all of them combined. Whatever it is, something has to give, and this time it's not going to be him.

"Oh, yeah. Here." Evan dangles a radio headset in front of John. "Colonel Reynolds meant to give it to you this morning, I told him that I'd make sure you got it."

"You didn't tell him?"

"No, I said you had an appointment."

"Okay, thanks." The last thing John wants is for Reynolds to regret his decision, on top of everything else.

"The Apollo arrived a few hours ago, there's supposed to be honest to god barbecue in the mess tonight."

John has no idea why barbecue triggers the idea, or else it's that he's finally awake. "That sounds absolutely fantastic, but can I meet you there in a couple of hours? There are some things I need to check on first."

"Sure. Take it easy, Sheppard," Evan warns before the door closes behind him.

Rodney's interface is remarkable and clever, but John's got the real thing in his head. He settles back onto the bed and allows the interface to spring fully into his mind, actively working to find a way to make it do what he wants.

John could kick himself. He has the ultimate time keeping device at his disposal, and he locates and fixes Atlantis' clock so that he can easily access it, sets a two hour timer and then gets busy setting up Atlantis as his own, personal, search function.

~*~

When the mental alarm goes off, the day's sleep plus finally wrangling his mental connection with Atlantis into something workable has John feeling refreshed and excited.

He'll have to figure out some way to 'stumble' over the information that Rodney's looking for; John knows that no one, not even Rodney, must know about his mental interface with Atlantis. To most of the people on Atlantis, the fact that John was the reincarnation of the Quaralyn is simply outside their realm of understanding, but being able to wield the entirety of Atlantis with his mind... This connection to Atlantis would appear to be far more dangerous and frightening.

John delves into his old, casual clothing, and when he has to put on a belt to keep his jeans from slipping off, he resolves to request some personal items to be shipped to him from Earth.

Dinner in the mess has the air of a party. It's wonderful to sink his teeth into honest-to-god cow flesh instead of meslat or some other stringy, Pegasus bovine equivalent. Rodney, Shaaziya, Teyla and Radek join Evan and John, and even Elizabeth is drawn out of the lab. Teyla's curiosity about Dominat has Shaaziya and Elizabeth swapping stories, Evan and Rodney chime in with snarky asides, and to John's relief they skim over some of the more painful parts of their adventure.

John just leans back and enjoys the company, occasionally keeping tabs on the progress of his search, and at this moment, he thinks it's almost perfect.

 

Further Disclaimers: SG1 characters belong to Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp. and Kawoosh! Productions.

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